Applied Immortality

The monthly examination was a euphemism for time off, as far as Wang Qi’s past life memories went. Immortal Alliance took it to a new level, giving disciples an entire day off to adjust before the tests. Then again, in regards to the martial test, a day off was most needed.

Wang Qi welcomed the short vacation with open arms. The last few days, he’d been using his spare time to tinker. Now that he had a full day all to himself, he might even get to finish his project before the tests. 

Such research had little to no meaning, sure, but it was interesting at the very least.

At the crack of dawn, Wang Qi ran off to the library’s mirror room. When paying for the right to read a specific article, one didn’t need to buy the entire book. Through All-immortal Realm, one had direct access to it by paying merits. It was no different than online reading. Wang Qi redeemed a paper and transcribed it.

Zhen Chanzi noticed the title, Yin Yang Exchange Thesis, “Kid, are you researching finger-counting?”

Wang Qi nodded. “Kinda, to practice Divine Hexagram Computation.”

Finger-counting, or Earth’s decimal to binary system conversion, was a mandatory course for nine-year-olds in Wang Qi’s eyes. Putting it another way, a middle schooler could do it.

The same method regarded as simple and easy today once took some genius countless hours to work it out. As to why later generations considered it easy, because they stood on the shoulders of giants. 

Wang Qi was a math expert back on Earth, but even he found it impossible to invent the binary system from scratch. 

The high starting point made later learners overlook the foundational knowledge it was built upon. Euclid’s axiom was learned in primary school, but there were next to no primary schoolers capable of proving it. The feat would lead to a potential Unfettered on Divine Province. 

As we all know, the German Mathematician Leibniz invented the binary system on Earth. Wang Qi mainly learned Boolean algebra, with a generation gap between the former and Boole. Wang Qi was unclear about the entire process leading to Leibniz’s binary system’s discovery.

Then again, Wang Qi was far from able to exhibit a cultivation method’s true concepts, and neither Leibniz operator nor Boolean algebra were bad for him. The purpose of reading this article was another.

Back in his room, he gave Yin Yang Exchange Thesis’s copy a thorough read. Divine Province’s historical records stated that Integration Exalted Leibniz was struck by inspiration as he gazed upon the Eight Trigrams, resulting in this article. He spent countless hours trying to incorporate it into a previously unsolvable cultivation method. That cultivation method was Divine Hexagram computation.

To understand its roots, reading the Yin-Yang Exchange Thesis was a must.

Wang Qi closed his eyes once finished, feeling for Divine Hexagram’s spiritual power. Then he wrote down a function.

Divine Hexagram Computation’s spiritual power had a shifting nature, an eigen transformation function, or essence equation in this world.

Wang Qi’s next action left Zhen Chanzi confused. He used mathematical interpolation to piece together Divine Hexagram Computation and Elemental Sect’s mental art’s essence equation. 

“What are you doing?”

“Multi-layered false position method, or trial and error technique. That’s what Divine Province calls it.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Zhen Chanzi drifted. 

He combined formulas for an hour, a moment when Wang Qi looked at the paper in contemplation. He then glanced at Elemental Sect’s mental art while writing something down. Zhen Chanzi’s shock mounted.

[He’s creating a cultivation method!]

Ancient cultivation put an emphasis on seniority. The more ancient the method, the better it was, but that didn’t stop other cultivators from making their own mental arts and paving a new way their predecessors never dreamed of. More often than not, these new methods fit their creator only, non-standard, but it was universal for every creator to become a force to be reckoned with. 

Wang Qi was doing it as early as Qi Refining Realm?

Wang Qi sat the entire day at his desk, deducing the mental art with only a couple of short breaks in between for drinking and eating. As the sky darkened, he put down the brush and stretched his stiff muscles. “Done.”

Zhen Chanzi was incredulous. “You made a cultivation method in just a day?”

“Most of it.”

Wang Qi held another piece of paper and copied down the useful parts he deduced, then slapped the table. “Old man, take a look at this mental art!”

Zhen Chanzi scrutinized the paper with the utmost focus, being respectful of Wang Qi’s work. 

His mood became impossible to describe. If it were Wang Qi, he’d yell, “I took my pants off and everything. Is that what you wanted to show me?” However, Zhen Chanzi hadn’t worn pants in ten thousand years, and secondly, he was focused on his conduct, holding back on similar profanities. Wang Qi could even feel the ring shaking. Zhen Chanzi finally asked, “Is there a point in letting me see this?” (Tamon: this part is framed like a typical anime scene where the explicit phrasing lets another character’s mind jump to conclusions.) 

“Guess.”

“The cultivation method is… junk.”

Zhen Chanzi believed not even the worst rogue cultivator of his generation, ten thousand years ago, would care about such a lame cultivation method. In today’s cultivation system, he had no right to speak, while he was an expert in ancient history. He understood at a glance that this art wouldn’t get one to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

[Is this the result of combining one of the five best’s mental art and Elemental Sect’s Great Ascension Level cultivation method?] 

[Are you fricking shitting me?]

Wang Qi could feel his outrage, smiling, “It’s tailor-made for you.”

“Shut it! I never gave such trashy ancient arts a second look in my life.”

Wang Qi explained, “You’re not supposed to train it, but read it.”

“Eh?”

Wang Qi sneered, “Didn’t you say Divine Hexagram Computation felt familiar yet you could never put your finger on it?”

“Yeah.”

“Thinking it over, I noticed two apparent problems. Firstly, you don’t get modern cultivation. Secondly, you can’t relate finger-counting and cultivation methods, not to mention you’re not familiar with binary systems. I thought about it and adapted it to a decimal cultivation method, which the ancient system approved.” 

Divine Hexagram Computation’s spiritual power would be classified as having yin-yang attributes by the ancient system. Matching it with Elemental Sect’s mental art, it could create ten kinds of spiritual powers, like yin wood, yang wood, yin water, yang water, and so on. Matching it with some of the arts in the Divine Hexagram Computation, could also play a role in arithmetics.

“Also, I even simplified it. Fully decimal and easy mental art fitting for a primary schoo-, uh, untaught child like a glove.” Wang Qi put on a door salesman’s smile and gave the ring a thumb’s up as he oversold it, “Because you’re worth it.” (Tamon: Wang Qi used L’Oreal’s commercial slogan.)