Cohabitation with Sword Spirit

Chapter 535 - 36: A New Research Topic Emerges!

May 17, 2018

As the premier Immortal Dao Research Institute on the Xiangzhou Continent, the Cyan Lotus Academy places unparalleled emphasis on intelligence. Even when it overshadows the Wuxiang Sword Academy, proudly displaying its dominance, intelligence remains the top priority within Cyan Lotus. A cultivator who achieves a theoretical breakthrough in Sword Dao is always more respected than the champion of a sword-fighting competition.

In such a place that values intellectual development, various intelligence testing procedures are naturally indispensable. To accurately assess the talents and aptitudes of its cultivators and maximize their potential, the Cyan Lotus Academy optimizes its intelligence testing methods annually. As of now, the academy’s internal effective intelligence testing procedures number as many as 129, covering almost everything known about intelligence in humanity.

Observational ability, concentration, memory, associative ability, abstract thinking ability, Immortal Dao resonance capability... Under each major category, there are several to dozens of sub-categories. Together, these form the human intelligence system. The intelligence testing procedures of the Cyan Lotus Academy can accurately reflect every detail of a person’s intelligence system.

Among these 129 intelligence testing procedures, both Wang Jiu and Zhao Chenlu absolutely crushed their challengers.

As he walked out of the testing room for the final procedure, Tan Luo vividly embodied the term "walking dead."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible, those two must have cheated, they definitely cheated..."

Mumbling with the aura of a defeated dog, Tan Luo took a few steps before his legs went weak, staggering and falling, his face hitting the stone pavement directly, leaving even the dignified Great Cultivator of the Mountain-Overturning Realm with a face full of blood.

Beside Tan Luo, his colleagues all showed expressions of shared sorrow.

The comprehensive defeat in the 129 tests... This is truly rare in the entire history of the Cyan Lotus Academy because it is almost like testing two entirely different species, such as a paramecium and a human together!

Although the intelligence gap between individuals is vast, generally, it shouldn’t be so extreme that it results in a one-sided outcome across 129 projects. Among billions of humans, nearly everyone has their unique talent; some are naturally adept at observation, with keen eyesight, others at memory, possessing eidetic recall, yet others at association, always linking unrelated things together...

Most of these abilities might be of little use, and even the person might be unaware of their talents, so most people live mediocre lives.

But undeniably, these unique talents do exist.

Even if randomly selecting a mortal from the street to take these 129 test projects, it’s likely that one or two of them would yield a surprise, let alone Tan Luo, who rose to the position of research group leader in a place teeming with talents like the Cyan Lotus Academy, inheriting the Cyan Lotus Illusionary Manual and being acknowledged as highly gifted!

Yet this highly gifted Elder Cyan Lotus has been utterly humiliated in the intelligence tests.

"Alright, after wasting so much time, do any of you still have objections?"

Zhao Chenlu, triumphant, scanned around without even looking at the defeated failure bleeding from the nose on the ground and silently issued a challenge to the remaining Cyan Lotus Elders.

"Do you wish to compete as well?"

Shang Wuming and Feng Xiaolu quickly shook their heads and pushed Shang Miaoyu forward.

Shang Miaoyu sighed helplessly, "The talents of you two are incredible; there is no precedent in the academy’s two-thousand-year history. We can only admire completely."

As she spoke, Shang Miaoyu felt a mix of humiliation and anxiety.

This outcome was truly unexpected; Tan Luo’s intellect, being a fellow Elder of Cyan Lotus, she knew well.

Considering the 129 projects, calculating by weighting factors, Tan Luo could score over 500 points,

placing his intelligence level in the top hundred in the academy’s history. Presently in the Cyan Lotus Academy, only former Dean Sang Yue’s 610 points could surely surpass him, while others like Shang Miaoyu and Shang Wuming are around 500, close to Tan Luo’s level, with victories and defeats in different projects.

It was thought that even if Zhao Chenlu and Wang Jiu were to win, they would win in total score and several main projects, around 700 points would be considered quite remarkable. But the actual test results were astonishing, with one scoring 1100 and the other 1300, more like celestial beings than earthly creatures!

Rationally judging, Shang Miaoyu even tended to believe these two were cheating!

Although the Cyan Lotus Academy’s 129 procedures have extremely perfect anti-cheating mechanisms, theoretically even the Sect Leader of the Saint Sect could hardly conceal their true intelligence within the academy, cheating is as hard as climbing the sky. Yet, no matter how difficult, it’s more acceptable than the idea of these two having world-shattering intelligence!

But despite their various faults, people at the Cyan Lotus Academy at least understand the importance of accepting loss, placing objective facts over subjective conjecture, so no matter how discontent they felt, they sincerely bowed to the winners of the intelligence test.

Then they prepared to face the impending humiliation.

Everyone knows Zhao Chenlu’s character, definitely not connected to traditional virtues of gentleness, and the newly appointed dean seems mild but is swift and decisive in speech and actions, abolishing the free research system right after assuming office, assigning several elders of the academy to be subordinates to his concubine, evidently a heinous demon. At this point, with these two winning comprehensively in intelligence tests, it is clear they are about to propose more far-fetched humiliation conditions.

But next, Wang Jiu said, "Since you have no issues, let’s proceed to determine the new research topics and start working."

"...That’s it? Nothing else?" Shang Wuming asked incredulously.

Wang Jiu said, "Today is not a public holiday for the academy. What else can we do if there’s no work?"

"I mean, you have no other conditions?"

"Weren’t the conditions agreed upon earlier? We won the intelligence test, so you follow orders and conduct research according to my requirements."

"That’s indeed the case, but..." Shang Wuming said, shaking his head, feeling even more conflicted inside.

Wang Jiu’s utter nonchalance about the overwhelming victory in 129 projects only made the defeat feel more humiliating for the opponent.

"Alright, that’s enough," Shang Miaoyu, however, patted her sister’s shoulder, indicating not to dwell on these negative emotions.

The humiliation was obvious; the comprehensive defeat in 129 projects was humiliating enough without needing the other side to say more.

They need to feel shame, then courage.

Shame, excitement, anger, these emotions are of no help to research work. Cyan Lotus Academy’s cultivators need a calm mindset and rational judgment.

What does it matter if one’s intelligence is inferior? Coming to a place like Cyan Lotus Academy and encountering geniuses brimming with talent and intelligence better than one’s own is completely normal, isn’t it?

Cyan Lotus Academy’s cultivators almost all have similar growth experiences, standing out among their peers in childhood, far superior in intelligence and talent, often leading to ostracism. During the solitude, a solitary pride gradually roots deeply, as if everywhere the world is filled with mediocrity and fools, with no one worthy of equal dialogue.

Then, arriving at Cyan Lotus Academy, surrounded by talents whose intellect and knowledge are not inferior to, or even surpass yours, the arrogance fostered in childhood is shattered by reality in an instant. This vast disparity between heaven and earth is the cultivation each Cyan Lotus cultivator must undergo after joining. If one cannot pass this threshold and realize their intelligence is not unique, they cannot integrate into the academy’s environment.

Now, it’s just about replaying the practice they’ve done in the past.

Level your mindset, find your position, and then strive to chase that nearly insurmountable peak... From another perspective, being able to get close to the greats scoring 1100 and 1300 points is greatly beneficial for self-improvement.

After calming down, Shang Miaoyu asked, "So, what kind of research does City Lord Zhao want us to do?"

Zhao Chenlu said, "Cross-species reproduction research."

"..."

In this instant, the composure Shang Miaoyu had barely maintained collapsed.

"What did you say!?"

Zhao Chenlu said, "Cross-species reproduction research, is there a problem?"

"What’s the point of conducting such absurd research!?"

"Absurd research? What a joke. You haven’t even researched it, so how can you deem it absurd? As a researcher, you naturally harbor biases against research projects. Don’t you feel you’re betraying the two-thousand-year spiritual core of Cyan Lotus Academy?"

Shang Miaoyu was rendered speechless by the onslaught of questions. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have misspoken, revealing a flaw, but Zhao Chenlu’s cross-species reproduction research truly caught her off guard and struck at the heart...

At this moment, Wang Jiu also said, "I think Zhao Chenlu’s proposed research is quite meaningful. Cross-species reproduction is an effective way to enhance biological quality. Even within the same species, there is a tendency for hybrid offspring to inherit superior traits, which is one reason humans choose sexual reproduction. Extending this principle, if humans could combine the strengths of other species, their descendants’ inherent advantages would be more pronounced. If this technique could be widely applied, it might enable a great leap forward in the gene pool of Xiangzhou’s population, significantly benefiting the comprehensive restoration of human Immortal Dao civilization."

Shang Miaoyu nodded upon hearing this, "...Well said, but it seems it’s not my concern; let the All Things Group fully cooperate."

However, before she finished speaking, Zhao Chenlu grabbed her arm.

"How is it unrelated to you? The first challenge in cross-species reproduction research is the communication barrier between different species. Designing a simple and effective means of communication will be your next topic."

"...It makes some sense that way."

"Moreover, for contemporary Xiangzhou people, cross-species reproduction is seen as unethical and immoral, an evil study. Once exposed, it will inevitably be suppressed by public opinion, so by then, you’ll need to argue eloquently to convince the public of the high necessity of our research."

"This job of distorting the truth is better left to you!"