Across the void, heavenly phenomena and geography can rely on nothing but myself.
Yet, vertically through disasters past, the River Map and Luo Book have nothing to rely on, as all is void.
Sword Qi crisscrosses, wood chips flying everywhere. Only after writing down two lines did Wang Qi feel immensely relieved.
"Enjoying the benefits of a past life, yet burdened by it, this seems fair," Wang Qi leaned on his sword and sighed in his heart, "I shouldn't have entangled myself with past life affairs to begin with. I've died once; past is past... I'm not like that lunatic in the studio next door who, after dying, transmigrated to Earth and then schemed to return to fulfill a promise."
Thinking of this, Wang Qi sighed and took out two pieces of paper from his storage bag, then flicked them. The mana of Heavenly Entropy Technique instantly turned the papers to ashes.
"Did you just want to reveal this in front of those two people? What is this?"
"Consider it my last resort, gives me peace of mind," Wang Qi burnt another stack of papers in the same way.
Wang Qi sneered, "Something that now would make Chen Jingyun kneel before me."
Zhen Chan snorted with disdain, "If it's really such a marvelous thing, wouldn't you have used it? Although I'm not entirely ignorant of mathematical reasoning, according to your wager, you'd have to present the achievement of the Carefree Level for him to kneel."
"I might as well ignite a war with the entire Wanfa Sect right now," Wang Qi said with some regret, "After all, this is something that could destroy the faith of Arithmeticians and disrupt the beliefs of Wanfa Cultivators, simply bringing it up unembellished… I'd probably end up killing a Great Grandmaster on the spot and would no longer be welcome in the Immortal Alliance."
Moreover, tossing out such an obviously modern thing with no groundwork, especially under suspicion of being a Banished Immortal, do I wish for a swifter death?
The first paper Wang Qi destroyed was Godel's Incompleteness Theorem. A miraculous theory that shattered the divinity of mathematics, proving its own incompleteness.
Su Junyu had once said that the faith of Wanfa Cultivators and the teachings of their Sect stem from one line: "Do not depend on the impure six roots, direct yourself to the Great Dao only through Mathematics." Even someone as strong as the Carefree Great Cultivator, Xi Baiche, believed in the completeness and provability of Mathematics.
In other words, presenting this paper without groundwork could potentially shatter Chen Jingyun's belief.
Zhen Chan still harbored some doubt, "According to you, is this paper the achievement of the Carefree Level? But I recall, isn't every result from the Carefree Level extensive?"
Wang Qi just smiled without answering.
Godel's Incompleteness Theorem was an exceptional anomaly. The theorem, along with its proof, was inexplicably concise, to the extent that even the great mathematician Godel couldn't believe he had devised it.
The second paper Wang Qi destroyed was Alan Turing's paper "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem," a breakthrough as profound as Godel's Incompleteness Theorem.
In the Shenzhou World, calculators and Earth's computers are not strictly the same. The mathematical logic used by calculators differed from that of computers. The temporary logical system of Shenzhou, which sidesteps issues of decisiveness and completeness, was another system established by Feng Luoyi and Elder Turing. In Wang Qi's view, Shenzhou's mathematical logic wasn't superior or inferior to Earth's, but if Zheng Ruo could integrate them, a significant leap would be achieved.
"So, making Chen Jingyun kneel is only a matter of time, the only questions are when to make it happen and how spectacularly to do it," with this assurance, Wang Qi was no longer as frustrated. He continued contemplating, "If I'm going to do it, I might as well enjoy it… initially I'll try contesting with my own achievements, and keep these two as a backup for now. Hey, though I face rejection, it's certainly better than what Oppenheimer or Alan Turing went through on Earth, at most on the level of Landau being monitored by the KGB. Heh heh, and I can still say, 'I will definitely come back.'"
During the years after his transmigration, Wang Qi really let himself go, but in the process of stabilizing his mind and finding his own path, he gradually emerged from the shadows, developing a carefree nature. Now, despite being in a dilemma, he likened himself to a dashing figure, feeling incredibly bold. As he walked towards the Immortal Institute, he softly recited, "Those who abandoned me, yesterday is unretainable; those who disturb my heart, today is full of troubles. The long wind sends the wild geese of autumn a thousand miles, for this, one can enjoy from the high tower…"
"Alas, I just realized today that your literary flair is also quite impressive," Su Junyu said, surprisingly close by.
Wang Qi: "Let me finish pretending..."
Hearing Wang Qi's words, Su Junyu's mouth twitched. He glanced at the couplet behind Wang Qi and then at the late hour, saying, "Your mindset is not bad; I thought you would be depressed for a while."
"Hehe, that Chen delivered his face for me to punch, I'm still waiting to triumphantly express my feelings."
Su Junyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Don't blame the Sect Leader, the Banished Immortal, this... indeed, that's the standard procedure."
Wang Qi sneered twice: "Don't think I don't understand the law. Wu Shiqin once told me that the presumption of innocence is one of the principles of the Immortal Alliance. There's still a chance I'm not guilty."
Su Junyu's eyes lowered: "The benchmark for presumption of innocence is strong self-confidence... The Immortal Alliance is confident in suppressing the Demon Clan, so it accepts educated demons and half-demons; the Immortal Alliance is confident that Ancient Cultivators can only struggle to survive, so it accepts Intermediate Skill Cultivators who are only half Modern Cultivators. But with the Banished Immortals, we don't have much confidence."
"So it's better to wrong than to let go?"
Su Junyu nodded: "I can't deny that. Among the Banished Immortals, the weak blood sacrifice a city and then leave the continent at ease... As for the strong... do you know who have been the greatest crises and deep threats to the Modern Immortal Path in the recent millennium?"
Wang Qi's brows furrowed: "Could they all be Banished Immortals?"
"Demon Cultivators who eat humans for cultivation were exterminated tens of thousands of years ago, so what are the odds that a royal descendant happened to unearth a relic and obtained an unparalleled Demon Technique in this millennium?" Su Junyu said. "Then, a regular Ancient Method Mahayana, could possibly unite countless Ancient Cultivation Sects and contend with the Modern Law in the deep sea for countless years?"
"Emperor Hiller, Master of Heaven Splitting Dao, Holy Emperor Venerable!" Wang Qi exclaimed in shock: "These two are Banished Immortals?"
Su Junyu nodded: "The Demon Emperor died in dishonor, but his ashes were found to have issues. The Holy Emperor Venerable claims to be a Banished Immortal, and his cultivation technique doesn't fully belong to Emperor's Extreme Split Sky Dao. Its origins are unclear."
Wang Qi bitterly smiled and shook his head: "This round is not a loss."
Su Junyu sighed: "I hope this matter doesn't delay your participation in the Immortal Alliance."
Wang Qi waved his hand: "I understand the philosophy, the Modern Law is about collective wisdom and strategy, ultimately aiming for everyone's Immortal Ascension... The benefits I can gain within the Immortal Alliance far outweigh those if I were to leave."
"Let's go. After I relayed your situation to the Immortal Institute, I came out to look for you and found a few people to help search."
"The exam is just a month away, I should go back and study."
Wang Qi took a big step forward.
Su Junyu ran a hand through his hair and couldn't help asking, "By the way, there's one thing I've been thinking about for a while... Just asking, what is 'River Map and Luo Book'?"
"Uh..." Wang Qi expressionlessly waved a Sword Qi behind him, erasing the couplet: "Just a lost classic."
× Such a challenge to pretend!