Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 868 Entering the Mining Area

The next morning, before dawn, the wind and snow had subsided slightly. Xiao Ran and the others were already back on their sleds. The Crimson Blood Horse, as expected of a rare breed, pulled the six people and a tiger, still galloping swiftly across the soft snow, leaving only two long tracks in its wake.

The town lights and the hustle and bustle of last night were quickly left behind, leaving only a vast snowfield and rows of dead trees covered with thick snow frost.

Xiao Ran sat on the sled and opened the second half of the real "Zhen Jing" that she had obtained from the Yinshan Taoist last night.

The cold wind swept across his cheeks, carrying a biting chill, but his mind was completely absorbed in the tiny characters written on the yellowed paper.

With his current understanding of witchcraft, he can easily distinguish the truth from falsehood in the book.

Although the various "techniques" described in the first half are unpredictable and varied, with many unorthodox applications and ingenious combinations that he had never thought of, their core principles are actually consistent with and even corroborate each other in the anti-poisoning system that he explored on his own and built on the basis of soul cultivation techniques.

This reassured him that the path he had chosen was indeed the right one.

However, when she turned to the second half, where the essence of "law" was explained, Xiao Ran's brows gradually furrowed.

What is recorded here is not a specific method of apotropaic magic, but a method of how to guide, amplify, and even "encapsulate" the power of "techniques" into a more universal and controllable "rule".

The strange six-legged toad on the chest of the Yinshan Taoist seems to be an extreme manifestation of this "method," a transformation that turns the intangible art into something tangible and substantial.

The six-legged toad on the chest of the Yinshan Taoist is merely a transformed form; its mysteries are ever-changing and depend entirely on the individual.

However, this is a different approach from the curse-suppressing methods that Xiao Ran usually uses.

It is indeed somewhat "difficult" to understand, as if looking at another set of engineering blueprints.

The sled bounced and slid across the snow, making rhythmic creaking sounds. Xiao Ran rubbed her temples, closed the "Suppressing Scripture," and turned her gaze to Jin Chanzi, who was sitting cross-legged on the other side of the sled.

This young Taoist priest was squinting, looking completely at ease, enjoying the "enlightenment" of the cold wind brushing his face.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ran slapped his forehead, realizing he hadn't bothered with his own guesswork; wasn't this a ready-made expert?

So Xiao Ran simply called out to Jin Chanzi and asked him about the difference between this technique and the magic, as well as the mysteries within them.

Jin Chanzi slowly opened one eye, glanced at the scripture in Xiao Ran's hand, then slowly closed it again, a knowing smile appearing on his lips.

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud but clearly reaching everyone's ears, without any attempt to hide anything:

"The art is crooked, but the law is straight. Kid, you must understand that sometimes the truths of this world become clear when you look at them from a different perspective."

To give an analogy, it's like gunpowder. It's incredibly powerful, but if you just throw it out and ignite it, the explosion will be fierce, but it will also injure you, and it will dissipate quickly, making it difficult to precisely control the target.

He paused, as if trying to come up with a more fitting modern metaphor.
"So what is the method? You can understand it as the way to ignite the gunpowder."

Made into bullets, these tiny bullets can penetrate thick armor, hitting their target precisely with concentrated power.

It could even be made into an atomic bomb, unleashing its destructive power to an apocalyptic degree.

Jin Chanzi's analogy is very clever. It uses modern language to explain the essence of technique and law, with a strange sense of contrast, yet it is exceptionally apt and clear.

Xiao Ran felt as if she had been enlightened, and suddenly most of the troubles in her heart seemed to be resolved at this moment.

Qi Jinguang, who was also listening attentively, had a thoughtful glint in his clear black and white eyes. He keenly grasped the deeper meaning in the metaphor of the golden toad and couldn't help but ask:
"Grandmaster Uncle, according to you, technique is gunpowder, and method is the means of igniting and using gunpowder. Then, how should we understand this higher level of 'Tao'?"

Jin Chanzi looked at Qi Jinguang with admiration in his eyes. This child's comprehension was indeed extraordinary.

He stroked a non-existent beard, a gesture that looked particularly comical on his youthful face.
With a mysterious smile that was almost like that of a charlatan, he slowly said, "The Dao... it's very mysterious and difficult to describe precisely in words, but it's actually quite easy to explain. You can think of it as... a formula."

"Formula?" Qi Jingguang pondered the word thoughtfully.

“Not bad, the formula!” Jin Chanzi nodded affirmatively, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Ran and Qi Jinguang.

"Making a bullet is simple. But how do you make an atomic bomb with immense power? Gunpowder and the method of igniting an atomic bomb are important, but the most crucial thing is the underlying laws that reveal how energy is transformed and how matter reacts."

"That is the decisive formula! This formula is 'Tao'! It defines the fundamental rules that gunpowder (technique) must follow under a specific structure (method) in order to unleash the expected, unimaginable power."

Therefore, according to Jin Chanzi's explanation.

Technique = Gunpowder
Method = Stimulation method

The Tao = Formula.

"Oh!"

Gu Bei, who was standing to the side, suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed as if he had just realized something.

"I think I understand now! No wonder I always found those formulas in math class mysterious and couldn't understand them. It turns out the teacher was imparting profound truths! I couldn't understand them because my wisdom wasn't deep enough!"

After saying that, he looked at Jin Chanzi and said, "Master Dao, is my understanding correct?"

Jin Chanzi silently gave a thumbs up: "A promising young man."

Everyone was amused by this scene, but upon reflection, they realized it made perfect sense.

Mathematics is a path to defying fate; regardless of your background, if you're exceptionally good at math, even capital will kneel before you. So, if you truly want to change your destiny, study mathematics—it's the simplest way to transcend social classes.

The same is true.

If Xiao Ran wants to truly surpass Yinshan Daoren in the art of curses, he must learn how to utilize the mysteries of magic.

The sled, pulled by the red-blooded horses, passed through the last mountain peak covered with thick snow.

The scene before my eyes changed abruptly. The once dense forest, covered with heavy snow, became visibly sparse and desolate.

The view opened up, but this openness brought not joy, but a deeper sense of oppression. The earth was a vast expanse of white, glaring and monotonous.

In the distance, wisps of smoke can be seen rising from chimneys.

Beneath the smoke from these chimneys, one can vaguely see some long-abandoned factory buildings.

The edge of the mining area is getting closer.

However, just as the biting cold wind, carrying snowflakes, rushed towards them, an even more unpleasant odor stubbornly entered everyone's nasal cavity.

It was a very unpleasant smell.

Xiao Ran was very familiar with this smell; it was the smell of cremation.

Xiao Ran stood up, and her powerful and pure spiritual energy, like an invisible tide, instantly covered the entire area in front of her.

The wind and snow seemed to slow down at that moment, and the icy air condensed into clear patterns in his perception. The gray buildings became clearly visible in his mental vision.

The residential and supporting areas surrounding the mining area are densely packed, resembling concentric gray terraces of despair, creeping along the edge of an abyss.

Xiao Ran originally wanted to use her mental energy to scan down and see what was inside the huge mine, but as soon as her mental energy got close, she quickly felt a force rapidly distorting her mental energy, which forced her to immediately withdraw her mental energy.

Xiao Ran recalled the cooperation she had reached with the Yinshan Taoist last night.

According to Yinshan Daoren, the Changchun Society has already obtained the mining rights to this mine and has acquired many valuable items.

Yinshan Daoist hoped that Xiao Ran could directly seize all the five-colored stones obtained by Changchun Club, no matter what method he used.

Yinshan Daoist gave Xiao Ran a list of people who were key members of the Changchun Society, but the Five-Colored Stone was entrusted to a separate person for safekeeping, and it was unknown who that person was.

Yinshan Daoist wanted Xiao Ran to find the other person, kill him, and then hand over the body to him.

Of course, it would be best if we could prevent Changchun from collecting even more colorful stones.

"Hmph, cooperation? It's clearly a case of using one tiger to devour another, and then reaping the benefits without lifting a finger," Xiao Ran thought with a cold laugh.

The old man, Yinshan Daoren, is as cunning as ever. He wants to use his own sword to confront the Changchun Society head-on, while he himself hides in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

However, Xiao Ran still agreed to it.

Since he and Changchun were mortal enemies, and their goals were the same, it would be good for them to cooperate.

Moreover, Xiao Ran learned from Yinshan Daoist that this guy had somehow infiltrated the Changchun Society's ranks without anyone noticing.

This is really...

It should be noted that the culprits who released the Star Treasure Master, causing chaos in Bone Spirit Street and leading to the loss of the Changchun Guild Hall, were none other than the Yinshan Taoist and his gang.

But why are they targeting the Changchun Association like this?
Just as Xiao Ran was wondering, Wu Man looked up and said, "Someone's coming."

As they were talking, a group of people on horseback came galloping down from the side of the mining area.

This group far outnumbered Wang Wu's, numbering in the hundreds. To Xiao Ran's surprise, the other side also possessed heavy firepower, including heavy artillery and large-caliber rifles.

Xiao Ran swept a wisp of his spiritual power over them and discovered that these rifles still contained the aura of cursed objects. They were probably like the company's, using specific cursed bullets.

"Be careful, these people are up to no good."

Wu Man calmly took out a die from her spatial storage.

The group quickly bypassed the sled and surrounded the group. A middle-aged man called out, "This is Wang Wu's horse. Who are you?"

Xiao Ran stood up: "Wang Wu is dead. I just picked up his horse and came here to try my luck. I know the rules. This is the entrance fee for the brothers."

As Xiao Ran spoke, she took out a bag of ghost money from her spatial storage and threw it at the other person. The thick cloth bag contained a full six hundred ghost money coins.

That's exactly one hundred coins for each person in the underworld.

The other party took the money bag, both surprised and taken aback. Surprised that Wang Wu was dead, and taken aback that Xiao Ran and the others knew the rules here.

After looking Xiao Ran and the others over, he nodded and said, "Come in with us, but let me make this clear first: if anyone dares to make a move in the mining area, don't blame us for turning our backs on them."

(End of this chapter)