Chapter 280: Without Madness, There Is No Life

Meng Qi fell into deep thought. What kind of genuine scheme could lead to the same outcome no matter how he responded?

What key element had he overlooked?

Wang Siyuan didn’t give Meng Qi time to ponder, speaking leisurely and confidently, “Regarding conspiracies and traps, you could consider them from another angle. Their very existence must be based on a premise: the person setting the trap cannot directly confront you, perhaps due to power disparities or other constraints.”

“For instance, if I wanted to kill you, I could simply avoid any elaborate schemes altogether. I could summon a powerful master from my household, strike with lightning speed during a quiet and secluded night, then calmly erase all evidence. This approach, straightforward and brutal, is indeed the simplest yet most effective, surpassing any conspiracy or trap.”

“Of course, there’s another possibility: they might be using the effort to eliminate you to achieve another goal.”

Meng Qi nodded in strong agreement, “Your words are most insightful. I had exactly the same thoughts. If there had been a powerful master hidden within the trap, they wouldn’t have gone to such trouble. An ambush while I was opening the coffin would have been far more effective, without worrying whether an intricate plot might fail due to unforeseen variables. If it were a conspiracy to frame me, I have my own means to clear my name. That’s precisely why I decided to cut straight to the chase, using speed to counter deliberation, in hopes of grasping the real clues.”

“The method to clear my name, of course, is the official jade seal I carry. Backed by the government and the Six Gates, any normal martial arts expert would be willing to sit down and talk calmly. Framed murders inevitably contain loopholes; many powerful masters within the Six Gates are fanatically devoted to forensic examination, far beyond ordinary comprehension.”

“I indeed calculated that you would face no danger on this trip and that you possess something to clear your name, yet you’ve never used it. May I ask why? May I even know what it is?” Wang Siyuan handed his guqin to a servant girl and reset the Go board before him.

“Tsk, there are things even you don’t know…” Meng Qi smiled slightly and replied casually, “Because I believe ‘Shock the Hundred Miles’ isn’t a reckless person. Once he calms down, he will realize something is wrong, and the problem won’t be hard to resolve. That’s why I didn’t want to reveal my secret prematurely.”

“If the victim were a powerful master, I would have already taken out my official seal in a heartbeat.”

Wang Siyuan shook his head, “No. Besides the means to clear your name, you have another life-saving method. Even if you encountered a powerful master murderer, you wouldn’t fear it. Even if I suddenly attacked, you still have an escape route.”

“You can even calculate that…” Meng Qi suppressed the fluctuation of his inner emotions and laughed it off, “That’s really not something I can share with outsiders.”

Wang Siyuan didn’t press further. After confirming his calculations, he suddenly asked an unrelated question, “You’re on good terms with the ‘Famed Swordswoman,’ and you’ve crossed swords with ‘Shock the Hundred Miles.’ Who do you think is stronger?”

Back when Meng Qi was killing You Huan, he and Jiang Zhiwei had already developed a close relationship. Any well-informed martial artist knew that the ‘Wild Blade’ and the ‘Famed Swordswoman’ were close friends, their bond dating back to the Shaolin martial arts debate.

Meng Qi pondered for a moment, carefully choosing his words to avoid revealing Jiang Zhiwei’s secrets, “In terms of cultivation realm, Jiang Hengchuan has already reached the pinnacle of Heaven and Man United, and the various advantages this brings make him far superior to ordinary Nine-Orifice experts. Moreover, he possesses an ultimate technique of the external realm, rightfully placing him among the top ten of the Human Roster. However, Zhiwei’s swordplay has reached perfection, touching the essence of martial law, harmonizing seamlessly with her inner sword intent. Once she opens all nine orifices, she can immediately access the realm of Heaven, Man, and Sword united, enhanced by her ultimate techniques. Her current ranking is no surprise.”

“If they were to fight, each would have their strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn’t dare to predict the outcome lightly; it would depend on their condition, momentum, and the completeness of their spiritual states at that moment.”

In this regard, Meng Qi believed Jiang Zhiwei’s sword intent and decisiveness would give her a slight edge.

“With such insight, you’re no slouch yourself. Your current ranking on the Human Roster is a bit low. If you stabilize your seven orifices, adjust your inner world properly, and further refine your blade and sword techniques, competing for a top ten spot is not out of the question,” Wang Siyuan acknowledged.

Then he added, “Jiang Hengchuan still falls short in one aspect—he cannot maintain the ‘Heaven and Man United’ state for long. Previously, he had hopes of achieving this through secluded cultivation, but that has now been interrupted.”

“Among the top ten, no more than five possess the ability to sustain this state continuously,” he closed his fingers to indicate the rarity.

Meng Qi pondered these words and suddenly realized that the demonic girl might never have shown her full strength during their previous encounters. She had entered the top ten of the Human Roster with her eighth orifice, relying on her ultimate techniques and battle record, so she definitely hadn’t mastered ‘Heaven and Man United.’ But when they met again at the ‘Three Mountains and Four Rivers,’ she would already have opened her ninth orifice, and might even have achieved ‘Heaven and Man United’ by then…

Thinking thus, Meng Qi asked half-doubtfully, “Master Wang, you must be among those five. You’ve had all nine orifices open for nearly three years, and every move you make embodies the laws of Heaven and Earth. At this stage, why haven’t you broken through yet?”

Wang Siyuan fixed Meng Qi with a steady gaze, first bursting into laughter, then laughing so hard he coughed, and finally coughing so violently he struggled to catch his breath. A maid hastily set aside her guqin, patted his back, and glared at Meng Qi resentfully—this was all his fault for making the young master laugh so hard!

Meng Qi looked at her innocently. Was my question really that funny?

After a while, Wang Siyuan finally stopped coughing, spitting blood into his handkerchief, the crimson vivid and terrifying. Meng Qi was deeply shaken, his thoughts drifting—should he ever oppose this guy in the future, the most effective strategy might be to tell jokes, making him laugh himself to death…

“You were expelled from your sect not long after opening your orifices, so it’s understandable you wouldn’t know,” Wang Siyuan picked up a white Go stone and placed it on the board, “Opening the mysterious pass between life and death, bridging the inner and outer worlds, and achieving internal-external integration is an extremely important matter—it forms the true foundation of cultivation. If you rush this step without fully contemplating your chosen path and the inner world you desire, without even achieving perfect Heaven and Man Unity, and force your way through recklessly, your foundation will be unstable, your progress hindered, and future corrections extremely difficult.”

“Even now, countless external realm experts in this world suffer from this very problem, never achieving major breakthroughs for their entire lives.”

He knew Meng Qi was close to Jiang Zhiwei, and that Meng would eventually learn the details from her upon reaching the ninth orifice, so he didn’t hide anything.

Meng Qi listened intently. Previously, he had focused solely on opening his orifices and hadn’t rushed to ask about what came after fully opening the nine. Now he realized this was a profound subject.

And the Sword Emperor he had met in the Samsara world had already been contemplating his own path, his own sword…

“When the inner and outer worlds integrate, the inner realm manifests externally, transforming both the physical body and the soul, elevating the mind, and forging the Dao foundation—there is no turning back. Hence the saying, ‘The Mysterious Pass admits no regrets.'” Wang Siyuan placed a black stone, playing against himself. “He Jiu, the ‘Great Luo Demon Girl,’ and I have deliberately restrained our breakthroughs precisely because we are contemplating our paths and adjusting our inner worlds to achieve the best harmony and the strongest resonance between ourselves and the outer world.”

“Once we do break through, it will be natural and effortless, with a firm Dao foundation leading to rapid advancement.”

Meng Qi finally understood one puzzle, “No wonder those behind us on the Human Roster have already entered the ‘Half-External Realm’ while we remain at the Nine-Orifice stage.”

“We’re still relatively normal. In the past, ‘Heaven-Outside Sword’ Master Su Wuming chose the most intense and dangerous path in the Washsword Pavilion—’Sitting the Death Trial,’ battling against oneself.” Wang Siyuan rarely showed admiration, “The Washsword Pavilion has various methods for seeking one’s sword Dao, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. One such method is ‘Sitting the Death Trial.’ If one defeats oneself and breaks through the barrier, their sword Dao will be established, breaking through all obstacles and advancing rapidly. But if one fails to overcome oneself, one may die in silence within the chamber, unknown to anyone.”

“In the history of the Washsword Pavilion, fewer than ten have successfully broken through this trial. Each of them later became a towering figure, at the very least reaching the Half-External Realm. Master Su Wuming broke through after three years, his sword light spanning a hundred miles, visible from afar. After that, except for the Three Heavenly Ladders, he advanced effortlessly, reaching the Ninth Heaven in nine years.”

Meng Qi listened with admiration. The ancients’ demeanor was truly worthy of respect.

Wang Siyuan shifted topics again, “Regarding the previous conspiracies and traps you encountered, did you detect anything else unusual?”

Meng Qi struggled to follow his wildly shifting thoughts and hesitated before replying, “The timing was too convenient. Initially, I didn’t think things could align so perfectly, so I suspected a powerful expert was tailing me and setting everything up. But if such an expert existed, why go to all this trouble? Why not just attack directly?”

“Moreover, when I finally used all my strength to carve an escape route, if a powerful Nine-Orifice expert had ambushed me then, I would have been finished. Yet everything remained calm. Could it be they didn’t really want to kill me?”

“However, they couldn’t have predicted in advance that I possessed a near-external-realm strike technique. I might very well have died under Jiang Hengchuan’s palm.”

Wang Siyuan placed another white stone and smiled slightly, “Don’t rush to mock any unreasonable or foolish aspects. Instead, first consider why they seem unreasonable. Is there an inevitable reason behind it?”

“For example, the mastermind behind it all wants you dead, but due to certain constraints, they must ensure your death appears natural and unremarkable, without raising suspicion. That’s why they didn’t strike directly or set ambushes—they feared drawing attention and alerting others.”

Meng Qi slowly nodded. Regardless of whether the speculation was reasonable, Wang Siyuan’s perspective on problems was indeed unique and worth learning.

“That makes sense,” Meng Qi said after a moment of contemplation, expressing agreement.

Wang Siyuan placed a black stone, “Precisely. You must start by analyzing these seemingly unreasonable aspects, uncovering the inevitable reasons, before you can identify the hidden mastermind.”

“You know?” Meng Qi asked calmly.

“Of course I do,” Wang Siyuan suddenly smiled mischievously, “But I won’t tell you.”

Meng Qi’s face twitched slightly. “Master Wang, please maintain your composure!”

“Then why did you help me analyze all this?” Meng Qi countered with his own question.

Wang Siyuan’s expression grew calm as he replied candidly, “I came to Maoling because someone challenged me, wanting to compete in schemes, using young experts drawn here for various reasons as game pieces. I found this idea fascinating, so I came.”

“You are a piece not originally on the game board—a variable. That’s why the opponent is eager to eliminate you, while I intend to use you to stir up confusion.”

Meng Qi inhaled deeply. The matter in Maoling had become increasingly mysterious. No wonder the Six Gates had previously failed to uncover anything, “Wouldn’t it make more sense to tell me the intelligence so I could help you create more chaos?”

Wang Siyuan chuckled lowly, almost like a cough, “No. I want you to figure it out yourself. Only then can the waters be muddied further, and the situation spiral beyond even my control.”

His eyes seemed to burn with an indescribable fervor for events exceeding his own grasp.

Craziness is the price of mastery… Looking at Wang Siyuan like this, the phrase suddenly surfaced in Meng Qi’s mind.