Exploring Immortality Cultivation
Chapter 432 - 185: The Legacy of Mathematical Sect in the Middle Ages

Staring at Zhen Chan who was flicked away with a simple flick of a finger, Wang Qi was left speechless.

After all, this was the first cheat ability I had gotten as a transmigrator... Not to mention that all the Cultivation Techniques and spells I mastered were outdated—with not a hint of combat ability. And now, when I finally reached an arena that solely tested willpower, I was instantly killed...

What a waste...

Wang Qi ignored Zhen Chan and instead focused intently on the middle-aged scholar, his expression as solemn as if facing a formidable enemy.

Even if he was worthless, Zhen Chan was still a Mahayana Cultivator, a thousand-year-old monstrosity. To say that he was lacking in willpower would be a joke. However, this middle-aged scholar who forcibly entered Wang Qi's dream defeated him with just a finger.

Who is this person?

The man didn't immediately answer Wang Qi's question, but instead looked towards the theater Wang Qi constructed in his dream. "I saw your demon soul enter, and thought another had gone mad. I didn't expect you to possess such a profound method for protection... Wonderful, truly wonderful. Who would have thought that after fifty thousand years, the Immortal Dao of Shenzhou would have undergone such drastic changes."

"Fifty thousand years... That means this person was here during the Middle Ages. Hmm, not from the Demon Clan." Wang Qi scrutinized the middle-aged scholar and noticed no traces of alien ethnicity on him.

During the era of the Ancient Demon Clan a million years ago, the Human Clan had not yet evolved, and even a Transformation Demon couldn't possibly cultivate a human form.

Given his phrase "after fifty thousand years," it was clear this person had sealed himself here since the Middle Ages. Coupled with what he had heard from those Ancient Method Practitioners, how could Wang Qi still not know who the person before him was?

Wang Qi bowed respectfully. "Senior, are you the True Spirit in charge of the inheritance?"

Humans have short lives and without becoming Immortals, they certainly don't have the lifespan of eternity. Achieving the status of Immortal, they must surely ascend to Innateness. And the only thing that could remain here for fifty thousand years must be a piece of Spirit Wisdom left behind by a Great Cultivator in the past. This Spirit Wisdom cannot be called consciousness, at most, it's a complex algorithm, but because of its simplicity, it's actually more stable, capable of living longer than its master.

The middle-aged scholar nodded. "I am known by my Daoist Title, Zhi Long, a disciple of the Mathematical Sect. You must have heard of me."

A True Spirit that has separated from the original being retains all the memories of its master and possesses the same temperament. It can be considered the same person as the one who split apart.

Before Wang Qi could react, Zhen Chan exclaimed, "A Mathematician of the Mathematical Sect, 'Motionless Flying Arrow' Sage Zhi Long?"

The Mathematical Sect was not the most famous among the middle-aged philosophers, but being included among them meant that it had astounding Divine Skills.

Zhi Long's name might not be on par with the Primordial Heavenly Monarch, nor could he be compared to the Geometric God and Geometric Demon Lord, but he was one of the leaders of the Mathematicians during the Middle Ages, the representative of the Zongli Sect, known as the Master Mathematician. In the eyes of Shenzhou Cultivators, Sage Zhi Long's standing could well be compared to that of high-minded individuals like Xunzi and Liezi as seen by Earth People.

Especially since the Mathematicians of the Middle Ages had a lineage connection with the Wanfa Sect of modern times, his reputation was illustrious.

And from the name "Zhi Long" and the title "Motionless Flying Arrow," Wang Qi deduced the true identity of this person.

The otherworldly counterpart of the Ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Zeno.

Sage Zhi Long's most famous doctrine was "the sword slower than the turtle." In a race between him and a turtle, his speed was ten times that of the turtle. With the turtle ahead by a hundred meters and he chasing from behind, he could never catch up with the turtle. Because, in the race, the chaser must first reach the starter's point of the one being chased. By the time the Sword Immortal catches up to the hundred meters, the turtle would have crawled forward another ten meters, thus creating a new starting point; the Sword Immortal must continue to chase, and when he reaches the ten meters the turtle has crawled, the turtle would have already moved forward by one meter, and the Sword Immortal could only pursue that one meter. Just like that, the turtle would create an infinite number of starting points, always able to put some distance between itself and the starting point. As long as the turtle keeps pushing forward, the Sword Immortal will never catch up!

Similarly, there's the "motionless flying arrow" theory. Imagine an arrow in flight. At every instant, it is at one specific position in space. Since the instant has no duration, the arrow has no time and can only be at rest in each instant. Since the entire movement is composed of instants and each instant features only a stationary arrow, one can conclude that a flying arrow is always still; it could not move.

These two paradoxes serve to prove one thing—the world is discrete, discontinuous, and therefore discrete numbers are the essence of the world, they are the "Dao."

This is also the guiding philosophical thought of the Ancient Separation Sect.

Upon meeting the elder, Wang Qi naturally had to make polite inquiries, "So it's Senior Zhi Long, my apologies, my apologies. I am but a junior, the current True Inheritor of the Great Sect of Wanfa, a disciple of today's Separation Sect, Wang Qi."

Although today's dispute over the Great Dao between the Zongli and Separation Sects differs radically from the "number versus diagram" dispute of the Separation and Integration Sects during the Middle Ages, the discrete and numerical way of thinking of the Separation Sect and the continuous and geometrical way of thinking of the Integration Sect still stem from the same origin.

Zhi Long was somewhat surprised, "There are still Mathematical Sects today? And the Daoist inheritance dispute between the Integration and Separation Sects?"

Knowing that his teachings were still being propagated after fifty thousand years was quite an achievement.

This time, Zhen Chan did not get angry. Zhi Long had become a Heavenly Immortal tens of thousands of years ago, so losing to him was not shameful. And now was the time to secure benefits for Wang Qi; the stronger Wang Qi was, the smoother things would be for Zhen Chan in the future. The elder replied to Zhi Long, "Having inherited the Mathematical Sect's teachings, Wanfa Sect is now the world's foremost Great Sect, and the path of mathematics has become the 'sharp tool' of Cultivators seeking Dao, the foundation of the Great Dao."

"Good! Good!" Zhi Long clapped his hands in delight. He could naturally tell whether Zhen Chan was lying or not. Knowing that the Great Dao he had upheld was being widely promoted, he was very excited. Then he asked, "I was thinking that your Cultivation seems both profound and miraculous, and yet, it has a familiar taste to me—you're wielding the 'Mathematical True Ring,' are you the next Sect Leader of the Wanfa?"

Wang Qi was startled and unsure what to say. Zhen Chan spoke up first, "Times have changed, and this ring is no longer a symbol of the Sect Leader."

Zhi Long felt a sense of regret, "Is that so..."

After all, he was only a fragment of spiritual intelligence, not a real person, and could not ask overly complex questions.

After a long pause, Zhi Long said, "Mathematician Wang Qi, are you willing to accept my inheritance?"

This was his true purpose. His appearance here was only due to the attraction of Wang Qi's Mental Method of Wanfa and the Mathematical Ring.

After he finished speaking, Sage Zhi Long laughed and said, "Although you are also one of our sect's mathematicians, the test is still inevitable. Seeing you like this... the Martial Arts Examination might not be convenient, so how about a Written Test instead?"

Wang Qi asked, "What's a Written Test? What's a Martial Arts Examination? And what exactly is an inheritance?"

"A Written Test involves solving mathematical problems; in our Mathematical Sect, we have eternal problems left unsolved despite the exhaustive efforts of many Great Cultivators. As for the Martial Arts Examination, I use Essence Qi to create Illusion Beasts, so you can combat the beasts to test your martial prowess," Zeno said, "Regarding the inheritance, you will receive powerful Mana, supreme Cultivation methods, and… an Immortal Artifact."

In the eyes of Sage Zhi Long, this reward was exceedingly generous, and any Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator hearing this would probably be thrilled to madness.

Yet, after Wang Qi heard it, his face became troubled, as if he had been wronged by the heavens, "Senior Zhi Long, can I exchange for some other rewards?"

Mana Infusion... Damn, as a Modern Cultivator, the most troublesome thing in the Human World's three realms isn't a lack of Mana but accumulating too much too quickly; if you give me an infusion now, what if I can't control it and end up with a lousy Magic Foundation? Cultivation Techniques... Elder, the world progresses, you know? This ring, many things from ten thousand years ago are outdated already, let alone your fifty thousand-year-old ones? Anyway, I don't believe there's a Mathematical Cultivation Technique that could surpass the Book of Geometry and Yao Ding Calculating Scripture of Wanfa Sect; as for Immortal Artifacts... what use are they, things compatible with mathematics definitely aren't that great...

The Sage Zhi Long in front of Wang Qi was after all just an apparition, with no more reactions, he simply said, "That will depend on how you perform."

Wang Qi raised an eyebrow, "So you're saying if I perform well, I can make any request?"

Zhi Long nodded, "Indeed, although the overall value of the reward will not change. Moreover, to receive such treatment, you must at least answer all my questions correctly."

Wang Qi nodded, "Let's hear it."

"The first question is as follows: The Demon Emperor Taiyi has cows grazing in Fusang, their colors divided into four groups: black, white, brown, and yellow, further differentiated by gender..."

(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please browse to m.qidian.com to read.)