Master of Kaidan
Chapter 457: Sustainable Overfishing

Chapter 457: Chapter 457: Sustainable Overfishing

Stealing Heavenly Mechanism’s origins are hard to trace, yet it appears frequently in various novels. In essence, it is a cultivation method that pushes one to the brink of extremity, close to death.

For instance, sitting on the edge of a cliff meditating in the fierce wind or practicing Qinggong hundreds of meters above the ground is essentially using danger to stimulate the human body’s potential.

And the attached Stealing Heavenly Mechanism technique in the cultivation method is also extreme, scarily so.

"Although I have no idea what this so-called True Qi status is, doesn’t this pressured, accelerated rush through barriers just blow up the person if they’re not careful?" Even without any understanding of cultivation, relying on basic physical knowledge, Conan felt this cultivation technique was too perilous.

But the detective shook his head:

"That’s why I said, it’s a cultivation method very suitable for the real world. Don’t forget, what’s the biggest constraint in the real world?"

"Destined death!" With the detective’s reminder, Conan reacted as if struck by a laser sniper rifle. Destined death, which locks everything in the real world, is, in the Stealing Heavenly Mechanism, an absolute enhancement!

Because Stealing Heavenly Mechanism is extreme enough, it leads to only two possible outcomes: life or death, without any conditions like disabilities. In other words, under the influence of Destined Death, everyone trying Stealing Heavenly Mechanism in reality definitely wouldn’t fail; they would always be pushed to the limit in high-pressure situations, advancing successfully.

Even if at first, everyone is just ordinary cultivators, as long as one or two Seekers try Stealing Heavenly Mechanism cultivation, they will surely succeed. After their success, they will lead more people towards success.

As people begin to notice that the death rate of Stealing Heavenly Mechanism is much lower than expected, more and more people will adopt this method.

But conversely, if one really blows themselves up due to Stealing Heavenly Mechanism, that might not necessarily be a bad thing—it at least proves that Destined Death can be broken.

"You’re right, it really is a cultivation method highly suitable for the real world... But can it be practiced in the Dream World?"

Qing Jin stroked his chin, considering the possibility of cultivation in the Dream World where resurrection is possible. However, the detective shook his head:

"Though I haven’t tried it, I think it probably won’t work. After all, the full name of the Qi cultivation is Refining Essence and Qi. In dreams where even eating isn’t necessary, how can you refine essence and qi? Besides, do you think we have physical bodies in dreams?"

"That makes sense. But it seems like there will be plenty of people trying it out; we just need to wait for the results."

Qing Jin glanced at his phone, at the live broadcast explaining cultivation methods with rapidly increasing comments. He smirked, but no matter what, he should be able to access information on cultivation when he wakes up tomorrow.

In contrast, She Tong’s expression looked upset. As a corporate slave, she knew herself well. With her lifestyle, which consisted of nothing but work and sleep, she doubted anyone would chat with her.

If it were in the Dream World, it would be fine. But in the real world, where technology is severely lagging—unable to check Weibo, watch short videos for current affairs—it’s difficult. As for television and newspapers...

A corporate slave who dives straight into bed after work doesn’t have such refined hobbies.

"No! This won’t do!" She Tong bit her lip and declared:

"Qing Jin, I need to go to the provincial branch."

"Of course. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have had to take you anyway." Qing Jin spread his hands:

"The call just now was about that, asking all of us here to undergo a ’Hard Cultivation’ psychological suggestion. The detective has already approached it, so we’ll let him handle it for now, and when we return, we can have him make up for it."

"The same goes for the headquarters. However, information spreads slowly in the real world, and official lockdowns are likely, so the chances of encounter are slim. According to the headquarters, they suggest traveling to your side first, either for business or tourism, and then suggesting cultivation once there," said Conan, making everyone feel somewhat strange. The detective immediately said:

"Isn’t the headquarters being a bit too aggressive?"

"No choice, with Destined Death looming over reality, no matter how hard you try in the Dream World, everything is ultimately fixed. Now that there’s an opportunity to break the ’chains of Destiny,’ we must go all-in. Of course, those Inheritors definitely won’t take action, at least not until there’s a preliminary result."

Conan’s tone was calm, but his words carried a heavy meaning.

While the phrase ’destined to be’ may sound somewhat romantic, for these Dream Guardians, it’s a form of special oppression.

No one wants to be a puppet in a script, manipulated by others, especially since the Dream World has already shown them a naturally evolving future.

Even with the presence of corrupt beings, once one has lived in the high-tech world of the Dream World, no one likes the dull and outdated world of reality. Having adapted to convenient tools like smartphones and the internet, everything in reality becomes uncomfortable.

Even if their awake selves in the real world can’t remember the scenes from their dreams, that uncomfortable feeling of dissonance still occasionally surfaces as déjà vu.

Wanting to break free from Destined Death, wanting to escape the arrangements of Destiny, are thoughts most people in this world have—including those who can’t even remember that Destined Death exists. They also resist the dull and antiquated lifestyle in reality. Perhaps it’s precisely because ordinary people can’t remember extraordinary memories that they don’t consider the risks brought by corruption.

...

"Wow, just one night and the tag ’Immortal’ has formed. The person who thought up transplanting to the Dream World is a goddamn genius!"

In the real world, Feng Xue felt a wild rush of satisfaction as Recognition surged from all directions. Initially, he only thought the advantages of the Dream World lay in its secrecy and safety, as well as the unbreakable inheritance brought by the immortality. But not until a vast amount of Knowledge poured out from each sleeping person did he truly realize the real jackpot lay here—

These people would still offer a significant amount of Knowledge in their sleep, much more than in reality.

Afterall, in reality, people can only endure limited stimulation. Actions such as Infinite City’s unbounded piracy and cruelty, including plundering and torturing, could potentially lead to death.

But in dreams, no matter the torture, no matter the thrill, it’s all just a dream. Upon waking, there would be nothing; even drawn-out executions, when waking up, memories refresh and the pain is purified. Though memory refreshment isn’t sustainable, maximizing every death isn’t a form of extreme exploitation?