Chapter 178: Suspicion

Zheng Fa slowly walked to the place where Zhang Shijie was trapped.

By the time he reached three zhang away, Zhang Shijie had just opened her eyes.

The two said not a word, as if attending a silent appointment.

Zheng Fa opened the "Topology" in his hand and continued from where he had left off the previous day.

Sometimes, Zhang Shijie would interrupt him to ask questions she did not understand.

Some questions arose because her knowledge was not yet complete, making certain things hard to grasp; Zheng Fa answered those easily.

Some were matters Zheng Fa himself had not yet thought through clearly; at such times, he would be stumped by her questions.

Frowning, he began to ponder deeply.

Zhang Shijie did not urge him; she simply watched him quietly from the side, a strange smile playing on her lips.

Sometimes, when Zheng Fa truly could not answer her questions, there was a hint of smug triumph in her smile.

……

Both were cultivators; their thinking speed had long surpassed that of ordinary people.

In ten days, they had gone through the "Topology"—though only superficially, at least Zhang Shijie now had a framework.

"Zhang Shijie, has this discipline been of help to you?"

Zheng Fa asked expectantly.

"Yes."

"Really?"

Zheng Fa exclaimed with joy.

"Zhang Shijie, have you gained some insight?"

"Not exactly."

"…Then it wasn't much help?" Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Because of this book, you come here at this time every day." Zhang Shijie pointed to the "Topology" in Zheng Fa's hand and said, "At this time each day, my mood improves greatly."

"…"

Well, that could count as help.

But not the kind of help Zheng Fa wanted.

Seeming to notice his slightly disappointed expression, Zhang Shijie smiled: "The discipline you taught me is profound and vast; I have only just entered its path. I am still not yet capable of combining it with the talisman diagrams."

Zheng Fa slowly exhaled a breath.

He had been too impatient.

If mastering the "Topology" could lead to fully understanding the talisman diagrams, Bai Lao would have done so long ago.

Compared to Bai Lao, Zhang Shijie had greater accumulation in the Dao of Talismans, but far less in mathematics.

It was hard to say which of the two was superior.

"Do not be disappointed; this discipline of yours holds great potential. At the very least, it has shown me a path to re-examine the talisman diagrams." Zhang Shijie comforted him: "As I said, I still have nine hundred years; that is enough time for me to gain insight."

Zheng Fa nodded.

That was true.

……

Zheng Fa slowly entered the Five Dragon Tiangong, his brows slightly furrowed.

Passing the "Topology" to Zhang Shijie had been his last resort.

To be honest, it carried a hint of treating a dead horse as if it were alive.

But looking at the situation now, one could not say it was useless; one could only say it might not help Zhang Shijie in the short term.

He believed in Zhang Shijie's talent for mathematics; nine hundred years would be enough for her to master this discipline and even bring it to prominence.

But…

The matter of the Heavenly Stele emerging always made him uneasy.

On the other hand, Zhang Shijie's earlier warning had also made Zheng Fa somewhat alert:

Without understanding the Yin-Yang Talisman Diagram, the Yang Yuanfu Dao Foundation would be incomplete.

According to Zhang Shijie's explanation, even if she condensed a Nascent Soul, she would still pay a price because of this.

Therefore, Zheng Fa had an urgent need to perfect the "Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method" before he himself reached Foundation Establishment.

This matter was extremely important for both him and Zhang Shijie.

"Zheng Fa, come here for a moment."

As soon as he entered the Five Dragon Tiangong, he heard Uncle Pang's voice sound beside his ear. Zheng Fa's expression froze, and he walked toward the main hall where Uncle Pang was.

"Did you go to see Zhang Shijie again today?" The moment he saw Zheng Fa, Uncle Pang asked.

"Yes."

Uncle Pang looked at Zheng Fa, his face showing a reluctance to speak further.

"Uncle Pang?"

"Zheng Fa, sit first." Uncle Pang fell silent for a while, then spoke with a tone of admonition: "Zhang Shijie's current situation is stable for now; you should focus your mind on yourself."

"Uncle Pang?"

"You and Zhang Shijie, though not formally Dao Partners, are better than Dao Partners." Uncle Pang suddenly said: "We cultivators speak of Wealth, Partner, Dharma, and Land, but you must understand that your own self comes first."

"Yes."

Zheng Fa did not understand why Uncle Pang suddenly said this, but he still answered in a low voice.

"…The two most outstanding juniors in Jiushan Sect are Zhang Shijie and you." Uncle Pang, as if seeing his confusion, said directly: "Now that Zhang Shijie has encountered trouble, I do not wish for you to be affected again."

Zheng Fa froze.

This remark... actually seems to imply abandoning Shijie Zhang.

"I will certainly save my Shizhi Zhang," Shushu Pang said softly, "but if it affects your Dao path, I will not agree."

"..."

Zheng Fa did not know what to say.

"Do you know who the most famous Dao couple of the previous generation in our Jiushan Sect was?"

"I do not know."

"Your Shushu Huang and her husband."

"Husband?"

Zheng Fa could not help but be stunned; Shushu Huang now sits in meditation on the Seventh Peak of Jiushan, almost never descending the mountain, and no one has heard of her having a husband.

"Her husband was the True Disciple I considered the most talented of the previous generation in Jiushan Sect," Shushu Pang sighed, "and also my dearest friend."

"Your Shushu Huang's temper before was ten times more explosive than Shizhi Zhang's; she acted impulsively. Later, she encountered an accident. As her husband, my friend naturally sacrificed himself to save her."

"..."

"You can guess what happened next: your Shushu Huang was saved, but he died." Zheng Fa suddenly saw some anger on Shushu Pang's face: "If not for this, our Jiushan Sect would probably have gained another Soul Transformation!"

Zheng Fa finally understood why Shushu Pang's attitude toward Shizhi Zhang was still quite good, but toward Shushu Huang he had always referred to her only as "the one surnamed Huang."

"Later, the one surnamed Huang returned and said he wanted revenge, creating some sort of Xuanguan Jian..." Shushu Pang sighed lightly, "Now Shizhi Zhang is trapped in that Xuanguan Jian. Is that really a Xuanguan Jian? That is a warning from past failures..."

"Moreover, you have not yet reached Foundation Establishment; what help can you actually offer Shizhi Zhang?"

Zheng Fa understood in his heart that Shushu Pang's advice was not without reason.

What he could do had already been done.

The rest can only rely on Shizhi Zhang herself.

Inside Zheng Fa's room, he immersed himself in cultivation.

Although he lectured Shizhi Zhang every day, he indeed had not neglected his own cultivation.

On the contrary, he was even more diligent than before.

Shizhi Zhang's Xuanguan Jian can only be broken from the inside, but since it is located within Lei Chi, if Lei Chi undergoes a change, the Nascent Souls of the Great Zizaimo Sect will be able to act—

At that time, Jiushan Sect and the Great Zizaimo Mo Sect will inevitably fight.

His current cultivation is not quite sufficient.

As the night deepened, a vortex of spiritual energy suddenly appeared in the room where Zheng Fa was located.

This spiritual energy vortex was larger than before, even affecting many disciples cultivating within the Five Dragons Tiangong.

Shushu Pang in the main hall and several of his disciples also sensed it.

They all turned their gaze toward the direction of Zheng Fa's room.

"Is that Shidi Zheng?" a disciple exclaimed with surprise, "Has he advanced to the peak of Qi Refining? How long has it been?"

Another, older disciple nearby was also not without astonishment: "I have never seen anyone like Shidi Zheng, who cultivates faster and faster... truly his talent is astonishing."

"Talent is astonishing..." Shushu Pang's eyes looked somewhat distant, as if remembering someone: "Only in this way does he resemble that person more."

"Shizun?"

"You have advanced to the peak of Qi Refining?" When he arrived again where Shizhi Zhang was, she immediately saw Zheng Fa's realm, and her eyes held some joy: "This speed is an hour faster than mine."

Zheng Fa shook his head.

If modern time is counted, Shizhi Zhang is still faster.

"Regarding the matter of Foundation Establishment, you must think carefully," Shizhi Zhang instructed again, "If you feel the 'Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method' is imperfect, you can buy a Yuan Dan to dissolve the Talisman Dao foundation within your body. Although your cultivation will decrease slightly, the spiritual power in your body is already sufficient—you can then follow the orthodox Foundation Establishment path very quickly."

It was clear that Shizhi Zhang had thought this through for him.

According to Shizhi Zhang's thinking, this Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method is merely a cultivation accelerator; once used, it is simply discarded.

Zheng Fa nodded lightly; this was indeed a method.

Although he had already finished explaining "Topology" to Shizhi Zhang, Zheng Fa's visit to her now was not without gain; on the contrary, whether in the Talisman Dao or in mathematics, Shizhi Zhang could offer him considerable inspiration.

"I have thought carefully these past two days and feel that the learning you transmitted to me is extremely rigorous; it is deduced from a few so-called axioms. Except for those few axioms which cannot be proven, all other theories have their origins."

Hearing this, Zheng Fa also agreed; this is also a characteristic of modern mathematics.

"This thought actually comes from a great sage; he was the first to propose those few axioms."

Zheng Fa began to explain to Shijie the five axioms in Euclid's Elements, then spoke of the doubts regarding the parallel postulate and how they eventually led to the emergence of non-Euclidean geometry.

"Axioms can also be doubted?" A look of admiration flashed in Shizhi Zhang's eyes: "This truly shows great wisdom."

"Of course they must be doubted; indeed, doubt is the greatest reason this field of learning can progress." Zheng Fa's words carried some of his own small understanding of science: "Doubt..."

He paused.

Doubt...

He had previously accepted Shizhi Zhang's viewpoint without doubt: what condenses in the Yuan Yuan Dan Dao foundation is the Talisman Diagram.

Could this be the parallel postulate that can be doubted?

In the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method, Yin and Yang Talisman Diagrams generate each other.

But in the void of the Xuanwei Realm, those Talisman Diagrams do not display this property.

This is almost equivalent to experimental results not quite matching the theory.

Then, are these two types of Talisman Diagrams truly the same?

"Not Talisman Diagrams? But what we condense is Talisman Diagrams."

"Yes, but if we set aside this premise." A look of excitement glowed in Zheng Fa's eyes: "What can be deduced solely from the premise that Yin and Yang mutually generate because they are mirror images?"

Shizhi Zhang frowned, still not understanding.

"Only the Five Elements sub-characters can satisfy the property of mirroring," Zheng Fa declared loudly. "The other two types of sub-characters, though they influence the characteristics of the talisman diagram, do not concern its essence!"

Sister Zhang's eyes lit up.

She understood Zheng Fa's meaning.

"Are you saying that the Five Elements sub-characters are the essence of spiritual talismans?"

"No, my meaning is that the Five Elements are the inherent nature of spiritual energy," Zheng Fa voiced his conjecture. "Regardless of what cultivation method we use, we ultimately absorb spiritual energy—yet there is a gap between spiritual energy and spiritual talismans."

"Spiritual energy also possesses the Five Elements, yet it lacks those two categories of sub-characters!"

"The Dao Foundation we condense within our bodies may lean more toward spiritual energy than toward spiritual talismans!"

"Perceiving the false, discarding the deceitful to preserve the true—only then does one attain the Great Dao..." After a long silence, Sister Zhang finally sighed, "Today, you have achieved it."