Applied Immortality

Long Shulin got three losses in four matches.

Liu Shu got three losses in six matches.

Wu Shiqin got one loss in five matches.

Argent Apex Immortal Institute was pushed against the wall on the third day of the martial examination.

On Langde Immortal Institute’s side, most disciples scored more wins than losses, with the few at the very top relying on Hu Jianghao’s intel to target Argent Apex disciples’ weaknesses and win by a landslide.

Among them were Hu Jianghao and Ai Changyuan, both with six consecutive wins.

What got Langde disciples regretting, or more like expecting, was the match between Argent Apex’s current best, Wu Shiqin, having yet to face off with either Hu Jianghao or Ai Changyuan.

Some Argent Apex disciples couldn’t accept it. According to Wang Qi, the freshmen were nothing more than college students back home, whose value equaled diploma. They saw the school’s name to be what determined the diploma’s value. Some went as far as saying joining an Immortal Institute was honoring one’s ancestors, which meant, naturally, that the school’s reputation equaled their ancestors.

With that attitude, people looked for Wang Qi. Argent Apex disciples realized Wang Qi wasn’t around to watch.

No one bought it. The Immortal Institute’ dorm had the professional Ai Dinglan, a Gene Valley true disciple, on standby to provide medical care. She was worlds above in healing, especially compared to his fumbling.

As the third day of the martial examination came to a close, many Argent Apex disciples were on the lookout for Wang Qi.

The man in question was sitting on a rock pillar.

Jiongli’s mountainous region traversed by large rivers led to constant erosion over the eons that created some strange shapes. The odder these oddities ended up, the more people came to see them. Wang Qi picked a relatively standard stone pillar, not exactly renowned.

Nevertheless, the pillar had one thing going for it. It might be only ten meters tall, but had a wide top with a tree growing on it, making for a very relaxing place.

Wang Qi leaned on the tree as he sat down cross-legged, resting his head with closed eyes.

He forgot the passage of time, for even dust fell on his clothes along with leaves.

His body was motionless, but that didn’t apply to his soul. Under the Upper Clarity Fractal, the ego appeared from deep in the mind and rose above, unencumbered by flesh and blood, free of all.

In this magical state, the spiritual treasure acted as a multiplier between primal self and morality.

Wang Qi was tempering his soul and tidying up his mind.

Mao Zimiao was right, from a particular standpoint, Wang Qi had come to recover.

Psychology on Divine Province was quite developed. In fact, it even topped Earth’s theories about the ties between mind and soul. Alas, psychology here wasn’t friendly to newbies.

Since Transcendent’s importance to Divine Province natives trumped Newton’s on Earth, Divine Province cultivators put that much more weight on physics and math. None recognized Freud’s psychoanalysis derived through physics as part of natural sciences like on Earth. It resulted in its theory losing ground in this world. Psychoanalysis might not be seen as a natural science, but it still remained an important aspect of clinical psychology.

In short, psychiatrists, therapists, agony aunts, and so on, were scarce professions.

Wang Qi didn’t know anyone from Radiant Divinity Pavilion and couldn’t do something as basic as psychological intervention. He was left with this crude way of sorting through his thoughts and strengthen his resolve.

Zhen Chanzi was right, he had an inner demon.

Having come to realize his problems, Wang Qi took off his ring and placed it in the storage bag to get Zhen Chanzi to shut up. He couldn’t talk in his state so he left the dorm and came here to settle his mind.

For three whole days.

On the dusk of the third day, Wang Qi tapped the storage bag with a finger, taking out the ring.

“Kid, how long was it?”

The familiar and aged voice echoed in his mind.

Zhen Chanzi had been stuffed in that ring for ten thousand years. Of course, his sense of time was skewed.

“Three days.”

Zhen Chanzi sighed. “That’s long.”

“A ten thousand years neet has no right to say that to me.”

Zhen Chanzi ignored his crass. “What are your thoughts?”

“About what?”

“Inner demon.”

Wang Qi smirked. “Want me to throw you back it?”

“Go ahead.” Zhen Chanzi didn’t balk. “What’s one more year of waiting added on ten thousand already?”

“Ha-ha, maybe I’ll just seal you for another ten thousand years.”

“You won’t.” Zhen Chanzi was condifent. “You’re too lonely.”

Wang Qi smiled. “Lonely, me? Haven’t you seen the friends I hang out with?”

“Many friends and not one close friend.”

Wang Qi paused. “What do you mean close? Just what do you see my friends as? Also, you’re a relic while I’m a modern-age man. No matter how I look at it, anyone can be close pals with me, except you.”

“Su Junyu can be said to be a Fellow Daoist, a buddy with common vices. Given his advice during your heartbreak, you could even call him half a brother. Xiang Qi is a benefactor, someone you shared life and death with. Wu Shiqin and Mao Zimiao are friends you can get attached to.” Zhen Chanzi spoke.

“The way you say it, I’ve already got a bunch of friends I can entrust my life with…”

“Life and not the heart.” Zhen Chanzi added. “Boy, you have odd tastes in friends.”

The youth fell silent.

“How can I get a heart-to-heart talk?”

“New Year’s Eve is in a few days.” Zhen Chanzi said, “Try to find someone to do that together.”

The youth refused. “Not happening.”