Chapter 98 - 60: The Sect Leader's Token of Wanfa Sect, Mathematics

Wang Qi was a man of intense curiosity. Without such curiosity, he never would have regarded scientific research as a hobby. After he had cultivated his "mental method" and had subdued his temperament, he felt an even stronger desire to clarify all abnormalities. For example, Zhen Chan mentioned that he had seen the "Yao Ding Calculating Scripture." The "Yao Ding Calculating Scripture" was a cultivation technique created only a thousand years ago, yet Zhen Chan had been trapped in the ring for ten thousand years; chronologically, it didn't match up. However, the inheritance of the Wanfa Sect dated back tens of thousands of years, and before being strengthened by the binary system, the "Yao Ding Calculating Scripture" was a rather common "Modern Heart Method," and prior to that, there was an "Ancient Method Skills" serving as a prototype. However, the predecessor of the "Yao Ding Calculating Scripture" had long been phased out and didn't appear in the Transmitting Technique Hall; anyone wishing to learn it would have to exchange for it themselves. As for the ancient prototype, it had been sealed and prohibited from circulation by the Immortal Alliance a long time ago—the Immortal Alliance wouldn't contemplate spreading "Ancient Method" teachings to "Modern Cultivators." Thus, Wang Qi could only take matters into his own hands and fend for himself. After hearing the explanation, Zhen Chan carefully examined the cultivation technique that Wang Qi had just deduced from the intrinsic form. He marveled, "I truly don't understand how you derived it..." "The number of Circulations in the intrinsic form itself represents the path needed for circulating during cultivation, and then each factor has its own meaning," explained Wang Qi briefly. Zhen Chan sighed in admiration and continued to examine the technique tentatively named "Heavenly Stems Base." "Now that you mention it, I also feel like I've seen this 'Heavenly Cycle Skill' before... Where have I seen it?"` Wang Qi frowned, "You're not serious, are you? Do I really have to deduce an identical technique for it to count? There isn't just one cultivation technique associated with each intrinsic form!" Zhen Chan said, "Don't change the subject. This sense of familiarity is very strong... I should be able to remember..." Wang Qi crossed his arms and waited silently. Considering Zhen Chan's experience of being cooped up inside the ring for ten thousand years, Wang Qi suspected that the old fellow's sense of time was somewhat distorted, so he thought about whether to go and eat a bowl of noodles first. Fortunately, Zhen Chan didn't keep him waiting too long. Soon enough, the old man said, "Change the eighteenth line of the 'mental method' to 'in stillness, there is nothing unstill,' and change the twenty-second line 'solidify the spirit internally, show tranquility externally' to..." Under Zhen Chan's guidance, Wang Qi revised the Heavenly Cycle Skill once more. In his view, the difficulty level of the revised technique had gone from being elementary to that of middle or high school literature. He should be able to cultivate to the Golden Core Stage, right? After making the changes, Wang Qi asked, "Did you recall something?" Zhen Chan murmured to himself, "How can it be... Before, this is the Refining Sacrifice Technique for this ring!" "What?" Wang Qi was shocked. "While it's true that I changed the face of this technique, its core is still the Wanfa Sect's mathematics. Aren't these things tens of thousands of years old?" Zhen Chan said, "Over twenty thousand years ago, Luofu Xuanqing Palace was a mid-sized sect, and one of its outer disciples bought this ring from a loose cultivator..." "Over twenty thousand years ago, the Wanfa Sect lost an Immortal Artifact?" Wang Qi was skeptical. "If history is correct, over twenty thousand years ago, the Wanfa Sect was just getting started—how could they have refined an Immortal Artifact?" "I am not clear on that myself. But this Refining Sacrifice Method was discovered by the Luofu Xuanqing Palace over seven thousand years of effort. Due to the extraordinary restriction on it, my master even altered the 'Da Luo Chaos Heaven Scripture' based on these restrictions, and realized many new spells." "This..." Wang Qi couldn't immediately unravel the connection between the Wanfa Sect, the ring, and the Luofu Xuanqing Palace. After pondering, he finally decided to conduct a refining ritual to see what the actual origins of the ring were. Upon hearing Wang Qi's idea, Zhen Chan nodded, "That's right, it should be done this way. I'll organize the spells again." Wang Qi shook his head in refusal, "There's no need. This technique is essentially a degraded version of the 'Yao Ding Calculating Scripture,' and no matter how I deduce it, there won't be an essential difference. Binary and decimal systems aren't much different for me—I just need to adjust my mana." After saying this, Wang Qi sat down to refine the ring, which was of Immortal Artifact Level, without paying further attention to Zhen Chan. With Wang Qi's cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Stage, fully mastering an Immortal Artifact was nothing but wishful thinking. However, what he needed to do now was to leave his own Mana Power Intent in the core. Without an owner and with his own cultivation technique not conflicting with the artifact itself, leaving Qi Intent in the core wasn't very difficult. Wang Qi was surprised to find that the decimal mana converted by the "Yao Ding Calculating Scripture" entered the ring like a fish to water, facing no resistance whatsoever. He easily left his mark in the core. Zhen Chan had mixed feelings. His sect had pondered the ring for tens of thousands of years, and now it was on the brink of adoption by someone else, making him somewhat wistful. Soon after, Wang Qi opened his eyes and said, "I saw two ancient seal characters at the core of the ring, what's going on?" Zhen Chan explained, "Just as mortal craftsmen like to inscribe their names on their proudest works, those among the Immortal Dao have this custom. Those two ancient seal characters should be 'Illusion Cloud'... No, that's the true name of this ring, specifically left by its creator." Wang Qi wrote down the two characters, "I don't recognize them, take a look." Zhen Chan glanced at them, "'Mathematics'. Mathematics?" "What the fuck? Mathematics?" This... this isn't right! Isn't this a world steeped in scholarship? How could there be such an Immortal Artifact? Could it be that the essence of 'Brother Tiandao' in this world is actually the Ministry of Education? Could this be one of the legendary 'Three Great Divine Artifacts' of language, mathematics, and foreign languages? This isn't scientific! It doesn't conform to the Heavenly Dao! Zhen Chan, observing Wang Qi's disheveled state, confidently declared, "That's right, 'Mathematics'. It seems to be a rather important Immortal Artifact." Wang Qi exclaimed, "You heard of it?" Zhen Chan was shocked, "Aren't you planning on joining the Wanfa Sect? You should at least know a bit about the history of the Wanfa Sect! And even if you don't know the origin of this ring, you should be aware of the ancient mathematicians, right?" The Ancient Mathematicians, in the era of the Human Clan's rise to power, were one among the Hundred Schools of Thought. Established by the Primordial Heavenly Monarch, Bi Gezi, they believed that the Great Dao is numerical and numbers are the root of Heaven and Earth. Disciples of the Mathematicians called themselves 'Arithmeticians,' and their teachings were referred to as mathematics. "Hold on, so you're saying that 'Mathematics' is all the teachings of the Mathematicians?" "Yes." Wang Qi's lips twitched, "What the fuck... this thing..." This thing is akin to treasures brazen enough to be called "Confucianism" or "Mo School" in a world where every school of thought could cultivate—anyone with a bit of sense could tell how remarkable it was! "It could be a token of the leader of the Mathematicians, maybe even from the Primordial Heavenly Monarch Bi Gezi himself," Zhen Chan surmised. Wang Qi suddenly thought of a question, "The Wanfa Sect is a Mathematical Sect from the Near Ancient era that had acquired the Daoist Inheritance of the Mathematicians of the Middle Ages... They too claim descent from Bi Gezi and Ji Midu. If this is a token of the Mathematicians' leader—doesn't that make it equivalent to a token of the Sect Leader of the Wanfa Sect!"