Chapter 354 - 352: Copper Plate Divine Calculation

Chapter 354: Chapter 352: Copper Plate Divine Calculation

After the Core Formation True Men, Bai Zichen found the few Foundation Establishment Cultivators who followed to be worth a second look.

These individuals were either representatives of Cultivation Families or accomplished Loose Cultivators from various circles.

To have been selected from a group that even included Core Formation True Men was proof enough of their value.

For example, the clan of the man who had just left had specialized in the path of the Earth Master for generations, establishing their own unique school of thought.

Every generation of their clan produced at least one Tier Three Earth Master.

Among the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, the path of the Earth Master wasn’t the most obscure, but it was almost never practiced by Loose Cultivators.

It was almost exclusively passed down through clan inheritance, from father to son.

They could survey the Earth Veins of mountains and rivers, determine the circulation of the earth’s energy, and create geomantically blessed lands.

The most direct benefit was that an Array Master’s efficiency would double when setting up a Tier Three Grand Array if an Earth Master was present to assist.

An experienced Earth Master could also gather nature’s spiritual energy by making fine adjustments to the Earth Veins.

Unlike professions such as Alchemy and Artifact Refining, which provided an immediate boost to one’s power, this skill did not. Consequently, even many Nascent Soul Major Sects didn’t bother to specifically cultivate such talent.

The Zhang Family wanted to become a Cultivation Family affiliated with the Qingfeng Sect, offering their Earth Master services to the Sect.

However, when Bai Zichen hinted at the Qingfeng Sect’s lack of an Earth Master inheritance, the representative dodged the question, refusing to give a straight answer.

At this, Bai Zichen lost all interest in further conversation and politely showed him the door.

The Qingfeng Sect would never stoop to forcibly seizing another’s inheritance. However, thinking they could find sanctuary in the turbulent Cultivation Realm merely by offering the services of a Tier Three Earth Master was far too naive.

Just because the Qingfeng Sect refrained from plunder and adhered to principles of fairness, it did not mean others could see them as a pushover.

’Be just, but not to the point of being taken for a fool.’

The last Foundation Establishment Cultivator to enter was so emaciated that his Daoist Robe hung loosely on his skeletal frame. With bleary, sleepy eyes, he staggered into the room.

"Wang Huacun of the Copper Plate Sect, pays his respects to Master Bai."

The man dropped to his knees in a deep kowtow, pressing his forehead to the floor and not daring to look up.

"The Copper Plate Sect... I hear you possess the skill of Copper Plate Divine Calculation. Can you truly know the past and future, and divine the principles governing all things?"

Bai Zichen sized him up for a moment. This Sect was one he had specially picked from a long list.

Wang Huacun’s cultivation was only at the Early-Stage of Foundation Establishment. His so-called Copper Plate Sect consisted of a mere ten or so disciples, all living in a Daoist Temple with a livelihood barely better than that of Loose Cultivators.

The Daoist Temple generated no income on its own. Their entire revenue came from performing physiognomy, divination, fortune-telling, and dream interpretation for other Cultivators.

He had a considerable following among Loose Cultivators, many of whom believed that Wang Huacun, nicknamed "King Copper Coin," possessed genuine abilities.

Regarding Divine Calculation Skills, Bai Zichen had previously only heard of the Celestial Secret Sect in Beiyuan. They were famous for their Qi Observation Skill, also dabbled in the Path of Deduction, and were a Vassal Sect of the Tianhe Sword Sect.

This kind of Divine Inference was really not much different from a shot in the dark. An ordinary person might guess correctly once in several hundred or a thousand tries, but after cultivating it, the success rate could be raised to one in a hundred.

Therefore, more reputable sects never dared to boast of their accomplishments in Divine Inference. They would only claim to be skilled in arts like Qi observation, physiognomy, or bone reading.

Even Nascent Soul True Monarchs who specialized in this path didn’t dare to boast they could guarantee success, as it ultimately involved the Destiny Path.

Alongside time and space, it was one of the supreme Great Daos, something no ordinary Cultivator could ever hope to touch.

"You’re too kind, I’m just trying to make a living... But my sect’s Copper Plate Divine Calculation is indeed a legacy from an Upper Realm Immortal. Nothing is beyond its calculations."

The moment Wang Huacun heard Master Bai ask about his signature skill, he perked up and began to boast incessantly.

"I don’t mean to brag before a True Man, but a past patriarch of my sect once performed a divination for a Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Central Domain! That great personage praised him as being ’infallibly accurate’!"

"Oh? But according to my records, the Copper Plate Sect was founded by your master less than two hundred years ago," Bai Zichen said slowly. "I’m quite curious. Which Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Central Domain visited the Liang Country back then and gave your Copper Plate Sect such a glowing review?"

"Forgive me, Master Bai! This lowly one had a slip of the tongue and just repeated my usual spiel..."

Wang Huacun’s face went pale. He kowtowed in rapid succession, shocked that the Qingfeng Sect’s investigation had been so thorough.

An obscure little Sect like the Copper Plate Sect, located all the way in Yongzhou, had been investigated down to the last detail.

When he was invited into the inner hall, Wang Huacun’s first thought was that the Copper Plate Sect was about to strike it rich. He actually had a chance to latch onto a powerful patron.

He had been walking on air, and when questioned, he couldn’t stop himself from spouting the same lines he used on ordinary Cultivators.

At worst, this could be considered an attempt to deceive and swindle a Core Formation True Man.

"My master found the Copper Plate Divine Calculation at the edge of the Sea of Suffering while traveling after he reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. Since he had no other special skills, he made it his livelihood. He found a Tier Two Spirit Land, built a Daoist Temple, and settled down."

Anxiously, Wang Huacun took out a mottled, cyan green Square-Hole Copper Coin and respectfully presented it with both hands, holding it above his head.

"This is the item my master obtained from the Sea of Suffering. It records the cultivation method for the Copper Plate Divine Calculation... I am willing to present it to the Upper Sect. All I ask is a chance for my disciples to survive, to allow us to join the Qingfeng Sect and offer our skills."

The invitation list for the Nascent Soul Ceremony naturally wouldn’t have a tiny Sect like the Copper Plate Sect on it.

Like the dozens of other powers, large and small, currently gathered at Black Mountain, they had heard the news and come of their own accord, submitting their requests for an audience in hopes of finding an opportunity.

The Copper Plate Sect had been the luckiest of the lot. They had caught Master Bai’s eye and, like a carp leaping the Dragon Sect’s gate, were granted an audience in the same batch as the Core Formation Level powers.

When Wang Huacun arrived, he had inquired about the Qingfeng Sect again, spending a small number of Spirit Stones to get the most accurate news from the local Loose Cultivators of Black Mountain.

He had learned that the Qingfeng Sect allowed entire sects to defect to them. After surrendering their heritage and teachings, all their members could become Cultivators of the Qingfeng Sect.

The Copper Plate Sect was far off in Yongzhou, and with only a handful of members, the title of "Vassal Sect of Qingfeng Sect" would be of little use.

In addition, since his master’s death, Wang Huacun had single-handedly shouldered the burden of running the Copper Plate Sect. The mental and physical toll had long since become unbearable.

In a sect with a history of barely more than a hundred years, there weren’t any disciples who would raise hell and weep to the heavens over their heritage being severed.

’An inheritance from the Sea of Suffering, how interesting...’

Bai Zichen reached out, and the Cyan Green Copper Coin flew into his palm. It was thin and seemed unremarkable.

But the fact that it came from the Endless Sea of Suffering was what made it extraordinary.

Beyond the Endless Sea of Suffering was the unknown Bitter Cold and Desolate Land, where the mysterious Naihe Sect was located.

’It’s divided into three layers: the first for finding objects, the second for finding people, and the third for finding spirits... But to have to input so many parameters only to get such a broad result... the difference between this and the legendary Divine Calculation is just too vast.’

The Cyan Green Copper Coin had been through Refining. It was a vessel for storing information, similar to a Jade Scroll, except it could preserve its contents for much longer.

Inside was recorded the complete Copper Plate Divine Calculation. It wasn’t complex; the entire text for all three layers added up to just over a thousand characters.

Unlike profound and esoteric Cultivation Techniques such as the Daoist Classic Cantongqi, the entire text was simple and easy to understand. Yet, every word was precious, with not a single one being superfluous.

A quick scan was all it took for him to completely understand the effects of cultivating the Copper Plate Divine Calculation.

The first layer could be cultivated at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the second layer at the Core Formation Realm, and the final layer could only be attempted at the Nascent Soul Stage.

Once mastered, if he wanted to find Su Li for example, he would only need to activate the Magic Formulas and input as much of her personal information and birth details as possible to obtain a more targeted result.

However, even the best and most detailed result could only pinpoint the target’s location to within a hundred-li radius.

If the information given was broad, the Copper Plate Divine Calculation could only provide a vaguer direction, like "to the southeast."

"For a Divine Inference technique, getting a result like this is already excellent..."

Wang Huacun carefully raised his head and said softly.

"You may not know this, Master Bai, but we Cultivators of this type are often called ’charlatans.’ We have our own private circles... I’ve had dealings with several Core Formation Sects, like the Celestial Secret Sect and the Divine Number Sect, and their Inference Techniques are even more ridiculous."

"Take the Divine Number Sect’s Nine Wus Divine Number. It’s capable of divining that a person standing right in front of you is actually in the Central Domain. You might not get a single correct answer in ten attempts... Of course," he added hastily, "in terms of precision, the Nine Wus Divine Number is a step above the Copper Plate Divine Calculation. When it works, it can pinpoint the subject’s exact location."

’A hundred-li radius versus a precise point, and you call that ’a step above’?’

Bai Zichen kept his sarcastic thoughts to himself. Still, if that blasted Nine Wus Divine Number only needed tens or hundreds of attempts to guess correctly once, it could still be incredibly effective.

The application he envisioned was to train hundreds of Cultivators proficient in the Nine Wus Divine Number and have them all perform the divination simultaneously, which would raise the probability of success to its absolute limit.

In comparison, the Copper Plate Divine Calculation was like casually drawing a circle on a map, but at least it wouldn’t circle the wrong place.

Considering this would be his—and the Qingfeng Sect’s—first Divine Calculation Skill, it was worth bringing them into the fold.

"Go back and bring all your disciples to Black Mountain. Someone will teach you the rules of the Qingfeng Sect... However, with your cultivation, I’m afraid you won’t qualify for an Elder’s position. You should be mentally prepared for that."

A somewhat famous charlatan who mastered a Divine Inference technique, in terms of difficulty and rarity, could be considered as valuable as a Tier Three Talisman Master.

In the past, the Qingfeng Sect would have been desperate to recruit such a person, and would have even offered his disciples preferential treatment.

But now, he seemed unremarkable, and would even struggle to compete for an Elder’s position.

As for the impact of the Copper Plate Sect’s cultivators joining, there was no need to worry.

A small group whose leader was only at the Early-Stage of Foundation Establishment would be quickly assimilated after joining the Qingfeng Sect—a Sect with a Nascent Soul True Monarch at its helm and nearly ten thousand disciples.

In a few years, they would be proud to be from the Qingfeng Sect and would have forgotten all about the original Copper Plate Sect.

Even if a few of these disciples who joined with their skills had ulterior motives, in the context of the entire Sect, they would be a drop in the ocean and unable to cause any trouble.

The layers of vetting during promotions would eventually weed them out anyway.

"How could I dare dream of becoming an Elder? To be even a dog of the Qingfeng Sect would be infinitely better than my old life..."

Before leaving, Wang Huacun added one more thing. It was unclear if he had just thought of it, or if he was only willing to say it after confirming he could join the Qingfeng Sect.

"If Master Bai is interested in the minor art of Divine Calculation, you can use this Copper Coin when performing the Copper Plate Divine Calculation. The answers will be more precise."