Exploring Immortality Cultivation

"That child, he has a problem," said Chen Jingyun, causing several people attending the meeting to frown. Feng Luoyi spoke up, "Master Chen, if it's just a trivial matter like this, there's no need to come and tell us in person, right? You can just let your subordinates handle it." Chen Jingyun shook his head, "It's not just that." "Please, elaborate." Chen Jingyun got straight to the point, "This child entered the Immortal Institute mere days ago and deciphered nearly ten mathematical problems in the rear hall of the Transmitting Technique Hall." Po Li and Gu Ci, less involved in the affairs of the Immortal Institute, didn't comprehend the significance, but the others were moved. Feng Luoyi asked, "Are you sure it was nearly ten? If it was just the Particle Count and Brief Geometry—the Ancient Method Practitioners could realistically have solved those." Deng Jiaxuan also added, "This was the last task I dealt with before I joined the capture. According to the report I remember, the young man broke through to Heavenly Communication after half a day studying Modern methods. What if he is just an unparalleled genius in the field of Mathematics?" Chen Jingyun shook his head, "Absolutely impossible. With the numeracy involved in Ancient Methods, solving Particle Count and Brief Geometry would be their limit. Besides, those problems aren't strictly mathematics." Deng Jiaxuan disagreed, "If we overlook the origin of the problems and see them as pure math, they aren't difficult. You can just apply formulas to reach conclusions." Chen Jingyun replied decisively, "He wouldn't understand them." "What?" "It's like the math problem corresponding to De Bui's 'Elephant Phase Wave Skill.' Without understanding the 'Particle Wave Dual Form,' one might not even comprehend the question—the key here is understanding the 'Particle Wave Dual Form,' not just one's mathematical abilities." Deng Jiaxuan, "I was the one who set the problem… How do you seem to understand the purpose of the question better than I do…" "The question is couched in obscure language that's hard to penetrate." That's just you who couldn't understand it! Deng Jiaxuan screamed in his mind. Chen Jingyun's comment instantly won Bao'er's favor—for this Carefree Practitioner, the use of words was even more difficult than comprehending the microscopic world. Feng Luoyi whispered to Deng Jiaxuan to ask about the problem, then after pondering the question for a moment, shook his head, "We can't completely rule out the possibility that he is a genius. Someone perceptive who can read and understand sentences could transform it into a pure math problem." "Let's just say that's settled. Ancient Cultivators can't integrate mathematics into their cultivation, and diving deep into it doesn't benefit them. If an Ancient Cultivator took the trouble to decipher math at such a level, then he would have already turned his mental method into Modern methods." Feng Luoyi nodded, "Indeed, the possibility that he is a spy from the Ancient Cultivators is essentially ruled out— even if he was, his mathematical talent would just assimilate him into Modern methods." The people present were not foolish; they understood the subtext in Chen Jingyun's words. Gu Ci couldn't help asking, "Master Chen, are you suspecting that he is…" Glancing towards Bao'er and Po Li, he hinted, "'that one'?" Deng Jiaxuan said gravely, "'That one'…" Bao'er muttered, "Insufficient evidence." Chen Jingyun nodded, "This is just my guess. He might not be our enemy." Feng Luoyi said, "As it stands now, the possibility that he is a genius and the possibility that he is a disaster are evenly split." "There are two more possibilities," Chen Jingyun continued, "Another thing, I've noticed that when he was reading history books, he paid particular attention to the passing of Master Sommerfeld." Chen Jingyun's words were like casting a massive rock into a calm pond. Po Li was the first to lose composure, leaping up, "What did you say!?" "The true nature of Master Sommerfeld's demise is not known to many, but everyone here is aware. The monster that was jointly slain by predecessors like the Fentian Marquis and the Heavenly Selection Divine Monarch, or perhaps even Master Sommerfeld himself." Gu Ci was the first to shake his head, "According to the theories of the Yangshen Pavilion, it's almost impossible for Master Sommerfeld to have a Residual Soul enter a fetus..." Po Li's voice caught in his throat, his killing intent nearly palpable, "Ah... so that means... that means... he is..." Bao'er quickly restrained his martial nephew, "It might still be Junior Brother Suo! 'Almost impossible' isn't the same as 'impossible'! It could also be a coincidence!" After a long silence, Po Li calmed down. He sat down and waved at Chen Jingyun, "Anything else?" Chen Jingyun nodded, "One last possibility. He lived in a village with the Daoist of Uncertainty." Gu Ci frowned, "That bastard's handiwork?" Ma Juli mused, "Master Hai studied Mathematics with Bai En of the Wanfa Sect and had sufficient knowledge; as a founder of the Mysterious Path, he also understood things like Particle Wave Dual Form; most importantly, he was a disciple of Master Sommerfeld. If Wang Qi is related to him, his concern over Master Suo's demise would be normal." Deng Jiaxuan frowned, "But if this possibility holds true... everything, including the transmission of Ancient methods, could have been arranged by the Daoist of Uncertainty..." A chill swept over everyone—if all of this were arranged by the Daoist of Uncertainty, then it meant that the Immortal Alliance itself was compromised. Po Li shook his head, "If that scatterbrain had such cunning, would he have let the Demon Emperor trick him those years ago?" Bao'er nodded in agreement. Deng Jiaxuan brought up another doubt, "I forgot to mention it just now. Matters of this nature within the Immortal Alliance are usually my responsibility. I've noticed something odd: if he is the reincarnation of that demon, then he should have been born hundreds of years ago." Gu Ci stated, "We can't be careless even with the usual 'those things.'" Ma Juli voiced his skepticism, "It doesn't quite add up. The 'that one' we control wouldn't focus on Sommerfeld." Feng Luoyi pondered, "The situations aren't mutually exclusive; they could coexist. Wang Qi could be 'that one' and part of Master Hai's arrangement." Chen Jingyun raised his voice, "The main point is, how do we deal with this." Bao'er was the first to suggest, "He may still possess extraordinary talent." Deng Jiaxuan clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention, "I've been dealing with the affairs of the Immortal Alliance all this while. Let's hear my suggestion, shall we?" Everyone nodded. The cultivators of the Sword Palace were willing to protect the Immortal Alliance at the cost of breaking their own Immortal Paths. They had the most authority in matters like these. Deng Jiaxuan stood up, his presence becoming more commanding, "Then, my advice is to act according to the law. The laws of the Immortal Alliance were established and sworn by us. If we ourselves break the rules we made, wouldn't that be slapping our own faces?" Chen Jingyun furrowed his brows, "Brother Deng, what specific action are we talking about?" Deng Jiaxuan stated, "Treat him as any other cultivator. We know too little to conclude how this child will turn out. But if we find him practicing Ancient Methods, we must take swift and decisive action to eliminate him." —————————————————————————————————— Following suggestions from our dear readers, I've decided to release two chapters a day starting today, with the second update coming shortly!