"No, it's fine. No one's eavesdropping now," Qingshui said, waving his hand.
There had indeed been someone listening earlier, but they had temporarily flown away.
Within his perception, the anomalies in the air currents had vanished, and that little yellow sparrow in the distance had also flapped its wings and flown far away.
That sparrow was, in all likelihood, Zhou Sheng, the creator of Wind-Rear Strange Gate.
This old man, over a hundred years old, had cultivated Wind-Rear Strange Gate, which represents Qimen sorcery, to its absolute limit. Along with Gu Jiting, who created another of the Eight Unique Skills, Great Luo Insight, he represented the peak that sorcerers in this world could achieve.
The latter could see through the rules of all things, even reaching a near-ascended dimension, while the former mastered the laws of change in all things. Within the range of his four plates, he could manipulate yin and yang and the five elements, influence space-time, and create infinite transformations.
The so-called four plates refer to the four circles representing heaven, earth, man, and gods, radiating outwards from the central palace. They are also called "plates."
(The image shows a certain Qimen arrangement, with the Heavenly Plate, Earthly Plate, Human Plate, and Divine Plate from inside to outside, respectively.)
Zhou Sheng had already overheard his conversation with Wang Ye and knew that he wasn't insisting on learning Wind-Rear Strange Gate. He wouldn't force Wang Ye to snatch it, which was why he naturally left temporarily.
Wang Ye's earlier calculations couldn't have accounted for Zhou Sheng.
Their realms were on entirely different levels.
Wang Ye's Qimen setup clearly couldn't reach such a far distance.
Moreover, his calculation method was flawed.
Treating this spot as the Xun position and deducing the central palace from there is for ordinary sorcerers.
If one could, like Martial Marquis Qimen, use their own position as the central palace, then Wang Ye's calculations would be very difficult to succeed.
Not to mention Zhou Sheng's Wind-Rear Strange Gate, which not only allows him to use himself as the central palace but also to freely manipulate the four plates and the twenty-four solar terms. The positions of the Xun palace and the central palace are meaningless to him.
Qingshui continued, "First, let's talk about your job. You went up the mountain to cultivate after graduating from university, so I don't know how much knowledge you still remember. But to be a good sorcerer, your math foundation must be solid. For now, you'll work with Liao Fan, a senior from your university, on data processing. Also, I have another task for you."
Wang Ye: "Please tell me."
He realized that this task was probably the main reason Qingshui recruited him.
"Teach me Qimen sorcery."
He wanted Qimen sorcery, not Wind-Rear Strange Gate.
To become a sorcerer, one needs to master a vast amount of knowledge.
But that alone isn't enough; one also needs sufficient Ming Gong cultivation to drive it and sufficient Xing Gong cultivation to wield it.
If one's mental cultivation is insufficient, they are very likely to get lost in the inner landscape upon entry, remaining in a muddled state and unable to break free.
However, Qingshui was quite confident in himself in this regard.
The spiritual domain was inherently a Puppet Master's strength, and his avatar in the Marvel Universe spent every day pondering with the Mind Stone. If one could be so easily trapped by the inner landscape, then presumably not many people in this world could become sorcerers.
But Wind-Rear Strange Gate was different.
To learn this technique, you had to approach it with no expectation of learning it to truly learn it.
That's why for seventy years, besides Zhou Sheng, its creator, no one else has been able to learn it. Zhou Meng's two elder martial brothers from Wudang Mountain couldn't learn it, and in the original timeline, Chen Jinkui, the contemporary head of the Sorcerer Gate and one of the Ten Elders, also fell into the inner landscape, engrossed in the mysteries of the changes in heaven and earth revealed by Wind-Rear Strange Gate, unable to awaken.
Qingshui certainly wanted to learn Wind-Rear Strange Gate.
But precisely because of that, he dared not learn it now.
He would only attempt it when he was certain there was no risk.
However, settling for the next best thing and directly learning Qimen sorcery was also an option.
Qingshui had learned about Qimen Dunjia through various channels and believed it could be of significant help to him, which sparked his interest in learning Qimen arts.
Qimen Dunjia encompasses everything, with deep exploration and research into space, time, dimensions, and causality.
This was what Qingshui needed most right now.
Many of Kamar-Taj's profound spatial magics almost all required the power of the Vishanti to cast.
And as Qingshui truly entered the realm of space, this would undoubtedly help him.
Its effect on time scarcely needs mentioning. The Time Stone was currently in the hands of his Marvel Universe avatar, so there were almost no better conditions for studying time.
And the utilization of energy and matter made Qingshui feel that Qimen Dunjia and Ninjutsu shared striking similarities.
Ninjutsu releases Chakra in the form of wind, thunder, water, fire, and earth; even Kekkei Genkai are included within this.
The spells of Qimen Dunjia, on the other hand, are classified by the eight trigrams: Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui. They encompass both the time and space of the universe, and also the elemental attributes of Ninjutsu, but the driving energy has changed from Chakra to Qi.
He who learns from others can improve himself.
Qingshui firmly believed that his Ninjutsu foundation could aid in learning Qimen sorcery, and he also believed that Qimen arts could bring some unique improvements or supplements to his Ninjutsu.
"Why would you come to me to learn Qimen? Teacher Zuo, there are many powerful seniors in the circle, and surely powerful figures in the government. Given your status, it shouldn't be hard to invite one."
Wang Ye scratched his head and asked Qingshui.
"They're not as good as you. If it came to a real fight, you wouldn't beat the older generation of masters, but when it comes to mastery and understanding of Qimen sorcery, they truly aren't as good as you. If your Ming Gong cultivation were the same, you would definitely be the one to win in the end."
"That's just…"
"It's just that Wind-Rear Strange Gate is a bit special, I know, but the fact that you can master it shows that your understanding of the patterns of change in all things between heaven and earth far surpasses that of other sorcerers. You gain different insights by looking at the same thing from different angles, let alone from the high-level perspective of Wind-Rear Strange Gate?"
Qingshui smiled faintly, looking at Wang Ye.
He truly had confidence in Wang Ye.
Of course, no matter how much confidence he had, he wouldn't rely entirely on Wang Ye.
In fact, he had already connected with a professional who provided metaphysical and feng shui consultations to the imperial court, named Zeng Jiucheng. He was a contemporary descendant of Yao Guangxiao, a top-tier sorcerer from the early Ming Dynasty.
The person who connected them was Yue Qian, because Zeng Jiucheng also had many collaborations with national security, making him a master-level Qimen sorcerer of his time.
What this particular Qimen lineage excelled at most was the art of slaying dragons.
Which is to say, rebellion.
They would read faces, observe the stars, identify individuals with imperial potential who could achieve great things, and then use feng shui to create favorable conditions, draw in resources, and apply Qimen Dunjia formations to military deployments, transforming magical calculations into wartime strategies to stir up the political climate.
They were both Qimen strategists and skilled in the military's art of power and manipulation.
That's why their lineage was absorbed after the founding of the nation.
In times of peace, these talents, if left among the populace, would be dangerous individuals.
However, within the government, during these times of fluctuating international situations, they could actually find their place.
Wang Ye thought for two seconds, then spoke:
"Alright, since you think so highly of me, I won't decline. There's no need to talk about teaching; we're simply exploring together. I just don't know if you've read any introductory books on Qimen and understand the basics yet?"
"I've read New Interpretations of Qimen, the Golden Letter Jade Mirror passed down by the Wuhou Sect, and a secret court manuscript from the Qing Dynasty, Imperial Compendium of Qimen Treasures."
Qingshui took out several brick-like thick books from a drawer and placed them on the table.
"Then I might have to ask a few questions first, to test you and see what level you've reached. You don't mind, do you?"
"Ask away."
"Then let's start with something simple? The Kan palace belongs to water, but why is its associated number one?"
"The River Diagram governs constancy, the Luo Shu governs change. Kan resides at the water position, and its number unifies with one, corresponding to the initial movement of the Qian yang in the Earlier Heaven Bagua. Therefore, it is said: 'Heaven creates water as one.'"
This is basic knowledge.
"Today is Jia-Yin day, and the current hour is Si hour. If we were to set up a formation now, and the Zhen palace meets the Heavenly Assault Star and the Injury Gate in the same palace, how would you resolve the mutual restriction of metal and wood?"
This is asking about theoretical application.
"Take the Li palace's Scenery Gate as the response."
"It seems you've really delved into it. Then I'd like to ask you, some sorcerers believe that the Wuhou Sect's principle of 'taking oneself as the central palace' is a trick. What's your opinion on that?"
"Just the gibberish of fools. When you solve physics problems, the choice of spacetime coordinates is neither right nor wrong; it's simply that those sorcerers can't accept replacing the core coordinate origin with their own dynamic self. They just lack sufficient computational power."
Wang Ye straightened up slightly.
He's really learned it, and he has his own ideas. I can't just bluff my way through this…
"Then it seems you truly have a talent for being a sorcerer. How about we try a difficult one? When the four-plate solar terms shift to Great Snow, but the actual season is Right-in-Ear, how would you contain the strong fluctuations of Qi caused by this spacetime dislocation?"
Qingshui furrowed his brow slightly, quickly calculating in his mind.
"Recognize the Nine Palaces, divide the Nine Escapes, then… No, that won't work. Your question has no solution."
He couldn't figure it out.
"No, you're wrong. There actually is a solution; you just haven't thought of it."
Wang Ye pointed to himself.
"Use your own body to bear the backlash of the solar terms."
Qingshui raised an eyebrow.
He was thinking of a way to resolve it without harm, but Wang Ye's idea was simpler and cruder: directly bear the backlash.
"So, your body experiences problems from time to time now? The cost of casually shifting the four plates with Wind-Rear Strange Gate is probably much greater than that of ordinary Qimen sorcery, isn't it?"
Wang Ye paused, taking a sip of tea.
"Tsk, no wonder they call you a great scientist. You figured out the trick right away. It's like talking to Zhuge Qing—it's no fun talking to smart people like you. My underwear's been seen through. Do you still want to give me more questions?"
"Just one more."
"Alright, what if I set the central palace at my opponent's life palace position, and use the Zi-Wu extraction method to guide two Qimen formations to collide, making the Xun palace extract the opponent's Zhen palace, which is governed by the Heavenly Auxiliary Star? What do you think would happen? If you were that opponent, what would you do?"
Qingshui pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"I can't calculate it. It's like a physics problem; there aren't enough conditions."
"Then I probably have a good idea of your level."
"So what's the answer?"
"This kind of problem, I think you'll only have truly mastered Qimen formations and be able to apply Qimen magic in actual combat when you can figure it out yourself."
Wang Ye said with a chuckle.
"Alright, now that you've tested me, I have to test you too, to see how much of your math foundation is left."
Qingshui pulled a stack of exam papers from a drawer.
"These are last year's professional course exams for our university's math department. I've modified some of the questions. For today, just sit here in my office and answer them. And no more holding back your scores, okay? Do all the ones you know how to do."
Wang Ye's face fell as he looked at the stack of papers in front of him.
I graduated two years ago, and I still have to take math tests?
No choice, he had to do it.
Wang Ye picked up a ballpoint pen, held the cap, and started looking at the questions.
Qingshui also opened his email, received some messages, and began working.
He spent the morning working in this office, compiling and processing reports from the various projects under his supervision, and also reviewing several papers for journals where he served as a reviewer.
Sometimes, papers that other reviewers were unsure about would be sent to him.
It was noon.
Qingshui locked his computer and checked Wang Ye's progress.
He had prepared six exam papers for him.
And in one morning, four hours had passed, and Wang Ye had already completed three of them.
He figured Wang Ye would be tied up here for the entire day.
Pulling out a random paper, Qingshui quickly scanned it.
It seemed Wang Ye had a very solid grasp of these concepts during his undergraduate studies, and hadn't forgotten them. He had even answered the two more difficult questions Qingshui had specifically included.
While some parts of the process weren't perfect, likely due to being rusty from not doing such problems for too long, it was enough for Qingshui to be satisfied with Wang Ye's mathematical foundation.
So this kid really is a math genius.
Or rather, every accomplished spellcaster, like a physicist, could be considered half a mathematician.
They might not be able to derive groundbreaking conclusions in mathematics, but their application and mastery of mathematical tools were absolutely excellent.
I wonder about Zhuge Qing's math skills?
Can Qimen Dunjia be combined with high-computing AI?
"Alright, let's go eat first. You can do the remaining papers this afternoon. After you finish, I'll create a course list for you based on your situation and submit it. For your first year of graduate school, you'll finish academic English, experimental design, and other professional courses. When you have free time, you can come to the lab and assist Liao Fan. The second year is when you'll truly work on projects and write papers."
Qingshui intended to hand over Wang Ye's regular studies directly to Liao Fan, only needing to supervise.
The knowledge from his undergraduate studies wasn't quite enough for him yet; he could only do simple tasks. Wang Ye needed to recharge first before he could truly start working.
"Okay, Professor Zuo, which canteen should we go to?"
"Shaoyuan."
"Alright, I've long heard that Shaoyuan is Peking University's most famous canteen, but I don't know which tastes better compared to Zijing Canteen."
"I haven't been to Tsinghua's Zijing Canteen, so I don't know. But Shaoyuan has a policy of not shaking off food, so the portions are definitely generous."
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