Applied Immortality

The sun did not fulfill Li Ziye’s wish.
Before the dawn’s first ray landed on him, the Myriad Arts Sect disciple breathed his last. Wang Qi sighed, “To be honest, there’s nothing heroic about dying, Senior Brother Li. It’s much better to skip the nonsense and say you have no regret.”
Zhen Chanzi said, “You…”
Wang Qi lay Li Ziye’s body down and sat two steps back, “Geezer, it’s time you and I have a chat.”
Zhen Chanzi said, “I have nothing to say.”
Wang Qi sneered, “So you’re not denying your involvement in this?”
“Yes.”
“You lied to me.”
“It’s not the first time.”
“Yeah.” Zhen Chanzi sounded flat, “I was gambling that you wouldn’t meet another wielder of an immortal item from that set. The odds of you meeting with the Celestial Rift Lord is second to none.”
“What did he use to find you?”
“A replica of the immortal item the Celestial Rift Lord stole. Making it just to sense other immortal items is worth it. However, in ancient times, everyone feared of others stealing this chance so they never used this method.”
Ancient cultivators cared only for themselves, the faint hope for a higher stage. History was filled with betrayals from masters, disciples, relatives, and friends.
“Be that as it may, the sooner you told me, the sooner I’d take precaution and not always wear this thing.” Wang Qi took off the ring and said, “Leaving this trinket home will spare me the needless danger.”
“Now you know. I won’t blame you for throwing it away.”
Wang Qi chuckled, holding the ring in his palm and raising it up, “Last question, what’s it really for?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t? You don’t know your own sect’s magic treasures?”
Zhen Chanzi sighed, “The founder had the fortune of buying it from an ignorant rogue cultivator. All that’s known about it is that it can increase the absorption of spiritual energy, assist with minor stealth arts, react to other immortal items of the set, and house souls.”
“Oh.” Wang Qi put his hand down and placed the ring on his left index finger.
Zhen Chanzi said, “What did you do that? You know the ring is more trouble than it’s worth, so why keep it?”
Modern cultivation trumped ancient cultivation. Wang Qi’s talent in today’s system was godlike, to say the least. It was a no-brainer which to pick. The ring’s first use had no use for modern cultivators, while its assistance was only on minor ancient magical arts. It was impossible for it to cope with the complex modern magical art system. Housing souls then? It was already occupied unless Zhen Chanzi would like to vacate the premises.
That left only one thing, being a trouble magnet.
Wang Qi’s propped himself on his right as he leaned back. His left hand was brought to his eyes, “In any case, you’ve been with me for so long, I never called you master and you never saw me as a real disciple. Let’s forget about today’s event. Moreover, your ample experience as a Great Ascension cultivator could come in handy. If you share with me what you know, I’ll hold my word to remake your body when I learn a good technique.”
Zhen Chanzi was skeptical, “That’s it?”
“You don’t trust my character?” Wang Qi gave the ring an empty smile.
“It’s not that, but that your goal isn’t as simple.”
Zhen Chanzi only then found Wang Qi’s smile to be icy.
Wang Qi glanced at Li Ziye’s body, “Of course not. It’ll be a pain looking for Imperial Celestial Rift Sect without you around.”
Zhen Chanzi started, “Are you insane?”
Wang Qi muttered, “What if I report it to a modern sect?”
“You want to become bait and entrust your safety to modern experts!” Zhen Chanzi exclaimed, “If the attempt fails, the Imperial Celestial Rift Sect will treat you as a trap and will keep seeing you like that even if you strut in the open. Even by sending a true top expert the first time around, the modern cultivators set up around you will react in time. The only danger will be losing a totally useless immortal item, to you and all modern cultivators.”
“What do you think?”
Zhen Chanzi said, “I’d think it’s a solid plan, but after last night’s talk and Li Ziye going out, I’m not so sure.”
Wang Qi frowned, “Why do you say that?”
“Li Ziye is stronger than the Heaven Splitting Emperor’s Nascent Soul, even if with that inferior Nascent Soul added into the mix. To win, those two’s only chance would be to first wound Xiang Qi and then let the three Foundation Establishment cultivators set up an array with the girl as bait to lure Li Ziye in and defeat him. The premise is to have Li Ziye and Xiang Qi split up. Who do you think could predict the precise time Li Ziye would’ve left?”
Wang Qi gasped, “That passing Golden Core! You’re saying the modern system has traitors.”
Zhen Chanzi added, “Nothing adds up. Modern cultivation has little need of resources, so it makes little sense why they’d betray the Immortal Alliance supremacy over crumbs.”
“And if it’s not crumbs?”
Zhen Chanzi denied it, “Not possible. Ancient cultivation is very resource-demanding. Not even the great sects have much surplus.”
Wang Qi pondered, “So you were in a tight spot as well, weren’t you, old man?”
“That’s why I admire the modern system’s founder. No fake resources, he-he.” Zhen Chanzi chuckled, “Something else is amiss. Those detailed departments and governing systems you mentioned last night sound extremely plausible, but did you ever stop to think why there’s no such thing in the current modern immortal cultivation world?”
Wang Qi blurted, “Due to feudal faction’s opposition.”
Zhen Chanzi mocked, “Idiot! Would the great founders of the modern cultivation be so attached to those pedantic ancient ways?”
Wang Qi scratched his head, “A scientist’s ignorance of politics?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Bookworms make for poor leaders.”
“Not likely.” Zhen Chanzi said, “Spreading knowledge is in favor of modern cultivation’s development. For the leaders to prevent it among the lower class, there can only be one reason.”
Wang Qi didn’t get where Zhen Chanzi was going with this, “Well?”
“The modern cultivation is facing a terrible enemy and can’t allow their essential cultivation methods to be leaked.”
Wang Qi gasped, “No way! Li Ziye said that modern cultivation has overpowered the ancient system. The enemy even went to great lengths to send a secret team and kill two talented disciples. There’s no way they’re still going strong.”
Zhen Chanzi’s voice was low, “Right, the situation must be grim for the ancient cultivators to give the chance of gaining an immortal item to a Nascent Soul disciple so they could raise their chances of winning. This is very peculiar. Where did the enemy come from? The demonic cultivation that could make one die the earth red in a thousand miles was killed off fifty thousand years ago. The demons had turned into a sport for humans to hunt twenty thousand years ago. The dragons overseas are strong, but they can’t come ashore. So where did the enemy come from?”
“Tch.” Wang Qi said at the ring, “So you can’t find the modern cultivation even the least bit trusting.”
“On the contrary, looking at Li Ziye and Xiang Qi, modern cultivation doesn’t skimp when it comes to nurturing their disciples. It’d be much better to enter the modern sect using the official method. Just using them to fight for survival.”
Wang Qi nodded, “So there’s still some use having you around, old man. Then let me ask you this. What’s Imperial Celestial Rift Sect’s story? How strong are their strongest?”
“Imperial Celestial Rift Sect is the most brutal ancient sect.” At the mention of Zhen Chanzi’s mortal enemy, his tone turned harsh, “This includes their methods and inheritance. The Imperial Celestial Rift manual is known as the most savage cultivation method in all of history, breaking all other arts with its power. Ha-ha, quite ironic how the modern way’s ‘other arts’ have the advantage instead.”
“How much did that Nascent Soul disciple learn from the Imperial Celestial Rift Sect?”
“The stronger Imperial Celestial Rift Sect cultivation method is, the more mystical it appears. He was likely a true disciple, the most unfavored kind even.” Zhen Chanzi was enjoying talking about the dead Imperial Celestial Rift Sect disciple, “A Great Ascension cultivator is invincible in the same stage. I and the Celestial Rift Lord of ten thousand years ago were the best in the world. The modern cultivation rose two thousand years ago, making it eight thousand years between my fall and its birth, enough time to give rise to four more Great Ascension cultivators, as long as they weren’t hunted down by modern cultivation.”
Wang Qi was pensive, “If I go the ancient way, even at Great Ascension I can’t beat a Great Ascension Imperial Celestial Rift Sect cultivator. If I go the modern way, an average Eminence still couldn’t be his match.”
“You need to learn patience when seeking revenge.”
The morning sun shone brighter now, its gentle light piercing the clouds. Wang Qi took Li Ziye’s storage bag and stretched, “I feel stiff from all the sitting. Old man, I told you before, I only care about excitement in my life.”
“I know.”
“I won’t feel happy knowing that I owe someone anything. Which is why it’s best to start off with the bad and then enjoy the good.
Zhen Chanzi sighed, “I just had the feeling you’re like a normal person.”
“I always thought the world went crazy and I went crazy with it. Only now I realize that it’s not crazy at all and I should be happy, hence the brain freeze.” Wang Qi said, “But now I’m not happy at all.”
His words weren’t clear and Zhen Chanzi wanted to ask for clarification, but Wang Qi continued, “I’ll make everyone that ruins my mood feel worse than ever.” He looked at the sky, finding it bright enough to see, and rummaged through Li Ziye’s storage bag.
“What are you up to? Spirit ink, spirit paper, kid… you plan on drawing?” Zhen Chanzi found Wang Qi’s actions odd.
“No, I want to copy.”
“Copy what?” Zhen Chanzi whined, “Those are top spirit paper and ink!”
Wang Qi finished by taking out a stack of papers, “This.”
Zhen Chanzi gapped, “Aren’t these Daoist Proscribe’s works?”
“We can’t ignore freebies. Xiang Qi knows about them so we can’t keep them to ourselves.”
Zhen Chanzi warned, “These aren’t some secret works. They’re nothing but incomplete deductions of an Unfettered cultivator and also random at that. Can you make sense of them?”
Wang Qi laughed.
By his reckoning, Daoist Proscribe’s cultivation method had to be tied with scientist Heisenberg’s theory from Earth.
[Do you know where I got my experience in the last life? In Copenhagen University where Niels Bohr and Heisenberg had their meeting!]