Techniques and Dao

Chapter 27 The True Form of the Immortal Master

"You actually call me a Celestial Master? Don't make me sound so old! You'd better watch out, or I'll make you suffer." Mie Ying fiddled with her golden-brown curly hair.

Hua Sheng said, "So far, only you and I are left in this round. So, where is the supervising immortal master for this trial?"

Mie Ying pouted: "How would I know? Each round is decided by the Academy of Arts and Sciences, I can't control that. Maybe the supervising immortal master for this round just doesn't want to see you."

Hua Sheng said, "I don't think so. Actually, I was just thinking that the fact that you nine sisters coexist as one body should not have been fully disclosed within the Academy of Arts and Sciences. Otherwise, when Tianjizi revealed the numbers and successfully reduced the number of trial participants, but you did not disappear, he should have immediately guessed the reason."

“So what? My sister and I have never liked interacting with others often,” Mie Ying said. “But that’s not enough to prove that I am the Immortal Master of Xi Academy.”

“I’m not talking about you now, but about one of you nine sisters who is a supervising immortal master of the Divine Calculation Bureau.”

"Oh?"

“I think that in normal times, Mieying would present herself as Ninth Sister’s disciple in the Academy. Perhaps one of you is extremely proficient in immortal arts and, by some coincidence, took on the role of immortal master in the Academy. When teaching disciples, just as you and your other sisters have different appearances, this one must look completely different. So there aren’t many disciples who know this secret.”

Curly-haired Shadow said, "Interesting, interesting. I'd like to hear why you think that."

"Actually, what first raised my doubts was you. Your Ninth Sister accurately attacked the Trial Ring from the very beginning, so how did Mie Ying know that the Divine Mind Calculation Bureau's weakness lay in the Trial Ring? If it were an ordinary disciple who had just entered the second round of the trial, they probably wouldn't have found the Divine Mind Calculation Bureau's weakness in such a short time. That means someone leaked information about the Divine Mind Calculation Bureau. Since the content of the Heavenly Eye Trial changes every year, and all participants don't even know when it will begin or which immortal master will be supervising it, the possibility of leaking the trial content beforehand is very low. I believe that the Dao of Arts Academy, to ensure the fairness of the game, wouldn't allow the supervising immortal master to reveal the content to the participants. Unless…"

Following up on Hua Sheng's words, Mie Ying said, "Unless this person is both a trial participant and an overseeing immortal master."

"good."

Curly-haired Shadow giggled, her voice as melodious as a silver bell.

Hua Sheng continued, "Not only that, since your goal doesn't seem to be to win the final victory in the Heavenly Eye Trial, but rather, like me, to prevent Tianjizi from winning, there's no need to worry about the Xi Academy questioning the fairness if you win. Because you can withdraw at any time."

"You mere mortal, you certainly have a vivid imagination. But what concrete evidence do you have to prove what you just said?"

"I do not have."

"That's enough for now. I don't have time to waste with you." Mie Ying tossed her hair, turned around, and looked like she didn't want to listen anymore.

Hua Sheng ignored him and said, "However, I've discovered something very interesting."

Mieying replied, "Instead of focusing on your trials, you have time to go out and have fun?"

"Because I discovered an interesting number. Something that most people wouldn't notice. You might want to hear what I have to say about it."

"Go ahead. But if it's boring, then I'll give you a punch. At worst, we'll both leave this Heavenly Eye Trial together."

Hua Sheng pointed to the top of the cave wall and said, "Look! The number of trial participants."

The words "Trial Participants: Six" are written above the cave wall.

Mieying replied, "So what?"

"There are only the two of us here now. So, apart from me, the other five trial participants should be inside you, right?"

"good."

"I don't know if I'm describing it correctly. You possess a constitution that integrates nine souls, so you and your sisters all participated in the Divine Mind Games, right?"

"You could say the same thing."

"At first, Tianjizi called out two numbers, so two of your sisters had to leave the game, leaving seven. Your second sister, with short green hair and immense strength, was stunned by Tianjizi and had to quit. After that, your sixth sister, with waist-length hair and seemingly able to control light, deliberately revealed her number when Tianjizi put in the paper, so she also left the Divine Calculation Bureau. It seems like there are four people missing."

Mieying did not continue speaking.

"But actually, your second sister's withdrawal was only due to a temporary coma, not because she left the Divine Calculation Game." Hua Sheng held up two palms. "That means only three of your sisters were eliminated in this round. Nine minus three should be six. Including me, there should be seven trial participants left. But why does the number show six now?"

Mieying touched his curly hair again and said, "Then why?"

"I guess it's because from the beginning, only eight of your sisters were able to participate in the Heavenly Eye Trial, and the reason why the third one couldn't participate was because she needed to act as an inspector. Or rather, the Immortal Master didn't have the qualifications to participate in the Heavenly Eye Trial!"

Mieying burst into laughter.

Hua Sheng asked, "Don't you also find this interesting?"

“Interesting, interesting. You little ant, you do have some cleverness,” Curly-haired Shadow chuckled. “But unfortunately…”

"What's a pity?"

"You've said a lot, but there are loopholes in your argument. First, why must all of us sisters participate? It's understandable that one sister has no interest in the Heavenly Eye Trial and the Heavenly Pole Child. Second, even if all nine of us sisters participate in the Heavenly Eye Trial, how can you prove that we all won the first round? In the Candlelight Battle, what's wrong with one less sister advancing?"

What Mieying said did not seem to be mere sophistry.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. What I just said was just speculation,” Hua Sheng replied. “But the problem is, just a moment ago I asked you whether you and your sisters were involved in the Divine Calculation Game, and your answer was ‘you could say that.’ What do you mean by that?”

"That's enough. I'm not in the mood for that anymore..."

Curly-haired Mieying stood with her hands on her hips, about to say something. Suddenly, she bent down and whispered, "Sister! Dear sister! Please don't blame your younger sisters. It's all because I, Xiaoqi, am willful..."

Then, her long, golden-brown curls began to turn dark blue. Unlike before, the color and embroidery of her Taoist robes also began to change. The light blue faded, replaced by a navy blue robe.

When Mieying raised his head again, his innocent and arrogant expression was gone, replaced by a cold and aloof face. At the same time, his voice had become somewhat deep.

"My elder sister told me long ago that since I've already taken on the role of trial inspector, you sisters shouldn't get involved in this game. Now that we've been exposed, we're just making a fool of ourselves," said Mie Ying, who was wearing a cyan Taoist robe and had long, dark blue hair, as she flicked her sleeve.

Upon seeing the Immortal Master appear, Hua Sheng cupped his hands in a respectful bow: "Immortal Master Mieying, please accept this disciple's bow."

“This immortal master is not called Extinction Shadow,” the female immortal master replied.

"May I ask your esteemed name, Immortal Master?"

His Taoist name is Qingmiao.

"Oh! Immortal Master Qingmiao. This disciple dared to guess just now, and I hope the Immortal Master will forgive me." Hua Sheng bowed to Immortal Master Qingmiao again.

Master Qingmiao replied, "Seventh Sister was just now being willful and often causing trouble, which is also due to my lack of strict discipline in daily life."

Hua Sheng felt embarrassed as well. Although the curly-haired Seventh Sister had a somewhat unruly personality, she hadn't really provoked him. So he politely said, "I was indeed rude just now. It was all just my own petty speculation."

"Even if it's just speculation, there's no evidence for it right now. Once we leave the Tianmu Trial, everything you've said will be verifiable."

Immortal Master Qingmiao succinctly revealed Hua Sheng's thoughts. It was likely not an open secret within the academy that Mieying was both a disciple and an immortal master. Otherwise, this peculiar master-disciple relationship would have been widely known within the academy long ago, and Hua Sheng would naturally have heard of it. The reason he had never heard of it before was probably because he didn't want everyone to know, fearing it would attract criticism.

Now that Qingmiao has appeared before Huasheng, she probably doesn't want him to go back to the academy and ask around to verify this matter.

Thinking of this, Hua Sheng said, "Immortal Master, rest assured, I will not spread this matter around."

"You're very clever. You don't cause trouble for others," said Master Qingmiao. "You remind me of another female disciple I knew before. Her name was Weiyu..."

"Wei Yu?" Hua Sheng was surprised to hear this name.

"Do you recognize her?"

"She is... the deputy registrar of the student council."

“Yes. Wei Yu is a gifted child, so it was I who recommended her to come to the Academy of Arts and Sciences,” Master Qingmiao replied. “She is as perceptive as you. Moreover, she saw through the secret between us nine sisters the moment she met me.”

Hua Sheng exclaimed in surprise: "At first glance?"

"She said she possessed a certain insight that allowed her to see through many things that should have been hidden behind the scenes."

"The art of insight? Is that considered a kind of immortal technique?"

"I'm afraid only Wei Yu herself knows. Just like Tian Ji Zi possesses supreme fortune, Wei Yu says she has insight into many things in this world."

"Is it also an innate skill?"

Master Qingmiao shook his head: "That is true, but I don't think it's that simple."

"What the Immortal Master means is..."

"That remains to be seen. Wei Yu can be described as a celestial being that is difficult to see through. In mortal terms, she is magical."

Hua Sheng pondered for a moment, realizing that the words didn't seem to come from a celestial master. The Celestial Master Qingmiao didn't elaborate further, but simply made a lotus flower shape with her hands.

In an instant, the cave trembled, and Hua Sheng could no longer stand, so she had to use her levitation technique to float in mid-air.

After a violent shaking, a ray of sunlight shone into the cave, as if a crack had appeared in the cave wall. Despite the intense shaking, the cave did not collapse, nor did any large rocks fall. The only difference was that the cave was simply getting brighter and brighter.

Hua Sheng looked around, finding the surroundings quite strange. Sunlight streamed in from all sides of the cave, but not because of cracks in the cave walls. He examined the crack he had seen earlier closely and realized it seemed to be an illusion. There was no crack in the cave at all. The crack was merely a visual illusion created by the sunlight; to be more precise, it was as if the cave walls were simultaneously thinning. It was as if a thick layer of Xuan paper had been peeled away, layer by layer.

Hua Sheng felt the surroundings getting thinner and thinner until they became transparent. Then, his eyes slowly cleared. It turned out that what surrounded this enormous cavern space was a giant iron ring. This iron ring had been spinning rapidly around him, creating a huge, enclosed circular space. And now, the ring's rotation was slowly coming to a stop.

As the iron rings surrounding Hanamori slowed down, Hanamori gradually heard a buzzing sound from their rotation. The rings slowly decelerated, the buzzing sound became more discernible, and gradually diminished. Finally, the circular iron rings came to a complete stop.

Hua Sheng discovered that he wasn't inside a cave or underground; instead, he was at least a thousand meters in the air. He had to thicken the clouds beneath his feet to prevent himself from falling from mid-air.

He was positioned at the very center of the iron ring. Then the giant iron ring began to rise and rapidly shrink, faster and faster. With a crisp clang, the iron ring transformed into a ball of golden light.

The small ball of light flew towards Immortal Master Qingmiao and finally landed on her palm. Only then did Hua Sheng realize that the ball of light was actually a small bracelet emitting a seven-colored glow.

Master Qingmiao put the small bracelet on her left wrist.

"This... is amazing! Immortal Master, what kind of magical artifact is this?" Hua Sheng couldn't help but ask.

Master Qingmiao replied, "You may not have seen this magical artifact, but you must have heard of it."

"This is……"

"It contains the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth, and contains the mysterious secrets of the universe."

"Qiankun?" Hua Sheng thought of what Xuan Wen had mentioned about Nezha, the Fire Wheel Heavenly King, and couldn't help but ask, "Could this be the Qiankun Ring?! I never imagined that I would be so fortunate as to see it here!"

Immortal Master Qingmiao did not respond to Hua Sheng's words, but instead said, "After this round, the Heavenly Eye Trial will be in its final stage. Do you know that the mortal disciple who has ever emerged victorious in the Heavenly Eye Trial is..."

"Very few?"

"It has never happened before."

Hua Sheng was taken aback by these words: "Never before?"

"never had."

"Didn't they say the Heavenly Eye Trials have been going on for over five hundred years?"

"Among the three races of immortals, spirits, and humans, mortals are born without the ability to use magic. Especially when mortals clash head-on with the immortals and spirits, they are almost always at a disadvantage."

"Does the Immortal Master mean that mortals can't reach the final round?"

"That's not necessarily true. It's said that in previous years, there were also ordinary disciples who could stand out and reach the final stage by chance. But in the end, because there were no more shortcuts to be found, they often failed."

Hua Sheng immediately understood that in the earlier rounds, since most of the participants were busy advancing, they could indeed reduce the chances of direct confrontation if they paid attention. Just like those two mortal disciples earlier, Mie Ying let them go and they smoothly made it to the final round.

But if you don't win the final round, you lose, and the mortal disciple has no chance to maneuver.

"Disciple understands."

"You must remember that the original purpose of the Heavenly Eye Trial was not only to find those with the potential to possess superb immortal skills. It was also to find trial participants who are kind-hearted and have extraordinary insights."

"This disciple will do his best." Hua Sheng bowed with his hands clasped in thanks to Immortal Master Qingmiao.

Immortal Master Qingmiao conjured a piece of white paper in her hand. Hua Sheng thought it was a number and was about to take it when Immortal Master Qingmiao raised her hand and said, "Wait a moment."

"What does the immortal master want?"

"My sisters are only here to help Fourth Sister, so they've all come to surround that Heavenly Pole Child. This is quite inappropriate. I'll leave Seventh Sister behind; the rest of you can leave this Heavenly Eye Trial with me... What? Seventh Sister, don't be childish. You want Third Sister to stay with you? What use is the Victorious Buddha's Path Pass to us sisters?"

After speaking, Master Qingmiao handed the note to Hua Sheng and said, "I will keep Third Sister and Seventh Sister for now."

Hua Sheng bowed respectfully and accepted the note with both hands. When he looked up again, Master Qingmiao was gone, and only a girl with golden-brown curly hair stood before him.

Hua Sheng was taken aback. The girl glared at him and said, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and write down the numbers. If you keep looking, I'll punch you until your face is covered in bruises!"

So it turned out to be the seventh sister again. According to what Immortal Master Qingmiao just said, the Shadow Extinction should now only have the third and seventh sisters among the Shadow Extinction sisters. Apart from the eccentric seventh sister in front of us, the third sister is the dark red-haired girl with the lotus fragrance who chased after the Supreme Lord with the Wind and Fire Wheels.

Hua Sheng added his own number, "991248," to the number that had been used to kill the shadow, wrote it down, and then flew to the trial ring, preparing to put the paper in. Suddenly, he turned around.

Curly-haired Shadow, puffing out her cheeks behind him, said, "What are you dawdling about?"

"Just now, Immortal Master Qingmiao said that you all came here to help Fourth Sister? What grudge does Fourth Sister have against Tianjizi?"

Curly-haired Shadowless frowned: "If you meddle in other people's business again, I'll cut out your tongue!"

“I’m not trying to meddle in your business. What I’m trying to say is that I can defeat Tianjizi.”

"Impossible! You? That's hilarious." Although Curly-haired Shadow said he was going to laugh, his expression was full of disdain.

"So, Miss, you have a way to break free from this curse?"

"The True Form of Supreme Fortune?"

"Correct."

Curly-haired Shadow pouted but didn't say anything.

Seeing this expression, Hua Sheng felt he had a chance to speak. Mie Ying truly had no way to break Tian Ji Zi's ultimate fate. So he continued, "I have a way. But I can't do it alone."

"With your pig brain?"

"Even with my pig brain, I still managed to help everyone pass the mental arithmetic puzzle, didn't I?"

"Hmph! Then tell me."

"But I can't do it alone. I need your help."

Curly-haired Shadow remained silent.

Hua Sheng quickly said, "I once read in a book that under certain conditions, good luck is something..."

What about good luck?

"It might malfunction."

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Curly-haired Shadow's eyes widened into two copper bells.

(End of this chapter)