Cultivation: Being Immortal Chapter 771

Year 6605 of the Xia Calendar, Spiritual Energy Research Institute

Liang Long clutched a stack of paper files in his grasp, positioned at the doorway of a project group. His plain features radiated broad smiles, as the strolling personnel gestured and muttered about him.

Liang Long showed no sign of shame whatsoever. He simply lingered until an elegant middle-aged figure emerged, at which point his gaze sparkled with excitement.

"Teacher Gu!"

Liang Long rushed ahead to offer his greetings.

Gu Ming’an nearly spun around and departed; he was genuinely terrified of Liang Long. Five years prior, Liang Long had been summoned by the president and vice president to the central office. Back then, all were eager to discover the identity of this regular contributor to elite scholarly journals.

Yet, soon enough, Liang Long launched into his routine, which involved fearlessly posing inquiries. There was no question about Liang Long’s professional skills; he wrapped up his duties in record time. After finishing, he dove headlong into relentless studying.

He first scoured the exclusive high-security archives, devouring endless advanced scholarly resources, then plunged into discipline after discipline, consulting authorities in those domains for insights.

The scholarly environment at the Spiritual Energy Research Institute truly shines. The specialists there eagerly guide him and even urge Liang Long to switch his specialty. Liang Long cheerfully consents, but after a few months of intense study, attaining mastery and cracking some tough puzzles in their domain, he swiftly pivots his focus to fresh territories, leaving those specialists fuming with frustration.

Liang Long behaves exactly like a kid. Spotting a shiny new plaything that catches his eye, he grabs it, fiddles with it till the thrill fades, then discards it to chase the next amusement.

Nothing’s inherently amiss with such conduct, yet we’re all grown-ups. When you pull this off, how do you suppose the other field experts react? Doesn’t it feel like a direct insult? As if their domain holds zero appeal?

"Teacher Gu, hold on! I’ve got a few math puzzles I need your help with."

"Liang Long, if math’s your passion, chat with another expert. I focus on practical applications, not abstract theory. Those ancient enigmas stump me too."

Gu Ming’an replied hastily. Though a leading mathematician, his expertise lies in applied realms, not pure theory, so those thorny issues elude him as well.

"Teacher Gu…"

"My daughter’s celebrating her birthday today. I’m swamped. We’ll chat another time…"

"Teacher Gu…"

Gu Ming’an bolted off, leaving Liang Long utterly dejected, forcing him to head back to his workspace.

He’d spent five years in Jingdu City; his office served as his dwelling. After all, with his late-stage Golden Core cultivation, skipping meals or water posed no issue, and he required no everyday essentials. At worst, when fatigue set in, he’d seal the door and enter a brief meditation.

Powering up his computer, Liang Long scanned various scholarly articles. At present, he felt utterly content in this position, even utterly absorbed within it.

To him, science and cultivation both represented routes for humanity or any society to advance. He’d once ascended to the pinnacle of Void Achieving in cultivation, nearly claiming the summit of the entire system, and he’d savored that essence, rendering further pursuit dull. He paid no heed to his cultivation’s progress, which explained his stagnation at late-stage Golden Core for countless years.

Nevertheless, his passion for scholarship and inquiry knew no bounds. Be it math, biology, chemistry, physics, or beyond, an insatiable hunger for understanding burned within him.

He even pondered that amid life’s infinite paths, pushing a scientific discipline to its zenith could rival the grandest aim; every road converges at the end.

"Scholarly pursuits are endlessly fascinating! Gliding through the vast sea of wisdom, this sensation outshines all else. Power, rank, cultivation realms—they’re all so trivial!"

Liang Long reclined in his seat and murmured, reminiscing about his past self-proclaimed mastery in biology, particularly in gene manipulation and replication techniques.

Only upon entering Huaxia’s Spiritual Energy Research Institute did he grasp how inadequate his abilities truly were; this was a haven for scholars, where innovations far outstripped his wildest dreams.

The fact that gene editing and cloning lag behind his level stems purely from upper-level bans on such studies; were they permitted, breakthroughs would swiftly eclipse his achievements.

Naturally, he viewed that directive as shortsighted. If he held the reins, he’d ignore such restrictions and plunge wholeheartedly into exploration.

"Devoting millennia to emerge as the globe’s wisest soul, then aiming to dominate every field as the supreme authority."

Liang Long resolved firmly; he trusted his innate cultivation genius and sharp intellect. Ascending to Tao Achieving or even Transmigration Stage to claim worldly supremacy seemed entirely feasible.

Thus, until then, he’d pour himself into academia. His modest ambition now was to become the planet’s most erudite individual, and investing thousands of years for it was fine, given his endlessly extended existence ahead.

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"The Founder Two probe has journeyed through space for over three decades. Here are the images and footage captured by the Founder Two vessel en route. This batch is authentic, not fabricated; it even seized the instant a star met its end."

In Haigang City, Cao Ying displayed a vast array of pictures on the wide display for Lin Jiang’s viewing.

"Even the sun will age and eventually perish."

"Certain perspectives hold that the cosmos itself faces doom. The universe’s current span reaches billions of years, whereas our world’s timeline falls short of six billion years."

"Six billion years stretches out immensely."

"Indeed, yet I question if true immortality equates to such vastness. I harbor reservations."

Cao Ying noted that she could no longer gauge her own longevity. Per the established cultivation doctrines, Transmigration Stage grants fifty thousand years of life.

Still, history lacks any who’ve attained it, casting doubt on the precision. Regardless, she knew her youth persisted; a mere few millennia old, she had eons before hitting fifty thousand years.

"I suspect immortality doesn’t promise endless existence, merely an extraordinarily prolonged one—perhaps a million or ten million years—sufficient to deem it perpetual. Much like how ordinary folk view us cultivators as undying."

Lin Jiang remarked that for a regular person, particularly in the era of cultivation, life spans mere decades. Hence, a Golden Core Stage practitioner enduring under five centuries witnesses seven, eight, or countless lineages from that mortal’s line. To them, such a cultivator appears eternal.

By that logic, wouldn’t an immortal spanning a million or ten million years appear godlike to those cultivators?

"That’s the notion, but should it hold, the cultivation framework errs gravely, demanding a full overhaul of its principles. Moreover, one enigma lingers: the origins of our present cultivation system."

"Don’t look to me; I’m clueless. Scientists trace back millions of years, and this concept endures."

"And humanity’s beginnings? Did we truly descend from apes?"

"Little Ying, what’s with all these scientific curiosities today? Want me to escort you to the institute? They might enlighten you. These riddles surpass my grasp."

Lin Jiang chuckled wryly. Who could say? Even this world’s experts grapple with humanity’s roots.

Some claim ascent from single cells, gradual shifts from primates to people. Others posit creation by superior entities. Theories abound. Ultimately, none sway all; each draws its adherents.

"I’m just sharing my thoughts. When you sought to ally with Yang Luo back then, I delved into those topics afterward. Post the Holy Heavenly Sect’s fall, I acquired heaps of materials. Your ideas, even with modern tech, evoke deep chills."

"Can we skip dredging up the old days?"

"Why? Isn’t this mere idle banter?"

"Since I’m as lost on these as you; I’m winging it."

"I don’t mind, I’m idle regardless. Shall we retreat indoors and ponder life’s essence?"

"Ahem…"

"Elbow, come on in. I’ll demonstrate a grand Soviet stance."

"Pffft."

Lin Jiang sprayed his beverage. Since when had Cao Ying grown so bold? No chance, time to escape.