Exploring Immortality Cultivation

Wang Qi prepared to meticulously inspect the mural on the wall. The "Heavenly Calculation Atlas" could evolve and wouldn't conflict with any other cultivation techniques; practicing it as a supplementary method would likely be endlessly beneficial.

He had been exposed to Evolution Theory from a young age. Although his understanding of evolution was not profound, he at least had a scientific concept of it.

Zhen Chan seemed to perceive Wang Qi's thoughts and said, "This cultivation technique is not easy to practice, my friend. I advise you to think it over carefully."

"Do you think there's a problem with this technique?"

Zhen Chan pondered for a moment, "If it were ten thousand years ago and a disciple came to me with this technique seeking guidance, I'm afraid I would have scolded him outright."

Wang Qi asked curiously, "Why?"

"This is not really a cultivation technique, or at least not a complete one. Let me put it this way, in my eyes, it's like randomly picking twenty or so lines from a hundred-line mnemonic and calling it a technique."

Wang Qi was startled, "That bad? You can't cultivate mana with that, and even if you forcefully did, it would most likely lead to deviation."

"However," Zhen Chan continued, "this technique, with just those twenty-odd mnemonics, enables one to guide mana in their body to perform a full circulation. Then, the remaining seventy or eighty mnemonics can be deduced on one's own. If each technique forms a framework, the frameworks of other techniques are fixed and mostly complete, but this technique maintains a barely-there framework with high freedom, allowing the practitioner to add freely."

Wang Qi's eyes lit up with a smile, "How interesting!"

"This isn't about being interesting or not. If you choose this technique, it means you must spend a lot of effort on deduction, otherwise it may not even match up to second-rate techniques!"

Wang Qi shook his head. He was not a biologist. In this world where at least a college degree was required to practice cultivation, his understanding of Evolution Theory still fell short.

What was more critical was that Hai Senbao's manuscript contained spells with a power ranking over thirty. If he could integrate them in the early stage of Qi Cultivation, it wasn't impossible to overturn even those in the Primordial Spirit Stage in terms of combat capabilities—of course, this was just a beautiful imagination, but it also showed that Wang Qi's potential was considerable. This area also matched his expertise from his previous life, so he should focus on methods from the Mysterious Palace and Wanfa Sect.

Wang Qi took a deep breath and stood up from the cushion. He skipped over Tianling Ridge's "Illusion Demon Seal Technique" and "Dual Profound Scripture", Burning Gold Valley's "Heavenly Object Book" and "Heavenly Transformation Technique", and his gaze landed on the Guiyi Alliance's "Heavenly Song".

"'Heavenly Song,' the basic skill of Wanfa's Mai Siwei, known as the 'sacred work within poetry'… 'God's poem' Maxwell's Equations? The great achievement in classical physics. Electricity, light, and force unified, the spell offers varied changes, and even hand-to-hand combat skills are top-notch. Rarely is it so rich in literary quality."

Wang Qi looked through the introduction, slightly moved.

In the 19th century on Earth, people once believed that physics was nearing its endpoint. Proudly standing upon a foundation laid by Newton and constructed by Maxwell, a grand edifice of physics commanded respect from planets in the sky to stones on the ground, all obediently following the rules it set forth.

And Maxwell's Equations, mathematically perfect beyond belief, exhibited depth, symmetry, and elegance that enchanted every scientist. Even into the 21st century, Maxwell's Equations were still recognized as a paragon of scientific beauty. In the macroscopic domain humanity dealt with daily, classical mechanics remained supreme.

Wang Qi's eyes lingered on "Heavenly Song" for a long time before finally shaking his head regretfully, "Alas, I deal with those two dark clouds, believing in 'Philosophy and God are dead; there is no rule or order in the universe.'"

"The two clouds," mentioned by British scientist Kelvin in a speech at the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, "two dark clouds over physics". One cloud led to relativity, shattering the classical view of spacetime, while the other precipitated quantum mechanics, negating classical determinism. By the 21st century, scientist Stephen Hawking further declared, "Philosophy and God are dead; there is no rule or order in the universe."

In the end, the techniques available for Wang Qi to choose from were three.

"Yao Ding Calculating Scripture," "Book of Geometry," and "Great Discrete Coincidence." The first two were Wanfa Sect's mental methods, and the latter came from the Mysterious Palace.

"Great Discrete Coincidence" was the fundamental mental method of the Mysterious Palace, differing from all current mainstream methods. The mana cultivated was not continuous but rather discrete. The ability to cultivate discrete mana was mandatory to employ numerous secret techniques of the Mysterious Palace, including the Mysterious Uncertainty Cloud Sword and Bu Rong Electric Sword.

"Yao Ding Calculating Scripture" enhanced a practitioner's computational ability, producing a "Yin Yang Yao" in each acupoint in their body.

"Book of Geometry" emphasized abstract capability. Practitioners learn to fight with fists and blades, draw talismans and arrange formations, and refine pills and artifacts faster than others.

"The 'Great Discrete Coincidence' forms the foundation of all Mysterious Palace mental methods, and after the Foundation Establishment Stage, one could even switch to practicing the 'Indeterminate Cloud Scripture,'" Wang Qi considered. "But theoretical physics also highly values computational power."

Theoretical physics, known as "mathematical physics" before the 20th century.

In the end, Wang Qi decided to first take a look before making any decisions.

Having made up his mind, Wang Qi first headed towards the chamber where the "Yao Ding Calculating Scripture" was kept. Unexpectedly, a translucent blue membrane blocked him.

"What's going on?" Wang Qi was deeply puzzled. Since they had displayed the techniques, why would they prevent people from viewing them?

However, he soon realized that wasn't the case.

There were a few lines of small text on the membrane, seemingly posing a question.

It turned out that the techniques in these chambers required a certain level of scholastic knowledge to understand. Lacking a fundamental understanding of the technique, forcefully practicing it would only lead to deviation and destruction of one's cultivation. Thus, the Immortal Alliance had set up barriers on the doors of the chambers; only those who could solve the question would be allowed through.

Zhen Chan quickly recognized the question, "Calculation with ten fingers?"

After translating this world's unique terms into Earth terminology, Wang Qi also arrived at the answer, "Hmm, a conversion problem between decimal and binary systems."

Zhen Chan spoke with a heavy tone, "This problem is not easy. Is it merely an entry test?"

This problem was considered a top-class difficulty in mathematics even ten thousand years ago; even he, who didn't care much for miscellaneous learning, had heard about it briefly.

Wang Qi nodded and complained inwardly, "As far as elementary school mathematics is concerned, it's not easy."

But any middle school student can get it right.

Before the Modern era had emerged, the Shenzhou Land favored cultivation and disparaged everything else. Zhen Chan's computational ability in the Mahayana Realm was indeed terrifying, but his mathematical level barely stayed at arithmetic.

Because the question was too simple, Wang Qi didn't answer it right away. He tried walking towards the other side chambers. As expected, each side chamber had a light membrane in front of it.

The test question for the "Book of Geometry" was a simple proof of Euclid's first four axioms—mathematicians like Gauss could solve it by age ten, which was roughly middle school level in an educational system based on examinations.

The question in the "Great Discrete Coincidence" was a bit harder, combining two empirical formulas using interpolation—indeed, it was the blackbody radiation formula. Should one say this was typical of a super-sect whose every magic had a power value of over eight? Compared to the first two problems, this was the difference between calculus and arithmetic!

Wang Qi complained inwardly about this question. However, it wasn't difficult for him. Planck had pieced together the correct formula in one afternoon; he knew the answer, and his computational ability was stronger than most Earth people. Even if the light membrane required detailed steps, it would only take half an hour.

However...

Wang Qi looked outside at the sky, having unwittingly spent several hours studying cultivation techniques, and although he wasn't sleepy as he had slept all day previously, maintaining a regular schedule was important.

"I'll look at the 'Yao Ding Calculating Scripture' and then head back."

Wang Qi decided this and returned to the side chamber of the "Yao Ding Calculating Scripture."

Zhen Chan spoke with a heavy tone, "This problem is not simple."

Wang Qi raised his hand and tapped the light membrane, which immediately turned red where he touched it.

Oh, it's touch-sensitive.

Wang Qi was a little surprised and then began to solve the problem. He swiftly wrote down a few numbers and the light membrane shattered like a poked soap bubble.

"Wait a minute!" Zhen Chan screamed in Wang Qi's mind, "How can it be so fast?"

"Because of intelligence."

A graduate student in mathematics bullying elementary students or illiterates with math, is it interesting? Is it interesting?

From the wicked smile tugging at Wang Qi's lips, his answer was not hard to guess.

Zhen Chan lost face again, sulk.

The side chamber also had cultivation techniques carved on the wall directly opposite the door. Over ten meditation cushions were arranged on the ground. Wang Qi sat down and spent another half-hour memorizing the technique.

After confirming he had memorized it, Wang Qi got up, ready to leave. At that time, Zhen Chan, who had been silent until now, suddenly said to Wang Qi, "I seem to have seen this cultivation technique somewhere."

Wang Qi frowned, "Old man, have you become delusional from the hit I gave you?"

Developing this technique requires understanding binary. In this world, it was the Integral Venerable Lai Buli of the Wanfa Sect who invented binary, and this Carefree Practitioner was contemporary with the Yuanli Master. As far as Wang Qi knew, at that time, Zhen Chan was still lying behind the mountains of Dabai Village.

Zhen Chan spoke, "I really haven't seen this cultivation technique. But the route of its Qi flow and the method of energy transmission feel somewhat familiar."

Wang Qi pondered, "Are there techniques in the Ancient Method to increase computing capabilities too?"

Zhen Chan said, "I've thought of that, but it doesn't seem like it?"

"The Wanfa Sect has also been passed down from ancient times to the present, perhaps you've seen it?"

"Impossible. Ten thousand years ago, the Wanfa Sect was nearly extinct and small. I hardly remember them, let alone had any acquaintance with the ancestors of the Wanfa Sect."

Wang Qi scratched his head, "Then take your time and think about it, we can talk once you have figured it out."

The old man is indeed pitiable, alone and lonely for ten thousand years only to find the purpose of his lifelong struggle has become a joke, and being hit periodically by the achievements of the modern era; now he can only cling to illusions to maintain his presence.

Hearing a lot about the souls of Ancient Cultivators sealed in magic artifacts, should I find an old lady's ring for him? Wang Qi began to seriously consider this issue.