The Omniscient

Chapter 70: Sandbox Universen/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"A virtual universe?" Lin Li was stunned.

So the ultimate pursuit of Buddhism was actually a virtual world?

If the Dao couldn't be attained in reality, then abandon the effort and turn back.

Even Earth's civilization, as its network technology developed to a certain extent, began considering ideas like consciousness uploading. How much more advanced would an alien civilization be?

As long as the technology was sufficiently advanced, creating a virtual world indistinguishable from reality would be entirely possible.

Huang Ji explained, "Seeking Dao is the pursuit of the universal reality's natural laws, but Buddhism is about lowering a dimension and attaining 'emptiness' as the supreme truth."

"To put it bluntly, living in your own world and mastering a set of rules inherently inferior to your own level."

"Thus, in the palm of the Buddha exists a nation—countless worlds, everything one could desire."

This is the virtual world—where everything one wishes for can be effortlessly achieved, naturally bringing great bliss.

However, the only drawback is that progress in such a world has an upper limit.

Everything that occurs within it is either purely virtual or simulated based on the creator's existing knowledge.

Since the creator's knowledge originates from the real universe, no amount of research within a virtual universe can contribute to advancing the civilization in the real one.

Huang Ji sighed, "Daoism emphasizes transcendence—transcending upwards."

"Buddhism emphasizes enlightenment—turning back to shore. If progress upwards is blocked, then stop trying and transcend downwards instead."

Dao and Buddhism, these two cultural ideologies, are opposites yet interconnected.

Dao stands from the perspective of the universe, recognizing the highest state and establishing an ideal goal.

Buddhism, however, stands from the perspective of sentient beings, acknowledging the limits of human effort and offering a practical solution.

Most cosmic civilizations are Dao seekers, but where there are seekers, there will also be those who give up halfway.

After all, not everyone has the perseverance to explore the unknown, to trudge through an endless sea of suffering with relentless determination and immense courage.

"Imagine having a sandbox game universe in the palm of your hand—a realm of countless worlds you can create at will. Wouldn’t that be bliss?" Lin Li immediately understood.

Just imagining it made him feel as if reality itself was a sea of suffering!

"If I had to choose… I’d pick Buddhism," Lin Li admitted with a sigh.

Huang Ji nodded. "That’s why Buddhism must be a widely prevalent ideology in the universe. It can’t be called 'wrong' because the ultimate goal of Dao hasn’t been proven or disproven."

"Logically, for there to be a philosophy premised on 'Dao can be achieved,' there must also exist one based on 'Dao cannot be achieved.'"

"When a super-civilization finally resolves the question of whether the universe’s natural laws can be controlled or rewritten—proving or disproving it—then and only then will Buddhism and Daoism have a definitive verdict."

Lin Li said, "But I doubt any civilization in the universe has been able to prove or disprove that question yet, right?"

Huang Ji glanced at him without responding.

In truth, just moments ago, Huang Ji had used his Information Sense to obtain a definitive answer: It is possible.

Natural laws can indeed be altered and created.

The universe permits the existence of entities capable of editing its rules—what one might call a "god."

The path of Dao, the pursuit of becoming one with natural laws, is the correct one.

The path of Buddhism, by contrast, starts from a flawed premise. It can only be considered an entertainment option, not a legitimate developmental direction for a civilization.

If a civilization makes it their goal to create a realistic but inherently inferior version of reality, they’re heading down the wrong path…

Of course, if they insist on transcending downward endlessly, that’s their choice. Who’s to stop them?

"Boss, you said this is a Buddha’s finger bone, but it’s made of metal…" Lin Li remarked.

Huang Ji explained, "The aliens who instructed Gautama Siddhartha to spread the Buddhist ideology naturally had to offer him something in return. The reward was, 'In your next life, you shall become Buddha.' Gautama lived his life, and in front of his disciples, he passed away and entered nirvana. That was his task for this life. The so-called 'next life' refers to having his consciousness uploaded to a server and entering a mechanical body. That metallic, mechanical body is what’s called the 'Buddha bone.'"

"From that moment on, the mortal Gautama died and became the 'Enlightened One' for humanity. This was essentially an act of cultural infiltration by a certain Buddhist-oriented alien civilization. The 'Enlightened One' was likely tasked with guiding the consciousness of believers to the Pure Land after death."

"I think it can be understood as… recruiting members. And the Buddha is essentially an administrator. The 'Enlightened One' is just one category of administrator, probably specifically designed for primitive civilizations."

Hearing this, Lin Li was a bit excited. "So, if you believe in Buddhism, you can really enter a virtual world?"

Huang Ji looked at him with amusement and pointed to the finger bone on the table. "Look, all that’s left of your Buddha is this…"

"…" Lin Li stared at the finger bone and asked, "The Buddha was destroyed?"

Huang Ji replied, "At one point in Earth’s history, there really was a Buddha—a 'Vajra body.' But it didn’t last long before it was destroyed by other aliens. This finger bone is likely just a leftover fragment."

Though he phrased it as speculation, Huang Ji was certain. Gautama Siddhartha’s mechanical body had been obliterated by a beam of light descending from the heavens.

The beam, fired from the Moon, had vaporized most of Siddhartha’s body, leaving only a few scattered fragments.

This Buddha’s finger bone was one of those fragments.

Huang Ji sighed inwardly: "The Moon’s civilization is truly formidable. They’re the ones who truly dominate Earth. That Buddhist-oriented civilization was likely just a scavenger, and when they realized the Moon’s control, they were swiftly eradicated."

On further reflection, it was possible that Gautama had been exploited. The true goal of the Buddhist aliens might have been to collect consciousness or harvest "high-level intelligent NPCs." Perhaps it was merely a probe.

All the talk about becoming an Enlightened One or achieving Buddhahood was a lie. Though they had indeed fulfilled their promises and given Gautama the Vajra body, his existence as a Buddha didn’t last long before he was destroyed.

Surely, the Buddhist aliens had foreseen this outcome.

This may have been part of a larger game between advanced alien civilizations, with Gautama serving as nothing more than a pawn—a mere Earthling used in their schemes.

Through the Buddha’s finger bone, Huang Ji learned that during the brief years Gautama controlled the mechanical body, he had gathered a significant amount of human consciousness from Earth. All of it had been transmitted away via gravitational waves. These consciousnesses were incredibly valuable.

True intelligence cannot be replicated. Although thought processes are electrochemical reactions, they aren’t limited to that.

Simulating the same electrochemical reactions through technology does not result in genuine wisdom or self-awareness.

A virtual world can simulate such reactions, enabling thought through data, but that still only constitutes "hardware." No matter how advanced the simulation, it always lacks something essential to replicate the intelligence of reality.

"A virtual universe?" Lin Li was stunned.

The ultimate pursuit of Buddhism turned out to be a virtual world?

Unable to attain the Dao in reality, the solution was to give up and turn back.

Even Earth's civilization, as its network technology advanced, began entertaining the idea of uploading consciousness. How much more advanced would an alien civilization be?

As long as the technology was advanced enough, creating a virtual world indistinguishable from reality would be entirely possible.

Huang Ji explained, "Seeking Dao is about the natural laws of the real universe. Buddhism, on the other hand, is about 'lowering a dimension' to achieve supreme 'emptiness.'"

"Put simply, it’s about living in a world of one’s own, mastering rules that are inherently lower than oneself."

"This is why Buddhists speak of having nations within their grasp—countless worlds of their own making, filled with everything one could desire."

The Buddha's domain, often referred to as the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, is essentially this kind of virtual world, where anything one desires can be achieved effortlessly. Naturally, it brings great joy.

However, the downside is that progress in such a world has an upper limit.

Everything that happens within the virtual world is either purely virtual or simulated based on the creator's existing knowledge.

Since the creator's knowledge originates from the real universe, no amount of research within the virtual world can contribute to advancing the civilization in the real one.

Huang Ji sighed, "Daoism emphasizes transcendence—transcending upward."

"Buddhism emphasizes enlightenment—turning back to shore. If progress upward is blocked, then stop trying and instead transcend downward."

Dao and Buddhism, these two cultural ideologies, are opposites yet interconnected.

Daoism stands from the perspective of the universe, acknowledging the highest state and establishing an ideal goal.

Buddhism, however, stands from the perspective of sentient beings, recognizing the limitations of human effort and offering a practical solution.

In the cosmic community, most civilizations are Dao seekers. However, where there are seekers, there will always be those who give up halfway.

After all, trudging through the endless sea of suffering to explore the unknown requires relentless determination and immense courage.

"Imagine having a sandbox game-like universe in the palm of your hand—a realm of countless worlds you can create at will. Wouldn’t that be bliss?" Lin Li said as he suddenly understood.

Just imagining it made him feel as though reality itself was a sea of suffering!

"If I had to choose… I’d pick Buddhism," Lin Li admitted with a sigh.

Huang Ji nodded. "That’s why Buddhism must be a widely prevalent ideology in the universe. It can’t be dismissed as 'wrong,' because the ultimate goal of Dao has neither been proven nor disproven."

"Logically, for there to be a philosophy premised on 'Dao can be achieved,' there must also exist one based on 'Dao cannot be achieved.'"

"When a super-civilization finally resolves the question of whether the universe’s natural laws can be controlled or rewritten—proving or disproving it—then and only then will Buddhism and Daoism have a definitive verdict."

Lin Li said, "But I doubt any civilization in the universe has been able to prove or disprove that question yet, right?"

Huang Ji glanced at him and didn’t respond.

In truth, Huang Ji had already used his Information Sense to confirm the answer: It is possible.

Natural laws can indeed be altered and created.

The universe permits the existence of entities capable of editing its rules—what one might call a "god."

The path of Dao is the correct one, but Buddhism, based on a flawed premise, can only serve as an entertainment option. It’s not a viable direction for a civilization's development.

If a civilization makes it their goal to create a realistic but inherently inferior version of reality, they’re heading down the wrong path…

Of course, if they insist on transcending downward endlessly, that’s their choice. Who’s to stop them?

"Boss, you said this is a Buddha’s finger bone, but it’s made of metal," Lin Li remarked.

Huang Ji explained, "The aliens who guided Gautama Siddhartha to spread the Buddhist ideology had to offer him something in return. The reward was, 'In your next life, you shall become Buddha.' Gautama lived his life and, in front of his disciples, passed away and entered nirvana. That was his task for this life. The so-called 'next life' refers to having his consciousness uploaded to a server and entering a mechanical body. That metallic, mechanical body is what’s called the 'Buddha bone.'"

"From that moment on, the mortal Gautama died and became the 'Enlightened One' for humanity. This was essentially an act of cultural infiltration by a certain Buddhist-oriented alien civilization. The 'Enlightened One' was likely tasked with guiding the consciousness of believers to the Pure Land after death."

"But as you can see, all that’s left of your Buddha is this," Huang Ji said, pointing to the finger bone on the table.

Lin Li stared at the finger bone and asked, "The Buddha was destroyed?"

Huang Ji replied, "At one point in Earth’s history, there really was a Buddha—a 'Vajra body.' But it didn’t last long before it was destroyed by other aliens. This finger bone is likely just a leftover fragment."

Huang Ji elaborated further, "I attempted to use it earlier. This relic contains highly advanced technology. Even this single finger contains a miniature server and still has plenty of energy left."

"I logged in briefly. It’s not connected to any network, and the virtual world inside is completely empty. The database is destroyed—there’s nothing left. It’s just a single-player sandbox with a blank map."

"You can try logging in yourself to see," Huang Ji said.

Lin Li’s eyes lit up with excitement. "I can try? How do I log in?"

"You just need to let the relic pull your consciousness inside. Repeat after me: 'Shimoda soga…'"

Huang Ji recited what sounded like a chant.

Lin Li hesitated and asked, "Is this a piece of technology or some kind of magical artifact?"

Huang Ji chuckled. "Controlling technology often requires commands. Logging into a game needs a password. Isn’t that normal? When the technology gap is this vast, it might look like magic to you…"

"That chant I just recited is the login command. You also need to visualize a specific three-dimensional diagram while chanting. That’s the password. Only when both are done precisely will the Buddha bone react and pull your consciousness inside."

"This is partial login, meaning you don’t have to give up your physical body. However, there’s a range limit. Earlier, when you carried me into the elevator, I was disconnected because I was out of range. I suspect this relic creates an exchange field around it. Within this field, the brain and the machine can communicate. Your consciousness stops controlling your body and instead interfaces with the machine, controlling the virtual character inside the server."

"Because the brain loses self-control during this process, the body effectively enters a sleep state, with only the subconscious keeping it alive."

Lin Li nodded thoughtfully. "When technology reaches a certain level, it really feels like mythology."

After memorizing the chant and visualization, Lin Li closed his eyes and tried.

For several attempts, he failed—the visualization wasn’t perfect. Nothing happened, and it felt no different from meditating.

But after dozens of tries, he finally succeeded.

It was as if he were dreaming—his consciousness entered another world.

Everything around him was dark, except for a warehouse in the distance, its interior faintly glowing.

"Let’s go. That’s the warehouse I started building earlier. I got disconnected before I could finish it," Huang Ji said as he suddenly appeared beside Lin Li.

Lin Li saw that Huang Ji’s appearance was identical to his real-world self, though it seemed like a faint projection.

"Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be Gautama Siddhartha’s account? How can we both log in at the same time?" Lin Li asked.

Huang Ji explained, "This account allows multiple logins. However, different users have different permissions, even under the same account."

"Gautama Siddhartha essentially gave up his human body after death, choosing eternal life through consciousness. His consciousness is the account. He is the core user of this account."

"Our logins are like subordinate accounts under his main account, using his data resources."

Lin Li asked, "How big is this world?"

"About 600 billion cubic meters," Huang Ji replied.

"That big?" Lin Li had no sense of scale.

Huang Ji elaborated, "It’s actually quite small. This is just Gautama Siddhartha’s 'private single-player space,' akin to your QQ account’s personal blog space."

"600 billion cubic meters is roughly equivalent to the volume of 21 or 22 Poyang Lakes. It’s just a micro-world. For an alien civilization, any ordinary user probably has a personal space like this. For someone like Gautama, these spaces were as numerous as grains of sand."

Lin Li thought for a moment and then visualized something. Before long, a sports car appeared before him!

"Holy crap! You can manifest anything you imagine! It looks so real!"

Lin Li touched the car. Its texture and feel were identical to a real car. However, when he got inside, he found it wouldn’t start.

Huang Ji lifted the hood, revealing an empty shell.

He laughed. "What kind of car runs without an engine? Did you think a shell was enough?"

Embarrassed, Lin Li replied, "I just visualized the exterior. I didn’t realize I had to design the whole thing."

Huang Ji explained, "This is a reality-based virtual micro-world. It doesn’t support fantasy mechanics, so it’s very hardcore."

"Since the database is destroyed, we’ll have to rebuild everything ourselves. Earlier, I had already created a warehouse and stored some basic metals and construction materials. Without them, you wouldn’t have been able to create even the car shell."

"In this sandbox space, everything has to be built with meticulous detail, just like in the real world."

"Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about subatomic structures. This server doesn’t include quantum mechanics. The basic units are atoms—they’re just 'pixels' or 'basic blocks.'"

"There’s a predefined set of rules, which includes 115 elements and 330 types of atoms."

"Think of this sandbox space as a 'Minecraft' at the atomic block level."

THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM