Peace Order
Chapter 188 - 99: The Arrival of the Breaking Army Divine Weapon!_2

Chapter 188: Chapter 99: The Arrival of the Breaking Army Divine Weapon!_2

Li Guanyi clasped his fist, silent for a long time.

Perhaps a person who has experienced many trials and tribulations would choose to accept the Qilin’s kindness in silence, then lie low, leave, and live a good life, using this strength to make a name for themselves. But if he did that, he would no longer be a young man.

He released his hand.

Determined to meet the Qilin.

Li Guanyi pondered deeply and began to write down all the variations of the Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Formation he had memorized.

Planning to seek Elder Zu’s guidance at the Taoist temple tomorrow.

Despite studying the "Imperial Pole Worldly Scripture" for such a brief time, and even with teaching from Zu Wenyuan, the foremost in mathematical strategies, he was unable to fully grasp it. Being able to glimpse the location of the Qilin Palace within the imperial palace and then come into contact with the Qilin was already an extraordinary display of exceptional talent.

He wrote many variations in one breath, mixing in his own understanding.

While recording these variations, Li Guanyi’s own comprehension of the formation deepened. When he finished writing, the stars in the sky had already begun to fade. The youth tossed the brush aside and looked at the table full of formation diagrams, slumping forward over the table.

The Qilin, power.

And the matter of his parents, whether foreign powers were truly involved.

Li Guanyi’s mind was filled with these thoughts; it took a long time before he finally fell asleep. The next day, he rose early to wash and had no interest in watching the selection of the Imperial Guards among the children of those with military merit. Instead, he rode a fast horse, bought some steamed buns along the way, and ate as he hurried to the Taoist temple to find Zu Wenyuan.

Elder Zu was flipping through scrolls.

Li Guanyi stepped forward to greet him and recounted all the variations he had encountered the day before.

Then he sat quietly, his eyes lowered to the ripples in the tea on the cup. He was somewhat worried that Elder Zu might notice something amiss and was about to speak when Zu Wenyuan, looking through the scroll, showed a trace of surprise, then smiled and said,

"Not bad, not bad. I didn’t expect you, Guanyi, to have such an insight into this formation."

Li Guanyi said, "Aren’t you the foremost in mathematical strategies under Heaven—can’t you calculate it?"

The old man laughed and said, "Divine ability falls short of desire. What I can calculate is just the good and the bad, who benefits and who suffers, that’s all. I don’t have the capacity to do much more. However, Guanyi, it’s these variations you’ve brought me..."

"Clever and astute, almost as if you’ve truly seen the Qilin Formation for yourself."

"When I first came across this formation, I only thought a little bit more than you did."

Zu Wenyuan smiled warmly.

This foremost expert in mathematical strategies and Taoist Sacrificial Officer had a warm and clear gaze. Although he was already old with white hair, his eyes were as peaceful as a child’s. The Taoist Sacrificial Officer, whose rank was only below the two innate Taoist leaders, didn’t practice martial arts and even lacked the ability to fight.

He possessed the power to see through all things, now just smiling gently.

His eyes showed not a ripple, tranquil and clear, comforting him by saying,

"In the world of arts and numbers, everything is possible."

"With your great talents, Guanyi, you could deduce the entire formation."

"It’s only natural that you could discern these things."

"But well..."

The elder immediately raised a finger to point at a spot on the formation map drawn by Li Guanyi and said with a gentle smile,

"Look, here, and here, you’ve still made errors in your deduction. It’s not twenty-six variations, but twenty-eight. If you mess up here, it would lead to a variety of other variations. However, within the formation, vitality changes, and such variations also have other solutions."

"If the formation only displayed twenty-six variations, it would mean the formation itself had seven nodes with issues. If this is not due to the incompetence of the formation master, then the master must have a divided heart."

"Such a situation would not occur in reality."

"Right, how could there be seven intentionally hidden nodes?"

"It doesn’t make sense."

"Let me explain the proper solution to you."

"Of course, this goes a bit beyond the ’Imperial Pole Worldly Scripture’."

The old man smiled and asked,

"Would you be willing to spend some more time listening to this old man’s chatter?"

Li Guanyi thought about how the elder had sent him to the Vermilion Bird Gate to deliver the scroll, which had led to meeting Yuwen Lie, the White Tiger’s promotion, and the Emperor allowing him to attend the palace banquet; he had a faint guess.

So he straightened his clothes, composed himself, and bowed deeply saying,

"Please accept me as your student."

Zu Wenyuan’s expression was taken aback.

The old man let out a wry smile, extended his hand to lift the young man who had seized the opportunity as soon as he saw it, propping him up, and lightly tapped the youth’s head, half laughing and half crying, "You, you, why are you slicker than anyone else?"

"See, can’t the old man even calculate that?"

"It shows that mathematical strategies can’t do everything."

"Go diligently study your Qi Observation Skill. Do you really want to become a Taoist just like that?"

That day, the elder taught Li Guanyi about formations.

But even these variations did not exhaust the changes of the Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Formation, and this was but a formation that Si Wei had created at over thirty years old. This madman who claimed he would erect a Great Formation that would envelop the Nine Provinces was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime genius.

Li Guanyi felt as if he had been doing advanced mathematics final exam questions for several hours in a row.

His head bloated, he stretched out his hand to massage the center of his brow.

Elder Zu seemed to know his condition, stopped his explanation, and kindly said, "You should go. If you continue on, I’m afraid you won’t remember anything. In the way of civil and military arts, there must be relaxation as well as tension. This art of numbers naturally follows the same principle."