Calamity of Tomorrow

“The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao?”

“The Tao, that can be spoken, is not the eternal Tao?”

“The Tao that can, be spoken is not, the eternal Tao?”

“The Tao that can be spoken? Is not the eternal Tao?”

Seeing the random sentence Zhou Bai just wrote, Christina felt the fur on her body explode. As she read it, she felt that this sentence had no pauses, yet it could be read in any way. Each time she read it differently, it had infinite meanings. It was mysterious and indescribable.

“What does this mean?” Christina asked, “How…how did you write something like this? It’s impressive.”

“Ha…this is impressive?” Zhou Bai said proudly. “I have many comprehensions of Tao! If the Law of Renege is beyond your understanding, then I’ll write something simple.”

Then Zhou Bai wrote again, “The name that can be named is not the eternal name. How is that? Isn’t it amazing?”

Christina’s eyes widened immediately. She breathed slowly out of her nose. Then she frowned as if falling into contemplation.

Seeing how he’d amazed this dumb cat, Zhou Bai beamed with glee. “Looks like Tao Te Ching really works. After all, it’s mysterious and indescribable. Just these two sentences already include everything in the universe. The rest is up to you guys to understand.”

He was pleased with the two sentences he wrote, so that was all he handed in at the end of the test. Then he left the test site with the rest of the applicants and was led to a lounge.

A teacher walked out and said to everyone, “Everyone take a break here for now. With the teachers’ levels of practice, they’ll finish grading you guys in less than half an hour. Everyone be patient.”

The applicants each found a place to sit in the lounge.

Long-haired Zuo Dao, whose Primordial Spirit Value had reached 105 points, stood in place without moving. Between his breaths, Spark seemed to toil inside himself. He was taking every opportunity to practice.

The bald young man who answered the vice-principal’s question walked next to him. He smiled at Zuo Dao and said, “Zuo Dao, what did you write on the test? Haha, I comprehended a rune, but I’m not sure what it does.”

Zuo Dao said coldly, “A breathing method.”

“A breathing method?” The bald young man’s eyes glowed. Breathing methods were the foundation for practicing Tao. Breathing Spark using breathing methods would slowly increase your primordial spirit power.

“That’s amazing, you managed to comprehend a breathing method from the Heaven Usurpation Map. You probably have the best comprehension capacity in this year’s class.”

Zuo Dao didn’t respond. Instead, he looked up. He didn’t care about this year’s class at all. He had stronger opponents and a more terrifying goal to pursue.

“Stronger, even stronger. I must be even stronger.”

Seeing Zuo Dao turn to leave, the bald young man asked with surprise, “Why are you leaving?”

Zuo Dao said coolly, “There’s nothing to see here. I’m definitely going to place first. This year’s class…is no good.”

***

Off to the side, Jing Xiu walked up to Zhou Bai and said happily, “Brother Zhou, I comprehended a song from the Heaven Usurpation Map. What about you?”

“A song?” Zhou Bai was astonished. You could even comprehend that? He only wrote two sentences; was that too little? If he’d known, he would’ve added two more.

Zhou Bai was a little regretful, “What a shame. I remembered only the first two lines of Tao Te Ching. I can’t really remember the rest. If I knew, I would have memorized more lines.”

Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai and said, “Brother Zhou?”

“Oh, I only comprehended two sentences,” Zhou Bai said with a frown. “If you comprehended a song…if I just randomly wrote something on it, couldn’t I just say I comprehended it?”

“I don’t think that works,” Jing Xiu speculated, “Heaven Usurpation Map is the vice principal’s talisman. He probably knows what can be comprehended from it.”

At this moment, Christina, who had been silent ever since the test ended, said quietly, “Rest assured, with these two sentences, there’s no way your grade will be low. Where did you hear them from? Someone at your level couldn’t say something like that.”

“Ha!” Zhou Bai laughed, “You’re shocked at these two lines? Let me tell you, I can spout these profound words whenever I please.”

He remembered another line and recited, “The Tao of heaven, reduces the excessive and adds to the lacking…”

Christina was stunned again, thinking over Zhou Bai’s words in a trance. She said incredulously, “This…this sentence. It’s in the style of ancient Taoist scriptures. They’re descriptions of the Heavenly Tao. How are you able to say something like that?”

She would never believe Zhou Bai could say something like that on his own.

Christina asked, “And then? What’s the next line?”

Zhou Bai gave it some thought and pursed his lips, “I forget the rest.”

“…”

Even though there was no way Zhou Bai came up with that, his image in Christina’s mind suddenly became greater. He seemed somewhat unfathomable to her.

Jing Xiu watched Zhou Bai, who was in a trance (conversing with Christina in his mind), and asked, “Brother Zhou, what sentences did you write?”

Zhou Bai said carelessly, “The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”

“Huh?” Jing Xiu couldn’t understand the meaning behind this sentence at all. She asked with a frown, “What does that mean? I can’t understand.”

***

On the other side, at the site of the exam…1,200 tests flew up, drifting up and down around the Heaven Usurpation Map.

Of all the tests that approached the Heaven Usurpation Map, some of them drifted next to the proctors, some of them drifted to the ground. They turned into gray sheets and fell neatly into a row.

“Don’t make a mistake, guys,” Zhao Shouyi said as he stroked his beard. “After the Heaven Usurpation Map exchanges information with the tests, it automatically determines if what these applicants wrote can be comprehended from the Heaven Usurpation Map. Don’t waste your time reading the ones that were written randomly.”

“Oh? This person comprehended a method of keeping health by breathing and walking.” The female proctor with a ponytail smiled as she looked at this test. “That’s pretty good comprehension.”

Next to the female proctor, a man with piercing eyes put away a test. He said coldly, “Hmph, a bunch of bullsh*t. What are these applicants thinking nowadays?”

Vice principal Zhao Shouyi smiled and said, “Xing Jun, don’t be so strict. These kids want to get a better grade to pass the entrance exam, so they’ll write a little more. You should try to understand.”

Then he grabbed over a test and frowned, “What is this?” On the test was a drawing of a beauty lazily lying on a bed.

“Zero points!” Zhao Shouyi was so mad his eyes twitched, “Who allowed them to draw on the test? And they even…even…”

The female proctor with a ponytail took over the test and immediately chuckled, “What great drawing skills. It even looks like there’s a method of swordsmanship hidden within.” She looked at the name on the test and said, “This Qian Wangsun is not bad. Principal, you shouldn’t give him zero points. With this level, he might rank first in comprehension capacity this year. Oh right, isn’t his Primordial Spirit Value 99 too? He might even be first place.”

“Hmph, a frivolous kid,” Zhao Shouyi said with a cold face. “Look at his previous grades and see what the sum is. Lower it if you have to; we can’t allow someone like this to be in first place.”

At that moment, Lu Chongyang, who had been silent the entire time, laughed. He said, “Teacher, I don’t think you have to worry about this Qian Wangsun getting first place.”

As he said this, he handed over the test.

“Look at this. This is Zuo Dao’s test. What amazing talent, these young people are truly…incredible.”