Exploring Immortality Cultivation-Chapter 903 - 232: The End of an Era
It was late spring, in the suburbs of Leiyang City, the cuckoos were in bloom.
But at this moment, the new disciples of the Leiyang Immortal Institute had not the slightest desire for socializing.
They had just stepped into the world of the Immortal Dao, and it was time to build their foundation. In their eyes, everything was so fresh. Every word spoken by the lecturers was reshaping their worldview.
And today, they would be introduced to a new path to the heavens, something that would deeply captivate them—unless they were frightened off by their new lecturer.
"Today, is your first day in contact with mathematics."
"Perhaps you'll tell me that you've already memorized several works of mortal mathematics scriptures during your initial studies. Or, perhaps you learned geometry, elementary algebra, and the Heavenly Element Formation in an Immortal Alliance lecture. You feel that you're already clever enough. Handling the accounts of a wealthy merchant family, or even auditing a nation's finances poses no challenge to you."
"However, today I am here to tell you that, in the realm of mathematics, you have yet to truly begin!"
Wu Wenfu, a Great Grandmaster at the early stage of Void Refining, waved the teaching wand in his hand, conjuring a light screen with mana.
"Before joining the Immortal Institute, most of you have probably read the biography of Yuanli Master and are familiar with his seminal work, 'The Calculation of the Great Dao'. You might have a preliminary understanding of the three laws of elemental power, and perhaps many among you can use these formulas to calculate the principles of object motion... But, do you know the source of this reasoning?"
As Wu Wenfu swung his teaching wand, various operators appeared on the light screen, displaying principles that were either familiar or unfamiliar to the new disciples.
He was a typical disciple of the Wanfa Sect, conforming to every impression other sect cultivators had of Wanfa Sect disciples. Usually silent, solitary, and rarely smiling, he had no Daoist couple, but when discussing his area of expertise, he seemed like a different person, passionately explaining his understanding with a fervor that seemed about to set him ablaze.
"Now, watch closely!"
"This is how the three laws of elemental power came to be!"
"This method is called calculus! It is divided into differential and integration methods!"
"It originally came from the explorations of predecessors in the Wanfa Sect! The problem of calculating irregular geometric shapes and the issue of finding arbitrary tangents to arbitrary curves."
"Yuanli Master, through the search into these two problems by predecessors, discovered the principles of calculus, and then took the 'first step'!"
"Mathematics is the foundation of our quest for the Dao!"
At this moment, a new disciple timidly raised her hand. The girl seemed somewhat frightened of this passionate instructor, but the light of curiosity in her eyes forced her to raise her hand.
Seeing the young girl ask a question, Wu Wenfu's expression softened. He said, "Do you have a question?"
"I have a question... I've been wondering for a long time."
"The teacher often says 'everything' 'any'... Why are you so certain that one method can be applied so broadly?" The girl twisted her fingers, asking timidly, "When I studied mathematics on my own before, I occasionally came up with some clever methods. But the ideas I stumbled upon sometimes failed when applied to other problems... why is this..."
"Excellent! You've asked a crucial question." Wu Wenfu, almost like giving a battle command, vigorously waved his arm, sharp as a knife: "The answer to this question is at the heart of mathematics, also its allure."
"What I'm about to teach next might not be useful for most of you, and I don't expect many of you to join the Wanfa Sect, but remember what I'm going to say next, it will benefit you infinitely!"
"The reason mathematics can produce universally applicable principles is because mathematics exists alongside the Dao. It must be a self-consistent, complete system... Don't understand what completeness is? It means perfection, fulfillment! Let me give you an example..."
A class of an hour quickly passed. As if he had exhausted all his passion, Wu Wenfu took a deep breath, his momentum dissipating without a trace. He rolled up his lesson plan and quietly walked out of the classroom. As he stepped out the door, he waved to a Foundation Establishment Stage Teaching Assistant who had been listening to him in the back. A lively, lovely young girl ran over, "Junior Master Wu, your lecture was excellent."
This girl, named Ouyang Wei, was a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Red Dust Heart Refining stage, and an inner sect disciple of the Wanfa Sect.
"What was the name of that girl who asked the question just now? She's quite talented, keep an eye on her later."
"Shawn Le." Ouyang Wei's beautiful eyes sparkled, "She certainly has a lot of potential. But isn't it a bit too early for her to engage with such deeply fundamental issues? You even changed the teaching plan specifically for her..."
"True geniuses far exceed what you and I can imagine." Wu Wenfu shook his head, "Back then, Wang Qi, the true inheritor of the Wanfa Sect, was not highly regarded due to physical reasons. Who could have thought that just a year after leaving the Immortal Institute, he achieved the groundbreaking accomplishment of Wang's Completeness Law?"
"Do you think, she has that kind of talent too?" Ouyang Wei blinked, her face full of shock.
The Senior Brother named Wang Qi is a legendary genius, said to appear only once in a thousand years! 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
"Not necessarily, but there's no harm in keeping an eye on it," Wu Wenfu smiled and said, "He has already asked the most crucial question in mathematics. Why can mathematics be universally applicable? Perhaps I could privately explain to her the reasoning of Completeness—the breakthrough might be Wang's Completeness Law..."
"Nonsense!" Another voice interrupted Wu Wenfu, a voice rudely cut in, "Stop using your circular reasoning and empty talk to harm talent!"
At this moment, they had just arrived at the Quiet Room where the lecturers rest. It was another lecturer speaking. Ouyang Wei felt a headache coming on. The person who spoke was Wu Weijun, also a mathematics lecturer here, a Wanfa Sect Cultivator at the Perfection of the Primordial Spirit Stage—connected to the sect.
This Immortal Institute had only five or six Grandmaster lecturers from the Wanfa Sect. Even among these five or six people, they were divided into those connected to the sect and those separated from it. Fortunately, the others were not here; otherwise, there would be another uproar.
"Hmph, I couldn't be bothered to argue with you. I still want to check out the latest research." Wu Wenfu ignored him. They had been teaching at the same Immortal Institute for three years and had already fought countless times. He now wanted to take advantage of the noon hours to see if there were any new papers, couldn't be bothered with this guy.
"You..." Wu Weijun glared at him hatefully and then sat down.
Ouyang Wei stood quietly, waiting for instructions from the seniors. This was also part of the teaching assistant's work.
"Hmm, 'A Preliminary Discussion on Undecidable Statements and Related Systems in the Arithmetic Chapter of Volume One of <All Laws Mathematical Collection>', what's going on? Why are today's young people so impetuous? How dare they directly challenge the Master of Calculation like this? What are they thinking? Author... Wang Qi..."
Upon hearing Wang Qi's name, Ouyang Wei wanted to glance over. But then, she heard Wu Wenfu moaning, "Why... why is this happening... how could it be..."
Ouyang Wei felt startled, a kind of inner repression and fear arose spontaneously. Her body trembled, wanting to escape. An unnamed force stunned her, making her feel the surrounding air was like glue.
"Ah!" Wu Wenfu suddenly let out a scream, a torrent of blue brilliance gushed from his body, the mana riot of a Great Grandmaster in the Void Refining Period—a real mountain flood, even a tsunami was merely a powerless ripple before it. Ouyang Wei was dumbfounded, closed her eyes to await death. But at this moment, another force protected her and forcibly suppressed this terrifying mana torrent.
Wu Weijun shouted, "Wu Wenfu! What madness are you thinking?"
Wu Wenfu didn't answer, instead, he fainted directly. Wu Weijun took his calculator, fiddled with it for a while, and saw the last paper he looked at.
Then, the eyes of this sect-connected Grandmaster froze.
"Why..." He felt his voice was muffled and then realized that clots of blood were falling from his mouth to the ground.
"Why is this happening..."
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"Why is this happening!" The same roar echoed simultaneously in many places in Shenzhou.
A new paper appeared in the Immortal Alliance's paper library. For some reason, its search sequence was unusually high. As long as your search keywords involved "mathematical logic," you were bound to see it.
Then, many mathematicians read it.
Cultivators at the Golden Core Stage and below were only shocked, not injured, with no life-threatening danger. They were not yet able to comprehend the implications behind this incompleteness.
Grandmasters leaning toward the Li Sect mostly suffered considerable damage. The incompleteness fundamentally shook their beliefs. The higher the cultivation, the more serious the injury.
Even Grandmasters connected to the sect were not unharmed. Except for the most thorough connections like direct disciples of the Mathematics Lord, ordinary disciples couldn't completely ignore this theory.
The mathematics seen by the Li Sect and the mathematics seen by the connected sect were the same mathematics. The Li Sect saw mathematics as incomplete; the connected sect couldn't regard it as complete either.
Only a very few Wanfa Sect cultivators, who found this irrelevant and leaned toward practicality, escaped disaster. However, their confidence was also greatly shaken.
"This reminds me of the cries of the Elemental Power System cultivators during the ascent of All Laws Return to One," said Bai Ze God Monarch in the Wanfa Sect, expressionlessly looking at the damage report in his hand: "And when the Mysterious Path arose, didn't those in the Primordial Magnetic Dao scream miserably too?"
"It's different." Opposite him, Chen Jingyun said with a mournful tone, sighed, "During the rise of the Primordial Magnetic and Mysterious Paths, there were always victors who ascended. But this time, there are no victors, and the entire Wanfa Sect is defeated."
"There are similarities too. When Maisiwei dominated the world under All Laws Return to One, those specializing in the Heavenly Material Circulation thought natural reason was about to be fully explored. After several trials, they learned humility. Today, it's our turn to know the distance between ourselves and the Great Dao of mathematics—the road is still long!" Said the Bai Ze God Monarch, famous for his arrogance: "An era of darkness, ambiguity, and hopelessness has begun."
Chen Jingyun lamented, "The Wanfa Sect's confidence in accounting for the heavens and earth, shall never be seen again..."
