Library of Heaven’s Path

None of them had doubted that Principal Zhang was going to be sent flying from Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s palm strike, but the situation ended up being the complete reverse. The expert who had stood beside Kong shi for many years ended up being instantly destroyed instead!

More importantly, the fellow who had instantly destroyed him had done it using his palm art after practicing it for barely six hours!

”How in the world can I ever match up with that monster?” Feng Xun, whose hair had been devastated by the shockwave, was on the verge of tears.

Even though he had lost to Zhang Xuan the previous time around, he had been able to accept his loss calmly because he thought that as long as he cultivated diligently after returning to the Combat Master Hall, he would eventually be able to return the favor and cleanse himself of the humiliation. However, after witnessing the insane might that Zhang Xuan was able to exert on a whim… he should just abandon all hopes of that then and there.

Otherwise, he would only be treading down a path where he would suffer blow after blow until insanity finally consumed him.

”You… Are you sure that you have only reached a mastery of Minor Accomplishment?” Just like the shocked crowd, the sculpture’s head rose from its destroyed remains and stared at Zhang Xuan, flabbergasted.

The Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm was a technique that he had created after long years of studying and experimentation, and he thought that no one would be able to top him in it. Yet, he was still sent flying so easily. How could the might wielded by the other party’s attack be so much greater than his?

”Un, it is only at Minor Accomplishment!” Zhang Xuan had never used the palm art before, so he had not thought that it would be so powerful either. If he had known earlier, he would have made sure to hold back so that he did not destroy the other party’s body. He could not help but feel a little embarrassed. ”There were too many flaws in the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm previously, so I altered it slightly. I really did not think that it would be so powerful. My sincere apologies…”

The sculpture widened his eyes in shock. ”Altered? You altered my palm art?”

In just six short hours, not only did that fellow decipher the battle technique he had left behind and practice it to a mastery of Minor Accomplishment, he even… thought that it was too weak and modified it.

Man, you are really heading for the stars!

”Un. Your Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm is a decent palm art indeed, wielding considerable strength. However, it is simply riddled with too many flaws; there are exactly 27 of them! Due to the limitations of my shallow knowledge, I was only able to resolve 18 of them, so there are still 9 remaining, which I can’t find a solution to at the moment.” Zhang Xuan shook his head and sighed deeply.

If he had sufficient palm art manuals at hand, he never would have practiced such a flawed palm art. Just thinking about it was sufficient to leave him deeply frustrated.

Huala!

The sculpture was in the midst of regathering his shattered body when he heard those words, and he shook intensely, nearly shattering once more.

Shallow knowledge… And furthermore, what is with that frustrated look on your face?

Will you die if you stop showing off for a while?

It is a fist art I created, and even I was unable to correct it any further. With just a look, you were able to resolve two-thirds of the remaining flaws, and you call that having shallow knowledge?

If that’s considered as shallow, should I just end my life right here and right now?

It is a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, and you actually feel frustrated from practicing it.

I am the one who should be frustrated!

Due to the intense fluctuations in his state of mind, more and more cracks began appearing on the regathering sculpture.

He had left behind his ancient domain to find himself an outstanding student to pass down his heritage so as to return glory and honor to his lineage. Who would have thought that instead of displaying his awe-inspiring might as an esteemed elder, he ended up suffering blow after blow instead?

Suppressing his vexed emotions, the sculpture asked, ”Which 18 flaws did you alter?”

Given that they were at the same cultivation realm using the same palm art with the same level of mastery, the fact that the might harnessed by the other party’s palm was far greater than his went to show that the other party had successfully improved his palm art. As the one who had painstakingly created the technique, it was natural that he wanted to know what mistakes his palm art had.

”You wish to know? I can teach you!” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.

Kacha!

A huge crack appeared on the sculpture, and Ancient Sage Qiu Wu felt a sharp pain assaulting its chest.

”There’s no need for it…” As much as he wanted to know where he had gone wrong, he did not think that he could take it if the other party were to ask him to acknowledge him as his teacher once more.

”There’s no need to stand on ceremony. It’s actually quite simple. The first flaw is that when one’s zhenqi is directed toward the Spiritual Sea…” Zhang Xuan began explaining the flaws.

As he did not have sufficient advanced movement arts to fuse together with the Boundless Voyager, he only knew of its flaws and not how they should be resolved. As such, he was unable to respond to the other party’s query back then. However, for the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm, he already had the solutions for those eighteen flaws, so it was not a big deal for him to recite them to the other party.

Kacha! Kacha!

Hearing those words, more and more cracks appeared on the sculpture. Too overwhelmed with shock, it seemed to be at the limits of its endurance.

Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had only left a sliver of his soul in the ancient domain. Furthermore, with the passing of innumerable years, his fragmented soul had already grown incredibly weak and unstable. As such, after suffering consecutive traumas from Zhang Xuan, he was already nearing the point of dissipation.

It was not that his mental resilience was too weak, but the fellow before him was simply too exaggerated.

To his shock, the 27 flaws listed were also identical to what Kong shi had said back then. Kong shi had not solved them for him back then either, tasking him to find a solution himself. Zhang Xuan’s words had truly enlightened him. The flaws of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm were an issue that had plagued his mind for a very long time, and learning the solutions to them had left him feeling as if he would be content even if he were to die at that very instant. His mind inadvertently slackened, and that single lapse in concentration triggered the start of his dissipation.

”… These are the eighteen flaws that I have altered. As for the remaining nine, there’s nothing I can do about them at the moment.”

Very soon, Zhang Xuan was done reciting the portions of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm that he had corrected. Raising his gaze, he looked at the sculpture once more, and his eyes immediately widened in horror. ”Ah! What… happened to you?”

The sculpture, which had been trying its best to regather its body earlier, suddenly collapsed onto the ground as if a slab of mud. Even the previously intact head was completely covered with cracks, reminiscent of a spider web. It looked as if it was on the verge of shattering altogether.

”I see, I see… So, all along, I have been practicing it in the wrong manner. It is no wonder I was unable to reach greater heights despite many years of hard work.” Seemingly oblivious to Zhang Xuan’s words, the sculpture muttered in a daze beneath his breath, and more and more cracks crept across its head.

After a momentary lamentation, the sculpture raised his gaze and looked at Zhang Xuan. ”Thank you for your guidance. Not only did you manage to decipher my palm art, you even altered it to such perfection. You have cleared my trial, and you are qualified to obtain my heritage. My heritage is… is… is…”

Halfway through his words, however, a loud ’kacha!’ sounded.

Huala!

The sculpture’s head shattered.

Zhang Xuan was dumbstruck. He hurriedly rushed forward in an attempt to piece the sculpture’s head together, but upon contact, the shattered fragments were reduced to dust. The fragmented soul deposited within it had already vanished.

”You haven’t said what your heritage is!” Zhang Xuan’s body trembled in anxiety as he nearly spewed blood.

Isn’t this Ancient Sage Qiu Wu a little too unreliable?

Didn’t you say that anyone who cleared your trial will be entitled to your heritage?

So, how can you shatter before revealing what your heritage is? Heck, this is too much!

He was not the only one who was feeling frenzied by the turn of events. Wu shi and the others also had their eyes widened in shock, and they nearly burst out crying.

After going through so much trouble, just when the heritage seemed to be within reach… the will of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu ended up being so heavily traumatized by Principal Zhang that he dissipated on the spot before managing to utter a word about the heritage.

At this moment, they felt as if someone had taken a treasure that was right before their reach and tossed it into the ocean!

What the heck was with that?

Moments earlier, they had still been thinking that it was a good thing that they entered the ancient domain together with Zhang Xuan. His talent, sharp wits, and comprehension of formations were top-notch, and they felt that they would be safe following behind him. If the expedition team were to obtain something good in the ancient domain, they would at least gain a share of it as well.

However, at this moment, it dawned on them that they were gravely mistaken!

Now that even Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul was traumatized to the point of dissipating on the spot, the heritage had disappeared for good. In other words, there was not even a morsel left for them anymore!

”This… Perhaps his time was up, so the sculpture ended up shattering apart.”

While the crowd was feeling depressed by the situation before them, Zhang Xuan suddenly spoke up with an apologetic look. ”Even though we did not manage to obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s heritage, we still have the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm. Mastering it should induce a significant rise in your individual fighting prowess.”

”Un.” The crowd nodded.

There was no way around it anymore.

Since Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul had already dissipated, who else would possibly know what the heritage was and where it could found?

There was no point brooding over it anymore.

At the very least, they still had a powerful palm art left.

With this thought in mind, the crowd turned to the stone tablet once more, but a familiar, crisp sound echoed yet again.

Kacha! Kacha!

Innumerable cracks crept across all of the stone tablets with an unstoppable momentum.

Guild Leader Han was the first to realize what was going on, and he quickly explained to the dumbfounded crowd, ”These stone tablets have long exceeded their lifespan. It was only with the reinforcement of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul that they were able to hold on for so long. With the dissipation of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul, they are rapidly deteriorating as well…”

However, before he could finish his words, the ground suddenly began shaking intensely as well. It felt as if the countdown to the utter destruction of the folded space had just begun ticking.

”Let’s quickly leave! Just like the stone tablets, the folded space for the trial was held in place by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul as well. We have to get out of here as soon as we can.” Right after saying those words, Guild Leader Han hurriedly rushed off, leading the way forward.

Knowing that any delay could result in them being trapped eternally within this collapsing folded space, they hurriedly followed Guild Leader Han as well, not daring to hesitate.

Zhang Xuan also stuck close to the group.

Not too long later, they returned back to the flower garden, only to see that Luo Ruoxin was no longer around. They quickly rushed back the way they had come from, and right after they stepped out from the door, the nine doors behind them abruptly collapsed before vanishing altogether. It was as if what they had gone through earlier was only a mere dream.

”This…”

The crowd looked at one another, and cold sweat gushed down their backs.

It was fortunate that they had cleared the trial, thus causing the seal that prevented them from leaving to collapse. Otherwise, they might have just disappeared along with the folded space.

That was really a close shot!

”Where is Ruoxin?” Zhang Xuan asked as he scanning his surroundings anxiously.

She was not in the flower garden earlier, so why was she not outside either?

Worried, Zhang Xuan was about to use his Eye of Insight to track Luo Ruoxin’s whereabouts when he suddenly saw the latter flying back from the distance.

Luo Ruoxin landed before him and asked, ”How was it? Have you obtained the heritage?”

”Cough cough… We didn’t obtain the heritage. Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul ended up dissipating after being traumatized by Principal Zhang’s words before he could even present us with the heritage,” Mu shi explained awkwardly.

”Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul dissipated?” Luo Ruoxin turned a curious gaze to the young man before her.

”I…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head, not knowing how to respond to her gaze.

All he had done was to share the alterations he had made to the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm with the other party. It was not like he had said anything much. How was he to know that the other party would be so trauma-prone?

To think that he was even known as an ancient sage…

”This is the manual of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm that I altered earlier. Feel free to cultivate it. Consider it compensation for joining the expedition to the ancient domain.” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan began writing down a copy of his corrected Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm manual before passing it over to the crowd.

Regardless of whether Ancient Sage Qiu Wu had dissipated due to his words or not, it was a fact that he had prevented the others from obtaining the heritage. The least he could do was offer the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm manual to them as compensation.

”Thank you…”

The eyes of the crowd lit up in agitation.

Wu shi flipped open the manual, and the others quickly turned their eyes over.

Not too long later, they were done going through the secret manual, and they could not help but turn their gazes toward the young man before them with horrified looks.

”Principal Zhang… is this really the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm? Did you really achieve Minor Accomplishment in it within just six hours of practice?”

They gulped subconsciously.

Without a doubt, the palm art was indeed very powerful. However, it was for the very same reason that mastering it was an extremely difficult feat as well.

Putting everything else aside, even if a 7-star high-tier master teacher like Wu shi were to devote his effort to the technique, it would at least take ten years for him to achieve Novice mastery, let alone Minor Accomplishment.

Yet… such a difficult battle technique, and the fellow before them had actually managed to achieve Minor Accomplishment within just six hours. Furthermore, he was able to harness greater strength than Ancient Sage Qiu Wu when both of them were at the same cultivation. Just how in the world did he do it?

It was no wonder Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s fragmented soul ended up being traumatized to the point of dissipation. If it had been them, they would have reacted in the same manner as well!

Thinking back, his previous claim of saying that he had attempted to accept Ancient Sage Qiu Wu as his student is likely true as well…

That freak! the crowd thought in their minds.