"It was precisely because the Sages' existence had been forcibly cut away that such changes became possible," Han Qi explained patiently to Li Shun.
"Sages are on a par with the Cosmos Realm. Their very existence can affect space and time. Forcibly stripping them out makes space and time repair itself along a certain course."
"That's why a trial timeline usually can't last long—at most, a hundred years. And..."
"Under the influence of that restorative force, all manner of inconceivable, mysterious changes can arise. For instance, amid countless possible arrangements, an entirely new Sage who never appeared in Great Qian's history might spring into existence from nothing."
"Yet because he should never have existed, he vanishes without a trace as soon as the trial timeline ends. Only the words he left behind remain as a record that he was once there."
Han Qi's explanation only left matters more shrouded in clouds and mist.
But Li Shun had begun to understand. The Imperial Academy regarded the birth of the Supreme Unity Complete Method as a coincidence produced by space and time's tendency to restore itself.
"Has something like this happened before?" Li Shun asked, seeing how certain Han Qi looked.
"Naturally. But I can't tell you which theory was born from the void," Han Qi said.
Silence fell for a moment.
Then Li Shun seemed to realize something and narrowed his eyes. "Master Han, you came to tell me about the Mind-Communicating Bead. Why begin with such a lengthy discourse on the Supreme Unity Complete Treatise?"
"Could the two be connected somehow?"
Han Qi wore the look of a teacher whose pupil had proved himself worth teaching.
He turned his palm over. A deep-blue sphere appeared in his hand, almost identical in appearance to Li Shun's, though somewhat larger.
Li Shun