Applied Immortality

While Chen and Deng were talking, Su Junyu introduced Wang Qi to Argent Apex’s Immortal Institute. Xiang Qi, having had classes here, was familiar with the place and went off to report her arrival to the faculty. Su Junyu led Wang Qi to pick up his freshman’s basic supplies.
The Immortal Institute was where new cultivators of the immortal path gained basic knowledge. Not much different from the high school Wang Qi was used to back on Earth. The large buildings around campus were made up of classrooms, alchemy labs, refining workshops, and the like—typical laboratories a high school had. What got Wang Qi’s attention, though, was the free access to the library.
[The Immortal Alliance looks lax regarding the knowledge within their center.] Wang Qi thought.
That wasn’t all. Wang Qi was astounded to be introduced to the peculiar All-immortal Mirror. It looked just like any large copper mirror, but things finally got interesting with the supply of spiritual power. In Su Junyu’s words, the All-immortal Mirror drew the user’s spiritual sense into the All-immortal Realm, filled with anything and everything.
Alas, it didn’t come cheap, with not even Golden Core cultivators being able to fork out its price. Only the sects or the Immortal Alliance’s institutions could afford it.
[The internet in alpha stage.] Wang Qi clicked his tongue, listening to Su Junyu’s description. The mirror wasn’t just a benign and convenient way of communication, oh no, it also incorporated the World Wide Web and file transfer from Earth.
Su Junyu enjoyed the look of utter shock plastered on Wang Qi’s face, “He-he, scared? This also lives up to Myriad Arts Sect’s style, one art extrapolating into countless ones.”
All-immortal Mirror was a mass-produced, or refined, magic item of the Immortal Alliance, modeled after Contraption Pavilion’s Grand Elder, Contraption Elder Turing’s vital magic artifact, Copper Elegance, by Myriad Arts Sect’s Unfettered People’s Champion Neumann.
Copper Elegance wasn’t without history either. Thousands of years ago, when the Demonic Emperor caused havoc and the immortal path faltered,  a certain great demon came into this world on the island of Fusang in the eastern waters of the Divine Province. It was but a Fusang tiger, one that had the fortune of awakening its primordial bloodline and cultivated into a formidable existence. Its demonic artifact, the Three Tiger Banner, defiled everything and specialized in countering a cultivator’s magic items. It raised his own demonic disciples, with whom he invaded the Divine Province. With the Unfettered of the province tied in other matters, this demon ran amok across the lands until Daois Turing stepped in. He used the Copper Elegance to push it back little by little, all the way to Fusang. Turing had been a great help to the Immortal Alliance of old, taking the pressure off as it fought against Daoist Proscribe’s rebellion.(Tamon: Fusang is a mythical tree growing on an island.)
This became an inspiring and tragic tale to the cultivators of Divine Province. Well, most of them…
[The hell is Contraption Elder? Aren’t you the least bit ashamed of calling such a revered figure like that? Alan Mathison Turing would cry at such an affront!]
Wang Qi bit back a comment, changing topics, “Brother Su, where’s Myriad Arts Sect in all of this?”
“I’m getting there. Later on, after a long time on Fusang, Contraption Elder contemplated and invited other cultivators across the world to discuss improving Copper Elegance’s use. Senior Neumann and our previous Sect Leader, Hilbert, assisted the Elusive Palace and Brilliance Palace in furthering their insights on Dao, but were making little progress due to lack of mathematical magic items. Senior Neumann was overjoyed at the sight of Copper Elegance, resulting in a star-crossed collaboration with Contraption Elder…”
Wang Qi jumped in, “Stop, stop, that sounds so wrong in so many ways…”
[Like a dynamic gay duo…]
Su Junyu continued unaffected, “From then on, they tinkered on All-immortal Mirror. Contraption Pavilion began as a mere sub-group of the Transcending Sect, becoming the friendly sect of our Myriad Arts Sect of today. When Senior Neumann finished making the All-immortal Mirror, Myriad Arts Sect’s illusions reached the level of one art extrapolating into countless others. There’s nothing a Myriad Arts Sect disciple can’t do!”
The two arrived at the storage building, an empty area. Su Junyu lowered his voice, “Wang Qi, is that a ring housing a fragmented Great Ascension soul by any chance?”
Wang Qi jumped in fright, “How could you tell?”
Li Ziye, himself, only noticed when Zhen Chanzi got scared to an inch of his shitty fragmented life when Heisenberg and the other Unfettered started ducking it out.
Su Junyu said, “It’s in your file. ‘Bears a ring containing an ancient cultivator’s fragmented soul, inheriting an ancient cultivation art.'”
Wang Qi gasped, “Is it that disclosed?”
Su Junyu was casual, “There are plenty of poor devils stumbling upon some broken ring grandpa, necklace grandma,  ancient shabby immortal item, or a girl’s toy. Yours isn’t the only one who has a crippled ancient cultivator capable of eking through the ages.”
Wang Qi was stunned, “Holly hell, just how many underdog losers are out there in the Divine Province?”
Su Junyu was used to Wang Qi’s quirky words by now, his reaction resuming to a mere odd look, “What you call heaven’s fortune is nothing more than some ancient cultivation method that has been removed not six thousand years ago. Trusting your life in their hands will ruin you.”
Wang Qi rubbed his ring, “Old man, are there many ancient super strong fragmented souls around?”
Zhen Chanzi sounded awkward, “Ahem, taking eighty thousand years of immortal path history and assuming it happened once every century, that would make it around eight hundred of them. The art I use isn’t the only one capable of having the same result. As long as there is some adequate material or decent treasure, all Nascent Soul cultivators and above can stretch their lifespan for thousands of years. But I can promise you this, there are hardly any fragmented Great Ascension souls like me around!”
Wang Qi bit back, “Old man, I’m really not used to seeing you so weak…”
Su Junyu interjected, “So it’s a Great Ascension soul! That ring’s a rare find. What a shame…”
Zhen Chanzi feared his user saw his issues and sent to Su Junyu, “What’s a shame?”
“A pity it wasn’t some girl. Hearing that soothing and melodious voice is the way to go, ha~.”
Wang Qi nodded, “Totally.”
Zhen Chanzi raged, “Don’t you dare mock me, brats!”
Su Junyu ignored his tantrum, draping his arm over Wang Qi’s shoulder like an old friend, “Brother, I got something to tell you.”
Wang Qi felt a chill all over, “What?”
“There’s this little hobby of mine that have been following for as long as I can remember, you see…”
“It won’t work between us!” Wang Qi denied on the spot, breaking away from Su Junyu and raising his guard like his life depended on it.
Su Junyu sighed, “What are you even thinking about? I was trying to say that I’m a collector of oddities. Will you sell me the ring?”
[Is it a universal law for hoarding neets to exist in any place and time?]
Wang Qi shook his head, “It’s not for sale.”
The little magic item could hardly be called such, with next to no use to Wang Qi, but the revenge for Albion Village and the saving grace of that time all fell on it.
Su Junyu was only asking, not hoping for much. He let it go and walked on with Wang Qi, arriving before the storage building.
The door was locked, but Su Junyu made a few gestures and drew some strange pattern on it with his index finger. The scarlet door flashed golden and creaked open.
Su Junyu sighed, “Due to the overcomplicated lock on Immortal Alliance’s storages, Myriad Arts Sect’s disciples watch over them, doubling as accountants while at it.”
Wang Qi asked, “Brother Su, aren’t you a Myriad Arts Sect true disciple? Why are you watching over some storage?”
Su Junyu smiled, “Brother, Myriad Arts Sect’s cultivation is far more different than the other sects’.”
As the Myriad Arts Sect specialized in math, learning it did not require much experimentation like other sects. There were few examples of disciples following their masters around. Even Lord White Marsh, known for spoiling his disciples, just checked their homework and then organized a lecture.
It led to Myriad Arts Sect’s teaching being split in two ways, seclusion—for pure mathematical study— and traveling—research from clashing with different aspects of reality. Su Junyu was part of the latter. He cultivated by grasping the White Marsh Algorithm through Cultivation the Gathering, but also through managing Immortal Alliance’s books.
“Also, it makes buy cards harder without a paying job.”
[Myriad Arts Sect is already split between pure mathematics and applied math?] Wang Qi ignored Su Junyu’s last remark.
Su Junyu gestured for Wang Qi to enter first, “Each freshman is to be supplied with basic magic items. You don’t have to pay anything, for now. The Immortal Alliance will cover some of its cost while the rest is deducted from your paying job after graduating. But don’t worry, you’ll be a late Qi Refiner at the least by that point. Paying it back will be easy.”
Wang Qi nodded. He had the extra rare, extra useless half-immortal ring on him, [But it’s utter shit!] Now he finally got his hands on some practical magic items.
Su Junyu took items off the shelves, explaining, “One standard storage bag, twelve squares, reducing weight by 95%.”
Square was the Divine Province’s unit of measure for volume, with one square being equal to 1.2 cubic meters. While the weight reduction meant, in this case, that five kilograms would be weighing but a quarter of a kilogram.
“One standard portable spirit pool of 100 stones, currently holding 5 stones.”
The spirit pool was the same thing Xiang Qi gave him yesterday. It held a maximum capacity of a hundred stones, i.e. a hundred low spirit stones. In Zhen Chanzi’s words, a hundred low spirit stones represented an early Qi Refining cultivator’s entire wealth.
“Standard issue longsword and magic attire. You’re also entitled to come back here to choose any magic item once you made up your style. The attire calms the mind, helping with cultivation like divine intervention. Furthermore, you need to wear this in classes and when training, only changing your attire outside of them…
“You also get textbooks, that I took the liberty of placing them in your bag.”
…
Wang Qi was happy as a clam with every item Su Junyu took out.