Chapter 708: The world of external forces

Inside an advanced restaurant, it was filled with top-tier virtual reality, and by wearing the corresponding plugins, one could see the different sceneries of over a dozen worlds.

Li Qi invited Mo Long to this advanced restaurant, preparing to treat him to dinner.

Mo Long did not refuse.

However, he actually still wanted to refuse, but Li Qi told him that he would tell him what happened today during dinner.

Mo Long still couldn't suppress his curiosity and ultimately chose to accept Li Qi's invitation.

However, he wanted to return the IOU he had written for him this morning to Li Qi, but Li Qi refused, stating that this was just a small gathering between friends, and the IOU should be kept; it would be useful later, and he would regret returning it now.

Mo Long also found it hard to say anything, as he felt it was just a piece of paper and probably nothing.

After all, for Mo Long, truly effective things were those publicly notarized on devices, connected to the network; as for a blank piece of paper like this, how to put it…

Just take it as a joke.

The surrounding scenery was incredibly beautiful, and the virtual reality could even provide realistic tactile sensations, all provided by external devices on one's body. These devices could work in sync with the virtual reality, providing quite realistic sensations through vibrations and changes in temperature.

However, they were external devices after all; if they were internal, those sensations could be directly simulated at the neural level, with no difference whatsoever from reality.

But for Li Qi, a person who had witnessed infinite worlds, performed rituals next to the The Axis of All Realms of the Spirit Dao, dozed off on a Star Skiff, studied in the Great Fire, and executed missions inside the World Fountain, the magnificent sceneries he had seen were no longer comparable to these virtual realities.

He had seen the most magnificent things in this Universe, seen the Return Ruins that devoured trillions of worlds, seen the Guanghan that connected all Lunar bodies; he had even had direct communication with true Star Officials.

This was very difficult; during this process, one might even resonate with celestial phenomena. For example, when Li Qi interacted with the Star Official of the Great Fire, countless people in countless worlds would observe a guest star flying from outside the heavens, a guest star intruding upon the Great Fire.

The starry sky of all worlds, in essence, is the direct projection of the Star Officials, equivalent to the Divine Dao setting up signal lights for all heavens and myriad worlds: red light stop, green light go. Whatever celestial phenomenon appears indicates a corresponding event.

Celestial phenomena cannot predict events, because the events predicted by celestial phenomena have basically already happened; the Heavenly Gods are merely informing you.

This means that Li Qi himself was part of the 'magnificent scenery' observed by these worlds; as a part of the 'magnificent scenery,' he naturally wouldn't feel much about such small, insignificant natural landscapes.

But for Mo Long, this was different.

He looked at these worlds in amazement, murmuring, "Do these sceneries… really exist?"

"Of course they exist. These are your subordinate worlds. As a Fifth-Grade world, the Advancement Alliance naturally has tens of thousands of subordinate worlds, and these are all worlds with excellent scenery," Li Qi said casually.

"Fifth-Grade… Oh, you're talking about the external evaluation standard, right? Many people are using this standard now; they say it's very accurate, much more accurate than the standards we set ourselves. Wait, 'your subordinate worlds'?

Mo Long said, suddenly noticing Li Qi's words.

Your?

"Oh, yours." Li Qi nodded naturally, then casually said, "However, it is indeed much more accurate than your standard. After all, if you follow your standard, it's very easy to misjudge the opponent's strength. Although the Advancement Alliance hasn't fought external wars these years, there are still many confrontations. The worlds near the Illusion-Reality Domain are too dense, and conflicts are also high. It's not easy to survive."

Mo Long was sidetracked, and although he was puzzled, he didn't pay too much attention, merely following Li Qi's words: "I didn't expect you to care about politics... But it doesn't matter, most worlds can't win against us. Their Seventh-Grade combat power is very scarce; many times, they can't even form a large army. But we can mass-produce tens of millions of Seventh-Grade armies. The Advancement Alliance can establish itself in this area not by begging for pity."

"That's true. However, don't you envy them? Although their worlds don't have as much Seventh-Grade combat power as yours, nor can they rapidly deploy Seventh-Grade combat power and mass-produce Sixth-Grade, and they also retain a considerable number of Fifth-Grade strategic heavy armaments, they... can achieve longevity."

"You will develop severe psychological problems within a few hundred years, but they can live for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years without issue. Your great power comes from technology, from the various devices you create, but their great power belongs entirely to themselves and will not be lost due to equipment damage or anything else."

"In other words, all the efforts of the Advancement Alliance, all the knowledge and wisdom painstakingly developed by their predecessors, their life's pursuits, do not benefit themselves but rather benefit the civilization as a whole. They simply cannot enjoy everything they have put in. Do you think this is appropriate?" Li Qi asked Mo Long.

This was also one point that made him curious about this civilization: their wise men think and research, and their leaders do too, but ultimately, very few of them can Break Through to true Seventh-Grade.

In other words, although they can achieve physiological immortality through life-extension surgeries and various prosthetic replacements, their spirits rarely transform to the point of longevity.

According to Li Qi's own understanding, even those whose spirits have reached Seventh-Grade, through life-extension surgeries and prosthetic replacements, or even by switching their entire consciousness into devices and cyber space, very few of them can live beyond ten thousand years. They eventually die from various mental problems caused by prolonged life, or even go insane directly.

This is a civilizational tendency, and also a drawback brought about by their technological path.

Hearing Li Qi's question, Mo Long seemed somewhat puzzled, uttering an incomprehensible: "Ah?"

"I mean, don't you want to live forever?" Li Qi asked again.

This question made Mo Long frown: "If I don't want to die, I don't have to die... Technology is so advanced now, people don't die from illness or old age. As long as you want to live, you can keep living. Is there a big difference between this and eternal life?"

"Of course there's a big difference! You could live much longer, even forever, if only they shifted their energy to cultivating their Dao Heart, training their Dao Heart, then they could live forever," Li Qi clarified.

"Uh... I think I understand what you mean, but what's the point?" Mo Long replied; he didn't quite understand what Li Qi was struggling with.

But he still expressed his view: "If you want to live, then go train. Nobody's stopping you. As for not enjoying the fruits of your research... that doesn't seem right, does it? Aren't they enjoying all of this? Or do you think they should enjoy their achievements exclusively? That would be too selfish, wouldn't it?"

Li Qi responded: "Selfish? Sacrificing one's life to benefit the entire civilization, creating countless 'external forces,' and using these external forces to develop the overall strength, but ultimately leading to one's own demise. This might not be selfish, but it seems a bit foolish, doesn't it? I've seen many Geniuses in the Advancement Alliance; if they hadn't invented these external forces, perhaps they could have lived very well and lived longer. I don't think this can be considered selfish."

Mo Long looked at Li Qi with confusion. What Li Qi said didn't sound like something someone from the Advancement Alliance would say, but the other party's identity couldn't be faked, plus the way he was this morning...

Could this person be some kind of contemplative philosopher? And his family background is probably very good, never having been exposed to the real world, which is why he would say 'integrate into society.'

Thinking carefully, this possibility is very high. A rich Young Master, who received a good private education, hence his elegant and gentle demeanor when eating and speaking, not looking like a Mortal at first glance, and also an extremely rare natural person who has never worked. It's quite normal for him to have the idea of 'wanting to integrate into society.'

Upon realizing this, Mo Long temporarily set aside his doubts. He felt he had probably guessed Li Qi's true identity.

So, he began to answer Li Qi's questions. After all, he had also pondered these issues; he was a good student in school, not daring to claim full marks in every subject, but at least half of them were perfect scores.

So, he continued: "Indeed, most people are very foolish and dull; they live in a daze, and certainly need some wise people to help them. But... aren't they also a form of external force?"

"You say they only rely on external forces, but civilization itself, isn't that an external force?"

"But it is precisely such foolish masses who can pass down the wisdom of the wise. The results of a sage's lifelong research cannot be remembered by one sage alone, and even the most excellent disciple cannot inherit all of their Master's wisdom, but civilization can. Through civilization, the wise can relay their wisdom."

"Generation after generation of Legacy, generation after generation of Seniors, relying on the 'external forces' of their ancestors, become increasingly powerful. We use external forces to create tools, we use external forces to create civilization. Each of us is an external force to others, and others are an external force to us, which is why we can create a massive Seventh-Grade army."

"Relying on external forces is our way of survival. I can lend my strength to my companions, and my companions can lend their strength to me."

"Look at life as it is now; it is the result of one person after another relying on external forces. Everything you depend on, everything you enjoy, is composed of one external force after another."

"Isn't this far more powerful than those so-called 'great powers belonging to oneself'? They might have Fifth-Grade individuals, but these individuals have long since detached from civilization itself. Even if they still serve as leaders of the civilization, in essence, they have long become independent and no longer need civilization, no longer a part of it. They don't need to rely on external forces, and at the same time, they lose the help of external forces, don't they?"

Mo Long spoke eloquently, sharing his understanding of civilization.

Li Qi listened carefully to the other party's insights on this topic. He had already discussed this issue with many people today, but the answer from Mo Long, the ordinary Patrol Officer who treated him to breakfast this morning, was the most eye-opening.

He did not choose to separate the wise from ordinary people, but rather viewed everyone, all components of civilization, as one entity, considering them as the collective 'masses,' and connecting this group through 'external force.'

Thus, Legacy is a matter of course; pioneering is no longer the task of certain top Geniuses, but an effort made by civilization as a whole, even by other ordinary people.

A giant's shoulders are meant to be stood upon, not for people to repeatedly try to match.

This is still very rare. In many worlds, ordinary people can only live in a daze, die, and then be born again, serving only as a foundation to filter out potential Geniuses, almost like a 'civilization placenta' group. But here, they can still play their role.

This is also a kind of Dao, a kind of insight into social forms, and under the guidance of this Dao, the Advancement Alliance produces an endless stream of young Geniuses, because... for them, Geniuses can be mass-produced.

Yes, under this Dao, with the help of external forces, even Geniuses can be mass-produced. These Geniuses don't need to figure out new paths themselves, because they stand on the shoulders of the entire civilization. They are Geniuses simply because the time has come, not because they have anything special themselves.

It's like Newton; of course he was a Genius, but there could also have been no Newton, replaced by someone named Maton, Yangton, or Camelton, it wouldn't matter. As long as the time was right, and the overall foundation of civilization was sufficient, then such a Genius would naturally be born, no matter who he was, but there would definitely be such a person, not because this person was extraordinary, but because civilization itself had reached that point.

This made Li Qi feel somewhat intrigued.

But at this moment, he felt someone pat his shoulder.

So, Li Qi immediately came back to his senses.

"Why are you spacing out again? A quarter of a time ring has passed. Should we order?" Mo Long poked Li Qi, saying with some helplessness.

Just after he finished speaking, this rich Young Master, who was detached from society and possessed a philosophical demeanor, spaced out again, for quite a while. Considering that Li Qi was paying for this meal, he didn't disturb him.

But now, the device had reminded them that they should order, and since he had no money, he could only wake the other party and wait for him to pay.

Li Qi came back to his senses, apologized awkwardly, and then ordered a string of dishes.

After all, Li Qi was still very fond of good food, even now.

There was naturally no need to worry about money. Li Qi had taken on a few private jobs this morning, selling some of the blueprints he designed. Because their quality was far superior to the current architecture of this world, they immediately received great attention, and several large companies with foresight had already acquired them.

So, Li Qi... should now be considered a 'billionaire'.

However, he seemed to have not adjusted yet; his sense of time was still very strange.

But Li Qi already had a plan in his mind.

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