The library was organised into three floors and four sections. Each section was watched over by the clone of the guardian. His face was resolute and seemed extremely hostile, and it left Shen Long trembling after seeing his emotionless face.
Wasn't sure how to approach the Guardian, Shen Long walked slowly towards him while gripping tightly on Master's talisman. Just as he was about to greet the Guardian, the Guardian turned around and gazed at Shen Long.
"Hello Shen Long, do you wish to proceed to the third floor, or would you like me to recommend you some manuals?" The Guardian said in a warm tone, yet his voice caught Shen Long off-guard. The Guardian sounded like a teenage girl as his voice was extremely high-pitched and sharp.
"Eh? Hel... Dear Guardian, yes. Would it be alright if you find me a manual that suits me? I would also like to visit the third floor, later on, to broaden my horizons and receive Master's Sword Manual he mentioned earlier on." Shen Long replied respectfully while trembling inwardly.
"What kind of voice is that!??? Your face and voice are not in proportions at all!!! You seem like a merciless killer and yet your voice is no difference to Song Wang'er's!! Is this a joke or a trial to test my personality!??" Shen Long thought to himself though he hid his disbelief.
"Ehm. I will quickly test out your affinities to the different Daos and weapons first. Although I can feel the aura of [Fireblood Sutra] from your body and your connections with the Dao of Water, I am still not completely confident of your aptitude. Please place your hands on this pearl, and I will be able to examine your affinities more accurately." The Guardian nodded lightly while handing over a multi-coloured pearl that was emitting a strange aura.
The pearl was vibrating steadily while its colour turned blue. Shen Long could feel his entire body tingling and quivering as the mysterious, tactile sensation transmits from his fingertips to his brain. This ice-cold sensation, even, penetrated into his soul, and the pain was so intense that his consciousness was on the verge of collapsing. Suddenly, the feeling was overtaken by warmth and fire.
The crystal pearl was now bright red, and the intense heat started channelling into his vessels. His body temperature started rising, and his blood was slowly boiling. Shen Long's arm became stiffen and his nerves seemed to have melted. He even struggled to breathe normally as he felt like he was being suffocated by extreme heat.
Shen Long was repeatedly tortured by the crystal. Each time there was a new colour, he would experience a new type of pain, and Shen Long instantly regretted agreeing to the Guardian. Even more unfortunately, he could not break free from this pearl as his fingers were almost "glued" into this pearl.
After twenty minutes or so, his torture had finally come to an end. He could not forget how painful the entire process was, especially when the pearl turned black. His soul and body was constantly being repressed by the blackness while his energy was sucked in by the black vortex. He, however, was somewhat happy as it was finally over.
"Not bad at all, Shen Long. As expected, your affinity with water and fire are the highest because their paths are somewhat similar. However, you are also very talented in training the Dao of Light and Darkness! That means you can choose a path from any of these four, and any of these would guarantee you to breakthrough to a Celestial Immortal. However, it's extremely difficult for cultivators to grasp two Daos at the same time, so you definitely should just pick one element and cultivate it." The Guardian was quite impressed at Shen Long's talent as he advised Shen Long.
"Dear Senior, why can I not train in multiple Daos at the same time? Before when I was cultivating Master's [Fireblood Sultra], I remember that my insight towards the Dao of Water started to fade. But isn't it true that Water and Fire are like yin and yang, and so is light and darkness? Wouldn't it be fine if I balance the two Daos?" Shen Long curiously asked as he recalled light novel characters typically cultivate in multiple areas.
(Yin-yang is part of the Eastern/Daoism Philosophy. They believe that yin and yang are the two complementary forces that make up all aspects of life. Yin typically refers to feminity, darkness and the Moon; Yang refers to masculinity, brightness and the Sun. They co-exist in the world, but problems would arise when an imbalance between the two exists.)
"Shen Long, yes. It's true that you would be able to cultivate both if they are in perfect harmony, but that truly is too difficult. It is also that once you train in one Dao, it will be much harder for you to grasp another Dao. Fireblade is a good example. Even though he is extremely talented in both Fire and Death, he still couldn't comprehend the Dao of Fire fully, thus he was not able to breakthrough to an Emperor. I would still suggest you select one Dao and stick with it for now, then try grasping another after reaching Celestial Immortal. Otherwise, it would be extremely difficult for you to breakthrough." The Guardian explained in details, leaving Shen Long in awe.
"Unless... unless you wish to walk down the path of the Dao of Balance, then you would be able to cultivate other Daos... But, these Heavenly Daos are way too difficult to grasp. Every single cultivator who brokethrough to Celestial Immortal through a Heavenly Dao are all supreme beings, and their battling prowess can easily rival an Emperor as soon as they breakthrough. Your talent is not bad and you do have affinity with four different elements... Maybe this path would suit you, but your advancement would be tens, hundreds of times harder than others. Are you willing to take this path?" The Guardian questioned while staring directly into Shen Long's eyes.
Shen Long was taken back after hearing the Guardian's answer. He really wanted to walk down this path, but he had promised his Master that he would breakthrough to Celestial Immortal within 200 years. Who knows how long it would take for him to advance if he chose to walk down the path of a Heavenly Dao?
"This... I am not so sure, Senior. I have made a promise to Master that I would breakthrough to a Celestial Immortal in 200 years. The Heavenly Dao may bring me great strength, but I absolutely cannot delay my cultivation speed. Master had gone through so much trouble to bring me here, and I can't be selfish." Shen Long sincerely replied.
"Good, good. Fireblade really had collected a good disciple for himself. I agree, Shen Long. Just select a Dao for now, work hard and cultivate it. If it is fated, you will naturally walk down the path of a Heavenly Dao. Pick one. Fire, water, light or darkness?" The Guardian exclaimed while laughing.
"I will choose the Dao of Fire. After all, Master's [Fireblood Sutra] is based on the Dao of Fire, and it will be the easiest for me to gain insight and to breakthrough. Please recommend me some manuals that suit Master's secret art and the Dao of Fire!" Shen Long spoke as he clapped his hands together, lowering his head.
"Very well. Follow me. I will first bring you to collect your Qi and Spiritual manual, then your Soul Manual. Unfortunately, Fireblade's self-created Qi and Spiritual manual would not suit you as Fireblade merges a lot of his insights from the Dao of Death into those manuals. His Soul Manual, however, should suit you a lot, as your personality and his are very similar." The Guardian said as he warped through space to bring Shen Long into a mysterious, cube-shaped room.
Shen Long's eyes were shocked as he saw the silvery-blue Qi Manual with the title "Moonlight Script of the Nine Dragons" in front of him.
"This is... This... This manual... Senior, where did you get this Qi Manual!??"