Based on Fang Zheng’s experience, those who claim they “know a little bit about XX” or “have a slight understanding of XX” are usually incredibly capable individuals... Indeed, experience had proved that this belief was quite reasonable.
“I see...”
Setting down his coffee cup, the old man squinted his eyes and looked at Fang Zheng.
“You want to understand the principle of the Free Method, huh...”
“That’s right, to be honest, I wasn’t able to get any help from the Contractor of the Catastrophic Fire...”
“Hehehe.”
Hearing Fang Zheng’s complaint, the old man merely smiled faintly.
“That’s to be expected, young man. I think you may still be unaware of the history of the Free Method.”
“I would like to hear more about it.”
Fang Zheng didn’t mind the other’s manner of speaking at all; after all, he had asked him to come to enlighten him.
“You might think that the Free Method and the Power of Existence are one and the same, but that’s a misunderstanding. In fact, a long, long time ago, so long that time itself cannot record it, the conflict between Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm had already begun. But back then, they didn’t pay any attention to the application of the Free Method. To these Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm, it was enough to focus on developing their own power... until later, when a Follower of the Crimson Realm, after conducting research, developed a usable Free Style... and thus theorized it...”
“I see.”
Having heard this, Fang Zheng nodded in understanding. In other words, the use of the Power of Existence in battle by Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm had started a very long time ago, but at that time both parties acted without understanding the principles behind it, like ancient bowmen—you only need to know that the arrows could kill the enemy when shot, perhaps considering distance and wind factors. That was about it. As for why the arrows flew and landed, or why they were affected by the wind, these principles were not of their concern and were naturally ignored.
It wasn’t until later that a Follower of the Crimson Realm, who had an apple fall on their head like Newton, discovered gravity and managed to theorize the rules of the Power of Existence, creating a universal Free Style...
“If I were to make an analogy, then the Free Style is the musical score, the Free Method is the song, and the Power of Existence is the sound. ‘Sealing,’ a Free Method that everyone can use, is like a world-renowned tune that everyone knows a few lines of. But other than that, everyone prefers to sing their own songs, as Fire Mist Warriors are more focused on combat and revenge, and Followers of the Crimson Realm are creatures of whim...”
“I understand.”
After listening to Lamy’s explanation, Fang Zheng finally understood why the way these people fought seemed so crude—it was for this reason. Although on the surface, the Power of Existence seemed similar to the Power of the Star Spirits, the application was vastly different. In the Main World, the Power of the Star Spirits was a systematic foundational discipline, whether for Knights, Clerics, or Mages, each would develop their own techniques based on this foundational science. Like those spells, each one was the result of years of meticulous research and gradual refinement by White Tower Mages. Thus various spells counteracted each other while also being highly targeted.
But in this world, there was no foundational discipline at all; many Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm acted without understanding the principles—whatever worked was fine, and the rest didn’t matter. Those few who liked research were lone wolves, and it was unlikely they would achieve anything significant.
As for the Fire Mist Warriors? Well, the ‘Sealing’ they were using now was actually the research result of Followers of the Crimson Realm... The level of their technical prowess was remarkably low, provoking indignation.
No wonder he had felt their combat looked quaint but particularly rough—it was for this reason... No wonder Shana hadn’t been killed yet.
It turned out her opponents were all fools—a bunch of clueless people flailing about.
“That’s right, old sir.”
After learning about the causes and consequences of the Free Method, Fang Zheng finally made his request.
“I want to create a completely new Sealing... How should I put it? To me, the current Sealing is somewhat too wasteful; I hope to set up a Sealing that only encompasses Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm but can isolate humans. I’m not sure if you could help me with this.”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s request, the old man showed a hint of surprise.
“Your idea is quite good, young man. But... um, it is rather difficult, and you need to consider one thing. Indeed, the current Sealing has various shortcomings, but including humans in it can ensure that there is enough Power of Existence to consume and potentially prevent the world from being damaged due to battles. It may seem cruel, but you must understand, neither Fire Mist Warriors nor Followers of the Crimson Realm would deplete their power for such a task.”
“I understand, but I am neither a Fire Mist Warrior nor a Follower of the Crimson Realm; I am just a human. Moreover, I have enough Power of Existence to solve this problem.”
“In that case, I have only one suggestion.”
“Please, go on.”
“It’s simple...”
Having said this, the old man smiled faintly.
“You just have to imagine the Free Style as something you are most proficient in.”
Hearing this answer, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but be stunned.
“What does... what does this mean?”
“It’s quite simple, the Power of Existence is ultimately your own power, a manifestation of ‘nature,’ and every person’s ‘nature’ is different. Therefore, from what I see, the Free Style woven from the Power of Existence may be a musical score to some, but to others, it might be a weapon or a novel; everyone’s understanding of the essence is different, and so are the ways they use the Power of Existence. If you want to change and create a Free Method, you must first imagine the Power of Existence you possess as something you excel at—by doing so, it will transform and produce effects according to your imagination...”
“Hmm... imagine it as something I’m good at?”
Fang Zheng knitted his brows and pondered carefully, then his eyes lit up. Lamy’s words might sound a bit flimsy, but for Fang Zheng, this was the crack that allowed him to break through.
Something he excelled at, so... does this mean he could adapt the Sealing Free Method as a program?
That’s right, just like when designing game instances, where only players of a certain rank are permitted to enter, and those below that rank get excluded. In the realm of programming, this can be determined by the range of values. Of course, if he were to stick to the previous method, it might be difficult. This method would require collecting enough “values” from Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm, but currently, there weren’t enough Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm here to meet his requirements. Moreover, this would require repeated, large-scale experiments to determine the data range.
But what if he set the range to be human?
That would be simple, just “read” the fixed values of humans, incorporate them into the program, then isolate only the values within that range, without altering other data. By doing this, couldn’t he achieve the effect of unfolding Sealing while shielding humans?
Wait, there’s more... The production of Sealing was based on one’s own Soulstone. So, did this mean in unfolding Sealing, he could overlay the values within the Soulstone over the original world’s values, creating an entirely new microcosm?
If the Sealing of Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm was akin to extracting a segment from a video stream, tweaking it, and then restoring it to its original place, then could he, using the power of the Soulstone, cut this segment of the video stream and with the Soulstone’s stream create a new layer, completely overwriting it?
Just like photo editing in Photoshop, you can create a new layer over the main layer. By doing this, no matter how the image before you is painted or altered, the main layer below remains unaffected. Once finished, the new layer could be deleted directly, without damaging the main layer.
In this way, not only can you achieve Sealing’s effect of isolating the world from destruction and interference, but you can also create a homefield advantage for yourself!
If it really can be done this way...
At this thought, Fang Zheng was so excited that he could hardly contain himself; if Lamy weren’t in front of him, he’d have been tempted to start experimenting right away.
“Thank you for your guidance, old man.”
“Hehe, don’t mention it, I am also glad to meet someone who is so interested in the Free Method.”
While speaking, the elder stood up.
“Then, I shall take my leave for now... Oh, there’s a small favor I hope you can help me with.”
“Please tell me.”
“It’s like this, on my way here I was accidentally discovered by a Fire Mist Warrior, and they should be following my trail to this place by now. If possible, I hope you can persuade that Fire Mist Warrior not to trouble me any longer.”
“Is it easy to talk with a Fire Mist Warrior?”
“Of course not.”
As he said this, the old man laughed again.
“Fire Mist Warriors also have conflicts and opposition based on their stance and goals, and fighting is a common occurrence for them. But at least it’s better than slashing at a Follower of the Crimson Realm on sight... after all, the one pursuing me is a violent thug, and if possible, I do not wish to engage in battle here.”
“I also don’t want any more trouble to arise here.”
Fang Zheng nodded, then seemed to think of something.
“Right... since you said that Fire Mist Warrior is vicious, he must also be very strong, right?”
“Indeed.”
“Good, I already have a plan.”
With that thought, the corner of Fang Zheng’s mouth curled up slightly.
Actual combat, that’s the best way to level up, and it’s time to find a sparring partner for the young girl.

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