The wording of the copy and Zhang Yan's expressions were slightly different, but this was merely a matter of speech habits and scholarly disposition. The meaning, however, was largely similar. Moreover, since Zhang Yan intentionally spoke in a simple and straightforward manner, his language was much smoother and easier to understand. If not for Hu Shengyu having recently read through this Daoist book, leaving no chance of its dissemination, Bian Qiao would have thought Zhang Yan had already studied it before.
For a moment, atop Thousand Feet Rock, only Zhang Yan's voice was heard—though not overly loud, it carried a thick and resonant quality.
This Daoist book was named "Cleansing Diagram," emphasizing how to refine one's acupoints and meridians in correspondence with specific hours. Such superior skills were unheard of among the crowd. Upon suddenly hearing it now, everyone recognized its rarity and significance. They held their breath and concentrated deeply, listening with rapt fascination.
Bian Qiao's face turned pale. He never expected Zhang Yan to be so formidable. If this sect's secret were publicly revealed, and Hu Shengyu were to fault him, he would bear no small responsibility. Observing Zhang Yan's posture, it was evident he intended to read the entire Daoist book, word for word, from beginning to end. Bian Qiao, overwhelmed with urgency, grabbed the Purple Mud Tea Pot in his hand and smashed it onto the ground without a second thought.
With a loud "crash" of shattered pottery, Zhang Yan's voice abruptly paused. He raised his head and glanced at the trembling Bian Qiao, his lips curling into a faint smile.
The crowd finally snapped back to reality, many displaying expressions of regret and sentimentality. Most gazed at Zhang Yan with admiration, while their eyes glared at Bian Qiao with blatant resentment. Just then, there came a succession of "thud, thud, thud" sounds as those in the front row collapsed to the ground, groaning "ouch, ouch."
It turned out that, while listening to Zhang Yan interpret the Daoist book, everyone had unconsciously leaned forward, chest to back, pressing against each other constantly. The individuals at the very front, upon their spirits suddenly relaxing, could no longer keep their footing.
Among them, there were some impatient ones who directly sat down, meditating on the spot in quiet contemplation. The others, sensing this, instinctively stepped aside, forming a circle of space.
Zhao Ying, who had also been deeply engrossed, felt her inner Qi ripple continuously within her body as she matched it to the Daoist text, immersing herself in a mysterious realm of profound enlightenment. Her whole being radiated warmth, unable to break free. Now, as she awakened in a daze, she silently mused, "This cunning fellow indeed has true skill. But how did Big Brother end up coughing blood? Could it truly be as he said—that he was overly hasty? Perhaps I wrongly accused him after all?" At that moment, her gaze shifted toward Zhang Yan, filled with a complex mixture of emotions.
Bian Qiao pulled out a silk handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his temples, exhaling audibly. Earlier, he had thought this Daoist book would surely stump Zhang Yan, but he didn't anticipate Zhang Yan being this capable.
He had prepared three Daoist books in total, each deeper and more advanced than the previous. But the last one, he hadn't even considered using—it wasn't truly a book, but rather a single Daoist formula, reserved by Hu Shengyu for other purposes. If he presented it now and Hu Shengyu held him accountable later...
Yet, under the watchful eyes of over a hundred onlookers, he was backed into a corner by Zhang Yan, left with no route of retreat. To withdraw now would mean losing all face; those people would undoubtedly trample all over him in the future. The situation had already reached the point of no return!
His facial muscles twitched for a moment. Gritting his teeth, he retrieved a yellowed sheet of paper. "This mantra contains only sixteen Erosion Texts. Since Junior Brother Zhang was untroubled by the previous two Daoist books, he should find this one a breeze to handle as well!"
This Daoist formula, "Man Qu Scripture," consisted of only sixteen characters in total, yet it concealed sixty-four different Daoist Song Skills. If even one skill were incorrectly deciphered, it would be deemed unsuccessful.
More importantly, this formula was extremely demanding to deduce, both mentally and temporally—a task impossible to complete within a single day.
Bian Qiao stared fixedly at Zhang Yan. He refused to believe that his opponent could triumph this time!
Examining the thin sheet of paper, Zhang Yan's brow furrowed slightly—almost imperceptibly. He could tell that, although the formula had few words, it was extremely intricate and profound. The Erosion Texts used were strikingly rare, and within them lay countless hidden derivations and transformations, far from the simplicity that Bian Qiao had pretended they possessed.
He shook the paper lightly and spoke in a deep voice, "Manager Bian, this formula may seem brief, but in truth, it is highly challenging. Deducing it will take considerable time; you may need to wait for a while."
Bian Qiao, holding unwavering confidence in the formula, glanced at the sky. It was now Yuzhong (midday). He silently thought, "Even if Zhang Yan spends until tomorrow calculating, what good will it do? The result will be the same!" Feigning magnanimity, he waved his hand and said, "No problem. Let's set tonight at the hour of Ren Ding as the deadline. Surely Junior Brother Zhang wouldn't fail to decipher mere sixteen Erosion Texts, would he?"
Though Bian Qiao spoke loftily, Zhang Yan roughly estimated the situation and realized that this formula would require at least three full days of uninterrupted effort to thoroughly decode.
He couldn't help but smirk internally. If it were anyone else, they would indeed be stumped. But as for himself...
He extended his hand and clasped the Broken Jade hidden within his sleeve, letting his heart and spirit sink within it.
In an instant, his consciousness entered a peculiar, extraordinary space.
This was the greatest secret of the Broken Jade. Within its depths existed an "avatar" of his. Not only were its physical form and appearance identical to his own, but even its sensory perception and mental state were completely synchronized. It was like a mirrored reflection of his true self.
The moment his heart and spirit entered the jade, this previously immobile "self" instantly came alive, its expression brimming with vitality as though suddenly infused with life.
This avatar could move, sit, and walk freely without in any way affecting his physical body. They were simultaneously independent of each other, yet seamlessly one and the same.
The most wondrous aspect of the jade lay in its temporal anomaly: the flow of time within the jade differed from that of the external world.
Through silent chanting of scriptures for tests, he had roughly deduced, "Ten days within the jade equates to one day in the outside world."
With this Broken Jade, he possessed tenfold the time of others to study and reflect, making the deducing of Erosion Texts an unmatched endeavor.
Zhang Yan quietly gauged the time—it was now about the middle of the hour of Si (around 10 a.m.). By the hour of Hai (nighttime, approximately 10 p.m.), there were roughly twelve hours remaining. If calculated at tenfold time within the jade, this amounted to 120 hours—five full days for him!
He chuckled freely and sat cross-legged within the jade space. Using his fingers as tools, he began deducing the sixteen-character Daoist formula.
...
...