Lets get my thoughts straight first: I am FUCKED
Not only does the final ḅ̵̧̰͔̦̬͔͖͇̬̳̇̐̔͒̅͆͊̓̕͜͜o̴̠̽͝s̵̰̯͑̈́͛̔͋͐̈́͐͆̿̍̀͛͂͐̕̕ͅs̶͍͖̹̋̊̂̀͋͒̌̌͂͐͆͊͂̕possibly know that this world is the game.
NOT only is the capital city of Elenos more advanced than it should be.
NOT ONLY are there three more subjects to study.
NOT ONLY DOES Kael look and act like a bum.
NOT ONLY ARE THERE three more professors than before.
NOT ONLY IS THERE DIFFERENT Element-Based Lifeforms other than Carbon
NOT ONLY ARE ALL THE STUDENTS bloody geniuses at quantum mechanics.
NOT ONLY IS THE ENTIRE MAGIC SYSTEM different.
NOT ONLY IS THERE A WHOLE NEW KINGDOM.
But there is a girl who can use both mana and qi that wasn't in the original story?
Js kill me bro… How could this get any wor-
You know what? I won't even finish my sentence. At least I'll be ignorantly bliss.
My chin lifts from my palm with a start. Has time slipped its gears again? Xue'er stands before me. Thirty minutes dissolved like sugar in tea. 1,800 seconds lost to contemplation's undertow.
"Isaac?"
"Yes. Please. Have a seat."
"So... You wanted me to explain Cultivation?"
"Precisely."
"Do you have any prior knowledge or..."
"I don't."
"Okay, as explained by Archivist Orlan a few minutes ago. Mages possess this protein in their microtubule called the Tau-9 receptor. This protein is in charge of the mage's M⁰-bosons sensitivity, as said your atoms retain ~1 ppm qₘ quark from the early universe. I mean, obviously ignoring the fact that you also need the knowledge of all the science behind this to use magic."
I nod silently.
Yeah as if this wasn't groundbreaking enough. What the hell is cultivation then?
"Consider our Qi as a quantum system composed of Q⁰-fermions that obey Fermi-Dirac statistics. Due to the Pauli exclusion principle, no two Q⁰-fermions can occupy the same quantum state simultaneously within a our meridian network. The brain generates macroscopic quantum coherence in specialized neurons, allowing thoughts to influence this directly."
"I see… So, the meridians act like a lattice of 1 dimensional quantum channels where Q⁰-fermions propagate under a self-interacting Yang-Mills-like gauge field?"
"Mhm."
"And since they're fermionic, their accumulation isn't just additive—each new unit must occupy a higher energy eigenstate, explaining why breakthrough thresholds require exponential Qi compression?"
"Wow… Are you sure you haven't studied the Art of Cultivation before, Isaac?"
"I haven't."
"Then you're quite an impressive man. Yes. Precisely. The dantian—our core energy reservoir—functions as a degenerate Fermi gas under extreme cultivation pressure. At critical density, the Q⁰-fermions undergo a Mott transition, forming a Bose-Einstein condensate of 'spiritual quanta'—what we perceive as ascension. This phase change releases binding energy as tribulation lightning, per the Kibble-Zurek mechanism."
"This as well explains 'Qi deviation' being a topological defect in the fermionic wave function. Think of a meridian blockade caused by non-Abelian anyonic braiding."
"Wow… But wait. What are the ranks of cultivation and- Oh, could you quickly explain the history of the Wǔlín?"
"Yeah sure, but my vocabulary so it will take me a while to find the correct terminologies, if that's fine with you."
"Oh. No problem whatsoever. Please."
"Uhm. Would you like the equations to understand everything better?"
Equations? Aww hell nah.
"If possible then yes."
"Alright."
She slips a notebook out of her bag and begins writing down the correlated equations:
Qi Exclusion Principle: ψ̂(x)ψ̂(x') = -ψ̂(x')ψ̂(x)
Meridian Dispersion:E(k) = 2t(1 - cos(ka)) + μₚBₐσₐ
Dantian Compression Work:W = ∫ ε_F(nₚ) dnₚ from 0 to nₚ_c
Tribulation Power Output:P = (dΔE/dt) ~ τ_Q^(-(dν-1)/(νz+1))
I recognize these… The Pauli Exclusion Principle,. But how does it apply to Cultivation
"Could I have them?"
"Sure. Go Ahead."
The tearing of a page echoes in through the library. Drawing WAY too much attention
"Basically, there are 10 stages of cultivation. The first being the Physical Building stage. Usually, a Cultivator takes 20 years to breakthrough past this stage. Normally, we would take this time to "prep" the body per say. By graphene-layered myofibrils, mitochondrial overclocking via quantum tunneling in ATP synthase, and carbon-nanotube-reinforced osteons.一"
"Wait. Xue'er, I remember you said that your physical age was 17 but your mental age was what?"
"127 Years old yes."
Damn Unc.
"Wait but how? How do you slowed mental aging?"
"Oh right. If cultivators compress Qi into ultra-dense degenerate Fermi matter, near-light-speed fermions experience time dilation relative to the outside world. This warps local spacetime of general relativity, making our internal clock tick slower relative to the outside world and therefore more "chances" for quantum tunneling to happen per say."
What the fuck. Okay Miss walking black hole. Sure thing.
"Right. So basically, 1 year equals to 7.5 years in your head?"
"Yes, 1 year to 7.5 subjective years."
"Huh. Interesting, then what about the other ranks?"
"After the Physical Building stage comes the Qi Condensation stage. Usually lasting between a cultivators 20's to 40's. In this stage we will focus on actually building up the Q⁰-fermions in our meridians. Our bodies learn to siphon zero-point fluctuations—tiny quantum ripples in the fabric of spacetime—and convert them into usable energy. Coherent biophotons or what we call Qi glow are just side effects of this process. And since we're locally reversing entropy, telomeres regenerate via quantum entanglement with younger cell states."
"Right and after that should be the Foundation Building stage right?"
Recalling back to the Wu Xia stories I read.
"Exactly. The Foundation Building stage uses our form of the Bose-Einstein condensates to suppress Hawking radiation and spin our Dantian via Kerr-Newman metric manipulation. That's how we locally warp spacetime and unlock a measly form of gravity negation in the form of the Light Step.
"The Light Step?"
"It's a technique where temporary "air walking" is possible."
Y-your… You're basically creating a mini blackhole… J-just to walk on the FUCKING AIR???
…
"Ah I see. Please continue."
"This preparatory stage typically spans 40 objective years. The cultivator on the other hand experiences 300 subjective years of mental refinement where they calculate and form quantum lattice stabilization which cannot be rushed before Golden Core formation."
"If Foundation Building stage cultivators already manipulate local gravity fields, what then of those at the Golden Core stage?"
"They devote another 300 subjective years to the task of singularity compression, collapsing their core into a stable strange matter state. At completion, think of them as walking, dumbed down neutron stars.
Ne-Neutron WHAT.
Bro… I'm gonna lose my shit if this yap session keeps dragging on and I hear more outrageous shit.
"Proton decay within the strangelet core rewrites our cellular structure into self-repairing quantum lattices - the foundation of true biological immortality. This transformation is essential, a crucible through which all higher ascensions must pass. But..."
"But?"
"Beyond the Golden Core is the Nascent Soul stage—where the physical form begins to unravel into something far more profound. In deep meditation, the bodies of the ascended shift into a topologically protected quantum state, untethered from classical reality. They flicker like particles caught in a probability storm—not fully here and not gone, but suspended in the turbulent threshold between being and dissolution. Imagine the most violent storm in existence, but one that does not destroy... only transforms"
"So. You just end?"
"Yes. But the prevailing belief is that we are transcending toward a higher plane of existence. Rather than mourning their departure, we celebrate those who ascend—for they have not faded, but merged with the fabric of the universe itself."
"And thus. Would it be wrong for me to say that the final four stages are only hypothetical and theoretical?"
"Yes again. The Soul Formation, Void Refinement, Itinerant Immortal, and True Immortal stages are theoretical. Found only in fragments of ancient texts and the whispers of those who edged dissolution."
"Wow… Just wow."
"Abit too solemn? Sorry…"
"No, it's fine. It's just quite interesting. Whereas the 3 great kingdoms seek to continue heritage and inherit potential. You. In the Wǔlín seek something higher. You seek一"
"Divinity and Transdenance. Yes."
I throw my head back.
"I need time to process everything. Sorry."
"No. It's fine. It would be alot to process as well. I'm surprised by how well you're holding up without the use of references or a notebook."
"Haha. Thank you."
Truly, this world is strange. Even the fictional practice of ascending to Godhood from all the Wuxia I've read can be explained via metaphysical science and conducted by the average Wǔlín citizen…
Wait. I throw my head back forward
"Xue'er. Sorry, then what separates a mage and a cultivator? Can we mages not do the same as you? A-And also, what do you mean you can both use mana and cultivate? Can your brethren and sistren not?"
Yes. I must ask this, I vividly remember that in Kael's attributes, under Phylogenetic Root, it stated that he possessed the necessary genomes to be the pinnacle of humanity and can learn multiple sources of powers. That means. Kael could learn how to Cultivate in this world as well. And if that were the case. Could he have used that time dilation from meditation to increase his stats in such a short time?
I HAVE to know Xue'er. Please.