When a person is in a high-ranking position, their words carry the law.

Chapter 201 Building a House from Grass, Observing Stars and Gazing at the Qi

The place where I saw Ye Weiyang again was in Baiyujing, in that riverside pavilion.

The first thing Ye Weiyang said to Bai Ze was—

You've broken through to four stars?

The statement was made in the form of a question, but it conveyed a statement of affirmation.

"Is it that obvious?" Bai Ze stopped in his tracks, a look of doubt on his face.

He had concealed it very well, even using the power of words to completely suppress his energy and act in a sickly manner.

From Bai Ze's perspective, there was absolutely no mistake, but Ye Weiyang still noticed it.

"It's not obvious, you've done a perfect job."

Ye Weiyang's usually cold expression softened, as if she was quite satisfied with Bai Ze's breakthrough.

She explained to Bai Ze, "But I had already seen your breakthrough through the Qi Observation Technique before this, which is why I called you over."

Wow, it turns out it's done through the method of Yi Xue (易学, a Chinese idiom for easy learning).

But is the I Ching really that mysterious?
Based on Bai Ze's observations, the I Ching is more of a method of observation and calculation.

Therefore, Yi (易) means change, and the study of Yi is the study of understanding change.

Ye Weiyang noticed Bai Ze's confusion and asked, "What's your opinion on the basics of Yi Jing?"

Basics of I Ching Studies...
Bai Ze thought for a moment and gave a rather poetic answer: "Build a house out of grass and observe the stars and the atmosphere."

The foundation of the study of the I Ching lies in the word "observation".

Observing the stars and the atmosphere, one can know the future by observing the celestial phenomena and understand destiny by observing the atmosphere.

First observe, then calculate.

The study of Yi Jing (易经) has always been inextricably linked to astrology, which is why the mainstream clubs in Yi Jing academies are called the Astronomy Club.

"Observing stars and qi is a good idea, but many people have misconceptions about it."

Upon hearing this, Ye Weiyang shook her head slightly and said, "From the perspective of modern science, our solar system is 4.22 light-years away from the nearest star, Proxima Centauri. The Ziwei star, which plays a key role in ancient metaphysics and is now commonly known as the North Star, is even 434 light-years away from us. How can such a distance be used as a standard for measurement?"

Bai Ze: "Huh?"

This statement is truly...
It was both unexpected and yet perfectly reasonable.

Even at the speed of light, it would take 4.22 years to reach Proxima Centauri, and 434 years to reach Ziwei Star.

However, distance is not the key factor; the key factor is that human vision is based on light-sensing function.

Humans see the world through light.

In other words, it takes 434 years for the light from Polaris to travel through the universe to reach Earth.

Looking up at the sky, I saw the North Star as it was 434 years ago.

This is hardly the future; it's more like the past. At least the stars we see are actually from a past time period. Bai Ze already knew that the starry sky was far from the ground, but this was the first time he had thought of it in conjunction with stargazing.

This can be considered a kind of intellectual bias; even though they know it, they never seem to grasp this crucial point.

Just as Bai Ze was in shock, Ye Weiyang suddenly changed the subject, saying, "However, it's not entirely wrong to say that we are observing the stars. The stars we see are actually stars from the past, but if we look at the starlight instead of the stars themselves, then what we see is the starlight of today."

"After the primordial energy entered this world, and after the pioneering explorers brought back the star charts from the primordial realm, our ancestors, through research, discovered that starlight and primordial energy, when combined, possessed certain properties. Or rather, under the influence of primordial energy, the properties of starlight were revealed."

"The qi of a person also has different properties due to the different constitutions of each person. When a person's qi and the properties of starlight are in harmony, changes in the person will also cause changes in starlight."

"So, you're saying we observe the people corresponding to the stars by observing their light?" Bai Ze guessed.

The celestial phenomena we see are formed by starlight entering our eyes. If the starlight changes, then the scene we see should also change.

Although what we see are stars of the past, the subtle changes contained within the starlight after this processing are changes of the present.

“That’s right,” Ye Weiyang nodded approvingly. “Stargazing is not about observing the stars in the sky, but the stars in your eyes. It’s not about looking at the movement of the stars, but the energy contained in the starlight. In my opinion, stargazing is actually observing energy.”

Well... all I can say is that after this explanation, stargazing and fortune telling have become scientific.

It's just unknown which kind of stars those sorcerers and Taoists looked at before the emergence of primordial energy.

Although modern Yi studies are actually based on the era of primordial energy, who knows if there were people in ancient times who could see the nature of starlight without needing primordial energy as a medium?
Bai Ze seemed to be deep in thought.

Ye Weiyang was quite pleased to see that Bai Ze understood things so quickly. Her usually cold and aloof face, as if covered in ice and snow, seemed to have entered early spring, and she smiled.

She said, "Even with the presence of vital energy as a medium, making observation easier, very few people can actually observe the stars."

"Of all the students in the Yi Studies Department over the years, only a handful have been able to reach this stage. The vast majority of students are actually practicing Qi observation, Bagua, and astrological techniques. We hope to cultivate their sensitivity to vital energy and astrology through this method, so that they can overcome that hurdle."

"Unfortunately, in the past ten years, only one student has been able to do this, and that is Mu Yaoguang. And the next one should be you."

Judging from Ye Weiyang's words, those who can observe the stars are the true seeds of the I Ching school; as for the others, one can only say that their future is promising.

If you can't reach this level, even if you're an expert in observing qi, you're only a half-baked person at best.

Hearing it like that, it suddenly seems much more sophisticated and high-class.

Ye Weiyang showed an approving look as she said this, "You have not disappointed me either. You have shown extremely strong computing power before, even to the point of being able to foresee the future, and you are even able to create thunderclouds and guide heavenly lightning. With your talent, plus your cultivation of the Cantong Qi, your chances of taking this step can be said to be one hundred percent."

Clearly, Bai Ze's breakthrough gave Ye Weiyang a great deal of confidence.

After reaching the fourth star level, the perception of vital energy is greatly enhanced, and it is not impossible to detect subtle changes in starlight through vital energy.

No, it should be said that it is definitely possible.

Bai Ze also realized that his breakthrough had earned Ye Weiyang's recognition.

If we were to categorize the students of the Yi Jing (易经) department, then 99% of them would be outer disciples, while people like Sima Ming could be considered inner disciples.

As for Bai Ze, he was already a true disciple.

(End of this chapter)