Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Discerning the Changes Between Heaven and Man, a Startling Revelation!
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At the same time Ji Xiong ying was having his 'fortuitous encounter', Lu Yang had already arrived at the most prosperous area of Heavenly Capital City, the place with the highest concentration of martial artists.
The Grand Righteousness Academy.
This place, which held a volume of a celestial scripture and had pioneered the fourth step of the martial path, had now faintly surpassed both Daoism and Buddhism to become a sacred land of martial arts.
Yet, strangely, ever since pioneering the fourth step of the martial path and spreading the method throughout the world, the headmaster of the Grand Righteousness Academy, the 'Sage Heart Scholar' Wang Boyuan, had gradually vanished from public view. He became increasingly reclusive, to the point where now even the upper echelons of the academy found it difficult to see him.
"What a fine geomantic treasure land."
To avoid drawing attention, Lu Yang had dispersed his form, transforming into a mass of formless Qi, and was surveying the interior of the Grand Righteousness Academy with great interest.
In his view, this academy was a place where outstanding people and spiritual energy gathered.
Throughout all of Heavenly Capital City, only this place was overflowing with spiritual energy. Even an ordinary person, if they were to study here for a few years, would develop a bit of spiritual acuity and cleverness.
What was even more marvelous, however, was that this was not a work of nature, but of human hands. It included the overall layout of the academy, the position of every classroom, the placement of flowers, birds, fish, and insects, and various landscapes. It was as if the mortal world's "art of feng shui" had been sublimated, faintly resembling the prototype of a spirit-gathering formation!
Based on this point alone, Lu Yang knew that the 'Sage Heart Scholar' was definitely someone of substance.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang took a step and arrived directly at a study deep within the academy, preparing to meet this famous native.
Then, he was astonished by the sight within the study.
For the person in the study was not the handsome, feather-fan-wielding scholar he had imagined, but a disheveled man with unkempt hair and a dirty face, constantly drinking wine.
This was the 'Sage Heart Scholar'?
Just then, the disheveled man suddenly raised his head, his drunken eyes hazy as he looked toward Lu Yang's position. "I didn't expect to have an honored guest."
“...”
With a thought, Lu Yang reformed his body, transitioning from formless Qi to a tangible form. He cupped his hands in a salute to the disheveled man. "Lu Yang pays his respects to Fellow Daoist Wang."
"Boyuan pays his respects to the honored guest."
The disheveled man returned the salute, then dusted off his sleeves and stood up, exclaiming in admiration, "Your skills are extraordinary, honored guest. Your previous battle with the Prince Who Guards Martial Might, Changkong, left me utterly astonished. I almost believed an immortal had descended to the mortal realm... I just wonder, for what purpose have you sought me out?"
"I wish to discuss the way of Heaven and Man with you, Fellow Daoist."
Lu Yang got straight to the point. "The fourth step of the martial path is to discern the changes between Heaven and Man. Though I have some understanding, I have yet to grasp the essentials. I ask that you teach me, Fellow Daoist."
Wang Boyuan blinked upon hearing this. "With your abilities, you're also interested in the martial path?"
"The stones of another mountain can be used to polish one's own jade."
Lu Yang said calmly, "Are you willing to teach me, Fellow Daoist?"
At these words, Wang Boyuan burst out laughing. "A visitor is a guest, and you are an honored one at that. If you wish to learn, I will naturally tell you everything I know without reservation!"
"However, the way of Heaven and Man is one where a hundred flowers bloom. It is created by martial artists based on their understanding of Heaven and Earth and of themselves. Therefore, I cannot describe it to you in exhaustive detail. I can only briefly explain my personal method. If you have any doubts, you can go and ask the other Heaven-Man realm experts."
With that said, the two immediately sat down opposite each other.
"The fourth step of the martial path, I call it 'Discerning the Changes between Heaven and Man.' As the name suggests, it is about using one's own power to leverage the world, using human strength to glimpse heavenly secrets!"
"My 'Fortune-Gazing Art' is just like that. It contains the changes of the Three Powers."
"The Three Powers are Heaven, Earth, and Man. First, gaze upon Man to know their features. Then, gaze upon Earth to know its geomancy. Finally, gaze upon Heaven to know destiny! These three are interlinked!"
"From Man, gaze upon Earth. From Earth, gaze upon Heaven. From Heaven, gaze upon fortune... At my level, I can know the changes of the world without leaving my home. I can see the changes in the nation's fortune, where disasters will strike, where rebellions will arise, which officials are idle, and which salaried nobles compete with the common folk for profit. I can see most of it."
"Although there are still errors and omissions, I can be right seven or eight times out of ten..."
To Lu Yang's surprise, Wang Boyuan truly held nothing back, explaining the "Fortune-Gazing Art" in its entirety. Its transformations even touched upon karma!
Of course, this wasn't truly divining karma.
Strictly speaking, what Wang Boyuan did was merely "guessing." Therefore, he couldn't calculate specific details, only grasp the general idea and know about certain events.
But even so, it was astonishing enough!
How did he do it?
Faced with Lu Yang's question, Wang Boyuan shook his head. "To be honest with you, I simply had a moment of sudden inspiration one day. There was no clever trick to it."
"I see."
Lu Yang could only nod at this. The two then conversed for several more hours before he finally rose to take his leave, planning to visit the other Heaven-Man realm experts.
Meanwhile, within the Wei family residence.
The Yun Family Ancestor opened his Dharma Eye and silently witnessed the entire exchange between Lu Yang and Wang Boyuan. He then retracted his gaze, his expression unchanging.
"This devil is truly ignorant."
He had no interest in Wang Boyuan's enlightenment, because no one knew better than him that Wang Boyuan's insights were the result of him manipulating karma to make him comprehend them!
In any case, it wasn't something that could truly fathom karma, just a mortal's "method of guessing." The Yun Family Ancestor didn't care at all, sneering inwardly. "Discussing the Dao with these Heaven-Man experts? Does he want to take a fifth step based on my foundation and pull the martial path back to its proper course?"
Simply wishful thinking!
After all, he had manipulated karma to have Wang Boyuan create the fourth step of the martial path, raising the limit of martial arts to the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. This was already the absolute limit.
Because the next step up was Foundation Establishment!
And how could a method for Foundation Establishment be created by someone like Lu Yang? Thus, from the Yun Family Ancestor's perspective, Lu Yang's actions were nothing but pointless, wasted effort.
According to the Yun Family Ancestor's calculations, the current Heaven-Man method had already ruined Lu Yang's 'Sage's Theft' cultivation. To break the stalemate, the only way was to first kill all the Heaven-Man experts, then forbid their methods. And what he needed to do was kill Lu Yang's clone, forcing his true body to act personally.
In this way, Lu Yang would have fallen into the trap.
From this perspective, Wang Boyuan was merely a pawn of the Yun Family Ancestor.
And for a pawn, the Yun Family Ancestor naturally wouldn't have the slightest interest. As for what was astonishing in Lu Yang's eyes, it was not even worth mentioning in the eyes of the Yun Family Ancestor.
This included Lu Yang. Although the Yun Family Ancestor treated him with caution, he always harbored a sense of disdain in his heart.
Because in the end, they were just a group of mortals.
"With the 'Heaven-Scrutinizing Instrument' bestowed by the Sect Master, even a Foundation Establishment Perfected Being wouldn't be able to detect my presence. What waves can a mere mortal possibly make?"
After leaving the Grand Righteousness Academy, Lu Yang once again transformed into formless Qi, walking through the streets and alleys of Heavenly Capital City, carefully contemplating his recent exchange with Wang Boyuan.
"The Three Powers Fortune-Gazing Art..."
Thousands of miles away, Lu Yang's true body opened his eyes. A halo of light shone from behind his head as the Supreme Tenuosity Treasure Register operated, silently calculating the many changes in Heavenly Capital City.
The karmic feedback showed: everything was normal.
"Heavenly Capital City will be very stable for the next thirty years. There are no changes in karma, which is normal. After all, two martial path Heaven-Man experts are guarding it..."
Immediately after, Lu Yang suddenly changed his approach. He no longer calculated the karma of the entire Heavenly Capital City from a "macro" perspective. Instead, he adopted the thinking behind Wang Boyuan's 'Fortune-Gazing Art,' starting with the city's populace, calculating individual karma, and then reverse-deducing the karma of Heaven and Earth according to the changes of the Three Powers.
The reason for this was simply to verify the 'Fortune-Gazing Art.'
However, in the next second, Lu Yang was stunned.
"The breakfast stall on East Street, Wang Erniu's family of three... calculated with the Supreme Tenuosity Treasure Register and supplemented by the Fortune-Gazing Art, they should have been blessed with many descendants, yet there is a great calamity of violent death..."
"The patrolling constable from the Six Doors, Chen Qing... has a great calamity of violent death."
"Li Chengrong, a great calamity of violent death."
"Liu Xinshang, a great calamity of violent death."
Calamity! Calamity! Calamity!
Everyone, almost every single person Lu Yang saw in Heavenly Capital City was fated to suffer a great calamity of violent death, yet when zoomed out to the entire city, there was no change whatsoever!
How is this possible?
If the entire city's population truly faced a great calamity of violent death, then the whole of Heavenly Capital City would have long been shrouded in dark clouds. With my personality, I would have never come near it...
'...No, that's not right!'
In an instant, Lu Yang's pupils shrank!
One can see the significant from the insignificant. From man, one can calculate heaven. The calculation for one person might be wrong, but if it's the same for ten, a thousand, ten thousand people... then it is Heaven that is wrong!
"The secrets of heaven and karma have been obscured... Fucking hell, is there a Foundation Establishment Perfected Being in this secret realm trying to harm me!?"
(End of this chapter)