The Ultimate Number Nine

The sunlight had already begun to set slightly westward beyond his eyelids.

He sensed that the void pierced by the probe was still trembling slightly.

The "seed" formed by the fusion of Destruction and life has been deeply embedded in his Soul Core, and the energy patterns between the six phases of the moon have built the first bridge.

But instead of rushing to go deeper, he let the trembling aftershocks subside on their own.

As the aftershocks subsided, he reopened his senses, turning towards the six illuminated phases of the moon in his Sea of Spirit.

New Moon. Crescent Moon. Full Moon.

The three beams of light were arranged in sequence on the outermost layer, forming a slightly curved arc.

The New Moon is the palest of colors, like the first silvery-white line appearing on the eastern horizon as dusk falls, so faint it could almost be extinguished by a gust of wind.

The Crescent Moon was brighter, with a cooler light and a thin layer of frost-white on its edges, like a knife that had just been sharpened.

The Full Moon was much brighter than the previous two, its round, full, and almost oppressive light like a luminous object stuffed into a small container, pushed to its limit from the inside out.

Yun Jingheng's perception stopped above the three lunar phases.

He recalled the time shortly after he had transmigrated to this world.

At that time, he had nothing but a nearly broken foundation inherited from the original owner of the body, and a memory that did not belong to this world at all.

He was familiar with everything in this world, but putting it into practice was still a bit difficult. Soul Power, Soul Ring, Soul Beast, Martial Soul, cultivation systems—everything was like a series of tightly closed doors. He stood outside the doors, unable to even find the handles.

The New Moon is the primary attribute during the period of Martial Soul Awakening.

It's a state where everything is just beginning, where anything is possible yet nothing is actually there.

At that time, his understanding of the power of the New Moon God was very superficial. He thought that "god" was the enhancement of Divine Power, that is, a wider range of perception, faster reaction, and attacks with strong Mental Interference.

But now, as he re-examines that New Moon, he sees something deeper.

The light of the New Moon is not an "enhancement of Divine Power," but rather "possibility" itself.

It is a state where all directions can coexist before everything is determined.

It doesn't choose, favor, or reject any possibility; it simply "opens up."

He discovered Crescent Moon when he acquired Soul Ring and was researching Soul Skill.

Although he was muddle-headed and never did anything productive.

But he still chose to cultivate, chose to become stronger, and chose to come all the way from the Shrek Academy to where he is now.

Every choice is a cutting, like the edge of Crescent Moon slicing away the forks in his life one by one, leaving only the one he chooses.

The Crescent Moon signifies coldness, not in terms of temperature, but in the chilling clarity that follows.

Once you've eliminated the unnecessary options, the remaining path will be narrow, bright, and hard, allowing you to feel every subtle edge and texture of the surface under your feet.

The Full Moon was similar; it was also a discovery made unexpectedly.

The feeling of overflowing Soul Power, unobstructed meridians, and power expanding under his control to the point of almost overflowing the surface of his skin.

The Full Moon is the main attack, but perhaps this attack is not just true damage, but also its arrival.

It's a state of fullness that comes after reaching the end of a certain stage, a state that's almost at its critical point.

But the Full Moon has one problem: it's too full, so full that it can't hold anything new.

When you reach the Full Moon, it's "complete." Completed things don't need to grow any longer; they just need to wait to be broken.

Then it was adopted by Blood Moon.

Yun Jingheng's senses shifted back and forth between the three phases of the moon.

The rising of the New Moon, the waxing of the Crescent Moon, and the turning of the Full Moon —these three rays of light form a complete arc in the first half of the lunar phases.

What's between them?

He asked himself.

Between the New Moon and the Full Moon lies the Crescent Moon Crescent Moon, which is the necessary path from "open possibilities" to "arrival of perfection."

But what happens after the Full Moon?

Yun Jingheng's perception continued to extend outward along the arc of the Full Moon's edge. No phase of the moon was lit in that direction, but that location was "empty" in his perception.

There was only the foundation and column bases at that location; the wall hadn't been built yet, but the exact spot where the wall should be was clearly marked.

What should that wall be?

He mentally rearranged the four phases of the first lunar month.

The New Moon represents "possibility," the Crescent Moon represents "choice," and the Full Moon represents "arrival."

What happens after we "arrive"?

It can't go any higher; the Full Moon is already at its highest point in the lunar phase.

The portion that remains after the Full Moon should not be described as "higher," but rather as "wider."

He recalled that evening when he stood on the reef at the Sea God Pavilion, gazing at the horizon.

The sunlight streamed in from the west, turning the entire sea surface golden-orange. What did he see on the horizon where the sea met the sky?

He saw nothing; there was nothing behind the horizon. But he knew that behind that empty horizon lay land, cities, and places he had never been before. He didn't go anywhere at that time; he just stood on the reef, gazing into the distance at that unknown direction.

see.

It's not about arriving, it's about gazing into the distance.

It's not about conquest, it's about longing for home.

Full Moon signifies reaching the mountaintop, while Gazing Moon means standing on the mountaintop and seeing the next mountain.

"Looking forward means looking into the distance, looking towards home, and having a full but not overflowing hope."

As Yun Jingheng settled on this name in his heart, a light suddenly shone on the empty fourth wall.

The light wasn't as pale as New Moon, as cold as Crescent Moon, or as full as Full Moon. It was a warm, gentle, intermediate color, like a mixture of twilight sunlight and morning moonlight. It wasn't dazzling, but it was there, steady and certain, like a lamp atop a tower.

[Gazing Moon: Unpredictable targeting, can teleport nearby, attacks never miss.]

New Moon, Crescent Moon, Full Moon, Gazing Moon.

The four phases of the moon were arranged in order in his Sea of Spirit, forming a complete upward arc. One end of the line was the faint light of the New Moon, and the other end was the warm color of the Gazing Moon in a serene gaze. There was no break in the entire arc.

But this arc stops at Gazing Moon.

Opposite to the Gazing Moon, on the other side of the Sea of Spirit, three dark moon phases silently await.

Dark Moon, Calamity Moon, Blood Moon.

He first moved closer to the Dark Moon. He only inherited the complete authority of the Dark Moon after Zhao Yunhong's death, and together with the Blood Moon Calamity Moon, they formed the Moon Negative authority.

The Dark Moon was a deep gray with a hint of dark purple, like the last bit of light that peeked through the edge of a gap in the clouds after the moonlight had been completely obscured.

The Dark Moon's master is Hidden, but Hidden doesn't mean invisibility; it means "concealment."

It is those things that have been completed and arrived at in the state of the Full Moon that quietly retreat from the forefront to the background after their mission is over, making room for the next round of operation.

The color of the Calamity Moon is a murky dark brown, with fine, dark lines on its surface, like the spreading rust on rusty iron.

The main tribulation of the Calamity Moon is not punishment, but rather "wear and tear".

It is the layer of consumption that inevitably remains after each cycle of operation; it is the subtle, unavoidable loss that comes with each collision, each convergence, and each time the Soul Power draws nourishment from Destruction and life during its operation.

The color of the Blood Moon was undoubtedly bright, like the dark red of dried blood.

The main curse of the Blood Moon isn't necessarily malicious; rather, it's more like a "legacy."

It's the residue that settles at the bottom after each cycle of operation, things that can't be refined, can't be expelled, and can only passively accumulate in the corner.

Yun Jingheng's perception stopped in front of these three lunar phases.

The Dark Moon departs, the Calamity Moon is worn down, and the Blood Moon remains.

The reverse three-line pattern has completed the first three segments of the downward arc.

Yun Jingheng's senses continued to probe downwards along the invisible line extending beneath the Blood Moon.

If the "positive four" has "hope" as its fourth path, then the "reverse four" should also have a fourth path.

A positive four (正四) represents a composed upward movement to a state of "fullness without overflowing." So, to what extent should a negative four (反四) decline?

He continued downwards.

Beneath the Blood Moon, at the very bottom of the Sea of Spirit, in a place almost beyond the reach of even Soul Power perception, there is nothing.

But he could sense a gap there, like a crack in the bottom of a wooden barrel, through which the contents of the barrel were slowly, drop by drop, seeping out to the outside of the barrel.

The direction in which it seeped out was something he had never been able to figure out.

He draws strength from Destruction, and he also draws strength from life.

The Soul Core within his body had experienced both abundance and depletion.

But in the emptiness that follows each fullness, where do all those things that were once full but later became empty go?

He had examined his body countless times; his Soul Core wasn't cracked, his meridians weren't broken, and his dantian hadn't collapsed, but those powers had simply vanished?

No, that's not right. It didn't disappear; it seeped away, like water seeping into sand. You can't see it anymore, but it must be gathering somewhere deeper.

lack.

The direction in which that seepage is going is the gap.

After the moon reaches the extreme of Gazing Moon, it descends to the Dark Moon, the Calamity Moon, and the Blood Moon, experiencing wear and tear, depletion, and sedimentation along the way. By the time it reaches the Blood Moon, it has sunk to the deepest layer of silt, but the silt is not the end.

Beneath the silt lies another layer, a state of "the moon is dead, yet not yet nothingness."

After the power of the four orthodox paths was exhausted by the reverse four, the remaining little bit was caught by the Blood Moon, sank to the bottom, and then "seeped out" from the bottom crack, seeping into places outside the moon phase wheel, like a river flowing to the mouth of the sea, where fresh water enters salt water and the river disappears.

"Missing Moon," he uttered softly.

The outline of Missing Moon emerged at the very bottom of his Sea of Spirit.

[Missing Moon: Attacks include dissipation effects, capable of dissolving energy systems such as Soul Power, Divine Power, and Divine Power, causing them to dissipate into the world. It can also transform the dissipated energy into a destructive attack.]

The four descending arcs begin after the Gazing Moon and continue downwards until the Missing Moon Missing Moon, after which there is nothing at all.

The arcs of the square and the arcs of the inverted square form a complete circle in his Sea of Spirit.

The New Moon rises, the Crescent Moon follows, the Full Moon turns, and the Gazing Moon joins—this ascent ends here.

Then the Dark Moon gathers, the Calamity Moon grinds, the Blood Moon sinks, and the Missing Moon dissipates—the descent ends here.

After the ring is closed, the regular four and the reverse four each occupy half of the arc length.

The Gazing Moon at the end of the upright four and the Dark Moon at the beginning of the reverse four are closely side by side, which is the transition from "full" to "retreat".

The Missing Moon at the end of the fourth phase and the beginning of the New Moon are facing each other from afar, which is the transition from "dispersion" to "rise" - after the Missing Moon dissipates, the New Moon takes over.

But nine is the extreme number.

Four plus four equals eight.

The eight have formed a ring, the ring is closed, and the beginning and end are connected.

Where is the ninth path?

Yun Jingheng's perception retreated from that complete ring to a higher perspective, overlooking the entire lunar wheel.

The ring is indeed closed, but there are "folds" at both ends of this closed ring.

At the point where the Gazing Moon and the Dark Moon meet, at the point where the Missing Moon and the New Moon meet.

There is a very thin crease, like the crease left after paper has been folded; that crease is the boundary between the two poles.

Directly above the boundary line is the warm light of the Gazing Moon, and directly below is the dark gray of the Dark Moon; the line between the two is...

It is neither Gazing Moon nor Dark Moon; it belongs neither to the upward arc of a positive four-line nor the downward arc of a negative four-line.

It is an independent, vertical "axis" that is perpendicular to the plane of the annulus.

The waxing and waning of the moon do not completely merge; rather, gaps exist.

But why? What am I missing?

Is there a missing link between the two?

etc...

He repeated the word "turn around" to himself several times.

What is the essence of steering?

It's like something leaving its original direction, turning around, and heading in the opposite direction.

The gaze that was originally directed towards the Gazing Moon now turns inward towards the Dark Moon, a reversal of the original direction of the Gazing Moon.

The remnants that seeped away from the Missing Moon are turned back to the possibility of the New Moon's rebirth, which is also a "reversal" of the Missing Moon's original direction.

inverse.

He recalled experiencing too many such "turns" in his Soul Power cultivation.

When he drew power from Destruction, the nature of that power was to "devour" and "dissolve," but he turned it towards "fusion" and "construction."

When he draws strength from life, the nature of that strength is to "nourish" and "generate," but he turns it towards "tempering" and "compressing."

Every effective absorption is essentially a "reversal," intercepting the power from its natural flow, turning it around, and letting it determine its next stage of the journey.

The ultimate Destruction is the beginning of life, and the end of life is also watched over by Destruction.

Going against the current, against the times, against fate.

He gently repeated those three words in his mouth.

The reverse flow is the "direction" that causes something that originally flowed from A to B to flow from B to A in reverse.

Reversing time is about "sequence," making things that should happen first happen later, and things that should happen later happen first.

Defying fate is its "essence," causing something to stop doing what it is supposed to do and instead do the exact opposite.

Isn't this exactly what I'm lacking?

Could this be the so-called "Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three gives birth to all things"?

Does the perfect fusion of the Yin and Yang symbols in Tai Chi involve a reversing third party?

Relying on two poles and aided by a third party to complete the flow, constantly rehearsing and combining, thus forming all things?!

Yun Jingheng suddenly realized something, and the two creases in his Sea of Spirit trembled simultaneously.

The crease between the Gazing Moon and the Dark Moon was stretched open, revealing a cold light shining through.

The seam between the Missing Moon and New Moon was stretched open, and the light seeping out was warm.

Two beams of Reverse Moon from opposite directions met on the central axis of the circle at the point where they intersected.

The four phases of the Moon Positive, the four phases of the Moon Negative, and the Reverse Moon occupy the central axis as the pivot that governs the two poles, while the three Reverse Moon are embedded in the gap between the positive and negative phases as the medium for transformation.

Boom--!

Yun Jingheng's Sea of Spirit trembled violently as a surge of information flooded in.

[Reverse Moon: Turning Everything Around.]

The world has gone dark.

Not just Devil Island, but also the Sun Moon Federation, the Star Dou Great Forest, the Star Luo Empire, Extreme North...

The entire planet went black.

Outside Douluo Planet, nine enormous moons of different colors appeared one after another, then shrank rapidly, streaking across the night sky and falling toward Yun Jingheng's body.