“Could it be that your master was a member of the Divine Wood Sect back then?” Chen Tianhai seemed to have thought of something, his expression wavering with suspicion and surprise.
“The Mountain-Sitting Formula?” Hearing those words, Sun Erlang felt a slight stir in his heart, accompanied by an indistinct sense of familiarity.
“No, that's not right.” Before Sun Erlang could answer, Chen Tianhai shook his head and dismissed the thought himself.
“It's merely that the aura is somewhat similar.”
“Besides, it is said that the Mountain-Sitting Art was the technique cultivated by the divine tree of the Divine Wood Sect in those days, trading time for cultivation. For ordinary cultivators, practicing it is extraordinarily arduous and progress is exceedingly slow. You, young sir, are so young yet have already achieved the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul realm. It clearly doesn't fit.” Chen Tianhai gave a self-deprecating smile, looking at Sun Erlang with even deeper curiosity in his heart.
“This junior indeed does not cultivate any Mountain-Sitting Formula, but rather a profound technique imparted personally by my master. That I could cultivate so quickly is almost entirely thanks to this profound technique,” Sun Erlang said in a deep voice.
“Very well, then perhaps I truly was mistaken.” Chen Tianhai did not argue further, brushing the topic aside.
“Senior, was this Divine Wood Sect one of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao back then?” Although he had clarified the origin of his cultivation method, Sun Erlang was still somewhat curious about that Mountain-Sitting Art, so he asked directly.
Sun Erlang had noticed that this Taiyan Sect was quite different from the strictly hierarchical ancient immortal sects in his imagination.
There was virtually no distinction between superior and inferior here. Even toward a very young outsider like him, they warmly addressed him as “young sir.”
Though he did not know what gave rise to such an atmosphere, it was undeniably a good thing for him, so he simply followed their customs.
Chen Tianhai was equally forthcoming, answering everything he knew. After gesturing for Sun Erlang to sit, he said, “The Divine Wood Sect is even older than our Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao.”
“From the same era as the Divine Wood Sect were ancient immortal sects that perished long ago, such as the Desolate God Sect and the Reincarnation Sect.”
“Before the Immortal Path was severed, some of them had already completely vanished for various reasons.”
“The Divine Wood Sect was reportedly named after an otherworldly divine tree within the sect. This divine tree was said to have been bestowed by the Immortal Realm. After taking root in the Xuanhuang Realm, it displayed all kinds of incredible divine abilities. Yet precisely because of this divine tree, it incurred the displeasure of [Gen-Huan-Huan-Heng-Yuan], ultimately leading to its defeat and destruction. Fortune and misfortune are truly unpredictable.”
“The meaning of the five characters [Gen-Huan-Huan-Heng-Yuan] is: ‘Existing since antiquity, and destined to endure for eternity. Towering over the river of life, supporting the heavens like a wall.’ It is a native ancient tree that has coexisted with heaven and earth since the Xuanhuang Realm's inception, and it even held the authority over longevity.”
“As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain. The daily growth of this otherworldly divine tree inevitably posed a threat to it. Thus came the downfall of the Divine Wood Sect...”
Chen Tianhai recounted these ancient anecdotes with effortless ease.
Ever since embarking on the path of cultivation, Sun Erlang had known only cultivation and slaughter. This was the first time he had the fortune to learn such ancient secrets, and he listened with great fascination.
“These names, like Desolate God Sect and Divine Wood Sect, sound distinct from other sects just by their titles,” Sun Erlang remarked with a sigh.
Chen Tianhai gave a faint smile. “Naturally. These sects came into being at the very dawn of the Xuanhuang Realm, bound to the Immortal Realm by countless ties. While the Immortal Realm stood, their status was naturally unshakeable. But once the Immortal Realm suffered great upheaval and the Immortal Path was severed, their prosperity was bound to fade as well.”
Sun Erlang nodded repeatedly as he listened.
“Do you know the origin of our Taiyan Sect, young sir?” Chen Tianhai suddenly changed the subject and asked.
“This junior does not,” Sun Erlang answered truthfully.
“Our Taiyan Sect is the direct lineage of a True Immortal, having received the Nine Scrolls of Heavenly Deduction bestowed by Archmage Tiandu, capable of peering into all possible changes of the next thousand years,” Chen Tianhai said proudly.
“Unlike a second-rate sect like the Heavenly Mechanism Sect that puts on mystic airs and plays tricks, we do not rely on obscure, metaphysical aura sensations. Rather, by virtue of formidable deductive prowess, we conduct genuine rehearsals of the future.”
Sun Erlang immediately recalled the word “simulation” he had heard earlier from Yi Shu.
“Take a look, young sir!” With a wave of Chen Tianhai's hand, an azure sphere instantly appeared before Sun Erlang.
Sun Erlang looked closely. Within this blue sphere, countless overlapping images seemed to appear simultaneously.
All the scenes depicted him and Chen Tianhai conversing here.
However, Sun Erlang keenly noticed that his expressions and actions were not entirely identical across each scene.
There were even some where he suddenly struck out, only to be effortlessly slain by Chen Tianhai.
“These are all the possible futures we deduced after your arrival, young sir. Yet during this time I have spent interacting with you, I have gained a clearer understanding of your temperament and strength. Therefore, some of these futures lost their relevance before the deduction could even reach its conclusion.”
As Chen Tianhai spoke, roughly four-fifths of the scenes in the blue sphere abruptly dimmed.
The remaining scenes showed events identical to what Sun Erlang was currently experiencing.
Sun Erlang looked at this, feeling as though he understood something.
Yet upon deeper reflection, he suddenly felt foggy and unable to penetrate the mystery.
Chen Tianhai continued, “Even as we speak, based on the topics we discuss, the deduced outcomes that match the unfolding future become fewer and fewer.”
“Ultimately, once you depart, young sir, our deduction regarding this matter will conclude and merge with reality.”
“And a new deduction will begin anew.”
The blue sphere dimmed completely.
After a brief silence, it burst into a dazzling blue light once more.
The sphere vanished, transforming into blue mist that drifted before Sun Erlang.
What the blue mist demonstrated was the countless future possibilities of the entire Xuanhuang Realm.
“Deducing the Xuanhuang Realm is fundamentally the same as deducing this trivial matter of meeting with you. As long as sufficient information is grasped and deviations in the deduced results are corrected in a timely manner, we can simulate a future Xuanhuang Realm.”
“And thus, we can see much farther along the river of time than outsiders can.”
With a wave of Chen Tianhai's hand, the blue mist displaying all sorts of future scenes instantly retracted into his body.
The Chen Tianhai who had looked distinguished and extraordinary suddenly turned into a phantasmal being composed entirely of blue crystal.
The sight left Sun Erlang slightly stunned.
“For over a thousand years, our Taiyan Sect's deductions of the Xuanhuang Realm's future trajectory have had no major deviations.”
“Yet now...”
Chen Tianhai stared straight at Sun Erlang.
“It is just like a mysterious figure suddenly appearing out of thin air in this very room where you and I meet, slaying you, and then fleeing far away.”
“Something entirely beyond common reason, something that could never happen under normal circumstances...”
“We call this: ‘Beyond the Variables.’”
The blue glow on Chen Tianhai gradually subsided, and he returned to his original, normal appearance.
Chapter 1194