Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny

Chapter 90: The Two Girls Compete

"Xiaoyu, what on earth is going on?"

After Yu Xiaoyu finished vomiting, Mo Yanxue's face had turned red from holding back her confusion.

Changing a cultivation method at most results in not being able to train, or the True Energy not flowing properly. But this was the first time she had seen someone vomit because of it.

After taking a few deep breaths and feeling a bit better, Yu Xiaoyu looked over again. "The cultivation method you wrote down in your notes… it's sloppy, chaotic, and disorganized. Are you sure it was really taught by Dean Lu?"

"Absolutely! I even trained with it!"

Mo Yanxue nodded, then suddenly paused. "Wait, sloppy, chaotic, disorganized? What do you mean?"

"Compared to the method taught by Teacher Zhang, that's exactly what it is," Yu Xiaoyu nodded.

If you've never tasted gourmet food, pickles and flatbread can fill you up just fine. But once you've had the former, it's hard not to get sick eating the latter.

"What? You're comparing the method taught by Zhang Xuan to the one taught by Dean Lu? Are you kidding? That guy was just my groom! What right does he have to compare himself to the dean?"

Mo Yanxue's face darkened as she finally understood what her friend meant.

"I don't want to compare them either, but that's just the way it is…" Yu Xiaoyu said, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Although the notes Hong Yi gave her only captured about twenty to thirty percent of Teacher Zhang's teachings, they were still far superior to the ones in her friend's notes. They weren't even in the same league.

Though Yu Xiaoyu was new to training, and not as skilled at evaluating the quality of cultivation methods, she could still tell which one was better.

"Alright, since you say the method taught by Zhang Xuan is better, let me ask you this: after a night of training, how much has your strength increased?"

Mo Yanxue demanded.

"Well… without a force-measuring array, I'm not really sure!"

Yu Xiaoyu shook her head.

"Not sure? That means your progress wasn't significant…" Mo Yanxue speculated.

"If the progress wasn't significant and I don't meet Teacher Zhang's requirements from yesterday, I'm in trouble…"

Hearing her friend's words, Yu Xiaoyu started to panic.

Teacher Zhang had given her a brocade bag with specific requirements. If she didn't meet them today, would she no longer be able to stay as his student?

Worried, she quickly took out the brocade bag and gently opened it. The writing on it became visible: Increase your strength to 1.2, and you can become my student!

"1.2 horsepower? Is Zhang Xuan dreaming?"

Mo Yanxue glanced at the note and couldn't help but sneer. "Even if your strength is similar to mine, around 0.45, reaching 0.5 in one night would be miraculous, even considered the best in White Roc City for a century. But 1.2… that's a 167% increase in strength. Do you think that's possible?"

"Well…"

Yu Xiaoyu's face reddened further as she hesitated. "I reached 0.5 horsepower right after class yesterday! And… I didn't even listen to the lesson!"

Mo Yanxue: "???"

She had spent an entire night training, nearly pulling her hair out, to increase from 0.45 to just under 0.49, and you're telling me you reached 0.5 horsepower without even paying attention?

"That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Mo Yanxue shook her head vigorously.

"I tested it yesterday…" Yu Xiaoyu explained hurriedly.

"Maybe the force-measuring array was broken. Let's do this—you and I will punch each other. I'll be able to tell your strength immediately," Mo Yanxue suggested.

"Alright."

After thinking it over, Yu Xiaoyu realized her friend made sense and agreed.

The two of them squared off. Mo Yanxue took a deep breath, circulating the Source Energy she had purified yesterday through her meridians. Clenching her fist, she aimed a punch at her friend.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Yu Xiaoyu, but she believed her friend was too naive and had probably been deceived. She thought that only by giving her a wake-up call would she understand that strength comes from hard work, not shortcuts.

"Be careful…"

Seeing her friend use her full strength, Yu Xiaoyu didn't dare to be careless and raised her hand to meet the punch.

As their fists collided, a loud crack split the air. Before Mo Yanxue could react, she was sent flying, crashing into the window and landing several meters away in the courtyard.

"Ugh!"

A mouthful of blood spurted from her mouth.

"Xue'er, are you alright?"

Yu Xiaoyu hurried over, not expecting her casual punch to have such power.

"How… how can your strength be this strong?"

Mo Yanxue's vision blurred, full of disbelief.

From that punch, she could tell that this girl, who had always been weaker than her, had suddenly surpassed her!

"I don't know… I just trained from the afternoon until evening yesterday, but I was too tired and fell asleep before midnight," Yu Xiaoyu explained.

"You trained for less time than I did, yet your strength is greater… Could it be that Teacher Zhang's teachings really are better than Dean Lu's?"

Mo Yanxue found it hard to believe, but the evidence was right in front of her, so she had no choice but to accept it. After a moment, she consoled herself, "Even if it's true, your strength isn't that much greater than mine. With a bit of effort, I should be able to catch up…"

Though she had been sent flying by the punch, based on the force she felt, Yu Xiaoyu's strength was probably around 0.6 or 0.7 horsepower, no more. She couldn't reach that level now, but with enough resources from her family and some hard work, she might catch up.

"Well…"

Hearing her friend mumble, Yu Xiaoyu shyly looked over again. "If I told you I only used half my strength just now, would you… believe me?"

"???"

Mo Yanxue was stunned.

While this was happening, on the other side, Liu Mingyue slowly opened her eyes after a day of training with the Fuyou Energy Storing Technique.

Since her father said Teacher Zhang's method was unconventional, she decided to focus on training her family's inherited technique… But why did her progress feel so minimal?

In class yesterday, just a casual session had increased her strength by 50%, from 0.4 to 0.6, but after nearly a day and night of serious training, the difference didn't seem that significant…

Was her father wrong, or was Teacher Zhang wrong?

For a moment, doubt crept into her heart.

All her life, she had been her family's obedient daughter, always following her father's guidance. He had treated her well, which had shaped her spoiled and overbearing yet indecisive and somewhat tearful personality.

Her father never liked others going against his wishes, and she had always complied, afraid of making mistakes. Fortunately, she had never encountered any problems until today, when she suddenly felt… her father's words yesterday might not be entirely correct.

Because… she clearly felt very uncomfortable while training the Fuyou Energy Storing Technique.

Knowing it was wrong to doubt her father, Liu Mingyue shook her head and slowly stood up.

"I definitely can't reach 1.2 horsepower. Should I still go to Teacher Zhang?"

The brocade bag given by the teacher had specific requirements: only if she reached 1.2 horsepower by this morning would she be allowed to continue as his student. Otherwise, she'd have to leave.

Given the current situation, she was sure she wouldn't make it!

"I'll go anyway. If I can't meet the requirement, there's no way Yu Xiaoyu could either. As long as I'm stronger than her, I'll win."

She had at least paid attention during class, while that girl hadn't listened at all. Beating her should be easy, right?

In a race with a tiger, you just have to outrun your companion…

As Zhang Xuan walked into the classroom, he found Hong Yi already there, diligently cleaning.

At this moment, Hong Yi's body was filled with energy, and his aura was strong, clearly indicating that he hadn't slacked off and had been training hard.

"Did you meet my requirement?"

Zhang Xuan looked over calmly.

The requirement he had left for Hong Yi yesterday was to reach 1 horsepower. Although it seemed lower compared to Liu Mingyue and Yu Xiaoyu, it was by no means easy. Previously, even with focused training, Hong Yi's strength had only reached 0.4 horsepower.

To go from 0.4 to 1.0 meant increasing his strength by 250%! The difficulty was obvious.

"I… I don't know if I've met it, but if you don't accept me, I'll kneel outside your door until you agree. No matter what, I must become your student, so I took the liberty of coming to clean…"

Hong Yi quickly explained.

Without a force-measuring array, he couldn't gauge his exact strength, but he knew that without becoming this teacher's student, he'd neveruan with the one taught by Dean Lu? What a joke! That guy was just my groom—what qualifies him to be compared with a teacher?"

Finally understanding what Yu Xiaoyu meant, Mo Yanxue's expression turned sour.

"I don't want to compare, but that's just the way it is…" Yu Xiaoyu's face flushed with embarrassment.

Although the notes Hong Yi gave her contained only a fraction of Teacher Zhang's teachings, they were still far superior to the ones her friend had written down. They weren't even in the same league.

Even though she was just beginning to train and wasn't as skilled at distinguishing the quality of techniques as others, she could still tell the difference.

"Fine, since you say the method taught by Zhang Xuan is better, tell me, how much has your strength increased after one night of training?"

Mo Yanxue snorted.

"Well… I'm not sure since I don't have a strength testing formation," Yu Xiaoyu shook her head.

"If you're not sure, then the improvement must not be significant…" Mo Yanxue speculated.

"If there's no significant improvement, and you don't meet Teacher Zhang's requirements from yesterday, that's bad…"

Hearing her friend's words, Yu Xiaoyu started to panic.

Yesterday, Teacher Zhang gave her a brocade pouch with specific requirements. If she didn't meet them today, would she no longer be able to stay under his tutelage?

Thinking of this, she hurriedly took out the pouch and gently opened it, revealing the writing inside: "Increase your strength to 1.2 horsepower to become my student!"

"1.2 horsepower? Is this Zhang Xuan dreaming?"

Mo Yanxue peeked over, then sneered, "Your strength is probably around 0.45, like mine. Reaching 0.5 in one night would already be a miracle, the best in White Roc City for a hundred years. But 1.2… that's a 167% increase! Do you really think that's possible?"

"Well…"

Yu Xiaoyu hesitated before speaking. "I reached 0.5 horsepower right after yesterday's class… And I didn't even pay attention in class!"

Mo Yanxue: "???"

She had trained hard all night, nearly pulling out her hair, only to go from 0.45 to barely 0.49, while you say you reached 0.5 without even paying attention?

"That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Mo Yanxue shook her head furiously.

"I tested it yesterday…" Yu Xiaoyu hurriedly explained.

"Maybe the testing formation was broken. Let's do this: you and I will exchange punches, and I'll be able to tell your strength right away," Mo Yanxue suggested.

"Alright!"

Thinking her friend's suggestion made sense, Yu Xiaoyu nodded.

The two stood opposite each other. Mo Yanxue took a deep breath, circulating the Source Energy she had just purified through her meridians. Clenching her fist, she punched toward her friend.

It wasn't that she didn't believe Yu Xiaoyu, but she thought Yu Xiaoyu was too naive and might have been deceived. Only by giving her a lesson could she make her realize that strength comes from hard work and gradual progress, not sudden gains.

"Be careful…"

Seeing Mo Yanxue gathering her strength, Yu Xiaoyu didn't dare to hold back and raised her hand to meet the punch.

As their fists collided, the air emitted a sharp hiss. Before Mo Yanxue could even react, she was sent flying backward, crashing into a window and landing several meters away in the courtyard.

"Ah!"

She spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Xue'er, are you alright?"

Not expecting her casual punch to be so powerful, Yu Xiaoyu rushed over.

"How is your strength so strong?"

Mo Yanxue's vision blurred, filled with disbelief.

With that punch, she realized that this girl, who had always been weaker than her, had unknowingly surpassed her!

"I don't know. I trained from the afternoon to the evening yesterday, and because I was too tired, I went to bed before midnight," Yu Xiaoyu explained.

"You trained for less time than I did, but your strength is greater… Could Teacher Zhang's teachings really be better than Dean Lu's?"

Mo Yanxue found it hard to believe, but the facts were undeniable. After a moment, she could only comfort herself, "Even if that's true, your strength isn't that much stronger than mine. If I work a little harder, I should be able to catch up…"

Although she had been knocked down, she estimated that Yu Xiaoyu's strength was around 0.6 or 0.7, not much more. While she couldn't reach that level yet, with enough resources and effort, catching up seemed possible.

"Well…"

Hearing her friend's mutterings, Yu Xiaoyu shyly added, "If I said I only used half my strength just now, would you… believe me?"

"???"

Mo Yanxue was stunned.

While Yu Xiaoyu and Mo Yanxue were exchanging blows, Liu Mingyue, who had been training with the "Fuyao Energy Storing Technique" for a day, slowly opened her eyes.

Since her father said that Teacher Zhang's method was unconventional, she decided to focus on training with her family's technique instead… But why did it feel like her progress was minimal?

During the class, she had casually trained and seen her strength soar by 50%, from 0.4 to 0.6. But now, after serious training for nearly a day and night, the difference didn't seem that significant…

Was her father wrong, or was Teacher Zhang wrong?

For a moment, she felt conflicted.

All her life, she had been the obedient daughter, always following her father's instructions. Her father had always treated her well, which led to her becoming arrogant and domineering, but also indecisive and prone to tears.

Her father disliked anyone contradicting him, and she had always obeyed, afraid of making mistakes. Thankfully, this had never been a problem before, but for some reason, today she suddenly felt… that her father's words might not have been correct!

Because… she could clearly feel how uncomfortable it was to train with the "Fuyao Energy Storing Technique."

Knowing it wasn't right to doubt her father, Liu Mingyue shook her head and slowly stood up.

"There's no way I can reach 1.2. Should I still go see Teacher Zhang?"

The brocade pouch given by the teacher set a requirement: only if her strength reached 1.2 by this morning could she continue as his student. Otherwise, she would have to leave.

And from what she could tell, she definitely hadn't met that requirement!

"I'll go anyway. If I didn't make it, there's no way that girl, Yu Xiaoyu, did either. As long as I'm stronger than her, I win."

During class, at least she paid attention, unlike that girl, who didn't listen at all. Beating her should be easy.

If you run into a tiger, you just need to outrun your companion…

Zhang Xuan walked into the classroom, and sure enough, Hong Yi had arrived early and was diligently cleaning.

At this moment, Hong Yi's body was brimming with energy, his aura powerful, clearly indicating that he hadn't slacked off yesterday but had been training hard.

"Did you meet my requirements?"

Zhang Xuan asked calmly.

Yesterday, he had set a requirement for Hong Yi to reach 1 horsepower. Although it seemed lower than Liu Mingyue and Yu Xiaoyu's requirements, it was by no means easy. Hong Yi had never trained before, and even after paying attention in class, his strength had only increased to 0.4 horsepower.

For it to leap to 1.0, meaning a 250% increase in power, was no small feat.

"I… don't know if I met it, but even if you don't accept me, I'll keep kneeling at your door until you do. No matter what, I must become your student, so I took the liberty of coming to clean…"

Hong Yi quickly explained.

Without a strength testing formation, he couldn't gauge his power, but he knew that without becoming this teacher's student, he would never have a chance to attend class.

Since that was the case, there was no point in hesitation. If he failed, he would just beg. The opportunity was too precious to let slip.

"You…"

Zhang Xuan shook his head, a hint of approval in his eyes.

This was the kind of student he wanted.

Obedient and diligent!

Unlike Yu Xiaoyu and Liu Mingyue, who had their own agendas and brought a lot of trouble, it might be better to dismiss them today!

As he was contemplating this, he saw two girls walking in.

One was his student, Yu Xiaoyu, and the other was the once-arrogant Mo Yanxue.

At this moment, Mo Yanxue no longer had her cold and haughty demeanor. Instead, she looked dazed, staring at the young man in front of her with disbelief.

When Zhang Xuan had toppled Steward Feng, she had thought he was impressive, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine he could be this extraordinary.

Dean Lu and City Lord Yu had both praised him, and he had become a teacher at the academy, personally guiding her friend's training…

On the way here, she had tested Yu Xiaoyu twice more and confirmed that her friend now had over 1 horsepower of strength!

In just one day of training, her strength had more than doubled… something that had never happened in White Roc City's history. And the person responsible for this miracle was the very groom who used to work for her…

The more she thought about it, the more incredible it seemed, so she followed Yu Xiaoyu here.

As she looked at Zhang Xuan, he also glanced back at her.

"Zhang… Teacher Zhang!"

Mo Yanxue stammered, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Miss Mo, what brings you here?" Zhang Xuan asked curiously.

Clenching her teeth, Mo Yanxue took a deep breath, bowed, and asked expectantly, "Teacher Zhang, may I attend one of your classes?"

"No."

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

It wasn't that Zhang Xuan was being heartless.

It was that Miss Mo never had any real affection for him.

If he hadn't awakened his Spirit, he might have ended his days as a beggar. Any achievements he had made since then were entirely his own efforts, with no help from her. Since that was the case, why would he agree to let her attend his class?

Not expecting such a quick refusal, Yu Xiaoyu was equally stunned. "Teacher Zhang…"

"Yu Xiaoyu, in the future, don't bring anyone here without my permission!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand dismissively.

"Teacher Zhang, Xue'er… she just wants to listen to one of your classes. If it's suitable, she'd like to become your student…" Yu Xiaoyu pleaded.

"First, I don't need anyone to become my student!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Second, if you don't meet the requirements I set yesterday, you'll be expelled today as well. Don't speak up for others before you've sorted out your own situation."

This Yu Xiaoyu had disrupted his class twice already. If she failed to meet his requirements today, she would be expelled, no matter if she was the City Lord's daughter.

A student is a student, and if they can't understand their position, they will eventually cause trouble.

"Yes…" Yu Xiaoyu gave her friend an apologetic look, her face full of embarrassment.

Mo Yanxue's face turned pale, not expecting such bluntness.

For a moment, she remembered a few days ago.

Back then, he was just a groom, nervously explaining things to her, while she insisted on following the rules and docked his pay for not tying a rope properly…

How similar that situation was to today, except that the balance of power had completely reversed.

"Xiaoyu, I'll leave now."

Knowing there was no point in staying any longer, Mo Yanxue turned and left the room.

Leaving the classroom, she felt a wave of discomfort in her heart.

The groom she could once easily manipulate had grown to a point where she could no longer even dream of reaching him.

She had once had the best chance to bring him to her side after leaving the Mo family, but that opportunity was now lost forever.

Seeing her friend leave, Yu Xiaoyu didn't dwell on it and looked over at the strength-testing formation in the corner of the room. "Teacher, where is the strength testing formation?"

The formation that had stood against the wall was now nowhere to be seen, as if it had never been there.

"The formation broke. So, when Liu Mingyue arrives, you can exchange punches with her. I'll be able to tell your true strength that way."

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

The strength-testing formation had been shattered to dust by one of his punches yesterday when he activated the Library of Heaven's Path, and he hadn't had time to repair it yet. Of course, he couldn't admit that.

"Exchange punches with her?"

Yu Xiaoyu felt a bit apprehensive.

Yesterday, Liu Mingyue had already reached 0.6 horsepower, and she had paid more attention in class than Yu Xiaoyu. By now, she was surely even stronger!

What if she ended up like her friend, getting knocked back by the punch…

Not long after Mo Yanxue left, Liu Mingyue arrived.

"Yesterday, I gave each of you a brocade pouch. Now, hand them over. If you've met the requirements, you can stay and continue your lessons. If not, you can leave immediately."

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhang Xuan didn't waste time and waved his hand.

"Yes."

The three students placed their brocade pouches on the desk.

Opening the slips of paper inside, Zhang Xuan glanced at Yu Xiaoyu and Liu Mingyue. "You two have the same requirement. Use all your strength and exchange punches. I'll determine who can stay. Remember, you only have one chance."

"Yes!"

Liu Mingyue nodded and looked at her long-time rival, "Xiaoyu, be careful! I won't hold back…"

This girl had always been slightly more talented, but since she hadn't paid attention in class yesterday, and Liu Mingyue had reached 0.6 horsepower, Yu Xiaoyu should be at 0.5. Defeating her shouldn't be difficult.

"Yes… I-I'll also use all my strength!"

Yu Xiaoyu gritted her teeth.

Although she said this, she wasn't very confident.

"Begin!"

At Zhang Xuan's command, the two girls simultaneously threw their punches.

In an instant, two surges of power erupted, and the compressed air crackled with sonic booms.

Knowing that Liu Mingyue wouldn't hold back like her friend had, Yu Xiaoyu didn't dare to either, putting all her strength into the strike.

Sensing that both girls were quite strong, Zhang Xuan knew they must have trained hard yesterday, which pleased him. He then focused his mind on the Library of Heaven's Path.

"Flaws!"

With the burning of several strands of Heaven's Fate Energy, two books suddenly appeared before him.

Placing his hands on them, Zhang Xuan's spirit swept over the contents, and his brow furrowed.