Exploring Immortality Cultivation

Suppressed feelings aside, since Geng Peng had said he wanted to spar, Wang Qi had no choice but to grit his teeth and properly finish the fight with the young man before him. As usual, given that Geng Peng's cultivation was higher than Wang Qi's, during the practice, he couldn't use any advanced sword moves, only defending and counterattacking. This allowed Wang Qi to attack freely. However, Wang Qi had not yet comprehended the Sword Dao, nor did he know the formulas of the predecessors. In this regard, Geng Peng, originating from the Wanfa Sect, completely defeated Wang Qi. Thus no matter how hard Wang Qi tried, he couldn't breach Geng Peng's sword momentum. Seeing this, Geng Peng couldn't help but scoff, "You need to combine mana! This is your biggest flaw, Wang Qi. Your swordsmanship is not bad, but you don't know how to use mana to integrate it into martial arts." Wang Qi wasn't annoyed. What Geng Peng said was the truth. Until he found a way to unify the various cultivation techniques within his body, he couldn't freely manipulate mana. Seeing that Wang Qi had no reaction, Geng Peng found it dull. After clashing dozens more rounds, Geng Peng finally suppressed Wang Qi's sword, "Remember, when you practice swordsmanship in the future, you should combine it with mana." Wang Qi nodded in agreement, "Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother." "Alright, get back in line. Continue practicing." That's it? It's over? So what exactly was that idiot trying to do? This question troubled Wang Qi for a long time. Thanks to Geng Peng, Wang Qi evolved from the "genius" perceived by the newcomers to a "study freak." Some "smart" people with motives were so baffled by Geng Peng's attitude that their behavior towards Wang Qi also became ambiguous. Regarding this, Wang Qi intended to proudly claim he "didn't care," but for the sake of his "approachable" image, he happily exchanged insights into swordsmanship with others. At least Wang Qi believed he was happy because his swordsmanship had improved and not because it changed his situation of "having few friends and an even fewer harem." After the afternoon's practice ended, there was three hours of free time. Wang Qi handed his pillow, which had been split in two, to Mao Zimiao, then went to the Transmitting Technique Hall and, along with others, meditated in front of the numerous techniques in the front hall. Most of the techniques in the back hall required solving a problem before they could be practiced. Except for the Book of Geometry and Yao Ding Calculating Scripture, which were relatively easy, almost no one dabbled in the other techniques. Wang Qi didn't tell others that he had already solved all those problems, and to avoid attracting attention, he simply cultivated in the front hall. After all, what he really needed was the mind-soothing function that came with the meditation cushions here. Under the influence of the mind-soothing array built into the meditation cushions, Wang Qi's myriad distracting thoughts dispersed one by one, and his mind became still and at peace. His consciousness gathered inward intensely as he introspected. The first technique he practiced was the Yao Ding Calculating Scripture from the Wanfa Sect. Compared to other techniques, the Yao Ding Calculating Scripture was more gentle and had fewer conflicts with other techniques, serving as a good buffer when he experienced conflicts. Soon, Wang Qi completed three circulations. The mana of the Yao Ding Calculating Scripture had noticeably strengthened. Just then, the balance of several mental methods inside Wang Qi's body was disrupted, and several incompatible types of mana began to seek a new equilibrium. Wang Qi changed his finger technique, leaning slightly forward, while interrupting the practice of the Yao Ding Calculating Scripture, and began quietly cultivating the Heavenly Song. The "field" of the Heavenly Song could effectively gather mana, but the continuous wave-like magic power of the Heavenly Song and the discrete quantum magic power of the Great Discrete Coincidence were incompatible as fire and water. As soon as the Heavenly Song made progress, the mana from the Great Discrete Coincidence started rebelling. By the time Wang Qi finally subdued the mana within his body, creating a new balance, more than two hours had passed. "Making a blunder on a crucial issue can lead to a lifetime of regret." Wang Qi lamented. His cultivation had become far more than a simple case of diminishing returns. The continuous switching between techniques exhausted much of his energy, and time merely slipped away. "Do I really have to practice the Heavenly Calculation Atlas?" Among Modern Cultivators, there is a consensus that to master a technique to its depth, one must understand the underlying principles; to cast a spell, one must grasp its fundamental theory. Take the Prison Thunder Spell as an example. Before Prison Thunder Venerable Faraday explored the principles of lightning circulation, no one could cast it properly. But once the principles were understood, the Prison Thunder Spell could be cast with ease. However, just like Ancient Method Practitioners who cultivate the power of lightning without even a correct concept of "electric current," even imitating the Prison Thunder Spell would be impossible. Focusing on the Heavenly Calculation Atlas could indeed simply solve the problem of conflicting techniques, but Wang Qi was not a biologist in his past life; he couldn't deduce this mental method to a higher level. An undeduced Heavenly Calculation Atlas was simply an incomplete technique, and as a main practice, it would only hinder the power of the many peerless Modern methods Wang Qi bore. "Do I really have to rely on the lengthy lifespan of a Cultivator to slowly level up my biology skills?" This thought had barely surfaced before Wang Qi quashed it himself. Theoretical physics and mathematics were his own expertise. Even in his previous life, he had a greater affection for physics and mathematics than biology. Moreover, researching theory is actually a very tedious affair, unable to be sustained without a heartfelt passion. Every scientist on Earth who has achieved great accomplishments, regardless of their personality and character, has an obsession with their field of study as if possessed by madness. "So what the hell was I thinking at that time." Wang Qi sighed again. At this moment, Zhen Chan, who had been silent for a while, suddenly asked, "Do you really not know why you went mad?" "Probably just lost my head for a moment, acting like an idiot." Zhen Chan fell silent for a moment, "Wrong, you were mad with anger." Wang Qi laughed, "Angry about what?" "You're not an ordinary person." "No shit, a cultivation genius, how could I be ordinary?" Zhen Chan explained, "That's not it. I've been cultivating for thousands of years and have seen countless peculiar characters—those with extraordinary determination, those who are mad to the extreme, and those who pursued the Dao by severing their own desires, but one like you, I have never seen before?" "Old man, are you beating around the bush calling me a freak?" Zhen Chan's voice sounded light, almost with a hint of pleasure, "You're not a freak, you're a madman." "So it's still an insult..." "I'm actually praising you," said Zhen Chan. "How much do you care about that village?" Wang Qi fell silent. "The massacre of the village, 'owing a life,' either of these incidents would crush an ordinary man, but you managed to laugh and joke your way through. There are only two explanations for that: either you have an inherently cold nature, or you are mad." "But since you feel you owe others, you can't be that cold-hearted. So it must be the latter. When I guided you in your cultivation, you never cared about combat skills, only wishing to cultivate peacefully. But now, you are concerned about the fighting strength the mental methods could bring? Heh, wasn't immortality enough for you?" Zhen Chan paused and then laughed, "So, the truth is you were mad with anger. You've pressed the rage deep into your heart, but it still affects you. At first, you seemed to think that there was a glimmer of hope to integrate these cultivation techniques. Weren't you someone who prided yourself on being cautious and not risking your life recklessly? Isn't this a gamble?" Wang Qi suddenly smiled lightly, "That explanation seems reasonable, but I just have one question. How come I didn't know I had gone mad with anger?" "That's something I haven't figured out either. How did you manage to suppress such hatred deep within without showing any sign on the surface? You could actually sense your anger if you just search your conscience." Wang Qi remained silent. How angry was he, how much hatred did he harbor? The hatred of having his home destroyed! For Wang Qi, Dabai Village was the first place in this world that he recognized as his "home," and then one day, an unexpected disaster razed his "home" to the ground! The hatred of home destruction is insurmountable. Besides that, he still owed Li Ziye a life. It is only right and proper to repay debts, but how can you repay when the creditor is dead? It's unrepayable. Since it's unrepayable, he would have to compensate with something else of equal value. "Really, I especially want to kill those bastards from Emperor's Extreme Split Sky Dao, so I became particularly concerned about my combat skills..."