Chapter 261: He Is Running

"This is impossible..." The thought crossed Shen Biru's mind, and she shook her head repeatedly.

She had once read an ancient text that mentioned, among the common top-tier professions like artifact forgers, alchemists, and formation masters, there was also a most mysterious one: the Diviner.

Diviners excel at divine calculations, using special techniques to foresee events that will happen in the near future and prepare accordingly.

If he were such a person, he could easily know the exam questions in advance, then consult the corresponding books, only needing to memorize the answers without reading every single book.

Could it be that Teacher Zhang possesses the talent for this profession? Is that why he knew the questions she would ask, studied them in the library beforehand, and answered them flawlessly?

And that's how he could have known in advance that Yun Tao's formation wouldn't be able to trap the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard... Thinking about it this way, it seems quite possible!

But...

This profession exists only in legend; according to ancient texts, one might not appear even among hundreds of millions of cultivators. It's almost mythical, and hardly anyone has ever seen one.

If he truly possessed such an ability, he could certainly have avoided getting a zero on the teacher qualification exam, preventing so many subsequent complications.

Furthermore, even divine calculation only reveals the general outline of events. It's impossible to know precisely what the exam questions are and which book they come from!

Lost in wild speculation, her brows furrowed into a knot. The more Shen Biru thought, the more confused and bewildered she became.

She had thought she understood Teacher Zhang well, only to realize she had merely glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

After much thought, she found no answers, but instead grew even more curious about Teacher Zhang.

Only now did she finally understand why Han Qiong said she wasn't worthy of him. Indeed, even if she was beautiful and her talent wasn't bad, she was simply not a match for such a person.

While she was lost in thought, Zhu Jinhuang, Zhou Xuan, and others stared wide-eyed.

"This guy... is he crazy? He's only reading now, with the exam so close?"

"He must have a screw loose. Otherwise, what's the point of reading at this moment?"

As they murmured, they secretly glanced at Mo Yu, who was not far away. Her eyebrows were also furrowed into a knot, lost in thought.

Just as they were about to say something to flatter her, they saw their "goddess" turn and walk towards the library.

"Miss Mo Yu..." The two were about to catch up.

"Stay here! If anyone follows me, I'll break his legs!"

With a cold snort, Mo Yu turned her lithe body and walked straight to the library.

"Damn it, damn it!"

Hearing Princess Mo Yu reprimand them for a guy she had just met, Zhu Jinhuang and Zhou Xuan turned pale with anger, clenching their teeth.

However, their rage didn't last long before they saw Miss Mo Yu return, muttering something under her breath, her face a strange mix of green and red.

The two exchanged glances, feeling puzzled, but fearing to provoke her again, they simply stood still, scratching their ears and cheeks in agitation.

After a while, unable to resist, Zhu Jinhuang waved a hand, and a guard approached. He quietly gave him a few instructions.

The guard made a wide detour, came up behind Miss Mo Yu, listened for a moment, then walked back with a strange expression.

"What did Princess Mo Yu say?"

Seeing him approach, the two quickly looked over.

"She... kept saying, 'flipping through books, flipping through books, flipping through books...' I didn't quite catch anything else!"

The guard scratched his head.

"Flipping through books?"

Zhu Jinhuang and Zhou Xuan exchanged glances again, seeing bewilderment on each other's faces. Simultaneously, a thought popped into their minds...

Could it be... their goddess had gone mad?

Unaware that the two "goddesses" were going crazy because of him, Zhang Xuan, just as Mo Yu had mentioned, was frantically flipping through books.

He had thought tens of thousands of beast-taming books would be a lot, but only upon entering the library did he realize how naive that idea was. The books before him were as vast as a sea, definitely numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

Although it couldn't compare to the Heavenly Profound Kingdom's imperial library, it wasn't far behind.

If he were to read them in his old way, he wouldn't finish even in three days and three nights.

He had initially thought the beast tamer exam would be simple and quick. But if it truly required so much reading, he might not go crazy, but Hall Master Feng and the others waiting outside surely would.

It was one thing for others to adjust their state for an hour or two, but if he took several days to prepare and then emerged with bloodshot eyes, even the dimmest person would suspect something was amiss.

"If I don't go through all these books, the Library of Heaven's Path can't record them. What if the exam tests knowledge from a book I haven't 'read'? Then I won't pass..."

Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed into a knot. "Then I won't be able to enjoy the free benefits that come with being a beast tamer..."

Although he still had tens of millions of gold coins in his storage ring, as an ordinary homebody in his previous life, he had developed a habit: never spend money if he didn't have to!

It wasn't about having a lot or a little money; it was about... principle!

"The Library of Heaven's Path reveals flaws when I touch an object. What if I touch a bookshelf... will it display the content of all the books on it?"

At his normal speed, he definitely couldn't finish reading so many books. Could there be another way? As he furrowed his brows, an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

Whenever his finger touched something—whether an unconscious person, a savage beast, or an artifact—a book would appear in his mind, revealing various flaws.

Since these books were held on shelves, what if a touch of the shelf made the Library of Heaven's Path display the content of all the books on it?

"Let's try!"

Acting on the thought, Zhang Xuan took two steps to a bookshelf, extended his hand, and grabbed it.

The Library of Heaven's Path vibrated, and indeed, a book appeared. He opened it, and Zhang Xuan swayed, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood.

It read: "Third bookshelf in the Beast Hall's branch library in Xuanluo Mountain Range. Material: camphor wood. Crafted by an unknown artisan. Age: thirty-seven years..."

"This isn't what I wanted..."

Tears almost welled up in his eyes.

Clearly, the flaw revealed was specific to what he touched. Trying to cut corners definitely wouldn't work.

"Hmm? Wait, no. It only requires a touch. Does that mean... even if I don't flip through these books, as long as I touch them, I can still generate a book?"

His first idea failed, but another flash of inspiration struck him.

As long as his finger touched something, regardless of the duration, and he concentrated his mind to call out "flaws," a book would form. If that's the case, then perhaps simply touching the books with his finger, without turning pages, would also work?

"Let's try..."

His eyes narrowed, he approached a stack of books, called out "flaws" in his mind, and quickly swept his hand across them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As he was wondering if it would work, the Library of Heaven's Path vibrated, and a row of books appeared in his sea of consciousness.

"It works?"

His face flushed with excitement, Zhang Xuan quickly pulled out a book and opened it. Sure enough, its contents were perfectly imprinted, along with various flaws.

"It really works!"

Tears streamed down Zhang Xuan's face. He experimented a few more times and finally understood it completely.

As long as he mentally called out "flaws," wherever his finger swept, the books would be recorded.

This method was over a hundred times faster than manually flipping through pages!

When flipping through books, even if he managed to go through a dozen at once, he first had to take them out, which took a considerable amount of time. With this new method, he didn't have to do that at all. He could simply jog along, and wherever his finger swept, the books would automatically enter his mind. He could record a whole row of shelves in less than a minute.

However, because books were recorded so quickly, the Library of Heaven's Path would vibrate, and his own mind would experience ripples. He couldn't record everything in one go; usually, after collecting a few rows of shelves, he needed to rest for a while.

Even so, it was vastly faster than before.

Books that would have taken him three days and three nights to read before could now likely be finished in an hour.

"Let's begin!"

Having found a much better way to record books, Zhang Xuan was overjoyed. Mentally calling out, he placed his palm on a bookshelf and began jogging forward.

After jogging past each row, he would check it, and if anything was missing, he would go back and sweep over it again to complete the record.

Books were recorded at an incredible speed, and Zhang Xuan gained more and more knowledge about beast taming.

"Hall Master Feng, are the exam papers ready?"

Inside the room, Beast Tamer Lu and Beast Tamer Wang couldn't help but look over as Hall Master Feng approached again.

"Yes!" Hall Master Feng nodded. "It covers hundreds of types of savage beasts, with no leniency at all. If he can answer all of these, his beast-taming skills are indeed extraordinary."

"Being able to recognize the Cloud-Lightning Ancient Sparrow means his knowledge should be quite good. Perhaps he will succeed," Beast Tamer Lu responded.

"Indeed, our Beast Hall always ranks last in every grand competition because we're too remote and lack true geniuses. If one truly emerges, the rewards might allow us to successfully advance to three-star!"

Hall Master Feng's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Yes, no need to rush, let's just wait for the exam results!" Beast Tamer Wang also chimed in. "We also heard Yun Tao talk about his miraculous skill—taming a Piercing Acupoint realm savage beast in ten minutes. Honestly, I'm still a bit skeptical!"

"I'm also a bit skeptical, but earlier, I not only asked Yun Tao but also questioned all his subordinates. They all said the exact same thing, without any discrepancies. It seems even if it's not as miraculous as rumored, it's pretty close!"

Beast Tamer Lu continued.

"Yes, either way, this is an opportunity for us. If he doesn't have such ability, we can just keep searching. Oh, by the way, has Teacher Zhang Xuan, who went to the library to read, come out yet?"

After a few exclamations, Hall Master Feng realized that the person to be tested had not yet appeared, and he couldn't help but frown.

"Not yet!" Beast Tamer Lu nodded.

"Xiao Zhu, go check on him!"

Hall Master Feng instructed.

Xiao Zhu was an apprentice he had taken in, currently learning beast taming from him. Hearing the instruction, he responded and hurried over. A moment later, he arrived, his face flushed, looking as if he wanted to speak but couldn't.

"What's wrong? Is he still reading?"

Seeing his apprentice's expression, Hall Master Feng frowned, feeling a bit strange. His apprentice was always steady; had something happened?

"No..."

Xiao Zhu's face was full of embarrassment, his complexion turning greenish-blue as he stammered, "He's... he's running... in the library!"