Library of Heaven's Path

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Not expecting to hear such a question, a bizarre expression appeared on Luo Qiqi's face as she replied, "There should be! Not only is Grandmaster Wu Yangzi a blacksmith, he's also an expert at tempering his physical body!"

"Alright, I'll go then!" Chuckling lightly, Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

A high requirement for one's physical resilience and might stood in the way of those who sought the path of a blacksmith. Without sufficient strength, one would be unable to forge the best of weapons. Thus, every master blacksmith that had ever existed was an expert at tempering their physical body.

It would be much better for Zhang Xuan to obtain the cultivation technique of a 6-star blacksmith than to search through the entire Huanyu Empire for other physical body cultivation techniques.

"Great!"

Hearing her teacher agree to join them on this exploration, Luo Qiqi was filled with excitement.

Even though it hadn't been long since she had met this apothecary teacher of hers, the other party gave her the feeling of an unfathomable person. Somehow, she felt that they would be much safer were he to accompany them.

Having come to an agreement, Luo Qiqi beckoned the others over, and Princess Fei-er and the others walked up to the duo.

"I did lose the bet at the Cleansing Lake, but don't you dare use it to blackmail me!"

As soon as Princess Fei-er walked up to Zhang Xuan, she immediately gritted her teeth and said, "I'll prepare the spirit stones, but I'll only be able to repay you when we arrive at Hongyuan Empire!"

"Given that something abrupt occurred in the Cleansing Lake, and neither of us completed the conditions of the bet… why don't we just call it a draw?"

Seeing how the other party accepted the results of the bet candidly, Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly.

He was the one who collapsed the entire Cleansing Lake. While he did make some compensation to Huanyu Empire, he still felt a little embarrassed by the matter. After all, the farce did occur due to his carelessness.

Since something abrupt occurred before any of them could finish the bet, naturally, there wasn't a winner or a loser.

"A draw?" Princess Fei-er was taken aback.

She'd thought that the other party would grasp onto this to force her to serve as his maid or taunt her, leaving her in a difficult and embarrassed position. Who knew that he would offer a truce instead?

Could he… really be that generous?

"That's right. But of course, if you're not content with the results, we could always have another bet!" Zhang Xuan continued.

Princess Fei-er's mouth twitched, and she hurriedly shook her head. "There's no need for it…"

It was just a moment ago that she thought the other party was generous when he uttered such kind words. But now it seemed like everything he said was a mere facade.

Have another bet? You must be taking me for a fool!

After losing so tragically twice, if I were to continue betting with you, it would just be a matter of time before I'm completely broke.

"What about you all? Are any of you interested in betting against me for Princess Fei-er's sake?"

Seeing how the lady paled upon hearing his words, Zhang Xuan shook his head and turned his gaze to Xing Yuan and the others.

Honestly, these bets were truly too good a source of income to miss. After all, even though he might have quite a few spirit stones at hand for the moment, considering the immense spiritual energy consumption for the Heaven's Path Divine Art, it probably wouldn't be too long before his wealth dried up.

"We'll pass…"

Xing Yuan and the others flinched upon seeing Zhang Xuan's sight on them.

'Betting against you is like betting on a rigged game. No matter how foolish I am, I can't possibly bet on something that I can't win in.'

"Sigh, I don't even get a chance to lose at all."

Seeing that no one dared to bet against him, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment.

Are these truly geniuses from the Master Teacher Academy?

To dare not engage in a bet against him, weren't they a little too cowardly?

If the others were to learn of his thoughts, tears would definitely start streaming down their faces. We aren't the ones who are weak, it's you who is monstrously strong, alright?

The previous head of the Mystical Treasure Hall devoted decades to the deciphering of the stone pillars only to meet with little success, and you completed what he couldn't within seconds. The other master teachers took days to absorb the spiritual energy from the Lake Eye, but you actually took in almost everything within minutes… Who would possibly be so bored as to challenge you in an impossible bet?

…

"Let's hurry to the underground chamber!"

Knowing that Zhang Xuan had a formidable teacher whom even Pavilion Master Mo was deferential to, not to mention, he himself possessed exceptional strength as well, Xing Yuan and the others didn't dare to view him as an ordinary freshman. Instead, they thought of him as a fellow peer.

The next matter they had at hand was to find the entrance to the underground chamber. They swiftly introduced themselves before scaling across the mountain before them and walking into a vast valley.

Luo Qiqi came to a stop.

"Based on the descriptions in the map, the underground chamber should be located here!"

"Here?"

Xing Yuan and the others glanced at one another in confusion.

This valley wasn't too huge, and it looked perfectly ordinary on the outside. Surrounding them were trees and plants, and the chirps from birds echoed harmoniously in the area, creating an exceptionally lively scenery. However, after searching around, they couldn't find any entrance that could possibly lead to an underground chamber.

Could the news have been false, or did they get the wrong location?

"This is the very valley where the weapon forged using the [Zither Forging Technique] was found by a beast hunter three thousand years ago. Through my investigation, it seems that six other weapons forged using the same technique originated from this location as well. Corroborating these with my other intelligence, I'm certain that there's an underground chamber here!" Luo Qiqi said confidently.

"However… the spiritual energy in the air is exceptionally stable, and there isn't the slightest disturbance to be felt. It doesn't seem like there's a formation here though?"

Xing Yuan and the others frowned.

If the entrance to the underground chamber wasn't plain to their eyes, it could only mean that it was hidden beneath a formation… However, given the lack of disturbance in the spiritual energy in the surroundings, it was impossible for there to be a formation here.

"Let me take a look. I'm a 5-star formation master, so I should be able to find the formation and decipher it if there's one!"

Princess Fei-er stepped forward.

Their group didn't come together just based on their degree of intimacy. Their expertise also complemented the flaws of one another.

One would require five 5-star supporting occupations to qualify as a 5-star master teacher, and Princess Yu Fei-er happened to be a 5-star formation master as well.

'Un!" Everyone nodded.

Princess Fei-er flicked her wrist and took out a compass. Following which, she circled around the valley, searching around with every step she took. A moment later, she abruptly came to a halt.

Flicking her wrist, she took out a sharp needle reminiscent of a spear.

It was hard to tell what it was forged on by its outer appearance, but there was a unique inscription on it which emanated a cold gleam.

Noticing the doubtful gazes from Ye Qian and the others, Luo Qiqi explained what it was.

"This is a Formation Destroying Silver Needle!"

"Formation Destroying Silver Needle?"

"Un. There are some high-grade formations that absorb spiritual energy from the environment and hide themselves within their environment, thus making them extremely difficult to detect. Thus, such a tool is required to make their true forms appear. There are special formation inscriptions on it that can send the spiritual energy harnessed within a formation into disarray, forcing it to reveal itself," Luo Qiqi explained.

Only then did everyone understand the situation and nod their heads.

Zhang Xuan also nodded too as he examined the needle with a peculiar gaze.

He had read about Formation Destroying Silver Needles in the books from the Formation Master Guild before, and it was written inside that they had the ability to dispel formations. Zhang Xuan thought that such a tool would only be seen in higher tier Formation Master Guilds, but to think that Princess Fei-er would have one with her as well.

It seemed like they did come prepared.

After drawing the Formation Destroying Silver Needle, Princess Fei-er didn't rush into action. Instead, she walked around with the compass in hand and even bent down to pinch the soil before and pluck a few blades of wild grass.

High-grade formations could change their weak point depending on the geography of the location. If one couldn't find the crux of the formation, nothing one did would be able to sway the formation.

It was just like how if one wanted to sink the boat, one had to open up a hole in the crucial regions. Otherwise, even if one were to crack open a gaping hole in the deck, it wouldn't do anything at all.

"Step back!"

After taking a look, Yu Fei-er seemed to have found something, and she turned around and waved her hands to gesture for the others to step back.

Knowing how dangerous the formation could be, Luo Qiqi and the others retreated to outside the valley without saying anything.

After the group stepped out of the valley, a deep frown appeared on Princess Fei-er's face. All of the sudden, her disposition changed into that of a valiant warrior on the battlefield.

Hu!

With a flick of her wrist, she threw the Formation Destroying Silver Needle out, and it fell onto a region not too far away from her. Following which, she formed a few seals with her hands before tapping on the needle forcefully.

Weng!

The silver needle began to spin.

As it spun, the formation inscriptions on the surface of the silver needle seemed to have turned into a vortex of spiritual energy, drawing in the spiritual energy in the surroundings into its center. Eventually, it formed a massive pillar of spiritual energy that extended to the heavens.

"The Formation Destroying Silver Needle can draw spiritual energy from the surroundings and cause a huge spiritual energy disturbance, thus forcing even the greatest of formation to show its marks," Luo Qiqi explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Formations were sustained by spiritual energy, and if the spiritual energy in the surroundings was sapped dry, it would lose its balance, thus revealing its form. It was the same logic as how the rocks at the bottom of the river would be revealed as the current ran dry.

The collapsing of the formation at the Cleansing Lake was also due to its balance being destroyed.

Hu hu hu!

As the rotation of the silver needle hastened, more and more spiritual energy was drawn from the surrounding. At the same time, a thick layer of sweat cloaked Princess Fei-er's forehead.

"Open!"

With a slight buzz, the surroundings of the silver needle abruptly distorted. A slight mist came into appearance.

"Indeed, there's a formation here!"

Upon seeing the mist, everyone's eyes lit up.

The mist was the sign of the presence of a formation… This meant that Luo Qiqi's deduction was accurate, and it was highly likely there was an underground chamber here!

Wuwuwuwu!

The rotation of the silver needle quickened even more, but Princess Fei-er was already wearied.

Given how this formation was able to remain hidden so many years without being noticed, there was no doubt that it was a high-grade formation. Even a 5-star formation master like her was finding it difficult to break open the formation.

Hu!

Exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, Princess Fei-er halted the Formation Destroying Silver Needle before falling to the floor weakly. Exhausted, she couldn't even care about her own appearance at this moment.

"How is it?"

Seeing her state, Luo Qiqi immediately rushed up and fed her a pill to recover her vitality. Only then did her pale complexion finally recover slightly.

After resting for a moment, Princess Fei-er stood up and shook her head.

"There's a grade-6 formation here. Due to my limited cultivation, I'm unable to force it to show itself."

She had put her entire strength into the previous attempt, but she was only able to force out hints of the formation. Her current strength was still a little too low to force it out entirely.

"If even you are unable to force out the formation, how can we enter the underground chamber?"

Luo Qiqi frowned.

If they couldn't even force the formation to appear, naturally, they wouldn't be able to decipher it either, let alone, enter the underground chamber.

They had come here proudly to accomplish a mission, but who knew that they would be stopped right at the doorstep?

If they were to return like that, they would surely become a laughingstock.

"I don't know either…" Princess Fei-er shook her head.

She thought that with her capability as a 5-star formation master, even if she couldn't decipher the formation, it shouldn't be too hard for her to force the formation to show its form. Who knew that she would end in failure? She couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Gritting her teeth, Princess Fei-er said, "Allow me to rest for a moment first, I'll give it a try after I've recuperated fully…"

However, at that moment, a nonchalant voice suddenly sounded.

"This won't work!"

Turning around, she saw Zhang Xuan walking up to her.

"You know formation deciphering too?" Seeing that he was the one who spoke, Princess Fei-er harrumphed. "Since you said that this won't work, why don't you share your wisdom with us and tell us what incredible plan you have in mind?"

"I dare not say my plan is incredible, but since there's a formation here, all we have to do is to decipher it, right? Why must we go through an additional step to force it to show itself?" Zhang Xuan replied.

Since the purpose was to find the entrance of the formation, they could just decipher the formation straight. Why go through the additional step of forcing it out?

Princess Fei-er flung her sleeves and harrumphed coldly.

"You're proposing for us to decipher the formation directly? Humph, do you even know the slightest thing about formations?"