There's something wrong with me

Chapter 243: The 'Past and Future' Project

‘This old fellow… when did he… become a True Human?’

He heard the sounds of kneeling all around, and the continuous stream of worshipping people.

The Great Thief was shocked, then fell into a daze beside Zhang Feng.

He clearly remembered that a year ago in the small courtyard, Zhang Feng was, at most, at the Foundation Establishment stage; he was a proper Foundation Establishment cultivator!

However, Zhang Feng first ignored the Great Thief's surprise. Instead, as his vital energy diffused, he intentionally transformed the visible vital energy into an invisible substance, lifting the more than a thousand people on the street from the ground.

“We thank you, True Human…”

Facing such miraculous spellcasting from a True Human, everyone was surprised, but more so, they offered thanks by cupping their hands and bowing after standing up.

Except for the four cultivators.

They were still kneeling.

And although they could feel some gazes directed at them, and even felt that their former 'Shangren' title was completely lost.

But when faced with a life-or-death choice, even if they harbored feelings of shame and anger.

They ultimately remained motionless in their pleading posture.

At the same time.

Zhang Feng also looked at them, but his voice carried far.

“Let me ask you something: who among you knows the whereabouts of the Xuan Yun Sect?”

“Xuan Yun Sect?” Many commoners had heard of this sect, knowing it was the 'Third Immortal Sect' within their dynasty.

There was also a Nascent Soul True Human presiding over it.

This was all the information they knew.

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Feng knew it was useless to ask the commoners.

The cultivation world here truly maintained effective secrecy.

However, Wu Shangren, also from the cultivation world, knew some things and cautiously looked up to ask Zhang Feng:

“Senior… although I don’t know where the Xuan Yun Sect is… I do know that every ten years, a Xuan Yun Sect cultivator comes to this city to seek out fated individuals… and bring them into the Xuan Yun Sect…

It’s still eight years and seven months until the next recruitment…”

As he spoke, his voice vibrated in a strange way using his Spiritual Sense, ensuring that the more than a thousand commoners around could not hear any information about the Xuan Yun Sect.

This way, the information was effectively protected.

This was also to prevent him from gaining another enemy after 'pleasing' this True Human.

After all, the Xuan Yun Sect was a proper 'reclusive cultivation' sect, and their recruitment was casual, looking for the ordinary mindset of normal people.

But if the news leaked, it was highly likely that many people would deliberately disguise themselves at the time of recruitment.

Or, the main city's flow of visitors would be overflowing.

All of these things would affect normal recruitment.

Moreover, the cultivation world also had its own rules; one could not easily reveal the recruitment matters of other sects.

However, they would also inform each other of the time and place of recruitment to avoid several sects recruiting in the same city simultaneously, and then fighting over a particularly excellent talent.

However, Wu Shangren and the other three were also very curious, feeling that something was a bit off about Zhang Feng.

Because under normal circumstances, such a high-level True Human should have connections with other fellow True Humans.

Even if this True Human was from another dynasty, he would have his own network of connections.

After all, asking this True Human, then asking that True Human, one would quickly find out.

A Nascent Soul True Human, with a lifespan of nearly a thousand years, has a very wide network.

At the very least, it would absolutely not be their turn, as juniors, to be asked.

‘Could this person… be a cultivator who has been in seclusion for hundreds of years…? Have all his old friends already departed?’

‘This old scoundrel has some issues… he doesn’t seem like a person of this era…’

‘Could he be an unworldly reclusive cultivator?’

‘A Nascent Soul cultivator looking so old, he probably doesn't have much time left and wants to seek medicine from the Xuan Yun Sect…’

The four immediately saw that Zhang Feng had many problems, but they dared not ask.

However, they did not know that besides their guess that Zhang Feng had 'just entered the cultivation world' being correct, all other assumptions about his age were merely arbitrary.

And although they were thinking wildly while begging for mercy, they also spoke of matters concerning other sects.

As Zhang Feng listened, he also realized that in this world, sects with Nascent Soul cultivators were basically 'reclusive' and free-spirited.

It seemed they had all understood the method that to achieve Nascent Soul, one must first 'cultivate the heart and cultivate the soul'.

Although the specifics might differ from his own, not necessarily being that 'high-dimensional composite'.

But they all concluded that many people understood the role of cultivating the heart.

This was a good thing, proving that their 'heart cultivation data' from thousands of years was particularly abundant.

Even within some major sects, True Human data from thousands of years ago would be preserved.

Of course, in the cultivation world, such data is more often referred to as 'insights of predecessors, handwritten notes of predecessors, experiences of predecessors', and so on.

If he could obtain and collect all of these, it would be a grand collection concerning the heart and soul.

Although it might not necessarily elevate his realm further, it would definitely provide a more solid foundation for 'correcting what is wrong and striving for improvement where there is nothing wrong'.

And even if there was nothing.

Zhang Feng could still use these insights to achieve a certain cross-temporal association, to look at cultivators from thousands of years ago.

A grand collection and organization of knowledge.

That's how it slowly accumulates, bit by bit.

Similarly, Zhang Feng also knew that the meaning and treasure of this growth world should be some completion regarding 'heart and soul'.

It was also a kind of hard requirement for him to at least step into the Golden Core stage, or at the extreme, choose that cultivation sequence option and enter the lowest and most basic Nascent Soul within the 'sequence task'.

‘According to past logic, such a textual description of the task is already a forced “reminder” that my realm needs to catch up.’

Zhang Feng pondered, completely ignoring the four kneeling figures in front of him, but he waved his spiritual energy, allowing the commoners and soldiers who dared not leave to depart.

As for these four, he would deal with them later.

This was not Zhang Feng putting on airs, but rather he suddenly realized that the task logic within the text had changed.

The 'progress logic' in this task was far more important than these four individuals.

But at the beginning, he was almost dead, so he didn't think much of it.

However, now with the emergence of knowledge within the entire world view.

Zhang Feng deduced a thing or two and became 100% certain that the current adventure world, even the simplest growth world, had correspondingly increased in difficulty.

This difficulty was not the usual speculative crisis, but rather that there was more knowledge.

If one's own foundation was insufficient, then one would inevitably not be able to take it all in, or even after remembering it all, one would not be able to fully digest it, let alone calculate it all.

But to say that one could leisurely practice, achieving the standard every time.

Zhang Feng felt that if he had initially studied for five days and then had five days off.

Then he could also meet the standard for all tasks.

Including enduring for decades in this world, he could still reach the Nascent Soul stage, and possibly be stronger than the Nascent Soul cultivators in this world.

But he wouldn't be able to achieve what he did today, becoming almost invincible in just one year.

One year of minor invincibility, leaving the remaining ninety-nine years to advance progress and learn.

Zhang Feng felt that he had indeed indirectly saved time.

So, he would start with this Qingling Sect and see what knowledge they possessed.

Pondering, Zhang Feng looked at the four people with pleading expressions.

…

Five days later.

News of a 'True Human named Zhang Feng' in the main city spread throughout the thousand-mile radius of the main city, carried by fast-moving martial artists who ran around.

This was intentional on Zhang Feng's part; he did not have anyone deliberately conceal it.

He even hoped that this news would attract some people from the Xuan Yun Sect.

Also on this day, five days later.

Zhang Feng arrived at a deep mountain.

Behind him followed the Great Thief and the four cultivators.

This deep mountain was where the Qingling Sect was located.

Afterwards.

In less than a few minutes.

Under the Great Thief's shocked and dazed gaze, the Qingling Sect, silently and without a trace, became a thing of the past.

They used humans to feed demonic beasts, and then took the demonic beast blood to nourish themselves.

Such a sect should be completely wiped out.

As for the knowledge and data, Zhang Feng did not hypocritically burn them, but rather scanned them thoroughly to see if there was anything that could supplement his own knowledge.

Then, he further confirmed that they deserved to die.

However, some theories about demonic beast bodies had some use for biotechnology.

They could be brought into reality.

Even if these originated from brutal experiments on demonic beasts.

But Zhang Feng felt that knowledge was innocent, or he could find a 'good reason', such as these demonic beasts and humans did not die in vain.

They made great contributions to humanity's pursuit of higher biotechnology.

However, Zhang Feng felt that he was simply acquiring knowledge, and he had indeed done something a bit awkward, so he didn't want to hide anything.

Human nature, good and evil, is chaotic, meaning that the knowledge realized through human good and evil is itself chaotic and abstract.

The most important thing is where this technology is ultimately used.

If it is for good, then the relevant contributors, in a world with the Heavenly Dao and reincarnation, will be blessed with luck and merit.

This kind of dilemma.

Zhang Feng was truly experiencing for the first time.

Of course, situations like those in the past, where drug dealers and human traffickers were killed, and their money was then used to do things, were inherently wrong.

Even saying that he avenged someone and therefore deserved the money, that statement is also incorrect.

Because most of the victims were deceived, they themselves could have lived better lives.

Similarly, the current Zhang Feng can further see through cause and effect and his true heart, and can also ponder this perplexing question.

But he really couldn't think about it in detail before; thinking about it in detail would mean 'I am guilty'.

At that time, he still had inner demons, so Zhang Feng intentionally and subconsciously ignored them.

And now, in the causal rules as understood by Zhang Feng.

To say revenge is to directly determine the effect.

This kind of determined effect necessarily produces a cause, which is also equivalent to cursing someone's 'past'.

Just like before, he deceived the Great Thief for the sake of the outcome; this was reversing effect for cause, directly inverting the causal relationship.

Although human trafficking incidents happen directly and are not 'now'.

But what Zhang Feng is currently deducing is precisely this topic: how to change the 'past' and the 'future'.

Because there is now an excellent example, which is the real world covered by the virtual.

For example, in the case of human trafficking, such things would not happen 'now' within the Federation, so there is no such thing as 'future revenge'.

And in the future, since revenge will not happen, there is no 'past of being deceived'.

So Zhang Feng feels that, fundamentally, many assumptions about the past and future are untenable, and are even like relativity of time and space, forming 'paradoxes'.

In short, the topic of the future and the past is truly damn difficult.

Theoretically, it is inexplicable.

Regarding this difficult problem.

While contemplating, Zhang Feng felt that he must figure it out, so he simply didn't return.

He decided to seclude himself here at the ruins of the Qingling Sect for a period of time first.

...

Unconsciously, a year passed.

This morning.

The Great Thief had already gone hunting in the mountains early.

And on this day.

As Zhang Feng pondered, he suddenly thought of a metaphor similar to a spatiotemporal paradox.

It's like he is the 'almighty creator', and then he creates a hammer that he himself cannot lift.

This is a paradox.

But there is also a solution.

That is, he can't lift it when he creates it, but he can lift it the next second.

Because the self of the previous second conformed to the established conclusion of not being able to lift it.

But the next second, he also conformed to his own creator setting.

Because the future self is a brand new creator, the current creator, not the past self who couldn't lift it.

Then, using this abstract solution to deduce.

Zhang Feng also knew how to solve the past and future of cause and effect.

But the process is incredible.

Because he needs to be in the chaos before heaven and earth opened, and in the 'present' decide to create heaven and earth, and command all causal relationships, then 'present' is 'past and future'.

Or rather, everything is within his 'present' grasp.

If everything is within his grasp, then it conforms to his present will, and naturally there is no causal relationship of past and future.

Because no matter how time progresses, it is what his present self desires, and also what his past and future selves desire.

After all, his present self has always perfectly controlled 'past causes' and 'future effects'.

He can even use the 'future effect' to determine the present cause, and then a second passes, by the creator lifting the hammer analogy, it naturally becomes the 'past cause'.

To put it in a sci-fi way, it's 'all timelines converge, with the present as the initial starting point of cause and effect'.

Zhang Feng had also seen this ability.

It was the ability 'Text' once used on the 'Time and Space Temple', coordinating the timelines of all their worlds.

That was when all timelines converged, and then what he was about to do became the beginning of all cause and effect.

Of course, at that time, this matter was more aimed at the world time of the Time and Space Temple, thereby ensuring his resurrection count.

He himself still had all the experiences and causal connections within that adventure world.

But this kind of convergence, and this kind of past and future.

Also gave Zhang Feng some clues.

...

Two years later.

While the Great Thief hunted in the mountains all day.

Zhang Feng, who had been in seclusion at the Qingling Sect ruins, after reviewing various disciplines, once again touched upon the key point.

The answer point was still in reality.

Firstly, the virtual world itself is modeled after the 'creation of heaven and earth' and can coordinate time.

As the highest authority, he can experiment with timelines there.

And the causal computational power of quantum Superconducting can serve as an aid.

Finally, there are also 'past' worlds within Text, and the selves within those worlds are influencing what happens in the future.

He also had practical experience.

So the topic of 'future and past' can be brought into reality for calculation.

This topic has also been thrown to reality.

Then there are also numerologies like cause and effect and Heavenly Dao I Ching, which might serve as the 'present' to provide some underlying logical improvements.

Thus, a 'calculation world' with the Heavenly Dao, possessing past, present, and future, was completely formed.

And by reverse deduction.

If this 'calculation world' eventually achieves the same world rules and physical parameters as the real world.

Then when the calculation world is 'reversed', and when all rules and parameters truly undergo related reverse changes.

Can reality achieve some kind of temporal regression through the same rules and parameters?

And then based on this.

Zhang Feng reached the final conclusion, which was also a reassuring conclusion.

That is, there is no one in the real world who 'controls time'.

Otherwise, if he were so special, doing things like this, someone would have already come to kill him.

Because there is a saying in 'Zhuangzi · Free and Easy Wandering': 'To know without seeing, to see but not perceive; to hear but not listen, to listen but not hear. Therefore it is said: "One who sees a Sage cannot become a Sage."'

Although the meaning is 'even if I see a Sage, I can only see the surface of the Sage'.

But in a more fantastical sense, it can also be understood that if there were a Sage who could change time in the world, then there would not be a second one.

Because a Sage is comparable to a creator, he is the 'present' where the timeline converges.

If he saw the still weak self, then no matter what realm he reached in the future.

The past of the weak self is in his 'present'.

In such a situation, he would not be able to live, nor would he be able to become a Sage.

After all, according to strict scientific spatiotemporal paradoxes, the self in his eyes is always weak.

Since he is weak, how can he become a Sage?

Someone of that realm truly embodies 'I think, therefore I am'; everything else is merely illusory fantasy.

This is a dead end.

Zhang Feng was even thinking about how to avoid 'Sages'?

Such Sages are not human immortals, earth immortals, heavenly immortals, golden immortals, etc., above immortals.

But in his system, immortals after the Void Glimpse realm have already stepped into the strength realm of Sages, and can try to use their own insights to grasp the timeline.

And a person who grasps the rules of the timeline instantly becomes a Sage, because time has no meaning to him.

He can completely pause the timeline here, then go to some secret realm to cultivate for hundreds of millions of years.

Then in the blink of an eye, the Sage returns!

Precisely so.

The more Zhang Feng understood, the more anxious he felt.

Because many sci-fi movies have time travel devices.

Although he didn't know why they didn't become Sages, it might be due to the setting, but Text, apart from textual errors, was very logical with him.

If he encountered a future world with time travel, even a seemingly ordinary world like 'Terminator'.

Zhang Feng felt like he should perhaps die five times at the start, then return to reality to avoid this type.

Otherwise, if a Sage even looked at him, he would be 'permanently kept'.

Not knowing if Text could directly confront a Sage.

Zhang Feng felt he needed to run away.

...

In a flash, five years passed.

Because of the Sage-related problem, Zhang Feng had been in a state of anxiety for these years, and he quickly brought the Great Thief back to the main city, where he rented a secluded small courtyard.

Firstly, the Xuan Yun Sect's disciple recruitment was approaching.

He wanted to see his old friend and the Xuan Yun Sect.

Secondly, the topic of past and future already had a concrete plan.

So now he had to strive to quickly digest the knowledge from the Qingling Sect and rapidly achieve the Divine Transformation stage, sweeping this world as soon as possible.

And on this day.

In a deep mountain seventeen thousand miles away.

Xuan Yun Sect, back mountain.

Accompanied by the morning sun, a group of outer disciples began to sit cross-legged in the open space in the mountains.

And at the entrance of the main hall in front of them.

A Foundation Establishment Completion cultivator in a gray robe was nodding occasionally while breathing in spiritual energy.

He was an outer sect deacon, and also Zhang Feng's old friend.

At the same time.

As his old friend supervised the disciples as usual.

An outer disciple walked quickly from a distance.

"Senior Uncle Zhao! There's news about the old friend you asked me to inquire about!"