Chapter 743: The Opening of the Second Discussion Goes Awry

As Sect Leader Dang Jun’an finished speaking, a brief silence fell.

Of course, this was a normal reaction. Just like during the previous discussion, before the disciples understood the core of the issue, they would imagine it to be something incredibly grand and profound. In front of the vast assembly of cultivators, they dared not comment casually.

This was especially true for Hongmeng’s various Array Daos. In the beginning, one might have caught glimpses of them in their cultivation, but with their current level of development, ordinary disciples were completely ignorant of their core principles.

Up in the sky, Zhang Deming frowned slightly upon hearing the topic. He turned to Gan Zili and said, “Senior Brother Gan, is the Sect proposing this topic to help the Celestial Universe? Is this a show of goodwill from us as the host?”

“How could that be possible?” Gan Zili paused for a moment before smiling. “At a grand assembly like this, we wouldn’t even cede the floor to them, let alone propose a topic to help them solve a bottleneck in their Daoist Skills!”

“Didn’t you minor in the Array Dao, Junior Brother Zhang? How could you not see something so obvious? The Array Artifact Department’s main goal this time is to understand Rune Life and gain some inspiration. If possible, they want to create one outright.”

“Furthermore, since this is the symposium on Array Artifacts and the other departments don’t have any particular requests, all the topics have been geared toward the Array Artifact Dao. The Sect plans to delve deeper step by step. This particular discussion is laying the foundation for a core debate later.”

Hearing this, Zhang Deming’s brow furrowed even more deeply.

‘The two fundamental conditions for the birth of artificial intelligence… no, that’s not quite right. The foundation of any network, whether it’s the Celestial Universe’s or one made of arrays, is computation and storage.’

‘Computation includes algorithms, processing speed, and efficiency, while the core of storage is simply data storage and retrieval.’

‘The Rune Life that the Sect has been trying to create would also inevitably rely on these two areas. If creating Rune Life is the ultimate goal, it’s perfectly normal for the opening topics to lay the groundwork for it.’

‘However, due to the way its Daoist Skills have developed, Hongmeng started with arrays—or, in the terminology of the Celestial Universe, with a specialized quantum technology.’

‘Under these circumstances, if they want to create a Rune Life, what they’re in desperate need of should be computation.’

‘This is because Hongmeng is already at the forefront when it comes to storage via arrays, be it virtual Technique Spaces, physical object storage, or even special storage that can convert between the virtual and real.’

‘While I can’t say there’s no room for improvement, our current capabilities are more than enough to support the initial birth of a Rune Life. It’s not a pressing need; it can be developed gradually later on.’

‘Comparing storage and computation, what the Sect lacks most should be computation. You could say that Hongmeng is woefully behind in this particular Dao.’

‘Well, that’s not entirely accurate either.’

‘The Celestial Secret Dao, now known as the Computation Dao, is also a major Dao in Hongmeng. It’s a path that has been developing since ancient times and has flourished to an incredible degree.’

‘But all of this is built on a single foundation: personal cultivation. In other words, Hongmeng’s development of the Calculation Dao has focused entirely on developing Brain Calculation and mental arithmetic—the ultimate development of a cultivator’s own brain.’

‘Some High-Tier Cultivators—never mind those on the Celestial Secret Dao, even some on the Heart Spirit Dao or other paths that touch upon computation—can eventually simulate an entire world inside their minds. Of course, this is to be expected; this is a Cultivation Civilization, after all.’

‘But this extreme focus on developing the brain has led to the utter stagnation of computational arrays.’

‘Hongmeng’s Array Dao doesn’t even have specialized modules or artifacts like computers. Basic computations within an array are manageable, but as soon as complex processing is needed, a person must be there to direct the array.’

‘Even most Foundation Establishment Runes are based on paths that develop the Brain Domain, like Rune Heart Calculation. Consequently, all the computation is handled by Array Cultivators, with the array itself containing only very basic functions. Because of this, array-based computation is extremely primitive.’

‘So even if the Sect wanted to lay the groundwork for the final debate, they should have started with a topic on “Computation and Storage,” or just focused on computation directly. By opening with a topic on storage, if they aren’t helping the other side, what on earth are they doing?’

‘Could it be… they haven’t realized?’

Lost in thought, Zhang Deming’s expression suddenly froze. Having thought of something, he whipped his head around and tapped the Light Screen in front of him. Under the confused gazes of Gan Zili and the others, a Spiritual Light flickered, and Fang Qing of the Array Department materialized before them.

…

There were more than a dozen people on Zhang Deming’s Floating Island, and all of them were powerful figures, including Supreme Elder Dang Xiangjun.

After Fang Qing appeared and saw more than a dozen powerful figures staring at him, his heart leaped in fright. He bowed to the group with great trepidation and said, “Disciple greets you, Masters, and you, Ancestor Dang!”

Some of the dozen or so people remained expressionless, while others offered a slight smile and a nod in response.

Zhang Deming looked at Fang Qing and asked, “Are you the disciple in the Array Department most knowledgeable about the Outer Realm?”

Fang Qing paused, then replied, “If we’re talking about who is the most knowledgeable and has researched it most thoroughly, that would be my grandfather. However, with the grand assembly underway, the entire Sect Protection Array is operating at a moderate level.”

“My grandfather and Master Gengg from the Computation Department are both tied up; they must remain in the core control room to manage its operations and dispatch.”

“Among the other disciples, most of us have a similar level of understanding. After all, the knowledge the Outer Celestial Universe Federation gave us, much like the Dao we gave them, is all foundational and potentially even flawed.”

“There isn’t a large amount of information either, so most of the Duality Disciples in the Array Department have studied it extensively. It’s hard to say who is more knowledgeable than anyone else.”

“Since I am more familiar with you, Master, I volunteered to come after the control room received your call. Is there some urgent matter you need someone from our department to handle for the assembly right now?”

Hearing this, Zhang Deming asked pensively, “Then this topic of discussion… was it decided by the Sect, or was it proposed by your Array Department?”