Zhang Qi sat on a meditation cushion and let out a long breath.
"Laojun, in my hometown, there was a theory that explained how Heaven and Earth operated."
Zhang Qi carefully chose his words, trying not to use overly obscure technical terms.
"One of its laws is called the Second Law of Thermodynamics."
Laojun gently waved his tattered palm-leaf fan without interrupting, simply listening in silence.
"Put simply, heat can never spontaneously flow from a colder object to a hotter one."
Zhang Qi raised a hand and gestured through the air.
"A cup of hot water left on a table will gradually cool. It can never grow hotter on its own."
"The air in a room can never suddenly all squeeze into the left half, turning the right half into a vacuum."
"Without outside interference, an isolated system will always evolve toward its most stable and most chaotic state."
"This process is irreversible."
Zhang Qi paused, allowing Laojun time to process those words.
"This is called the Law of Entropy Increase."
The palm-leaf fan in Laojun's hand froze in midair.
He had lived through countless epochs and heard countless great powers expound the Dao.
Yet no one had ever stripped bare the laws governing Heaven and Earth with words so blunt and direct.
"Continue."
Laojun uttered two words.
"According to this theory, so-called supernatural abilities and cultivation are actually the creation of an extremely unstable system."
Zhang Qi pointed at Laojun, then at himself.
"The endpoint of cultivation is Pure Yang Flawless."
"The physical body becomes a miniature universe unto itself, no longer interacting with the world outside."
"At that point, one naturally no longer needs to breathe, nor does one become entangled in karma."
"Take a drop of ink falling into a basin of clear water."
"At first, it