From the very beginning of his reincarnation, Wu Ming had sensed that this world, or rather the universe, was vastly different from what he had imagined.
In his estimation, since this was a world where the great being of the Creator’s Temple might exist, it should at least not be inferior to the Great Zhou World. He had expected not a place where celestial immortals were as common as dogs and golden immortals roamed the streets, but still a realm of considerable power.
However, the reality was that this was a world leaning toward the physical. Whether supernatural forces were suppressed remained unknown, but the differences in various rules made his current situation no better than his previous reincarnation into William. Initially, he was just an ordinary infant with flesh and blood, and it was extremely difficult to utilize any supernatural abilities.
“It’s not entirely impossible to use supernatural powers. The threshold of this world is still quite high. It’s just that there seems to be some conflict with the rules of the previous immortal-cultivation universe. Some modifications are needed…”
Wu Ming mused for a moment: “Cultivating martial arts with this body is nothing but a dream. Although there are also some issues with my mind, I should focus on nourishing my body for now. After turning three, I should be able to attempt spellcasting. As for martial arts? Maybe not until after I’m ten…”
He couldn’t agree with the previous world’s belief that martial arts cultivation should start from infancy, preferably even in the womb, with the concept of innate energy.
Whether it was due to the differences in cosmic rules, in this life he had felt no innate energy while in his mother’s womb. However, because the fetus was enclosed, it was indeed easier to establish internal circulation compared to the outside world.
Yet, with undeveloped tendons and bones, how could one contain the flow of internal energy?
Circulating inner energy within a mass of flesh? Wu Ming felt his courage wasn’t quite so audacious.
“For now, I can only be an infant…”
A trace of helplessness flickered in Wu Ming’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but wish this phase would pass quickly.
…
Time flew by swiftly.
The Stirling couple was greatly surprised by the talent displayed by Steven.
At one year old, he could already walk steadily and express simple words, such as “hungry,” meaning he wanted a bottle, or crying out for someone to change his diaper or clothes when uncomfortable. He was also very well-behaved when alone, never crying or fussing.
This greatly pleased Mr. James Stirling, who believed his son was a genius and even began considering advanced education for him.
Of course, this was soon interrupted by an unexpected episode.
It was Mrs. Stirling who was pregnant again.
This brought a sigh of relief to Wu Ming. At least with another child, the Stirlings’ attention wouldn’t be solely on him anymore.
Strictly speaking, this child would be their true offspring, a continuation of their bloodline.
With their inherited traits and karma, Wu Ming’s own troubles would be significantly reduced.
“Little Steven, do you want a little brother or a sister?”
Mrs. Stirling, now wearing loose maternity clothes, sat beside Wu Ming, gently patting her belly with a tender smile on her face.
“A brother? A sister?!”
Wu Ming feigned curiosity, leaning closer to Mrs. Stirling while secretly attempting to sense with a thread of spiritual perception.
Unfortunately, due to the differences in the world, even this simple trick was extremely difficult for him to perform now. Still, he vaguely sensed two life forms.
“I want both!”
Little Steven declared, secretly thinking, “It seems like they’re twins.”
“So greedy!”
Mrs. Stirling smiled, ruffling Wu Ming’s hair, her eyes filled with anticipation.
“Hungry!”
After a brief attempt, Wu Ming immediately felt a bit mentally exhausted and cried out.
“Hungry again? Steven, you’re such a glutton. You’ll definitely grow up to be a strong and healthy young man!”
Mrs. Stirling said helplessly.
Although this child was very well-behaved and obedient, requiring little care, there was one issue—he ate an awful lot. His appetite was almost twice that of an average child, which initially worried the couple, fearing he might have some illness. They only felt reassured after consulting a pediatrician.
“Eating a lot is a good thing. It means I’m growing and developing rapidly…”
Holding his bottle, Wu Ming drank heartily, thinking to himself.
“Just a small attempt, but it eventually brought benefits, letting me know how different this world is from my previous life. Although both seem to be in the steam age, the people here have much stronger constitutions. I originally thought I’d have to wait until I was three for my brain development to meet the requirements for spiritual cultivation, but now it seems I can start around one year old… Does this mean this world’s physicality is highly compatible with supernatural powers?”
Wu Ming’s mind stirred, realizing that this world was probably more complex than it appeared on the surface.
Late at night.
After chatting for a while, the Stirling couple fell into a deep sleep.
In the infant crib, Wu Ming suddenly opened his eyes.
“The basic conditions for Taoist cultivation have finally been met… No! In this universe, most Taoist techniques need modification. At this point, only the most basic spiritual cultivation is possible, and… it’s still difficult to detect the outside world, usable only internally?”
Thinking about how much energy he had consumed today just from trying to peek into Mrs. Stirling, Wu Ming’s face darkened.
“Taoist cultivation mainly involves visualization and focusing the mind—cultivating consciousness and spiritual power. Once one’s spiritual power is strong enough, one can sense the outside world and transform qi into spirit. Now, I must proceed cautiously and steadily. After all, taking a wrong step isn’t something to be taken lightly. For now, nurturing my body should be the priority…”
Wu Ming was currently at the Golden Immortal level, having traveled through many worlds. His consciousness contained countless divine techniques and secret methods. With his high-level perspective, he could analyze these techniques from their most fundamental aspects, gaining profound insights as a Golden Immortal.
“This is also a form of cultivation. Above the Golden Immortal is the Great Luo Realm. The Golden Immortal is bound to a specific world’s level, while the Great Luo Realm is a universal level.”
The Great Luo Realm is acknowledged across all times and spaces, all universes. Once attained, it lasts forever, surpassing the Golden Immortal by an immeasurable degree.
In his native world, a Golden Immortal could dominate, but upon leaving it and entering this universe, his power significantly diminished. And in conflicting alien universes? Wu Ming’s current state was the perfect example.
But the Great Luo Golden Immortals were different!
Once this level was attained, regardless of which world or universe one entered, one would possess peak strength without any reduction.
If Wu Ming had already attained the Great Luo Realm, even if he came to this universe, he would still have the power of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, and wouldn’t have to be so constrained from the start.
“Level-eight Great Luo Golden Immortal, a universal level applicable to all universes, must involve the utilization of rules…”
Wu Ming pondered thoughtfully: “Even if two universes have many conflicting rules, there’s still a tiny portion that overlaps. That’s the key area of research!”
“Isn’t there a part of the rules that is universally applicable, not only in the Immortal-Cultivation universe and the Western Fantasy universe, but in any universe?”
“During my travels through many universes, continuously refining my understanding of the rules, extracting the essence while discarding the dross, eventually leaving only the most fundamental and purest form of rule power. Perhaps this is the way to cultivate the Great Luo Realm?”
When one reaches the level of Celestial Immortal, progress becomes nearly impossible. Even Golden Immortals depend on luck for advancement.
Even Wu Ming had only managed to roughly define the nine levels of reincarnators based on information and materials from the Main Temple.
However, he still felt somewhat lost regarding the path of cultivation beyond the Golden Immortal.
But now, he had a vague sense of a clue.
“Level-eight Great Luo’s path probably requires traveling through numerous universes, continuously integrating oneself, like true gold refined a hundred times, removing all impurities and leaving only the purest essence of the Dao’s rules, finally condensing them into a unified whole to attain enlightenment…”
A fiery gleam shone in Wu Ming’s small eyes: “Each universe traversal is a rare opportunity for cultivation for me.”
“Now, I’ll start with this steam-powered world, integrating what I’ve learned, eliminating the dross, organizing my previous knowledge, creating techniques applicable in this world, using it as a rehearsal while also undergoing cultivation.”
The path of Great Luo lies in embracing diverse teachings while eliminating the unnecessary.
Wu Ming had now begun walking down this path.
“The Taoist techniques I’ve learned…”
His expression slightly dazed, countless secret techniques surfaced in his consciousness.
From the most basic “Huang Ting Yin Fu Jing” to the “Five Thunder Palm Method,” then the “Xuan Shui Zhen Fa,” the Five Elements supernatural abilities, and numerous divine techniques, along with countless minor tricks and secret skills, numbering in the tens of thousands, almost overwhelming in their variety.
“The first thing to do is to integrate all Taoist techniques, eliminating parts that conflict with the rules of this universe, then organizing the non-conflicting parts…”
Wu Ming merely estimated the scale of this project and immediately felt a bit dizzy.
“It’s too vast…”
Undertaking this plan, even with his current perspective, knowledge, and computational ability, felt overwhelming.
“Perhaps… I should design a computer for myself, like the Main Temple’s simulation core, with semi-intelligence, mechanically providing me with computational support…”
Wu Ming quickly dismissed this fanciful idea: “Even in my previous life, such auxiliary intelligence was merely a sci-fi concept. Now it’s even more impossible. Could I use Taoist techniques to create an artificial intelligence similar to a ‘Tower Spirit’? If my magical abilities could achieve that, there probably wouldn’t be many things in this world to fear anymore…”
He sighed and immediately put this tempting thought aside: “Anyway, great achievements start from small beginnings. I should begin with the most fundamental simulations. Fortunately, I still have plenty of time… Unfortunately, I can’t get much support from my original self. Otherwise, using the Main Temple would greatly accelerate this progress…”
The quiet moonlight filtered through the window, casting a silvery glow over the infant.
If someone happened to be nearby, they might notice the moonlight seemed slightly hazy, but upon closer inspection, it vanished, as if it were just an illusion…
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