Chapter 112 - 74: Without Newton, eternity would be like a perpetual night.

PS: I want to hear more of your voices, receive more of your suggestions, so search for the WeChat public account "qdread" right now and give it a follow to support "Stepping into Cultivation" even more! After observing the Mirage Game, the visit of Wang Qi and his group of disciples was reaching its end, and the last item was for everyone to enter the top of the main hall to visit the Heavenly Communication Dao Hall. The numerous disciples left the theater and made their way upward, during which Wang Zhenqi kept chattering away with his movie commentary. All the while, Wang Qi had been amassing a belly full of grievances with no outlet. Midway up, Wang Qi suddenly reached out and tugged on Mao Zimiao's ear, "Hey, Azimiao. Why have you been silent since a while ago?" "Miao!" Mao Zimiao swatted away Wang Qi's right hand discontentedly but offered no further response. Hey hey, without your usual "I can't do that, miao!" I feel really uncomfortable! Since a while back, Wang Qi had noticed that Mao Zimiao seemed somewhat unwilling to deal with him, even intentionally not sitting next to him during the Mirage Game, and instead, making sure Wang Zhenqi sat between them. This struck Wang Qi as very odd. Just as Wang Qi revealed a baffled expression, the girl with dog ears beside him leaned in and whispered, "Amiao has been unhappy since this morning, lu! It started when you defeated Wu Shiqin." Defeated Wu Shiqin? "Don't you think your posture was quite indecent, lu?" Wang Qi covered his face, "I really wasn't trying to take liberties with her. She is indeed quite strong, and I wouldn't have been able to beat her without doing that." Mao Zimiao dragged Wang Zhenqi away, saying, "It has nothing to do with me, miao!" Wang Qi placed his hands in front of him, made a few grasping motions, remembered carefully, then said despondently, "And the feel of those muscles... there was nothing charming about it at all. I wouldn't have even noticed if you hadn't mentioned it." "Miao." Mao Zimiao first turned her head in disdain and then glanced at Wang Qi sideways, "Xiao Qi, don't you also have the Phase Wave Skill for long-range attacks? Why did you have to... pick on a girl like that?" Wang Qi, still with a face of dejection, replied, "With that kind of touch, she hardly qualifies as a girl—and besides, using the Elephant Phase Wave Skill is what truly counts as bullying, right?" "Miao?" Wang Qi explained, "Her main focus is the Electromagnetic Skill. The first time we sparred, we both ended up totally exhausted. I used the Heavenly Song then. During the trial, she discovered that even her Heavenly Song wasn't as good as mine, so she's been diligently studying the Heavenly Element Group of the Heavenly Song for the past month. You knew that, right?" Mao Zimiao nodded, "Mhm." "So, if I didn't use the Heavenly Song to fight her, isn't that letting her down?" "I can't make heads or tails of your logic, miao!" "That's right, lu!" Wang Qi smiled and gave a thumbs-up, "This is the sentiment of men making friends through fisticuffs!" "What kind of nonsense sentiment is that, miao! And Wu Shiqin is obviously a girl. Don't you think it's too much to say that, miao!" The three of them were talking when they already reached the Heavenly Communication Dao Hall. Heavenly Communication refers directly to the meaning of the Great Dao. Those enshrined within the Heavenly Communication Dao Hall, honored with statues, are mostly those who excelled in their respective domains and significantly advanced the understanding of the Immortal Dao towards Heaven and Earth. Unlike the group statues at the mid-mountain Heavenly Sword Palace, not all the cultivators here necessarily possessed the heart to sacrifice themselves for the world, with a few even nailed to the Pillar of Shame by the Immortal Alliance. Yet, their grand statues were still standing there. For instance, Wang Qi's acquaintance, Daoist of Uncertainty, Hai Senbao. The sole foundation for one's foothold here is none other than the Dao itself. Upon entering, everyone maintained a solemn demeanor, even those prone to clowning around like Su Junyu. Wang Qi saw Su Junyu from afar, waving to greet him, but the other gestured for silence. The Heavenly Communication Dao Hall wasn't like the temples Wang Qi had seen in the Mortal World with shrines placed at the center. The Dao Hall had a front and a back door, with a grand path linking them directly; this path was the central axis of the Heavenly Communication Dao Hall. The statues of the enshrined cultivators were scattered on both sides of the road, symbolizing that the path to Seeking the Dao was still inexhaustible. Each of these statues of cultivators was four meters tall and not arranged in a neat or uniform manner. Their placement seemed chaotic at first glance but actually conformed to mathematical principles. The older the cultivator, the closer their position to the front door, and the newer their achievement in the Dao, the closer to the back door. Additionally, the higher the cultivator's achievements on the path of seeking the Dao, the breakthroughs they made, the closer their statue was to the back door. Upon entering, the first statues one would see were of Master Ge Bai, the first Modern Cultivator, and Darwin, the first Carefree Heavenly Selection God Monarch of Modern times. However, Wang Qi's gaze was captured by another statue. This statue had one foot already stepping onto this path. It was the only statue in the entire Heavenly Communication Dao Hall that was granted this position. Elemental Power Sect, Yuanli Master, Newton. The Modern Method had been established for merely two thousand years. For Ancient Method Practitioners, two thousand years from the beginning of Qi Cultivation to the Mahayana Realm was considered a reasonable time frame. Thus, it was not unusual that no Modern Cultivators had achieved Ascension. It took nearly forty thousand years for the Ancient Method to see its first Ascender. Nevertheless, there was indeed one case of Ascension in Modern times. The unparalleled genius who laid the framework for the entire system of Modern times, Yuanli Master Newton, was the only one among Modern Cultivators to ascend. Back then, Yuanli Master's treatise "The Calculation of the Great Dao" took the world by storm and was regarded as the foundational discourse that established the basic principles of the Modern Method. Yuanli Master drew from the teachings of the Middle Ages mathematicians to establish the principles of the Modern Method, starting with definitions and axioms, deriving theorems, and for specific problems, comparing the derived theoretical results with observational outcomes, and so on. This was what was known as the scientific method on Earth. Thus, there were those in Shenzhou who praised him in verse: If Heaven had not produced Newton, the eternal ages would be as one long night. It's well said, heroes mourn heroes, scholars always hold each other in mutual admiration. Wang Qi slightly bowed as he passed by, a gesture of respect. What he was more interested in was another statue closer to the back door. This statue was almost touching the edge of the path, a distinction awarded to only a few statues. Daoist of Uncertainty, Hai Senbao. The statue enshrined here appeared to be about thirty years of age, closer to the youthful image from the Mirage Game. Wang Qi closely examined the statue but couldn't help laughing and saying, "Who would've thought Old Hai used to be so handsome." In his memory, the Daoist of Uncertainty, Hai Senbao, should be a hunched old man living not far from his own home. His face was wrinkled, like cracked tree bark. "Someone said you used to live in the same village as the Daoist of Uncertainty, right?" Su Junyu suddenly came over and asked. "That's right." Su Junyu carefully observed Wang Qi's expression, "What's your impression of Master Hai? I'm just curious." What kind of man? Wang Qi stared at the statue's face, his mind incessantly recalling memories. When the Daoist of Uncertainty lived incognito in Dabai Village, he presented himself as an aimless man. He claimed to be an outsider with some savings and had bought a piece of poor farmland in the village, tending to some crops, albeit not extensively. More often, he was playing chess or playing the qin. Villagers tried to persuade him not to squander his money, for fear of running through his reserves before his death. At that point, the old man would laugh, saying he had neither children nor siblings, and he might as well spend his life's savings before he died. Come to think of it, when I was young, that old man even visited our house... It seems the several chess games unique to Shenzhou that I know were taught to me by him... The memories he once disregarded now seemed unexpectedly vivid and interesting. Unfortunately, that village no longer existed. In the end, Wang Qi chuckled lightly, "The Farming Method of a Carefree Practitioner isn't necessarily more accurate than that of a country person, after all." —————————————————————————————————————— As usual, I'd like to thank the supporters who are battling illness and seeking medical help, and Deep Abyss's Disaster for the rewards! (My novel "Entering the World of Cultivation" will feature even more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, and there's also a 100% chance to win a big prize in our giveaway! So open up WeChat now, click the "+" on the top right to "Add Friends," search for the public account "qdread" and follow it, hurry up!)