Applied Immortality

Chapter 31: Skill Tree

Chapter 31: Skill Tree

Xiang Qi asked, “Are you feeling better to decide on a cultivation method?”

Wang Qi asked back, “How can you tell?”

He hadn’t had the time to practice the mental art.

“It felt off when I kicked you.”

[You got so used to kicking people around you can tell the difference?]

The moment Su Junyu entered the room, he had been sitting down with a random book in his hand and doing his research. Upon hearing them, he chuckled. “Termagant here has been dragging me around to your room three times already, but you weren’t here. In short, the Arts Archive is the only place you could be at at this point.”

“Quiet!” Xiang Qi snapped at him, offering Wang Qi an explanation, “The way you mitigated the force of the blow means you shifted your spiritual power according to a certain cultivation method. From the quick reaction, one can tell it’s more likely belonging to the Myriad Arts Sect.”

Wang Qi’s burning gaze of admiration was set on Xiang Qi. He did use Swift Computation to form a cycle.

Su Junyu looked up, thumbs up, “Excellent taste. Our Myriad Arts Sect mental art is a mainstream modern art, having next to no conflict with others. Dabbing in the art alone would still prove beneficial to your future.”

Xiang Qi supplied, “I only came because I forgot to tell you about the process of choosing a cultivation method.”

Wang Qi raised an eyebrow, “There’s a trick to it?”

“Yes. Since most freshmen come two weeks later, the instructions would be offered then. We feared you got too impatient to cultivate and might’ve picked the wrong art.”

“You can’t switch after?”

Xiang Qi shook her head, “Of course, you can, but it’s a fruitless toil. The Immortal Institute’s goal is to help seekers of immortality make the right choice that matches their talent. There’s no point in going back to the old days of finding a much better method with another sect only after joining.”

[In other words, Immortal Institute aims to offer specialized guidance.]

Su Junyu added, “Modern system’s insight into Dao only grows. One needs to reach the top of their field to take the last step. Forcing yourself to drudge through one particular field that’s against your nature would have your peers leave you in the dust from the need to switch methods.”

Wang Qi nodded, “I see. So what’s the trick?”

Xiang Qi asked, “How many basic books have you read? What caught your interest and what felt easier?”

Wang Qi pondered. From his previous life’s academics, Myriad Arts Sect or Elusive Palace was his best choice. [Taking Daoist Proscribe’s works into account, I should’ve sided with the latter. Though telling her I relish quantum mechanics, which are like a holy grail on Divine Province, it would be too shocking.] He weighed his tone as he spoke, “Everything cleared up the moment I read the book on arithmetics. Not to mention that I also like math. I also find Elusive Palace’s way intriguing.”

Su Junyu cultivated the White Marsh Algorithm, becoming the biggest advocate for determinism. He had an instinctual loathing for Elusive Palace’s ‘etherealness’, or indeterminism, “What’s so great about those parlor tricks? Nothing but a sandcastle about to topple at the first contact with reality.” 

Xiang Qi rebutted, “How do you explain Elusive Palace’s many ingenious arts? Their research in Dao has solved issues related to celestial anchoring and heavenly clasp, enhancing the development of Scorching Metal Valley’s arts.”

“Celestial anchoring?” Wang Qi asked. The second was a familiar concept on Earth bearing no confusion. [But what’s this celestial anchoring?] 

Xiang Qi gave a rough explanation. Divine Province called atoms heaven’s building blocks, or heavenly blocks for short. Due to the force binding two atoms together was similar to a button, hence the heavenly clasp—or Earth’s chemical bond.

Wang Qi was pensive as he watched Su Junyu and Xiang Qi getting heated up.

[Just like I thought. The basic principles of quantum mechanics are established in this world, while the new wave function collapse was at the level of Copenhagen interpretation, barring all other mainstream explanations. And due to Myriad Arts Sect and Lord White Marsh’s influence, De Broglie’s debunking proposal did not happen here as it did on Earth, making a school of thought believe that the wave function collapse was due to some ‘hidden variable’ caused by some as-yet-unobserved physical property or aspect have a significant number of staunch supporters.]

What was even more certain, Bell’s inequality, which played a pivotal role in the history of physics, had yet to come into play.

Xiang Qi and Su Junyu’s argument heated up, “Alright! Heavenly Lord Bohr will one day conduct an experiment to prove himself!” 

Su Junyu retorted, “Then there will also be a way to break Ripple Heavenly Lord’s seal and save the living and yet dead spirit cat.”

[Schrödinger’s cat…]

Wang Qi dissed the two worlds’ similarities in the safety of his mind.

Xiang Qi stopped her argument with Su Junyu and turned to Wang Qi, “Don’t listen to him. In any case, your highest achievements are in math, and the most gifted, yet you’re interested in the elusive path? Well, it’s either Myriad Arts Sect or Elusive Palace. I personally recommend Elusive Palace.”

Su Junyu interjected, “Hey!”

“Join Myriad Arts Sect and you’ll turn into a nutjob, cooped-up, unsociable, and worst, you could catch some nasty and creepy fetishes…”

[The same ol’ stigma, that mathematicians are neets, eh?] Wang Qi had the odd feeling of having taken an arrow to the knee.(Tamon: Skyrim reference meaning unexpected misfortune curbing a guard’s adventuring. It’s mostly associated with getting married and settling down.) 

“It’s your choice in the end.” Xiang Qi switched tunes, “Any of the two are yours for the taking. Now I’ll tell you some important details.

“First off, the chosen cultivation method must match your style. You’ll have it for the rest of your life. Failing to get a fitting cultivation method will make your life miserable.”

“Secondly, you need to tell the difference of…”

With Xiang Qi’s explanation and Su Junyu’s interjections, Wang Qi got to learn of the modern system’s cultivation methods’ peculiarities.

Modern cultivation methods were inferred from the world’s Dao and the nature of all creation, making them intrinsically similar. The mutual exclusive aspect between them was limited. In theory, it was possible to practice all cultivation methods. 

[In theory, that is.]

First off, training a cultivation method to its highest level required an understanding of its laws to the same degree. Cultivators, like everything, were limited by time and energy. Dabbing in everything made one mediocre in everything. 

Secondly, while all modern paths led to Dao, the Dao itself was just too expansive. Different scopes had different rules. Take Maxwell’s equation behind Celestial Hymn Odyssey for example. It explained the macrocosm electromagnetic’s nature, but without the photoelectric effect, one could not reach the microcosm or subatomic domain. Grand Discrete Unity Treatise’s quantum mechanics counterpart, on the other hand, couldn’t bridge the gap between microcosm and macrocosm. Comparatively, the Celestial Hymn Odyssey focuses on the continuous flow of energy, while the Grand Discrete Unity Treatise had a discontinuous flow. It was utterly impossible to mingle the two.

Nevertheless, this did not mean it applied to all modern mental arts. Divine Hexagram Computation and Book of Geometry were needed to attain the highest of Myriad Arts Sect’s algorithm, Celestial Harmony. A depth in Solar Flare with Heavenly Light Transmutation led to Supreme Lord Einstein’s legacy method, Wave-particle Duality, peering into the path of light. 

Outside of the opposite cultivation methods, there was still the practice of majoring in one art while minoring in another. For instance, Grand Discrete Unity Treatise and Thunder Art or Heavenly Light Transmutation. The light cultivation method and electromagnetic cultivation method would be taken a step higher. Divine Hexagram Computation and Evolution Chart were the two of the most common choices as a minor mental art. The two would not clash with other cultivation methods or magical arts. They could also promote the major art to new heights of power. 

Chatting with the two, a certain tree took shape in Wang Qi’s mind regarding modern cultivation methods, a skill tree.

[Modern system’s skill tree has no similarity with the ancient way! An ancient sect’s cultivation method had an independent skill tree, restricting development for all one’s life. The modern skill tree is mingled and flourishing by comparison. Some mental arts existed on different branches of the skill tree, while others needed two mental arts to reach them.]

[Shit! This makes choosing harder! There are just too damn many good cultivation methods! I don’t have the heart to abandon any!]

Wang Qi felt disgruntled as he looked at Xiang Qi.

She now reached the last part, “This final point you have to engrave into your mind. Halt cultivation the minute you find the cultivation method is at odds with your nature.”

“How come?”

“Immortal Institute gives you the chance to make mistakes. You’re welcome to all kinds of cultivation methods in here, for you to try. Since you’ve yet to reach high levels in any field, switching them around won’t be that taxing. Do keep in mind that the Immortal Alliance doesn’t offer endless chances. Outside the Immortal Institute’s limits, you need to pass tests after tests, while bearing the costs yourself.” 

Wang Qi’s eyes shone like the stars above.

Xiang Qi’s warning went over his head and only worked to instill a crazed idea in Wang Qi.

Zhen Chanzi waited for Su Junyu and Xiang Qi to leave, “Kid,  did you go crazy again?”

“Ha-ha-ha!” Wang Qi cackled, “Damn right! I’m in the terminal stage of choice paralysis, but… ha-ha! Immortal Alliance approves it! Kids can make booboos!”