Sun Erlang truly had not expected Senior Chen of the Taiyan Sect to spend so much time emphasizing the wondrous power of the Dao Transformation Stone, only to ultimately bestow upon him this very stone, which had drifted outside Yi Xing's tomb for several thousand years.
"Thank you, Senior!" Sun Erlang was no fool. Fearing the man might go back on his word, he accepted the treasure at once.
After examining it fondly in his hand for a good while, the pleasant surprise on Sun Erlang's face gradually turned into an awkward look.
"Senior, this Dao Transformation Stone... why does it seem useless?"
Chen Tianhai replied, "If you wish to experience the marvels of the Dao Transformation Stone, it must be paired with our sect's secret technique: Spirit Unity with Dao Transformation!"
Sun Erlang immediately grew wary. "Senior, I already have a master and an inheritance. I cannot join your Taiyan Sect..."
Chen Tianhai chuckled dismissively. "Young sir worries too much. Having already given you the Dao Transformation Stone, why would I begrudge you a mere secret technique?"
With a flick of Chen Tianhai's finger across the air, Sun Erlang was bathed in ethereal blue light, and information regarding Spirit Unity with Dao Transformation instantly flooded his mind.
Circulating the secret art, Sun Erlang watched the blue gemstone in his hand transform into streams of flowing light before being absorbed into his body.
Within his sea of consciousness, a brilliant crystal of identical shape slowly took form.
Suddenly, Sun Erlang felt as though the entire world had brightened.
In a single instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind at once. His thoughts surged like a storm, and memories of everything he had experienced from childhood to the present—even things he had long forgotten—all resurfaced.
As for the doubt previously lingering in his heart—why this Senior Chen of the Taiyan Sect regarded him with such special favor—Sun Erlang, who previously only had vague guesses, now deduced several possibilities in his mind.
A gesture of goodwill toward the master and the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty; a special constitution of his own that could benefit the Taiyan Sect;
or perhaps a means of control through the Dao Transformation Stone, making this part of a conspiracy...
Numerous possibilities were laid out one after another.
At the same time, based on information gathered from the outside world, he continuously refined his deductions.
"Is this... Spirit Unity with Dao Transformation?"
After a long while, Sun Erlang recovered from his sheer astonishment and could not help but exclaim in wonder.
He could not stop himself from looking at the Dao Transformation Mother Stone before him.
If a mere shard possessed such staggering deductive power, then just what terrifying realm had this Mother Stone reached?
"Senior, did you grant me this Dao Transformation Stone because of the 'simulation' you mentioned earlier?"
Gazing at the Dao Transformation Mother Stone, Sun Erlang was struck by a sudden flash of insight and asked.
Chen Tianhai gave an enigmatic nod. "Aside from the future of the Xuanhuang Realm, the Dao Transformation Mother Stone contains many other fictional worlds.
"This is done both to make full use of the Mother Stone's power and to better calibrate established reality.
"You may think of them as a form of drill."
Sun Erlang nodded thoughtfully.
The moment he fully assimilated the Dao Transformation Stone, scenes had involuntarily surfaced in his mind—scenes of returning and reporting this matter to his master, followed by what would transpire afterward.
Compared to how he used to form a single, simple thought, now the expressions and reactions of everyone he would encounter in the future rushed forward in an instant.
'This is a simulated future. However, my deductive capability is still insufficient; I can only deduce the parts strongly correlated with myself...
'Yet the Dao Transformation Mother Stone, aside from deducing the Xuanhuang Realm, even has enough power to spare to simulate far more.'
While Sun Erlang pondered, Chen Tianhai continued, "These fictional worlds are mostly created using native materials of the Xuanhuang Realm as their foundation. Thus, you may encounter many beings that seem familiar yet different...
"Rest assured, however, that it is real enough. It can allow you to truly experience a complete lifetime.
"Young sir, have you ever heard the saying that the talent within a single county is enough to govern all under heaven? Although this adage originates in the mortal world, it applies equally to our cultivation world. Back then, when the Xuantian Sect held absolute dominion over the world, its core was merely the twelve cultivators closest to the King of Profound Heaven."
"The Xuantian Sect?" This was the first time Sun Erlang had heard the name, and he could not help but feel curious.
Unfortunately, Chen Tianhai had no intention of elaborating and merely continued his line of reasoning. "This world does not lack talent. What it lacks is merely the space and opportunity for that talent to grow.
"And within the worlds simulated by the Dao Transformation Stone, we have built such a stage. It will allow someone like you, young sir, to grow rapidly."
Still quite young, Sun Erlang could not help feeling a surge of pride at hearing Chen Tianhai hold him in such high regard.
Yet he immediately frowned and asked, "How long will this simulation last? Will it make my master wait too long?"
"A dream of a thousand years, a thousand years in an instant. Young sir, are you ready?" Chen Tianhai suddenly called out in a loud voice.
At the same moment, rings of blue light blossomed from the Dao Transformation Mother Stone.
Within the halos, glimpses of countless different worldly scenes were faintly discernible. A figure enveloped in blue light flew out from Sun Erlang's sea of consciousness, plunging straight into the Mother Stone's glowing ring.
When Chen Tianhai clearly saw where Sun Erlang ultimately landed, a peculiar look surfaced on his face.
"Ancient Xuanhuang, a world where the Immortal Calamity never occurred. How interesting..."
What Chen Tianhai had said just now had not been the whole story.
Indeed, the talent of a single county was enough to govern the world.
Yet that was merely 'enough.'
Although the world was full of talent, there were always those who stood apart from the rest.
They might be temporarily buried due to circumstances, but the moment an opportunity arose, they would seize the momentum and rise, overturning their destiny.
The Dao Transformation Mother Stone had simulated and iterated through countless worlds, and whenever such individuals appeared, they would drastically influence and alter the course of the world's fate.
'Countless futures have countless branches. The presence or disappearance of certain beings exerts no influence whatsoever upon those potential branches. They are merely inconsequential figures, ordinary members of the common multitude.
'Yet with certain figures, their disappearance leads to tremendous shifts in the future—or even causes vast swathes of possibilities to vanish outright. Such people are focal variables.
'The Dao Transformation Mother Stone has gathered statistics and analyzed many focal variables that have appeared across the simulated worlds, summarizing an effective method of prediction. This Sun Erlang matches certain characteristics of a focal variable.'
Thoughts churned in Chen Tianhai's mind. That was precisely why he had treated Sun Erlang with such warmth.
Now that the Taiyan Sect had been discovered, they could not avoid soon re-entering the world and becoming entwined in future variables.
Naturally, early preparations were required.
Narrowing his eyes, he seemed to peer directly into everything unfolding in the world where Sun Erlang now was.
'Just as I anticipated: three years lying low, followed by a sudden rise to prominence. Once his momentum took form, none could stand in his way.
'Fortunately, judging by his conduct, order and reason remain.
'He is not an extreme variable.'
Granting Sun Erlang the chance to experience a simulation was also the Taiyan Sect's opportunity to see clearly what kind of person he truly was.
Chapter 1196