"Master, do you mean... to do what Yang Zhidu once did?"
After Yun Xuzhou left, Shen Qingmang called Gu Suihan back and told her about her own plan. After listening, he raised questions.
"Yes, that's what I call taking the villain's path, leaving him with nowhere to go." Shen Qingmang raised his chin. "Yang Zhidu has indeed laid a lot of groundwork. Lately, we've heard more and more reports of her predictions coming true. I think this is to convince everyone of her upcoming proposal about the thin spiritual energy and the overabundance of cultivators."
"Compared to her previous life... she made this statement about five to ten years later," Gu Suihan said. "I can't remember the exact time, because at first I didn't pay any attention to it."
"That means we have at least five years to prepare." Shen Qingmang nodded. "That's plenty of time. So, Sui Han, do you remember what else happened in the world in the past two or three years?"
Gu Suihan frowned. "Let me think... The most vivid memory I have of this disciple is probably the solar eclipse, which happened about a year or two later. The entire sky was dark, and Yang Zhidu said it was a punishment from heaven."
"Oh, a total solar eclipse." Shen Qingmang touched his chin. "Then let's start with that."
Not long after, the news that God would bring a divine punishment that would cover the sky and the sun spread like wildfire. It first circulated within the Taichu Sect, and soon expanded to the surrounding Qihuang Sect and Chaohua Palace. The rumor intensified, and other sects also got the news one after another. They kept asking about the source and credibility. When they learned that the first person to say this was Qiongju Zhenren from the Taichu Sect, they were half-believing and half-doubting.
In their opinion, Zhenren Qiongju's beauty and strength are well-known, but they have never heard that she has the ability to communicate with heaven and earth. None of the four sects of the Taichu School practice the way of deduction, which shows that she probably doesn't have it at all.
Shen Qingmang was very patient. He taught his students while waiting for the total solar eclipse.
Two years later, one day, in broad daylight, a small black spot suddenly appeared on the sun. Gradually, it grew larger, eventually obscuring the entire sun. A deathly silence fell all around, and even the experienced elders of the Taichu Sect were terrified, let alone the less powerful younger generations.
At this time, Shen Qingmang stood up to calm people's hearts, saying that she had communicated with God, and the divine punishment would end in an hour and bring a new prophecy.
An hour later, the sky brightened again. Bathed in the sunlight, Shen Qingmang relayed "Heaven's will" to the crowd: Several sects have recently been plagued by a crisis of scarce spiritual energy, a crisis that will only intensify over the next five years. Only one thing can avert this crisis: for all sects to recruit disciples widely, allowing everyone the opportunity to cultivate. Only when the number of cultivators increases can the spiritual energy of heaven and earth be better developed.
This was Shen Qingmang's fabrication. Although she hadn't gotten a definitive answer the last time she went to Qihuangmen, she still had to create the conditions to go. Even if she didn't have the answers, she would still write a few notes on the test paper, hoping she could get lucky and score a few points. She had developed a spiritual energy monitor herself. It wasn't very sensitive at the moment, but she had discovered that the spiritual energy concentration on Wuya Peak was higher than that of the other four peaks. Wuya Peak had the largest number of disciples among the other peaks because she had accepted over thirty disciples in a row. She boldly hypothesized that a large number of people would help to gather spiritual energy.
Her answer was more consistent with people's expectations than Yang Zhidu's malicious prediction. When Yang Zhidu wanted to trigger a wave of layoffs, none of the sects responded proactively, as taking such a step would severely damage their reputation. Dismissing disciples was, no matter how you slice it, a deeply unethical move, so of course, it was best avoided.
Because she accurately predicted the occurrence and end of the total solar eclipse, more and more people believed in her. Shen Qingmang tasted the sweetness. Combining Gu Suihan's memories and her memories of the original plot, she "predicted" two small events, both of which came true, successfully establishing her image as a charlatan.
"Didn't Li Shutong want to use Yang Zhidu as her new puppet? Then I will just destroy her puppet. The original one hasn't come out yet, so I will use the copycat to catch her off guard." Shen Qingmang said complacently.
"Is this really okay?" Gu Suihan said with some concern. "What if you're playing tricks on the world and are punished by Heaven? What should you do?"
"No one is worthy of punishing me." Shen Qingmang stared into space. "Including this world's true creator. I refuse to accept the fate she has assigned me, to be a mere tool following the rules. Since I live in this world, I must use my thoughts to benefit society."
"It seems that neither you nor I believe in fate." Gu Suihan said with a smile, "I also don't accept fate's cruel jokes, so I turned the world upside down and started over."
"Then why are you still worried about me?"
"Although I don't believe in fate, I would be very worried if there was even the slightest possibility that you would be in danger. Even if it's not fate, there are all kinds of accidents..."
"Alright, alright, that sounds like a curse. Don't worry, I'm not that fragile. I'm still waiting to catch a big fish."
The big fish finally took the bait soon after. Third Senior Sister Qi Yao returned to Wuya Peak with her Taoist partner for a short stay, and even urged her friend Yang Zhidu to visit her home. In her opinion, Wuya Peak was the safest place, perfect for hosting guests.
Yang Zhidu has recently been overshadowed by Shen Qingmang, and she doesn't seem to be as patient and calm as she was in her previous life. She accepted Qi Yao's invitation and said that she would visit Taichu Sect soon.
Shen Qingmang finally waited for the big boss behind the scenes and was so excited that he couldn't sleep for three consecutive nights.
Yang Zhidu, the sweet and adorable youngest daughter of the Fang Yuan Sect's leader, was chosen by the leader for her fortune. Upon her birth, the leader divined her, predicting she would bring about change for the sect. Consequently, she was treated specially from birth, separated from her siblings and personally taught and nurtured by the leader. She possessed a talent for deduction, deducing that the lack of spiritual energy in the world stemmed from its sheer numbers. She suggested that the leader eliminate other sects, a suggestion the leader neither confirmed nor denied, tacitly approving. She also sought to strengthen the Fang Yuan Sect, making it the preeminent sect in the world, believing that skilled strategists belonged at the top. She disliked the hypocrisy of the Taichu Sect, believing their "non-competitiveness" was merely a cover for arrogance and vanity.
This was the picture she had created of Yang Zhidu, based on the information provided by Gu Suihan. She wondered if it resonated with her. She wanted to see who she really was.
In the height of summer, the Taichu Sect welcomed a distinguished guest. Not only was Qi Yao and his companions there to greet them, but the head of Wuya Peak also took the time to come. Many Taichu sect cultivators, curious about the "Daughter of Destiny," also quietly observed the movements outside the mountain gate.
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