[A major clue has been found regarding the quest {Mystery of the Sacred Wind}]
[Quest Completion Rate has increased]
Ethan smiled faintly, though he wasn't completely overjoyed. He asked the system to display the quest status.
[Quest Name: Mystery of the Sacred Wind]
[Quest Rank: SSS]
[Description: Two hundred years ago, Sacred Wind Academy was attacked by a group of powerful and mysterious people. There is more to the story than what you heard.]
[Mission: Solve the entire mystery behind the attack on Sacred Wind Academy]
[Quest Completion Rate: 60%]
Ethan nodded with mild satisfaction. Previously, the completion rate had stood at only 20%. Now, after uncovering the truth behind the events of two centuries ago, it had risen to 60%. That alone was worth acknowledging.
He wanted to know what happened after Dean Will and the others left. Unfortunately, the crystal held no further records. Frank had instructed Will to hide the crystal within the library and seal it until circumstances improved, and so the memories ended there.
Still, something didn't sit right with Ethan.
If the situation at the academy had been so dire, why was the maintenance of the library still listed in the administrative records? There had to be a deeper conspiracy at play. He wanted answers—but with this being an SSS-rank quest, he knew the truth wouldn't reveal itself easily.
Too many doubts flooded his mind.
Who exactly was that beautiful woman from the Blue Ocean Sect? According to the memory crystal, she had once been its Sect Master. But where had she gone afterward? She claimed she would return, yet two hundred years had passed.
She also said she was heading to a place where she would be the weakest upon arrival.
Ethan was certain—she was the strongest individual he had seen so far. So what kind of place could possibly exist where everyone was stronger than her?
Despite all these questions, Ethan didn't dwell on them for long. He had never been someone who cared much about worldly affairs. His priority was simple: complete the quest and reap its rewards.
Yet one question nagged at him relentlessly.
If the mastermind behind the academy's destruction was truly the Vicious Lord, why was the quest only 60% complete?
'Maybe the quest will only finish once I enter the Secret Zone that woman mentioned and uncover what's hidden there,' Ethan thought.
Then another doubt surfaced—this one about the memory crystal itself.
In his eyes, the crystal seemed ordinary. Yes, it contained the memories of the academy's founder, but what exactly had Frank intended by hiding it so carefully?
If Frank had gone to such lengths to conceal the crystal and seal the library, there had to be something far more significant hidden within it.
Yet no matter how meticulously Ethan examined the crystal—turning it over, inspecting every inch—he found nothing.
Still, his intuition screamed that something was there.
And the reason he trusted that intuition was embarrassingly simple.
He had read countless novels where protagonists encountered similar situations—clueless at first, only to uncover hidden truths through persistence.
Having transmigrated into a cultivation world with a system at his side, Ethan couldn't help but feel like the protagonist of this reality. The difference was simple: this wasn't a story—it was his life.
And so, he believed that persistence would eventually pay off.
He spent another three hours examining the crystal, frustration steadily mounting. Just as he was about to curse aloud, an idea struck him.
"Heavenly Gaze, activate!" Ethan commanded.
Golden radiance flickered briefly in his eyes as he focused on the crystal once more.
This time, he saw it.
Faint, shimmering markings—so small they were almost invisible. Even with Heavenly Gaze, they were difficult to discern.
Almost immediately, Ethan felt immense strain on his eyes. He couldn't pinpoint the exact sensation, but instinct told him that prolonged use would be dangerous.
During the learning process of Heavenly Gaze, he had learned that activating the skill drained Spirit energy rapidly. Even with his current Spirit at 0.9, he couldn't sustain it for long. Increasing Spirit further required Golden Points—and those were scarce.
"System, record what's inscribed on the crystal and decode it," Ethan commanded.
[Recording under process]
[Recording completed]
[Image saved in system database as Memory_Crystal_Image.jpeg]
[Decoding Memory_Crystal_Image.jpeg]
[Image contains highly complex encryption]
[Decoding in progress]
[Estimated decoding time: 72:00:00 hours]
Seventy-two hours.
That was good news.
Waiting three days was nothing. He wasn't some genius like Bill Gates or Larry Page—if the system could shoulder the burden, he was more than happy to wait.
He set an alarm for 3:00 a.m. through the system, stretched lazily, and lay down.
He would be leaving the academy temporarily.
And when he did, it would be quietly—before dawn.