CHAPTER 334: CHAPTER 005: THE SHATTERED PATH (THIRD UPDATE)

The winds of change sweep through the martial world, as the old generation passes away, new conflicts arise.

In the blink of an eye, three years have passed.

During these three years, Li Hu finally finished reading all the books in the library, mastering various basic martial arts. He didn’t miss the tens of thousands of volumes of canon history collections and the travel journals of the ancestors of the Celestial Essence Sect.

Philosophical reflections from certain Daoist sages and ancient sages led Li Hu to some enlightenment.

In the mundane life of reading and sweeping, Li Hu’s mindset elevated to a new level.

The impatience of his early days dissipated, and through reading, cultivating his character, he gained a hint of the Daoist tranquility and naturalism.

Nowadays, if Li Hu were to return to the main world, even though his martial arts power might not be inheritable due to his body and the world, the spiritual cultivation he acquired from reading tens of thousands of books over these years would be a great gain.

A strong spiritual cultivation aids in leveling up.

When he returns to the main world, the legendary bottleneck blocking him will not be so immovable and difficult to overcome.

This unexpected journey brought him a big trouble, but if he could get through it, it would also be a significant gain.

As he improved his mindset at the same time,

Through reading tens of thousands of books over three years, his heart and mind became clear and wise, his cultivation realm silently broke through to the Grandmaster Realm.

Grandmaster, already at the pinnacle of the world.

Looking across the entire martial world, only three people have reached the Grandmaster Realm.

The leader of the righteous path, the master of Celestial Sword Manor, the Celestial Sword Elder, the Demon Sect Leader Jue Wutian, and the carefree wanderer Hai Wuya.

These three stand at the pinnacle of an era, watching the rise and fall of the times, deciding the destiny of sects and eras.

But now, the martial world is unaware that the three have become four.

A lowly servant sweeping the library in the Celestial Essence Sect.

Li Hu broke through to the Grandmaster Realm, yet no one knows. Scanning the entire Celestial Essence Sect, the highest martial arts cultivation belongs to the ancient master, the aging Grand Elder of the sect.

With Li Hu’s skills, if he doesn’t want others to know, no one can detect it.

One could say, the entire Celestial Essence Sect has become his backyard.

None of the thousands in the Celestial Essence Sect would ever imagine that there’s such a terrifying powerhouse hidden within their sect.

In fact, regarding the vast Celestial Essence Sect, they might not even recall or know of such an insignificant servant.

Li Hu feels indifferent about the Celestial Essence Sect’s neglect.

He also doesn’t have any notions of a vulnerable grandmaster. In these six years at the library, each and every action has deeply ingrained itself into his martial practice instinct, being here is fine, no need to change location.

Living alongside the books in the library day and night, Li Hu subtly regards each book as his friend.

Coming to this world was just an accident.

Li Hu has no intention to become famous throughout the world; he knows very clearly what his path is, which is to shatter the void.

And now, after six years of diligent cultivation, his cultivation has reached the zenith of martial arts in this world.

Grandmaster, already the highest realm in the history of this world.

There’s no road ahead in this world.

The rest is up to him to pave a new path, a road directly towards shattering the void.

Having read tens of thousands of books in the library, Li Hu already has some ideas.

In the hundreds of years of the Celestial Essence Sect’s existence, occasionally there were extraordinary individuals with ideas, creating secret techniques that even impressed Li Hu.

Combining these with the fantastical notions of some fantasy novels he read in his previous life, Li Hu has conceived several ideas for shattering the void.

For example, compressing True Qi within his body, until its quantity changes produce qualitative changes, ultimately generating power comparable to the shattering level.

Or seeking the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, harnessing the power of the sun, moon, and stars to cleanse himself, pursuing transcendence through the power of the Dao.

Or, like in immortal fantasies, forming a Martial Arts Golden Core, attracting tribulation, thereby gaining the power to ascend.

If Li Hu’s any idea were shared with outsiders, countless martial artists would dismiss it as mere fantasies of idle people.

These paths transcend this martial world, surpassing its martial arts, appearing more like imagination.

But how would ordinary people know that when martial arts reach their extreme, how different is it from legend?

Moreover, these three paths are merely extensions and deductions from failing secret techniques found amongst the tens of thousands of books in the Celestial Essence Sect’s library.

It can be said that any path has a certain foundation.

But Li Hu is not eager to personally attempt to create these paths.

Years of polishing his mindset have dissipated his initial impatience, making his actions more cautious.

The most important thing is that his own cultivation level has just entered the Grandmaster Realm.

Since the founding ancestor of the Celestial Essence Sect who left the Celestial Heart Treasure Manual managed to explore the extremes of the Grandmaster and the threshold of the Celestial Human Dao, it means that while the Grandmaster is the pinnacle of martial arts history, it hasn’t reached its ultimate limit yet.

He still needs to cultivate further until reaching the extremes of the Grandmaster, or break through to the unprecedented Celestial Human Realm.

Only when reaching the ultimate limit of martial arts in this world, when there’s no way forward, will Li Hu try those paths.

Because only standing in a higher place can you see further.

Touching the limits of this world, one is qualified to speak of pioneering a new path of shattering the void.

Furthermore, these ideas are ultimately just ideas, not mature systems, creating a Heaven-Reaching Dao is incredibly difficult.

Reaching the end of this road, then paving another.

It will always be easier.

For three years, Li Hu quietly swept the floor in the Book Pavilion, while the seemingly protagonist Celestial Essence Sect disciple Zhang Feng after years of cultivation, entered the Innate realm in one stroke, breaking the record of the youngest age to enter Innate set by the sword gentleman of Celestial Sword Manor.

Later, during his travels in the Central Plains, various plot developments unfold, rescuing damsels in distress, attracting admiration from various heroines, making enemies of aristocratic disciples, breaking through Demon Sect conspiracies, exploring ruins and receiving martial arts inheritance from a dying elder, discovering treasures and acquiring divine weapons in caves...

Recently, at the martial arts assembly, he defeated the martial world’s sword gentleman Dao Yuange, becoming the leader of the younger generation in the martial world.

He was renowned nationwide, becoming the personal disciple of the Celestial Essence Sect’s Grand Elder, gaining the affection of countless martial heroines and sect sisters, practically reaching the peak of life.

To this, Li Hu, sweeping the floor in the library, just smiled knowingly.

No matter how it looks, it’s like some ancient web novel tropes, but it has nothing to do with him.

The Celestial Essence Sect was abuzz with excitement over the emergence of a genius, and the martial world was stirred by Zhang Feng, but none of it affected life in the tranquil library.

Since it doesn’t affect him, Li Hu naturally has no intention of getting involved.

However, the unchanging life was ultimately broken.

Shortly after Zhang Feng reached the peak of life, the old master of the Celestial Essence Sect passed away, shattering the last pillar of the sect.

On that day,

One of the four Demon Venerables of the Demon Sect, the Cyan Dragon, led a large number of Demon Sect followers to strike the Celestial Essence Sect.

With the only Grandmaster fallen, the crisis of sect extermination is imminent.

The peaceful life of cultivation was ultimately shattered in an instant.