Youthful Spirit, and the Stirring Soul of Mischief

"Theory of Spiritual Energy... exponent of energy... Tsk, tsk, thankfully there's no 'cognitive world shattering and solidifying' kind of setting here, otherwise, one wrong step would lead to countless mistakes. Reckless, reckless."

On the roof of the Wang family's old house, Wang Qi put down a book, a look of relief on his face—of course, mixed with a bit of smugness. Looking at his expression, there wasn't the slightest hint of regret.

It was night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting the world in a frosty glow. Most of the villagers in Da Bai Village were asleep by this time. But tonight, the small village was still faintly lit. Near the ancestral hall in the center of the village, some villagers could be seen gathered, celebrating.

"Our village is going to have an immortal too!"

The villagers were simple folk, thinking this was perhaps the greatest joy for their village, celebrating it like a festival. The old scholar who taught the village children their basic literacy in the ancestral hall almost wanted to erect a monument to commemorate the occasion.

Wang Qi did not join the village's celebration. Although he had lived two lives, in his previous life he only knew academics, treating his laboratory as a pure land. In this life, he had wasted several years in a daze, regarded as a fool by others. He was truly unaccustomed to so many people gathering in one place for a lively event.

However, even if he couldn't blend in, watching from afar was a form of shared joy.

With this thought, Wang Qi took a jar of homemade rice wine from the village and sat alone on the roof of the Wang family's old house.

Although the young man muttered "reckless," there was no trace of fear. Instead, he kept pouring and drinking for himself. There was a reason for his behavior.

In the morning, he had integrated his knowledge from his previous life, quickly breaking through the Reaching the Heavens realm, which had truly frightened Li Ziye and Xiang Qi. However, he soon discovered a huge problem.

This world had spiritual energy.

And "spiritual energy" as a physical quantity simply did not exist in his previous world!

Cultivating with modern methods requires a prerequisite understanding of the fundamental laws of the world—what modern methods call the "Dao." If one's understanding of the Dao is flawed, practicing advanced techniques will not only yield half the results with twice the effort but could also lead to qi deviation, death, and the destruction of one's path.

However, fortunately, this was just unnecessary worry.

In reality, he had misunderstood Li Ziye's words and the Reaching the Heavens realm of modern methods during the day.

The so-called entry into the Reaching the Heavens realm was not about breaking through with knowledge alone. More importantly, it was about comprehending the aspiration of seeking the Dao from those ancient scholars.

If translated into Earth terms, this "aspiration to seek the Dao" was not, as Wang Qi had initially thought, a "high school diploma," but rather the "scientific spirit"!

Seeking knowledge, seeking truth.

The heavens and earth are infinite, the Great Dao is ethereal, but we, through our own efforts, can unravel the ultimate principles of the world step by step.

In Wang Qi's previous life, with the flourishing of science and technology, except for a few eccentric individuals, this Dao heart was subtly ingrained in everyone's heart.

Due to his transmigration, Wang Qi had fundamentally doubted "science," which led to his brilliance being hidden. It was only through the research of mathematics and logic by the great figures of this world that he realized the problem with his own mindset. His accumulation of knowledge had long surpassed the requirements for breaking through Reaching the Heavens.

For ordinary cultivators to break through, they had to ponder over Qi Condensation stage techniques, cleverly absorbing the breath of heaven and earth. Wang Qi's breakthrough was a direct reflection of a sudden enlightenment in his heart onto his magical power, breaking through as naturally as water overflowing when full.

This was a perfect breakthrough that countless geniuses had sought but failed to achieve!

Thinking of this, Wang Qi couldn't help but take another sip of wine, smacking his lips, "I was still reckless after all, but thanks to you, old man, you're unexpectedly useful at this moment!"

Wang Qi's mention of recklessness was directed at another matter.

In the morning, when he was verifying the mathematics and logic he had learned in his previous life, he had written several equations on scratch paper.

And he had used the operational symbols he was most familiar with from Earth.

You see, the mathematical notation in the Divine Continent had its own system, lacking the many letters common in Earth's equations, nor did it have Arabic numerals.

His breakthrough in the morning had come too quickly, truly startling Li Ziye and Xiang Qi. But after their shock, the two displayed the qualities of Immortal Alliance enforcers.

Indeed, breaking through in a single meal was unlikely, but what if he already possessed the conditions to break through?

For example—a rogue cultivator living near his home who was forbidden?

Wang Qi was also startled when he realized the two had such suspicions. Currently, rogue cultivators were basically targets of public condemnation. If he were seen as being associated with one, he would probably earn scornful glances every time he went out, let alone gain any benefits from the modern immortal path!

Then, Xiang Qi, with her sharp eyes, discovered Wang Qi's drafts. Although Li Ziye couldn't understand the formulas, he keenly sensed that these scribbles were indeed sophisticated mathematical methods!

Just as Li Ziye and the other grew more suspicious, Zhen Chanzi spoke up to cover for him: "This is ancient mathematics that I passed down to him. Heh, I never thought that the path of mathematics could lead to cultivation."

The foundation of the Myriad Laws Sect was built upon the ancient inheritances of Primordial Heavenly Lord and Geometric Devil Lord. Only then did it evolve into a superior method that derived myriad laws and broke through myriad laws. Therefore, Li Ziye did not excessively doubt Zhen Chanzi's explanation.

This explanation also slightly dispelled their doubts about Wang Qi's talent—it turned out this kid already had a foundation in mathematical principles, so in that case, his aptitude was barely within the acceptable range for humans.

"It seems I need to develop the habit of destroying scratch paper at hand from now on."

Wang Qi narrowed his eyes, looking at the distant lights, as if muttering to himself.

At this moment, the moon was nearing its zenith, but the people gathered near the ancestral shrine still refused to disperse, their clamor faintly reaching Wang Qi's ears.

"This world is quite interesting."

Wang Qi said this, taking a sip of wine.

Then, he took another sip.

After a while, he took another sip.

After downing seven or eight cups of wine, a slightly embarrassed voice came from the rooftop: "Old man, shouldn't you chime in? It's awkward for me to be talking to myself!"

Zhen Chanzi's voice was a little muffled, "Oh?"

"Didn't I say all that just for you to respond? At least you should have said something when I thanked you?"

"Oh."

Hearing the perfunctory response from the ring, Wang Qi was greatly shocked: "What the hell, senior, who are you? There were two souls in this ring from the beginning, right? Do you know the old man who taught me the Great Luo Chaos Heaven Scripture? The one who looks aloof but is actually quite talkative..."

Zhen Chanzi said displeasedly, "What do you mean, 'looks aloof but is actually quite talkative'?"

Wang Qi replied with mock seriousness, "Aren't you usually quite talkative? Especially when I say 'this thing is interesting,' you always ask 'what's interesting about it' and try to twist my worldview and values."

Zhen Chanzi wanted to retort, but in the end, he could only sigh, "This old man is old."

Wang Qi scoffed, "An immortal who's lived for ten thousand years, only just realizing it today?"

Zhen Chanzi didn't scold the "disrespectful" brat at first.

"I've only just realized. Although I call myself 'this old man,' it was merely to maintain my status. In the past, I prided myself on my exceptional talent and the ancient inheritance I carried. I thought being trapped in this ring was just a temporary setback, like a dragon confined to shallow waters. With a sliver of opportunity, I would once again shake the world."

"But today, I've realized how terrifying ten thousand years truly is. Ancient inheritance? I once cherished it like my life, but now it's discarded like worn-out shoes! Talent? I always thought the heavens and earth would eventually wither as cultivators refined qi generation after generation, and the immortal path would inevitably decline. But in reality? Later generations have already forged a great path to the heavens! I don't even have the courage to create a single new technique!"

Zhen Chanzi grew more agitated, his words carrying a hint of resignation. "Even if I could reshape my physical body and return to the world, what would be the point?"

"Huh?" Wang Qi's disdain was almost audible from his nose. "So, you're saying your past life was meaningless."

Zhen Chanzi angrily retorted, "Then tell me, what constitutes a meaningful life?"

Wang Qi lay on the rooftop, the ring on his finger held high, facing the night sky. He looked at the ring and asked, "First question, were you stubborn in your cultivation before? Like, you'd rather die than admit you were wrong."

"If I didn't have absolute confidence in myself, how could I have achieved the Dao!"

Wang Qi burst into laughter, "Then it's only fitting that your Dao heart shattered after seeing things that shattered your worldview for the past few days!"

Zhen Chanzi had no retort and could only huff in his spiritual consciousness.

Wang Qi said, "The world is interesting precisely because it's vast enough to always have new things to explore! You concoct a vague concept of infinity, fool yourself into believing it's the Dao, and then you actually believe it yourself—it would be a cosmic injustice if you weren't terrified to death!"

Zhen Chanzi laughed in anger, "As if you truly understand."

Wang Qi gazed at the sky, chuckling a few times without speaking.

If only I could use my own experiences to teach you, old man.

Some things, Wang Qi decided, would be buried in his heart forever. Even Zhen Chanzi, who was now bound to him, would absolutely not be told.

When he transmigrated, Wang Qi's first reaction was—#%#. Cough, cough, in short, it was a curse word.

In his eyes, transmigration was a malicious arrangement of fate.

Yes, I was unrecognized and unappreciated in my original world. But that was MY world! MINE! It had my friends, my family, my pursuits, my ideals, my value of existence!

And then, all of that was wiped out overnight?

Screw that!

Also, what did I spend twenty years learning? Does any of this conform to science?! It's fake? Fake! I know nothing!

If the world doesn't operate on logic... then what's the point?

And in this transmigration, the only thing Wang Qi felt fortunate about was that he had a family who truly cared for him, pulling him back from the brink of collapse; he had over a decade to calmly process everything. And yesterday, he was able to re-understand the world with the help of the research of this world's wise men.

But this destruction and rebirth had made Wang Qi's spirit incredibly strong!

"I truly don't understand what the Dao is, old man. But since those great beings who established the current methods have determined the path to seeking the Dao, then I, Wang Qi, will surely, step by step, seek that supreme heavenly Dao!"

The youth's words were sonorous and powerful.

Zhen Chanzi fell silent for a while. The young man's confident demeanor reminded him of himself over ten thousand years ago, when he first glimpsed the immortal path.

Wasn't I also full of confidence back then, confident I could take that final step?

Is ten thousand years truly so terrifying? It not only turned my longed-for final step into a joke, but it also smoothed away the spirit in my heart? If it were my younger self, even waking up in a new world would only fill me with heroic spirit.

"Hehehe, I really am old..."

Wang Qi laughed, "That's right! Old man, from now on, you should learn from me, learn what it means to be interesting!"

"How so?"

"Right now, right now, interesting ideas are bursting out of my head!"