Chapter 744: The Opening of the Second Debate Goes Awry

“Of course, the Sect decided them. The Array Department doesn’t have that kind of authority. It was a joint decision by the Sect’s four core departments.” As he spoke, Fang Qing snuck a glance around the room before continuing, “However, these debate topics are suggestions our Array Department put forth after years of careful consideration.”

Zhang Deming stared blankly for a moment, then gave Fang Qing a speechless look. “Don’t give me that spiel,” he said. “Besides, kissing up to the other departments right in front of me isn’t a particularly smart move.”

“Er…” Fang Qing froze, trying to salvage the situation. “I mean…”

“That’s enough. I didn’t call you here to have you kiss my ass!” Zhang Deming cut him off.

Fang Qing stopped and said respectfully, “Please, Master, speak.”

Zhang Deming asked, “You said the Array Department spent years researching these topics. In that case, is our second topic—the conference’s fourth topic overall—about calculation?”

Fang Qing looked puzzled. “No, the fourth topic is the Artifact Dao. The current topic is already about the fundamentals of the Array Dao. Why would we continue with that?”

‘Just as I thought!’

Hearing Fang Qing’s reply, Zhang Deming’s expression darkened. He shook his head. “You have to understand, just because calculation and storage are a single discipline in our Array Dao, it doesn’t mean they are in the Celestial Universe’s.”

Fang Qing was taken aback again. After mulling over Zhang Deming’s words, he seemed to realize something, and his expression also fell. He then asked in confusion, “That can’t be right. In the big data Magic Books they gave us, the two are treated as a single path.”

Zhang Deming shook his head. “The fundamentals of our Hongmeng Array Dao don’t distinguish between calculation and storage because our side has never even begun to develop the path of calculation arrays. Everything is manually controlled by a person, done through Brain Calculation.

“The Celestial Universe Array Dao, on the other hand… their path of code and networks makes up half of their world. In a field that prosperous, every discipline is highly specialized.

“Their fundamentals are split into two parts: calculation and storage. And what topic do we choose to debate? Storage! Our Array Dao has always focused on developing storage, while they’ve focused on calculation.

“Their storage… forget physical space, they haven’t even made a breakthrough in creating a virtual space with techniques, alright?

“Their storage is on par with our array calculation—both are utterly primitive. And now you’ve set up a debate on the one thing we’re masters of and they’re completely clueless about.

“This… how is this supposed to be learning from them? You’re practically gift-wrapping our knowledge and handing it over!”

The few bigwigs nearby might not have grasped the technical details of what Zhang Deming was saying, but they understood the gist of it. One by one, their brows furrowed.

Because he followed the Tracking Dao, which dealt with information, and was also a Four Symbols Cultivator, Dang Xiangjun had some understanding of the Celestial Universe Federation’s affairs. After hearing Zhang Deming’s words, his frown deepened.

He looked at Zhang Deming and asked, “So, you believe our entire approach for this first debate was wrong from the start?”

Zhang Deming shook his head. “I wouldn’t say it’s completely wrong. The main objective was correct, it’s just that your aim was off. Well, quite a bit off. You’re just making it easy for them to gain experience at our expense.”

Dang Xiangjun’s brow was tightly furrowed. He looked at Fang Qing, who was standing there completely stunned, unsure how to respond. Dang Xiangjun’s expression soured as he commanded, “Go get Fang Jixiang!”

Fang Jixiang was the Three Talents Ancestor of the Fang Family, the head of the Array Department, and barely a Four-Star Array Cultivator.

This was a once-in-a-millennium conference, and the Sect had given the Array Department nearly every opportunity to shine. This enormous concession wasn’t the result of a trade-off between departments, but a direct order from the top brass, who wanted to see the Array Department finally accomplish something significant.

Given the circumstances, to be suddenly told that their opening shot had missed the mark entirely… as a Supreme Elder, the fact that he wasn’t immediately berating someone was a testament to his considerable Qi Cultivation Skill.

The moment Zhang Deming mentioned that calculation and storage were separate, Fang Qing understood the gravity of the situation. He was completely dumbfounded, his mind filled with a single thought: ‘We’re screwed.’

Hearing Dang Xiangjun’s command, he stared blankly for a second before snapping out of it. “Ah, um, oh, I…”

Before he could finish speaking, Spiritual Power surged beside him, and the figure of a middle-aged man materialized. The figure was somewhat translucent.

The newcomer was none other than Fang Jixiang. After his ethereal form materialized, he bowed toward the head seat and said, “Master, I truly cannot get away at the moment.”

“Did you hear all of that?” Dang Xiangjun asked, frowning.

The middle-aged man, Fang Jixiang, fell silent for a moment before nodding. “Junior Brother Zhang went out of his way to summon someone; I wouldn’t dare ignore it.”

“How did you all decide on this? How could you make such a massive blunder?” Dang Xiangjun’s tone was now laced with blame.

Fang Jixiang looked helpless. “The disciples truly did their best. Ten years ago, the Array Department began to devote all its resources to studying the Daoist Skill books provided by the Celestial Universe Federation.

“But their Dao… that’s not a Dao at all…

“It’s not just that theirs is a different system from ours—it’s not even the same kind of thing. Rather than a Dao, it’s more like a branch of mortal learning, a completely self-contained academic discipline.

“To avoid any issues and ensure we could keep up with their mindset, I didn’t just have every disciple in the Array Department participate in the research. I even took some of our clan’s children and had them start their education with the Celestial Universe’s network Dao!

“I was willing to risk sacrificing an entire generation of my Fang Family just to understand this Array Dao of the Celestial Universe. All for this conference, and for the possibility of establishing the path of Rune Life within our Sect.

“We spent a full five years just on that. Only then did we begin to even approach the discussion of the debate topics. Deliberating with the entire clan and all departments took another five years.”