"I feel like I suddenly understood what I was lacking," Wang Qi said, as the Phase Waves swirling around him gradually disappeared. Lumps of snow once again smashed down upon him.
However, this time all the snowflakes automatically shifted direction several feet away from him, merely brushing past his body. Only occasionally did a few flakes strike his face.
As Wang Qi brushed away the cool touch from his face, Zhen Chan finally asked, "What have you realized?"
"I haven't lived recklessly enough."
Perhaps Wang Qi's statement was too shocking for the times, and Zhen Chan was momentarily at a loss for words. After a long time, the Mahayana Cultivator said, "If I still had a body, I'd spit right in your face—have you no shame at all?"
He had never seen a more reckless death-seeking fool! And now, this number one death-seeker thought he wasn't reckless enough?
Wang Qi waved his hand to deflect a chunk of snow flying toward his face and laughed, "Recklessness and seeking death are not the same thing."
"Before I met Li Ziye and the others, when I stayed in Dabai Village, I was a madman, not quite right in the head, living my life most recklessly, and it was then, in those moments, that I hardly felt any heartache."
"'Are madmen happy?' This topic... is this a discussion of Mysticism?" Zhen Chan asked, "You Modern Cultivators don't seem to , do you?"
Wang Qi did not explain but instead asked another question: "Old man, what do you think of 'Absolute Saint Abandoning Wisdom'?"
Absolute Saint Abandoning Wisdom, an Ancient Method concept, was a Non-Dual Method of seeking the Great Dao and deepening one's resolve. The principle was simply to forget all acquired intellectual reasonings and rely on innate instincts to uphold the Heavenly Heart and comprehend the Great Dao. For an Ancient Method Practitioner, this was actually a decent method. Ancient Methods valued Mystical Thought, and their theoretical systems incorporated too many unnecessary formalities, moving increasingly further away from the Great Dao; relying on innate instincts, in turn, align more closely with the Life Path.
Before Zhen Chan could answer, Wang Qi went on: "Until I learned of the existence of the Modern Method, astonished by that god-like path of Seeking Dao, I woke up..."
"Absolute Saint Abandoning Wisdom" is essentially a form of anti-intellectualism. This concept, widely present in Earth's religions, mysticism, and theology, entrusts the world to the unknowable, and can be considered a great enemy of science.
When Wang Qi declared his desire for the Great Dao and Longevity, he severed ties with this "malevolent thought."
It must be said that discarding intellect is of no help in pursuing the truth of the world, yet those partially mad hardly perceive pain the way ordinary people do, and therefore, they seem much more joyous than the average person.
And scientists are another kind of extreme madman.
Among Earth's scientists who made significant contributions, many harbored a pure thought in their hearts. This purity had nothing to do with morality but was a testament to their commitment to truth.
Even Laplace, lured by fame and power, risked angering the Emperor, a devout believer, saying, "Sire, my theory does not require the hypothesis of a God."
But rigidity is susceptible to breaking, and such overly pure individuals thus strayed from mortals, from the joy of ordinary people.
Einstein, sociable and joyous, also wrote in his autobiography: I am, at all events, a man who can have known the fullest satisfaction if I have been enabled to make those whom I love a little happier. But, in the face of all these ties, I have never lost a sense of distance and the need for solitude—which increases with the years.
These seeking Dao seekers enjoy the purest and greatest joys in the world, but this is mostly all the joy they have left. Scientists obsessed with their talents and stubborn beliefs, suffering from lifelong depression, falling into madness, or even committing suicide are not few.
Wang Qi sighed again and continued, "True Self as one, True Heart difficult; in this conviction, I've only fulfilled the latter. I have the 'True Heart' but not the 'True Self'."
"What is the True Heart? What is the True Self?"
Wang Qi laughed and shook his head, for the answer to this question was not to be shared with outsiders.
His "True Heart" was the joy of seeking the truth in that moment. It was the strongest belief that ran through his two lifetimes, the strongest link that held his past and present lives together. This was the one constant that would never change; he was always a scientist, a Seeking Dao Seeker.
After Su Junyu's guidance, upon realizing this, Wang Qi "awoke" and was no longer delirious.
Then, he began to feel uncomfortable.
Because he hadn't realized that he was not just a "Seeking Dao Seeker"; he was also "Wang Qi," the kid from Dabai Village in the land of Shenzhou, someone who could weep over the regrets of youth.
Earth's scientists tend to have the "I can die in the evening if I've heard the Dao in the morning" mindset. They are all willing to burn their lives with passion, shining as resplendently as summer flowers. However, the premise of "hearing the Dao in the morning" is "life has its limits, while knowledge does not"! Earth is a world where one cannot achieve longevity!
Shenzhou does not lack the phrase "hearing the Dao in the morning," but it is just an adjective. The real belief here has always been—only those who live and laugh can hear the Great Dao.
Because "Spiritual Energy" exists as a physical quantity, techniques for longevity were invented long ago—the concept even predates the Human Clan of Shenzhou!
Scholars on Earth wish they could spend even their sleeping hours studying, while Cultivators in Shenzhou are willing to waste decades of time in the Human World for Red Dust Heart Refining. This is because the latter believe—my time is still long!
Modern Cultivators emphasize the "True Self," highlighting the "joy of life" and the "pleasure of existence," stressing "Carefree."
Happy people always live more comfortably, and they also tend to survive more easily.
"Since coming here, I've forgotten who I am," said Wang Qi, exhaling a white breath, kicking aside the knee-deep snow with his foot. "I've just seen myself as a Seeking Dao Seeker, forgetting that I am 'Wang Qi'. This is the reason for my recent discomfort."
"'I am Wang Qi' is a settled fact that does not change with my temporary neglect. My every word and action are still those of my previous madness, and the one who confuses my heart is still 'Wang Qi's Heart Demon.'"
"It wasn't until Wu Fan told me the other day how others see me that I realized that in other's eyes, I am indulgent, Carefree, only I was not aware. Because my actions are habits formed over the years, not because I truly want to amuse."
"I have not 'messed around' deliberately, have not felt the recklessness of 'messing around,' and have not experienced the insolent Carefree."
Wang Qi indeed lived two lives, but in his heart, that researcher from Earth was indeed dead. He was Wang Qi, a Cultivator of Shenzhou.
In the Trial Land, he awakened the "True Heart" that spanned two lifetimes, yet he had forgotten his current life's "True Self."
Only Zhen Chan, who was particularly sensitive to Mana Power Intent, suddenly noticed something indescribable about the young man. Zhen Chan, who neither understood mathematical reasoning nor Modern Cultivation, could not describe it accurately, but he was sure that he had seen a similar Qi Intent before.
Was it Ai Changyuan, or Xi Baiche?
Was he the most promising young genius of Modern Cultivation, or a top-ranked Cultivator who had attained the Carefree state?
"Hahahaha! Who am I? An unparalleled genius! The most interesting person under heaven! That kind of struggle is truly unbecoming!"
After a long while, Zhen Chan finally sighed, "Young man, it's been some days since I've heard you laugh so freely."