Chapter 15: Heavenly Dao Divine Skill

Divine and Saint-level cultivation techniques were rare. Not only did Hongtian Academy lack them, but even some ultimate sects might not possess them. And if they did, they would be so deeply hidden that ordinary people would never be able to access them.

If he could create such a technique, his cultivation would surely become twice as effective with half the effort, progressing faster and faster!

"Since I don't have the cultivation method for the fourth stage," he thought, "I'll go check the Teachers' Library."

The academy practiced the Hongtian Nine Heavens Art. One was only eligible to receive the manual for the next stage after completing the current one. He only possessed the cultivation method for the third stage and had never seen the fourth.

As he left his residence, it had only just gotten dark, and there were still many pedestrians on the road.

Under the bright moonlight, the ground was hazy, as if sprinkled with a layer of silver. Many couples, secretly enjoying forbidden fruit, nestled under trees, whispering sweet nothings, creating a scene of quiet tranquility.

Zhang Xuan had no time for such sights. He quickened his pace, and before long, a huge tall building appeared before him.

The library was divided into two main sections: one for teachers and one for students. It housed various secret manuals and cultivation techniques of the academy, making it one of the most important places in the entire institution.

"Elder Mo!"

Approaching the entrance, he bowed to an old man sitting not far from the main door.

Elder Mo, one of the library's guardians, possessed unknown strength, though it was rumored he ranked highly within the academy. However, he hadn't taken action in years, so no one knew his exact power.

"You're here!" Elder Mo said, stroking his sparse beard. "Have you broken through to Martial Artist Four?"

"Just by luck!" Zhang Xuan replied, not hiding anything.

"Good, good. Cultivate well; the academy still needs the injection of young blood like yours!" Elder Mo nodded in satisfaction. "The manual for the fourth stage is on the fourth shelf in the cultivation technique section. Go ahead!"

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan said no more, stepping into the room.

As soon as he left, Elder Mo couldn't help but shake his head, sighing, "He's a good kid, but his talent is a bit lacking, and his cultivation is too slow!"

While others could break through to Martial Artist Three in two years, Zhang Xuan took over three years just to successfully advance. His talent truly wasn't impressive.

"If he cultivates well after reaching Martial Artist Four," Elder Mo muttered, "he could still be an ordinary teacher. I just hope his next teacher assessment isn't too bad…"

Muttering to himself, Elder Mo said no more, closing his eyes again.

Zhang Xuan was just one of many young teachers, one of the more polite ones. Elder Mo didn't particularly like or dislike him; he merely felt a bit of pity for his poor talent.

Unaware of Elder Mo's murmurs, Zhang Xuan entered the library.

Although Hongtian Academy's library was of a certain scale, and no less impressive than where he worked in his previous life, it paled in comparison to the Library of Heaven's Path in his mind.

The two were simply not on the same level.

He quickly walked to the cultivation technique section and found the fourth shelf.

Indeed, the cultivation method for the fourth stage of the Hongtian Nine Heavens Art was here.

He reached out, pulled it out, and casually flipped through it.

*Whoosh!*

In his mind, an identical secret technique appeared. Upon opening it, he saw that, similar to the third stage, it had over a thousand flaws.

"There are also other secret techniques here," he thought. "I'll take a look at them all!"

With his previous breakthrough experience, Zhang Xuan didn't bother looking at the specific flaws. Instead, he turned his attention to the bookshelves before him.

The fourth shelf was densely packed with various cultivation techniques, all methods for the fourth stage, along with many notes and annotations left by predecessors. There were thousands of them.

For anyone else, just one glance would be dizzying. After all, among so many books, many annotations and cultivation theories were even contradictory. Without knowing which was correct, rash cultivation could easily lead to qi deviation.

Zhang Xuan was different. Possessing the Library of Heaven's Path meant he could automatically discern correctness. Without hesitation, he picked up a book and gently flipped through it.

*Whoosh!*

An identical book appeared in his mind.

Zhang Xuan didn't pause, picking up the next book immediately.

He wasn't observing or choosing now. Instead, he was allowing the Library of Heaven's Path to acquire more books, so it could better select the correct cultivation methods.

*Rustle, rustle, rustle!*

The sound of continuous book-flipping echoed in the room.

"An unstable mind, impetuous and showy!" Elder Mo frowned upon hearing the sound.

Since he was already cultivating the Hongtian Nine Heavens Art, he shouldn't think about anything else. He should quickly copy the fourth-stage technique, go back, and study it. Although "stones from other mountains can polish jade," if one's cultivation and insight aren't sufficient, the more one reads, the more confused and restless one's mind becomes. In the end, achieving nothing would be a minor issue; he might even suffer qi deviation and be completely ruined!

Thirty years ago, there was such an example: a brilliant and exceptionally talented teacher, who thought himself far superior to others, insisted on extensively studying various schools of thought to create his own ultimate move. As a result, he read too many cultivation techniques, became indecisive about which to choose, suffered qi deviation, and went mad.

Biting off more than one can chew!

This was profound wisdom and a stark reality.

It took him over three years to break through to the True Qi realm; his talent was evident. With such talent, he should just obediently cultivate the fourth stage of the Hongtian Nine Heavens Art. Why was he still flipping through other books? Wasn't he just looking for trouble?

He was clearly a show-off!

Any good impression Elder Mo had of Zhang Xuan had now vanished without a trace.

"Just putting on an act, trying to attract attention!"

After a cold snort, he realized Zhang Xuan was just casually flipping through the books, not reading them carefully. Elder Mo's frown deepened, even turning to disgust.

If he were reading carefully, though still a bit showy, at least he would be gaining knowledge. But this fellow was just casually flipping pages at a speed where even Elder Mo couldn't make out the content. What could a young man who had just reached Martial Artist Four possibly comprehend?

He was simply putting on an act and trying to attract attention!

"The academy is truly declining, each generation worse than the last!"

He snorted, closed his eyes, and ignored the show-off.

"Done!"

The flipping was very fast; typically, he could finish a book in one or two breaths. In just over an hour, all the cultivation technique manuals on the fourth shelf had been flipped through, and the Library of Heaven's Path now contained thousands of identical books.

"Time to go back and summarize!"

Knowing his objective was achieved, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. He didn't linger and walked out.

"Aren't you going to copy them?"

Seeing him walk out empty-handed, Elder Mo could no longer hold back.

Even if he was a show-off, he should at least copy a manual and go back to study it properly. Coming empty-handed and leaving empty-handed—was he here to fool around?

"No, I just casually looked through them…"

Unaware of what the other party was thinking, Zhang Xuan smiled and turned to leave.

"Just casually looked? Frivolous!" Elder Mo exclaimed, waving his hand. "It seems the academy needs a good rectification! How can such a frivolous person be a teacher!"

Cultivation manuals were the very foundation for cultivators, and any cultivator should treat them with respect. This fellow actually just came to look, casually flipped through them, and then left. It was simply outrageous!

It seemed he had to talk to the principal and properly rectify the unhealthy trends among the teachers.

Returning to his residence, Zhang Xuan found paper and a brush. He opened the Hongtian Nine Heavens Art's fourth-stage manual and copied down the correct parts.

Then he took out the next book and wrote down its correct parts too.

After flipping through several books consecutively, Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples.

Flipping through thousands of books like this was actually quite troublesome, not as easy as he imagined.

As he was wondering how to speed things up, his Sea of Consciousness suddenly vibrated again.

The thousands of books that had just appeared in the Library of Heaven's Path seemed to crumple and slowly merge.

*Hum!*

With a clear hum, the thousands of books completely merged, forming a single book.

The book had no name. He casually opened it.

"This… this is all the correct parts from thousands of secret manuals compiled into one?" Zhang Xuan's face flushed with excitement at the sight.

Just moments ago, he was thinking about how troublesome it would be to sift through thousands of books alone to find the correct parts—a daunting and laborious task. He never dreamed the library would combine them automatically!

"This book… actually has no errors!"

The anonymously combined book consisted entirely of correct methods, with not a single error.

Its content was naturally no longer the Hongtian Nine Heavens Art, nor any other secret manual. The cultivation method recorded within it was, one could say, completely unprecedented.

"Since it's a secret manual formed by the Library of Heaven's Path automatically selecting correct methods," he mused, "let's call it… Heaven's Path Divine Art!"

With a thought, he named the nameless book.

*Hum!*

As if sensing his thought, the originally blank cover vibrated softly, and four large characters appeared.

Heaven's Path Divine Art!