Library of Heaven's Path 2: Eternal Fate of the Heavens

"Hmm?"

Yu Longqing looked over, puzzled.

Lu Mingrong said, "The cost and origin of the Destiny Plates are no secret to you. Despite their wealth, Baiyan Academy simply can't withstand such a voracious drain on its resources. I'm afraid if this continues... not only will we be unable to keep it hidden, but the academy might also go bankrupt!"

"That is true..." Yu Longqing couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Destiny Plates were items only an academy was qualified to purchase from the Heaven Mandate Hall, forged from the power gathered from the River of Destiny, incredibly pure and undoubtedly valuable. Each one was worth a fortune, and although not quite on par with the Spiritual Origin Bamboo, the difference wasn't huge!

Such a precious item, and this Zhang Xuan managed to damage three of them in one go...

That would be too much for anyone to bear!

Lu Mingrong continued, "The academy doesn't have many left. If we let him continue to absorb them, I'm afraid the others won't be able to solidify their Source Pools!"

Currently, the fastest absorbers, Mo Yanxue and Yu Xiaoyu, only managed ten strands, and many hadn't even succeeded with one. Without intervention, this year's Source Pool evaluation would be utterly ruined, with a difference in results unprecedented in history...

Knowing this was the best approach, and with no better solution available, Yu Longqing nodded and instructed, "Don't let him stop alone; that would be too conspicuous."

If they singled him out while everyone else was absorbing, even the most oblivious would realize this young man was special. Under those circumstances, his identity as a potential genius might become impossible to conceal.

"I understand!"

Lu Mingrong gestured with both hands, replacing the last Destiny Plate, and ordered his people to restore the Nine Dragons Pillar to their original positions.

After completing these tasks, he extended his palm toward the stone pillar to the direct north and smacked it hard. The numbers displayed on it, such as "Unrecorded" and "21000 strands", trembled for a moment then disappeared.

Without it, even if others stopped practicing, they would not be able to discern the specifics, thus reducing the risk of exposure.

With everything in place, Lu Mingrong finally breathed a sigh of relief, looked around, and his clear voice echoed forth.

"There was a recent malfunction with the Nine Dragons Pillar; the Origin qi was leaking. I've sent for repairs. Starting now, to ensure that the evaluation continues without interruption, practicing below the stage is no longer allowed. Please return to the stands and rest for a while!"

"No more practicing?"

"So we can't sense the Heavenly Mandate Vitality in advance either?"

"It seems there really was a malfunction. Otherwise, it's impossible that I haven't found even a single strand of Heavenly Mandate Vitality for so long..."

Those below who were diligently trying to sense the vitality slowly opened their eyes, one by one, coming to a realization.

From the beginning of practice until now, nearly half an hour had passed. Even if the Heavenly Mandate Vitality that leaked out wasn't as abundant as above the stage, it should have been impossible not to find even one strand! They had previously thought it might be an issue of talent, but it turned out to be a malfunction!

"A malfunction?"

Different from others' realization, Zhang Xuan also stopped absorbing and opened his eyes with a hint of disappointment.

What on earth was Baiyan Academy doing? Broken yesterday, broken today again, could they not let a person cultivate in peace?

Utterly unreliable, such poor quality!

Forget it, I have absorbed so much of their Heavenly Mandate Vitality, I owe them a great deal. Once my strength increases, I'll find a way to help repair it...

With these reflections in mind, and seeing that everyone began moving towards the stands, he followed inconspicuously, finding a corner to watch the stage from.

At this moment, Mo Yanxue, Yu Xiaoyu, and others were still cultivating with their eyes closed. The Heavenly Mandate Vitality no longer leaked, creating a thin mist around the platform with pathways of pure power moving about like little dragons.

Knowing he couldn't absorb any longer and that it was pointless to keep watching, Zhang Xuan paid no further attention. Instead, he closed his eyes in meditation, returning his focus to the mysterious realm within.

The newly established "Empyrean" had absorbed more than ten thousand strands of Heavenly Mandate Vitality and had already become completely stable. The four directions were vast and empty, with no end in sight. It was just like the dantian—without zhenqi, no matter how vast it is, it would not increase one's cultivation by even a half step.

"It looks like it's time to learn how to Forge Origin Qi..."

With the Source Pool consolidated, what came next was to absorb the wild Origin qi from the world around and find a way to Forge it, using it to temper the corpse, improve one's Physique, and layer by layer, prepare for the eventual possession and Primordial Spirit.

"Look, Miss Mo Yanxue has already absorbed 21 strands of Heavenly Mandate Vitality!"

Just as Zhang Xuan pondered where to find a cultivation method, the voices of those discussing around him rose, and immediately he saw Mo Yanxue's name at the top of the Nine Dragons Pillar, with the number "twenty-one" being exceptionally eye-catching.

"Baiyan City's City Lord Yu, with the highest talent in a century, only absorbed 22 strands. The question is, can Miss Mo break this record?"

"Definitely! She's already at 21 strands, getting to 22 should be no problem!"

"This is the Fifth Grade Source Pool..."

"So amazing!"

Zhang Xuan watched everyone's excitement and felt equally impressed.

In his opinion, although he could absorb more than twenty thousand strands of Heavenly Mandate Vitality, it was only due to the advantage of the Suspended Realm. In reality, he was still a waste who hadn't even found a Source Pool... Compared to this young lady, there was still a significant gap.

Hum!

At that moment, the light on the Nine Dragons Pillar flickered once more, changing from 21 to 22, tying with Yu Longqing's record, and moving towards the thirty-two strands of the fourth level Source Pool.

However, the higher one went in cultivation, the harder it got. After persisting for about a quarter of an hour, Mo Yanxue's result finally settled at 28 strands, unable to advance even a bit further.

Still within the Fifth Grade Source Pool, her talent was considerably better than that of City Lord Yu.

As for Yu Xiaoyu, she was not weak either, reaching 27 strands!

Surprisingly, Liu Mingyue, who had a bit of a temper, had also charged to 24 strands. Although she was still far behind the other two, it was a solid demonstration of Fifth Grade talent and could be considered one of the best in Baiyan City's history over a hundred years.

Of course, it was only these three who were impressive. Most of the rest were pitiable, with nearly eighty percent having only absorbed one strand and another one and a half percent only two strands. Only after that were there the seventh and grade-6 ranks.

After the first phase of evaluation was completed, the second phase continued. Zhang Xuan wasn't a student and had no right to participate, so he could only continue to look on helplessly.

Two hours later, all students who had registered for the academy had had their talent tested, and the highest talent was still respectively Mo Yanxue, Yu Xiaoyu, and Liu Mingyue.

"The Source Pool evaluation is over. This year's results surpass those of previous years. Anyone who has absorbed a strand of Yuan Power and successfully consolidated their Source Pool can become a disciple of the academy! Of course, students may choose their teachers, and teachers may choose their students. How to choose will be a self-assessment."

Gathering all the students together, Dean Lu Mingrong smiled slightly, "However, before that, I would like to announce two things!"

"Could it be that the genius has been found and the dean wants to take them as a disciple?"

"It must be... Do you think it's Mo Yanxue, Yu Xiaoyu, or Liu Mingyue?"

"I think it's me..."

Everyone immediately became agitated.

They had heard from yesterday that the dean, moved by a genius, had again entertained the idea of taking a disciple. Now it seemed to be true.

In an instant, everyone wanted to see who this genius was that could cause such a stir in the dean, and what sort of strength they commanded.

"Who could it be?"

Zhang Xuan couldn't help but show his curiosity.