As Nie Li's eyes adjusted from the blinding white flash, he found himself standing in what could only be described as the Library of Gods.

The vastness of the library was incomprehensible, stretching infinitely in every direction.

Shelves carved from what appeared to be starlight spiraled into the cosmos, each holding tomes that pulsed with celestial energy.

The air itself was alive with whispers of ancient knowledge, and the very fabric of reality seemed woven with arcane symbols and runes.

The architecture was an enigmatic blend of order and chaos, with staircases leading to impossible directions and books that floated serenely to their places without any physical guidance.

The light here was not from any source Nie Li could identify; it was as if knowledge itself illuminated the space, casting shadows that twisted into forms too complex for the human eye to follow.

As Nie Li tried to grasp the magnitude of what he was witnessing, his senses barely keeping pace with the onslaught of cosmic wonder, a presence made itself known behind him.

"What are you doing here, mortal?" The voice that spoke was neither entirely male nor female, but a perfect amalgam of both, resonating with an authority that seemed to echo through the very essence of existence.

In that moment, Nie Li's body froze, not out of fear alone but from an overwhelming instinct to surrender.

It was as if every cell in his body recognized the divine authority behind him, knowing well that this entity, this God, held power beyond comprehension.

Nie Li's mind accepted the futility of resistance, preparing for an end he deemed inevitable at the hands of this celestial being.

[ Path Selection Required ]

[ Option 1: I am here for a book ]

[ Option 2: I am here for a book ]

Nie Li was baffled.

For two reasons: time hadn't stopped, and the system's options remained unchanged. This had never happened before.

"Is it because I'm in the presence of a God?" he wondered silently.

Regardless, he chose option 1 again and responded with the system's aid, "I am here for a book."

As he spoke, the deity moved beside him, taking the form of a cosmic owl.

This owl was not like anything Nie Li had ever seen or imagined. Its feathers shimmered with the colors of the universe, each one a tiny galaxy swirling with stars. Its eyes were deep voids, yet they sparkled with the light of nebulae, wisdom ancient and vast shining within them.

"You are the first mortal I have ever seen enter the Temporal Spirit Library," the cosmic owl mused, its voice echoing the mysteries of the cosmos.

"I am curious how you managed it. Gods who visit must offer a piece of knowledge not yet contained within my infinite archives. But a mortal? This is unprecedented. Share your secret with me, and I will grant you any tome you desire from my collection—be it the God tome, the Necronomicon, the Skin Bible, or the Eye of Existence and Oblivion. Anything is yours for the asking."

As the owl spoke, Nie Li tried to glean more information about this celestial being using the simulation system, hoping to understand more about the entity that governed this ethereal domain.

[ Name: Temporal Spirit Owl ]

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

[ Status: Conceptual Being ]

[ Cultivation Level: REDACTED ]

[ Physique Level: REDACTED ]

[ Class: God of Knowledge ]

[ Race: REDACTED ]

[ Health Points: Aleph-∞ ]

[ Soul Force: Aleph-∞ ]

[ Battle Power: Aleph-∞ ]

[ Class Features: REDACTED ]

[ Allies: REDACTED ]

[ Equipment: REDACTED ]

[ Description: REDACTED ]

Eh, what does Aleph-∞ mean?

Whatever, I wasn't expecting to understand a god anyway.

Nie Li thought.

[ Path Selection Required ]

[ Option 1: I came here using a page of the Temporal Spirit Book as a portal. ]

[ Option 2: I came here using a page of the Temporal Spirit Book as a portal. ]

Nie Li, puzzled by the system presenting identical options, decided to go with option 2 this time.

"I came here using a page from the Temporal Spirit Book as a portal," he explained, slightly unsure of the cosmic owl's reaction.

To his surprise, the owl chuckled—a sound that seemed to ripple through the very fabric of the library.

"I see, the shards of that book remain in the lower realm. And yet, that book is still tethered to this higher dimension. To use it as a portal to come here... astonishing. Truly astonishing," the deity praised, its celestial eyes shimmering with amusement.

As the cosmic owl lowered itself to Nie Li's level, it asked, "I'm curious. What book do you seek that compelled you to use a shard of the Temporal Spirit Book to enter my library?"

At the question, Nie Li felt a wave of nervousness wash over him.

He turned to the system for guidance, wondering.

Looks like getting a book from this cosmic entity was the best way to use that item, plain box, or whatever was inside that box, some kind of shard of the Temporal Spirit book.

[ Path Selection Required ]

[ Option 1: Give me "The Heavenly Dharma Cultivation Technique" ]

[ Option 2: Give me "The Heavenly Dharma Cultivation Technique" ]

"Give me 'The Heavenly Dharma Cultivation Technique'," Nie Li requested, echoing the choice he made through the system.

The owl paused for a moment, its cosmic eyes fixed on Nie Li, before it began to 'speak.' But to Nie Li, this was no ordinary speech.

The deity's words were like the very fabric of reality unraveling and reweaving itself. Ancient symbols akin to cracks between worlds, appeared in the air around them, revealing glimpses of other existences, other truths.

It was as if the universe itself was being torn open and stitched back together with each syllable. Then, with a motion that seemed both grand and intimate, the owl expelled an orb of light directly into Nie Li.

The impact was immediate. Nie Li's knees buckled as a scream tore from his throat. The pain was indescribable—it was as if every inch of his being was being torn apart and reformed, his very soul aflame with a knowledge too vast and ancient to comprehend.

"Don't worry, mortal. I have merely inscribed the cultivation technique directly into your soul. And, well, I spat on you," the cosmic owl said, its tone betraying no hint of the monumental act it had just performed.

Nie Li felt as though he was trapped in a hellish inferno. Every fiber of his being screamed in agony.

"Goodbye, mortal. I hope you can see the end of that cursed technique. Even Buddha wasn't able to see it to the end. I wonder if you will. Come and find me when you become the God of Enlightenment!"

With those parting words, the owl spread its wings, and the reality around Nie Li dissolved into darkness, pulling him into a void-like sleep.

As Nie Li succumbed to unconsciousness, the last thoughts that flickered through his mind were a mix of awe and fear as he looked at the profoundness of the Heavenly Dharma Technique.

----------------------------------------

In the heart of dawn, a drop of dew awakes,

First Dharma whispers, the cycle it partakes.

"Generosity's warmth," it learns to give,

Reflecting sun's bounty, in which all live.

Secondly, it trembles, "Morality's light,"

Guiding its essence, making its heart bright.

Patience then follows, enduring the sun,

Third Dharma's lesson, never to be undone.

In the noon's embrace, "Vigor" finds its place,

Fourthly it strives, through time and space.

Meditation's calm, the fifth to be sought,

In stillness, it finds the peace it had fought.

Wisdom's lantern, the sixth, illuminates ways,

Showing paths hidden in the night and days.

Truthfulness, the seventh, in whispers of wind,

In its honesty, a new start is pinned.

As the eighth arrives, "Determination" stands,

Pushing the dew towards enlightening lands.

And in its final form, it ascends, reborn,

A deity of dew, in enlightenment's morn.

Through cycles and lives, a journey so broad,

From a simple dewdrop to a radiant god.

In the dance of Dharma, under the sun's goldenrod,

It finds its true essence, in the realm of the God.