"…"
Wan Xiaotian was completely dumbfounded. Every cell in his brain was dumbfounded, and he uttered involuntarily, "Huh?"
"Like this. You want to capture the existence of space ripples by calculating the curvature of the light rays of a star. It's a good idea, but it can't be calculated with 'dense clouds'. If it's' discrete clouds' —"
Old Li stuffed the leather notebook into Wan Xiaotian's hand and dipped it in the mop that he used to wipe the floor. Then, he started writing on the wall fluently. Very soon, the wall was filled with formulas and algorithms that Wan Xiaotian had never seen or heard of before. But when he looked at them carefully, he was shocked and enlightened.
"Can you understand 10% of them?"
Old Li asked while he was writing.
"Not much."
Wan Xiaotian's heart was in turmoil, not only because of Old Li's mysterious algorithm, but also because of Old Li himself. His voice trembled as he asked, "Old … Old Li, how did you … You … Who … Who are you?"
"Does it matter?"
Old Li said gloomily, "For this world, I may be a returnee, or I may be a passerby. Who I am is not important. What matters is who you are and what you are pursuing. Tell me, young man, why are you studying 'hyperspace'? Is it only to realize four-dimensional space jump? What if I tell you that four-dimensional space jump is impossible in 'this world'? Will you continue to study it with your life? "
'Four-Dimensional space jump is impossible '. Many seniors in the academic world had said the same thing. Even Wan Xiaotian's mentor had said the same thing. But Wan Xiaotian had never believed it.
However, Old Li's low and deep voice contained a special magic that made Wan Xiaotian's heart waver involuntarily.
But he felt that Old Li was implying something. The 'impossible' that Old Li said was not the same as the 'impossible' that his mentor said.
"No. It's not like that. I don't just want to realize space jump. I want to know the truth. I want to know the truth about space, the universe, and the world!"
Wan Xiaotian felt an inexplicable force rising from the bottom of his heart. He clenched his fists and growled, "Searching for the existence of the True Self, verifying the essence of the world, and exploring the universe beyond the universe. Isn't this our most noble mission? Since the universe is there, of course we have to study it, conquer it, and surpass it. It's like a mountain climber trying to conquer the highest mountain in the world. 'The mountain is there' is the only reason! "
"So that's how it is. I didn't misjudge you. You are indeed a … very interesting young man. You are worthy of me passing on these algorithms and formulas to you."
With glamorous brilliance beaming out of Old Li's eyes, there was not the slightest bit of stupidity on his face. He smiled and said, "Then, what if I tell you that even if you have the correct formula and algorithm, you will only get wrong or even desperate answers in the end, will you continue?"
"What do you mean?"
Wan Xiaotian clenched the leather bag tightly. "Old Li, do you know the mystery of hyperspace, or even the truth of the universe?"
This conjecture was too absurd.
However, everything that happened to Old Li seemed to be far more than just "ridiculous".
Wan Xiaotian felt that an earth-shattering secret was slowly unraveling in front of him.
"Time is infinite, space is infinite, and there is a universe beyond the universe. No matter how much stronger I seem to be than you, we are still ignorant and insignificant in the face of the infinite universe. Therefore, how can I know the 'truth'? Even whether the 'truth' exists or not is a big question mark."
Old Li said, "We, who claim to be the wisest of all things, are like blind people running on the cliff of evolution. The only thing I can do is to do my best to run in front of you. Before I fall off the cliff, I will lead the way for you with 'stomp' hooves.
"No, I don't know the truth, but we can make some interesting or terrifying hypotheses to guess the ultimate picture of the universe. It's just a small thought game."
Wan Xiaotian listened attentively and couldn't help but ask, "You mean, you have guessed the truth of the universe, or at least half of the truth of the universe?"
"Maybe."
Old Li held the mop and murmured, "Perhaps the universe we are in does not originate from the Big Bang of ancient times. Or rather, it was produced from a controllable, premeditated, and purposeful Big Bang. It is a virtual world created by an existence of a higher dimension.
"And this existence of a higher dimension not only created this virtual world, but hundreds of virtual worlds. In fact, if there is enough computing power and energy, he can even create countless virtual worlds, forming a concept of a 'multiverse'."
"Well …"
Wan Xiaotian thought for a moment. This kind of 'high-dimensional creation theory' was not new in the academic world. Many cutting-edge theories had touched on it. He believed that what Old Li was going to say was not that simple. "Why? Why did this high-dimensional existence create so many virtual worlds?"
"For training, or rather, for his evolution, to find his true self," Old Li said.
Old Li said, "Perhaps, this high-dimensional existence has evolved to the limit in his … 'Origin Universe' and touched a barrier that is very difficult to break. He is trapped in many causes and effects and is caught in a hopeless situation where the person involved cannot see the situation clearly.
"He needs new experiences, new inspirations, and new opportunities in order to break out of the cocoon and surpass the peak.
"Therefore, he has created, or made use of, a thousand virtual worlds. He has split his consciousness into a thousand parts and sent them into the virtual worlds. It is equivalent to training a thousand clones in the Primordial World and the chaotic mortal world.
"When a thousand clones train at the same time, their training speed will be at least a hundred times higher. They will also be able to see every wrinkle and gap of their own soul clearly in the countless experiences that are both illusions and reality.
"No. Not just the intelligent lives such as you and me. He can even turn into a butterfly or an earthworm to experience experiences that he can never experience as a 'human being'. Then, he gathers all his clones and creates a brand-new true self!"
Wan Xiaotian's jaw dropped again as he listened. "Isn't — isn't this too uncanny?"
"Too uncanny? Then, let me repeat it in a way that is easier to understand. "
Old Li scratched his nose and said, "Just imagine that there is a man who is extremely bored and is not ready to meet his wife for some unimportant reason. So, he downloads a thousand virtual games and has a lot of fun, thinking that he has gained tremendous valuable experiences and new life inspirations in the games. Won't it be easier to understand if I put it that way?"
"… Yes."
Wan Xiaotian nodded.
"Then, the point is, how do you know that you are not a virtual character in the virtual games that the boring man is playing?"
Looking at Wan Xiaotian, Old Li's eyes became extremely deep. "Yes, of course, you feel that you are made of flesh and blood, and you have passionate emotions and intense thoughts. However, all of that can be simulated. As long as there is a database large enough to store all the data and run according to the most precise logic, it will be able to output almost perfect answers for all the input conditions.
"So, how do you know that you are not a virtual database? What you are thinking and feeling right now is the result of mechanical screening and conditional reflexes. How can I be sure that I am talking to a 'human being' instead of mumbling to myself in front of a virtual database?"
Old Li's eyes were half closed. He did not drink any wine, but he seemed to be drunk. He was so drunk that he was half asleep and half awake.
Wan Xiaotian had never considered the question before.
Or rather, most normal people would not consider such an absurd question. Wasn't it a groundless fear?
"Hey, young man, did an idiom flash through your mind just now? It's called 'groundless fears'?"
Old Li suddenly asked.
Wan Xiaotian was shocked. "How did you know?"
"Don't get me wrong. I can't read your mind. It's just a random guess. 'Groundless fear' seems to be the best way to describe my question just now."
Old Li moved closer with a weird smile on his face. "But don't you find one thing strange? In the history of your 'Skysea Civilization', there is no country or place called 'Qi'. How did the idiom 'groundless fear' come out of nowhere? "
Wan Xiaotian was dazed.
The question was like a lightning spell that struck his brain brutally. For a moment, he felt that every brain cell in his body was splitting apart, and infinite, glittering data was bursting out of them. He felt that he and the whole world were about to collapse at the same time!
"Ahhh!"
Wan Xiaotian held his head and rolled on the ground in pain.
It was strange that the toilet on this floor was usually very busy, and there were always people coming in to use it. But they had been here for a long time, and the outside had been quiet as if the whole world had been frozen.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel miserable or desperate. I'm not saying that you must be fake, and I'm much more real than you are," Old Li said.
"In fact, we are both in the same boat. Like you, I'm not sure whether I'm fake or real. I'm not sure whether my world and I are created by someone. I'm not sure whether what I'm thinking right now is really what I want to think.
"For most people, such philosophical questions that are close to nonsense are meaningless. They are indeed 'groundless fears'.
"Only a very small number of people can't help but ponder, think, cultivate, and give up everything that is most precious in the eyes of most people in pursuit of the illusory truth that may never be found. There is only one reason, and that's what you said. 'Where is the mountain?'
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