Chapter 658
Zhang Shijie gazed into the void, lost in thought, her expression a mix of fascination and bewilderment.
Pang Shishu couldn't hold back any longer and softly called out from the ground, "Wuyi..."
Zhang Shijie's head turned slightly, her gaze shifting to Pang Shishu. However, the look in her eyes—though not unfamiliar—was devoid of emotion, like a bottomless cold pool, indifferent and unfeeling.
Seeing that gaze, Pang Shishu turned to the others, his expression one of uncertainty, as if he didn't know what to do.
Zhang Shijie's eyes swept over the faces of those around her, her expression unchanged, as if she were looking at livestock or even stubborn stones.
At that moment, everyone understood: something was wrong with Zhang Shijie!
As they looked at her Yang Shen (Sun Spirit), a sense of detachment, as if she belonged to another world, arose in their hearts.
Noticing their worried expressions, Zhang Shijie's eyes remained as calm as a still pond, landing on Zheng Fa's face.
Her gaze froze.
Zheng Fa also looked at Zhang Shijie, until he saw the cold depths of her eyes ripple with warmth.
Zhang Shijie smiled.
With a graceful leap, she flew to Zheng Fa's side.
"Shijie?"
"Wuyi?"
"What happened to you just now?"
Seeing Zhang Shijie seemingly back to normal, everyone began to chatter, asking questions all at once.
Zhang Shijie remained silent, her Yang Shen's radiance gradually retracting to reveal her physical form. She shook her head and said, "Just now, I felt an urge to abandon everything and immerse myself in the Dao of Heaven."
Pang Shishu, alarmed, asked, "Why would you feel that way?"
"I don't know. Perhaps there's something wrong with the Yang Shen technique," Zhang Shijie frowned and replied. "Or maybe my innate divine ability is just too extraordinary."
"What innate divine ability do you have?"
Zhang Shijie raised her Feixian Bi (Flying Immortal Brush), lightly tapping the tip in the air.
An image of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) appeared in the void.
"This divine ability is called the Xiantian Bagua."
"What is the Xiantian Bagua?"
"It is also a method of divination."
Zheng Fa listened intently, thinking to himself that indeed, he had heard of the Xiantian Bagua's reputation. Just then, Xie Qingxue curiously asked, "How does it work? What's the difference from the Jiuzhang Suanzhen (Nine Chapters Calculation)?"
Zhang Shijie shook her head, drawing a line with the Feixian Bi. The Bagua diagram began to spin rapidly, revealing a hexagram.
The hexagram stabilized in the air and flew towards Xie Qingxue.
Before Xie Qingxue could react, she felt her body sink, her head spinning, the sky beneath her feet and the ground above her head, the yin and yang out of place, the universe turned upside down.
"What is this…"
"This is a hexagram from the Xiantian Bagua, and also a method of attack. I call it Qian Kun Zhuan (Reversal of Heaven and Earth)."
"Impressive..." Xie Qingxue, usually proud, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, "The most frightening part is that I felt no warning at all."
"That's one of the characteristics of the Xiantian Bagua. It originates from nature and carries an illusionary quality, making it hard to defend against, even possessing a trait of blurring the line between reality and illusion to exploit the enemy's weaknesses." Zhang Shijie continued, "Another advantage is that it can harness the power of heaven and earth, requiring minimal consumption of a cultivator's spiritual energy."
Zheng Fa felt a twinge of envy.
It seemed far stronger than his three divine abilities, which relied on direct confrontation.
"Of course... this can't permanently trap you, Xianzi Xie."
The others, however, did not perceive the Xiantian Bagua as weak. Xie Qingxue's situation was particularly unique; wielding the Qingping Sword, she could even sever the resurrection of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor with a single strike, her potential was immense.
Meanwhile, Zhang Shijie had just entered the realm of Yang Shen.
Moreover, from what Zhang Shijie said, the technique consumed very little energy, which was quite terrifying.
"The borrowing of heaven and earth sounds a bit like the concept of talisman techniques, quite suitable for you, Wuyi."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
It sounded like a type of talisman technique that was incredibly effective while consuming very little.
"And what about the divination?"
Zheng Fa recalled the reputation of the Xiantian Bagua he had heard in modern times, knowing that Zhang Shijie's method of divination was not just casual talk.
Sure enough, a smile appeared on Zhang Shijie's face, her eyes gleaming with pride: "Using the Xiantian Bagua for divination, I can predict certain futures."
Everyone was taken aback by her words.
No matter the method of attack, nothing compared to the ability to see the future.
"What futures can you predict?"
The Feixian Bi danced in the air, and within the Bagua diagram, hexagrams swirled: "For example, Pang Shishu, if you accumulate enough power for another three years, you might face the tribulation of transformation."
"You can even predict my transformation?"
Zhang Shijie smiled proudly, "There's about an eighty percent accuracy."
"What else can you predict?"
Zhang Shijie replied with a smile, "Perhaps my own strength is still shallow, or my divine ability is limited. The stronger the cultivator involved, and the more complex the events, the more blurred the hexagrams become."
"I have an eighty percent certainty about your transformation, Shishu Pang."
"But predicting the plans of Haoriyu Mountain might drop to less than ten percent accuracy. Of course, if I had more information, my confidence would increase."
Pang Shishu's expression turned strange upon hearing this: "Are you saying I'm weak?"
The elder beside them sighed, "Even so, this is truly astonishing."
Xie Qingxue and the others nodded, their faces filled with amazement.
This divine ability might not sound particularly powerful, but who among them didn't understand the value of seizing the initiative?
Especially when combined with Elder Han's intelligence network, the advantages the Jiushan Sect could gain in future conflicts would be even more remarkable.
Xiao Yuying softly remarked, "In the Xuanwei Realm, there has never been such a secret technique! Peering into the future... it's truly unimaginable."
Given her understanding of history, she believed this statement had at least a sixty percent credibility.
"Actually, I have a guess," Zhang Shijie frowned and said, "The Xiantian Bagua is essentially a type of algorithm, perhaps just more miraculous or refined, and not fundamentally different from the Jiuzhang Suanzhen."
"The Jiuzhang Suanzhen doesn't have such wonders."
"The key is that the Xiantian Bagua seems to inherently contain some of the ultimate principles of heaven and earth," Zhang Shijie explained.
The others looked on with confusion.
But Zheng Fa understood:
Zhang Shijie seemed to feel that she could comprehend the algorithm of the Xiantian Bagua.
However, the crucial aspect of this divine ability lay in the many fundamental truths of the world that she had yet to grasp, or even see.
In simple terms, it was like having access to a high-quality dataset.
Zheng Fa nodded, "So, the term 'Xiantian' refers to some sort of a priori knowledge?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shijie looked at Zheng Fa, her eyes narrowing with a smile.
Pang Shishu, standing nearby, scratched his head and said to the elder, "What are these two talking about? Did you understand?"
The elder shook his head.
"Aren't you at the transformation stage?"
"…"
"Isn't he your disciple?"
"…"
…
As Zhang Shijie and the elder concluded their transformation discussions, everyone was about to leave when Zheng Fa called out to them.
"The Transformation Conference?"
Hearing Zheng Fa's words, Xie Qingxue paused for a moment.
Zheng Fa had already been planning this. He turned to Xie Qingxue and said:
"Currently, our Jiushan Sect actually has three types of transformation techniques."
"You and the Jiushan Ancestor, Xianzi Xie, follow a similar path, leaning towards the Tianhe method."
"Zhang Shijie practices the Yang Shen method."
"My master, Blood River Ancestor and Jiao Wuji, follow the Fa Shen method."
"Each of these three methods has its strengths and weaknesses, and they differ greatly. Why not exchange ideas and learn from each other?"
Ultimately, Zheng Fa wanted to create his own technique, and relying solely on himself wouldn't suffice—if he only wanted to use the Yang Shen method or the Fa Shen method, that would be simple. The problem was, Zheng Fa's ambitions reached far beyond that.
He still needed to draw on the wisdom of others.
Having waited for Zhang Shijie and the elder, there was no need to delay any longer.
"Devil Sect techniques, Tianhe methods, Yang Shen methods..." Xie Qingxue murmured, her eyes sparkling, "Learning from each other's strengths?"
"Yes." Zheng Fa nodded at her, "On one hand, to demonstrate the uniqueness of our respective techniques, and on the other, to discuss their shortcomings. I plan to invite all the Yuanying disciples to listen in, oh, and Brother Yan too."
"It's a pity that Elder Han and Shishu Huang are outside."
Xie Qingxue nodded lightly, smiling, "Three transformation masters discussing techniques on the same stage—this is a first in Xuanwei. Count me in."
Not just Xie Qingxue.
The others in the courtyard were also eager to participate, their eyes filled with wonder as they looked at one another.
Not to mention anything else, the Yang Shen and Fa Shen methods represented the two opposing factions of immortals and demons, which had always been at odds. Only in the Jiushan Realm, under Zheng Fa's vision, could they coexist.
Now, it seemed that only the Jiushan Sect had the capability to host such a conference.
Yan Wushuang soon arrived, his aura now that of a Yuanying.
As soon as he entered, he called out to Xie Qingxue, "Shijie, what do you need me for?"
Before Xie Qingxue could respond, Yan Wushuang continued, "But it's just as well you called me; I'm currently getting scolded by my dad! The Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror) is great and all, but it means my dad can scold me anytime, anywhere. It's so annoying!"
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