Chapter 48: Looking Toward the Future - Spiritual Technology

After returning to the dorm and washing up, Feng Qi leisurely lay down on his bed.

Mo Fei, who was sitting at his desk, engrossed in his studies, couldn't help but grumble with envy when he saw Feng Qi lounging.

"I'm so jealous. Why do I have to study hard while you can just lie in bed and daydream about your future life at the academy?"

"Jealous of what? Want me to give you my reserved spot at Star City Academy?" Feng Qi rolled his eyes in response.

"No thanks. My goal is the Academy of Technology. I dream of the stars and the sea," Mo Fei grinned.

Hearing this, Feng Qi didn't make his usual sarcastic remark.

He had already seen Mo Fei's future records and knew that he truly achieved his dreams.

Though he might not be a legendary scientific genius, he had made considerable achievements in his field.

In the future, it was Mo Fei's technology that would allow them to gather useful information from the Crimson Research Institute. He had been the one to provide the invisible reconnaissance drones for their investigation.

"So, when you graduate from the Academy of Technology, are you planning to join the Institute of Technological Research?"

"Exactly. In the research field, only the Institute of Technological Research and the Crimson Research Institute would interest me. As you know, I've always been passionate about mechanical engineering, so the Institute of Technological Research is the perfect fit for me."

At this, Feng Qi's expression changed.

"You know about the Crimson Research Institute?"

"Not exactly," Mo Fei replied casually. "During the time you were away, a teacher from the Academy of Technology came to give a lecture at our school. He told us that in the mechanical field, the strongest institute is the Institute of Technological Research, but in the biological sciences field, the Crimson Research Institute holds the top spot."

"The thing is, the Crimson Research Institute has very high privilege and confidentiality levels, so it's difficult for ordinary people to access. Usually, only senior experts in the field of biological sciences get to join, and they don't directly hire graduates from academies."

Biological sciences?

This was the first time Feng Qi had gained any insight into the core research direction of the Crimson Research Institute.

As he thought about the Rune Enhancement Project, he realized that it was obviously related to biotechnology.

"Why are you interested in the Crimson Research Institute? I thought you weren't into that kind of thing?" Mo Fei asked, slightly puzzled, interrupting Feng Qi's thoughts.

"I was just curious. Actually, I've always wondered something: why are you so interested in the technological field, when everyone around you chooses cultivation studies?" Feng Qi asked.

Mo Fei paused for a moment before responding, "If I told you that this is the best era for the development of technology, would you believe me?"

"I don't believe it. Even with powerful nuclear weapons, they have no effect on the domains. Apart from providing convenience in our daily lives and driving rapid social development, I don't see how technology can play a role in fighting domain invasions."

"You're wrong," Mo Fei said, shaking his head. "The reason nuclear weapons don't affect the domain fields is because the rules inside the domain are different from the ones in our world, so nuclear weapons can't cause the same kind of damage in a different set of rules."

"The reason cultivators can harm domain creatures is because through cultivation, we've imbued ourselves with spiritual energy, and spiritual energy is one of the universal forces that works within all domain fields."

Looking at the thoughtful Feng Qi, Mo Fei continued, "The focus of technological research has shifted. They're now studying how to integrate spiritual energy with technology, creating spiritual-powered weapons and equipment to fight domain creatures."

"This direction is also the core of modern mechanical science. With the progress of the times, it will lead to revolutionary changes. Eventually, various technological weapons capable of causing harm to domain monsters and even the domain fields themselves will emerge. That's why I say technology will lead the future."

Feng Qi was deep in thought.

If spiritual-powered weapons could harm domain creatures, then why didn't the future databases contain any information on this?

"Although there is a direction now, I can't guarantee how long it will take before we succeed. It could be decades, centuries, or even millennia," Mo Fei said with a sigh.

"Why such a long time span? There's no approximate timeline?" Feng Qi asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Mo Fei nodded before explaining, "Technology development is different from cultivation. It's full of bottlenecks, but every time we break through one, technology experiences a leap forward."

"From the Stone Age to the Agricultural Age, humanity took millions of years. But from the improvement of the steam engine, signaling the Industrial Age, to the discovery of electromagnetic induction and the advent of the Electrical Age, it only took us three hundred years. That's the power of breaking through bottlenecks—it accelerates technological progress exponentially."

"But when will the next breakthrough occur? No one knows. The only certainty is that once the bottleneck is broken, human civilization will make another giant leap forward."

"Does that mean there's no limit to technological development?" Feng Qi asked curiously.

"Who knows? At the very least, history tells us we haven't hit the ceiling yet. There was a scientist named Kelvin in history who once declared that the grand edifice of physics was complete, with only minor repairs left for future generations. And then came quantum mechanics. Then relativity. Both shattered the notion that physics had reached its limit."

Seeing that Feng Qi nodded in understanding, Mo Fei continued, "That concludes the science lesson. Now, let's circle back to our initial topic: why this era is the best time for technological advancement."

"The growth of the scientific field mainly relies on the accumulation of knowledge. In the early days of modern science, a scientist could master all existing knowledge of physics in their twenties and then build upon it to introduce new ideas and discoveries for future generations. Successors would then need to learn the foundation left behind and continue paving new paths. However, by the time they had mastered all prior knowledge and were ready to innovate, they'd often be well into their thirties."

"Think of scientific development like constructing a tower. Each new generation must first climb the levels built by their predecessors before adding their own layers—unless they pioneer an entirely new scientific discipline."

"So, human lifespan has inherently limited scientific progress. Today, it takes an average of 53 years to fully master the accumulated knowledge of physics—33 years longer than it did in earlier times."

"And with continued progress and the accumulation of even more knowledge, a single human lifespan won't be enough to learn everything, let alone innovate."

At this point, Feng Qi began to grasp Mo Fei's point.

"So, what you mean is, with the advent of this spirit energy-infused era, human lifespans have increased—reaching over a hundred years for ordinary people and over two hundred for cultivators. This could provide new opportunities for scientific progress."

Mo Fei nodded with a grin.

"That's why I say this is the best era for scientific development. Spirit energy doesn't just extend our lives—it also enables the fusion of science and spirit energy, leading to the creation of immensely powerful spiritual weapons and equipment. The future of scientific development is a vast, uncharted blue ocean with infinite possibilities."

Looking into Mo Fei's hopeful gaze, Feng Qi felt deeply moved.

Originally, his focus had been on advancing humanity's cultivation capabilities to achieve an evolutionary leap in lifeforms, granting the power to combat domain creatures.

But after listening to Mo Fei's perspective, he realized the potential for scientific advancement was just as significant.

The current bottleneck lay in how to integrate science with spirit energy.

If this bottleneck could be overcome, it would herald the advent of new technologies like spiritual battle armor, spiritual firearms, and spiritual energy-powered weapons.

The conversation with Mo Fei gave Feng Qi a new framework for imagining the future development of human civilization.

Breaking through bottlenecks would take time, but he had plenty of that.

With every return from the Dream Realm, he brought 1,500 years' worth of technological progress. He was determined to overcome this bottleneck in scientific development.

Of course, it wouldn't happen right away.

The complexity of the issue was staggering, even just to think about.

Even if he found relevant materials in the future databases, bringing them back to the present would be a Herculean task.

Until he unlocked the "Infinite Memory" function mentioned by the narrator, he decided to hold off on advancing human civilization through scientific means.

It wasn't for lack of desire but rather a limitation of memory and resources.

Looking at the dwindling pages of his saved manuscript drafts, he clenched his fists and vowed to hold out.