Chapter 242: The Book of Heaven (Part 1)

"Our Zhao family's cultivation technique is known for its broad, sweeping movements and majestic aura, a fact I'm sure Your Majesty is aware of!" Seeing the Emperor's puzzled expression, City Lord Zhao Feng spoke openly, no longer concealing anything.

"Indeed!" Emperor Shen Zhui nodded.

Many years ago, the Shen and Zhao families were indeed allies who jointly established the Tianxuan Kingdom—one ruling the land, the other overseeing its wealth. This history fostered generations of strong ties, to the extent that they even shared their cultivation techniques openly. Emperor Shen Zhui, having been familiar with the Zhao family's White Jade Technique since childhood, knew it well. He understood its vigorous and potent nature made it unsuitable for a girl like Zhao Ya to practice.

City Lord Zhao Feng continued, "Ever since the Tianxuan Kingdom was founded, my Zhao family has continuously guarded Jade City, even renaming it 'White Jade City.' For generations, we've had constant contact with jade. Theoretically, jade nurtures people, and people nurture jade, which should accelerate cultivation and enhance its effectiveness. However, regrettably, jade possesses a cold nature. While exposure to a few pieces is harmless, prolonged contact severely impacts and damages our inherently 'hot' White Jade Technique."

"Initially, this wasn't apparent, but over time, the prolonged clash of cold and heat created a unique, latent problem within our bodies. This issue, carried in the blood, was passed down through generations. It's precisely why I've been confined to the late stage of the Tongxuan Realm for so many years, unable to achieve a breakthrough."

City Lord Zhao Feng's talent in his youth was considerable, no less than Zhao Ya's. Hailed as a prodigy, he reached the Tongxuan Realm in his early twenties, achieving widespread renown. Regrettably, once he attained the late stage of the Tongxuan Realm, he could make no further progress. Over a decade passed with no advancement. He had initially believed his potential was simply exhausted, but he never imagined the true cause was a latent issue, inherited from his ancestors, stemming from their constant association with jade.

"Teacher Zhang identified this problem and deliberately altered the White Jade Technique, introducing a deliberate 'error' that caused the cold and hot elements to intermingle, resulting in a mixed energy. This ingenious modification completely eradicated the latent problem within me. With that issue resolved, combined with my many years of accumulated cultivation, I was finally able to achieve a breakthrough and successfully reach the peak of the Tongxuan Realm!" As Zhao Feng spoke, his eyes filled with profound admiration.

To deduce all this simply by reviewing the cultivation technique once and knowing his location in White Jade City—Teacher Zhang's comprehension of cultivation methods and practice must be incredibly profound, certainly not far from that of a grandmaster.

"Now that the latent problem is resolved, what about the cultivation technique...?" Emperor Shen Zhui still harbored some confusion.

"Your Majesty wishes to know why the technique was burned, don't you?" City Lord Zhao Feng smiled. "That particular version of the technique was inherently flawed; its sole purpose was to help me alleviate the latent problem. Now that the issue is gone, continuing to practice it would likely lead to serious internal complications. Therefore, Teacher Zhang burned it directly, signifying that I can now completely discard it from my mind and no longer need to cultivate it."

"I see..." Emperor Shen Zhui finally grasped the explanation, a profound shock rippling through him. Although Zhao Feng spoke plainly, the Emperor understood that such a feat was anything but simple.

A cultivation technique that had been passed down for centuries, meticulously refined by countless ancestors—to eliminate a latent problem accumulated over generations by merely altering a few methods of true qi circulation... this capability transcended mere awe-inspiring; it was truly terrifying. He doubted even the revered Three Masters could achieve such a feat.

"Father, Your Majesty, why are you both here?" While they were still processing this, Zhao Ya's voice rang out. They saw a group of young men and women, who had distinguished themselves that day, walking towards them.

"Oh, your father just paid a visit to your Teacher Zhang!" Zhao Feng nodded. "Weren't you supposed to be participating in the Freshmen Grand Competition? How is it that...?" The prior assessment was merely a teacher's evaluation; their true ranking among the new students could only be determined by the Grand Competition. He wondered how they could be back before it had even begun.

"Given our current state, even if we wanted to compete, who would dare to face us?" Zhao Ya said, spreading her hands.

"Ah... you're right!" Both Zhao Feng and the Emperor exchanged a wry smile.

Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang, and Yuan Tao could now directly contend with even cultivators in the Aperture Opening Realm, proving stronger than most instructors. Who would possibly dare to compete against them? They would likely concede upon sight. Moreover, with such formidable strength, winning the so-called Freshmen Grand Competition would offer no real honor; withdrawing was the more sensible choice.

"Oh, by the way, Father, have you met Teacher Zhang? Should I introduce you?" Seeing them standing at the doorway, Zhao Ya couldn't help but ask.

"I've already met your Teacher Zhang," Zhao Feng replied, turning to his daughter. "Xiaoya, it is truly your good fortune to become Teacher Zhang's disciple. From now on, you must be obedient and refrain from throwing tantrums as you do at home!"

"Understood!" Zhao Ya nodded.

"Furthermore, Teacher Zhang is like a celestial dragon; it's unlikely he will remain in the Tianxuan Kingdom for long. If he asks you to follow him, you must seize that opportunity and never let it go, otherwise, you will surely regret it for the rest of your life..." Zhao Feng conveyed these last words via a private voice transmission, his eyes filled with profound hope. "Perhaps... he is the only one who can help you rescue your mother!"

"Yes!" Zhao Ya clenched her fists.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan thought, "Let's figure out how to use this Enlightenment Jade Crystal!" Guiding Zhao Feng had been a minor matter, done only for Zhao Ya's sake. The moment the pair departed, Zhang Xuan dismissed them from his mind and focused on the jade in his palm. Logically, with his Library of Heaven's Path, he could effortlessly discern problems and flaws in others' cultivation; the 'Calm as Still Water' state of the Enlightenment Realm wasn't strictly necessary for that. However, possessing this specific talent and achieving a score of 3 was a prerequisite to qualify for the Master Teacher assessment.

Without the official identity of a master teacher, merely relying on pretense would never be sustainable. It was akin to driving in his previous life: even a professional race car driver, if lacking a license, would constantly be on edge on the road, fearing apprehension.

Furthermore, and most crucially, the Master Teacher Pavilion housed an immense collection of books. To gain access and study them for rapid self-improvement, this official status was absolutely essential.

"Absorb!" With a mental command, his state of mind once more entered the second realm. Just as expected, a cool sensation surged from his palm throughout his body, and his previously depleted mental acuity began to slowly recover.

"It really works!" Feeling the subtle changes within his body, Zhang Xuan's eyes gleamed. He continued to immerse himself, greedily absorbing the energy from the Enlightenment Jade Crystal.

He lost track of time, but eventually felt his previously depleted mental acuity completely restore itself, returning to approximately 0.1. Yet, once it reached this point, he could no longer absorb anything further, as if his capacity was full and could not accommodate more.

"It appears that without a proper cultivation technique, this item is useless, much like how cultivation cannot advance without a corresponding method!" In cultivation, the relationship between spiritual energy and true qi is akin to water flowing downhill. To reverse this natural flow and achieve advancement, one must employ various methods, among which cultivation techniques are paramount. While the Enlightenment Jade Crystal could indeed help increase one's mental acuity, without a matching cultivation manual, it was essentially useless to him at the moment.

"Never mind that for now; I'll examine the golden book instead."

The golden book had appeared when those young disciples vouched for his abilities, but he hadn't had a chance to examine it properly until now. With some free time, he decided to investigate it further. With a thought, the book materialized before him. As before, it contained only a single, blank page.

"It remains to be seen if its appearance is truly tied to expressions of gratitude, but... what exactly is this object's purpose?" The last time he attempted to examine it, the book vanished, and he fell into a coma. Upon waking, the knowledge from the Library of Heaven's Path had transferred directly into his mind, becoming his own. Could it be that this incredibly impressive object had only this single function? If not, however, there were no markings, no clues whatsoever. Even he found himself growing increasingly perplexed the more he gazed at it.

"I'll try using the Library!" After a long period of unproductive scrutiny, a thought suddenly struck him. He couldn't decipher it himself, but what about the Library of Heaven's Path? Just as with the poisonous gas he encountered earlier, it seemed there was nothing this heaven-defying artifact couldn't analyze for flaws. However, while this golden book resided within his mind and appeared as if he held it, his interaction was purely through spiritual perception, not physical touch. He wondered if this non-physical connection would still allow the Library to generate a corresponding analysis.

"Flaw!" He mentally gripped the book, his spiritual perception focusing on it. He observed, and just as he suspected, a purely conscious interaction was insufficient to reveal its flaws.

"I suppose I'll have to resort to a crude method of deduction..." After half a day of fruitless attempts, Zhang Xuan could only offer a wry smile. Since that method proved ineffective, he had no choice but to resort to speculative reasoning. He retrieved a blank book, picked up a pen and paper, and wrote: "The golden book's purpose is merely to convert the Library's knowledge into the host's own."

In his mind, a duplicate book materialized. He opened it, and indeed, it clearly listed a flaw: "The conversion of knowledge is merely one of its capabilities, not its sole function."

"It truly has other uses!" Zhang Xuan's eyes gleamed with discovery. He had suspected that such a formidable book couldn't possibly possess just one function, that of knowledge conversion; clearly, it held other applications. However, precisely what those applications were, he could only speculate.

"This book is named... Golden Book!" After a brief hesitation, Zhang Xuan resumed writing. Swiftly, a new flaw appeared: "The name 'Golden Book' is incorrect. This book is the 'Book of Heaven's Path'."

"The Book of Heaven's Path? What a commanding name! But... a grand name alone is useless; I need to understand its true function!" Zhang Xuan's brow furrowed. He already knew one of its functions was knowledge conversion, but what was the second?

"Could it perhaps generate a cultivation technique capable of enhancing mental acuity?" As he pondered how to test this, an idea suddenly emerged. He had been preoccupied with the issue of mental acuity for half the day. Given the formidable nature of the Book of Heaven's Path, could it generate a cultivation technique specifically designed to enhance this attribute?

As these speculative thoughts raced through his mind, and before he could act on them, the book before him vibrated violently, transforming into a brilliant light that engulfed the entire Library of Heaven's Path. This time, he didn't fall unconscious. He recovered swiftly and looked around. As before, the golden book remained, but the blank page within it had vanished once more.

"Could it be... that it actually generated a cultivation technique to enhance mental acuity?" The thought ignited a fervent hope within him, and he immediately began searching his surroundings.