Library of Heaven’s Path 2: Eternal Destiny

Vol 2 Chapter 117 Zhou Cang Accepts a Disciple

"???"

The room fell silent instantly.

Everyone's eyelids twitched, question marks practically floating above their heads, leaving them speechless.

Even those diligently channeling their Heaven's Fate, thinking they had a chance, exchanged helpless looks, their expressions despairing.

Especially Yan San-shisan, who had just been selected by Zhou Cang. He had hoped to become Zhou Cang's disciple, flaunt his new status before Zhang Xuan, and bask in glory. But in the end... he wasn’t even qualified.

That alone was bad enough—Fate is tricky, after all—but accepting a horse as a disciple?

"This... this might have gone too far," Shi Yunjing muttered, his eyelid twitching. Next to him, Qian Yuhuan nodded repeatedly.

The crowd was stunned. Zhou Cang, who had just sworn to treat the chosen one as his own son or daughter, was struck dumb. His vision blackened, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

After searching for so many years for a successor in culinary Dao and failing, you’re telling me it’s... a horse?

Trembling, he rubbed his eyes.

Dao Li, now having absorbed the light ring, let out a satisfied burp.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed as Heaven’s Fate Energy surged around the horse's body. Its aura exploded outward, and countless streams of Source Energy flowed into it.

Simultaneously, it broke through to the Star River Realm and the second stage of Heaven's Fate!

If that wasn’t enough, as it broke through, a stream resembling a River of Destiny faintly appeared around it. Zhou Cang’s gaze involuntarily followed the river to its source, where it intertwined perfectly with his own culinary Heaven’s Fate.

It was an exact match!

A horse had comprehended his legacy?

Come on, explain to me—how does it hold a knife, chop vegetables, or toss a wok with hooves?

Originally, I was ready to adopt a godson or daughter. But now, am I supposed to adopt... this?

Imagine attending competitions where everyone introduces their disciples with pride: “This is my beloved student.”

And then there’s me, pointing at a horse: “This is my son.”

Just thinking about it made his vision go dark.

As Zhou Cang wallowed in frustration, Zhang Xuan suddenly approached the horse. Without warning, he smacked its face.

“Spit it out! Who told you to absorb that?”

“Neighhh!” Dao Li whinnied, looking aggrieved.

It had simply found the Heaven’s Fate Energy in the ring similar to its own understanding and couldn’t resist taking a bite. Who knew its master would get so angry?

“What’s going on here?” Zhou Cang couldn’t hold back anymore, seeing how familiar the man and the horse acted.

“Well...” Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly. “This horse is my pet. It accidentally swallowed your light ring. I’ll make it spit it out right away...”

In truth, he was just as baffled. He’d merely helped the horse open a Source Pool and infused some Primordial Yellow Energy into it. Who knew things would escalate like this?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“No need to spit it out!” Zhou Cang sighed weakly, stepping closer to Dao Li and staring it down. “Can you cook?”

Dao Li raised its head. “Neigh!”

Zhang Xuan translated: “It says, ‘Who are you looking down on?’”

Zhou Cang: “... And can those hooves of yours even chop vegetables?”

Dao Li snorted indignantly. “Neigh, neigh!”

Zhang Xuan cleared his throat. “It says, ‘You old fool! Who are you calling unfit?’ Uh, those are its words, not mine...”

Zhou Cang: “... Then why don’t you cook some horse meat for me?”

Dao Li shrank back. “Neigh~~ Neigh~~”

Zhang Xuan translated, “It says horse meat doesn’t taste good and admits its mistake...”

Zhou Cang was at a loss for words.

Even a fool could see it now—this horse had truly comprehended his culinary Heaven’s Fate... and could actually cook!

“Cough, Zhou, maybe we should keep looking. There’s still time, and the culinary Heaven’s Fate flows like a great river. Surely, we can find a better match...” Miao Hengsheng tried to console him, seeing his friend's constipated expression.

“Disciples are easy to find. But someone capable of inheriting my mantle... how easy is that?” Zhou Cang gave a bitter smile.

“Well...” Miao Hengsheng and Feng Yuanping exchanged helpless glances.

Culinary Heaven’s Fate was one of the 99 third-tier Heaven’s Fates. Inheriting it required several conditions: unparalleled talent and comprehension of its core principles. Meeting all these criteria wasn’t easy.

That’s why, despite all these years of searching, neither Zhou Cang nor his peers had found a suitable candidate. Now, after detecting a faint sign from afar, they’d thought they’d struck gold—only to find out it was... a horse.

“So what will you do?” Feng Yuanping asked.

“What else can I do? This is fate... Since destiny has given me a horse as a disciple, I must accept it.”

Despite his reluctance, Zhou Cang heaved a sigh.

As cultivators of Heaven’s Fate, they all knew that no matter how high their aspirations or strong their wills, they could not defy the mysterious workings of destiny.

“Fine...”

Seeing their friend so resigned, Feng Yuanping and Miao Hengsheng could only nod and offer their blessings.

Even at their level, their lifespan had limits. If Zhou Cang didn’t take a disciple soon, his skills would vanish into the river of time. Lingering regret could even result in the formation of a Heaven’s Fate Divine Domain, harming countless lives and leaving his soul restless.

“Alright, let’s see what you can do. Show me a dish,” Zhou Cang said, shaking his head and retrieving a set of cooking tools and ingredients with a flick of his wrist.

“Neigh, neigh!”

Dao Li glanced at Zhang Xuan, seeking permission. Seeing his master nod, the horse tied on an apron, balanced a kitchen knife between its hooves, and got to work.

Clang, clang, clang!

A plate of julienned potatoes was ready in moments—surprisingly fine and evenly cut.

“This knife work is already better than most chefs who’ve trained for over a decade...” Zhou Cang muttered, his eyelid twitching.

Despite its seemingly clumsy hooves, Dao Li’s skill was undeniable. Though not yet at Zhou Cang’s level, it surpassed most ordinary chefs.

Cutting, mixing, lighting the fire, cooking—it completed the entire process with ease. Soon, a plate of stir-fried julienned potatoes was presented.

Zhou Cang tasted it. While not exceptional, it was decent enough.

“Fine, you’ll do...”

Seeing the horse's potential, Zhou Cang relented, smiling faintly at the steed. “I’ll take you as my disciple. Come with me to the Culinary God Hall. Don’t worry—I’ll ensure you improve rapidly under my guidance...”

Dao Li froze. Its large head swayed like a pendulum. “Neigh, neigh!”

Zhang Xuan translated, “It says no. I refuse.”

Zhou Cang: “???”

He had worked through countless mental hurdles to accept taking a horse as a disciple, only for it to... refuse?

Zhou Cang was utterly dumbfounded.

Author's Note