Alien Science Cultivation

"I'll take you to test your spiritual roots. If you don't have any, I'll personally send you back to where you came from." The girl's voice interrupted Zhang Qiang's chaotic thoughts. Following the girl up to the second floor, a seemingly plain yet quaintly charming building, a crimson door at the end of the corridor stood like a sleeping beast, quietly awaiting awakening. The girl pushed open the door, revealing five straight crystal pillars standing side by side, about ten feet tall. The patterns on the pillars were intricate and mysterious. Zhang Qiang couldn't recognize any of them, but he felt they exuded an awe-inspiring aura.

The girl patiently introduced the function of each stone pillar to Zhang Qiang from left to right. "The first stone pillar tests your affinity for the elements, so that we can group you for targeted training in the future. The second stone pillar tests your physical strength and fitness, which is a must for the conjoined body. The third stone pillar tests your reaction speed and body speed, which is related to agility. The fourth stone pillar tests your thinking, intelligence, and perception. The fifth stone pillar tests your innate special constitution. You test them one by one, and the grades are red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue, and purple. My brother and I are of the blue grade, and we are the master's direct disciples. We have many privileges within the sect. My brother was punished by the master to guard the road because he loved drinking and got drunk and caused trouble. As long as you can reach the orange grade, I can introduce you to brothers and sisters with corresponding specialties who will teach you one-on-one. I hope you won't let me down! The master said that the fourth and fifth pillars haven't been lit for a long time, but he never mentioned the reason."

Zhang Qiang didn't respond, but stood silently before the first stone pillar. Following the instructions the girl had given him, he concentrated, relaxed his mind and body, allowing his aura to resonate with the pillar. Suddenly, he felt as if he had stepped into a completely new and bizarre world. Here, the elements—wind, fire, lightning, water, and earth—ran rampant, as if possessed of life, swearing to destroy any who dared to trespass! After a moment's pause, Zhang Qiang cautiously made his way to the center of this world, to meet the strongest element with which he had a strong affinity. However, as soon as Zhang Qiang reached the central platform, the world suddenly fell silent! The wind died, the fire died, the elements—water and earth—returned to calm, and the lightning vanished without a trace...

"It's over! No response! It seems that this trip is in vain. I disappoint the villagers, sister, Xiaohua..." Zhang Qiang hesitated for a while, and the feeling of loss and reluctance surged into his heart like a tide. He retreated out of the stone pillar gate with reluctance.

"The stone pillars haven't lit yet, this shouldn't be the case! You can drink a pot of Drunken Immortal Brew without getting drunk. Logically, gold, wood, water, fire, earth, and the private wind, thunder, ice, light, and dark elements should all have a grade of blue or higher! Big Brother has an affinity for the blue wind attribute so he can drink ten cups, but you only have one pot. What went wrong...?" The girl seemed calm on the surface, but her slightly furrowed brows and anxious tone revealed a strong sense of unwillingness! Zhang Qiang felt a pang of sadness when he heard this, and he lowered his head unconsciously, like a child who had made a mistake.

The girl seemed to realize that she had said something wrong and quickly comforted him, "You still have four chances! You must have some spiritual root, otherwise it would be impossible to explain!"

"The world of cultivating immortals is similar to the mortal world, right? Every phenomenon should be able to be explained by scientific methods, right? Could it be that they are hiding from me silently because I am ugly..." Zhang Qiang didn't want to see the girl sad and disappointed, so he had no choice but to joke. Although the girl's soul might be different, her appearance was definitely a replica of Ni Fang.

"What did you say? Hiding from you silently? Who do you think you are? Is this joke funny...?" The girl responded with a wry smile, but her smile could not hide her anxiety.

Zhang Qiang walked towards the second stone pillar helplessly and silently. He concentrated his mind, relaxed his body and mind, and entered another world. It was still the same gate, but in this world, the cries of various birds and beasts echoed one after another, as if he was in the ancient world of dinosaurs. Zhang Qiang bravely walked towards the center of the world, but was stunned again. The world suddenly became quiet again, and there was no sound for a long time! With a sigh, he had to walk out again. Looking at the girl, he said helplessly, "It's quiet again. I didn't see any beasts..."

"Go to the third stone pillar!" the girl shouted! Her voice might have contained disappointment, reluctance, or even anger...

The third world had the same gate, and this world was so eerie it was suffocating! It felt like millions of eyes were watching his every move, ready to hunt down the lambs that entered! Zhang Qiang calmed his mind and walked towards the center of this space of several dozen feet. A moment later, this space suddenly became brighter! The feeling of being watched by millions of eyes disappeared, and he could still smell faint bursts of fragrance...! But other than this, there was no other change. Ten minutes later, Zhang Qiang had no choice but to walk out of the gate again, and without saying a word, he walked into the fourth door...

Walking quickly towards this space, he found a massive stone tablet in the center, densely engraved with text. While Zhang Qiang was a university student on Earth, he hadn't attended a single day of school in this world. While he could recognize a few characters, he was still a complete illiterate. Zhang Qiang raged, "What the hell? This is... a joke, right? Is this a spiritual root test?" Filled with indignation, Zhang Qiang couldn't help but wonder... Finally, he reluctantly walked out of the main gate and into the fifth...

Walking to the center, a scene reminiscent of Earth appeared before his eyes: birdsong, flowers, mountains, and rivers. Seagulls, bees, even ants... except that the sky and the ground were strangely reversed, but Zhang Qiang was certain that those creatures and scenery were definitely Earth-like! But he still couldn't figure out how to make the stone pillars light up. Those scenery and creatures were like television screens—you could only see them, but you couldn't touch them. After some thought... he still couldn't find the answer. "It seems I'm not destined to become an immortal after all..." Zhang Qiang sighed and turned away.

The moment he came out, looking at the girl's puzzled eyes and serious expression, Zhang Qiang smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, fairy... I'm sorry..." Zhang Qiang apologized with a fist clasped.

"It seems that I can't escape the fate of being ordinary in this life! But the expectations of my fellow villagers, the hopes of my relatives..." Thinking of this, he felt a wave of resentment, discomfort, and shame... It was difficult to express his feelings at this moment in words! How could a person who refused to accept fate, carrying two consciousnesses, succumb to fate? But he was helpless...

Just as Zhang Qiang was about to turn around and leave, the girl spoke

"Tell me honestly, what did you see in that stone pillar? I can ask the department elders to arrange a good job for you. Even if you don't cultivate immortality, you will have enough food and clothing in this life..."

Zhang Qiang retracted his foot and began to think, if he couldn't cultivate immortality, what was the point of living here without worries about food and clothing? He still had parents, fellow villagers, sister... and the agreement with Xiaohua... But this girl had always taken good care of Zhang Qiang from the time they met until now, but in the end, he still chilled the girl's heart... After a moment, Zhang Qiang answered the girl's words very seriously.

“When I walked through the first door, I felt all sorts of violent elements filling the entire space. However, when I stood on the central platform, everything instantly quieted down, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

In the second space, when I first entered, all kinds of beasts were roaring, but when I stood in the center, they also quieted down.

The third space was originally a gloomy and terrifying scene with a creepy atmosphere, but after I stood in the center, it was still eerily quiet, and the smoke and miasma were swept away!

In the fourth dimension, I couldn't recognize any of the words on the stone tablet, let alone understand their meaning. Apart from those words and the stone tablet, I couldn't see anything else...

The fifth space was an inverted image! The image moved autonomously, showing various creatures, mountains, and rivers. Those creatures and scenes seemed very familiar... But I still couldn't find the source of the glowing stone pillars. I'm sorry to disappoint you, young lady... Thank you for your care along the way. I'll leave now and won't cause you any more trouble... As for the job of providing you with food and clothing, I also thank you for your kindness... But I still have family and fellow villagers... They may need me more..." After saying this, Zhang Qiang turned around, no longer hesitated, and strode towards the door...

"stop……"

Zhang Qiang had no choice but to stop and look back at the girl again.

"If you go back like this... what can you do to help your parents? What can you do to help your fellow villagers...? Take care of them in their old age... Repair their houses... Build bridges and roads for them?" The girl became more and more excited as she spoke, and her voice became louder and louder... It seemed as if she wanted to wake the boy in front of her, and there seemed to be a hint of moisture in the corners of her eyes.

"Come with me to the herb garden... learn some herbal elixir recipes... return to your village in three to five years, and you'll surely be a miracle doctor. Perhaps then will be when your parents, fellow villagers, and sister need you the most... They shouldn't need someone to take care of them now, right? They shouldn't be in urgent need of you rebuilding their houses, right? The village won't need anyone to build bridges or roads... Even if this place isn't great, it's still a paradise in the hearts of ordinary people. If you truly want to do good for them, then show your abilities and take as much as you can..."

The girl's words left Zhang Qiang feeling restless for a long time, and he was deeply moved! He was just a mortal, how could he deserve to be treated like this by a fairy?