Library Of Heaven's Path: Anime Art 3 Dust Bai

"4-Star Master Teacher Zhang Xuan greets Kong-shi!" Zhang Xuan declared as he cusped his hands together and bows slightly.

"Ha ha… I'm just the last vestiges of will of an old man, so there is no need for such formality."

Indeed compared to the vestige of Kong-shi's will that appeared to be in the prime of his youth that Zhang Xuan had met at the Saint Ascension Platform, this piece of the World Teacher's was clearly placed sometime close to the end of his life.

"Especially since this isn't the first time we had met." Kong-shi exclaimed.

"My apologies Kong-shi, but I'm not sure what you mean."

"Oh? From what I can tell…. we've met at least three times before this…. or rather you've met 3 separate pieces of my will. The first time should have been either shortly before or after the heavens acknowledged you as a Celestial Master Teacher, the second time was when you first became a master teacher, and the third time..... ah so you solved the test I placed where I ascended to sainthood."

"Your eye of discernment is as impressive as it would be expected of the one known as the World's Teacher." Zhang Xuan said as he switched back to standing in an upright position, "But how could you tell I was a Celestial Master Teacher? I thought I completely restrained my aura as one."

"Have you forgotten that I am a Celestial Master Teacher as well young one? Furthermore, there is a ma.s.sive difference in our cultivation level and knowledge."

"I see…. forgive my rudeness."

"It's a small price to pay for this old man to finally have some company after so long."

The elder Kong-shi suddenly strengthened the gaze he had upon Zhang Xuan as he rested his chin between his thumb and forefinger. It was as if the World's Teacher was trying to take up a thinking posture.

"Still you are quite the talented figure for reaching the Chrysalis realm just under the age of 20, and that's not even mentioning the level you have reached in cultivating your soul as well as your physical body. The techniques you cultivate in are far superior to anything I had at your level, and no doubt the resource requirements must be equally immense."

"I was lucky enough to find a good teacher who saw value in my talentless self."

"You lie well for your age too, but I can see you have no evil intent so I won't press the issue."

Zhang Xuan realized that he was too used to what his colleagues as master teachers call a monstrous growth rate as well as the intellectual superiority the Library of Heaven's Path had granted him. He might have the knowledge; however his weakness remains to be judgement formed from experience.

"From this moment on, I'll have to be completely honest as much as possible. It's clear that any trick I come up with would be pointless under Kong-shi's eye of discernment." Zhang Xuan thought.

"Allow this old man to say one thing before we get down to business." the older Kong-shi declared as he held up one finger.

"This junior would be honored to hear your words."

"You're already stronger than I was at your age, and if you were born in the same era as I too where Otherwordly Demons have nearly pushed humans to extinction….. the man known as the World's Teacher would be you instead of me."

"I am undeserving of your praise."

"Even so…. great strength will not be enough for you to survive what lays in wait for you within this place." Kong-shi said as his tone quickly shifted from a polite one to that of life or death seriousness.

Many master teachers would be on their knees in worship if they were granted the chance to meet one of the pieces of will Kong-shi had left behind; however Zhang Xuan continues to maintain his calm as if it were no big deal. Considering with what happened with the sliver of will left at the Saint Ascension Platform, it was due to it being necessary to remind himself not to get his hopes up.

"That's right... I heard inspiration that you had gained within this place had allowed you to cure your innate fetal poison Kong-shi. May I please beseech you to tell me the cure you had discovered?" Zhang Xuan asked in his most respectful tone yet since arriving in this world.

"Are you also suffering from that accursed poison?" the older Kong-shi asked as though he was completely shocked.

"Yes." Zhang Xuan quickly answered, "I failed to get an answer out of the sliver of will you had left at the Saint Ascension Platform. Do you have a solution Kong-shi?"

"Ha ha ha… good very good…. the will of this old man can die happy knowing that I'm at last not alone in the path I walked." The older Kong-shi said as he suddenly burst out into laughter.

Zhang Xuan was instantly reminded of what happened with the piece of Kong-shi's will that he had met at the Saint Ascension Platform, and was seriously tempted to curse him out. Thankfully he's able to hold in this temptation as this piece of the World's Teacher's will would likely only need to flick his finger in order to render Zhang Xuan a lifeless corpse.

"You've probably a.s.sumed that the piece of will I had left where I ascended to Sainthood didn't know of a cure, and you'd be correct if you had. As for the piece of will left shortly before death that is talking to you now…. I can't answer you even though I want to."

"Why not?!" Zhang Xuan yelled out of a combination of frustration and disappointment despite who he was talking too, "Ah…. I had lost control of my emotions for a moment, so please forgive this junior's rudeness."

Thanks to this older Kong-shi's words acting as a reality check, Zhang Xuan finally recalls why it is he is here.

"That's right…. what is this place? I came here with one of my tamed beasts and another master teacher, but why was it that only I was allowed to enter." Zhang Xuan asked.

"This place is the entrance to a trial-ground meant for those the heavens have found worthy of a celestial occupation, it's purpose is naturally to enhance the skills of such people, and as such only people with a celestial occupation can enter."

"I see…. I take it most of the few people with such an occupation fail to make it through end up leaving their lives behind, and the fewer who pa.s.s the trial-ground are sworn to secrecy? It would explain why you asked this area to remain undisturbed."

"You're as smart as you are talented." The older Kong-shi chuckled, "You will not be allowed to leave this place until you clear the trial-ground as well."

The heavens rarely find one worthy of a celestial occupation, and as such the guilds dedicated to organizing the various professions on the Master Teacher Continent have little to no idea on how to develop their abilities. This leaves the lucky human to fumble around in the dark in regards to developing the unique skills of their celestial occupation, of which is why it makes sense for no one to know about such a trial-ground.

"Then who build this place? And for what purpose?"

"I have returned to this place many times in my life to discern just that, but I failed to find a single thing to answer those questions. I considered asking a few holders of celestial occupations I knew in my time to come with me here, but I refused to have them risk their lives in the trial-grounds just to sate an old man's curiosity."

Zhang Xuan places his hands on one of the walls in this room and attempts to use the Library of Heaven's Path to find the answers to these questions.

"Nothing? No reaction what so ever…. how can this be?" Zhang Xuan thought as his face warped in shock, "No calm down…. if the Library of Heaven's Path can be considered clearance for all top secret level information and below….. then information about this place must be something the heavens consider above top secret."

"I take it whatever a.s.sessment method you had just used failed to discern any usable results?"

"Yes….. if the only way to leave this place is to clear this trial-ground….. then Kong-shi, how do I start it?"

"Underneath your feet is a formation unlike any I had ever seen." The older Kong-shi said in awe, "It has the power to transport someone with a celestial occupation to an entirely different world."

"An entirely different world? Could it be that I'll be able to use this formation to go back home?" Zhang Xuan thought.

"You don't seem as surprised by the thought of another world as I expected you to be. No matter…. but yes another world. Each of different sizes, cultures, numbers of planets, beasts, herbs, metals, and so on." Kong-shi explained as though he were giving a lecture, "The most important part would be that there are worlds with entirely different cultivation systems where in some such worlds even Saint 9-dan experts would be considered as cannon fodder to their top experts. There are even worlds where cultivators exist only in secret or fiction, and there are worlds without a cultivation system and yet possess experts with strength equal or greater than the strongest experts of our own world."

Zhang Xuan surprisingly finds himself less affected by Kong-shi's explanation then he thought he would, but then again he had read several cultivation stories during his time as a librarian on Earth. Amongst these stories, there were a few where the strongest of cultivators would have no problem destroying an entire planet. Kong-shi easily notices the fact that Zhang Xuan isn't as surprised as well, but decides not to press the issue.

"The trial-ground forces partic.i.p.ants to study the unique resources, culture, techniques, and so on that I mentioned in order to clear them while also enhancing their skills."

"But how does one actually clear the trial-ground?"

"By using the abilities of your celestial occupation to change the destiny the heavens have placed upon a world for the better." The older Kong-shi answered, "For example, a Celestial Warrior would have to defeat a corrupt king to clear the trial-ground but as a Celestial Master Teacher; you would have to guide someone to achieve the same feet."

"I see… then please allow me to enter the trial-ground Kong-shi!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed.

"So decisive? You don't want to take a moment to digest what I have told you?"

"If waiting around would allow me to leave this place instead then I will, but since it won't…. I won't."

"Good…. then simply exude the aura of a Celestial Master Teacher to activate the formation in order to enter the trial-ground, and it will also bring you back when you complete it." the older Kong-shi explained, "I made the mistake of continually emitting the aura of a Celestial Master Teacher while exploring this place, of which forced me to start the trial before I could hear the same explanation from my predecessor."

"Before I begin, would it be alright if I returned to the surface Kong-shi and explain the circ.u.mstances to my compatriots?"

"It isn't necessary, but you'll only understand why when you return."

Zhang Xuan still had several more questions to ask of the older Kong-shi, but decides to save it for after he returns.

"Here we go."

The room lights up as the aura of a Celestial Master Teacher starts to fill the room thanks to the countless glowing lines and runes embedded on its floor. It was at that moment Zhang Xuan's mind started to clear as though it were muddleheaded for his entire discussion with Kong-shi.

"You used the impartation of heaven's will on me didn't you?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"You would have reacted in a far worse manner if I didn't."

Zhang Xuan's body begins to slowly fade away as particles as light as if he were being erased from existence. If someone didn't know any better had entered this room, they'd a.s.sume he was actually a sliver of will that had finally reached its limits.

"I hope you can return to keep this old man company once more as there are things about this trial-ground I can only tell you if you do." Kong-shi declared as Zhang Xuan seemingly faded completely from existence.

But Zhang Xuan wasn't erased form existence in the slighted. In actuality he found himself traveling through a tunnel of multi-colored light as if he were a s.p.a.ce ship traveling at warp speed, hypers.p.a.ce, or whatever term works for you. After an indiscriminate amount of time, Zhang Xuan eventually reaches the end of that tunnel. His body, drenched in sweat as his face points to the sky suddenly appears on a green gra.s.sy hill.

"Pahhhh!" Zhang Xuan yelled as he suddenly sits upright and gasps for air as though a weight had been lifted off of his chest, "I seriously thought I was going to die at the end."

Zhang Xuan finds his sweat-drenched state to be rather disgusting, so in response he takes a clean set of robes out of his storage ring.

"My body is completely empty of zhenqi. I had better restore myself back to full strength before I begin exploring this new world."

Zhang Xuan had decided to take a high-tier spirit stone out of his storage ring in order to do just that, however something completely unexpected happened upon doing so. The spirit stone had instantly shattered into dust without any warning before being blown away by the wind.

"d.a.m.n it…. I worked hard for every single spirit stone I have. Still….. did it shatter because I'm much stronger in this world then the Master Teacher Continent? Or is it because of some unique property of this new world I'm on?"

Zhang Xuan takes another spirit stone out of his storage ring and gently rests it in the palm of his hand in order to test this theory. The spirit stone once again shatters into dust instantly and without warning before also being blown away in the wind once more.

"As expected…. it must be some property of this world causing my spirit stones to shatter. It seems I'll have to settle for absorbing the zhenqi of this world in order to restore my strength."

Before he could even start circulating a round of his cultivation technique the Heaven's Path Divine Art, Zhang Xuan hears the sound of at least a few dozen objects tearing open.

"Don't tell me those spirit stones somehow weakened the area of s.p.a.ce I'm in?" Zhang Xuan thought as he immediately buried his face into the palm of his hand.

Zhang Xuan turned around and looked down the gra.s.sy hill to see several tears in s.p.a.ce as expected, however these tears were completely different then what he saw with Luo Ruoxin and Byzantium Helios Beast.

"The areas between each tear….. they're completely black with some kind of white mist fluttering within."

Since Zhang Xuan knew nothing about this new world, he didn't dare to go anywhere near these tears and continued to safely examine them from a distance. It was a smart choice as creatures start emerging from every single one of these various tears. Each one were the size of SUVs, had bodies shaped like ants, they all had a large circular hole running clean through the top of their thorax down, and perhaps the most attention grabbing thing about these creatures was that they all had pure white masks covering their faces.

"What the h.e.l.l is that?!"