Titan was an experienced man who had seen a lot in his lifetime. With just a single glance at Dan Heng, he could already discern certain things.
Even though Dan Heng wasn't a soul master, his demeanor alone commanded respect.
However, respect alone was not enough for people to willingly follow him.
Titan could not see any trace of ambition in Dan Heng's clear eyes—not for power, not for strength, not for anything.
Dan Heng glanced at Titan and his companion, sighing internally.
Is this still not over?
Titan spoke, "Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Dan Heng. Our Strength Clan repays kindness. You first guided my useless grandson."
"But my even more useless son did not show you the proper respect. If I had known at the time, I would have dragged him over to apologize immediately!"
As he spoke, Titan smacked Tai Nuo's head with force.
Bang!
Tai Nuo's head tilted to the side so violently that onlookers might wonder if it would be knocked off entirely.
The sound was so loud that it attracted many curious gazes.
"Father…" Tai Nuo grimaced, wanting to protest. But upon seeing Titan's dark expression, he swallowed his words immediately.
"There's no need for that. He did not offend me."
Dan Heng shook his head slightly before continuing, "And there's no need to thank me for anything. It was within my ability to help; you don't need to dwell on it."
"If there's nothing else, I'd like to continue reading."
Dan Heng's tone was distant, his attitude carrying an air of cold detachment.
Tai Nuo furrowed his brows, about to voice his dissatisfaction.
After all, when it came down to it, wasn't Dan Heng just a librarian?
He had read more books than most, but at the end of the day, he wasn't even a soul master. It was laughable to think that he was worthy of speaking to them as equals!
The moment this thought arose, he felt Titan's gaze on him again and quickly lowered his head, afraid of another slap.
Titan, on the other hand, remained unfazed and continued standing at the service counter.
"My apologies for visiting without sending an official request first, Mr. Dan Heng. However, our need to speak with you is urgent."
Titan wore a polite smile. After hesitating for a moment, he finally got to the heart of the matter.
"Mr. Dan Heng, regarding the books you provided my grandson… Do they have a specific source?"
This was the real reason Titan had come.
The books Tai Long had read had improved his strength by 30%!
More importantly, those books were highly applicable—not just to Tai Long, but to all soul masters in the Strength Clan, and even to others outside the clan.
They could serve as the foundation of a soul master family's heritage.
Titan wanted to secure these books as an exclusive resource for the Strength Clan.
This was standard practice for most soul master families.
Dan Heng frowned slightly, immediately understanding Titan's underlying intent.
Instinctively, he disliked this kind of thinking.
Books were meant to be the stepping stones of human progress.
They should be available for more people to see and learn from, not hoarded by a select few. If knowledge and truth were monopolized, wouldn't that mean the power to understand the world would belong only to those few?
Dan Heng had once heard of a genius known as the Doctor of Truth (Dr Ratio), who dedicated himself to eliminating ignorance and spreading knowledge.
That was the right approach—not trying to turn back the clock.
Dan Heng let out a cold snort, his attitude turning even more frigid.
"These are publicly available books. Almost every major library carries them."
"And knowledge should be shared. I hope you will keep that in mind."
Having said that, Dan Heng ignored them completely.
Titan looked slightly embarrassed. He could tell that Dan Heng was displeased and had no intention of aligning with their interests.
Titan scratched his face. He had originally wanted to discuss Tai Long's desire to become Dan Heng's disciple.
As the young master of the Strength Clan, Tai Long's future was critical, and Titan needed to assess whether Dan Heng was worthy of such a role.
But now, it seemed Dan Heng had absolutely no interest in them!
"What are you acting so high and mighty for?! You're just a librarian! Who do you think you are to talk down to us?!"
"We, the Strength Clan, are showing you respect by coming to you personally, yet you're giving us this kind of attitude? Other than us, who else would—"
Tai Nuo snapped in frustration, his voice sharp.
Before he could finish, Titan grabbed him by the throat and scowled.
"Shut up. If Mr. Dan Heng has other matters to attend to, then we—"
Before he could finish speaking, a cold voice rang out from behind them.
"Which bastard dares to disturb one of my academy's teachers? Do you think I don't exist?!"
A woman's voice, brimming with hostility.
Everyone turned to look.
Liu Erlong strode over with a few books in hand, her expression fierce, as if she had just swallowed gunpowder.
Dan Heng saw Liu Erlong approaching, but instead of feeling grateful, he rubbed his temples in mild frustration.
Something about this situation felt… off.
Titan was momentarily stunned. Though the Strength Clan and Liu Erlong weren't particularly close, there had never been animosity between them either.
Yet now, Liu Erlong was outright hostile—clearly because of Dan Heng!
Just now, Tai Nuo had called Dan Heng "just a librarian," and now Liu Erlong was openly opposing them.
Dan Heng… was he really just a librarian?
"Mr. Dan Heng is not just a librarian. He's one of the people I… respect the most! At least my second or third most respected!"
Liu Erlong snorted coldly as she walked past Titan and Tai Nuo, casually storing her books into a spatial soul tool.
Then, with a small jump, she sat on the service counter, bringing her eye level to about the same height as Tai Nuo and Titan.
Dan Heng sighed again.
He couldn't deny that Liu Erlong's slender figure was nice to look at, and she smelled pleasant.
But… having her sit right on his workspace?
That didn't seem quite right.
Tai Nuo muttered under his breath, "It's just because he reads a lot of books…"
Titan shot him a glare full of disappointment.
Even if that were true, saying it out loud was incredibly foolish!
Where was the composure befitting a future clan leader?
Titan said, "From now on, if you speak another word, you'll spend the rest of your life bedridden!"
"!!!"
Tai Nuo's face turned pale, and he immediately shut up.
Titan turned back to Liu Erlong, apologetic.
"Dean Liu, my apologies. We had no intention of disrespecting Mr. Dan Heng…"
Before he could finish his sentence—
A voice suddenly rang out from the entrance.
"Excuse me, is Mr. Dan Heng here?"
Everyone turned to look.
A young woman with short purple hair approached.
It was Dugu Yan.
Behind her stood the entire Emperor Team from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
Liu Erlong's sharp eyes immediately caught sight of Yu Tianheng among them.
"Tianheng! What are you all doing here?!"
Her tone was wary.
If the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy wanted to poach Dan Heng, that would be a serious problem.
Yu Tianheng replied, "Auntie, it's Yanzi—Dugu Yan. Grandmaster Dugu's granddaughter. She's here to meet Mr. Dan Heng. We also wanted to spar with the Blue Tyrant Academy's team."
Just as he finished speaking, a well-dressed middle-aged man walked into the library.
"So Mr. Dan Heng is here. That's truly excellent."
At this, everyone turned to look again.
Titan's eyes narrowed slightly.
He recognized this man—it was the steward of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
Even he had come to find Dan Heng?
Was Dan Heng… really just a librarian?
(End of Chapter)