The Science of Cultivation

"I'll be honest with you. Your rare telomere disorder has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Even with the most optimistic projections… you have at most two months left. I know this is—""It's okay doctor. I understand." Langley patted the doctor on the shoulder and turned his attention to his phone.Seeing how the middle-aged man, with salt and pepper-colored hair, was too stubborn to continue listening, the doctor sighed and took his leave. Once Langley confirmed the doctor was gone, he opened up a picture on his phone from his Favorites folder.It was a vintage photo of an old lady who was beaming at her son while he tried to break free from her grasp. He took a moment to compare the youthful woman in the picture to his withered hands, and it quickly made him realize how much time had passed.As Langley sipped on his tea while looking at the old picture of his mother, a memory from the distant past resurfaced. A memory of the time he had failed his first test in school."Don't be sad, son. I'm already proud of all the hard work you always put into everything you do."Little Langley continued to cry into his mother's arms."But mom…""Listen to me, son." She held up his chin to make him meet her eyes. "Things don't always work out. Hard work isn't always rewarded, but I am so proud that you always still have the courage to try your best, even when you know it may not work out. I hope that part of you never changes. After all, true failure is when you become too afraid to even try.""...I won't change, Mom."Back then, he didn't fully understand her words. There were so many things he had wanted to say to his parents or do for them. But it was too late.Their lifespan had run out.Tightening his grip on the phone, old Langley pressed the picture of his mother to his forehead.I won't forget Mom.I won't give up until the end."Alfred, how long until the auto-analyzer is finished?" A middle-aged man asked with undisguised excitement in his voice.His mixed-colored hair, combined with the wrinkles on his skin, showed his age. His lab coat matched his hair and helped him exude a reliable and scholarly aura. However, those who personally knew him would say otherwise.There was no one else in the lab and he was staring at the screen before him, surrounded by the latest automated lab equipment the Federation of Humanity had to offer. Within a second, a response came from the lab's AI assistant."ETA is eight hours, fifty-seven minutes, and four seconds. You have been active for over fifty-six hours continuously. I am mandated to remind you to take a break."The man corroborated the timestamps in his research logs recorded on his implant and then checked the time."Yeah…Seems like I lost track of time again…"He could still do a lot while waiting for the auto scanner to finish, but the feeling of having forgotten something nagged at him. At the same time, his research project pertaining to immortality had just reached a particularly interesting segment and the urge for him to continue was strong.It was during these moments of indecision that Langley would decide on the third option: to do something else to let his brain reset.He picked up his tablet and resumed reading the cultivation novel he had recently started up for the sake of finding inspiration for his research topic of immortality. He didn't even get the chance to finish a chapter when a familiar voice called out to him."Langley! Get out here already!"Langley turned to the speaker and found an old woman with a head full of white hair marching rapidly toward him."Debra! I—""Enough, you stupid research addict. Why are you so foolish when it comes to anything unrelated to your research? You haven't changed even after reaching the age where you should already be a father. I knew you couldn't contain that curiosity of yours and would hole up in the lab if I didn't come get you! For goodness' sake, today is the award ceremony for your Progressor of Mankind award.""I don't care about any of that! It means nothing to me. I just want to do my research in peace. I'll leave the politicking to—" Langley retorted as he tried to stand up, but suddenly felt dizzy. He leaned onto the table before him for support as he nursed his sudden headache."Langley! How long have you been working again?" Seeing Langley's condition, Debra glanced over at the speaker on the wall. "Alfred, report how long Professor Langley has been in the lab.""Professor Langley has been active in the lab for over fifty-six consecutive hours. The last time he left the facility was one week, two hours, and—""Enough!" Debra moved closer to check Langley's condition as he was unusually quiet. "Hey, Langley! Wake up!"No response came, so Debra tugged on his shoulders. What she didn't expect was how a slight touch resulted in Langley slumping over like a sack of potatoes."Langley!"She quickly took the situation much more seriously and performed an examination of his condition and quickly found that he had no pulse.At the age of forty-five, Langley had passed away.Where am I? Why can't I see anything?Langley suddenly found himself alone in the darkness. He couldn't see anything or feel anything. His mind felt strangely sluggish, and it only worsened by the second.I need to head back to the lab before the auto-analyzer fin—Before long, he could no longer hold a coherent thought. His mind went into a daze, as if he was dreaming. Snippets of scenes flashed before him, like watching disjointed short clips that starred some young child with an abnormally large head living in ancient times before the advent of science.He could do nothing but passively allow these scenes to flash by. He didn't even know how long he was in such a state before it was finally over.When Langley's mental fog finally faded, it came abruptly."Hey! Stop daydreaming and keep moving, big head!" A child that appeared around ten years old shouted as he shoved past Langley.Langley blinked blankly a few times before he realized he was no longer a spectator in a dream, but someone who had full control of his body. When he looked up to find the boy who had spoken to him, he found him already quite a distance away, dragged ahead by the crowd, who were all heading toward the large plaza up ahead."Keep your voice down, Song Xuan! Do you have any idea who you bumped into?"The surrounding crowd soon drowned their voices out and Langley could no longer hear them. He glanced around and found that he was inside a crowd of children who were all marching ahead. They all wore strange robes that he had only seen in museums, with their hair tied into a bun at the top.Something is off…He inspected his body for any discomfort and then glanced down at his limbs. To his surprise, he realized that he was already standing.I…I'm shorter than these kids…? My body is that of a little child!Arriving at the revelation, memories flashed into his mind, with everything playing at many times the normal speed. Memories of a young boy named Li Lang who was orphaned from an early age.From the memories, he realized this wasn't the first time he had assumed control of this body. He had done so multiple times throughout his life, even when he was just born, albeit for a brief moment. As an experienced scientist, Langley swiftly formed a theory of what happened to him.I…I was reincarnated! And with my memories somehow! An infant body must've failed to retain my cognitive abilities…That's why my body tried to compensate and tried to pour more resources into developing the brain, turning me into this child with an abnormally large head!Before Langley, now more accurately known as Li Lang, could digest his situation further, a man's voice boomed out from further ahead at the center of the town plaza. However, what immediately drew everyone's attention was how the speaker was levitating up into the air."Silence!" He yelled out and glanced around before nodding in satisfaction with the obedience of the crowd. "We will now begin the annual selection for the Clear Heart Sect!" the man declared as he floated in mid-air, high above the plaza where the crowd of children gathered.He then formed some hand signs, and some glowing sigils that formed a circle appeared on the ground. A few moments later, the earth trembled. In the blink of an eye, a section of the ground beneath the man rose, becoming an elevated platform.All the children present stared in admiration at the man, who had managed to raise a platform with only a few movements of his hand, like a magician."Form lines and listen to our disciples' instructions!"The man then descended onto the platform he made, drawing everyone's attention to the dozen figures beside him. They all stepped forward, wearing similar beige robes, much like the man's.Seeing how he spoke no further, the crowd soon broke their silence and the sound of chattering filled the plaza all at once. The few at the front began to form orderly lines, with the people behind them following along with a slight delay."Did you see that? That cultivator from the Clear Heart Sect just changed the terrain at the wave of a hand! He must be at least in the Foundation Establishment realm!""You country bumpkin! Which village did you crawl out of? Even cultivators near the pinnacle of the Energy Gathering realm can do that too if they are accomplished Formation Masters or use a talisman! You can tell he is an esteemed Foundation Establishment elder because he can fly!""Out of the way, you peasants! You sorry folks should head to the back of the line!""Shut your mouth, Xiang Po! What would you do if one of these people you're offending ends up having tremendous talent or a heavenly physique?"As Li Lang blinked blankly at the scene unfolding before him, his mind raced to process everything. He tried to analyze everything as objectively as possible, but the answer that he arrived at stayed the same despite how ludicrous it sounded.I've been reincarnated into a cultivation world!