Techniques and Dao

Chapter 26 The Divine Calculation Game (6)

Upon seeing this, Hua Sheng quickly ran to the side of the pit and dispersed the dust and pebbles.

"Stop, stop, stop!" the girl's voice rang out again. Only then did Hua Sheng realize that it was Mie Ying herself who was shouting.

Mie Ying's left hand was pressing down on his raised right hand, his figure constantly shifting between golden-brown curly hair and red short hair, like two sheets of paper being flipped back and forth.

"Good sister! Stop! I know Third Sister loves me the most." The golden-brown curly-haired Mie Ying said, "Don't collapse this cave. We need to deal with Tian Ji Zi. If this cave collapses, how are we going to start the next round?"

Hua Sheng watched as Mie Ying talked to herself, as if two sisters had a disagreement. The seventh sister, with her golden-brown curly hair, was trying to persuade her third sister. It turned out that the nine sisters, big and small, inside Mie Ying's body didn't always share the same thoughts.

At this moment, Hua Sheng suddenly realized that this was a perfect opportunity to persuade Mie Ying! Mie Ying, for some reason, shared the same goal as him: to prevent Tian Ji Zi from winning the tenth consecutive championship in the Tianmu Trial.

Although the outcome of the battle between Mieying and Tianjizi was still undecided, judging from the preliminary demonstrations of Mieying's sisters within her, her potential far exceeds what she has already shown. Moreover, Huasheng had already experienced the Wind and Fire Wheels of her third sister, the red-haired one. Clearly, as Xuanwen said, the Fire Wheel Heavenly King Nezha not only adopted Mieying as his goddaughter but also gave her his magical weapon.

It is quite clear that, relying on Mieying's immortal techniques, she can challenge Tianjizi alone without depending on the other disciples. If she causes the other disciples to stop at the Divine Mind Calculation Game, and Mieying goes to the next game alone, she might actually be able to defeat Tianjizi.

However, Hanamori was naturally unwilling to give up in this round.

What should we do then? Thinking of this, Hua Sheng suddenly recalled what Xuan Wen had said earlier.

Just now, Xuanwen pieced together the note with the answer written on it from Tianjizi. Huasheng, in a moment of impulse, tried to snatch it, and that's what Xuanwen said to him.

"The number I have is just one spot that I can advance to the next round. If you try to take it, I'll burn it. Even if I burn it, the number will still be in my head, and I can still advance."

That's right! In other words, we've been restricted by the rules of this trial, but we've missed a crucial piece of information! And that information is the way to win the Divine Calculation Game!
Hua Sheng shouted, "Extinction Shadow!"

Mieying, who was switching back and forth between the third sister and the seventh sister, noticed Huasheng not far away.

Hua Sheng continued, "We don't need to force each other to reveal their numbers, nor do we need to eliminate anyone. I have a way to make all the rest of us win the Divine Calculation Game."

The Shadowless Demon seemed to have calmed down, and the Seventh Sister with her golden-brown curly hair asked, "What ideas could a little ant like you possibly have?"

"I have a plan! First, have Third Sister remove the power of this Wind and Fire Wheel. Otherwise, it might collapse the cave or accidentally damage the Trial Rings, causing us all to be stopped in this round."

The curly-haired Shadow continued, "Why should I believe you?"

Hua Sheng said, "Weren't you just trying to persuade your third sister? You should both be thinking about the next round, right? Our goals are the same. I also want to stop Tianjizi from winning this year's Tianmu Trial. So let's join forces..."

Curly-haired Shadowless laughed loudly, "You're joking. Why would I join forces with an ant like you?"

"Just think of yourself as having a few more helpers. You may have great magical power, but we all know that Tianjizi possesses the trait of supreme luck, and you can't guess what the rules of the next round will be. So if you go alone, it's just gambling on luck. Just like in this round, you can't guess the answer, so you can only rely on destroying the trial rings to stop Tianjizi. If in the next round, it's just you and Tianjizi left, I think relying on his luck, the rules will be extremely unfavorable to you."

Curly-haired Misty Shadow narrowed her eyes, as if pondering Hua Sheng's words.

Hua Sheng seized the opportunity to continue, "I also want to stop Tian Jizi. Perhaps a few of us can help you. Don't you want to defeat Tian Jizi in the next round?"

After saying this, Hua Sheng waited for Curly-haired Shadow's reply. At that moment, he heard Tai Shang Xiao Jun's hushed voice from behind him.

"I didn't lose to her just now, why should I fight with this schizophrenic..."

Hua Sheng suddenly turned around and glared at Tai Shang Xiao Jun: "Shut up!"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun was stunned for a moment: "You actually yelled at me, that really hurts me. I'm going back to sleep now."

Hua Sheng quickly reassured her, "Supreme Lord, we should try our best not to make enemies now. Besides, this Shadowbreaker is no ordinary person, and we may not be able to beat her. Moreover, we can go to the next round together, and maybe we can even cause trouble for Tianjizi. Wouldn't that be better?"

"So, are you absolutely certain that you can ensure all the trial participants win?"

“Yes,” Hua Sheng replied. “Xuan Wen just said that even without the paper in his hand, he still knows the sum of all the numbers. That is to say, each person’s number is only in their own mind, which gives me an idea. I think I can find a way to bypass the rules of this trial.”

"Oh? Now that you mention it, I'd really like to see if there's any way." The Supreme Lord Xiaojun then fell silent.

Seeing that she had persuaded Taishang Xiaojun, Hua Sheng turned to ask Mieying, "So, Miss Mieying! What's your decision?"

The curly-haired figure lowered her head and said, "Sister, why don't we just see what this mole ant is capable of for now?"

Mieying then turned red-haired and said, "That mole ant and Taishang Xiaojun are in cahoots. Taishang Xiaojun, like Tianjizi, is a descendant of the immortals. Relying on his noble birth, he is arrogant and unreliable."

Curly-haired Shadow replied, "Good sister, no way. Let's see what this ant can do first. If we can lead us all to the next round, maybe we can cause some trouble for Tianjizi?"

After thinking for a moment, Red-haired Shadowless replied, "Seventh Sister, you're the one who's best at sweet-talking your older sister, so I'll grant your wish this time. If these little ants and the Supreme Lord are up to any tricks, call me out, and I'll burn their butts with my Wind and Fire Wheels."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun, standing behind Hua Sheng, smacked her lips and said, "Hua Sheng, what are you saying...?"

Hua Sheng could only gesture for him to calm down.

Curly-haired Shadow kept her head down, clapping her hands and saying, "Thank you, sister! I knew you loved me the most and listened to me the most!"

The red-haired figure vanished, leaving only the image of golden-brown curly hair.

"Hey! You there!" Curly-haired Shadowless turned around and called out.

Hua Sheng replied, "Actually, my name is Hua Sheng."

"Caramelized peanuts? What kind of peanuts are caramelized? Caramelized peanuts?" Curly-haired Shadow asked.

"Flowers in full bloom. Flowers in abundance, flourishing in abundance."

"Oh! Hana-sheng. I understand. Hey? Don't think I've forgotten what you just said! Tell me, what's the way to get all of us to the next trial?"

Hua Shenggang was about to answer.

Mie Ying added, "You'd better think this through. If you utter even half a wrong word, I'll make you crawl back to the Academy!"

“There’s no mistake.” Hua Sheng glanced at the two human male disciples.

The two men, one fat and one thin, were sitting on the ground, panting and resting.

After confirming that the two were conscious, Hua Sheng began his narration: "According to the numbers on the stone wall, there are currently nine trial participants here. Tai Shang Xiao Jun, these two human disciples and I, the remaining spots are all yours. Although there are nine spots, there are actually five of us."

"So what?" said Shadow Extinction.

Hua Sheng pointed to the text above the cave wall and said, "Let's double-check the trial rules of this Divine Calculation Bureau."

Everyone looked over. They read the trial rules again.

Trial Rules:
1. When the last qualifier of the Candlelight Battle arrives, the Divine Calculation Game officially begins;
2. Participants must accurately write down the sum of the Heavenly Eye Trial numbers of all participants present and drop the number into the trial ring. Those with the correct number advance to the next round, while those with the incorrect number are eliminated.
Third, no participant may reveal their own identification number, nor may they convert their identification number into a substitute that can be guessed by others;

IV. Once any person's ID number is known to others during this trial, the ID number holder must immediately leave the competition. However, this rule does not apply if the ID number holder's appearance is unknown.
"Fifth, spells may be used freely during the trial. However, offensive spells must be used only when the target is injured and must not harm other trial participants," Hua Sheng continued. "Of these five trial rules, the first and fifth don't actually impose significant restrictions on passing; they merely remind everyone not to harm others and to adhere to the start time of the trial. Therefore, the actual rules that constrain the trial participants are these three."

Mieying said, "I already knew that."

Hua Sheng said, "When I first registered, I told Tai Shang Xiao Jun my number. So Tai Shang Xiao Jun knows my number, and of course he knows his own."

"What's the use? The Supreme Lord doesn't know our sisters' numbers," said Shadowless.

“I truly do not know,” said Tai Shang Xiao Jun. “Hua Sheng, I guess your method is to add our two numbers together to form a single number. Then, the Mie Ying sisters should also know each other’s numbers, so they can calculate the sum of the numbers of the six sisters. But there is a problem with this. The remaining two disciples need to know each other’s numbers, otherwise they will not be able to obtain the sum of their numbers.”

Mieying interjected, "If that's the method you're talking about, it's too rudimentary. Apart from Tianjizi, no one can accurately guess someone else's numbering, which seems to have no discernible pattern."

"No, no, no!" Hua Shenglian said three times, "That's not the method I'm talking about. I'm just proving two points: First, if other people's numbers are known before the game, they won't be eliminated in the trial; second, if everyone keeps their own number in mind and writes down another number at the same time, they won't be eliminated either."

Mieying said, "Doesn't the third rule clearly state that if someone tells you your number and they can guess it, you will also have to leave the trial?"

"Yes. So, I will have everyone write down a number. But this number is not a number you assign yourself."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, "There can be no pattern in this. Once there is a pattern, others will know it."

“No. The numbers written down have no pattern,” Hua Sheng said.

"No pattern? Then everyone's just writing randomly?" Mieying asked.

Hua Sheng said, "It's not just random writing. It's just that only I know this pattern."

Taishang Xiaojun asked, "If only you know the pattern, how can others write out the correct information?"

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!" Hua Sheng conjured a sheet of Xuan paper and a brush in her hand, turned her back and wrote some words on the paper. She turned around and walked to Mieying, placed the paper in Mieying's hand and said, "Mieying, there will be a string of numbers on this paper. Please add this string of numbers to the sum of the numbers of the sisters who are still in this game, and calculate the sum."

With a hint of disbelief, Mieying unfolded the sheet of Xuan paper, looked at Huasheng suspiciously, and said, "You're still here."

"Of course I'm here." Hua Sheng smiled.

"So, this number isn't yours?"

“If it were mine, and you know it now, I’m out of the game.”

"Whose number is this?"

"It doesn't belong to anyone."

Curly-haired Shadow suddenly realized: "I understand! So that's how it is!"

Hua Sheng took back his sheet of Xuan paper and burned it to ashes with a whoosh. He then said, "Write down the sum of the numbers, pass it to the next person, and then destroy the paper. The next person also adds their own number and calculates the sum. And so on, until the last person gives it to me."

"Hey! This method is brilliant!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun exclaimed, his eyes wide. "This way, everyone will write down a number, but no one can guess another person's number from that number. Because everyone's real number is hidden in a string of digits, no one will know the other's number."

Mieying wrote down the numbers, walked up to the two male disciples, and said, "You'd better write quickly!"

After the fat disciple finished writing, he handed the note to the thin disciple. After the two of them finished writing, they gave it to the Supreme Lord.

After writing down his number, Tai Shang Xiao Jun handed it to Hua Sheng. Hua Sheng said, "Now I just need to take the sum of everyone's numbers, remove the number I just wrote down, and replace it with my real number. That will be the sum of all our numbers. The sum will change every time someone leaves, so the remaining trial participants can just pass the slips of paper again in the same way."

A moment later, Hanamori wrote down the sum of the numbers on the slip of paper.

"I didn't realize that you, a mere mortal who's only been in Saint Pingning for a short time, already have so many clever ideas." Mie Ying fiddled with his golden-brown curly hair with his fingers.

Hua Sheng folded the paper neatly and said, "It's not that I have a lot of clever ideas. It's just that the disciples of the Magic Academy spend all their time with magic and have forgotten that many things don't necessarily have to be solved with magic."

Taishang Xiaojun said, "Isn't everyone like this? If you take too many shortcuts, you'll forget what the original path was like."

Hua Sheng continued, "Actually, just seeing the name of the Divine Calculation Bureau should have made me realize that since it's about 'calculation,' perhaps we can obtain the answer in some way without a contest of immortal arts."

Mieying asked, "What if one of us deliberately writes the numbers wrong?"

"Of course, we need to prevent someone from deliberately writing it wrong." Hua Sheng then crumpled the paper into a small ball and stuffed it into his sleeve. When his hand came out of his sleeve again, he was holding five balls of the same size.

He continued, "So each time we get a total number, we randomly have one of the trial participants put a paper ball into the trial ring. Because of their special relationship, the Shadow Extinction Sisters won't write the wrong number just to eliminate each other. So I prepared five paper balls. Trial participants who deliberately write the wrong number not only have to bear the risk of drawing the wrong number themselves, but everyone will also know immediately if someone else makes the wrong number and gets eliminated. So, those who deliberately write the wrong number will suffer a loss."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun laughed and said, "This method is indeed reliable. Now that we know the method, everyone should hurry up. I see that the light of the trial ring is getting dimmer and dimmer, and I'm afraid it won't last much longer."

Just as Taishang Xiaojun had said, since the trial rings were flashing frequently, everyone quickly took their time. The two disciples, one fat and one thin, each took one first, and Taishang Xiaojun also took one. Mieying moved her fingers, and a piece of paper flew to her and opened on its own.

"I won! The number is written on this paper." It was the plump disciple who spoke. He immediately bowed and thanked Hua Sheng, saying, "Thank you for your help, Brother Dao!"

The chubby disciple then took the paper with both hands and tossed it into the trial ring. With a flash of blue light, the chubby disciple left the cave.

The writing on the cave walls began to change.

Trial participants: eight
Four players advanced.
Hua Sheng clenched his fists, secretly relieved that this method was obviously going to work!
The group passed the slips of paper back and forth again using the same method, and the second person to draw one was the thin disciple. The thin disciple put the slip of paper into the trial ring and then left the cave.

The text changes to—

Trial participants: seven
Five people advanced.
The remaining people were Hua Sheng, Mie Ying, and Tai Shang Xiao Jun. Hua Sheng wrote the note and handed it to Tai Shang Xiao Jun, saying, "Go ahead and wait for me. I'll be there shortly."

"Alright. Be careful." Tai Shang Xiao Jun took the note and left the cave with a streak of blue light.

The text on the cave wall reads as follows:

Trial participants: six
Six players advanced.
The empty cave has become extremely quiet. Although the cave was already devastated after the fierce battle, if you calm down, you will find that the colorful light emanating from the cave walls still illuminates the cave as if it were a fairyland.

Mieying pulled out a piece of paper with numbers written on it and said impatiently to Huasheng, "I've been waiting impatiently for a long time. Huasheng, this is the sum of our numbers. Write down your own number and go find that Supreme Lord as soon as possible."

"No rush." ​​Hua Sheng suddenly revealed a mysterious smile, but did not reach for the piece of paper.

Mieying glared at Hua Sheng and said, "You damned ant! Are you trying to make fun of me? You're not in a hurry, but I am! I still have to go and settle accounts with that Heavenly Extreme Child!"

Hua Sheng suddenly turned his back and called out to the empty cavern, "Disciple Hua Sheng is about to leave the Divine Calculation Bureau. May I ask the supervising immortal master of this bureau to show himself? Disciple thanks you!"

After speaking, Hua Sheng bowed three times towards the empty space. However, apart from the echo of his voice, there was not a sound in the cave.

"Just as I guessed. The show should be over by now, right, Senior Sister Shadow Extinction?" Hua Sheng corrected, "No, perhaps this disciple should address you as... the Inspector of the Divine Mind Calculation Bureau—Immortal Master Shadow Extinction!"

(End of this chapter)