Library of Heaven’s Path

Shen Bi Ru was the beautiful teacher working at the Hongtian Academy whom Zhang Xuan had met after he transcended over to this world. When he left the Tianxuan Kingdom, it had felt like their paths had begun to diverge from one another, and they would never intersect ever again.

Half a year earlier, when he returned to the Tianxuan Kingdom, he had only met Lu Xun. He honestly did not think that he would meet Shen Bi Ru here, and he did not expect her to have become a 3-star master teacher so swiftly.

Her presence made Zhang Xuan halt in his footsteps as he turned around to look at the young lady on the stage. The young lady raised her hand and waited for the commotion amid the crowd to die down before continuing on. “Zhang laoshi and I used to be colleagues.”

“Colleagues?”

“What? Is she saying that she knows Zhang shi?”

“She is bragging, isn’t she? All those who claim to spread Zhang shi’s teaching say that they know Zhang shi one way or another in an attempt to add credibility to their words!”

“Isn’t that so? I never would have thought that a lady as pretty as her would stoop to such a level!”

…

As Zhang Xuan’s reputation flourished, more and more people began passing themselves off as his students. Even a city as remote as this was not completely immune to this major trend.

On the other hand, seeing the beautiful teacher who had always maintained a transcendental attitude toward worldly affairs talking about him in her first sentence, Zhang Xuan could not help but shake his head as a hint of disappointment surfaced in his eyes.

In his mind, she had always been a person who was driven by self-improvement and thought little of fame and glory. He did not think that she would use his name in order to elevate her own standing.

Heaving a deep sigh, Zhang Xuan was just about to leave when the young lady continued speaking. “He has already become the World’s Teacher, and his teachings have spread far and wide. Many take pride in receiving the knowledge that he preaches… but I don’t think that it’s something enviable or particularly noble.”

Those words made Zhang Xuan halt in his footsteps once more.

Most of the crowd, who had planned to leave after seeing that it was just another fraud using Zhang shi’s name to her own advantage, quickly turned around with deep frowns on their foreheads.

Zhang shi’s accomplishments and wisdom had struck a deep chord with everyone in the world, making him the next idol of faith since Kong shi.

Yet, she dared say that his work was not ‘particularly noble’? What did she mean by that?

The atmosphere swiftly grew tense as displeased expressions appeared all over the crowd.

“The world is a diverse place. Take this little town that you live in for example. While we need people standing above the clouds, we also need those whose feet are planted on the ground. The master teachers who spread their teachings and bring wisdom to the world are worthy of respect, but so are the butchers who slaughter pigs, the vendors who barter their vegetables, and the merchants who ship goods from one place to another. Every occupation in the world has its own reason for existence. There’s no need to classify them by honor or prestige. What truly makes the difference is whether we are willing to put our blood and sweat into what we do and whether we truly love what we do as well.

“Zhang shi loves the master teacher occupation with a passion. He finds purpose in bringing wisdom to others, and he enjoys uncovering the secrets of the world. His diligence and passion paid off, allowing him to reach the peak of the master teacher occupation.

“I am just an ordinary person. I have neither the talents nor capabilities that he possesses. However, that doesn’t mean that I am a lesser being than him. I do what I can do to impart knowledge to my students and pass down the correct values to them. Unlike him, my lectures aren’t great enough to reach every corner of the world. However, I can ensure that my own teachings will not lead my students down the wrong path, and whatever knowledge I pass down has been personally verified by myself… and I think that’s enough!

“Living in this world, we must be cognizant of our own limits and walk down a path that is suited for us. Over the past two years, I have toured around the world and met many people. A lot of them take pride in living in the same era as the World’s Teacher, Zhang Xuan. Just like Kong shi’s era, they believe that this era will usher mankind to greater prosperity than before and that we are blessed to be living in such times. I don’t disagree with what they said, but while we are living in the era of hopes and dreams, does it necessarily mean that we stand a chance of rising to the top and becoming a powerful expert of the world?

“Bleak. It is a hopelessly bleak notion. Regardless of which era one lives in, only a small handful of people have the capacity to rise to the very top!”

“This…” The infuriated crowd slowly fell silent at those words.

It was sad but cruel truth. Regardless of which era one was in, it was impossible for everyone to become an expert.

Kong shi dreamt of a world where all humans were powerful, but this vision was bound to remain nothing more than a dream. It was something that could never be realized.

There were simply too many limitations in the world that prevented it from happening. The scarce resources, the aptitude one was born with, the intense competition among cultivators…

It was because power was always held in the hands of the minority that becoming an expert was something that so many desired.

I never thought that she would come to such a realization… Zhang Xuan was stunned as well.

He had thought that Shen Bi Ru was using his reputation to elevate her standing, but who could have known that she would be using this to tell a powerful story to the crowd?

What was scary was not a lack in talent but the failure to realize one’s limitations.

If a person who only had the ability of an ordinary soldier forced their way to become a commander, they would be hurting not just themself.

“Stop listening to her bullsh*t! I have heard that there are those who aren’t too talented among Zhang shi’s students, but all of them eventually became powerful experts!”

“Indeed! As long as we find a good teacher, we’ll be able to rise to greater heights!”

“Do you expect us to believe that you are Zhang shi’s colleague just because you said so? All of the figures whom Zhang shi is associated with are people far beyond our league. How could a mere 3-star master teacher like you possibly know him?”

…

After the brief moment of astonished silence came a massive uproar.

Shen Bi Ru’s words had pricked the self-esteem of the crowd. They could not accept what she was saying.

Failure could always be attributed to timing and luck.

An author could always say that their work was meant to go down in history as the greatest work ever made, but due to the editors’ lack of foresight, their talent ended up being buried, resulting in them being unable to receive even a contract.

Having expected such an uproar from the crowd, Shen Bi Ru raised her hand and continued calmly. “I know that my words have hurt many of you, but touch your heart. Do you believe that my words are all empty? I know that I can’t begin to compare to Zhang shi, the respected World’s Teacher… but how many of you believe that he is truly happy with his life?

“The greater one’s strength, the greater one’s responsibility. Over the past year, he has changed the rules of the Master Teacher Continent, quelled the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, and subordinated the Hundred Schools of Philosophers… But which of these accomplishments didn’t require him to risk his life? If you were in his position, and all you wanted was to enjoy the luxuries of power, would you really have braved through danger to achieve all of that?”

Most of those who had spoken up against Shen Bi Ru earlier were struck speechless once more.

Indeed. If they enjoyed Zhang shi’s standing and talent, would they really have been willing to charge into the midst of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe to quell them or confront the legendary Hundred Schools of Philosophers?

“You might think that Zhang shi is a lofty figure far beyond any of you, but back when I was working in the same academy as him, he was a teacher who was despised and looked down by others. He scored a zero for his Teacher Qualification Examination, so he was nearly expelled from the school. Yet, despite these challenges, he never gave up nor shied away. A step at a time, he eventually rose to his current prominence. If you were in his place, would you have been able to overcome the odds?” Shen Bi Ru asked.

Zhang Xuan’s life had already been compiled into books and spread across the entire world.

His life had been fraught with danger, but none of the challenges that he had faced had ever convinced him to give up. If they had been in his place, would they really have been able to do the same?

Most of those amid the crowd pondered the question, but they eventually shook their heads in response.

For those who were weak-minded, the scorn that Zhang Xuan had received at Hongtian Academy would have been more than enough for them to give up and drown their sorrows with alcohol. For those who were a little more strong-willed, the Tianwu Kingdom would probably have been where their journey ended.

They would never have been able to overcome all of those obstacles that Zhang Xuan had faced to live the brilliant life that he did.

It was easy to envy others, but the experiences that others had gone through might have been something that they would not have been able to survive.

Your own life, your own decisions. You have to recognize who you truly are in order to make the decisions that will make your life a meaningful one! Zhang Xuan thought.

Shen Bi Ru’s words had truly left a mark in him. It was as if someone had ignited all of the experiences that he had been through over the past half a year, causing a raging flame to burn within him.

Be it famed mountains or beautiful lakes, the warmth and callousness of human emotions, everything that he had witnessed and been involved in had become a part of his memories. Those memories strung together to form a complete him. They drifted into the sky of the Master Teacher Continent and overlooked the world, as if a transcendent being.

In an instant, Zhang Xuan seemed to enter a deep state of concentration. A lot of the confusion in his heart vanished, and the cultivation that had remained stagnant over the past half a year abruptly surged forth like water charging through a collapsed dam.