Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny

Vol 2 ch 8: Ten Thousand Strands of Heaven's Fate Energy

“Stop!”

Just as Sun Qiang was about to bring down the iron hammer, an elderly man with white whiskers rushed over, positioning himself in front of the stone wall.

“If you want to destroy the Xuanlong Palm stone wall, you'll have to step over my body first!”

Good!

Taking the hammer from Sun Qiang’s hands, Zhang Xuan grabbed it with one hand and swung it hard at the old man.

Before it even reached him, an overwhelming pressure surged forward, as though it could tear a person apart.

“Teacher Zhang…” Lu Mingwei’s expression changed.

This was a renowned elder of the Hanyuan Dynasty, famous for his stubbornness and sharp words. Known for his solitary lifestyle, he had come here to live out his days in peace. When he learned of this palm technique, he visited daily—not to comprehend it but simply to pass the time. If any harm came to him, White Rock Academy would undoubtedly be thrust into chaos.

Before he could finish his sentence, the “elder” realized that the person before him was serious. Terrified, his legs buckled, and he quickly stepped aside to avoid being struck.

Thunk!

The hammer hit the stone wall.

If the elder hadn’t moved, it would have slammed right into his chest. Though his cultivation might have kept him from dying on the spot, he would still have been gravely injured and unable to move for some time.

Who was this man who dared to take such bold action?

The elder’s face flushed red with anger, but he dared not say another word.

Dealing with insolence requires even greater audacity. There was no place for diplomacy here; otherwise, they would be delayed endlessly.

Ignoring the old man, Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

The Library of Heaven's Path had already noted the way to break the seal: only a force exceeding 99 horsepower could shatter it. Sun Qiang was bound to fail, so Zhang Xuan let him try just to gauge the reaction of those present.

Sure enough, some intervened, while others watched with interest.

But none of that concerned him. A strand of sword energy from the 'Pathos of Heaven' surged into the hammer. The heavy, unwieldy metal suddenly became sharp and precise, striking a specific spot on the stone wall.

Crack!

The sturdy stone wall trembled, fissures spreading rapidly until a resounding crash sent cracks radiating outward.

It was done, completely done!

The elder who had just dodged to the side was stunned to see the wall, which he had studied for years, now shattered before his eyes. He looked distraught, as if mourning a great loss.

“Why? This palm technique has been passed down for centuries, and now it’s gone!”

“Even if we couldn’t comprehend it, someone eventually would. Why destroy it?”

The others present were equally shocked and pained. After all the effort they had put into deciphering the technique, watching it destroyed was too much to bear.

“Hold on, look at that!”

A sudden shout came from the crowd, and everyone turned to see a smaller, green stone revealed behind the broken wall.

Lu Mingwei rushed over, pressing his hand on the cracked stone and applying force. With a burst of energy, the broken fragments scattered, revealing a three-meter-high green stone covered in inscriptions that were more complete and coherent than those on the outer wall. While the previous wall bore fragments, this was the full version.

“This is... the true Xuanlong Palm?”

With a single glance, Lu Mingwei’s eyes widened, and his pupils contracted. “It was hidden behind the stone all along? No wonder no one could master it…”

Zhang Xuan nodded, also observing the inscriptions.

The characters shifted, morphing into dragons that demonstrated a magnificent palm technique, now clear and fixed for study.

Hmm? What’s that?

As he finished memorizing the inscriptions, Zhang Xuan’s gaze fell on the spot where the hammer had struck. A sudden, chilling force surged into his body, racing toward his mind.

Could it be... the Heaven's Fate Lock?

Zhang Xuan’s expression changed.

He hadn’t expected that destroying the wall would trigger a curse embedded within it, transferring a binding force onto himself—a lock capable of sealing one’s destiny, inescapable and intangible. Realizing this decades or even centuries later would be too late.

“Let’s see if it’s stronger than me!”

He activated the Pathos of Heaven technique within himself, intending to annihilate the power, but at that moment, the Library of Heaven's Path trembled slightly.

Buzz!

A golden lock appeared, suspended mid-air within the library.

“It’s been captured by the library?” Zhang Xuan breathed out in relief.

What he feared might trap him ended up subdued by the library’s unparalleled power.

Wait a moment—why does this lock feel familiar?

Intrigued, Zhang Xuan examined the golden lock more closely. The longer he looked, the more familiar it seemed.

It wasn’t a physical lock but an artifact formed from special energy streams, each emitting subtle, book-like lights that drifted onto the library’s shelves.

These are... Heaven's Fate Energy?

Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The Heaven's Fate Lock was actually composed of Heaven's Fate Energy, far denser and more abundant than any in a Destiny Disk. While a typical Destiny Disk could hold up to 10,000 strands, this lock contained at least 100,000 or more.

It wanted to break free from the library’s grip.

A Destiny Disk’s energy was ownerless, but the lock’s energy was claimed, manipulated by another’s will.

“Come out!”

With a mental command, the Library of Heaven's Path extracted the consciousness from the lock, revealing it before him.

A shadowy middle-aged man appeared, looking furious.

“Who are you? How did you strip my consciousness from the Heaven's Fate Lock?”

He was in utter disbelief.

“If I can do that, it means killing you would be even easier. Don’t test me,” Zhang Xuan said calmly.

In this realm, where the library held dominion, Zhang Xuan’s power was infinite. Stripping away a consciousness or extinguishing a life was but a thought away.

“Trying to get information from me? Dream on.” The man scoffed.

Enough! I shouldn’t have let you talk.

Seeing his defiance, Zhang Xuan didn’t waste any more words. He pointed, and the man's memories were extracted and absorbed.

Reading through them, Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

This man, named Zhu Jing, was a Destiny Master from centuries ago. He created the Xuanlong Palm, and his disciples misused its power, even harming his daughter. In grief, he personally eliminated them but suffered serious injuries. Not wanting his technique to vanish, he inscribed it on the wall. Yet, fearing misuse, he condensed his remaining power into the Heaven's Fate Lock to seal it.

“Humans are truly contradictory creatures,” Zhang Xuan thought, shaking his head.

He wanted to preserve his creation for future generations yet feared its potential for misuse—a truly paradoxical act.

“A Heaven's Fate Lock contains a Destiny Master’s consciousness. As long as it remains intact, destiny cannot change,” Zhang Xuan mused. “The lock, woven from Heaven's Fate Energy and soul power, binds the destiny of all beings it touches.”

Mastering such an artifact would require reaching the Recognizing Fate stage at minimum—a level beyond reach for most.

Having finished his examination, Zhang Xuan saw no further use for the consciousness. He snapped his fingers.

“No...!”

With a soft exclamation, Zhu Jing’s consciousness disintegrated into stardust and faded away.

Standing before the lock, Zhang Xuan focused. The Heaven's Fate Energy within dispersed, forming countless books in the sky.

Moments later, the energy had spread out, coalescing into 100,000 separate books.

So, the small Heaven's Fate Lock had indeed been composed of 100,000 strands of Heaven's Fate Energy. A four-star Destiny Master possessed such wealth—astounding!

Zhang Xuan’s initial worry about losing energy now seemed laughable; he had gained far more than he’d spent.

With a contented smile, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes.

“So we’ve been training incorrectly all along…,” someone muttered nearby.

All around, people looked embarrassed as they realized their fundamental misunderstandings of the technique.

Even the elder who had tried to stop Zhang Xuan looked particularly ashamed, unable to decide whether to stay or leave.

Ignoring the crowd’s mixed reactions, Zhang Xuan turned to Lu Mingwei, eyes shining with excitement. “Dean Lu, do we have any more techniques like this at the academy? I’d like to try them.”

Author's Note

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