Applied Immortality

Chapter 29: It Feels Familiar

Wang Qi inspected the murals with all his focus. The Evolution Chart could evolve and didn’t affect other cultivation methods, to the point of being able to use two cultivation methods at the same time.

He’d been aware of Darwin’s theory of evolution since young but had a rudimentary knowledge of the meaning of evolution. Regardless, he had its scientific concept understood.

Zhen Chanzi picked up on Wang Qi’s intent, “I advise against training in this cultivation method.”

“Is there something wrong with it?”

Zhen Chanzi pondered, “If a disciple came to me for guidance in this cultivation method, I’d have slapped him silly.”

Wang Qi quirked an eyebrow, “Why?”

“This isn’t a cultivation method, not a complete one at least. How should I put it? All I see is a patched-up technique made of two dozen lines picked at random from another cultivation method with a hundred lines.” 

Wang Qi jolted, “It can’t be that bad, can it? It can’t be trained then. And insisting on using it would only end up going insane.”

“However, those two dozen lines alone allow the user to guide their spiritual power into a cycle.” Zhou Dao added, “As for the other seventy-odd lines, they can be inferred. Say that each cultivation method is like a frame. While other cultivation methods have fixed frames, their makeup precise, then this thing’s frame barely stands straight, while it gives a great deal of freedom to the cultivator to add to it.”

“Nice has nothing to do with it. Picking this cultivation method up means dedicating a ton of energy to building it up, lest you want it to stay as second-rate art.” 

Wang Qi shook his head. He was no biologist.  He’d need a bachelor’s degree in biology at the minimum to train, and he didn’t make the cut. 

What was more, Heisenberg’s works contained magic arts with a value of at least 30 combined. By integrating them with his early Qi Refining cultivation, he would have the power to fight Primordial Spirit cultivators. While dreaming was nice, it nonetheless showed Wang Qi’s assets’ excellent potential. The aspect fit seamlessly with his previous life’s job as well. It made leaning towards Elusive Palace or Myriad Arts Sect’ mental arts a wiser choice.

Wang Qi took a deep breath, standing up. He skipped Heavenly Spirit Range’s Illusion Demon Seal and Dual Mystic Scroll, as well as Scorching Metal Valley’s Heavenly Entities Codex and Heavenly Transformation, focusing rather on Harmony Coalition’s Celestial Hymn Odyssey.

“Celestial Hymn Odyssey is the basic cultivation method of Unified Arts Maxwell, known as Sanctified Poem, or Divine Verses. Maxwell equations? That’s the pinnacle of classical physics. Electricity, light, and force combined, with versatile magical arts and top-notch power in battle. What’s rare is its rich literary trait.”

Wang Qi was taken after reading the introduction.

In Earth’s 19th century, humanity once believed that physics was approaching its final frontier. A physics edifice, proudly erected in the world, built upon the foundation set by Newton and constructed by Maxwell, dictated the notion of everything, from the far exoplanets revolving around distant stars to mere pebbles under our feet. All things adhered to its rules.

Maxwell’s equations had achieved true perfection in the realm of math. They offered such symmetry, depth, and elegance that fascinated any and all scientists. All the way until the 21st century, Maxwell’s equations were widely considered the epitome of math. In the macroscopic realm of human daily life, classical physics continued to reign supreme.

Wang Qi paused over Celestial Hymn Odyssey for a long time, giving a regretful shake of the head at the end, “It’s a true pity, that I am leaning towards the two dark clouds, a believer in ‘philosophy and God is dead, no one created the universe and no one directs our fate.” 

The two dark clouds were what Kelvin, an English scientist, published in Royal Society. One of them was drawn from the theory of relativity, crushing the classical view of space-time, while the second sparked quantum mechanics by denying classical determinism. In the 21st century, scientist Stephen Hawkings proclaimed ‘philosophy and god is dead, no one created the universe and no one directs our fate.’ 

This left only three cultivation methods from which to choose from.

Divine Hexagram Computation, Book of Geometry, and Grand Discrete Unity Treatise. The first two were from the Myriad Arts Sect, while the last was from the Elusive Palace.

Grand Discrete Unity Treatise differed from the other mainstream mental arts of this world. The spiritual power generated through it wasn’t endless, but irregular, or discrete. Grand Discrete Unity Treatise’s spiritual power was fractional as it flowed through a cultivator. Many secret arts of Elusive Palace, including the Ethereal Cloud Sword, demanded this form of spiritual power to use them. 

A cultivator practicing the Divine Hexagram Computation would form a yin-yang diagram in every one of their acupoints, multiplying the user’s computational power.

The Book of Geometry emphasizes abstract forces. A cultivator learning martial and weapon arts, drawing talismans and arrays, concocting pills, or refining items would do it much faster than others.

“Grand Discrete Unity Treatise is the foundation of all other mental arts from Elusive Palace. One can switch to Undefined Cloud Sutra upon reaching Foundation Establishment.” Wang Qi mulled, “But in theoretical physics, computational power is equally important.”

Theoretical physics was called mathematical physics in the 20th century.

Wang Qi again fell back on checking before making a decision.

His mind made up, Wang Qi walked in the direction of Divine Hexagram Computation’s side room when a translucent blue curtain of light blocked him.

“What is this?” Wang Qi gasped. [You’re showcasing the cultivation methods yet won’t let us take a look?]

The answer came after calming down, finding it not the case. The light curtain had words on it, a topic.

The cultivation methods in the side room required one to have a certain level of knowledge before proceeding. Lacking a basic understanding of the cultivation method drove a cultivator mad and dead. For this reason, Immortal Alliance placed barriers on the side rooms, passed only by answering the topic.

Zhen Chanzi recognized the topic, “Ten-finger arithmetics?”

After switching this world’s terms to the more familiar Earth speech, Wang Qi answered, “Decimal and binary system translation.”

Zhen Chanzi was grave, “This is a tough one, yet it’s only to gain entry.”

It was a hard topic ten thousand years ago. Even the fragmented soul heard of it, despite his disinterest in other fields.

Wang Qi nodded, while his mind made a snide comment, [Yeah, hard, for a primary schooler that is!]

A junior high schooler could do it hands down.

Before the modern system’s emergence, Divine Province despised anything outside cultivation. A Great Ascension like Zhen Chanzi had quite impressive skill in math, but in truth, the old dude’s level was stunted at the four basic operations of arithmetics. 

With such a breeze of a topic, Wang Qi stopped from solving it on the spot. He opted to check the other doors first, finding all of them being in the same situation.

Book of Geometry’s topic was proving Euclid’s four axioms. Mathematician Gauss did it at ten, being only a test topic for junior high school. 

Grand Discrete Unity Treatise’s topic was a tad harder, putting together two empirical formulas by interpolating. [Blackbody radiation, alright. Or maybe a piece of cake for a super sect whose magical arts are all at value  8 or over? This is the difference between calculus and basic arithmetic with the previous two topics.]

Wang Qi dissed in his mind, the topic hardly an issue to him. Plank could do it in the afternoon. He knew the answer, for his math was above the great majority of earthlings. Even by breaking it down in steps for the light curtain’s sake, it would still take half an hour, tops.

However…

Wang Qi noticed the time, realizing he’d been at it for hours. He had slept an entire day and wasn’t tired, but it was always good to have a regular sleeping pattern.

[I’ll leave after Divine Hexagram Computation.]

He went to its side door.

Zhen Chanzi asked, “Now this is hard.”

Wang Qi tapped the light curtain with a finger and the spot turned red.

[Oh, a touchscreen!]

Wang Qi blinked and set to resolve the topic. He wrote a few numbers and the curtain popped like a bubble.

“Back up!” Zhen Chanzi shrieked in Wang Qi’s mind, “That’s too fast!” 

“That’s called intellect.”

Was there any fun for a bachelor in math to pick on a primary school student? Well was there?

The answer was plain to see from how hard it was for Wang Qi to wipe that smug grin off his face.

Zhen Chanzi’s image plunged as his spirits hit rock bottom.

The side door also had a cultivation method engraved on the far wall. Wang Qi sat on one of the ten mats and spent half an hour to memorize it.

He double-checked to see if he did it right and stood up. Only now Zhen Chanzi opened his mouth, “There’s something familiar about this cultivation method.”

Wang Qi frowned, “Old man, did I hit you too hard and lost your marbles?”

Knowledge of the binary system was a must to establish the cultivation method. The inventor of the binary system in this world was Myriad Arts Sect’s Integration Exalted Leibniz, an Unfettered of the same generation as Transcendent Newton. From what Wang Qi gathered, Zhen Chanzi should’ve been hiding in Albion Village’s back mountain in those days.

Zhen Chanzi said, “I’ve never seen this cultivation method, but its direction and activation are all familiar.”

Wang Qi pondered, “There are ancient cultivation methods that can boost one’s math skills?”

Zhen Chanzi said, “I’ve thought about it and couldn’t find any.”

“Myriad Arts Sect has also been passed down since ancient times. Maybe you have seen it?”

“No. Ten thousand years ago, Myriad Arts Sect was nothing but a tiny dying sect. I have next to no recollection of it, let alone a connection to its founder.” 

Wang Qi shook his head, “Then take your time and we’ll talk when you have an answer.” 

[Poor relic, finding out all his pursuits and bitter struggles were nothing but a practical joke after a lonely ten thousand years. Now he’s being sucker punched every other day by the modern system’s feats, leaving him with vague misconceptions.]

[Since there are plenty of ancient fragmented cultivator souls housing magic items going around, should I go about fetching him a ring wife?] Wang Qi gave it a good amount of thought.

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