The Quantum Path to Immortality
Chapter 78 - 77: The Architect’s Last Imprint

Chapter 78: Chapter 77: The Architect’s Last Imprint

The deep, resonant purr of Aegis’s new Entropy Reversal Singularity Engine vibrated through the ship, a silent testament to infinite power. Elias stood on the command bridge, his gaze fixed on Xianwu through the main viewport. The planet, a vibrant swirl of blue, green, and the emerging patchwork of terraformed lands around what was once the Nexus Spire, hung serenely in the void. Kaelen sat in her usual armchair, Lumie a soft, amethyst glow on her shoulder, observing Elias. She knew that look – the one that preceded a monumental act of optimization.

He had just concluded the final, minute adjustments to the ship’s internal systems, now perfectly synchronized with the boundless energy flow. His mind, however, wasn’t yet turning outward to the cosmos. Instead, it was still singularly focused on Xianwu, on the world they were about to leave behind. Kaelen understood. For Elias, a world left in an "unoptimized" state was an anathema. It was a chaotic variable, an affront to the fundamental Laws of efficiency he so profoundly embodied.

"This world’s cultivation path," Elias’s voice cut through the quiet hum, crisp and precise, "is fundamentally inefficient. Based on archaic, flawed methodologies. It limits potential, hinders comprehension, and promotes conflict over advancement." He didn’t turn from the view, his analysis a simple statement of objective fact.

Kaelen nodded, recalling the rudimentary cultivation techniques she had once practiced, dependent on vague spiritual roots and rote memorization of energy circulation patterns. "They don’t understand the Laws themselves," she murmured. "Just the superficial applications."

"Precisely," Elias affirmed. "A system designed for maximum entropy rather than its reversal."

A series of complex holographic displays shimmered into existence around Elias, not tied to a console but manifesting directly from his will. They depicted intricate schematics: vast, multi-layered structures; swirling energy diagrams; geometric patterns of impossible complexity. Kaelen recognized elements of his Law of Creation, Law of Information, and even the Law of Perpetual Motion woven into the designs. These weren’t mere blueprints; they were projections of nascent realities, forming and reforming with every millisecond of Elias’s thought.

"A passing gift," Elias declared, his voice devoid of sentimentality, yet holding the weight of undeniable intent. "To re-align their trajectory. To introduce true efficiency."

He began to manipulate the holograms with sweeping, precise gestures. The abstract shapes began to coalesce into colossal, distinct forms: immense, self-contained ecosystems, each a world in miniature. They were automated, science-based cultivation schools. He designed them to float, suspended high above the ground, one for each of Xianwu’s major continents. As he willed them, the projections grew, scaled, and solidified, becoming architectural marvels of polished, radiant alloys and self-sustaining bio-domes. They were not merely buildings, but entire floating islands, carved from raw cosmic energy and structured by his Law of Stability.

Kaelen leaned forward, her fascination overriding any other thought. She saw the intricate details: vast, crystal-domed libraries; sprawling, verdant training grounds where qi flowed in unseen currents; sophisticated robotic systems moving with silent, purposeful grace.

"These institutions," Elias explained, his gaze moving through the holographic structures, "will address all identified inefficiencies. Enrollment will be universal. One trillion individuals, annually. Age parameters: childhood through adolescence, optimizing for neural plasticity." He paused, his focus shifting to a more minute detail. "The most significant limitation, the spiritual root, will be nullified. A perfectly synthesized spiritual root, tailored for optimal Law comprehension, painlessly injected upon registration."

Kaelen gasped softly. To bestow spiritual roots, to bypass the millennia of genetic lottery and arbitrary destiny – it was truly a god-like act of re-creation.

"Traditional cultivation emphasizes rote memorization of energy circulation paths, without understanding the underlying principles," Elias continued, almost lecturing the empty air, or perhaps himself. "These schools will initiate with fundamental sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics. Building a logical framework for understanding causality and interaction. Only then will they transition to scientific cultivation, emphasizing the comprehension and manipulation of Laws directly. It’s an optimized pedagogical method."

As he spoke, the holographic structures began to ripple with an internal glow, taking on the faint, vibrant hues of a fully self-sustaining system. He was imbuing them with resources. Kaelen watched as endless cascades of qi stones flowed into vast, crystalline storage chambers within the floating islands. Beside them, sleek, automated qi stone factories, themselves miniature marvels of compression and creation, hummed into being, capable of perpetually synthesizing more. Libraries, not of physical scrolls but of shimmering, crystalline data-slabs, filled every available space, each holding untold volumes of cultivation techniques and scientific manuals, all meticulously optimized and cross-referenced by Elias’s unparalleled intellect.

Then came the control system. Elias’s hands moved with a flourish, and from the depths of his pocket space, a pulsating orb of pure information, interwoven with threads of cultivated energy, manifested. "A centralized AI for global governance of the schools," Elias stated. "Its core body, based on a Galaxy Realm expert’s cultivation, ensures administrative capacity. Lesser cores, refined to Star Realm and below, for localized management of individual school functions." He integrated the powerful AI, a being of pure intellect and Law comprehension, into the central control nexus of the floating islands. This AI would manage every aspect: admissions, curriculum, resource distribution, and student welfare.

The final touches of the design faded from the holograms, leaving only the pristine, fully realized visions of the colossal floating schools. Elias remained still for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the projected structures, a silent assessment of his work.

Then, he turned from the viewport, his eyes burning with a cold, almost detached determination. "Aegis," he commanded, his voice resonating with an authority that stretched beyond the confines of the ship, "initiate global atmospheric resonance. Disperse the constructed cultivation schools to their designated continental positions. Commence broadcast of the systemic announcement."

Aegis responded not with chimes, but with a deep, powerful thrum that vibrated through the very fabric of the ship, shaking Kaelen’s armchair. The golden internal glow intensified, and through the viewport, Kaelen saw shimmering distortions coalesce in the upper atmosphere of Xianwu. Above each continent, a colossal, magnificent floating island, radiating a pristine, ethereal light, shimmered into existence. They hung in the sky like new, benevolent moons, immense and impossible, casting long, strange shadows across the continents below.

And then, Elias’s voice, amplified to encompass the entire planet, boomed down from the heavens. It was cold, authoritative, yet utterly clear, devoid of any discernible echo or distortion. It resonated in every mind, every living creature on Xianwu, bypasssing language barriers, implanting itself directly into their consciousness.

"This is my passing gift to this world," Elias’s voice thundered, vibrating through mountains and oceans, through bustling cities and quiet villages, in the minds of emperors and paupers alike. "The cultivation in this world is not the correct way to cultivate, as you are totally doing it wrong. So, these floating islands will accept one trillion kids worldwide every year and train them in the correct way to cultivate and comprehend Laws."

A collective gasp, unheard but profoundly felt by Kaelen even from orbit, must have rippled across the planet. The sheer audacity, the unprecedented nature of the announcement, was overwhelming.

"For those who register," the voice continued, unwavering, absolute, "a spiritual root will be given, and all injuries or ailments will be healed. Time is accelerated on the island; one year on the island is one hundred years outside, by which they will all graduate. Misbehaving students will have their memories erased and be permanently expelled. Average students must graduate after their hundred years of accelerated learning; outstanding students will be recruited as teachers, and truly outstanding students will be given a portion of control of the island."

Kaelen felt a shiver run down her spine. The cold logic of Elias’s rules was absolute. Erasing memories, permanent expulsion – it was the ultimate, efficient removal of an unoptimized variable. Yet, the promise of accelerated time, of guaranteed healing, of a perfect spiritual root... it was an unheard-of bounty.

"And the first cultivator to reach the Galaxy Realm within those hundred accelerated years will be instantly teleported to me, to become my disciple, if he or she wishes. If not, they will be teleported back to Xianwu and given full control of the island they graduated from."

The offer hung in the air, a cosmic carrot dangled before an entire world. Discipleship with Elias Vance, a being capable of moving entire landmasses and reshaping fundamental Laws, or ultimate power and control on their home world. It was an irresistible proposition for any ambitious cultivator.

The planetary-wide broadcast ceased. The floating islands remained, majestic and silent, suspended in the sky. For a long, stunned moment, Xianwu was utterly silent, a world processing the impossible.

Then, across the entire planet, every child and teenager, regardless of their location, received a holographic system prompt that shimmered directly before their eyes, visible only to them:

DO YOU WISH TO REGISTER?

[ YES ] / [ NO ]

For those who clicked ’Yes,’ another prompt appeared, concise and absolute: "You have one week to settle your personal affairs. Prepare for ascension."

And for those who clicked ’No’: "You will not be given a second chance. Your decision is final."