ACC Chapter 18 Spark
An emotional state is like a quantum bit. Fluctuations from the outside, can influence it into different states.
As my divine sense replayed the scene within each of the audience's minds, resonating with Livia's to form something greater than just my own perspective, I could feel the fluctuations of the soul, the origin of the emotional fluctuations on the physical body.
Very few, managed to not flinch, or have their pupils widen when the Devil spoke for the first time. At the time, even Livia and I had been creeped out by the voice transmission, as if some creepy horror had just crawled out of some unknown dimension.
Fear and terror had briefly flickered across even the gazes of those at the same stage as me. Even though they had managed to regain their composure within an instant, I had managed to detect the fluctuations within their aura.
Their loss of composure was warranted. A Devil wasn't something we could face with an absolute chance at victory at our levels. Why? Because they were very skilled within the art of the soul. Even with our formidable prowess as Nascent Souls... Within the domain of souls, we were akin to infants in the presence of an adult.
All manner of complicated spells, capable of manipulating the soul were within their grasp, including ones that could outright snuff us out in an instant. No manner of defences could impede an attack to the soul except for Deity arts and Soul arts.
So far, no one existed within both our Demon and Human civilizations, capable of pulling out a soul art.
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"Wow! I must say, all of you are brave bastards! Why? Because you didn't piss your pants! That was horrifying!"
Jessica, the host, patted her chest in playful exaggeration, eliciting some minor chuckles from the crowd.
"Now that everyone has experienced that captured moment in time, what are your thoughts on the matter of civilisations, Mr. Nikolai?"
"When I had proposed my scale, people had disagreed with it, thinking that I had exaggerated the starting point of level one. But for those of you capable of detecting soul auras, what did you glean from the Devil?"
"There had been disdain and mockery within. Even when it had detected the hunting squad, there had been no real panic in the soul aura." Someone answered from within the crowd.
"But we all know that Devils are cunning existences... And coupled with their expertise in the soul..." Another voice in the crowd brought up a valid point.
I was paying attention to Nikolai, wondering how he was going to solve the conundrum.
"You bring up a worthy argument. But, if you focus upon the conversation, you'd pick up something from in between the lines. The Devils have lived much longer than us. And what does that entail exactly? Knowledge!"
"Even if they have had to deal with being locked up within a separate dimension, curbing their understanding of the known universe severely... How many species are there? And how many of them have undergone the Nascent Soul tribulation? Countless! Just by possessing them, the volume of knowledge they have accrued is immense! We all know that the Devils have a way of communicating with those still trapped within the dimension, from our years of research. What makes you think that they lack a method of passing back information from the minds of those possessed?"
Nikolai appeared to have been riled up, with glowing eyes that conveyed his immense excitement.
"What about you, miss Livia? You are the foremost expert in array technology, specifically, the micro aspect. And you have been vocal about agreeing with Mr. Reed, that Mr. Nikolai's scale doesn't take technology into consideration. What do you think about the Devil's words? Do you believe that technology can go far?" Jessica turned her attention to Livia. Her question was loaded with traps that even the layman could see. This was going to start an argument.
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"I believe technology has a part to play, Jessica. Most people look down upon it, thinking that ultimately, its just a foil for cultivation. But look at the recent results brought upon by Reed's invention, the Auto-Cul! It has changed the lives of many!"
"...in the past, even with abundant spiritual energy, it took years to reach the peak of Spirit Gathering. Mind you, the child had to start cultivating at around ten years old, because that was when they could understand our explanations on how to absorb spirit energy. Even transmitting such knowledge via divine sense had been a useless endeavor because their feeble minds would explode."
"Nikolai, in your scale of civilizations, there is a remarkable lack of technology, as if its impact upon a species is minute... But I don't agree with such thoughts."
"But Livia, look at the data. Even those weapons developed to counter Deities are too slow and cumbersome, not to mention the fact that they have long charging times. With such snail-like speeds, a Deity Transformation powerhouse would have already destroyed it before it could even land a single hit. The reason technology hasn't been included in my scale is because no one has come up with a technology I believe can help cultivators challenge a higher level."
"... Technology has grown immensely, but so far, have we managed to develop equipment that has allowed a Spirit Gathering disciple to challenge a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment realm? No! Some have tried, but no one has yet to succeed at such an endeavor. So, claiming that those large weapons are capable of putting up a fight against a Deity Transformation stage powerfouse is laughable."
I had been listening attentively, having become sucked into the argument to the point that I had temporarily forgotten my nervousness. But those last words, triggered me.
"Nikolai, what if there is a civilisation out there, capable of creating tailor-made cores, thereby making achieving Core Formation as simple as drinking tea, or another that has developed a way to create artificial foundations for those entering the Foundation Establishment stage, or another one, where Spirit Gathering can be completed in a day as they have an advanced version of my invention. What about the possibility of an armor capable of allowing a lower stage to challenge a higher stage? What I am trying to say here is simple. We, humans, are just babies within the wider universe. Our technology simply hasn't grown enough! So, dismissing its importance now is a bit hasty."
I was practically glaring at the man. This point of mine was valid enough to overturn many of his arguments.
"You bring a valid argument to the table, Mr. Reed. What about you, members of the audience? What are your thoughts on the matter?" Jessica took advantage of the lull to involve the audience.
"Mr. Reed, though I agree with you, some of your hypothesized theories are simply too outlandish. Like, how can a civilisation simply manufacture Core Formations? The Devil already spoke about being banished to another dimension for defying the heavens. What would such a civilisation do to curb lightning tribulations?"
I smiled at the Nascent Soul in the crowd. That was why these people were stuck in their realms. They lacked the audacity to dream! And what was that flicker of fear within his soul aura? We cultivators are meant to defy the heavens! Those Devils just lost the battle. What if there were civilisations out there that had managed to win?
"That's the beauty of technology. Would you have imagined that even a baby could advance within the Spirit Gathering stage in the past? Would you have imagined that space farms capable of growing spirit plants were possible a few centuries back? No! But here we are." I answered his question, upon which his soul aura indicated that he had sunk into rumination.
Minutes passed as we engaged in discussion, with people within the crowd chiming in with questions or doubts, or even just supplementing our conversation. My nervousness had been forgotten and flung into the depths of my mind as we argued with Nikolai.
Even with our reasonable refutations of Nikolai's disregard for technology, there were still part of the crowd supporting him. We also had supporters, but there were those that were neutral, simply content to add in some little things to the argument.
When the atmosphere was at its peak, I noticed someone I hadn't been paying much attention to during the arguments. He was standing at the edge of the crowd, looking straight at us with a weird smile plastered across his face, which caused my heart to skip a beat.
"Ladies! Gentlemen! Before we agree to disagree, there is a question I would like to pose to our fellow daoists..."
Miller's starting words captured the attention of the crowd. The foreboding feeling within me gained traction as his face adopted a serious expression, tinged with a touch of worry. This was an award worthy performance!
"Mr. Reed, Mr. Nikolai, and Miss Livia..." With every name that rolled off the man's tongue, his gaze stabbed through us.
"... You three are involved in the Deity Maker project. A revolutionary method with the aid of advanced array technology, to help the President ascend to the Deity Transformation stage. But, there have been concerns about the stored spiritual energy. That, should any of the arrays running the storage facility ever fail, life in the entire solar system would be wiped out. Many of those working with you proposed such concerns, but you haven't even slowed down, or taken the appropriate cautionary measures."
By the time he had finished, I had paled and frozen, with my mind having entered a daze. There had been a tacit understanding with the Sects to keep that project from the public.
None of us had even anticipated the Sects to expose such a thing!
With that question, my nervousness and uncomfortableness due to public gatherings returned in full force as the gathered crowd erupted with questions and mayhem.