Chapter 1196: A Thousand Years in a Flash
Chapter 1196: A Thousand Years in a Flash
Sun Erlang was utterly stunned. After Elder Chen of the Taiyan Sect had spent so much time extolling the incredible power of the Dao Transformation Stone, he was now offering him the very same one—the stone recovered from Yi Xing's tomb, lost to the world for millennia.
"Thank you, Elder!" Sun Erlang wasn't a fool. Fearing the man might have second thoughts, he quickly took the precious stone.
He held it in his palm, admiring it with delight for a long moment. But as he studied it, his initial joy slowly morphed into a look of awkwardness.
"Elder, this Dao Transformation Stone..."
"It... doesn't seem to be doing anything?"
Chen Tianhai explained, "To experience the wonders of the Dao Transformation Stone, you must pair it with our sect's secret art, the Divine Unity of Transformation."
Sun Erlang's guard went up instantly. "Elder, I already have a master. I cannot join the Taiyan Sect..."
Chen Tianhai chuckled. "You worry too much, young man. I've already given you the stone; do you think I would withhold the secret art that makes it work?"
As he slowly began to channel the secret art, the blue gem in his hand dissolved into streams of flowing light, which were then absorbed into his body.
Within his sea of consciousness, a brilliant, identical crystal began to slowly take shape.
Suddenly, Sun Erlang felt as if the entire world had lit up around him.
In a single instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. His consciousness became a raging storm of ideas, and memories from his entire life, even those long forgotten, surged to the surface.
He thought back to his earlier question: why would Elder Chen of the Taiyan Sect treat him with such favor? Where before he only had vague suspicions, his mind now rapidly deduced several distinct possibilities.
It could be a gesture of goodwill toward the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty and his master. Or perhaps his own unique constitution was somehow beneficial to the Taiyan Sect.
Or maybe the Taiyan Sect could use the stone to control him in some way—a crucial part of a larger conspiracy...
The various possibilities were laid out one by one.
Simultaneously, he began processing external information, constantly adjusting each hypothesis in real-time.
"So this... is the Divine Unity of Transformation?"
After a long while, Sun Erlang finally emerged from his state of shock, sighing in amazement.
He couldn't help but stare at the Transformation Dao Stone Mother before him.
If a mere fragment possessed such immense deductive power, how powerful must the Stone Mother itself be?
"Elder, your gift of this stone... is it related to the 'simulation' you asked me about earlier?"
His eyes fixed on the Stone Mother. In a flash of insight, Sun Erlang suddenly asked the question.
Chen Tianhai gave a cryptic nod. "Besides the future of the Xuanhuang Realm, the Stone Mother contains countless other, fabricated worlds."
"This is done to fully utilize the Stone Mother's power, and also to better calibrate our understanding of established reality."
"You can think of them as... training grounds of a sort."
Sun Erlang nodded, lost in thought.
The moment he had fully absorbed the stone, his mind had involuntarily flashed forward, showing him scenes of his return, of him reporting this encounter to his master, and the events that would follow.
Unlike a simple passing thought, this vision was incredibly detailed, instantly showing him the expressions and reactions of everyone he would interact with.
"So that was a simulation of the future," he realized. "But my own deductive power is limited, so I can only project scenarios that are directly relevant to me."
"But the Stone Mother... in addition to simulating the entire Xuanhuang Realm, it has enough spare power to simulate even more."
As Sun Erlang pondered this, Chen Tianhai continued, "Most of these fabricated worlds are built upon the foundational elements of the Xuanhuang Realm. Because of this, you may encounter many things that seem familiar, yet are subtly different..."
"But rest assured, they are real enough to allow you to experience an entire lifetime within them." RANo$b1ES
"Have you ever heard the mortal saying, young man? That to rule an empire, you need only the talent found in a single county. This principle holds true in the world of cultivation as well. Take the Xuantian Sect, which once held dominion over all. Its core was comprised of just twelve cultivators who were close to the Xuantian King."
"The Xuantian Sect?" It was the first time Sun Erlang had ever heard the name, and his curiosity was piqued.
But Chen Tianhai seemed to have no intention of elaborating. He simply continued with his point. "The world does not lack for talent. What it lacks is the space and opportunity for that talent to flourish."
"Within the worlds simulated by the Dao Transformation Stone, we have constructed just such a stage. A place where individuals like you, young man, can grow with incredible speed."
Being young, Sun Erlang couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at being held in such high regard by Chen Tianhai.
His pride quickly gave way to concern, however. He frowned and asked, "How long does this simulation take? I don't want to keep my master waiting."
"A thousand years in a dream, a dream in an instant. Young man, are you ready?" Chen Tianhai suddenly boomed.
At the same moment, the Transformation Dao Stone Mother erupted with a halo of brilliant blue light.
Within the halo, glimpses of countless different worlds flickered. A figure cloaked in blue light flew out from Sun Erlang's sea of consciousness, plunging directly into the radiant circle.
When Chen Tianhai saw where Sun Erlang's consciousness had landed, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"The ancient Xuanhuang Realm... in a world where the Great Calamity never happened. Interesting..."
Chen Tianhai hadn't told him the full story.
It was true that the talent of a single county was enough to govern an empire.
But only just enough.
Though the world was full of talent, some individuals were simply different.
They might be obscured by circumstance for a time, but give them a single opportunity, and they will rise to reshape destiny itself.
The Transformation Dao Stone Mother had simulated and iterated countless worlds. Every time a person like that appeared, they would dramatically influence and alter the course of that world's fate.
"There are infinite futures, with infinite branches. The existence or disappearance of most beings has no impact on these potential timelines. They are inconsequential, ordinary members of the vast sea of life."
"But there are certain individuals whose disappearance causes major future upheavals, even causing entire branches of possibility to vanish. Such people are what we call 'Focal Variables.'"
"The Stone Mother has statistically analyzed the many Focal Variables that have appeared across its simulations, developing a highly effective method of prediction. And this Sun Erlang... he matches certain characteristics of a Focal Variable."
Chen Tianhai's mind raced. This was precisely why he had been so accommodating to Sun Erlang.
Now that the Taiyan Sect had been discovered, it was inevitable that they would have to 're-enter the world' and become entangled in the shifting tides of the future.
Naturally, they needed to prepare for it.
He narrowed his eyes, peering intently as if he could see everything unfolding in the world Sun Erlang had entered.
"Just as I predicted," he murmured. "Three years of lying low, followed by a meteoric rise. Once he builds momentum, he will be unstoppable."
"Thankfully, from what I can observe of his actions, he still operates within the bounds of order and reason."
"He is not an 'Extreme Variable.'"
This was an opportunity for Sun Erlang to experience the simulation, and an opportunity for the Taiyan Sect to see the young man's true character.
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