The World in Ferment, a Glorious Era, Praise God Huang!

In a modest villa in Princeton, Edward Witten was brewing himself a cup of hot coffee. His wife, Mrs. Napai, draped a coat over her shoulders and walked over. "Witten, it's already past nine in the evening. Aren't you going to rest? You're not like you were thirty or forty years ago. Staying up late will only wear you down." Witten pointed at the computer on the living room table. "Did you forget? Today is the day Huang holds his press conference. I'm very curious about what major news he intends to announce." "Oh, now I remember. Princeton has been buzzing about it for days; even on my occasional walks, I've overheard students discussing it." Mrs. Napai nodded in realization. "Still, you could easily watch it tomorrow morning. After all, it's only a single night." Witten took a sip of his coffee, walked over to the desk, and turned on the computer. "No need. My intuition tells me Huang is going to announce something unprecedented. If I don't see it with my own eyes tonight, I won't sleep a wink anyway, so I might as well watch it now." Clicking into the livestream, he remarked with emotion, "Speaking of which, it's been ages since I watched a livestream. Hmm, back in the day, I watched plenty of live television." Mrs. Napai shook her head. "I'll keep you company." With that, she sat on the sofa and put on her reading glasses. Soon, the livestream officially began. Seeing Huang Tian appear on the screen, Witten chuckled twice. "Even on camera, he's still so handsome. In the history of science, purely in terms of looks, perhaps only a young Planck could barely rival him." Mrs. Napai found his peculiar focus amusing. "Young people are always high-spirited and charming." As the two chatted and laughed, five dragons of five distinct colors suddenly leapt up on screen. Swishing their tails, they soared and frolicked in midair before swooping down into Huang Tian's hand, connecting head-to-tail like five swimming fish to form a curious ring. "This!" Witten froze instantly, and Mrs. Napai's eyes widened in shock. At the same time, the comments cascading across the livestream paused for a beat, only to refresh at breakneck speed. "What's going on? What am I looking at—dragons?!" "Magic? An internationally renowned mathematician just had five dragons fly off him?!" "As we all know, livestreams don't have visual effects, so—" "Supernatural power? No, wait, could it be holographic projection technology?" "If this is mature holographic projection, *hiss*, I can't imagine how much it'll change the world!" "—" Just as countless viewers assumed the five dragons were a holographic projection, Huang Tian spoke. "This is not an illusion." With a flick of his wrist, the curious ring landed on the floor. In an instant, the ground cracked open, and a five-colored divine tree sprouted rapidly from the earth, its leaves swaying with a soft, beautiful radiance. *Whoosh—* Abruptly, the divine tree trembled gently and dissolved into hundreds of points of light, showering down upon everyone in the hall. Seeing the cracked floor and feeling the clear, invigorating comfort brought by the specks of light falling on their bodies, all the journalists leaped to their feet in shock. "It's real!" "It's not a projection?!" The hall erupted into an uproar. "How is this possible?!" Inside the villa, Witten's eyes went wide as saucers. "Napai, am I dreaming?" Mrs. Napai covered her mouth in shock. "No, no, I think both of us are wide awake." "What is this, magic?" Witten felt his worldview violently shaken, but at the same time, this entirely new supernatural power ignited an unprecedented curiosity and thirst for exploration within him! While the two were still reeling in shock, Huang Tian's calm voice carried through the speakers. "—Does supernatural power exist in our world? I imagine many have pondered this question. Now, I can give a very definitive answer: it does. "The source of this supernatural power is what I call spiritual qi. Of course, you may also refer to it as mana or psionic energy. "It possesses two main characteristics. First, absorbing it drives human evolution, which aligns remarkably well with the genetic evolution we have long pursued, and the two can complement each other. "Second, much like dark matter as we understand it, it is invisible to the naked eye and impossible to grasp by hand. It can only be absorbed through specific methods, which we may call cultivation techniques—" In truth, Huang Tian had also pondered another question: where did spiritual qi come from? Had it always existed in the universe? If so, why had Blue Star never seen any superhumans, nor any immortal cultivation traditions? It was hardly possible that over thousands or tens of thousands of years on Blue Star, not a single person had ever stumbled upon a usable cultivation technique. At the very least, martial arts aimed at tempering blood and qi should have been discoverable through trial and error. Yet none of that had ever existed. Hence, Huang Tian suspected that spiritual qi in this universe had only just been born—and born alongside his own special ability... He even suspected that whichever world or universe he traveled to, spiritual qi would be born there. He himself was a kind of meme, "contaminating" every universal dimension. Yet thinking about it back and forth, he felt that sounded a bit fanciful, so he set the thought aside. Whatever the precise reason, he had no way of investigating it for now; he would leave it to be gradually explored in the future. Once Huang Tian finished speaking, the livestream chat refreshed at a frantic pace. "Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!" "Is the supernatural era finally here?!" "I want to cultivate immortality, boundless dharmic power!" "Jie-jie-jie, everyone, step right into my Human Sovereign Banner!" "Why is your Human Sovereign Banner billowing black smoke? (sweat)" "So God Huang has truly become a god now?!!" Inside the conference hall, Huang Tian looked around at the crowd and said, "I know everyone wants to ask where the methods required for cultivation can be acquired—" He paused, then retrieved a helmet-like object from a box on the long table. "The Dao lies right here." Cameras clicked in rapid succession, flashing non-stop at the helmet. "This is the Second World, created jointly by Dongxia and myself. You may call it the Virtual World. Within the Second World, you can acquire cultivation techniques, secret arts, and cutting-edge scientific achievements through various means—" With Blue Star's current technological level, it was naturally impossible to build a genuine virtual world. This Second World was anchored to Huang Tian's spiritual world, supplemented by numerous supercomputers and massive servers working in tandem. This world was extraordinarily lifelike; entering it was virtually indistinguishable from reality. Ordinary people could simulate cultivation and trials inside, while scholars could conduct scientific research and exploration. Subtle discrepancies between the virtual world and reality were inevitable, but that did not mean one could not pursue cutting-edge scientific research in the virtual realm. Just as much modern advanced technological research relied on supercomputers, supercomputers merely used data to simulate reality. And a virtual world forged from Huang Tian's spiritual world alongside numerous supercomputers and servers was bound to be vastly superior to standalone supercomputers. Huang Tian's immense knowledge and comprehension were right there; he was, in essence, the "server" with the highest computing power. The reason he established such a virtual world was that Huang Tian intended to gather the collective strength of all living beings for his own cultivation. Every achievement made by anyone inside the virtual world—scientific breakthroughs, innovations in immortal martial techniques and secret arts—would immediately be absorbed and assimilated by him as his own knowledge. In other words, he alone was an entire civilization! All of humanity would be laying bricks and mortar for his cultivation, while he, in turn, guided everyone who entered the virtual world along their path of cultivation—the two complementing each other. "Excuse me, Pro—Professor Huang!" Once Huang Tian concluded his introduction, a journalist hurried to ask, "By putting on this helmet, can anyone enter the Second World? Roughly how much does it cost, and what is the production capacity?" At that moment, a middle-aged man close to forty strode over to the long table. He bowed respectfully toward Huang Tian, then turned to address the journalist's questions. "The standard model of this virtual helmet is priced at five hundred yuan. The initial batch consists of five hundred thousand units, ten thousand of which will be specially gifted free of charge to top experts and scholars across various fields worldwide—" Though named a virtual helmet, it was essentially an EEG biosensor, with remarkably low production costs. "Will these virtual helmets go on sale starting today?" "Yes, starting today at twelve noon—" "Is wearing it dangerous?" "Please rest assured, it has undergone rigorous testing." Inside the villa, Witten was overjoyed. "The Second World, a Virtual World! They actually built something like that? "Then again, since even supernatural power exists, creating a virtual world isn't so surprising. I wonder if I can order one from Princeton—" *Ding-dong~* Just as the words left his mouth, a new email arrived. "An email arriving out of the blue at this hour?" Witten immediately thought of what the middle-aged man had said about "gifting ten thousand helmets to top scholars across various fields worldwide." His heart leaped. He clicked it open; it was sent by Li Nuo, Vice Dean of Jingda's School of Mathematics. *Professor Witten, I have been entrusted to inform you that you have been gifted a virtual helmet. It will soon be shipped to Princeton. Please verify your address—* Thrilled, Witten pulled out his phone, quickly searched for the earliest flight to Dongxia, booked a ticket, and immediately replied to the email: *No need to ship it, that's too slow. I will visit Jingda in person!* After sending the email, Witten paced back and forth in the living room, his heart surging with excitement. "Napai, I feel as if I've suddenly returned to when I was twenty years old—brimming with curiosity and vitality, ready at any moment to dive headfirst into a brand-new, unknown field!" Napai smiled. "With supernatural power now real, perhaps you truly can return to twenty." Witten froze for a second, then broke into a grin. "If that's possible, it would be wonderful! I've had more than enough of this brain that's grown old and rusty; I can hardly wait to regain the spark of my youth! "Life! An ordinary human's life is simply too fleeting! Over my lifetime, I've had far too many scientific hypotheses that I never had the time to verify. Now, everything is different! Everything is different!" He gesticulated animatedly. Napai was happy for him as well, but she still urged, "You booked a flight for tomorrow morning. You need to rest early tonight so you aren't exhausted." Witten reined in the joy in his chest and nodded. "Yes, yes. I need to conserve my energy to welcome tomorrow's surprises!" While Witten was beside himself with joy, the entire world was in ferment, with countless people swept up in frenzy. "The greatest era in history is about to dawn!" "Psionics, magic... do we have a chance at achieving immortality?" "If anyone manages to order a virtual helmet, I'm willing to pay a hundred thousand dollars for it!" "Only five hundred thousand helmets in the first batch? That's way too few!" "With the virtual world, those with mobility impairments can run and play freely, and the blind will be able to see the light!" "The discovery of psionics is bound to vastly accelerate technological development—psionic technology, psionic medicine! I imagine conditions considered terminal for humanity today will soon cease to be insoluble problems." "Praise God Huang!!" The following evening, a travel-worn Witten arrived at Jingda. "Professor Witten, welcome." Li Nuo smiled and stepped forward, extending a hand. "Thank you." Witten shook his hand and asked, "Is Huang at Jingda?" Li Nuo shook his head. "He isn't, and he's undoubtedly very busy right now." Witten understood, then said excitedly, "I can hardly wait to experience the wonders of the virtual world!" Li Nuo smiled. "The helmet is upstairs. Please follow me." The two walked upstairs together into a quiet office. Li Nuo retrieved a fairly simple-looking helmet from a box and handed it to Witten. "Allow me to help you put it on." It was exceptionally convenient to use, taking only moments to fit properly. Li Nuo sat on the sofa, put on a helmet of his own, and pointed to a button on the right side. "Press this to enter." Witten nodded and pressed the button. Li Nuo pressed his right after. "Beep! ID 2039 and ID 2571 successfully initialized. Designer Huang Tian wishes you a pleasant experience." The moment the synthesized voice chimed, Witten's vision went dark, and the world spun. An instant later, he found himself standing inside a brightly lit room of merely nine square meters. "It truly is a virtual world!" Curious, he reached out his right hand and pinched his left arm; there was a slight sting of pain. *Thud, thud~* With great interest, he hopped twice, and the floor produced clear thudding sounds. "Beep beep~ ID 2039, Li Nuo, has requested to add you as a friend and requests permission to enter your residence. Do you accept?" A light screen materialized out of thin air, displaying the request message. Witten clicked to accept. A second later, Li Nuo's figure materialized in the room. "Professor Witten," Li Nuo said with a smile. "Since you've just arrived, you might not know much about the virtual world yet. You can tap on your personal panel; there's a detailed guide there." Witten curiously pulled up his personal panel and found the guide: *The Virtual World consists of five major sections:* *World Plaza: A place for socializing, chatting, trading, and sightseeing.* *Hall of Science: Provides an exceptional scientific research environment.* *Martial Tower: Ascend the tower or create martial skills to earn contribution points.* *Arcane Realm: Clear trials or create cultivation techniques and secret arts to earn contribution points.* *Trial Space: Basic Tutorial Classroom (Unlocked), Yellow Turbans of the Late Han (Locked), Five Directions Great Realm (Locked).* *Note: Contribution points can be redeemed for various scientific achievements, martial arts skills, immortal cultivation techniques and secret arts, entry into trial spaces, and more. You can earn contribution points through daily logins, uploading specialized knowledge, and other methods.* After reading it, Witten remarked with emotion, "It's just like a game—turning life into a game." "Indeed," Li Nuo chuckled. "Is there anywhere you'd like to experience right now? I can show you around." "Of course. I want to visit the Hall of Science." "Then just tap directly on the Hall of Science icon." Witten reached out and tapped it. *Whoosh—* The next instant, he found himself standing in an empty void. He blinked in surprise. "This is the Hall of Science?" Li Nuo's figure materialized beside him. Seeing Witten's dazed expression, he laughed heartily. "I was just as surprised as you at first. In truth, this space is entirely configured by you. "In other words, we are the creators of this space. Whatever research environment or experimental equipment you desire, you need only issue the command, and it will manifest. "However, the more complex the environment and facilities, the more contribution points it consumes." Witten hurriedly checked the contribution points on his panel—he actually had ten thousand! "Those of us among the first batch of scholars gifted helmets each received ten thousand contribution points," Li Nuo explained. Witten nodded in realization. "I wonder what kind of research environment ten thousand contribution points can simulate. By the way, Li, have you run any experiments here before?" Li Nuo nodded. "I spent some contribution points trying to simulate geomagnetic navigation under extreme conditions, and I obtained some valuable data." Witten stroked his chin. "Geomagnetic navigation, is it... I know what to simulate! Speaking of which, I've never experienced such a thing before—" *Beep~* A deduction of 350 contribution points appeared on the personal panel. The space shifted instantly, and beneath their feet manifested a vast, boundless ocean. The two stood suspended in midair. Li Nuo asked curiously, "What experiment are you planning to run?" Witten broke into a mischievous, childlike grin. "An underwater nuclear detonation!" "Huh?!" Before Li Nuo could even process the words, the ocean roared violently. A searing fireball surged from the depths of the sea, expanding in a flash and instantly vaporizing the surrounding seawater. A gargantuan spherical dome of water, carrying millions of tons of seawater, sediment, and marine life, blasted skyward! Witten spread his arms wide, and together with a dumbfounded Li Nuo, was swallowed whole by the colossal torrent surging straight into the clouds! "So this is what it feels like to face a nuclear blast head-on—"