How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

Chapter 133 The Crown of Calculation, Involving the Circle and Square

Cui Wusheng shifted his gaze from their faces, his voice as soft as a sigh: "I really hope your prediction was wrong, otherwise, this round will probably be difficult again!"

He had just come across Zhou Wenju's unique "expression prediction" method.

When two rivals who know each other inside and out come together, you can predict most of their moves just by looking at their expressions.

Because both of them knew the details of their opponent.

A relaxed expression indicates confidence and composure.

A person with a serious expression is not confident.

If you don't even have confidence in yourself, how can you expect others to have confidence in you?

Zhou Wenju rested his chin on his hand, quietly watching the two standing side by side on the high platform, without answering Cui Wusheng.

Theoretically speaking, I'll only talk about the theory.

Theoretically speaking, the arithmetic skills of the Great Yan Kingdom should not be superior to those of the Great Yu Kingdom.

What does Daewoo say?

After all, the Mo family's stronghold is located in the Great Universe. The Mo family is recognized as one of the top three families in mathematics. Why? Because they use it extensively. The Dao of Arrays, the Dao of Weapons, and the Dao of Mechanisms all require mathematics, don't they? Long-term illness makes a good doctor, so their mathematics skills are naturally extraordinary.

The Great Yu Kingdom, being geographically close to the Mohist school, was somewhat influenced by them, and its mathematical proficiency should surpass that of the Great Yan Kingdom.

However, this is just the general public's opinion.

Zhou Wenju knew a few things —

Firstly, the Mohists were unreliable, especially those in the Mo Hall, whom he perceived as a bunch of scoundrels.

Secondly, arithmetic is rubbish in this whole world.

In an era of comparing who's worse, it's hard to define who's truly worse.

On the high platform, the Second Elder waved his hand gently.

Two illusory large flowers appeared out of thin air.

It encloses both of them at the same time.

This is a unique method of isolation used by the Eldar.

During the competition, no one is allowed to communicate or discuss matters via telepathy.

Then the exam questions were announced —

"Today's contest between two masters of divination represents the pinnacle of our respective nations. Therefore, the questions are somewhat beyond our capabilities. We hope you both have a basic understanding of this."

These words sent a jolt through everyone present.

The level of both countries is top-notch, and the questions even exceed the limit —

How difficult is this question?

"Second Elder, please pose the question!" the two grandmasters said at the same time.

Their voices could be heard clearly, and their expressions could be seen clearly, but apart from the question setter, no one else could transmit their voices into the Eldar's blockade.

The Second Elder said, "There is a wondrous formation, a formation divided into Yin and Yang. When Yin and Yang are balanced, the formation is complete! We know that the Yang-Yang element is a square, with a side length of 365."

"The cathode is circular. Could the two masters please answer: what is the diameter of this circle? Strive for precision! The more precise, the better."

Upon hearing this question, everyone's expression changed drastically.

"The problem of roundness and squareness!" Zhuang Wenhua's face darkened.

The problem of roundness and squareness is known as the "crown" of divination, and countless divination practitioners have devoted their lives to studying it.

However, there is no standard answer.

Only able to get infinitely close —

Because it can only be approached infinitely, various calculation methods have emerged, including methods of division, methods of filling squares, and unique algorithms.

Among them, the "Moshu" of the Mohist school is the most mysterious. It is said that this unique algorithm can correct errors to the greatest extent.

Because that's what they do, they use it a lot.

This algorithm was also a closely guarded secret within the Mohist school, and it was constantly being improved.

Today, this is a question without a standard answer that has appeared on the battlefield of the war of words between the two countries, full of unpredictability and variables.

Inside the wooden house.

The girl in purple's eyes gleamed: "The question posed by the elder corresponds to the first diagram of our clan's Vast Ocean Remnant Spirit Ancient Array."

The saintess laughed: "What do you think? You think this grand event we meticulously arranged, specifically including divination, was just a test of the divination skills of our two nations?"

The girl in purple let out a long sigh: "The Holy Maiden has truly gone to great lengths!"

"Taking advantage of the Qingshan Literary Gathering, I invite the top astronomical geniuses from both countries to come to my Qingshan to solve my array problems. If they can truly solve them, then my Spirit Clan's efforts will not have been in vain."

The girl in purple finally lost the confusion and dissatisfaction she had felt for many days, and she truly began to respect the Holy Maiden.

No matter how cruel the saint's grand goal may be.

However, as members of the Spirit Clan, we cannot disapprove of the Holy Maiden's intention to consider the well-being of the Spirit Clan.

The ancient array diagram of the remnant spirits in the vast sea is a matter of life and death for the entire spirit race.

The most crucial point is the balance of Yin and Yang. Too much or too little will lead to endless troubles. Moreover, it cannot be tested casually because the materials for this great formation are all so rare. Once the experiment is destroyed, there is no turning back.

The only way is to achieve a perfect balance of Yin and Yang before the experiment.

This is something that even a highly skilled cultivator could not do.

The only one who can do this is a prodigy who can calculate the Dao.

The geniuses of all nations are the darlings of the literary path. If you blindly search for them, not only will you fail to find the true geniuses, but you may also expose the Spirit Clan's unprecedented and magnificent formation, and even reveal the Spirit Clan's battle intentions.

The best way is to do it this way today.

Using a refined literary gathering, and an irresistible lure, two great nations with profound literary traditions voluntarily sent their most outstanding mathematical geniuses to the Spirit Clan. Let's see if they can find this crucial point of yin-yang balance—

People exploit others; this is something that happens every day in the world.

But who can devise a single plan to stir up the world and make both nations willingly send their best talents to do this wedding dress for the Spirit Clan in the most meticulous way?

Only the Holy Maiden, the strategist of the Spirit Clan and known as the "Spirit Clan's Dao Flower," could do it.

On the high platform, amidst the illusory images of two large flowers—

The two mathematical prodigies began their calculations.

Their methods were all unique and effective.

In Ding Yuchou's hand was a strange plate. As soon as the plate stood up, a square phantom and a circular phantom appeared. Several dividing lines appeared on the circular phantom.

"Segmentation method!" Cui Wusheng transmitted his voice to Zhou Wenju.

The partitioning method, as the name suggests, involves dividing a circle into several regions and using the greatest common divisor to find the closest approximation.

Du Yuqing, however, was different; a folding fan appeared in his hand.

When the folding fan is opened, countless square grids appear.

"Fill in the blanks!"

The grid-filling method involves filling small square grids into circles. This method is more intuitive than the "division method," but the downside is that it's extremely labor-intensive and prone to significant errors. Since the outer edges are circular, precise alignment with squares is impossible. To achieve accuracy, the grids must be made even smaller.

In theory, if the squares are made infinitely small, they can get infinitely close to the correct answer.

However, errors still exist.

These are just basic routines, nothing more than two commonly used techniques.

I can't tell which one is better.

However, next, Du Yuqing produced more than three hundred counting rods, arranged at varying heights—

Extremely unique.

Cui Wusheng's eyes widened suddenly: "Ink arithmetic! How could he possibly be proficient in ink arithmetic?"

Zhou Wenju's heart skipped a beat: "Ink arithmetic?"

Cui Wusheng was surprised: "Brother Zhou, you come from the Mohist school, haven't you ever seen Mohist arithmetic?"

"This—I really haven't seen it before! In the Mo family, I only deal with weapon crafting." Zhou Wenju stated truthfully.

Cui Wusheng said, "As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise, so it's normal that Brother Zhou hasn't seen it before—there's something very serious that Brother Zhou, with his intelligence, must have already realized."

"You mean, the Mohist school, though located within the Great Yu territory, didn't pass on its core mathematical techniques to the Great Yu, but instead passed them on to the Great Yu's enemy states?"

Cui Wusheng sighed softly, "Since Brother Zhou is not avoiding the topic, then I will also frankly express my concerns. The Mohist school—in recent years, the Mohist school seems to have deviated somewhat!"

"What's there to hide? I understand the biases of the Mohist school far better than Brother Cui. Otherwise, why do you think I left the Mohist school?"

Cui Wusheng was surprised and stared at him blankly.

Zhou Wenju smiled slightly: "See?"

Cui Wusheng turned his gaze back to the illusory isolation circle —

The expressions on their faces came into his view again.

Cui Wusheng's heart slowly began to pound.

If this Brother Zhou's "physiognomy" is correct, the situation is worrying.

Ding Yuchou's face lost its usual composure and confidence.

His opponent, meanwhile, manipulated the counting rods in his hand with effortless skill.

Zhou Wenju was the only one in the room with the expression of a proctor watching an elementary school student answer questions.

Yes, for him, this question really was just a primary school test question.

However, there is a world in between. The people in this world have not yet figured out pi, nor have they figured out the formula for calculating the area of ​​a circle.

He shouldn't be too arrogant in front of these natives.

He stands on the shoulders of giants.

The powerful one is never himself, but the giant beneath him.

If someone doesn't know this formula, they'll be just as clueless as anyone trying to solve the problem.

But who told him to know?

Who told him to be a doctoral student in modern society?

He was entitled to stand by and watch, observing these two masters scratching their heads in frustration.

It's a real pity, a huge pity, because there was a barrier between him and Ding Yuchou.

If it weren't for this isolation barrier, he could have easily taken this opportunity by sending a wisp of his literary transmission, provided that Mr. Ding listened to his advice.

Unfortunately, he couldn't transmit his voice.

I can only suffer outside —

The ordeal lasted an exceptionally long time.

One hour, two hours, three hours —

The sky was bright in the east!

Du Yuqing gently raised her hand, indicating that she had calculated the answer.

On the other side of the Great Yan Kingdom, cheers erupted simultaneously. However, everyone quickly realized that "opening champagne at halftime" seemed somewhat inappropriate, and the cheers ceased.

The situation in Daewoo is even more tense.

Zhuang Wenhua's forehead was covered in sweat.

Fortunately, this round wasn't about speed, but about the precision of calculation; otherwise, Daewoo would have already lost.

Another hour later.

Ding Yuchou raised his hand!

This indicates completion.

"Please, both masters, write your answers on the cardboard!"

This eliminates the possibility of being at a disadvantage by giving the answer first.

If the two people take turns giving their answers, the person who gives the answer later can win even if they don't calculate the points. They can add or subtract one point from the other person's answer.

If everyone writes down their answers in a closed format, then there's no need to worry about that.

Soon, the two folded up their answers and handed them to the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder smiled and said, "The problem of circles and squares represents the pinnacle of mathematical calculation. To be able to calculate the answer is already remarkable. To calculate it in one night truly makes you worthy of being called a master of mathematics!"

This statement is a profound affirmation.

But when Zhou Wenju heard this, he didn't know what to say. If he had a son in the future, and his son spent an entire night solving such a problem, should he just send the child to herd cattle? Should he start a new family and make other plans?

Of course, no one had this advanced understanding.

Everyone was excited.

The answer is revealed!

"Master Ding of the Great Yu Kingdom's answer is—398 zhang. Master Du of the Great Yan Kingdom's answer is: 402 zhang 2 chi 3 cun!" the Grand Elder said. "Let's conduct the on-site testing now!"

With a wave of his hand, four wondrous scenes suddenly appeared in the void.

There are two squares, each with a side length of 365 zhang.

Two circles, one with a diameter of 398 zhang, and the other with a diameter of 402 zhang 2 chi 3 cun.

Everyone was both surprised and excited.

The methods used in this cultivation path are quite strange and unpredictable.

With a simple gesture, he replicated the wonders of divination.

But will replicating it provide the answer?

The next instant, they found out!

Within the two squares, white light shone brightly, radiating brilliance from the anode.

Inside the circle, there was only darkness, the cathode.

This is the testing method.

Yin and Yang complement each other, creating a myriad of phenomena; Yin and Yang are harmonizing and converging.

Like two irreconcilable forces locked in a fierce battle, the outcome remained uncertain, leaving everyone bewildered yet hopeful.

Cui Wusheng glanced to the side and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Zhou Wenju's expression.

His face was very gloomy.

"Brother Zhou, what's wrong?"

"We lost!" Zhou Wenju uttered the two words heavily.

"Lost? You can't tell yet, can you? Did Brother Zhou only see it from appearances? Or is it because—because Du Yuqing's answer was more precise, precise to the inch?" Cui Wusheng said.

Zhou Wenju stared at him blankly, speechless for a moment.

Could he tell his friend that he had already calculated a more precise answer of 411.8 zhang?

Both of their calculations were wrong.

However, Du Yuqing of the Great Yan Kingdom was closer.

If one had to choose a winner between the two elementary school students, it would naturally be Du Yuqing.

This is ironic.

He knew the answer perfectly well.

However, he was not the one who carried out the divination.

This is not his domain of combat.

In the arena, the two spaces, yin and yang, converged synchronously, becoming increasingly intense.

Yin is like night, Yang is like day.

The alternation of day and night is like two special spaces undergoing the cycle of creation and destruction in the universe.

Finally, it stopped!

The images from both spaces appeared simultaneously —

On the left, the world belonging to Ding Yuchou of the Great Yu Kingdom was extremely strange, resembling the desolate ruins of the apocalypse.

On the right, in Du Yuqing's territory of the Great Yan Kingdom, lies a vast expanse of blue sea and sky, where heaven and earth stand apart, and towering waves surge.

Everyone's faces

The results are in, but who won and who lost?

The Grand Elder smiled and said, "If Yin is strong and Yang is weak, Yin will devour all Yang's energy, and this 'Disk of Life and Death' will be a black void; conversely, if Yang is strong and Yin is weak, Yang will devour all Yin's energy, and the 'Disk of Life and Death' will appear as a white void. Only when Yin and Yang are roughly balanced, the two energies will cancel each other out, and there will be no longer a distinction between Yin and Yang in the 'Disk of Life and Death,' but rather the birthplace of the Yin-Yang laws: the Doomsday Sky."

Everyone's eyes fell on the left.

The left side depicts the apocalyptic sky as calculated by Ding Yuchou.

What does that mean?

Does the apocalyptic sky represent a general balance between Yin and Yang?

He won?

The hearts of everyone in the Great Yu Kingdom beat faster simultaneously.

However, no one cheered, because the elder's words were quite cryptic. Yin and Yang were "roughly" balanced. "Roughly"? — Why does that sound so awkward?

Sure enough, the Grand Elder continued, "But if Yin and Yang are truly in balance, then adversity will turn into prosperity, and life will arise from stillness, unfolding the wondrous spectacle of 'flowing water' within the 'plate of birth and death.'"