Chapter 124: Too scientific

Why would the Heavenly Punishment miss its mark?

It's simple. When Li Qi was halfway there, he bent down and carved a 'substitute' on the ground using his own blood and true name. The Heavenly Punishment was, in essence, aimed at that spot.

This trick can be used to evade divination and confuse the diviner's sight and hearing. When combined with methods to conceal one's aura, it will make the enemy 'misread' the situation.

Although it might not always work, as experienced diviners certainly have their own methods of cracking it, then it just depends on who is more skilled.

However, for the Heavenly Dao of this world, which was already weak and on its last breath, this substitute was the only coordinate it could obtain. It had no methods of cracking it, and it wasn't strong enough itself.

If one were to play this trick on the Heavenly Dao of that 'world', they would most likely die a miserable death.

As for this method of substitution, it was one of the one hundred and twenty spells recorded in the book given by Teacher Zhu.

Of the spells recorded in that book, only two or three were truly great spells. Most of the others were small tricks similar to this one, which Young Master Zhu himself referred to in the book as 'tricks of thievery and deceit'.

Nevertheless, they were very useful.

This is the 'borrowing power from mountains and rivers' that Invoker is skilled in. Invoker is a profession that communicates with the natural deities of Heaven and Earth, and this communication is not just about flattery.

Sacrifice is merely a means of communication. As for the content of the communication, that varies from person to person. Invoker do not feel that they are inferior to ghosts and gods.

In most cases, there is room for negotiation. Invoker offers the sacrifices needed by ghosts and gods in exchange for their assistance, but there are still 'a few situations' where this isn't the case.

But I've strayed too far.

Returning to the topic, among the desert caravan now, apart from Bai Di and Shen Shuibi, no one else could look at Li Qi with calm eyes.

Although Shen Shuibi had somewhat disrupted the atmosphere, it was actually harmless.

Under this Heavenly might, no one could remain calm.

"You two, now you can understand that I truly have no ulterior motives towards you, right? My purpose in coming here is very simple, which is to observe the operation of the Heavenly Dao here. Besides that, I have no other intentions."

"I've already explained it to this extent. You wouldn't still think I genuinely have no way to deal with you, would you? I have treated you with courtesy and respect until now, and I hope you can also show me some respect."

"Whether you refuse or agree, you should at least give a clear answer. This current attitude is really not one that is willing to communicate."

Li Qi said with a smile to Shā'ěr and Lu Li.

Lu Li, still reeling from the previous shock, didn't know how to respond for a moment.

But he no longer dared to mock him as he had before.

Because he clearly understood that this 'Young Master' of the Celestial Immortals was like a god to them.

That this Young Master was willing to communicate and negotiate, instead of directly choosing conquest by force like other Celestial Immortals, was already their 'fortune'.

Although they didn't want this fortune.

However, the Mother Lion Shā'ěr, on the other hand, was even more composed. After witnessing everything, she took a deep breath: "Then... may I address you as Young Master?"

"Of course," Li Qi said.

Although he didn't really like the address, now was the time to maintain his prestige, so it was best not to cause any trouble.

"I, on behalf of myself, might be able to offer some assistance to the Young Master," the Mother Lion Shā'ěr said.

Her words were very cautious.

But Li Qi smiled, because that was enough.

Because, although he also cared about the Heavenly Dao's reward, or the Dao Resonance after the Heavenly Dao's degradation, compared to that, what he wanted to know more was—

Was someone really plotting against him? Was there truly someone preparing to ambush him... or was he just fighting a battle of wits with thin air?

He still needed to be careful.

Li Qi didn't have persecution paranoia; rather, he felt that ever since he had been flattered by so many people, he always had an unsettling feeling.

Having a title like a direct descendant of Shaman God Mountain without the corresponding strength, not even having entered the ranks of Shaman Dao, was not a good thing.

A tall tree catches the wind. With the title he currently held, someone would definitely be targeting him.

Just like someone would spend every day scouring the map for elite monsters.

— — — — — — — — — — —

Leaving those matters aside, although Shā'ěr and Lu Li had agreed to help or provide some information, Li Qi and the others would not delay their main business for such a minor interlude on the road.

What was the main business?

Of course, it was to observe the differences in the Heavenly Dao of this foreign land, and thereby learn and comprehend different Dao Resonance.

This was Li Qi's purpose in coming.

Compared to this, fighting a battle of wits with thin air was not as urgent for now.

Li Qi merely instructed the people from these industrial companies to collect information for him, had Bai Di spend some effort supervising them, and then eagerly awaited the process of observing the 'Heavenly Dao'.

Li Qi had been very much looking forward to it on the way, wondering what it would feel like, whether it would be as described in the books—that by simply sitting in meditation, countless wonderful sensations would naturally emerge, and then in no time, his power would greatly increase, his perception of the world would also improve many times over, and he would suddenly make great progress.

With this expectation, Li Qi first arrived at a peculiar modern city, and then without stopping, he went to the headquarters of some 'Industrial Company'.

On the way, he encountered many strange things. For example, although 'industry' existed here, the cities, due to their aesthetic preferences, mostly featured upturned eaves but were also built extremely high, looking quite peculiar.

The roads were not entirely filled with cars; there were even animal-drawn vehicles.

People also wore alternative ancient clothing, which conformed to the local aesthetic without being too bulky. Only the models printed on street advertisements or in statues could be seen wearing those particularly solemn robes.

It was a scene from another world, making Li Qi look like a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time.

However, once seen, it was enough. These sights were not the focus; the focus was still on observing the Dao Resonance.

Upon arriving at the headquarters, a crowd of people, seemingly all executives, greeted him along the way, but Li Qi merely exchanged a few greetings and left, heading to the Earth Oil Realm extraction site not far from the city.

But these people seemed flattered and then all followed Li Qi to the Earth Oil Realm extraction well.

Upon arrival, they began to take the elevator, descending directly into the ground.

Deep underground, the most wondrous aspects of the foreign Heavenly Dao could be observed.

However, when Li Qi stepped out of the elevator and arrived at the observation point, he froze.

What lay before him was not some meditation cushion or a place for contemplation.

Instead... in an underground room, the space was filled with connected copper and glass pipes, with an unknown liquid flowing through them, distilling and dripping into test tubes.

The room was filled with copper pipes and experimental apparatus, various materials, gemstones, arrays, herbs, and minerals too numerous to count. The air was permeated with a strange odor, seemingly a mixture of many different substances.

Why does this look so much like... a laboratory?

"No, Shen Guniang, what's going on here? Comprehending the Heavenly Dao... is this how it's done?" Li Qi was somewhat astonished, his expression strange.

What lay before him was a pile of equipment, blackboards, books, and... mathematical formulas.

"Ah? What else? How else do you comprehend the Heavenly Dao without these now?" Shen Shuibi, on the contrary, was more surprised than him: "Can you perceive the Dao Resonance of the Heavenly Dao on your own? Do you have Dao Resonance senses?"

Seeing Li Qi still looking puzzled, Shen Shuibi patiently began to explain. She first asked Li Qi: "Li Qi, tell me, what is Dao?"

"Dao is the law governing all things in the world..." Li Qi answered according to what was written in the book.

After speaking, Li Qi felt as if he had been enlightened, and he suddenly understood!

So that's how it is!

Seeing that Li Qi understood, Shen Shuibi was also very happy: "You see, you understand now, right? Dao is the foundation of the Universe's operation. Everything in existence relies on 'Dao' to function. So, in the beginning, when we didn't have the means to directly perceive Dao Resonance, we naturally had no choice but to use tools to observe different phenomena."

Having said this, Li Qi naturally understood Shen Shuibi's meaning, and furthermore, he gained a deeper understanding.

Indeed, he currently had no idea what the existence of "Dao" was. If he really just closed his eyes and meditated, what was the difference from sleeping? How could he perceive the differences in Dao Resonance?

Therefore, to perceive the differences in foreign Dao Resonance, he could only do so through phenomena.

By conducting experiments using the same method, based on the differences in 'Dao', two different results would be obtained in the two worlds. Although the differences would generally be extremely small, almost imperceptible, this was still a difference.

By observing this difference, one could deduce the subtle differences between the two worlds, and then compare them.

Therefore, some worlds have 'specialties', because such specialties can only be born under those specific rules.

However, there was one question.

Li Qi suddenly thought of it and then asked Shen Shuibi: "If that's the case, since the rules of different worlds are different, it means the fundamental formation of matter is also different. Wouldn't entering them lead to death?"

Imagine, if a world had no electromagnetic force, all matter would cease to exist, and Li Qi would disintegrate into a pile of atomic nuclei the moment he entered.

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuibi immediately explained to Li Qi: "Ah, you don't have to worry about that. The Universe has an eternal 'Dao' of its own. This is the Great Dao that supports countless worlds, and even the operation of the Universe itself. Even these worlds themselves depend on the true Great Dao to exist."

"So, the different Dao Resonance of each world only means there are very, very small differences, not so much that even the material basis is completely different."

"I see. Thank you for teaching me, Shen Guniang." Li Qi thanked her.

Now that he understood, it was time to diligently conduct experiments.

Moreover, when Li Qi actually started, he realized that the experiments themselves weren't truly important; they were merely a more intuitive representation, helping him to understand better.

Because... all experiments that could demonstrate the differences between the world and the Earth Oil Realm had already been conducted by predecessors. All records and data had already been completed.

Every civilization possesses a skill called 'Legacy'.

The earliest wise ones, striving with all their might, merely solved simple things like the Pythagorean theorem or proposed some incredible conjectures.

Knowledge is like this.

It's like, in Li Qi's previous world, when he was in junior high, he learned Newton's three laws of motion, the Pythagorean theorem, and two-dimensional geometry—how simple was that? How easy?

A few simple lines of text, perhaps enough to be understood by reading a book for half an hour.

But behind it, it required the most brilliant minds in the human world to spend decades, even a lifetime, exploring and summarizing to derive those simple lines of text in a book.

Knowledge is this kind of thing.

When it's not mastered, it seems unattainable, mysterious, like some special, ultimate, unparalleled super secret.

But when you truly master a certain piece of knowledge, you will find that everything is simply logical, and the principle seems so simple.

Yes, so simple, easy to grasp.

However, it requires an unimaginable amount of time, resources, and effort to achieve this simplicity.

These costs have already been fully paid by those who came before.

"These books... these data and records, this is the difference between the 'Dao' of the two worlds?" Li Qi read the documents, the things already summarized by predecessors, simply flowing into his mind.

Before coming, he had thought that comprehending Dao Resonance was such an abstruse matter.

But now, upon seeing it, some things truly are universally applicable.

Experiencing the Dao Resonance of another world... it's truly too scientific.

However, merely reading is not intuitive enough. Coming here, it's still necessary to perform experiments directly, summarize, and deduce what consequences the different Dao of the two worlds have caused, where the differences lie, and then compare them.

By finding the differences and then the similarities, and understanding these, one can naturally gain a clearer understanding of the one and only Great Dao of the entire Universe.

This is not some abstruse, ineffable thing, but clear experimental records, clear summary analyses, understandable at a glance. By learning it, one can get closer to the truth.

Li Qi read books and conducted experiments, constantly marveling in his heart.

This is the power of Legacy. Wise predecessors painstakingly carved out a little path, so that ordinary people can now walk it smoothly and easily, without having to pay the same price as the wise ones.

Just like when he now performs some spells and sacrifices, he doesn't need to understand the principles behind them, nor does he need to research how these things work. He just needs to make hand seals, chant incantations, draw Qi, and combine them with specific methods to cast them and exert power far beyond human limits.

The great ancient wise sages, with efforts unimaginable to ordinary people, and with incredible sacrifices, explored the laws of this world bit by bit, summarized the underlying 'Dao', then developed basic methods, and finally spread the Dao throughout the world.

Later generations only needed to follow the steps, and they could proceed smoothly and steadily all the way.

Such a Legacy truly established the civilization of 'the world'.