Chapter 783: The Transformation Dao's Path of Simulation
Xu Bai turned to the silent Liu San and suddenly asked, "Old Liu, will you be coming with us? With your worldly experience, you could help me size things up. I'd like your opinion on whether submitting to the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance is truly reliable, or if there's a chance the Taiyan Sect is colluding with the Alliance to deceive us."
Xu Bai's invitation was filled with genuine sincerity.
But after a moment of silence, Liu San shook his head and declined. "Young Master, you and Old Fang can go. In terms of judgment, he is by no means my inferior. In these troubled times, the many disciples in Longevity Valley still need someone to look after them. Although the entrance is concealed by the Terminal Disc, we can't rule out the possibility of a cultivator stumbling upon it by chance."
"Well, you've finally said something honest, Old Liu," Fang Zaiji remarked, looking rather pleased with the compliment.
But his expression quickly turned suspicious as he sized up the other man. "Don't tell me you're just trying to use this rare opportunity to get some alone time with Yushan?"
"Nonsense!" Liu San snapped, his voice sharp with annoyance.
After their brief squabble, Xu Bai and Fang Zaiji departed from Longevity Valley, heading straight for the Taiyan Sect.
The entrance to the small world was located in Taihua Province, and along the way, they saw quite a few cultivators who, drawn by the news, were also flocking to see the spectacle.
In a rare sight, cultivators from the Immortal Alliance were stationed along the route, guiding the way.
Taihua Province was situated in the eastern region of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, not far from the Cong Yun Sea.
A vast mountain range, with a thousand soaring peaks, traversed the entire territory.
Among them, nine peaks were the most majestic, known to cultivators as the Nine Ranges of Taihua.
In truth, there had once been ten ranges.
However, one of them, Taixu Mountain, had abruptly collapsed and vanished from memory, leaving only nine in its place.
In a previous life, He Zhenghao had once considered furthering his studies in Taihua Province, but under Li Fan's intervention, he had gone to Tianyun Province instead.
Following the guides, the two arrived at Taixuan Mountain.
"This entrance is quite cleverly hidden, right in the middle of the mountain? It looks completely natural! If the Immortal Alliance hadn't opened this passage, it would've taken some real effort to get inside," Fang Zaiji marveled.
They followed a winding tunnel deep into the mountain until they reached its end.
The spatial passage had been stabilized and was held permanently open.
At the entrance stood several disciples of the Taiyan Sect, ostensibly lined up in welcome. However, their eyes continuously scanned the visiting cultivators, as if searching for someone.
"Don't tell me those little rascals from back then are still alive?" Fang Zaiji muttered to himself.
Xu Bai noticed his sudden hesitation and knew exactly what he was worried about.
He let out a soft cough as a reminder and strode forward first.
Seeing this, Fang Zaiji had no choice but to follow closely behind.
As Xu Bai approached, the eyes of the Taiyan Sect disciples instantly lit up, and they quickly surrounded him.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment!"
"I wonder if you might be interested in joining our Taiyan Sect?"
"Once you join, you'll never have to worry about cultivation techniques again, and you'll even receive a medium-grade Dao Transformation Stone for free."
They all chimed in at once, their enthusiasm palpable.
Their actions immediately drew the attention of the other cultivators.
"Hey, fellow Daoists of the Taiyan Sect, what about me?!"
"I want to join the Taiyan Sect!"
"Why are you all crowding around him? Just because he's handsome?"
The cultivators grumbled with dissatisfaction, but the group from the Taiyan Sect paid them no mind whatsoever.
Their gazes remained fixed on Xu Bai alone.
Xu Bai neither accepted nor outright refused.
Instead, he began to probe them about the current relationship between the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance and the Taiyan Sect.
The Taiyan Sect disciples answered every question without reservation. "We just fly the Alliance's banner and send a Dao Integration elder to their headquarters to hold a position. That's about it. All in all, it's not much different from before."
"Within this Taixuan Realm, the Taiyan Sect still calls the shots. The Alliance won't interfere."
"Think about it, the Immortal Alliance governs countless grotto-heavens and small worlds. One more or one less makes no difference to them."
"On the contrary, having access to things like the Alliance's Heavenly Treasure Catalog and the Tianxuan Mirror has made our daily cultivation much more convenient."
Sensing that Xu Bai seemed somewhat moved, they redoubled their efforts to persuade him.
They even took the initiative to act as guides, leading him on a tour to admire the scenery of their Taixuan small world.
Thousands of miles of fertile land stretched before them, inhabited by countless mortals.
Far in the distance, a city hovered among the clouds, suspended in the sky.
They could faintly make out the figures of many cultivators moving about within the city.
"The concentration of spiritual energy in this small world is no less than that of an ordinary region in the Xuanhuang Realm."
"To think you all managed to find such a fine place to take refuge back then..." Fang Zaiji said, his voice tinged with envy.
The Taiyan Sect disciples collectively froze for a moment.
It then dawned on them that the "back then" Fang Zaiji was referring to was the time when the calamity of incompatible cultivation laws descended.
"But of course. We excel in the art of deduction. It was only natural for us to find a sliver of life amidst the cataclysm."
In truth, judging by the age of these young disciples, they probably weren't clear on the events of that era themselves.
They were merely boasting to persuade Xu Bai to join their sect.
"Logically speaking, with such generous recruitment terms, your Taiyan Sect shouldn't be lacking for people. Why did you all rush over the moment you saw me...?"
Xu Bai asked deliberately, "Could it really be because I'm handsome?"
The Taiyan Sect disciples exchanged glances before a slightly older cultivator finally answered Xu Bai's question.
"Our Taiyan Sect doesn't just accept anyone. The most important criterion is to match one of the facial profiles provided by the Transformation Dao Stone Mother."
After briefly explaining what the Transformation Dao Stone Mother was, he continued, "According to the Stone Mother's deductions, cultivators who match these profiles are destined to become the future pillars of our sect, the great talents who will revive the Taiyan Sect's glory, or even the peerless leaders who will guide us through crises..."
"In short, it brings a hundred benefits and not a single harm. It is never wrong!"
They spoke with absolute certainty, their trust in the Transformation Dao Stone Mother's deductions unshakeable.
"Oh? This Stone Mother is truly that miraculous? I wonder, could I see it in person?" Xu Bai asked, following their line of conversation.
"As long as you join our Taiyan Sect, you'll be able to meet the Stone Mother in person. And you might even get a chance for a 'simulation'!" the middle-aged cultivator promised, patting his chest.
"A simulation?" Xu Bai's eyes narrowed.
Even Fang Zaiji was instantly captivated by the word.
"As I mentioned before, within the Transformation Dao Stone Mother exists another, almost real world of deduction. If you gain its approval, you can use its power to create a virtual world tailored specifically for you."
"In this virtual world, you will experience everything you are about to face."
"While we can't guarantee it's one hundred percent accurate, having that foresight is enough to help anyone who undergoes the simulation avoid many pitfalls."
The middle-aged cultivator's tone was filled with envy.
"It's a pity I failed the test last time and lost a once-in-a-century opportunity."
"Are you saying," Fang Zaiji asked, his voice laced with astonishment, "that this Transformation Dao Stone Mother has actually developed its own consciousness?"
(End of Chapter)
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