Exploring Immortality Cultivation
Chapter 471 - 225: It's Done [Four more chapters, asking for votes]

The trio of Wang Qi, Bao Xiaoya, and Chen Youjia could be described as luxurious. Bao Xiaoya, coming from the Bo Family, was an heir to the legacy of mathematical reasoning, with family teachings deeply rooted from childhood, when solving mathematical problems was a form of play. Meanwhile, Chen Youjia was gifted beyond measure, even the Great Grandmaster Chen Jingyun felt inferior to him. Wang Qi, with his double life experience, had a background from the Earth that was far stronger than that of Shenzhou. If they had switched careers and focused solely on programming, they could have achieved a state of "thousands of lines of code, not a single bug" within a few months.

However, the volume of work this time was indeed too enormous.

The algorithms of consciousness and the calculators themselves were not fully compatible. The trio had to dissect the algorithms of consciousness, extract some parts for analysis, and try to reduce the uncertainties as much as possible, replacing them with something simpler and clearer before trying to integrate them back for a test run. If there were still problems with the running of consciousness, they would have to iteratively identify the incompatible parts.

This process cost six people half a month. If not for the astonishing calculating speed of the cultivators and their ability to work without sleep, this duration would have needed to be multiplied by more than tenfold.

After much toil over half a month, finally, a barely functional device emerged.

It was barely functional. The new system was not slow in calculations, but theoretically, since it was designed based on the Seeking Dao Jade and laid with the material of an Immortal Artifact, it should have been many times faster. Moreover, it could only respond to simple commands.

Then, Wu Chengdao remotely connected Jarvis to the Empirical Department of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, trying to let it command various mechanical devices, continually using Jarvis to calculate various problems, handle different data charts, and even attempt to construct spells and download applications. If there were any inflexibilities or inconsistencies, Shang Nancheng would insert random data sets for iterative calculations. Meanwhile, Chen Feng took the remaining four Foundation Establishment Cultivators to inspect the entire system and delete the parts with the lowest activation rate within the system.

This method was actually akin to the way humans develop self-awareness.

Newborns have about one hundred billion neurons in their brains, but initially, they are mostly isolated from each other. During childhood, these neurons continue to grow, generating numerous axons and dendrites for connections. These connections occur randomly and are not stable but provide the brain with a diversity of options. As the child thinks, useless or inefficient connections are eliminated, and the most frequently used, optimal pathways become specialized, with the transmission speed of neural signals further enhanced. "The more you use your brain, the sharper it becomes" is not an illusion; it's your brain becoming especially adept at handling specific types of problems due to exercise.

It is noteworthy that human brain cells are the only type of cells that do not differentiate from stem cells after birth. From birth, the number of brain cells continuously declines.

This means that the formation of consciousness and the reduction of brain cells occur simultaneously.

This is also a significant perspective in Earth's scientific research on artificial intelligence. Perhaps our problem is not a lack of computing power, but an excess of it? Initially setting up sufficient redundant computing nodes, allowing them to iterate and grow on their own, and then eliminating the useless or inefficient parts.

In Shenzhou, this approach had already been practically applied.

Moreover, unlike brain circuits that once formed are hard to reverse, the mathematical reasoning paths are rewritable anytime.

In a world where creating technology is far less challenging than researching theory, mimicking nature and contemplating "how can I recreate this phenomenon" is much simpler than thinking "what phenomenon will this theory cause". Due to the involvement of Spiritual Energy, many laws here appear particularly peculiar. The path of replication—comparison—summary tends to be smoother.

Although blindly pursuing black-box operations is not advisable, under circumstances where theory lags, it's inevitable to continuously try to reduce parameters and determine variables.

If the previous phase merely involved Wang Qi and his two companions sacrificing sleep for work, this phase almost drove them insane. The inserted Spirit Rhinoceros Collection and the newly generated Path Ranks were randomized. Moreover, evaluating whether a section of data was employed frequently and whether it was crucial involved statistics.

Regrettably, the study of Probability Theory in Shenzhou was relatively backward, so statistics weren't well-developed either.

On the other hand, everyone was very busy. Chen Feng and Wu Chengdao both had their own research plans and couldn't just focus on researching Acquired Will, which, although rare, was closely related to their fields, so they specifically joined in to accumulate more research. Shang Nancheng had recently achieved Core Formation and had no major engagements; he was purely there to help, but his intention was also to undertake a short-term project to make his presence felt in the academic community. Wang Qi pushed himself so hard for the Immortal Artifact—if he could solve the problem sooner, he could use Jarvis sooner! Bao Xiaoya adapted well to the role of Wang Qi's ardent fan, matching his intensity in her efforts. Chen Youjia, recently stuck on a difficult point in Probability Theory, found this calculus very closely related to her field of study, leaving her no choice but to plunge into it.

When quality isn't sufficient, quantity must compensate.

A month later, everyone looked significantly worn out, and there were two more projections in Chen Feng's study.

Facing a heap of data filled with uncertainties, Su Junyu scratched his head and said, "I really hate these kinds of uncertain problems!"

"Ha-ha, Su Junyu, you poor guy, can't handle it anymore, can you?" Bao Xiaofeng mocked his old rival mercilessly. But soon, Bao Xiaoya's scolding disrupted him, "Brother! You're not doing much better than Senior Brother Su! You haven't even finished your part! Even I'm better than you!"

"Uh... Xiaoya. You're not like this at home..."

Watching Bao Xiaofeng's defeated look, Su Junyu let out a silent yet joyful laugh. A few days earlier, he and Bao Xiaofeng had been pulled in by Wang Qi and Bao Xiaoya as strong men. Su Junyu was actually preparing for his Core Formation and had turned down all research tasks. However, earning a quick side income in less than a month and boosting his credentials was not a bad option.

He glanced again at Wang Qi beside him. The youngster had no energy left for jokes or anything else. He sat in front of the desk, head hanging low, yet stubbornly keeping his bloodshot eyes fixed on lines of code. Across from him, Chen Youjia was making the same motions, their foreheads nearly touching.

Looking at Chen Youjia and then at Bao Xiaoya, Su Junyu mentally gave Wang Qi a thumbs up: Good strategy.

Chen Youjia's head slammed down on the desk again, apparently unable to hold up any longer. At this moment, Su Junyu remembered something and whispered, "Master Chen seems to have a son who is already a Primordial Spirit Master, doesn't he? Wouldn't it be much easier to bring your elder brother over?"

Chen Youjia was startled, her sleepiness significantly diminished. She glared hostilely at Su Junyu, her lips moving as she also whispered back, "If that old man sent a lobbyist, forget it. I'm on bad terms with my family!"

Su Junyu had only meant to ask kindly but received a cold shoulder. He rubbed his nose, resigned.

Just then, Wu Chengdao suddenly shouted, "Alright, alright! It's finally done!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for it, and recommend monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)