The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

Flying really was super convenient. The realization became more and more apparent as I made my way around the sect, soaring through the skies. It was a wonder that a cultivator ever decided to walk after they learned how to use sky stepping.

Drawing on the Chi from my environment basically allowed me limitless flight time, which is probably the defining factor for other cultivators. Not everybody had a giant source of Chi to draw from with a Divine Tree attached to their soul.

As I flew around I eventually found the place that I was looking for. I decided to repurpose one of the buildings used as a storage unit, into a new lab within the sect. There were certain projects in my mind that I wanted to develop, for which the proximity to the sect would be quite beneficial.

Now that I had access to the resources of the sect, including the herb gardens, I could finally get started on them. But before that, I needed to set up the lab. One of the main things that I wanted to work on was creating a research division here, that would invite scholars from all over the empire.

I was not nearly arrogant enough to think that I could figure out how to create, refine, and manage the entire process needed for the development of the Chi crystals. Neither was I stupid enough to dismiss the intellectual capacities of people living all over the empire.

The fact that most of them were uneducated did decrease my chances of finding such people, but geniuses are born in all periods of history. It would be foolish of me to overlook the hidden talents that currently lived within the Azure-Jade empire.

Slowly descending down to the ground, I stood in front of the building. The workers, formerly newly awakened mortals taking up work within the sect, bowed their heads to me. I nodded towards them, and stepped inside. I quickly found Qiao Ying guiding the workers as they moved around various objects and worked on setting up the place properly.

Noticing my arrival, Qiao Ying bowed his head lightly. It had taken the man some time, but he had finally grown to be a little more casual in my presence.

“How has the progress been?” I asked.

“Slow, but steady. It took us some time to make the craftsmen, and especially the blacksmiths that were asked to develop the equipment, understand the new system of measurement that you have provided us. But, I believe they have started to get used to them, and progress has been speeding up.”

I nodded. That had been one of the decisions I’ve made when I had taken over as Elder of the sect, to switch the units of measurements which had been rather haphazard and difficult to translate, to instead be the metric system.

I’d spent some time making sure that the reference points were exactly right, before writing down the entire unit of measurement for everything that would be required.

It had been fine before to use the local measurement units when we had still been making prototypes for rather simplistic designs. But as the systems and devices got complicated, the need for more precise units of measurement began to increase. And the earlier I got them started with a newer system, the smoother the process would go.

After giving some instructions to the craftsmen, we began to walk around the building, taking in the progress that had been made so far.

“I also have some questions regarding some of the math that you have shown us. Are you sure that such complex topics would be required to be taught to craftsmen? These seem like things that scholars such as I would use,” Qiao Ying asked.

“Yes, indeed,” I said. “A lot of this is still relatively simple, and once they learn it, they will be able to teach it to their apprentices, and them to theirs. Adding on to their knowledge and making it a part of their process should improve the quality of their work over generations.”

“I see, I had not considered that,” Qiao Ying said.

“It’s fine, this is not something that every single person thought up and learned within a day. Humanity’s greatest strength is that we learn from the people who come before us. We can pool our knowledge, and every new generation that comes after us will know more than we did. It takes generations, and the collective work of many brilliant minds all gathering together and slowly building up, which results in the formation of society and human civilization. The thing that the empire holds onto as its pride, and the difference between them and the so-called barbarians,” I explained to the man.

“Indeed, you are correct. And while we are on the topic of these things, I have also managed to locate some of the missing pieces — I believe the word you used was technology — that are needed for the projects that we are creating here,” Qiao Ying said.

“Oh really?” I asked, intrigued.

“Indeed. For example, one scholar had managed to figure out how to make certain mixtures of sand and seashells, among other things, to create this liquid rock sludge—the cement, I believe. He had gotten the inspiration from one of the merchants who brought it over from the western continents. But the man himself had been unable to earn any money from his discovery, as the masons and bricklayers had protested and threatened him from sharing his findings. The recipe that he had found was superior to ours, and I managed to acquire it.”

I shook my head in disappointment, reflecting on how some things never change, regardless of the world one is in.

"I hope you gave him fair compensation," I inquired, concerned about the scholar's treatment.

"I did, or I tried to. He seemed very skeptical about why a cultivator would want his recipe, since traditionally we had just used those capable of manipulating earth elements to directly form structures instead," Qiao Ying explained.

"Right, which I’m sure doesn’t cause problems due to a lack of people who have said skill," I said, my tone laced with a hint of sarcasm.

"I also managed to find a firecracker craftsman who was willing to share how he created firecracker powders. I have some scholars currently trying to work out a mixture of crushed Chi crystals and the elements of the powder, to create the kind of explosion we are looking for. The process is slow-going right now, as not enough people have the expertise or knowledge to work on something like that.”

I hummed thoughtfully as Qiao Ying continued to report on the various avenues and projects he had been overseeing, as I had requested. The man had been invaluable in managing the sect, and I truly appreciated his efforts.

Listening to Qiao Ying, I was struck by how many little things I had taken for granted in my previous life. For instance, I had no idea how sewing machines worked. It seemed like such a simple concept, but when I had discussed it with Qiao Ying, he had simply looked at me in confusion, not able to grasp how it would function, and I had been unable to explain it adequately, as my memory could only retain so many details.

There were countless other examples like this—little innovations that seemed straightforward but had laid the foundation for the grand achievements of humanity. These small yet significant advancements were things I had previously overlooked but now realized their importance in the grand scheme of progress and innovation.

After all, we didn’t immediately start creating rockets and sending them to the moon. Someone had to first figure out how to create fire, and someone else had to figure out how fire could be used to propel things. And there were a hundred other little details that went into it.

I had spent my childhood reading encyclopedias, books about animals, chemistry, biology—anything and everything that caught my eye. All of which had served me in my life here, but I still regretted not taking the time to truly understand how many of these things worked.

Qiao Ying noticed my silence. “Is there something wrong, sir?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m just wondering how nice it would have been if I could remember all the little things I had read about. Many of the innovations you are looking for right now, I’m sure I would have had answers for them.”

“Oh, in that case, why don’t you create a mental palace?” Qiao Ying asked.

“A what?” I looked at the man, confused.

“A mental palace. It's a form of inner world, but one dedicated to storing and recording information. Upon reaching the seventh realm, cultivators become capable of forming inner worlds that serve all kinds of purposes. One of them is a mental palace, a place where a cultivator can go to meditate, and it allows them to never forget anything, and to be able to recall almost everything they have ever seen or heard with perfect memory. It is a rare technique, but with your resources, it should not be too difficult to find one.”

I looked at Qiao Ying, before laughter bubbled out of me. The man was taken aback at my reaction, and I wiped tears from my eyes, a smile lingering on my face.

No matter how long I spent time here, I couldn’t help but feel one thing.

I really love magic.

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