Library of Heaven's Path

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"Dissipated… after suffering several traumas? What do you mean?" Vice Principals Ji Yan and Tan Qing were stunned, unable to process what they had just heard.

If the other party were to say that they failed to find the correct door or that they did not even trigger the mechanism that induced the appearance of the nine doors in the first place, they would still be able to understand it. But… to dissipate Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's soul by traumatizing him…

Why did it sound so profound that they could not understand a word of it?

May I trouble you to clarify the matter a little more?

Noticing the two bewildered faces before him, Wu shi's face reddened. He really had no idea how he was supposed to explain the matter to them, so he turned to Guild Leader Han for help. "I think it'll be better for you to say it instead…"

"Alright. The situation is like this…" With a deep sigh, Guild Leader Han contemplated over his choice of phrases before he began recounting the matter.

"You are saying that… Zhang shi managed to see through the flaws in Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's palm art? Not only did he manage to practice it to a mastery of Minor Accomplishment, he even corrected it on top of that?"

"Not to mention, he offered to take Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in as his student?"

The two vice principals widened their mouths in shock, and they nearly blacked out on the spot.

Surely, they must have been listening to a fictional story!

How could there be such a ridiculous master teacher in the world?

That was Ancient Sage Qiu Wu! All who had heard of his affairs would revere him like a deity, not daring to even breathe loudly before him. Yet, that fellow actually offered to take Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in as his student?

Do you not understand the meaning of what taking a person in as your student means, or are your guts so inflated that even Ancient Sage Qiu Wu means nothing to you?

"Cough cough…" Noticing the shocked gazes of the duo on him, Zhang Xuan quickly explained himself. "All I did was share the flaws of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm with Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. I didn't expect that he would be so brittle, collapsing at the slightest trauma. Jeez, he really does need to temper his mind a little more."

To be honest, he also did not intend for such a situation to happen. It was not as if he had done it intentionally.

"Brittle?"

"Temper?"

The duo was rendered completely speechless by Zhang Xuan's words.

One of the most renowned Ancient Sages of the Master Teacher Pavilion, a figure who had stood alongside the World's Teacher through numerous crises… It was already a blessing that he did not die from anger from having a several-dozen-millenniums-younger junior like Zhang Xuan attempting to take him in as his student, and yet, the young man expected him not to be traumatized by the matter?

Not to mention, he altered the prided palm art that the other party created on the spot, strengthening it significantly. The fact that Qiu Wu was still able to talk to him after that was already testimony to his incredible mental resilience.

A moment later, Vice Principal Ji Yan shook his head with a bitter smile. "So, you didn't receive the heritage either… It seems like we really won't be getting out of here today…"

A treasure trove was right before them, but that fellow ended up pushing it right off the cliff. How in the world did such a ridiculous master teacher become their new principal?

They were really starting to worry for the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy's future.

But in any case, without the heritage, they would not be able to escape from the place either. Their worry would not change a thing at all.

They were still hoping that those who had received their news would come to their rescue, but from the looks of it… their expectations might have truly been a little too high.

Paying no heed to the disappointed looks around him, Zhang Xuan asked, "What exactly is the Saint Ascension Hall? How is it related to the Saint Ascension Platform?"

Saint Ascension Hall and Saint Ascension Platform… Given how similar their names were and that they were both related to Kong shi, it was hard to believe that there was no relation between the both of them.

"There's indeed a relationship between the both of them. If I'm not mistaken…" Vice Principal Ji Yan began to reply, but before he could finish his words, the ground suddenly began trembling intensely, and it felt as if the pavilion would cave in on them at any moment.

Alarmed, Wu shi and the others asked anxiously, "What's going on?"

Vice Principal Ji Yan seemed to be very used to the trembling, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "This happens every single day at irregular intervals… Let's go, I'll bring you to meet Principal Zhang Yinqiu. However, just a word of warning, we will only have an incense's time. We will have to return here before then, or else we will face grave danger like before."

"Meet Principal Zhang Yinqiu?" The crowd was stunned for a moment before nodding. "Alright!"

"Let's go!"

Without wasting any more time on words, Vice Principal Ji Yan led the way forward. As Vice Principal Tan Qing had lost three of his limbs, and there were several places where he would be unable to fly, he decided to remain behind.

Bypassing the many formations and traps outside, the group headed straight forward, and before long, they arrived at the very top of the Saint Ascension Hall. The roof of the Saint Ascension Hall was flat, and at the very center, there was a round platform, which emanated a brilliant glow.

The previous tremor seemed to have originated from the energy released by the round platform.

"This is…" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The round platform before him was identical to the one that had appeared after the cliff face on the Saint Ascension Platform collapsed previously.

Back then, after he had pointed out the flaws in Kong shi's writings, the cliff face broke apart, and a round platform emerged from within. Standing above it, he and Luo Ruoxin had ended up being transported into a folded space.

Back then, he had thought that the round platform was the place where Kong shi had seated when he ascended to become a Celestial Saint. However, from the looks of it now, it seemed like he was mistaken.

Noticing Zhang Xuan's confusion, Vice Principal Ji Yan explained, "Indeed. This is real Saint Ascension Platform that Kong shi left behind when he ascended to Sainthood. The one outside is nothing more than an imitation…"

"This is the real Saint Ascension Platform?" Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly.

The conferment of a Celestial Saint was not a small matter. The lands where the conferment occurred would surely be suffused with the energy of the world, so how could there only be a few halos here and there? Furthermore, how could such an important landmark be left open on the top of a mountain, not fearing that it would be found by anyone?

Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan began examining the Saint Ascension Platform carefully.

There a peculiar sheet of light covering the top of the round platform, and ripples of energy were flowing on top of it. The ripples of energy seemed to carry an extraordinary quality to nourish the Saint aura within one. It felt like one could advance one's cultivation significantly just by taking in a whiff of it.

"Even a sliver of energy emanated from a Celestial Saint is a great nourishment to ordinary cultivators like us. It is due to it that I was able to advance my cultivation so quickly," Vice Principal Ji Yan said.

The others nodded in agreement.

The energy emanated by the round platform felt warm, as if one was bathed amid sacred light. Even though it had not been long since Wu shi and the others had arrived in the Saint Ascension Hall, they could feel that their thought process had quickened significantly, and the cells in their bodies had grown more vigorous as well. Under such circumstances, their rate of cultivation would be enhanced immensely.

As long as one's talent was not too bad, advancing three realms within just a short two years under such circumstances was entirely possible.

At this point, Vice Principal Ji Yan stepped forward, and pointing to an area not too far away from the round platform, he said, "Principal Zhang Yinqiu is here…"

Taken aback, the crowd hurriedly turned their gazes over, only to see a statue standing in the direction Vice Principal Ji Yan pointed out.

The statue was extremely lifelike, and it bore a striking resemblance with the paintings of Zhang Yinqiu within the Master Teacher Academy.

A calm voice suddenly came from the statue. "Wu shi? You are here…"

To their astonishment, just like the situation with Ancient Sage Qiu Wu earlier, the statue had opened his mouth and begun speaking.

"Zhang Yinqiu, why would you…" Seeing the plight his old friend was in, Wu shi could not help but feel a dull ache in his heart.

It was no wonder Vice Principal Ji Yan said that there were less than three of them remaining. The fact that Zhang Yinqiu was still able to speak and recognize them meant that he still retained consciousness, so he could not be considered dead yet. But… trapped within a lifeless statue, could he really be considered alive?

"In the midst of saving us, Principal Zhang Yinqiu's body was destroyed by the Skyleaf King. By a stroke of luck, the Saint Ascension Platform suddenly whirred into action at the moment, and under the nourishment of the sacred light, his soul managed to avoid dissipation, and he ended up latching onto a statue in the vicinity. Even though he retained his consciousness, he is unable to move or leave the premises," Vice Principal Ji Yan explained.

The situation back then had been extremely complex. Principal Zhang Yinqiu's physical body had been forcefully destroyed by the Skyleaf King, and just as everyone thought that he would have died, the Saint Ascension Platform that Kong shi had left behind suddenly worked its miracles. Under the warm glow of the sacred light, his soul managed to survive despite having lost its body, and he eventually ended up latching onto a nearby statue for survival.

As time passed, the statue began shaping itself into him. However, he was still unable to move at all. All he could manage to do was stand quietly and await the end of time. Honestly, there truly was not much difference from death.

Realization suddenly struck Zhang Xuan. The contract between the old principal and the Byzantium Helios Beast wasn't a soul contract but a blood contract. Given that the old principal's physical body was destroyed, the contract between them was naturally dispelled as well. That explains why I was unable to tell whom his master was through the Library of Heaven's Path.

Most of the saint beasts and spirit beasts he had tamed were contracted to him via a soul contract. Such a contract would place the souls of the tamed beasts under his control, thus making it impossible for them to betray him.

Naturally, most saint beasts and spirit beasts would not commit to such a disadvantageous contract to them unless they were forced into a corner. Thus, the norm was to establish a blood contract, and that was also the type of contract between the old principal and the Byzantium Helios Beast.

While blood contracts would grant the master a certain degree of control over their tamed beast, unlike soul contracts, the relationship would be automatically dispelled once the physical body of the owner died.

It was also due to this that the Library of Heaven's Path did not reflect the old principal as the Byzantium Helios Beast's master, thus resulting in the huge farce back then.

Seeing the sorrowful faces all around him, as well as the pale face of his old friend, Principal Zhang Yinqiu said with a smile, "Don't worry, this is actually not too bad. At the very least, I'm still alive…"

Being trapped in a statue was not something that he desired, but at the very least… it was better than having his soul dissipated entirely.

After consoling the crowd for a while, Zhang Yinqiu asked, "Since you were able to come this far, I'm sure you should have seen the marks I left behind. Did you obtain Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's heritage?"

As long as they had obtained the heritage, they would be able to finally escape from the Saint Ascension Hall for good.

Zhang Yinqiu himself would not be able to leave the area, but at the very least, Ji Yan and Tan Qing would be able to get away, thus preserving some strength for the Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

"They didn't manage to obtain the heritage…" Ji Yan quickly filled Zhang Yinqiu in on the matter.

"You…"

Upon hearing the explanation, Zhang Yinqiu's eyes widened in shock. He looked at Zhang Xuan was if he was seeing a ghost. Many words lingered at the tip of his tongue, but eventually, he said helplessly, "Without the heritage of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, it'll be impossible for us to leave. Unless one of us can receive the acknowledgement of the heavens and be conferred as a Celestial Saint, we will be trapped in here for life!"

"Conferred as a Celestial Saint?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

"Un. The Saint Ascension Hall contains the true Saint Ascension Platform, as well as innumerable insights from other cultivators when they achieved Sainthood," Zhang Yinqiu said. "All of this is just for a single aim… Kong shi is hoping to raise another Celestial Saint among the later generations! As long as one can achieve a breakthrough on the Saint Ascension Platform and become a Celestial Saint, the seal surrounding the Saint Ascension Hall will fall apart immediately!"

Upon hearing the conditions to leave, a bitter smile emerged on the lips of Wu shi and the others. "That's impossible…"

"Indeed, how could that possibly be done?"

In the whole of history, only Kong shi had managed to receive the acknowledgement of the heavens and be conferred as a Celestial Saint. This was clear proof of how difficult the feat was, so how could they possibly hope to emulate that?

Ji Yan sighed. "When we joined this expedition, we resigned ourselves to death and made arrangements accordingly. It's already a blessing of the heavens that we are still alive at this point."

"Actually…" Noting the air of desolation among the crowd, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before looking at them.

"A breakthrough to Celestial Saint, I can give it a try!"