Techniques and Dao

Chapter 21 The Divine Calculation Game (1)

"The Divine Calculation Bureau..."

Hua Sheng recited these four words aloud and continued reading.

"Trial participants: thirty-six."

Hua Sheng was taken aback. A single candlelight battle, with the same number of candles as the number of participants, had eliminated so many, leaving only thirty-six contestants to advance to the second round!

He continued to look at the inscriptions carved on the cave wall:

Trial Rules:
1. When the last qualifier of the Candlelight Battle arrives, the Divine Calculation Game officially begins;
2. Participants must accurately write down the sum of the Heavenly Eye Trial numbers of all participants present and drop the number into the trial ring. Those with the correct number advance to the next round, while those with the incorrect number are eliminated.
Third, no participant may reveal their own identification number, nor may they convert their identification number into a substitute that can be guessed by others;

IV. Once any person's ID number is known to others during this trial, the ID number holder must immediately leave the competition. However, this rule does not apply if the ID number holder's appearance is unknown.
5. Spells may be used freely during the trial. However, offensive spells should be used only when the target is injured and must not harm other trial participants.

After reading these rules, Hua Sheng felt completely confused. What are the numbers? What is the sum? And the participants are not allowed to reveal these numbers to each other.

Looking again at the disciples chasing after Tianjizi, they instantly noticed something.

Each participant received a unique number upon registration. This number was only visible to the individual registering, and Hua Sheng clearly remembered his number as follows:

"991248".

But Taishang Xiaojun told him that this number was randomly generated and did not represent any meaning. That is to say, the number could be one or a million, and there was no pattern to it.

In the candlelight battle, this string of numbers served no purpose. But in the mental calculation game, each person's number became the most important clue.

The problem is that no one should know anyone else's number except themselves. Although some people might share their numbers before the competition, the Candlelight Battle indicates there are over three thousand participants, making it impossible for anyone to know everyone's number. Knowing only a few people's numbers would be useless in the Divine Calculation Trial.

How would the winner then deduce the sum of the numbers of all the people in the cave?
Furthermore, even if you convince everyone to share their ID number, it won't work. Rule Three clearly states that once you disclose your ID number to someone else, you must leave the room.

What should we do?

But why is everyone chasing Tianjizi, trying to stop him from throwing the paper into the sparkling ring? Does Tianjizi already know the sum of everyone's numbers?
Thinking of this, Hua Sheng asked Tai Shang Xiao Jun, who was standing beside him, "These disciples are all chasing after Tian Ji Zi. Does he already know the answer?"

“I arrived a moment earlier than you. But it seems that what you said is true,” Taishang Xiaojun replied.

"How did Tianjizi know that?"

He doesn't need to know.

"I wonder what he wrote?"

"Whatever number he writes is the number he writes."

"Huh?" Hua Sheng's mouth dropped open. "Why is he able to write it correctly?"

The Supreme Lord said, "It depends on luck."

Hua Sheng felt as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat. This reason was so good that Hua Sheng had no chance to refute it.

He looked into the cave. Although the disciples present had already reached a tacit understanding and attacked Tianjizi as soon as the trial began, Tianjizi was not even out of breath. He simply dodged back and forth in the cave as if he were toying with everyone.

“If he can really guess the number, I suddenly have a bad feeling.” As if he suddenly remembered something, Hua Sheng grabbed Tai Shang Xiao Jun’s arm and pulled him behind a rock.

"What are you hiding from?"

"These people chasing Tianjizi are all wrong!" Hua Sheng hurriedly said. "Not only that, quite the opposite! We must let Tianjizi go quickly!"

"Let him go to the next round?"

"Yes. We absolutely cannot let him stay in the Divine Calculation Bureau!"

"Letting him pass would give Tianjizi an advantage in the next round, wouldn't it?" Just as Taishang Xiaojun was about to ask for clarification, he heard Tianjizi's voice coming from inside the cave.

"34193!"

"116!"

"827149!"

Then came three whooshing sounds.

Immediately someone shouted, "Oh no! Everyone run!"

Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun peeked out from behind the rock and saw three disciples suddenly become translucent, disappearing into thin air before they could even react. At the same time, the writing on the cave wall had changed.

"Trial participants: Thirty-three."

The disciples who had been besieging Tianjizi were now scattering in all directions.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun touched the back of his head: "So that's how it is!"

"Once anyone's number is known to another person, the number owner must immediately leave! Therefore, if Tianjizi sees someone's number, he can guess that person's number!"

"So, if we let Tianjizi stay here indefinitely..."

"He will eliminate all the trial participants in this round!"

“If he is the sole winner of the Divine Calculation Game,” Tai Shang Xiao Jun frowned, “then he will also be the ultimate winner of this year’s Heavenly Eye Trial.”

"The only way is to get him promoted as soon as possible. The rest of us can think of other ways to pass!"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun shook his head and said, "But in that case, it would be more beneficial for us if there were fewer people."

Hua Sheng corrected, "We need to hide ourselves in the crowd. Since Tianjizi has the sum of everyone's numbers, it means he just wants to move on to the next round. But if the number of participants really drops to single digits, Tianjizi might actually consider wiping out everyone involved in this game in this round."

"So the first thing we need to do is let him go when he wants to, so that he doesn't change his mind."

"Not bad!" Hua Sheng nodded, then poked half his head out. In the huge cavern, only Tian Jizi's figure could be seen. The other trial participants, like Hua Sheng, hid in various corners, not daring to show themselves.

Tianjizi, holding a piece of paper with numbers written on it, strolled leisurely back and forth, seemingly having given up on the idea of ​​immediately advancing from the Divine Calculation Bureau. He began searching from the center outwards of the cave. Although the cave was filled with strange rocks, offering many hiding places, Tianjizi could be heard clearly calling out a series of numbers every few steps. Immediately afterward, the numbers on the cave wall began to decrease. Although some tried to use their magic to challenge Tianjizi, his magic was no less powerful. His opponents were always exposed the moment they showed themselves.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, only twenty-one trial participants remained. The rule that a trial participant's number must be revealed by others and they must immediately leave the arena became Tianjizi's "trump card."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun looked somewhat annoyed and secretly said to Hua Sheng, "Everyone is playing hide-and-seek, this can't go on. The hole is big, but it can still be searched within an hour. Besides, even if we keep hiding, we still can't win this round. We won't make it to the next round, and Tian Ji Zi will still be the winner."

This coincided perfectly with Hua Sheng's thoughts. Tian Jizi's advantage in the Divine Calculation Game was obvious. The previous round, seemingly about finding candlelight, was actually a test of the participants' combat strength. Through a real contest, those with superior immortal arts would naturally have a greater chance to surpass other disciples and obtain candlelight.

That's why the first round is called the "battle round." Those like Tiger Spirit, who possess both brute strength and cunning, will have a certain advantage in the trial.

This round is called the "Calculation Round." In reality, superior magical skills alone are not enough to guarantee advancement. Instead, it requires calculating the sum of all the players' numbers through some method.

Hua Sheng felt a headache coming on at this thought. But no matter what, he still needed to find a way to get Tian Jizi out of this predicament.

Just then, a palm-sized black shadow suddenly flew out from behind a strange rock, shooting directly at the Trial Ring located high above. Without missing a beat, the shadow struck the very edge of the ring's sparks.

With a muffled thud, the colorful ring, which could originally hold an adult, shrank to half its original size.

The dark shadow struck the edge and slowly drifted down. Hua Sheng looked at it and saw that it was actually a black feather.

To everyone's surprise, another black feather of the same size shot out from behind another rock. It struck the high-altitude trial ring once again, and the ring shrank by half again, becoming only the size of a washbasin.

Tianjizi was also taken aback. He flew behind the rock, but found nothing.

"It's Mieying." Hua Sheng suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice beside him. He quickly turned around and saw a male disciple of about his age standing next to him. Upon closer inspection, the man looked familiar. Then he remembered that it was Zhanma Xianling's classmate from when he burned down Sixian Pavilion not long ago.

It was Taishang Xiaojun who recognized him first, saying, "Xuanwen? What are you doing here?"

Xuanwen covered his forehead and sighed, "I never expected to run into a crook and a mole ant here." Xuanwen's words were slightly sarcastic.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun narrowed his eyes: "Who are you talking about, the person you mentioned who has connections?"

"That's right! Who are you calling an ant? And you're not just using one, you're using a whole one!" Hua Sheng wanted to pounce on him, but was stopped by Taishang Xiaojun.

"I haven't even said who it is yet, and you're all already jumping to conclusions," Xuanwen said. "I have no choice but to squeeze in here with you guys."

"What do you mean by 'just squeeze in with us'?" Hua Sheng asked.

"If we don't squeeze in here, are we supposed to rush out and crash into that hard rock, Tianjizi?" Xuanwen glanced at him sideways. "Why don't you use your Samadhi True Fire to spray Tianjizi at the crucial moment?"

Hua Sheng was so angry he was practically fuming: "If I were to spray, I'd spray you first! You're the one who's closest!"

Xuanwen said, "It's quite a feat that you were able to overcome the Candlelight Battle. It must have been thanks to the Supreme Lord Xiaojun."

"You!!" Hua Sheng couldn't contain himself any longer.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun quickly said, "Never mind, never mind. Hua Sheng, you should prioritize the bigger picture. There's no need to argue here."

Then Taishang Xiaojun turned to Xuanwen and said, "He passed the test based on his own strength; I was just cooperating with him."

"Didn't you get in through your grandfather's connections, by using back channels?"

Every word Xuanwen said sounded particularly harsh.

"We're tired enough tonight, let's leave this topic at that." Tai Shang Xiao Jun suppressed his anger. "What is this 'Shadow Extinction' you just mentioned?"

“It’s nothing,” Xuanwen replied.

"what is that?"

"They are disciples of the Daoist Arts Academy."

Hua Sheng found it awkward: "Why does it sound like they're saying that disciple is a scoundrel?"

Xuanwen glanced at him sideways: "So, what are you?"

Hua Sheng was speechless for a moment: "He really is a piece of trash."

"So what's wrong with saying Shadow Extinction is worthless?"

Taishang Xiaojun interrupted Huasheng and Xuanwen's pointless discussion: "Alright! You're all scoundrels. I'm asking, who is Mieying?"

Xuanwen peeked into the crevice in the rock to make sure Tianjizi wasn't near them, then lowered his voice and said, "Mieying is a descendant of the Miemeng bird."

"The Extinction Bird?" Hua Sheng thought of the black feathers from earlier. "Was that a Celestial Spirit?"

Xuanwen nodded and explained earnestly, "Yes. If mole crickets like Huasheng are a low-level group among mortals, then the Miemeng Bird is a higher-level group among immortals."

"If you're going to use an analogy, then use an analogy, but can you please stop stepping on my head?" Hua Sheng interjected.

"If you're not satisfied, I won't say anything more."

"Alright, alright! You continue, you continue." Hua Sheng shut his mouth.

Xuanwen continued in a low voice, "Mieying is a descendant of the Mie Meng bird. There are nine sisters in her family, making them 9 twins, and Miieying is the youngest among them. She is usually very low-key in the Xiyuan Academy and seems to be of mediocre talent. It is said that she always sits in the last row, so many people have even taken classes with her for a year without knowing that there is such a person in their class."

"How did you know that?" Hua Sheng asked.

"Because our family is a fire-element family, and we are old friends with the Fire Wheel Heavenly King. The Fire Wheel Heavenly King personally told my father that he had taken in Mie Ying from the Mie Meng Bird family as his adopted daughter," Xuan Wen replied.

Hua Sheng heard a new name and asked, "Who is the Fire Wheel Heavenly King? Is he also a celestial being of this Extinction Bird Clan?"

Xuanwen glanced at Huasheng and said, "I know mole ants are ignorant, but I didn't expect them to be this ignorant."

Hua Sheng looked bewildered: "Should I know who the Fire Wheel Heavenly King is?"

Taishang Xiaojun said, "Of course you should know. The Fire Wheel Heavenly King is Nezha!"

(End of this chapter)