Li Yao held his breath. He did not expect that Professor Mo Xuan would be so frank as to reveal all the secrets without him asking.
Could it be that Teacher was really just and honorable, with a clear conscience, and did not play any tricks?
"Our research in the Virtual Spirits Sector is mainly about simulating the birth of life in the material world with a degree of realism close to 100%," Professor Mo Xuan said. "That is to say, we will 'create' a virtual primitive planet first. Then, we will inject all kinds of conditions bit by bit, hoping that it will gradually produce virtual archaea, trilobites, dinosaurs, apes, and eventually 'virtual intelligent life'.
"At that time, we were too naïve and hasty. We completely underestimated the difficulty of creating life and overestimated the computational ability that we could output.
"Or rather, it was useless no matter how much computational ability we output. Computational ability and soul power are not positively correlated."
"I don't understand," Li Yao said. "Please explain."
"Let me give you an example," Professor Mo Xuan said. "If you have a metal puppet that weighs one ton and is a hundred times stronger than a human being, but you want to turn it into a real human being, what will you do? Can you increase its weight and output strength? Will it be able to grow wisdom and self-will and become a real life from one ton to a hundred tons, and from a hundred times the strength to ten thousand times the strength? "
Deep in thought, Li Yao shook his head slowly.
"Of course, nobody would be stupid enough to do that, because weight and strength have nothing to do with 'consciousness'. But in fact, 'computational ability' works the same way. Crazily layering computational ability is like turning a metal puppet from one ton to a hundred tons. No life can be born; it will only lead to a collapse!
"It's a pity that we didn't understand, or rather, we were unwilling to believe, the logic at that time.
"Right when there were signs of primitive life in the Virtual Spirits Sector, the computational ability that we poured into the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' with twelve level-level crystal processors finally collapsed.
"I don't want to talk about the breakdown. After all, you must've seen it on the news. Although there were a lot of exaggerations, the result was not wrong. Elder Su was killed miserably in the Virtual Spirits Sector. My soul and Lu Qingchen's were both heavily wounded. In the end, I aborted the 'Virtual Spirits Sector Project', and Lu Qingchen simply betrayed the Federation and joined the Imperium.
"However, let me tell you a secret. I stopped the 'Virtual Spirits Sector Project' not because I gave up, but because when I was involved in the turbulence of infinite computational ability and torn apart in the swirls and storms of the Virtual Spirits Sector, I suddenly figured it out. Completely figured it out!
"Too stupid, I was too stupid, too stupid, too inflexible in the past!
"It is both impossible and unnecessary to create a virtual life in only a few hundred years, because we already have a virtual life, a perfect virtual life that would never go against human beings, and that is ourselves!"
The more Professor Mo Xuan talked, the more excited he became. In the end, he pointed at Li Yao and Ling Xiaole again!
Li Yao and Ling Xiaole were both confused.
"Wait."
Taking a deep breath, Ling Xiaole bit her finger and asked, "Professor, can we be counted as' virtual life '?"
"Why not?"
Professor Mo Xuan opened his arms, as if he were embracing the whole world. "Look at our living status right now. Is it any different from the 'virtual life' in your imagination?"
"But we have bodies!"
Ling Xiaole said in a hurry. "This is a virtual world. Our bodies are in the real world!"
"Note that this is the Spiriters' Realm, not a virtual world."
Professor Mo Xuan's tone suddenly turned stern, which was rare for him. A moment later, he lowered his voice and said, "Yes, you have bodies, but ghosts do not. Ghosts are just a very complicated, unpredictable wave that can be accommodated by a tiny chip. Therefore, do you agree that ghosts without bodies are a type of 'virtual life'?"
Li Yao and Ling Xiaole looked at each other and saw the hesitation in each other's eyes. Ling Xiaole tilted her head and thought for a long time, before she sniffed and said, "Fine. Fine. If you insist, Professor, ghosts are indeed a type of 'virtual life'. They are … Spiriters."
"There's more to it."
Professor Mo Xuan looked at the two of them thoughtfully and said solemnly, "From the perspective of the law and the public order, ghosts are members of human beings. Do you agree?"
"Of course!"
Li Yao and Ling Xiaole did not hesitate at all.
It was certain. Ever since the 'Equal Rights Act for Ghosts' of the Federation was enacted more than two hundred years ago, ghosts, or Spiriters, had enjoyed the same legal status as ordinary human beings.
Two hundred years was enough for most of the ghosts to be assimilated into normal society.
"Also, demons, no matter how bizarre their bodies are, whether they have wings, tails, claws, or horns, as long as they have the soul of a human being and consider themselves to be a member of the civilization of mankind, they are still human beings."
Professor Mo Xuan stared at Ling Xiaole. "Do you agree?"
"Of course!"
Ling Xiaole nodded her head quickly. She was a half-demon herself. How could she not agree?
Professor Mo Xuan smiled and extended three thick and long fingers. "Therefore, you can all agree that the Spiriters who do not have bodies, the demons who have bizarre-shaped bodies, and the human beings whose bodies look 'normal' but who may be able to ride a sword or punch out a force of thousands of kilograms, no matter how different their bodies are, and it does not matter whether they have bodies or not, they are all organic parts of the civilization of mankind, right?"
Li Yao pondered for a long time and considered the trap in the statement hard, but he failed to come up with a counterargument after a long time. He nodded his head slowly. "Yes."
"So, you both agree that a human being is not a body but a soul?"
Professor Mo Xuan said. "As long as the soul is a human being, the body can be changed into any shape, or even none at all. For example, Representative Lin, if you are unfortunately sacrificed in a battle to defend the civilization of mankind one day and lose your physical body, only to be reborn as a 'ghost', will you still be a human being? "
Li Yao blinked his eyes. "Of course I will be!"
"Therefore, the physical body is not important. The real appearance of 'human beings' as a life form is the 'soul'. We are a special virtual life form in the first place."
Professor Mo Xuan concluded. "The so-called body of flesh and blood is just a 'shell' that helps us arrive in the material world for our activities. It is something similar to the Crystal Suit. However, the 'flesh and blood Crystal Suit' is a piece of equipment that we are born with, like the eggshell of an oviparous animal!
"Because it is just a shell, it does not matter whether it exists or not. It does not matter what it looks like. It does not matter whether it has horns. It does not matter whether it can blow out fifty kilograms of strength or five thousand kilograms of strength. It is just a 'model', but there is no essential difference, right? Right? "
Li Yao and Ling Xiaole both opened their mouths. Professor Mo Xuan's theory was indeed absurd, but after careful consideration, they felt that it was impeccable!
If spectral Cultivators were admitted to be human beings and demons were admitted to be human beings, it would not matter what the 'body' of a human being looked like at all. What mattered was the soul!
Therefore, the body of flesh and blood was just a shell. Human beings were virtual life forms, or rather, 'spiritual life forms'!
"Do you understand my idiocy at the beginning?"
Professor Mo Xuan seemed to be both smiling and crying as he mumbled, "Human beings are a virtual life in the first place, but I turned a blind eye to such a fact and tried to create a brand-new virtual life instead of what was close at hand, which led to an irreversible accident. I was truly an idiot.
"Wrong. Wrong. My research in the past was completely wrong. With the explosive development of crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus, what we should be paying attention to is not to create brand-new virtual life forms but to make human beings take a leap on the path of evolution and enter a new form that is a complete virtual life form!"
Li Yao suddenly raised his hand.
"Representative Lin, is there a problem?" Professor Mo Xuan asked.
"Professor Mo Xuan," Li Yao said, "I wonder, can you conjure an enormous rainbow lollipop and introduce it to us while licking the lollipop?"
"Why would I do that?" Professor Mo Xuan asked.
"Because I feel that you look very much like the ambitious villains in novels, games, and movies right now," Li Yao said. "I'm quite nervous. So, I was wondering if the atmosphere would be more relaxed if you talked while licking the lollipop."
Ling Xiaole: "… Well, Professor, I agree with Representative Lin's suggestion. Your theory is indeed a bit … creepy."
"Of course!" Professor Mo Xuan said.
He snapped his fingers softly and took out a large, round, spiral rainbow lollipop from his pocket. He tore open the wrapping paper and licked it carefully while he said slowly, "If you are still nervous, what if I tell you that I've already written the theory into a monograph and submitted it to the leadership of the Federation government and the major academic institutions? Also, at this very moment, every corner of the Carefree Sector, including the conversation we are having right now, is being closely monitored by the Secret Sword Bureau. Will it make you feel better?
"I can even ask the Secret Sword Agents who are monitoring this place to join us. Maybe, Miss Ling, you can even recognize a few of your colleagues. Is that necessary?"
A middle-aged man with deep eyes, a determined face, an unsophisticated expression, and extremely wide shoulders was licking a large rainbow lollipop very seriously. This scene was really a little … indescribably strange.
However, it had indeed washed away the gloomy and crazy atmosphere from before without a trace.
Li Yao and Ling Xiaole blinked at the same time. On second thought, it did make sense. As the special envoy of the Speaker of the Star Ocean Republic, Li Yao had come to visit such a high-level secret project as the 'Tinder Plan'. It would be rather unreasonable if the Secret Sword Bureau did not keep a close eye on him.
"I know what you are thinking, but everything is not as you imagine."
Professor Mo Xuan said casually, "Representative Lin, under normal circumstances, how much time do you spend in the world of crystal processors and the cyberspace if we count it in twenty-four hours a day?"
Li Yao thought for a moment and said, "If the training in the Grand Illusionary Land is counted, about ten hours a day. After all, at my level, my computational ability and my soul are both very high. I can extend my time in the Grand Illusionary Land and use one hour as three or four hours. A lot of deduction and training work can be carried out in the virtual world."
Professor Mo Xuan nodded and asked, "What about you, Miss Ling?"
Ling Xiaole thought for a moment and said, "Not necessarily. I might spend less time on missions, but I spend almost all my time on the Spiritual Nexus during my vacation. Generally speaking, it's about ten hours a day."
"Very good. You are close to the average online time of the Federation."
Professor Mo Xuan smiled and said, "According to the latest statistics, if the time spent on different planets and starships is converted into twenty-four hours a day, the average online time spent by the people of the Federation on the Spiritual Nexus is nine hours and twenty-two minutes a day regardless of their gender. If they are in the active age range from eight to a hundred and twenty, their average online time is twelve hours and thirty-three minutes, which is exactly more than half.
"Although 'only' half of the time has passed, almost all the important things for modern people, such as work, entertainment, making friends, hailing taxis, ordering takeout, expressing opinions, self-improvement … are done on the Spiritual Nexus.
"It is safe to say that the focus of the life of modern human beings has been completely and irreversibly shifted to the Spiritual Nexus!
"I would like to ask the two of you a question. If half of your time and ninety percent of your daily activities, including work, training, eating, making friends, and even sex, have to be done through the Spiritual Nexus, are you a carbon-based life form or a virtual life form? Do your souls live in the Spiritual Nexus or the material world? Is the body of flesh and blood in the so-called 'reality' not just a 'shell' that ensures that you can surf the Spiritual Nexus normally and allows you to reproduce so that they can continue surfing the Spiritual Nexus normally?
"Is it really difficult to admit that human beings are a virtual life form and that the Spiritual Nexus is our future, our essence, and our everything?"
Biting the rainbow lollipop hard, Professor Mo Xuan asked resolutely in a booming voice.
The fifth update is complete. Roar!
Let's play a little game together. Calculate how much time you spend on the Spiritual Nexus in your own way every day and how many important things in your life are done through the Spiritual Nexus!
If it's more than fifty percent, congratulations. You are making great strides toward the evolution of a virtual life form!
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