Bashan Jijiu dumped him in front of the Liuhé Hall and turned to leave, afraid Qin Mu would keep nagging and pull him into the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Qin Mu said grumpily, "Sooner or later I'll make you join."
The national academy's instructor in the Liuhé Hall was Master Hongfa, highly respected and a Buddhist, who had been teaching here since the establishment of the Imperial Academy.
Qin Mu walked into the Liuhé Hall. It was still early, and no students had arrived to listen to the lecture, but the old master was already in the hall, cleaning, wiping it spotless.
When the bell rang and the students filed into the hall, Master Hongfa began her lecture in a leisurely manner. "Liuhé—what is Liuhé? Heaven, Earth, the four directions—this is Liuhé. The Liuhé Divine Treasure resides within our bodies. To break the wall, one must first determine the orientation of the Liuhé Wall. How to determine it? Calculation is required. Yesterday, I asked you to review the Liuhé algorithms. Have you reviewed them?"
Qin Mu blinked and looked around the hall, seeing over thirty students present, including Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and Si Yunxiang.
Then he spotted Ban Gongcuo.
Ban Gongcuo was not listening to the lecture; instead, he had his eyes closed, attempting to break through the wall.
Master Hongfa spoke slowly, "A person standing on flat ground can easily determine north, south, east, west, up, and down. But how do we determine the north, south, east, west, up, and down of the world within the human body? We use the Spirit Womb Divine Treasure to determine up and down—the Spirit Womb's head is heaven, and the feet stand on the earth. Once up and down are determined, we must establish the cardinal directions, which requires the positioning of the Five Luminaries Divine Treasure's stars."
"You have all studied the Ten Calculation Classics. The Ten Calculation Classics are used to determine the Five Luminaries stars. To derive the north, south, east, and west of the inner world from the Five Luminaries stars requires the Liuhé algorithms. Now, let us examine page seventeen of the Liuhé Calculation Sutra—the Meridian-to-South Algorithm."
Qin Mu was glancing around when suddenly someone poked him from behind. He turned to see Si Yunxiang, the Heavenly Demon Cult's saintess, her pearly teeth biting her red lips, whispering, "Last night I saw the Cult Master drag three girls back to his room."
"Where?" Qin Mu denied flatly.
Si Yunxiang whispered, "One of them is the Seventh Princess."
Qin Mu's face flushed. "Saintess, don't slander me and ruin my innocence. Lend me your Liuhé Calculation Sutra—it's my first time here, and I don't have a book."
"This is a sacred classroom—no whispering allowed!"
Master Hongfa slammed the table and shouted, "You two—out! Stand in the corner!"
Si Yunxiang grabbed the Liuhé Calculation Sutra and walked out of the hall with Qin Mu. Leaning against the wall, she handed him the sutra, smiling, "The Cult Master is obsessed with beauty. Be careful not to end up like Cult Master Li."
Qin Mu opened the sutra, seeing many formulas listed, algorithms derived from the Ten Calculation Classics, used to determine the precise cardinal directions based on calculations of the Five Luminaries stars.
Master Hongfa was discussing the Meridian-to-South Algorithm on page seventeen, which could determine the south. Once the south was determined, east, west, and north could all be established. Drawing a vertical line would then reveal the most accurate orientation of the Liuhé Wall within the human body.
Everyone is unique, so the specific positions of each person's Five Luminaries Divine Treasure differ. The Five Luminaries Divine Treasure is precisely the foundation for determining the Liuhé Divine Treasure, so the positions of everyone's Liuhé Divine Treasure vary somewhat. Precise calculation is required, with no room for error.
Before long, Qin Mu had read through the Liuhé Calculation Sutra. The sutra used the Five-Element Quintal System and the Liuhé Hexal System, requiring conversion of the quintal calculations of the Five Luminaries stars into the hexal system, followed by computation.
Qin Mu was stunned, suddenly recalling the guidance of the Heavenly Demon King.
The Heavenly Demon King had once said that the octal system in the Grand Mystery Calculation Sutra could be calculated using the Eight Trigrams as a computational tool. Qin Mu suddenly realized this, comprehending the other computational tools in the Grand Mystery Calculation Sutra. The Grand Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate contained the Yin-Yang binary, the Four Symbols quaternary, and the Eight Trigrams octal.
However, adding the Five-Element quintal and Liuhé hexal systems would make this computational tool quite complex.
"The State Preceptor of Yankang says the Four Great Spiritual Bodies are not the Five Elements; rather, each spiritual body encompasses the Five Elements. That is to say, the Four Great Spiritual Bodies—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—are the Four Symbols in the Grand Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate!"
Qin Mu suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment. The Four Symbols—each encompassing the Five Elements—different arrangements of the Five Elements form the Symbols!
In other words, the Five-Element quintal operations could calculate the changes of the Four Symbols, thus creating a quintal-to-quaternary computational tool.
And the Liuhé could use the Four Symbols to determine north, south, east, and west, and Yin-Yang to determine up and down. Thus, a computational tool for Liuhé was established.
"This means I can soon calculate the position of the Liuhé Divine Treasure's wall!"
Qin Mu returned the Liuhé Calculation Sutra to Si Yunxiang. He extended both hands, placing his right palm over his left, then pulling them apart vertically. His qi threads immediately formed a strange Grand Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate, encompassing Yin-Yang, the Four Symbols, and within the Four Symbols, the Five Elements.
Qin Mu worked with enthusiasm, pulling his hands apart again. Layer after layer of the Grand Diagram of the Five Elements split apart, each performing calculations in orderly fashion.
Si Yunxiang stared in surprise at the constantly changing patterns before him, then quickly said, "How are you calculating this? It's different from what Master Hongfa taught! Let me copy it!"
Qin Mu calculated rapidly, multitasking as he shared his insights with her.
Si Yunxiang's eyes grew brighter and brighter. She too was exceptionally talented and soon grasped the intricacies, praising, "This method is superior. The method in the Liuhé Calculation Sutra is too cumbersome—it takes a month or two to compute the result, and errors are easy to make. With your method, mistakes are impossible, and the calculation can be done in at most one or two hours!"
Qin Mu laughed, "The Grand Diagram, Four Symbols, Five Elements, Liuhé, and Eight Trigrams are computational tools meant for calculation."
Now, when he looked at the Grand Mystery Calculation Sutra again, all difficulties seemed to dissolve, and his heart felt at ease. However, to master the Transmission Divine Ability, the Grand Mystery Calculation Sutra alone was likely insufficient.
Master Hongfa continued lecturing in the hall. Time passed slowly until finally, Qin Mu was the first to determine the position of his Liuhé Divine Treasure, located somewhere in his dantian, connecting heaven and earth.
The dantian, also called the lower dantian, is where the Liuhé resides. Daoists call it the Imperial Court. The middle dantian is the heart chamber, called the Crimson Palace. The upper dantian is between the eyebrows; Daoists call it the Spirit Platform, and Buddhists call it Fangcun Mountain.
Having determined the position of his Crimson Palace, Qin Mu immediately gathered all his qi and charged toward the Liuhé Wall!
Qin Mu's cultivation was already far superior to his peers. This time, gathering all his qi in one surge, he struck the Liuhé Wall, which instantly cracked all over.
A roaring sound like ocean waves echoed from within his body. Qin Mu surged his qi for a second strike, the roar growing louder, like angry waves splitting the shore, great swells crashing against clouds, each sound louder and fiercer than the last, each strike of Qin Mu's qi more violent!
Crash! His Liuhé Wall suddenly shattered, a large breach appearing.
Qin Mu continued to surge his qi, striking at the remaining wall, widening the breach.
Inside the Liuhé Hall, Master Hongfa and the students all heard the sound of Qin Mu's qi impact, each showing expressions of astonishment.
"Imperial Scholar!"
Master Hongfa hurried out, saying, "If you haven't calculated the precise position of the Liuhé Wall and recklessly break through, you could die!"
Her words had just fallen when a thunderous boom suddenly echoed from within Qin Mu, as if heaven and earth were splitting apart. Qin Mu's cultivation instantly soared!
The Liuhé Wall broke!
The Liuhé Divine Treasure opened!
At that moment, a similar boom also came from the Liuhé Hall—it was Ban Gongcuo's Liuhé Divine Treasure opening successfully. But now, all the students and Master Hongfa's attention had been drawn to Qin Mu, so no one noticed him.
Ban Gongcuo's aura was also growing more powerful, his eyes flickering as he rose from his meditation cushion and looked toward the hall's exit.
Master Hongfa stood stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Imperial Scholar, close all the divine treasures in your body and then try to break through them all at once!"
Qin Mu took a deep breath, closing his Spirit Womb Divine Treasure, Five Luminaries Divine Treasure, and Liuhé Divine Treasure completely. Then, with a low shout, three locations—Spirit Platform, Crimson Palace, and Imperial Court—each emitted a thunderous sound, three sounds in total. The three great divine treasures opened, and Qin Mu's aura surged!
"He really opened the Liuhé Divine Treasure!"
Master Hongfa exclaimed in admiration, glancing at Si Yunxiang beside her, who was also attempting to break through the Liuhé Wall, having evidently found its precise location as well.
She had driven these two whispering youths out of the hall, never imagining that in such a short time, they would both find the Liuhé Wall, with one even breaking through successfully in a single surge, becoming a divine ability user of the Liuhé realm!
Master Hongfa pressed her palms together and said, "Cult... Imperial Scholar, you seem to possess a secret method to calculate the position of the Liuhé Wall, faster than my Liuhé Calculation Sutra. I wonder if you would share it."
Qin Mu smiled, "You flatter me, Master. My abilities are humble, and I wouldn't dare show off before everyone. But I have had some insights and am willing to share them with you and the students."
Master Hongfa was delighted and immediately invited him into the hall, announcing to the students, "Today, the Imperial Scholar will give you a lesson. Imperial Scholar, please!"
Qin Mu looked toward Ban Gongcuo at the back of the hall and smiled, "The prince from beyond the Great Wall, Ban Gongcuo, has also broken through the Liuhé Wall to become a divine ability user. Would you care to share your insights?"
Everyone turned to look. Ban Gongcuo shook his head, "I am but a barbarian from beyond the Great Wall. I wouldn't dare show off. Cult Master Qin, please."
Qin Mu narrowed his eyes slightly and explained his computational techniques to the hall. Master Hongfa was both amazed and pleased, seizing the opportunity to ask numerous questions, extracting more secrets from his methods, leaving the hall's students entranced.
After a long while, Qin Mu finished explaining his techniques. The students in the hall each experimented, trying to master this computational method. But with varying intelligence and comprehension, not everyone could grasp it.
"Imperial Scholar, with your computational technique, I can now rewrite the Liuhé Calculation Sutra," Master Hongfa said with a smile. "I wonder if you would be willing to co-author it?"
Qin Mu said solemnly, "This is a benevolent act that will benefit generations to come. If I can co-author it, I would naturally be willing. But my name must be written as 'Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult, Qin Mu.'"
Master Hongfa's face darkened. She thought to herself, "He is the Heavenly Demon Cult Master. If my name is listed alongside his, wouldn't that make me part of the demonic path? Ah, I am attached to appearances again. To be listed alongside the Heavenly Demon Cult Master is actually a honor."
Qin Mu looked toward Ban Gongcuo and smiled, "Young prince, you and I broke through almost simultaneously, entering the Liuhé realm as divine ability users. As the saying goes, timing and circumstance align—it's rare for our realms to be the same. Why don't we spar a little?"
Ban Gongcuo shook his head, "Cult Master Qin jests. I came here to learn."
Qin Mu smiled, "To learn? Perfect. I have here a set of blade techniques, said to have been created by the Heaven Blade. Would you like to learn them?"
Ban Gongcuo's eyebrows rose, his gaze fixed on Qin Mu. Suddenly, countless wailing and howling sounds filled Qin Mu's ears!