Chapter 44: The Legendary Enchanter, Yuan Tiangang

Page 1 of 3

Yizhou, headquarters of the Huaguo Institute of Celestial Observation and Heavenly Mechanisms.

Unlike the modern Environmental Sanitation Bureau and Supernatural Research Institute, the Heavenly Mechanisms Institute had neither office towers nor laboratory benches. Only one low building after another, all with gray-tiled roofs and red walls, stood scattered across its immense grounds. Even the tallest structure was no more than five stories high, surrounded by bamboo groves and ponds, creating a scene of natural beauty.

From the outside, it hardly looked like an official institution at all. It resembled a resort built around some deliberately nostalgic aesthetic.

A gentle breeze passed through the grounds. At the very rear of the compound, bamboo leaves swayed faintly before the windows of a low building. Through the glass, one could see a simply furnished, antique-style tea room.

Several members of the institute sat cross-legged on the floor like students attending a lecture. At the center stood a Chinese chessboard, with two figures seated on opposite sides, absorbed in their game.

The man on the left was middle-aged and went by the name Luo Mingxian. He was also the current chief of the Huaguo Heavenly Mechanisms Institute.

If the supernatural world of Huaguo were compared to an imperial court, his position would be equivalent to that of a grand minister—someone whose every movement could make the entire realm tremble.

Yet now, seated before the chessboard, he had none of the bearing of a great official. His brows were tightly furrowed, sweat poured down his face, and he looked like an examinee struggling desperately through an examination.

The art of Changes emphasized observation and calculation, making it naturally compatible with chess. As a result, most practitioners of divination chose games of strategy as part of their daily cultivation. Chinese chess, Go, and even Western chess were all included.

To them, such games were essentially the equivalent of swordplay and spell duels among ordinary cultivators—a fundamental discipline that began on the first day of cultivation and accompanied them throughout their entire lives.

With a sharp click, a piece was placed on the board.

Luo Mingxian’s brows twitched. He opened his eyes wide and stared at the position before him. After a long moment, he slumped back into his seat and let out a deep sigh.

“Knight Five advances to Seven. There is nowhere left to run. I miscalculated yet again.”

He raised a hand to wipe the thin layer of sweat from his brow, then looked toward the figure across the board.

“I devoted myself to enlightenment for seven months. I thought I might last a few more exchanges against you this time, but instead I have regressed. I beg the Heavenly Master to offer me some guidance.”

Opposite him sat a Daoist holding a folding fan. He wore blue robes and his hair was tied in a simple topknot, giving him an elegant and antique appearance.

Seen from behind, most of the Daoist’s hair was already white, making him appear unmistakably old and frail. But from the front, his features seemed no older than thirty. He was clearly a young scholar with a fair complexion.

He was Yuan Tiangang, the “Demon of the Age,” a diviner whose name resounded through both the immortal and mortal realms, and the universally acknowledged foremost master of the art of Changes.

Not long after the founding of Huaguo, he joined the Heavenly Mechanisms Institute and began teaching his knowledge of divination throughout the land. There were no more than a thousand practitioners of the art of Changes in Huaguo, and over half of them were his disciples or disciples of his disciples. Luo Mingxian was one of them.

“The essence of the Changes lies in nothing more than three words: Heaven, Earth, and Man.”

Yuan Tiangang smiled faintly. As he gathered the chess pieces from the table, he continued speaking in an unhurried tone.

The moment he opened his mouth, every member of the institute seated around the room straightened and listened with complete concentration.

Page 2 of 3

As the “Heavenly Master” of the divination world, every word Yuan Tiangang taught was worth its weight in gold. The chance to hear an immortal deliver a sermon was something that could not be sought, only encountered. Everyone in the room pricked up their ears, afraid of missing even a single word.

“Many centuries ago, the art of Changes had another name among mortals: physiognomy. Observing the bones, flesh, and features of a person was the physiognomy of man. Observing the feng shui and fortunes of a place was the physiognomy of earth. Observing the celestial phenomena and movements of vital energy was the physiognomy of Heaven. None of the three could be omitted.

“As the saying goes, read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. You have studied the Book of Changes for more than a decade; you should have mastered the principles of divination by now. If you wish to advance further, there is only one path: walk among the people, investigate the nature of things, and seek knowledge through experience.

“When I first began studying the art of Changes, I likewise traveled with my friend Li Chunfeng. We journeyed through the mortal world for several centuries, reading the faces of countless people and comprehending the myriad forms of human existence. Only then did I begin to touch upon the connection between Heaven, Earth, and Man. This is the origin of the Changes, and it must never be rushed.”

His voice drifted through the room, and every disciple lowered their eyes. As they pondered his words, someone suddenly raised a question.

“Heavenly Master, according to the historical records, your companion Li Chunfeng passed away during the Tang dynasty, yet you have endured until the present day. Does that mean Li Chunfeng failed to touch the origin?”

“You are mistaken.” Yuan Tiangang shook his head. “In those days, Li Chunfeng’s cultivation was no weaker than mine. His early death was not due to insufficient attainment. Quite the opposite—it was because he went too far along the path of the Changes and took a step he should never have taken.”

Luo Mingxian remained silent. His eyes shifted slightly toward a cabinet nearby.

The enormous cabinet held only a single thread-bound ancient book, clearly many years old. Three inked characters had been written on its cover in regular script.

The Diagram of the Back-Pushing.

“Back then, Li Chunfeng and I traveled through the mortal world together, contemplating the principles of the Changes. After several centuries, we had achieved a modest degree of mastery. During the mortal Tang dynasty, we successively broke through into the realm of resonance between Heaven and man, and from there came to understand a method of touching the core of heavenly law and glimpsing the greater currents of human destiny.

“At the same time, we also realized something else: heavenly law would never permit anyone to touch its source. Anyone who overstepped that boundary would inevitably pay a terrible price.

“I understood this deeply, and so I always restrained myself and guarded my heart. Every divination I performed stopped at observing the surface movements of vital energy. I never took another step forward.

“But Li Chunfeng was different. His pursuit of the Great Dao bordered on obsession. Though I warned him many times, I knew he had never abandoned his attempts to peer into the secrets of Heaven.

“In the end, he failed to resist the temptation. One night, he gathered together the signs of the heavens and the currents of the earth and performed a divination the likes of which had never been seen before or since. With a single glance, he saw through the general course of the human world and determined that the Tang empire would suffer a cataclysmic change seventy years after its founding.

“That was the prophecy: ‘The imperial line will endure for three generations; Wu will replace Li and rise.’

“For a practitioner of the art of Changes, it was an unparalleled divination—and the very divination that cost him his life.”

Yuan Tiangang shook his head gently.

“The instant he touched the secrets of Heaven, he suffered a tremendous backlash. Hundreds of years were stripped from his lifespan. That backlash came from heavenly law itself; no medicine could cure it. At the time, both of us were only in the Golden Core realm. The price was enough to wither his life force in a single night. Only a few days later, he passed away.”

“This is what I wish to teach you.”

He looked at the disciples before him, and his tone grew more solemn.

“The art of Changes may observe, but it must never pry.”

“Whenever and wherever it occurs, touching the secrets of Heaven is a forbidden path that defies the natural order. At best, it will destroy your cultivation; at worst, it will damage your body and shorten your life. Therefore, never attempt to defy Heaven. No one can afford the price of offending heavenly law.”

Page 3 of 3

When his words ended, the room fell silent for a moment. After a long while, the disciples slowly bowed.

“Thank you for your guidance, Heavenly Master. We have been instructed.”

The day’s lesson came to an end. One by one, the disciples rose and left the tea room. Only Luo Mingxian, the current chief disciple, remained seated before the table.

“Heavenly Master… you are still emphasizing those forbidden matters.”

Yuan Tiangang repeated these words at nearly every lesson, and Luo Mingxian was beginning to find them tiresome. As the chief disciple, he often accompanied Yuan Tiangang and had heard similar admonitions at least a dozen times.

“Words do not lie in their abundance, but in their effect. Anyone who practices the art of Changes must remain clear-minded and constantly reflect upon himself.” Yuan Tiangang glanced at him. “You are no exception.”

“I will naturally keep your teachings in my heart.”

Luo Mingxian nodded slightly, then abruptly changed the subject.

“However, there is one thing about the taboo of probing the secrets of Heaven that I have never understood. I do not know whether I should ask.”

Yuan Tiangang nodded.

“Ask freely.”

“According to what you have said, the price of prying into the secrets of Heaven is immense. The gifted Li Chunfeng died precisely because of it. Thus, one may only observe from the outside and must never pry within…”

He raised his head, his gaze settling on the white hair at Yuan Tiangang’s temples.

“If that is so…”

“Why, Heavenly Master, did you violate the taboo a century ago?”

A breeze drifted in through the window, stirring the shadows of the bamboo in the sunlight. There was no anger in Yuan Tiangang’s eyes. Instead, the question brought a faint smile to his face.

“It was for the sake of…”

He reached out and picked up a Chinese chess piece from the table, examining it with an expression touched by remembrance.

“Finding another old friend of mine.”