Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny

Chapter 98: The Singing Glove

Xu Xin and Liu Tianzheng exchanged a look, each seeing confusion and bewilderment in the other's eyes.

Something's not right. He absorbs Heaven's Fate Energy so efficiently that he can drain an entire Destiny Disk in a short time...

After a moment, Liu Tianzheng seemed to remember something and quickly spoke up.

It's easy to explain away his talent for taming horses, but this ability to absorb Heaven's Fate Energy is much harder to justify! After all, I spent 2 million Source Coins on that Destiny Disk, and it was drained completely in an instant, without leaving a trace...

Seeing that Liu Tianzheng had finally brought up this topic, Zhang Xuan's eyes brightened, secretly giving the man some credit.

Just a moment ago, Zhang Xuan had been discussing with Sun Qiang how he needed a strong backstory to make his claims more credible, and now, the opportunity was being handed to him on a silver platter. He couldn't help but think, Liu Tianzheng, you're truly a kind man!

"This..."

Though his mind was racing, Zhang Xuan put on a troubled expression as if he was reluctant to speak, his face turning red as he struggled to find the words. "This involves a secret about my cultivation. I promised my teacher not to reveal it."

"Of course!" Zhang Xuan replied. "I was just an ordinary groom before. Suppose it weren't for an extraordinary opportunity that allowed me to become a disciple. How could I have risen to my current position, mastering not just horse taming but also teaching and even becoming a teacher at White Roc Academy?"

"That makes more sense now!"

Hearing this, both Liu Tianzheng and Xu Xin exchanged glances of realization.

Before, there were still some inconsistencies in the story, but now, everything fell into place.

An ordinary groom encounters a remarkable teacher, works hard in cultivation, and changes his fate. Not only does he achieve a strength comparable to the Jade Bone Realm at a young age, but he also becomes a teacher at White Roc Academy.

To better guide his students, he doesn't shy away from challenging the heads of the three great families in battle!

He remains calm under scrutiny, quietly proving his abilities and judgment through action, even when openly questioned or provoked...

This isn't just reasonable—it's inspiring!

And you want to claim that such an inspiring figure is a Chaotic Fate Practitioner?

Xu Xin gave Liu Tianzheng a cold look, full of displeasure.

He had been enjoying himself when Liu Tianzheng called him over, already making him somewhat irritated. Now, after discovering this misunderstanding, he found the whole situation even more frustrating. Liu Tianzheng seemed rather unreliable.

Seeing the displeasure in Xu Xin's eyes, Liu Tianzheng's face paled. He wanted to find something else suspicious about Zhang Xuan, but everything seemed perfectly logical.

Wait, there's one more thing... Yesterday, Yu Xiaoyu only had 0.5 horsepower, but today, when she punched me, her strength was at least 1.5 horsepower, with the force of a whip!

Remembering another key detail, Liu Tianzheng hurriedly spoke up, "Without some special method, how could her strength increase so dramatically overnight?"

"Yu Xiaoyu?" Xu Xin asked.

"Yes, she's City Lord Yu Longqing's daughter and one of Teacher Zhang's students," Liu Tianzheng explained.

Xu Xin nodded, looking at Zhang Xuan with curiosity. "A full horsepower increase overnight is indeed remarkable, even for someone in the Energy Storing realm. Teacher Zhang, how do you explain this?"

Zhang Xuan's face turned red with embarrassment. "Well... It's actually a little trick of mine."

"A trick?" Liu Tianzheng was confused.

Zhang Xuan hesitated, rubbing his fingers together awkwardly. "I'm just an auxiliary teacher. Even if I managed to recruit some students, I knew there would be no shortage of people questioning my teaching abilities. I'm sure you're aware of that, Liu Clan Head."

Liu Tianzheng nodded in agreement.

From Chen Hao to himself, everyone had questioned Zhang Xuan's teaching abilities, yet he had consistently managed to prove them wrong.

Zhang Xuan continued, "The only way to silence such doubts was to ensure my students made rapid progress, far outpacing others! However, I was just an ordinary groom. Even though my teacher's methods were excellent, it would still be difficult to achieve such rapid results. So, yesterday, I pretended to be angry and gave each of them a brocade pouch."

"Yes, I was there at the time. Could there be something special about those pouches?" Liu Tianzheng asked, puzzled.

Everyone had seen the pouches at the time, including the heads of the two other great families, the academy's dean, and several elders. It didn't seem like there was any trickery involved.

Zhang Xuan explained, "There was nothing wrong with the pouches themselves, but the conditions I set inside them were the key! If I'm not mistaken, Liu Clan Head, you opened the pouch yesterday and read the conditions inside, didn't you? Do you remember what it said?"

Of course, Liu Tianzheng remembered. The condition stated that only if Liu Mingyue reached 1.2 horsepower by this morning would she be allowed to remain his student.

As he recalled this, Liu Tianzheng suddenly realized something, his voice trembling. "You mean the conditions in the pouches were meant for me and City Lord Yu to see? They weren't really meant for the students to follow your teachings, but rather to find a way to help them achieve a quick breakthrough?"

"Exactly! Isn't it obvious? Did you really think that just by following a random cultivation technique, they could double their strength overnight?"

Zhang Xuan continued, "Cultivation alone wouldn't suffice, but with a special treasure, it could be possible. I suspected that both the City Lord's Mansion and the Liu family had such treasures. However, I didn't expect Liu Mingyue to stubbornly follow the normal training method without seeking any shortcuts."

Liu Tianzheng was stunned, realizing the truth.

No wonder my daughter was so upset with me, refusing to come home. Zhang Xuan had given such a clear hint, and yet I insisted she follow the Fuyou Energy Storing Technique without deviation...

It's no wonder her progress was slow!

While there weren't many treasures capable of quickly boosting a cultivator from the Energy Storing realm to the Body Tempering realm, there were plenty that could double one's strength in a short time. For instance, the Spirit Source Bamboo that the City Lord obtained years ago had such an effect.

Yu Xiaoyu's rapid progress was likely due to this treasure.

Of course, it could be easily confirmed by asking the City Lord if the treasure was still in his possession.

"Is there anything else that seems suspicious?" Xu Xin's tone was now laced with open irritation.

From the conversation, Xu Xin could see that Zhang Xuan was indeed clever and somewhat talented, but everything he had done was within the realm of possibility. He was far from being a Chaotic Fate Practitioner.

In other words, Zhang Xuan's exceptional teaching and his students' remarkable progress were entirely reasonable... Liu Tianzheng had clearly been using this situation to settle a personal vendetta!

Liu Tianzheng was in a panic, wanting to say something more but finding himself at a loss for words. He felt like he was in an impossible situation where anything he said would be misunderstood.

Ignoring Liu Tianzheng, who was now bordering on a nervous breakdown, Xu Xin turned back to Zhang Xuan with renewed curiosity. "As far as I know, only Destiny Masters can absorb and control large amounts of Heaven's Fate Energy... Could it be that your teacher is a Destiny Master?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lord Xu, but my teacher prefers to remain low-profile. Without his permission, I cannot reveal his identity or profession. I hope you understand."

"My apologies for being presumptuous," Xu Xin nodded and slowly rose to his feet. "Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, we won't trouble you any further, Teacher Zhang."

"Lord Xu?" Liu Tianzheng was stunned, his anxiety clear on his face.

That's it? No interrogation? What if he's lying?

"No trouble at all, Lord Xu," Zhang Xuan replied, clasping his hands respectfully.

With a faint smile, Xu Xin glanced at Liu Tianzheng before turning to leave.

Realizing that Xu Xin had made up his mind, Liu Tianzheng knew that pressing the issue any further would be futile. He hurried after Xu Xin, and once they had exited the courtyard, he couldn't help but ask, "Lord Xu, is he really not a Chaotic Fate Practitioner?"

"His explanations are consistent and verifiable, indicating that he's not lying. However, we still can't be certain whether he's a Chaotic Fate Practitioner. Such individuals are exceedingly rare, and only a true Destiny Master could detect the subtle anomalies. Even as a Fate Guardian, I'm not equipped to make that determination."

Liu Tianzheng felt a wave of disappointment. "So we've come all this way for nothing?"

"Not exactly," Xu Xin shook his head. "Though he may not be a Chaotic Fate Practitioner, he does seem to have a significant connection to destiny. Otherwise, he wouldn't possess such strength at his age, nor would he be able to train an ordinary horse to behave in such a humanlike manner."

Liu Tianzheng agreed. "Yes, that makes sense."

Backed by a powerful family, Liu Tianzheng had only reached the Body Tempering realm by the age of twenty-five or twenty-six. Compared to Zhang Xuan, he was clearly outclassed, so even if Zhang Xuan had a skilled teacher guiding him, his innate talent was still remarkable.

Liu Tianzheng then asked, "If he's connected to destiny, does that mean...?"

Xu Xin shared his speculation, "I suspect he has the potential to become a Destiny Master! His teacher likely kept this hidden to avoid drawing attention to such a precious talent and to prevent unnecessary complications."

"Unnecessary complications? Are you suggesting... the notion of a singular destiny?" Liu Tianzheng asked gravely.

"The singular destiny concept is the greatest fear of every Destiny Master, making them extremely cautious. Many hide parts of their abilities to avoid detection. If their true potential is discovered, they face two choices: either submit to the will of a stronger individual sharing the same fate or be eliminated... Zhang Xuan's teacher likely withheld information about Destiny Masters for this reason, fearing it would expose his student to undue risk."

Liu Tianzheng nodded, realizing that this explanation tied up all the loose ends surrounding Zhang Xuan's peculiarities.

"However, this is just speculation on your part. How can we confirm it?" Liu Tianzheng asked.

"Confirmation isn't difficult," Xu Xin replied after some thought. "Give me one of the Destiny Disks I provided earlier."

Though puzzled, Liu Tianzheng did as requested, handing over one of the 3 million Source Coin disks.

Taking the Destiny Disk, Xu Xin pulled out a pair of purple gloves and began gently stroking the disk with them. As he did, the disk started to rotate slowly in his palm like a spinning top, though at a slower pace.

"What are you doing, Lord Xu?" Liu Tianzheng asked, full of curiosity.

"These are specially designed gloves called Purple Radiance, created by Lord Ling. They can substitute for the Nine Dragon Pillars to activate the Destiny Disk. With just a light touch, they can release the Heaven's Fate Energy within. If Zhang Xuan indeed has the talent of a Destiny Master, Purple Radiance will emit a bright light. One finger lighting up indicates a Ninth Grade talent, two fingers an Eighth Grade, and so on—the more fingers that light up, the higher the talent!"

Liu Tianzheng finally understood and asked, "What if all ten fingers light up?"

This test was similar to the Source Pool Assessment, where the more energy absorbed, the higher the talent. Here, ten fingers replaced the nine pillars.

Xu Xin shook his head. "That's impossible. The highest record in the Destiny Hall of the Hanyuan Dynasty is five fingers, and that was achieved over five hundred years ago. No one has lit more than four fingers in the last century."

Liu Tianzheng nodded.

"We'll soon know if he has the talent of a Destiny Master and how strong it is," Xu Xin said, pressing the glove onto the Destiny Disk. As he did, the disk glowed brightly, releasing streams of Heaven's Fate Energy that flowed in a straight line toward Zhang Xuan's courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Sun Qiang emerged from his hiding place, his eyes brimming with excitement. "Young Master, is this our opportunity?"

He had overheard bits of the conversation while hiding and had pieced together some useful information.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Based on what he had gathered, this Xu Xin was a Fate Guardian, and though he hadn't explained in detail, he did mention something critical: a Fate Guardian was the protector of a Destiny Master!

It's like a Holy Knight serving a Pope—if the Knight is present, can the Pope be far behind?

So, if Zhang Xuan could successfully pose as a Destiny Master in front of Xu Xin, it would solidify his identity. This would make earning money and finding Heaven's Fate Energy much easier.

It was just like when he had pretended to be a Master Teacher—only by successfully assuming the role could he establish his identity. Otherwise, no matter how well he spoke, no one would believe him.

However, this was also risky. If Zhang Xuan were exposed, the consequences would be dire.

But given his need to quickly enhance his cultivation and uncover what had happened to Kong Shi, he had no choice but to take the risk.

"What should we do now?" Sun Qiang asked.

"I haven't figured that out yet," Zhang Xuan admitted. "We need to guide them towards this conclusion without directly stating it. Otherwise, it'll be too easy to slip up... Also, we need to keep thinking of ways to make money. We still need to buy more Heaven's Fate Energy so you can train quickly. Without strength, everything we do will be dangerous."

"Understood!" Sun Qiang nodded, then suggested curiously, "If we're trying to make money to buy Heaven's Fate Energy, wouldn't it be easier to just get our hands on the energy directly?"

Zhang Xuan was surprised by the suggestion but then shook his head with a bitter smile. "You've just arrived in the Source World, so you don't understand how precious Heaven's Fate Energy is. It's a resource controlled by the Destiny Hall, and outside of the academies, ordinary people can't even buy it. It's not something you can just find whenever you want."

But before Zhang Xuan could finish his explanation, he suddenly froze and looked outside the courtyard.

He saw streams of pure Heaven's Fate Energy slowly flowing in, swirling around them like small tornadoes.

"Young Master, isn't that Heaven's Fate Energy?" Sun Qiang asked, his expression strange as he stared at Zhang Xuan.

You just said it's hard to find, and now it's flowing into the courtyard on its own...

"This..."

Zhang Xuan was momentarily at a loss for words, embarrassed by how quickly reality had contradicted his words. "Start absorbing it quickly and stabilize the space I created for you. I'll go see what's going on!"

"Understood!" Sun Qiang nodded, then sat down cross-legged to absorb the Heaven's Fate Energy.

Zhang Xuan followed the energy to the front door and peeked outside.

Through a crack in the door, Zhang Xuan saw Xu Xin holding a Destiny Disk and gently stroking it. The disk was slowly rotating, releasing soft beams of light.

"It's them?"

Realization dawned on Zhang Xuan.

As a Fate Guardian, Xu Xin wouldn't find a Destiny Disk particularly precious. Since that was the case... Zhang Xuan decided to absorb as much as he could to quickly enhance his strength!

He had been worried about running out of energy in the Library, and now, this helpful person was providing him with a fresh supply of Heaven's Fate Energy. Liu Tianzheng truly was a kind man!

With this realization, Zhang Xuan wasted no time. He sat down by the door, focused his mind, and began absorbing the Heaven's Fate Energy in the air.

However, this time, he controlled the speed of absorption, careful not to draw too much attention.

Previously, he hadn't worried about attracting notice because many people had been absorbing Heaven's Fate Energy simultaneously. He could blend in. But now, with only himself and Sun Qiang absorbing the energy, doing so too quickly might lead to misunderstandings.

He needed to demonstrate that he had a "Destiny Master teacher" backing him without standing out too much.

Of course, absorbing too slowly wasn't an option either. A Destiny Disk contained over 10,000 strands of Heaven's Fate Energy, and if he absorbed it too leisurely, the opportunity might pass him by.

"I've got it..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up as a plan formed in his mind.

Meanwhile, as Zhang Xuan began absorbing the energy, Xu Xin noticed movement in the Purple Radiance glove. The pinky finger suddenly lit up, shining brightly.

"A Ninth Grade talent..." Xu Xin nodded. "It seems he does have the talent of a Destiny Master, but it's only average."

"So, does that mean he might become a Destiny Master in the future?" Liu Tianzheng asked in shock.

Now, Liu Tianzheng understood why City Lord Yu had been so determined to have Yu Xiaoyu become Zhang Xuan's student. Could it be that Yu Longqing had known all along?

And now it made sense why Xu Xin wasn't conducting an interrogation.

Interrogating Zhang Xuan might confirm whether he was telling the truth, but it would also offend him. If Zhang Xuan truly became a Destiny Master, neither Liu Tianzheng nor Xu Xin could afford the backlash.

"Yes, but even if he does, his level won't be particularly high. Alright, now that the test is complete, I'll return the Destiny Disk to you..."

Just as Xu Xin was about to hand back the Destiny Disk, he noticed that the ring finger had also lit up.

"An Eighth Grade talent? What's going on?" Xu Xin froze in place.

Both the pinky and ring fingers were lit, indicating that the young man inside had an Eighth Grade talent. But hadn't the test just shown him to be Ninth Grade? How had his talent suddenly improved?

Could the initial reading have been inaccurate?

"Perhaps the Purple Radiance glove was slow to react. Let's give it a moment..." Xu Xin speculated.

Before he could finish speaking, the middle finger lit up, followed by the index finger.

Four fingers were now glowing, indicating a Sixth Grade talent.

"A Sixth Grade talent is considered exceptional, even in the Destiny Hall of the Hanyuan Dynasty. It's a once-in-a-century level of talent, stronger than Lord Ling himself..."

Xu Xin's eyes widened in disbelief.

No wonder Zhang Xuan's teacher had kept him hidden in this small town instead of sending him to Destiny Hall. He must have known how extraordinary Zhang Xuan's talent was.

While Xu Xin was still in shock, Liu Tianzheng noticed something strange. "Wait... Lord Xu, why did it drop back to Seventh Grade?"

Xu Xin looked closely and saw that the middle and index fingers had dimmed, leaving only the ring and pinky fingers glowing.

"This is an Eighth Grade talent..."

Only two fingers were lit, indicating an Eighth Grade talent.

"But I just saw three fingers glowing..." Liu Tianzheng protested, but before he could finish, both the middle and index fingers lit up again, followed by the thumb.

However, the glow lasted only a few breaths before fading, leaving just the pinky finger glowing again.

Liu Tianzheng and Xu Xin exchanged wide-eyed stares.

Talent level should be consistent—fingers should either light up or stay dark. What was this flickering nonsense?

Just as they were feeling perplexed, the Purple Radiance glove began to flicker repeatedly.

Watching the flickering glove, Liu Tianzheng's lips trembled as he read out the sequence of numbers: "Two-eight-two-five-six, two-eight-two-five-seven, two-eight-two-nine-thirty-one, three-eight-three-five-six, three-eight-three-five-seven, three-eight-three-nine-forty-one..."

"Is the glove... singing?"