6: Chapter 006 Function Breaks the Barrier! Su Qingxue: Sister Shiwen's Thoughts Are Peculiar

Inside the dilapidated wooden hut, Yu Qing saw Li Siwen (Li Shiwen) covered in mud, even her green silk skirt was stained. His heart was filled with shock and a sense of absurdity that shattered his worldview.

A Fairy-like Junior Sister, actually having such a disheveled moment?

This was no different from a simp discovering that his goddess actually poops!

Thus, another 100+ emotion points were credited to Li Siwen's account.

"I only took a Pollution Removal Pill. Is Senior Brother's expression one of disgust toward me?" Li Siwen said in a slightly sorrowful tone.

He originally wanted to act a bit more like a 'green tea' girl, but considering the other party had already made two trips, just gifted three pulse forging pills, and contributed 300 emotion points...

One shouldn't always shear the same sheep; he decided to give it a rest.

Collecting emotion points wasn't a matter of urgency, and he couldn't let this 'simp' fall any deeper.

Consequently—

[Stunned from Yu Qing +20]

[Guilt from Yu Qing +35]

"No! Ju—Junior Sister, you've misunderstood!" Yu Qing said, flustered. "I didn't mean that. It's just that seeing you like this so suddenly, I'm... I'm a bit unaccustomed to it!"

Yu Qing wished he could slap himself twice. How could he let his Junior Sister misunderstand like that? He really deserved to die!

He quickly picked up the pink cloth shirt from the ground, patted off the dust, and asked in confusion, "I understand Junior Sister taking a Pollution Removal Pill, but why would it result in..."

Pollution Removal Pills were for clearing internal impurities and purifying the skin and flesh. Besides beauty enhancement, they also had an effect on Body Tempering, though it was extremely minimal...

Normally, wouldn't it be more convenient to take such a Medicinal Pill while bathing?

Li Siwen just looked aggrievedly at the surrounding mess and damage, not saying a word.

Yu Qing hesitated for a moment and soon seemed to realize something.

Right, how could she bathe in this broken hut? Wouldn't she be seen by others for nothing?

Moreover, Junior Sister had just been harassed, so taking a Pollution Removal Pill now certainly wasn't for beauty.

She was probably trying every possible way to increase her strength for self-protection, even if it was just the tiny boost from a Pollution Removal Pill.

After all, Junior Sister was only a Utility Disciple in the Body Tempering stage; she couldn't possibly have good resources, it was just...

[Pity from Yu Qing +25]

[Heartache from Yu Qing +30]

[Confusion from Yu Qing +20]

"Junior Sister, don't be sad. Senior Brother Chen already said he would help you move to a new room. I know where it is; how about I take you there now?"

Yu Qing comforted her softly, then asked in confusion, "I heard that the one Liu Feng was targeting was Junior Brother Li Siwen, and this hut was originally where Junior Brother Li lived. Junior Sister, you..."

He had originally thought this Junior Sister might be a relative of Junior Brother Li, but now it seemed...

"I'm called Li Shiwen now!" Li Siwen said vaguely.

Yu Qing understood again: Li Siwen must be a pseudonym. If Junior Sister was bullied even while dressed as a man, she would surely face even more trouble if she showed her true face.

However, since she was willing to show her true self to him now, she must regard him differently.

[Heartache from Yu Qing +25]

[Joy from Yu Qing +30]

Li Siwen found it a bit strange. Why did he become joyful just from hearing a name?

Since Yu Qing was going to take him to a new residence, Li Siwen didn't refuse the kindness. After thanking him, he followed him out.

"The new residence is a wooden hut with a small courtyard, and there are even some half-withered Spiritual Plants growing in it!" Yu Qing scratched his head and said, "An Outer Sect Disciple used to live there. I specifically applied to the manager for it. It's safer than the previous hut, and it'll be more convenient for Junior Sister's work and cultivation."

On the way, Yu Qing seemed very shy. He briefly introduced the situation of the new residence and then silently led the way.

From time to time, he would feel a bit of joy, contributing single-digit emotion points, but he didn't shamelessly pester her with conversation.

After thanking him again, Li Siwen turned his attention to the System and was stunned to find that his emotion points had once again surpassed 500.

Glancing silently at the figure leading the way, Li Siwen couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This guy really had the potential to be a long-term meal ticket.

He didn't want to keep shearing his wool, but the guy just gave too much!

At this moment, he noticed that the chat group had suddenly become lively again.

The cause was the Saintess of Tianxuan, quadratically Su Qingxue, uploading a video clip—

In the video was the depths of a mist-shrouded valley, where a transparent light screen covered in ancient, mysterious patterns loomed, blocking the path.

The energy on the light screen flowed incessantly, forming extremely complex patterns. At times it was like a flowing galaxy, at others like blooming flowers, ever-changing and unpredictable.

quadratically Su Qingxue @Everyone: "Everyone, does anyone specialize in ancient barrier techniques? This formation protects what appears to be an ancient cultivator's Immortal Cave. Its energy operation laws are strange and differ from all the barrier paradigms I'm familiar with."

"I've tried three hundred and sixty basic breaking hand seals, all to no avail. Forcing it open might damage the items inside."

Soon, the other Saintesses were drawn out.

Mo Rui shouted with wide eyes, "Wow! What a beautiful barrier! It's like stars! But... I don't understand it at all! (⊙o⊙)"

After watching for a while, Tang Jingjing shook her head and said, "A barrier that even Sister Qingxue is helpless against must be extremely extraordinary. Unfortunately, I specialize in the Dao of Alchemy and know very little about formations and barriers."

Shang Ting, however, was thoughtful: "This barrier... is very interesting."

Her figure leaned in closer as she carefully observed the video, analyzing, "Its structure isn't fixed but is constantly changing and reorganizing. It's a bit like... a living thing? Or rather, a kind of dynamic encryption I've never seen before..."

After looking closely for a while, Shang Ting also shook her head. "I specialize in Puppet mechanisms, and their core runes are also based on the path of change, but the logic of this barrier's 'change' is completely different from what I've learned. It's more like... a kind of irregular glare?"

When even Shang Ting, the most knowledgeable and skilled in the path of 'change' in the group, found it difficult, a trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed in quadratically Su Qingxue's cold eyes.

"Even you... It seems this formation truly depends on Opportunity and cannot be forced." quadratically Su Qingxue sighed.

At this moment, "Li Shiwen," who had been quietly observing with a thread of her spirit, suddenly let out a soft "Eh?"

In the video, those constantly flowing and changing barrier patterns, those seemingly irregular energy lines extending, turning, and converging...

In his eyes, they gradually outlined a strange sense of déjà vu.

This... this didn't seem like a simple change in runes...

The direction of the lines, the cycles of energy strength, the connections between nodes... the more he looked, the more it resembled...

...the function graphs that had tortured him to death in high school and university?! And they were the extremely complex composite functions and dynamic parametric equations!

Although the form of expression was a bizarre flow of energy, the underlying feeling of 'mathematical logic' grew stronger and stronger!

"Um... Sister Qingxue, Sister Shang Ting!" Li Siwen said somewhat uncertainly, "I... I might have an immature idea..."

The gazes of the Saintesses instantly focused on this 'sister' with the lowest background and cultivation.

"Sister Shiwen, you have a way? Tell us, tell us!" Mo Rui urged cheerfully.

While others might have doubts, Mo Rui was the simplest one and just wanted to watch the excitement.

"I don't understand runes either, but..." Li Siwen shook his head and said uncertainly, "These trajectories of energy flow, look here..."

He tried to use his mind to mark several key energy convergence and diversion points on the video.

"Their changes don't seem completely random."

"The peak energy intensity of this point seems to always be accompanied by the other three points hitting a trough... and the change in curvature of this flow line seems to follow a certain... period?"

He tried his best to describe the 'monotonicity,' 'extreme points,' 'periodicity,' and 'symmetry' of function graphs in a way they could understand.

"Peak... trough... period..." Shang Ting murmured to herself.

Her mind, focused on the precise structures of Puppets, had a very high level of acceptance for such highly logical descriptions.

With this hint from "Li Shiwen," she suddenly realized that the 'irregular' glare she had seen earlier seemed to truly hide an icy yet extremely rigorous law of 'numbers' that had never been summarized by the cultivation world!

"I understand!" Shang Ting's eyes lit up, and she said excitedly, "It's not a combination of runes; it's a trajectory of 'numbers'! Its changes follow a 'law'!"

"Qingxue, don't use the logic for breaking runes. Try to use your Divine Thought to perceive and calculate the laws governing the changes in the intensity of these energy flows! Find its core 'numerical law' nodes!"

A hint of surprise and appreciation flashed in quadratically Su Qingxue's cold eyes. She glanced at "Li Shiwen" and said softly, "Sister Shiwen has a peculiar mind. If this 'numerical law' approach can break the formation, you shall have a share of the low-grade Spirit Medicines inside the Immortal Cave."