Applied Immortality

In Wang Qi’s defense, he always neglected Su Junyu’s battle strength.

To this day, he came in contact with three of five best’s true disciples. The late Li Ziye, a Heavenly Sword cultivator who was conferred a Heavenly Sword, had the power to crush any of his modern cultivation peers. Xiang Qi wasn’t that outstanding in terms of true disciples, but she could still put the squeeze on Su Junyu.

Adding to Su Junyu’s penchant for card games, it was no wonder Wang Qi ended up neglecting Su Junyu’s status as a true disciple of the Myriad Arts Sect.

Xiang Qi never made that mistake. She knew very well why she could beat up Su Junyu, all due to Su Junyu’s art being unsuitable for scuffles or roughhousing. But in a life-or-death battle, Su Junyu would win hands-down. 

Su Junyu’s mental art, Celestial Harmony, was a paramount cultivation method of the Myriad Arts Sect. It couldn’t be directly trained, requiring Divine Hexagram Computation and the Book of Geometry to be cultivated to the Foundation Establishment Realm before bringing them together.

Celestial Harmony had powerful abstract ability; its computational potential exceeded Divine Hexagram Computation. Furthermore, the cultivation method wasn’t even Su Junyu’s path of choice. His root was in a great art that only the mighty Celestial Harmony could support, the White Marsh Algorithm. 

Aware of all present matters, one could trace all causes in the past and anticipate their effects in the future. The principle behind this incredible art was speculating a battle’s trend based on its circumstances. 

The art had strict requirements in terms of perception and calculation skills. Celestial Harmony’s computing ability was the best there was. To support such computational power, the Radiant Divinity Pavilion’s cultivation method, which specialized in training the soul, was a perfect match for the White Marsh Algorithm. 

Be it Celestial Harmony or the White Marsh Algorithm, they were both beyond difficult cultivation methods to master. It made Su Junyu’s strength limited to speculations. He didn’t have the extra time to invest in training in other battle arts.

Nevertheless, combining speculations with diversified skills brought the best results. To overcome the flaws of overspecialization, Su Junyu built this magic item. This magic item series was composed of cards, each containing a great magic art created by asking the other sect’s disciples.

Since the arts weren’t his, their strength was average. Su Junyu couldn’t bring out the best in them, and using a card meant prepping them was required for reuse. This was why Su Junyu rarely went all out in private spars. He’d have no one to blame for having no fight left in him after having spent it all in a spar. 

When it came to saving the Immortal Alliance’s property, though, Su Junyu was willing to go the extra mile.

Su Junyu’s display of power was flashy for sure, though boring at core; at least to Wang Qi’s team. Their spiritual sense stretched thirty meters at best, unable to grasp Su Junyu’s speculations and attacks on the demons. In their eyes, Su Junyu was waving magical arts in every direction without qualms.

Wang Qi was the first to get bored, elbowing Wu Fan, “Hey, what do you think caused the earthquake?”

Wu Fan said, “Uh, wasn’t that a normal earthquake?”

Wang Qi shook his head. “I don’t think so. The barrier broke just from the shaking alone! Now look at the ground; there’s not a single crack on it. Yet such a small earthquake was able to break a barrier centuries old.”

Wu Fan shook his clueless head, though the question sparked Wu Shiqin’s interest: “Maybe some great power is trapped beneath Argent Mountain, and that was just its attempt to break the seal?”

The mere possibility had Mao Zimiao shaking in fear. “Really, nya?”

Wang Qi patted her head. “Just how foolish can you be, Ah’Zimiao, to believe a violent girl’s vernacular story-influenced thoughts? It’s a classic book plot for crying out loud!”

“Leave my head alone, nya!” Mao Zimiao covered her ears in reflex. “Then how do you explain the earthquake?” 

Wu Shiqin said, “Argent Mountain is where the Sacred Soul Coven imprisoned Grandmaster Copernic two thousand years ago. The newly Unfettered Evolutionary Divine Lord fought six Great Ascension cultivators, splitting Argent Mountain apart to save him. It’s why the north slope is so steep. That’s why I thought even if there’s a secret jail under Argent Mountain…” she paused for effect.

“That Evolutionary Divine Lord would break them out. Keep in mind that Evolutionary Divine Lord had to assault the prison to break out Mystical Star Temple Lord.” 

Wu Fan joined the discussion, saying, “I also find it unlikely. Unfettered have no trouble erasing Great Ascension or peak demons. Why go through all the trouble of sealing them?”

Wu Shiqin stuck to her theory: “Maybe they’re criminal Unfettered? Demonic Emperor Xi plunged the world into chaos, and he convinced more than just one Unfettered to join his side.”

[This involves Old Hai as well.]

Daoist Proscribe lived in the same village as Wang Qi for a decade. The old man didn’t reveal himself, but the two knew each other. Wang Qi was very interested to learn more: “Have all the Eminence and Unfettered cultivators helping the Demonic Emperor been accounted for?”

Wu Shiqin nodded. “Most took on important Immortal Alliance duties to atone, though I can’t say anything about the obstinate ones. But from what I heard, Myriad Arts Sect’s Pascual Jordan was captured; his whereabouts unknown. Elusive Palace’s Daoist Proscribe was discovered two months ago; his status is also unknown.” 

Wu Fan jerked in fright. “Could Heisenberg be the one who got sealed up and made a last-ditched effort to escape?’

Wang Qi shook his head and said, “Heisenberg is one of the best talents in the Immortal Alliance has ever seen in centuries. The Immortal Alliance must be partial towards him.”

The four’s serious chat devolved into conspiracy theories and gossip, turning livelier while blunting their senses of the incoming mishap.

The problem lay with Su Junyu.

His White Marsh Algorithm was still at Qi Refining level, unable to encompass all the demon herds. In his last action of launching a lightning and driving the Thunder Clap Stag herd towards the north of Lake 41, the Stag King went berserk. It withstood the attack and charged Su Junyu. 

The rest of the herd follows, of course. Su Junyu was frightened, flinging many more magical arts to stop the herd, but there seemed to be no stopping the rampaging Stag King.