Chapter 47: Devouring the Source Dragon
Before the day ended, Zhang Xuan had already copied thousands of books. Glancing at his Heaven's Fate Energy reserves, he reluctantly stopped. During this assessment, both the Xuan World and the Library of Heaven's Path absorbed a significant amount of Source Energy—enough for a lifetime for others, but for him, it was merely a drop in the ocean. To copy all the techniques in this vast library, he would need millions of strands of Source Energy.
To avoid detection, he had been cautious during both assessments, never absorbing too much at once. The most he had taken in at one time was just over ten thousand strands, still far from the millions required. However, maintaining a low profile was the right choice. If the dean or others discovered his unique abilities, they would surely investigate, causing endless trouble.
Thinking this, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but praise his own cleverness. Most people, faced with so much Heaven's Fate Energy, would find it hard to resist absorbing as much as possible, but he had managed it. Impressive, indeed.
"Fusion..."
As he wandered through the Library of Heaven's Path, looking at the myriad floating books, he focused his mind. With the burning of countless strands of Heaven's Fate Energy, a brand new book appeared before him. Zhang Xuan reached out, and the book gently landed in his palm.
He opened it, revealing an ancient and majestic aura.
"... The higher the grade of the furnace used to refine Source Energy, the faster the refining process! Normal furnaces, like cultivation techniques, are divided into six grades: low, middle, high, supreme, royal, and imperial!"
"Low-grade furnaces are mostly formed by absorbing the power of plants and trees. Though the power of plants is weak, it is vast and omnipresent, making it easy to ignite..."
"High-grade furnaces are mostly formed from the power of source beasts..."
"Supreme-grade furnaces are formed from Heaven's Fate source beasts..."
"Royal-grade furnaces are rare, formed from exceptionally rare treasures..."
"As for imperial-grade furnaces, the required materials are extremely hard to find. Only truly unique items can achieve this level..."
The first page of the book detailed the classification and forging methods of furnaces within the Energy Storing Realm.
Plants, medicinal herbs, source beasts, Heaven's Fate source beasts, rare treasures, and unique items... Different items used to ignite the furnace result in different types of furnaces. Essentially, igniting the furnace is a process of resource investment. The more valuable the items one possesses, the stronger the furnace and the faster the energy storing process, leading to higher future achievements.
"What should I use to refine it?" Zhang Xuan frowned.
To become powerful, he needed to find unique and rare items to forge an imperial-grade furnace. However, in his current situation, he hadn't even heard of such items, let alone found them! Even if he knew of them, with his current strength, it would likely take hundreds of years to find them...
"Heaven's Path Order!"
After pondering for a long time without a solution, Zhang Xuan's spirit stirred. The Heaven's Path techniques derived from the imperfections of the world gathered with the help of Heaven's Fate Energy, forming a small glowing figure before him.
The small figure sat cross-legged, meticulously practicing according to the methods described in the book. The pathways of true qi circulation glowed brightly within it.
This was the ability possessed by Kong Shi on the Master Teacher Continent!
Given a starting point, one could use the rules of the Heaven's Path to deduce the principles.
In essence, each person has different constitutions and abilities. With this ability, Zhang Xuan could tailor a cultivation technique to suit an individual, finding the most suitable method for maximum effectiveness.
This was why Kong Shi could have 3,000 disciples, with 72 attaining mastery. Otherwise, no matter how energetic a person was, it would be impossible to teach without distinction and tailor instruction to the student, let alone make every student extraordinary.
Having read the Heaven's Path techniques for the Energy Storing Realm, and unable to find items to ignite an imperial-grade furnace, he had to rely on the Heaven's Path Order to slowly deduce and see if there was a shortcut.
Whoosh!
The "imperial-grade treasure" formed a fiery red furnace. Strands of Source Energy entered and were decomposed into pure energy, flowing through the meridians.
"Why does this seem... so familiar?"
Seeing the process of cultivating with the imperial-grade furnace, Zhang Xuan was slightly stunned.
The Source Energy quickly decomposed upon encountering the furnace, transforming into various forms of power. Though the speed was astonishing for other cultivators, it still seemed a bit weak to him.
The scene was familiar because he had seen it before!
With a thought, Zhang Xuan found himself within the Xuan World. Looking up at the highest point of the sky, he saw strands of Source Energy descending from the chaos, burning in the Primordial Yellow Energy, transforming into colorful twilight.
This burning speed was millions of times faster than that of an imperial-grade furnace!
Upon contact, Source Energy could transform into mountains, rivers, life, plants—everything in the world.
"The Primordial Yellow Energy is something that was born at the creation of the world... truly unique!"
His eyes lit up, and Zhang Xuan clenched his fists in excitement.
He had always wondered where to find such unique items. It turned out that the Primordial Yellow Energy, omnipresent in the Xuan World, was the best option!
Only a world ruler could control this, making it exceedingly rare and hard to find.
With a slight tremor, he reappeared in the "Source Pool," lightly touching the air. Strands of Primordial Yellow Energy suddenly filled the area, making the entire space seem like a burning furnace.
"The heavens and the earth are the furnace, creation is the worker; yin and yang are the charcoal, and all things are the copper..."
A clear sound echoed.
With the enlightenment rising in Zhang Xuan's heart, countless scattered strands of Source Energy in the library quickly gathered within him, forming a massive tornado in the blink of an eye.
Forges made with ordinary items were just objects, but those made with Primordial Yellow Energy could use the entire heavens as a furnace, truly refining the sky.
...
Su Qiao, one of the most senior auxiliary teachers at White Rock Academy, had been managing the library for over fifty years, making him a true veteran. Even Dean Lu greeted him respectfully, calling him "Elder Su."
Today, while reading, he saw a new teacher walk in with a library pass. The young man, about twenty-four or twenty-five, had no trace of energy within him, clearly not yet started on cultivation. The most puzzling part was that he headed straight to the section on Energy Storing Realm techniques.
These books were typically for students. What kind of weakling teacher was the academy hiring now?
He initially thought Zhang Xuan was looking for books for his students, but after watching for a while, Su Qiao felt his anger rising.
The young man was wandering through the library, pulling out books and putting them back, again and again, without even opening them. Then he would just stare blankly...
‘Are you here to read or to cause trouble?’
Arrogant, careless, ignorant, and restless... In an instant, Su Qiao mentally labeled him with all these tags.
"I'll have to tell the dean that not everyone should be given a library pass... Otherwise, they'll ruin the atmosphere of the library!"
Snorting coldly, Su Qiao reopened his book. But just as he was about to continue reading, he felt the ground tremble slightly. Immediately, the surrounding Source Energy surged like a flood, pouring into the center of the library.
He quickly looked up.
The young man he had just been complaining about stood still, his left hand behind his back, right hand holding a book, eyes closed, and body motionless. Yet his body was like a bottomless pit, devouring the rushing Source Energy.
The speed at which he was absorbing the energy caused the surrounding Source Energy to twist and form tornadoes, making the bookshelves creak.
"Is this the 'Devouring Source Dragon' phenomenon caused by absorbing Source Energy too quickly? This... how is this possible!"
Su Qiao's pupils constricted, and he stood frozen in place.