Intertwined Skill Trees

Xiang Qi looked at Wang Qi and said, "Your skills have improved! Have you decided on a cultivation technique?"

Wang Qi asked, "How did you notice?"

He hadn't had time to practice any cultivation methods!

"The way you deflected my kick felt different."

So kicking is also a skilled trade? You've got experience?

Su Junyu, upon entering, took out a book of unknown content and sat down to study it. Hearing their conversation, he chuckled, "Actually, the violent woman dragged me here three times, and you weren't around either time. Considering where you can go now, it must be the Hall of Transmitting Techniques, right?"

"Shut up!" Xiang Qi yelled at Su Junyu, then explained to Wang Qi, "Actually, your move to neutralize my force just now indicates that you've at least organized your Magical Power according to some cultivation technique. And judging by the immediate effect, it's most likely from the Myriad Dharma Sect."

Wang Qi had to admire Xiang Qi's sharp eyes. He had indeed used Easy Thigh Calculation Sutra to circulate his energy just now.

Su Junyu finally looked up and gave a thumbs-up, "Good eye. Our Myriad Dharma Sect's cultivation methods are the orthodox lineage of the Golden Path, almost never conflicting with other techniques. Even if you don't major in it later, it's good for sub-cultivation or dual cultivation."

Xiang Qi continued, "Actually, I came over just now because I forgot to tell you about the considerations for choosing a cultivation technique."

Wang Qi raised an eyebrow, "Is there a trick to this?"

Xiang Qi nodded, "There is, but most disciples at the Immortal Academy won't come for another half a month, so this part won't be taught until then. We were afraid you'd rush into cultivation and choose the wrong technique."

"Can't I switch techniques if I choose the wrong one?"

Xiang Qi shook her head, "You can switch, of course, but it's a lot of effort for little reward. Besides, the Immortal Academy's purpose is to guide cultivators to choose the right technique based on their talent and temperament, instead of like in the past, where they'd discover a disciple was better suited for another method only after entering."

So, the true nature of the Immortal Academy is professional guidance!

Su Junyu added, "With the current methods, our understanding of the Great Dao becomes more profound. If you can't take the final step by reaching the peak in one aspect, you'll be stuck. If you forcefully learn a subject that doesn't suit you and then waste energy switching, you'll likely fall far behind others."

Wang Qi nodded, "I see. So, what are the tricks?"

Xiang Qi asked, "How much of your introductory book have you read? What parts did you find easier, and what parts did you find interesting?"

Wang Qi pondered for a moment. Based on his knowledge from his previous life, the Myriad Dharma Sect and Misty Palace were the top choices back then. He had essentially tricked the Misty Palace with the manuscript of the Unforgiving Taoist. However, telling Xiang Qi now that he liked quantum mechanics, which had a somewhat mystical reputation in the Divine Continent, would be too shocking. He chose his words carefully and replied, "After reading the mathematics books I received here, I had a sudden realization. I also really like mathematics. And... I find the Path of Etherealness very interesting."

Su Junyu, who cultivated Bai Ze Calculation, was one of the staunchest supporters of determinism and strongly disliked the Misty Palace's "ethereal and uncertain" ways. "What's interesting about that superstitious nonsense? It's like building a city of mud and sand, liable to collapse at any moment."

Xiang Qi retorted, "How do you explain the various wondrous methods of the Misty Palace? At least their exploration of the Great Dao has solved the problem of atomic bonds and orbital hybridization, greatly strengthening the development of the Burning Gold Valley's cultivation methods and spells."

"Atomic bonds?" Wang Qi asked, confused. "Orbital hybridization" was similar to the Earth term "orbital hybridization" and not difficult to understand. But what were "atomic bonds"?

Xiang Qi gave a rough explanation. In the Divine Continent, atoms were commonly called "foundations of heavenly things," or "heavenly foundations" for short. The force that connected two atoms was called an "atomic bond" because it acted like a button – in other words, what is called a "chemical bond" on Earth.

Wang Qi watched Su Junyu and Xiang Qi argue, lost in thought.

It was similar to his own conjecture. The basic theory of quantum mechanics had already taken shape in this world, but in explaining the new wave function collapse, only the observer effect of the Copenhagen School existed, and the other mainstream interpretations had yet to appear. And due to the existence of the Myriad Dharma Sect and the influence of Bai Ze Divine Lord, the school of thought that believed wave function collapse was due to "hidden variables" of a physical quantity we hadn't yet observed, instead of being completely buried after de Broglie's proposal like on Earth, had a large number of staunch supporters.

Moreover, it was certain that Bell's inequality, which played a decisive role in the history of physics, had not yet appeared.

Xiang Qi and Su Junyu couldn't agree, so Xiang Qi sighed, "Forget it! One day, Senior Bohr will design an experiment to prove himself!"

Su Junyu shot back, "But first, we need to find a way to break the seal of the Wave Heavenly Monarch and rescue that living-and-dead spirit cat."

Schrödinger's cat...

Wang Qi silently lamented the similarities between the two worlds.

Xiang Qi stopped arguing with Su Junyu and continued speaking to Wang Qi, "Don't listen to him. In short, you have the highest attainments and talent in mathematics and logic, yet you're interested in the Path of Etherealness? It's either the Myriad Dharma Sect or the Misty Palace—personally, I recommend the Misty Palace."

Su Junyu grumbled, "Hey!"

"If you join the Myriad Dharma Sect, you'll become eccentric, taciturn, never leave your room, and might even develop all sorts of strange fetishes..."

Does this mean all mathematicians are shut-ins? Wang Qi suddenly felt like he'd been shot in the knee.

"Of course, the choice is yours." Xiang Qi changed the subject, "Whether it's the Misty Palace or the Myriad Dharma Sect, it's your own choice. Next, I need to tell you a few things to keep in mind."

"First, when choosing a cultivation technique, it must suit your personality and preferences. A cultivation technique is a lifelong commitment. If it doesn't align with your temperament, it will only lead to lifelong regret."

"Second, you need to distinguish between primary and secondary..."

As Xiang Qi explained and Su Junyu supplemented, Wang Qi gradually understood some of the characteristics of the current methods' cultivation techniques.

Current methods all stem from the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and the laws of all things, so they are extremely similar in nature. The degree of repulsion between cultivation techniques is also small. Theoretically, it's not impossible for someone to cultivate all current methods simultaneously.

However, this is purely theoretical.

Firstly, to cultivate a technique to a deeper level, one must have a thorough understanding of the laws corresponding to that technique. But a cultivator's energy is limited; mastering everything will only lead to mediocrity in all aspects.

Secondly, although all current methods directly lead to the Great Dao, the scope of the "Great Dao" is vast. Different applications will manifest different laws. For example, Maxwell's equations, behind Heavenly Song, can explain electromagnetic activity in the macroscopic world but cannot explain the photoelectric effect or delve into the microscopic realm. Great Discretization Concordance Sutra, corresponding to quantum mechanics, has never found a way to transition from the microscopic to the macroscopic. Conversely, Heavenly Song's energy circulation focuses on continuity, while the energy circulation in Great Discretization Concordance Sutra and Magical Power is discontinuous; the two cannot possibly be cultivated simultaneously.

But this does not mean that current methods' cultivation techniques cannot be cultivated together. Cultivating Hexagram Determination Calculation Sutra and Geometry Book together can lead to the Myriad Dharma Sect's supreme scripture, Cosmic Position Technique. And cultivating Blazing Sun Wave Qi and Heavenly Light Materialization Art to a deep level, and then obtaining Particle-Wave Duality passed down by Taiyi Tianzun and Ai Citam, one can truly glimpse the path of light.

Besides having two complementary techniques running in parallel, there is also the model of mastering one primary technique and cultivating multiple secondary ones. For example, dual cultivating Great Discretization Concordance Sutra with light-based techniques like Thunderous Strike Art or Heavenly Light Materialization Art can enhance the power of electromagnetic techniques. Hexagram Determination Calculation Sutra and Evolutionary Diagram Record are the most common secondary cultivation techniques. These two methods generally do not conflict with other cultivation techniques or external spells, and they can enhance the power of the primary cultivation technique!

As the two narrated, Wang Qi gradually sketched out the skill tree of the current methods' immortal cultivation in his mind.

It turned out that the skill tree of the current methods' immortal cultivation was completely different from the Ancient Method! Each technique in the Ancient Method was an independent skill tree, limiting the possibilities of development from the start. However, the skill tree of the current methods was a complex network, with some techniques appearing in different skill trees simultaneously, and others requiring the simultaneous activation of two skill trees to be learned.

Damn it! This makes the choice even harder! With so many good cultivation techniques, I can't bear to give up any of them!

Wang Qi looked resentfully at Xiang Qi.

At this moment, Xiang Qi stated the last point to keep in mind: "Finally, you must remember this! If you discover that a cultivation technique doesn't suit you, stop cultivating it immediately!"

Wang Qi asked, "Why?"

"Immortal Academy is precisely where you're given the chance to make mistakes! Here, you can explore all sorts of different cultivation methods and try many things. Since you haven't delved too deeply into any particular area yet, the effort required to switch paths is relatively small. However, this kind of opportunity isn't given indefinitely by the Immortal Alliance. Once you leave Immortal Academy, if you want to switch sects again, you'll have to undergo rigorous trials, and bear the cost yourself!"

Wang Qi's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Xiang Qi's warning went completely unheard by the young man. Instead, her words sparked a wild idea in Wang Qi's mind.

After Xiang Qi and Su Junyu left, Zhen Chanzi finally spoke, "Kid, you're not going to go crazy again, are you?"

"Hahaha." Wang Qi burst into laughter. "That's right! I suffer from severe indecisiveness. But... haha! The Immortal Alliance has acknowledged it too! Youth is meant for making mistakes!"