Chapter 143: Chapter 7 Fate Lock
“Teacher Zhang, what’s the matter? Are these insights problematic?”
Seeing the young man enter the room and keep swiping his hand without flipping the books open, Lu Mingrong approached, his eyes filled with confusion.
“It’s nothing…”
Zhang Xuan did not explain, and once again caressed several hundred books. Just like before, he did not form a useful Book of Heaven’s Path.
Knowing that continuing would be just as fruitless, he left the room and returned to the front of the stone tablet.
The stone tablet stood not faraway, imposing from a distance. Each and every character on it seemed to drill into his eyes as he observed, offering a distinctly different sensation.
Only this time, the sensation was completely unlike before.
If previously it had felt like a dragon soaring over the nine provinces with unmatched prowess, now it was like the Spring Wind and Rain, gentle as dust.
The same stone tablet producing entirely different feelings, even someone like him, the lord of a realm who had seen countless cultivation methods and secret manuals, found it unbelievable.
“Young Master, there’s something odd about this stone tablet. When I looked at it before, I felt the palm art it depicted should be like the Four-leaf Palm, bold and unrestrained, with surging power. But this time, it felt as flexible as the Spirit Serpent Fist…” Sun Qiang frowned.
“You felt that too?” Zhang Xuan was surprised.
The Four-leaf Palm and Spirit Serpent Fist are both martial arts from the Master Teacher Continent, completely different in nature and impossible to practice simultaneously.
“This fist art is just like this; with each observation comes new insights. That’s why countless cultivators linger here, determined to complete it.”
Lu Mingrong said.
“New insights with every observation?” Zhang Xuan was startled.
If it were merely an incomplete cultivation method, no matter how profound, an individual’s understanding might evolve, but it would be an evolution of the original framework, not the stark contrast currently before him.
Something wasn’t right!
This cultivation method was too peculiar.
“Eye of Insight!”
The characters on the stone tablet once again transformed into little dragons that moved in completely different directions from before, as if he was looking at an entirely different stone tablet, nothing like the one he had seen earlier.
“Flaws!” Knowing that his naked eyes were insufficient, Zhang Xuan did not dwell on it; he called out in his mind.
Inside the Library of Heaven’s Path, a sudden intense rumble sounded, and instantly, countless floating books began to glow faintly and converged toward the center.
In just half a breath’s time, they merged into one book.
“How could this consume so much?”
Zhang Xuan’s face changed.
To form this book, the ten thousand strands of Heavenly Mandate Vitality he had just borrowed from School Head Lu had all been exhausted!
Forming a Jade Bone Realm cultivation method had only used a thousand strands, and just for looking at a stone tablet, it had cost this much…
What a loss!
He had thought that by using the Library, filling in the cultivation method would entail some consumption but would ultimately leave him with surplus, profiting him a little. He had never dreamed that this would happen.
However, it was too late for regrets now.
Extending his right hand, the newly formed book gently fell into his palm. He opened it casually, and this time it was not just blank pages but filled with content.
“On the Green Jade Stone Wall of Luohu Cliff in Huaiyuan Mountain, left by Baiyan City’s sixth School Head, Zhao Yunqing, contains an Emperor-grade palm art, regretfully sealed by a ‘Fate Lock’ which blocks the cultivation path, making it impossible to comprehend normally.”
“Flaw One: The position covered by the Fate Lock is incorrect. By applying a force greater than 99 horses on a specific spot, the lock can be broken…”
“Flaw Two:…”
Martial arts are also categorized into daylight robbery, middle-tier, high-tier, Spirit pinnacle, Imperial-grade, and Emperor-grade. The highest level palm art in Baiyan City is just high-tier, but this Xuanlong Palm could actually reach Spirit pinnacle, no wonder it has attracted countless people over hundreds of years.
But…
Zhang Xuan slightly furrowed his brows, turned to Lu Mingrong, and asked curiously, “School Head Lu, have you ever heard of the ‘Fate Lock’?”
“Are you referring to the special ability that only a Fate Master can leave behind, one that locks away a person’s future and destiny?” Lu Mingrong looked stunned, then turned to him with disbelief.
“That should be it… but what exactly is it?” Zhang Xuan inquired.
After pondering for a bit, Lu Mingrong explained, “I’m not clear on the specifics, but I’ve heard others mention it and know a little bit. A person’s destiny is usually set at birth. That’s what they mean when they say ‘like breeds like’, and ‘a mouse’s offspring will dig holes.’ If you’re born into a poor family, the difficulty of changing your fate and becoming one of the elite is tenfold harder than for those from a wealthy family…”
Zhang Xuan nodded.
An ordinary person might not earn three million in a lifetime, but some children, even if their fathers don’t acknowledge them, can still receive so much every year… Even if some people with exceptional talents try to change their situation through hard work, they will ultimately find it heartbreakingly true that the endpoint of their efforts is still far from the starting point of others.
Destiny feels that helpless; no matter how hard you try, you still end up battered and bruised.
“Under normal circumstances, destiny is unchangeable, but… a Fate Master is too powerful, capable not only of controlling his own fate, unnoticed by others, but also of sealing others, rendering them unable to resist. And the thing used to lock away one’s destiny is called the Fate Lock!”
Seeing that Zhang Xuan still didn’t quite grasp it, Lu Mingrong continued, “For example, normally, a genius could break through to the Divine Soul Realm and become a pinnacle expert in Baiyan City. Once sealed with a Fate Lock, no matter what opportunities arise, they would miss them due to various reasons, thus failing to succeed.”
“That’s what they call ‘What’s meant to be will come to pass; what’s not meant to be, don’t try to grasp.’”
“For example, you like a girl. Normally, a mutual affection could result in a loving union, but once the Destiny Lock is on, misunderstandings would arise here and there. Despite the genuine love and the knowledge that she (or he) remains kind-hearted, being together is impossible… That’s the most terrifying aspect of a Fate Master, controlling one’s fate! Once this situation arises, no matter how strong the cultivation, it’s impossible to break free.”
“There’s such a power?”
Zhang Xuan was shocked, “Does that mean if you offend a Fate Master, you don’t even have a chance to control your own destiny?”
“You could say that, but not entirely!”
Lu Mingrong said, “Whether it’s applying the Destiny Lock or altering fate, neither is easy or simple, and both are greatly taxing for a Fate Master. Moreover, the more power and authority a cultivator wields, the harder it is to change their fate. Forcing a change can result in severe backlash, and it could even lead to their downfall.”
Zhang Xuan nodded.
Strong cultivation, influential power; significant authority, control strength. For such people, their destinies already have their own trajectories, indeed difficult to change.
Forcing a change, not only would it cost more, but they might also get involved themselves.
Only the weak are easier to control, much like a Slave Master – killing a slave is just a matter of words. Often a single thought can control a person’s life, but killing another Slave Master is not so simple and easy.
“Why does Zhang laoshi suddenly ask about this?”
Seeing his understanding, Lu Mingrong looked over with curiosity.
“I think I’ve figured out why no one has been able to successfully cultivate the Xuanlong Palm…”
A turbid breath exhaled, Zhang Xuan smiled slightly, looking at the stone stele in front of him.
“This…”
Lu Mingrong was stunned, realizing what he meant, his lips trembling, “You mean to say… that this cultivation method is not incomplete, nor is it missing parts, but… it has been locked by the Fate Lock, thus misleading those trying to comprehend it towards the wrong direction, never succeeding?”
“That’s pretty much it,” Zhang Xuan nodded.
The flaws given by the Library of Heaven’s Path and what the other person just mentioned are pretty much the same.
The Fate Lock had obscured the correct direction for comprehension, which caused millions of experts over hundreds of years to fail in their attempts to understand it…
Lu Mingrong frowned, “That’s not right, though. In hundreds of years, nineteen Fate Masters have come to look at it and never discovered this so-called Fate Lock…”
Indeed, the theory of being Fate Locked had been raised hundreds of years ago when Fate Masters were specifically invited to investigate, but they found nothing.
Over time, everyone stopped thinking in that direction, assuming the method of comprehension was incorrect. But now, to hear the same belief from this young man—could he have discovered something amiss?
“Not discovered?”
Zhang Xuan shook his head, took a few steps to the stone pillar, turned his head to Sun Qiang, “Go get a hammer!”
“Alright!” Sun Qiang nodded, turned and left. It wasn’t long before he indeed came back with a large hammer and a smaller one, “Young Master, which one do you want to use?”
“I don’t need it, you do it,” Zhang Xuan pointed to a character not far from him, “Use the large hammer and hit here hard!”
“Smash?”
Sun Qiang’s mouth twitched, warily looking towards Lu Mingrong nearby. Seeing him equally shocked, he gritted his teeth and swung the hammer down.
Bang!
With the force he added, the stone wall in front of him couldn’t help but shake, and stone chips flew off.
“What are you doing?”
“Dare to damage such a refined cultivation method? Seeking death!”
“School Head Lu, who is this guy, why aren’t you stopping him…”
The people studying the cultivation method, seeing this scene, immediately exploded.
For better study, some approached to make rubbings, some lay on the stone wall to feel the power’s rhythm, and it was the first time they saw someone swinging a large hammer… This wasn’t studying, it was destruction!
“Zhang laoshi…”
Seeing that the crowd’s noise grew louder, looking as though they would rush over any moment, Lu Mingrong also couldn’t help it and turned to the young man beside him.
“School Head Lu wants this palm art to be truly cultivated, not as it has been, with the efforts of countless individuals achieving nothing. I could just ignore everything…”
Zhang Xuan waved his hand.
“Of course not…” Lu Mingrong shook his head.
The Xuanlong Palm has stood here for over three hundred years, from the sixth generation school head to the present. Countless people have tried to decipher it, and if it could be fully understood from him, his tenure as school head would certainly go down in history and be remembered by posterity.
“Then that’s fine. Sun Qiang, continue smashing!”
Zhang Xuan said indifferently.