Applied Immortality

Wang Qi had every reason to blow a gasket at the mention of Ai Dinglan or when he noticed Geng Peng.

On the day Arts Archive’s first floor opened up, Wang Qi took it upon himself to get the first pick by defeating a Foundation Establishment teaching assistant.

Coincidence or not, it just so happened that Geng Peng was on Arts Archive guard duty at that time to handle new challenge requests.

Li Ziye’s situation earned this man’s animosity. The dislike wouldn’t affect his stance, uncaring if Wang Qi got it good, while perking up when he slipped. This kind of attitude led to sending the frequent headache Wang Qi’s way.

When he fought with Wang Qi, Geng Peng would take Myriad Arts Sect’s slogan of one art to break them all to the extreme. When Wang Qi raised his hand, he would twist it hard to make the ripple miss. Wang Qi raised a leg and he tripped him as he put it down. The first challenge had Wang Qi feeling suffocated, unable to give his all. 

To make it worse, Geng Peng’s action was well within rights. He predicted Wang Qi’s action through calculations. While true, that calculations were part of a modern cultivator’s strength, there was no standard that labeled mathematical knowledge under skills and arts. 

While the first challenge had him sullen, the next one made him blowout.

After Geng Peng beat him, Wang Qi rested for a few minutes and challenged again.

Ai Dinglan was the one to answer his demand. Wang Qi felt confident in their familiarity, smiling towards her. Ai Dinglan replied in kind, improving his mood.

After the challenge, a Gene Valley Primordial Spirit teacher took Ai Dinglan back to the medical office. Wang Qi could hear the teacher’s irate voice through the pain as he lay on the ground. “Not everyone can do what you do, girl!”

Every intent to challenge died then and there, opting to learn from Su Junyu in the afternoons.

“Why should I?” Was Su Junyu’s stance.

Though Su Junyu’s math had style and didn’t refuse.

The result though…

“Why should I?” Su Junyu had been saying that for a while now as he moaned in annoyance.  

Wang Qi snapped with a lunge, sending a ripple in reply to his endless whining while also readying two waves in his hand for Su Junyu’s counter.

Su Junyu’s eyes never steered from the Cultivation the Gathering cards in his hand. He sidestepped to the left with an insufferable casualness. Wang Qi adjusted his posture in time as Su Junyu came around on his right side, bypassing the waves and kicking Wang Qi in the ribs.

Wang Qi sailed through the air. Su Junyu’s skill was so sharp, he focused all his strength on the point of contact, plunging Wang Qi into a world of pain.

But that was all it was, pain and no real harm, dispelled with a couple of cycles of spiritual power. Wang Qi stood up and barked, “Again!”

Su Junyu sighed, shooting forward two steps and dodging his waves, and placed a card on the table. “Sword art Peace and Prosperity. Wait, I wasn’t fin-“

He flashed behind Wang Qi to whack him.

Xiang Qi used her power to block the ripple from breaking the table. She gestured to Wang Qi to rest as he picked himself off the ground. “Is it me, or does it look like you guys are into some strange twisted hobby?”

“Don’t finish that thought! Your mind’s always in the gutter!” Su Junyu complained.

Xiang Qi pointed with her chin as Wang Qi was at another table solving problems. “He’s a masochist.” Then at Su Junyu. “And you’re enabling him.”

Su Junyu held a card in hand as he paused deep in thought and came up with the perfect explanation. “Is he a sore loser?”

Xiang Qi took out two cards. “A sore loser? He wants to challenge and win—defense magical art Worldly Detachment—against your Myriad Arts Sect’s Geng Peng, which is fine. But he’s even gunning for Witch Ai Dinglan?”

Su Junyu said, “I said the same. I even told him that I’d even talk with Junior Brother Geng if he felt that bad about it. Or even outright explain how to beat him. In Ai Dinglan’s case, however, I can’t think of any early Qi Refining moves that can beat the early Qi Refining her.”

Xiang Qi nodded. “I heard that when Little Ai challenged, she beat the crap out of the Foundation Establishment teaching assistant, forcing him to use mid Qi Refining cultivation to enter a stalemate…”

The two gave a collective sigh. “Monster…”

Su Junyu continued. “He has no malice, just a genius on overdrive who can’t figure out the limits of a normal person—or that’s my advice to him. There aren’t many like him. Like People’s Champion Senior Neumann or North’s Ruler Senior Landau, they don’t take many disciples.” 

Xiang Qi pouted at Wang Qi. “Aren’t you going to say something?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Su Junyu sighed. “In his words, ‘It’s like when you go to a fricking pleasure house and have the damn good fortune to pick the two most beautiful girls to sleep with, only to have someone else steal them from under your nose while you take your pants off. Who the hell would take it lying down, huh? Who?!'” 

Xiang Qi threw him a suspicious look. “Why do I sense sympathy in your words? Too much alone time in Myriad Arts Sect?”

“You’re imagining things.” Su Junyu was grim.

“So you help him? Just for that dumb reason?”

“Yeah, wait, no! This is a man’s romance. Romance!”

—

While the two were merrily chatting, Wang Qi had his eyes closed, focused on his mindscape. 

An endless and boundless sword wave filled his sight.

Wang Qi focused for a long time before finally writing down formulas. “What alame sword art…”

“Don’t learn it.” Zhen Chanzi snapped. “That’s how real sword arts are. You expect words to express such complex arts?”

“So you’re saying that building a Cartesian coordinate system, or a three- element system, is hard?”