Chapter 520: Impossible to Calculate

Foundation Establishment!

Mo Hua's eyes sparkled.

He had waited for this day for so long!

Thinking he was about to achieve Foundation Establishment, Mo Hua couldn't help but smile with half-closed eyes, his small face sweet and innocent, like a cat lazily basking in the sun.

Bai Zi Xi watched, his gaze gentle, a faint smile touching his lips.

Bai Zisheng snorted.

"Pathetic—it's just Foundation Establishment, and you're this excited…"

"You're my junior; your ambitions should be longer. At the very least, aim for Jin Dan—or even Liu Yuhua…"

Mo Hua ignored him.

Right now, he was in a good mood, so he wouldn't argue with his senior brother.

Mr. Zhuang glanced at Mo Hua with a gentle smile, then, as if remembering something, added slowly:

"Don't get too happy yet—your Foundation Establishment is different from ordinary cultivators; it won't be easy…"

Mo Hua froze, whispering:

"Is it because of the bottleneck in my spiritual sense?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly.

Mo Hua frowned, carefully calculating.

According to Mr. Zhuang's earlier words, his cultivation path was to first raise his spiritual sense to mid-Foundation Establishment, around fourteen lines.

Then, using the rule that cultivation breakthroughs double spiritual sense, he would leap one major stage and instantly boost his spiritual sense to late-Foundation Establishment.

Whether it would be seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen lines—no one could say.

But even seventeen lines would be absurd.

At early-Foundation Establishment, he'd have the spiritual sense of late-Foundation Establishment.

That meant, in the art of arrays, Mo Hua, upon entering second-rank, would already possess enough spiritual sense to learn high-level second-rank arrays!

And Mo Hua's entire skillset relied on spiritual sense.

Strong spiritual sense would benefit not just arrays, but also movement techniques and spells.

But this was only Mo Hua's hypothesis.

Whether it was truly possible remained uncertain.

As Mr. Zhuang said, cultivators who path their way through spiritual sense were rare; there were too few precedents to reference, so no one knew what changes might lie ahead on this path.

Moreover, the bottleneck from thirteen to fourteen lines was far harder than Mo Hua had imagined.

Thirteen to fourteen lines seemed like only one line's difference.

But it was the bottleneck between early-Foundation Establishment and mid-Foundation Establishment.

And Mo Hua was still at Qi Refining.

Every day now, he still practiced arrays relentlessly, his spiritual sense slowly growing—but no matter what, it remained stuck at the peak of thirteen lines.

Between thirteen and fourteen lines, it felt like an impassable abyss.

No matter how much his spiritual sense increased, it seemed like trying to fill a well with a cup of water.

He simply could not break through the bottleneck to reach fourteen lines.

How long would he have to draw before reaching fourteen lines? Even if he learned the ultimate thirteen-line array, this pace would be excruciatingly slow…

Mo Hua sighed.

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua, smiled gently, and said calmly:

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

"Do not grow anxious because the road ahead is rough and long."

"As long as this is the path you choose, do not hesitate—your only task is to focus entirely and take one step after another…"

"Many things, you'll understand only as you walk."

"Many opportunities and turning points can only be found along the way."

Mo Hua's eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded.

Mr. Zhuang glanced again at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi, and said softly:

"The Bai family's situation is complicated; I cannot say more—but these words apply to you both as well."

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi both bowed and said: "Yes, Master."

Bai Zi Xi looked thoughtful; Bai Zisheng still seemed confused.

…

In the days that followed, Mo Hua resumed drawing arrays.

Boring, mechanical, repetitive.

It seemed dull.

But each time he drew, the array lines grew more familiar, his understanding deeper.

Opportunities come as they will; do not force them.

But practicing arrays—he could control that.

Mo Hua gradually settled his mind.

Day and night, Mo Hua had drawn like this before.

In the long years ahead, Mo Hua would keep drawing like this…

He remembered Mr. Zhuang's words.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

All you need is to focus your heart, step by step, draw again and again…

…

After Mo Hua left, Nanyue City gradually grew quiet.

The Dao Court's various cultivators ordered to suppress the corpse mine also slowly dispersed.

Only the emaciated elder, the middle-aged cultivator, Young Master Yun, and a group of others remained gathered together.

Their original goal was never the corpse mine.

The emaciated elder sighed:

"Now we can be certain—it was not we who calculated the whereabouts of that man, but that man deliberately leaked the karmic traces to draw us here."

"Saying 'draw' is actually more like 'summoning' us…"

One cultivator frowned: "Do you take us for spirit pets, to be summoned at will?"

"It's the truth."

"What truth? I think it's nonsense."

"The key is, he summoned us—and made us do free labor…"

"What do you mean free labor? The Corpse King, the Dao Corruption—these are immense karmic burdens. If left unresolved, how great would the calamity be?"

"True, in my view, this is a good thing…"

"That may be so, but are you really content to be toyed with?"

"What else can you do?"

…

The hall grew noisy for a moment.

The white-haired elder, of high virtue and great prestige, gestured for silence, then spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Regardless, that man drew us here to suppress the corpse mine, resolve the Dao Corruption chaos, and prevent the slaughter of life across Heishan Prefecture—this is in accord with Heaven and the Dao, and he performed a virtuous deed."

"All of you have contributed to this battle."

"As for that man, even if he is arrogant and looks down upon all beings, he still retains a sense of Daoic righteousness."

Among the crowd, some agreed, while others sneered.

Young Master Yun, however, nodded seriously.

The white-haired elder added: "The question now is—where has that man gone?"

The others exchanged glances, frowning in thought.

One asked: "Were there any traces of that man in Nanyue City?"

"No… at least, I found none."

"We found no clues either…"

"Not a single trace…"

"It seems no cultivator in Nanyue City saw his face or knew his whereabouts…"

"So did he even come here at all?"

"It seems he didn't."

"If he never came, how did he know about the corpse mine?"

"Do you think only by coming here himself, seeing with his own eyes, could he learn these things? You underestimate him too much…"

Many cultivators nodded silently.

One cultivator said: "I only wonder—was all of this within that man's calculations?"

"Including the Corpse King's corruption, the battle to suppress the corpse mine, Lu Chengyun's conspiracy, and even that young array master who made the Corpse King submit—were all his actions foreseen by that man?"

"If true, that's terrifying…"

"If so, we'll never see his face in our lifetimes."

"Be grateful—the Tian Shu Pavilion has hunted for him for centuries and found no trace. We're gathered here now, experiencing this, already the closest we've ever been to him."

"His scheming is too deep…"

"Indeed…"

"By the way, that young array master is no ordinary talent."

"Indeed…"

"Such a powerful young array master—where could he possibly come from?"

The crowd murmured in amazement.

"Speaking of young array masters…" one frowned in thought, "…isn't there also a young array master in Tongxian City? They say that young array master set a great array and slew the great demon Feng Xi…"

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

One said solemnly: "You'd rather believe that nonsense than believe I'm the reincarnation of the Dao Sovereign?"

"Reincarnate your mother's world—you're not even worthy!"

"How dare you curse me?"

"So what? You think a great array is some child's play?"

"Indeed, a great array is no trivial matter."

One cultivator frowned: "But… I heard a Tian Shu Pavilion elder say that in the Second-Rank Heishan Prefecture, Tongxian City, a great demon did indeed emerge, and someone did set a great array to suppress and kill it…"

"Of course—because that man's karmic traces appeared in Tongxian City. So it's not that a young array master set a great array to slay the great demon—it's that that man was behind it…"

He suddenly fell silent mid-sentence.

Everyone present realized something was wrong. After a moment of thought, their faces all paled.

Tongxian City… that man was behind it…

The events in Nanyue City were also stirred up behind the scenes by that person…

Xiancheng has a young array master; Nanyue City has a young array master too…

A startling suspicion arose in everyone's minds:

Could this young array master be… that young array master?

If that's the case, then the person behind this young array master is… the one we're looking for?!

What is their relationship?

A middle-aged cultivator swallowed hard and said hoarsely:

"Is this young array master saying… he has a master?"

Everyone's hearts leapt suddenly.

Master?!

Is this young array master the disciple of that person?!

What do you mean there are no leads?

What do you mean there is no trace?

The disciple of that person appeared openly, boldly, right before our eyes—helping us suppress the Corpse King, quell the corpse plague, and even conversed and shared meals with us.

Before we departed, didn't we even bid him farewell??

The cultivators present could hardly accept it.

After a moment, someone said:

"Could it be… that Mr. Zhuang has been in the city all along?"

"You must call him 'that person,' not Mr. Zhuang—otherwise he'll know."

"You think he won't know if you call him that?"

Everyone fell silent, then sighed together.

Forget it—call him Mr. Zhuang.

When we call him 'that person,' it's like covering our ears while stealing a bell—we're only fooling ourselves…

"Do you think… when that young master left Nanyue City in the carriage pulled by that giant white horse, Mr. Zhuang… was inside the carriage…?"

It was fine not to say it.

But now that it's said, everyone's hearts filled with bitterness and regret.

The person we were searching for was right before our eyes—riding away in a carriage.

And we, clueless, went to see him off.

One cultivator refused to believe: "Impossible. It can't be that coincidental."

But the emaciated elder shook his head. "Only Mr. Zhuang could have trained a disciple capable of drawing a Rank-One Supreme Array at the Qi Condensation stage."

Young Master Yun's expression also showed a touch of awe.

"Moreover," the emaciated elder continued, "this young master has a pair of senior siblings—both surnamed Bai."

"These two young cultivators possess astonishing talent, yet remain utterly inscrutable."

"The girl has a chilling aura—unassuming, yet far from ordinary. As for the young boy…"

The emaciated elder's gaze revealed deep wariness. "He wields the Dragon Return Spear Technique!"

"The Dragon Dao art—of the Bai family. I need not elaborate; all of you understand what this implies…"

Everyone's hearts grew cold with dread.

The Bai family of Qianzhou—truly a colossal force…

"But what connection does the Bai family have with that person?" asked a cultivator.

The emaciated elder sighed. "The Bai family does have some ties to Mr. Zhuang—but don't ask about it. The Bai family is not something we can afford to provoke."

"So then, this young master truly is Mr. Zhuang's disciple?"

The emaciated elder looked stunned, almost disbelieving, and sighed:

"It must be…"

The atmosphere grew even more silent.

They had a mission—to find Mr. Zhuang and uncover the secrets hidden within him.

But after everything they'd endured in the Corpse Mine, they sincerely did not wish to become enemies with this young master.

Suddenly someone asked:

"Just what is this young master's origin? Where is he from? Does he have a family or sect? Why was he taken in as a disciple by Mr. Zhuang? If I recall correctly, Mr. Zhuang hasn't taken a disciple in a long time…"

Everyone frowned.

"This young master…"

One person began, then suddenly froze. "Wait… what's this young master's name?"

"Are you stupid? This young master's surname is…"

Another person also suddenly fell silent.

What was his surname again?

"Bai?"

"That's his senior siblings' surname."

"Strange—I remember his siblings' names, but why can't I recall his?"

"I can't remember his name, or even his face…"

Someone suddenly froze. "What did this young master even do?"

This question left everyone utterly baffled.

In their Sea of Consciousness, a scene surfaced:

Beneath a sky of blood-red color, a horde of corpses danced wildly, the Corpse King confronting this young Mr.

They still remembered that moment—the palpitations, the shock, the disbelief—but what exactly this young Mr. had done, and what happened afterward, everything had become blurred.

The white-haired elder pondered for a moment, then sighed:

"Mr. Zhuang laid down a fog within the web of cause and effect; our divine sense is insufficient, we cannot peer through it…"

The crowd turned pale with shock at his words.

"There is such a method?"

"Doesn't that mean, not a single clue remains?"

"Senior, is there any way?"

The white-haired elder frowned in thought, then said slowly, "Heavenly secrets and derivation-computation might work—peering through a tube to glimpse a leopard, catching a glimpse of one spot…"

"Then Senior, could you perhaps…"

The white-haired elder shook his head, saying helplessly:

"I'm old, my divine sense has declined, I can't compute anymore…"

The crowd exchanged glances.

Someone looked toward the gaunt elder. "Senior Wen, how about you compute it?"

The gaunt elder was taken aback. "Me compute?"

That person nodded and said, "Among everyone here right now, you're the one skilled in derivation-computation."

"But…" The gaunt elder's face showed difficulty.

That person continued, "You still have the Three Talents Yi-Number Copper Coins to aid you. You may not be able to compute Mr. Zhuang, but computing his little disciple should be no problem, right?"

Others chimed in one after another: "Senior Wen, we trouble you."

The gaunt elder's heart was bitter.

The rafter that sticks out rots first.

How did this rotten task end up falling on his own head?

The gaunt elder wanted to refuse, but so many cultivators present were all people of standing, with families and sects behind them—rebuffing their wishes might earn him the grudge of petty minds.

"Fine then, compute if compute it must."

Besides, he himself also wanted to know—what was the background of this young Mr.?

To actually have been taken as a disciple by the impossibly proud Mr. Zhuang.

And to have had Mr. Zhuang lay down a fog to conceal his karmic ties.

The gaunt elder pinched out the copper coins, his divine sense poured forth, words of incantation spilling from his lips, the copper coins flipped in disorder, and finally settled.

The gaunt elder pinched the copper coins, placed them against his forehead, and closed his eyes to sense.

But within the vision of his divine sense, there was only fog.

After a long while, he still knew nothing at all.

The gaunt elder opened his eyes, sighed, and said helplessly, "The heavenly secrets have indeed been concealed—a fog, nothing can be computed. It is truly Mr. Zhuang's handiwork…"

The crowd was somewhat disappointed at his words.

On this young Mr. might be hidden the clues to Mr. Zhuang.

And very critical ones at that.

But if it can't be computed, then there's nothing to be done.

The middle-aged cultivator, however, frowned. "Not being able to compute Mr. Zhuang is one thing, but how is it that even his disciple can't be made out at all…"

"Senior Wen, how about you change direction and try computing again?"

"Right, don't compute him—compute his parents, relatives, and the people around him, or compute his past, where he lives, where he's been."

"Just a single trace will do."

The gaunt elder cursed them bloody in his heart.

All this rotten work, dumped on him alone.

He wasn't without temper either.

The gaunt elder spoke up: "This old man's abilities are limited. If you want me to keep computing, you'll have to lend me your Zhou Tian computing artifacts."

At these words, some people began to hesitate.

Spiritual artifacts imbued with the principles of Zhou Tian, capable of aiding derivation-computation, were all fine items—ones not lightly lent to others.

The gaunt elder, seeing their expressions, sneered inwardly.

It's easy to ask others for help, yet they themselves can't bear to pay the price.

Just then, the white-haired elder spoke up:

"I am willing to lend my Guankan Meditation Cushion to Brother Wen…"

The gaunt elder was taken aback.

The white-haired elder then said to the others, "Mr. Zhuang carries a great secret, one of grave importance. I trust none of you would be so stingy over a mere external object as to lose the greater for the lesser."

The crowd fell silent. After a moment of thought, they made up their minds, and one after another, people said:

"I have a second-grade Heavenly Secrets Disk…"

"I have a stick of Spirit-Nurturing Incense…"

"This wooden hairpin of mine is a Withered-Wood Hairpin—it can quicken mental computation…"

……

Soon, a pile of spiritual artifacts had accumulated before the gaunt elder.

The gaunt elder looked at these spiritual artifacts, somewhat surprised, and then a little stirred.

These are all top-grade spiritual artifacts used by the algorithm.

Moreover, many are secret artifacts passed down by noble families or sects, never lightly given to outsiders.

The emaciated old man immediately became elated.

In his entire life, he had never performed such a "wealthy" Heavenly Mechanism calculation.

With these calculating devices augmenting him, he might truly hold his own against Mr. Zhuang.

Part the mist laid by Mr. Zhuang, glimpse that one hidden thread of Heavenly Mechanism.

The emaciated old man's spirit surged.

Then he rested briefly, waiting for his spiritual sense to replenish, before solemnly burning Spirit-Nourishing Incense, donning the withered wood hairpin, sitting upon the Contemplation Mat, and placing the Three Talents Yi Number bronze coins upon the Heavenly Mechanism Disc…

With so many spiritual artifacts augmenting him, his spiritual sense was extraordinarily full, his thoughts crystal clear, his eyes glowing as if he could see through the past and foretell the future.

The emaciated old man sat upright, beginning the calculation.

Although he was now "fully armed," he did not grow careless.

He was not greedy; he calculated only a tiny bit at a time, hoping to glimpse the past of the little array master shrouded in mist, observe fleeting moments, seek traces, and peer into the web of cause and effect.

Even the most profound mist laid by Mr. Zhuang must have blind spots.

The emaciated old man sat patiently, carefully calculating.

After an unknown length of time, he finally parted one layer of mist from a sea of confusion and unknown!

The emaciated old man rejoiced—he was about to look closer when his heart suddenly lurched violently, a warning alarm flared.

As if something dreadfully terrifying lay beneath the mist.

Merely touching it made his heart race and his skin crawl, sweat pouring down.

Even within the mist, there lingered a faint, foul, bloody, icy aura.

This aura, though subtle, exuded a chilling deathly energy that sent shivers down the spine.

Like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.

The emaciated old man instantly realized:

What am I doing?

Who gave me the audacity to peer into Mr. Zhuang's mist?

Am I worthy?

What level of ability do I possess?

What realm is Mr. Zhuang?

The emaciated old man's hands trembled, his heart quaked.

"Damn close!"

"Almost fooled by these spiritual artifacts, inflated my confidence, overestimated myself, lost my bearings."

One must know one's place; calculation must know its place.

Use your ability to calculate only the cause and effect within your capacity.

If you cannot calculate it, it means your ability has not reached that level.

If your ability is insufficient and you force the calculation, you will invite karmic backlash beyond your power—even death and the dissolution of your Dao would be no surprise.

The emaciated old man exhaled slowly and deeply.

Yet his heart still pounded wildly, as if still shaken by the warning alarm.

The emaciated old man was filled with dread, yet also a sense of relief after narrowly escaping disaster.

Fortunately, he had self-awareness—he knew he was weak, or else he might have wrought a great calamity.

Other cultivators, seeing the emaciated old man's face lit with sudden enlightenment, stepped forward to ask:

"Senior Wen, how did it go?"

"Did you calculate it?"

I calculated your mother's damn head!

The emaciated old man cursed inwardly.

Calculated nothing—almost lost my old life.

But he could not say this aloud—it would offend everyone's face and damage his own.

The emaciated old man sighed, "Mr. Zhuang truly possesses astonishing talent; his methods are beyond my comprehension…"

Everyone sighed in disappointment.

The trail had gone cold again.

Some questioned, "With so many calculating devices augmenting you, it's impossible you couldn't calculate it. Senior Wen, are you trying to monopolize this secret?"

The emaciated old man stared coldly at him. "Shall I give you all the calculating devices? You try it."

The man fell silent at once.

He could only talk big—he truly knew nothing if he actually tried.

The emaciated old man returned the calculating devices, clasped his fists, and said:

"This old man's ability is insufficient; I have failed your kind expectations."

The white-haired old man, aware of the difficulty and danger of this matter, sympathized deeply:

"You've worked hard, Brother Wen."

The other cultivators, seeing this, also felt regretful and said:

"Thank you, Senior Wen."

"Senior Wen, you've worked hard."

…

They were only trying it out with the attitude of "just in case," and if they couldn't calculate it, that was within expectations — after all, when it came to divining the secrets of Heaven, there were very few cultivators in this world more proficient than Mr. Zhuang.

This matter could only be deliberated further at length.

Everyone went back to rest on their own.

The wizened old man also put away his Three Talents Yi Number copper coins.

Only when he picked up the copper coins did he discover that the edge of one coin had actually... developed a hairline crack.

Sun Yi Leng, the wizened old man, calmed his mind and thought it over.

Then his entire being was swallowed by a tremendous terror.

Only then did he realize it was not that he had self-awareness.

Rather, the copper coin, at the critical moment, had blocked a deadly peril and saved his life!

That was why he had felt a premonition of danger!

That was why he had felt the urge to retreat, and only thus escaped a catastrophe!

He had truly been reborn from the jaws of death!

The wizened old man's limbs went weak; he slumped into the chair. The chest that had just settled down immediately began pounding with fright again, and his back was soaked in cold sweat.

Terror still lingered in his eyes.

Beneath the fog, what on earth was there?

How terrifying exactly was this young Mr.'s karmic entanglement?

He had only glimpsed a corner of it — no, he hadn't even had time to glimpse it — and yet had nearly perished, body and Dao both gone?!

What exactly was dwelling within his fate...

Thank you to chanso for the tip~

I had originally wanted to break the chapter here and save some for tomorrow's update, but after thinking it over, I still couldn't bring myself to do it...

(End of this chapter)