Calculation: The Prototype of a Self-Created Cultivation Method

"My defense is strong, my strength is excellent, and I possess an earth attribute. So I'll conduct my research based on that. According to attribute theory and my memories of meridians from my previous life... Little AI, begin the simulation!"

Soul Power began to circulate, and Chen Ming felt his consciousness forcibly lifted into a transcendent state.

There were no emotions, no distracting thoughts. Everything was rational, logical, orderly, and simply as it should have been.

The human brain could only perform simple, single-threaded thinking at once. Yet under this form of AI Thinking, Chen Ming could divide his thoughts into multiple parts and think from different angles and under different conditions simultaneously.

The awakening of his Martial Soul had not immediately turned Chen Ming into a little superhuman, but the awakening of his Martial Soul and Soul Power had greatly raised the upper limit of his computational ability. Even though his Martial Soul had only just awakened, Chen Ming's processing power had already doubled.

Moreover, while thinking at high speed, Chen Ming could use Soul Power to maintain his body's functions, reducing the energy consumption caused by his rapid thoughts and extending the duration of each simulation.

"Reference target: Mysterious Heaven Skill, Tang Sect cultivation method. Breaking down elements: Taoist internal skill, martial arts cultivation method, capable of opening the Twelve Standard Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians..."

What flashed before Chen Ming's eyes was the original novel of Douluo Continent that he had once read, along with its description of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

"Accessing data: Twelve Standard Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Meridian locations confirmed. Beginning Soul Power mobilization. Reference targets: martial arts internal skills, cultivation methods from fantasy worlds..."

What appeared before Chen Ming were the meridians he had studied because of martial arts novels in his previous life. There were anatomical diagrams from biology textbooks, as well as the various concepts mentioned in countless novels and ancient texts.

A vast number of memories Chen Ming had seen from every possible angle in his previous life were brought back up and systematically organized. Under Chen Ming's own computational ability and divided thinking, they were categorized and assigned accordingly.

Traditional Chinese medicine concepts, Taoist concepts, human anatomy, all kinds of descriptions from martial arts novels, and the various powers found in fantasy novels. There were also the cultivation systems and descriptions from other books written by Tang Jia San Shao...

Countless thoughts collided, gradually building a rough prototype and plan.

Humans needed inspiration to create cultivation methods. But Chen Ming was not truly creating something from nothing. Rather, he was mechanically and coldly piecing together various concepts, then using himself as the foundation to put those ideas into practice.

"Conducting the first experiment..."

With not a single distracting thought in his mind, Chen Ming easily entered a deep meditative state and clearly sensed his Martial Soul and the Soul Power circulating within his body.

The ambient energy of heaven and earth rapidly flowed into Chen Ming's body under the guidance of his Martial Soul, where he efficiently transformed it into his first wisp of Soul Power. After making several attempts and recording the effects of the basic Meditation Method on his Martial Soul and Soul Power, Chen Ming began guiding Soul Power through his meridians.

Because he had been overly cautious, the Soul Power from his first circulation dissipated before it even reached the meridians in his hands. Starting from the second attempt, Chen Ming slightly increased the amount of Soul Power, guiding it through the Three Yang Meridians in his right hand before returning it to his body.

Whether it was because Chen Ming was still young and the meridians in his body had yet to fully take shape and solidify, or because his reasonable training over the past few years had paid off, he encountered few problems during his first circulation of Soul Power.

Although the circulation process consumed a great deal of mental energy, there were no other issues. For Chen Ming, who had entered a mechanically absolute state of calm, this test of control was not a problem at all.

After one full circulation, the Soul Power within Chen Ming's body became slightly more refined and increased by an almost imperceptible amount.

After the right hand came the left hand. After the Hand Three Yang Meridians came the Hand Three Yin Meridians, followed by the Foot Three Yang Meridians and the Foot Three Yin Meridians. Chen Ming guided his Soul Power in sequence. After several cautious circulations, he had explored the Twelve Standard Meridians located in his limbs one by one.

But his first attempt ended there. Not only had Chen Ming's meridians reached their limit, but his condition had also been greatly depleted by the repeated attempts.

By his judgment, if he forced himself to continue the simulation, the speed of the process would decrease, his control would weaken, and there was a high chance that he would become feeble for some time afterward.

Possible was possible, and impossible was impossible. The cold mindset of Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion might not have been the best state of mind, but it was at least one of the safest. Things like greedily rushing ahead and suffering cultivation deviation would basically never happen to Chen Ming.

As Chen Ming's thoughts gradually recovered from their cold state, he felt slightly dizzy, weak all over, and increasingly hungry.

Just as Chen Ming was preparing to boil some water, make rice porridge, and have pickled Mushroom and wild vegetables for dinner, there came a knock on his door.

"Little Ming, come eat at my house today." Old Jack's voice came from outside Chen Ming's room, carrying a trace of joy.

Looking at the unlit firewood in his hand, Chen Ming thought for a moment, then picked up the homemade pickled vegetables he had preserved in a small jar he had fired himself. He pushed open the door and honestly followed Old Jack home.

Each of them had a small cup of Honey water, along with a pot of cooked mixed-grain rice, a piece of cured meat, and a plate of pickled vegetables. The old man and the young boy happily enjoyed their meal amid the day's good news. The sugar-rich Honey water, in particular, replenished Chen Ming's nutrition quite well.

Just as Chen Ming thanked Old Jack and prepared to return home, Old Jack stopped him.

"Little Ming, don't worry about food for the next few days. Come eat at my house for now. You need to focus on studying the Meditation Method and matters related to Spirit Masters. Let me handle the chores I can help with."

"Holy Soul Village usually has one Work-Study Student slot to itself each year, while the surrounding villages share one slot. This year, our village produced two children with Soul Power—you and Tang San—so one slot isn't quite enough. But that isn't a major problem."

"Tomorrow, I'll go talk things over with an old friend in the neighboring village. We can register Tang San under their village and use their shared Work-Study Student slot to enroll him. That way, the two of you can go to the academy together and look after each other."

"The more talent you can show before entering the academy, the happier all of Holy Soul Village will be for you in the future."

"Grandpa Jack..." Chen Ming was deeply moved. After thinking for a moment, he nodded. "Alright. Then I'll have to trouble you to make meals for me for a while, Grandpa Jack. I'll definitely repay you."

"Good boy." Old Jack smiled and nodded at Chen Ming.

Although Chen Ming was usually a little mischievous and wild, Old Jack still liked him very much.

In his eyes, Chen Ming knew gratitude and often looked after the people in the village. Whenever someone in the village fell ill or ran into trouble, he would always bring over a fish or rabbit to visit them.

Though he had grown up eating meals provided by every household, Chen Ming could always gather nontoxic wild mushrooms and vegetables from the mountains to give back to everyone. If he found rare mountain delicacies like Black Fungus, he could sell them in Nuoding City for quite a few things.

For this reason, it was not just Old Jack who liked Chen Ming. Aside from Tang Hao's withdrawn family, the entire village was rather fond of him.

Old Jack had initially thought Chen Ming was merely saying that he would repay him someday. But early the next morning, Chen Ming arrived at Old Jack's doorstep carrying a large basket full of dried Black Fungus and Mushroom, as well as hunted wild rabbits and river fish.

The abundance of food made the passing adults and children around them drool. The dried Black Fungus in particular was a fine thing even the noble lords and Lord Soul Masters in the city loved. It was exceedingly valuable.

To the villagers, this was an enormous honor. Old Jack accepted the goods and felt immensely proud. Before setting out, he brought some Black Fungus with him. With such a generous gift, he barely needed to say much before securing the neighboring villages' shared Work-Study Student slot.

Before Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy began its term, Chen Ming, now free of worries, stayed at Old Jack's house and devoted himself wholeheartedly to bitter cultivation. As his understanding of Soul Power deepened through continuous experimentation, Chen Ming finally created the cultivation method he wanted after a month.

Since this cultivation method was not yet particularly mature, and its efficiency could not compare to the cheat-like Mysterious Heaven Skill from the original story, Chen Ming named it Basic Internal Skill Version 1.0.