Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

The nightclub.

The first floor was a place for blowing off steam, while the second and third floors had private rooms for people to rest.

”Wuh Tian” was a regular on the third floor.

He would hang out with his colleagues on the first floor for a while before finding an excuse to come up to the third floor to rest.

Of course,

he was actually resting.

But others clearly didn’t think so.

Inside the massive Rehabilitation Pod, filled to the brim with a pale blue nutrient solution, a bare-chested Zhu Ju lay submerged, letting the fluid soak his entire body, every cell relaxing in response.

HISS...

The door slid open.

The policewoman, Cheng Rong, all made up, walked in pushing a small cart laden with massage supplies.

”Mr. Wuh.”

Cheng Rong approached and spoke in a low voice:

”I’ll be giving you your massage today.”

”Hmm...” Zhu Ju’s eyes remained closed, but his eyelids twitched slightly.

”A new scent. Are you new here?”

”Yes.”

Cheng Rong nodded.

”I just started.”

Seeing that Zhu Ju had no intention of opening his eyes, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, her tense body relaxing slightly.

The uniform this club provided for its female staff was, in her opinion, a bit much. The skin-tight hot pants and lace mesh top were things Cheng Rong had never worn, not even in her younger, more daring days.

It didn’t matter much outside in the dim lighting, but here in the room, she couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious.

She composed herself.

Her gaze fell upon Zhu Ju, and her expression froze for a moment.

’So beautiful!’

It was rare to use the word ”beautiful” to describe a man, especially one with rugged features.

But that was Cheng Rong’s first reaction.

Zhu Ju’s face was unremarkable, but his body was long and lean, with proportions so perfect they were outrageous.

He had well-defined muscles that weren’t menacing, and his streamlined physique was like a work of art.

”What are you doing?”

”Ah!”

Startled by his voice, Cheng Rong realized she had unconsciously placed her hand on Zhu Ju’s chest. Her cheeks flushed red, and she quickly pulled her hand back.

’Looks like it’s been too long since my divorce. I can’t believe I have so little self-control.’

”I... I’m here to help you relax, sir.”

She bit her lip and glanced at the syringe needle on the cart.

”Do you need an injection?”

”We just got a new batch of premium stuff. It can give you the ultimate mental pleasure.”

”No need.” Zhu Ju’s voice was flat.

”Just the massage.”

’Hm?’

A glint appeared in Cheng Rong’s lovely eyes.

She couldn’t put her finger on it, but this ”Wuh Tian” in front of her seemed different from the one in her files.

Very different!

Taking a deep breath, she slowly nodded.

”Yes.”

’Injecting the Truth Serum would be most effective, and he wouldn’t remember anything afterward. But since he refused the shot, letting the liquid seep into his body through the massage will have to do.’

’It’ll just take a little longer.’

Glancing down at Zhu Ju’s physique, Cheng Rong subconsciously swallowed, a wave of heat rising within her.

’It’s not like I’m the one losing out here!’

She took out the liquid, poured it into her hands, and rubbed them together gently to help it evaporate before pressing them lightly against Zhu Ju’s chest.

”Sir... just... relax.”

Cheng Rong’s face was burning. She lowered her head and began to slowly knead his muscles, feeling them shift and roll beneath her palms.

BEEP!

A nearby shelf suddenly slid to the side, and a graceful figure emerged from the opening.

’Huh?’

’A hidden room!’

Cheng Rong tensed up.

There was a hidden room, and someone was inside it. This was not part of her plan.

Fortunately, the person who walked out of the secret room only glanced at her without asking any questions.

But the look in her eyes was a bit strange.

As if she were surprised to find someone else here.

Shaking her head, the newcomer carefully took a chip from a metal box and placed it on the Rehabilitation Pod.

”Sir.”

”This is the smart chip from the Federation’s First Research Institute. It contains the foundational logic of all current intelligent systems.”

”Intelligent systems...” Zhu Ju’s voice was slow. ”They’re just glorified data analysis tools. After algorithm optimization, their ability to analyze massive datasets far exceeds that of a normal person, but they can’t be considered truly intelligent beings.”

”The Federation is constantly adjusting the definition of an intelligent being,” the woman replied, holding a tablet. ”Take Fuxi from the Celestial Wealth Commerce Association, for example. Its ’IQ’ has already far surpassed that of a normal person.”

”From the perspective of an intelligent being, what we call Spirituality is nothing more than a flaw, an irregular calculation. It’s not something to be proud of.”

”That’s not it,” Zhu Ju said. ”The existence of Spirituality lies in its unique reaction in a higher dimension. It’s not just simple, rule-based calculation.”

On this point, the people of this world couldn’t see it nearly as clearly as he could.

The Primordial Spirit!

That is the true foundation of all living things.

No matter how clever artificial intelligence or intelligent systems become, no matter how powerful their data-processing capabilities, they can never touch it.

Crouching beside Zhu Ju, Cheng Rong’s eyes showed her confusion.

The ”Wuh Tian” in the files was just an uneducated, low-level punk. How could he know anything about artificial intelligence? And why couldn’t she understand a word he was saying?

She had pursued advanced studies at a High-Level Academy; even her knowledge of the liberal arts was considerable.

Wait a minute!

Her eyes flashed as her gaze fell upon the woman beside them.

Dai Duoduo!

This woman was the ”genius” discovered by Celestial Sound Entertainment eight years ago. She had a perfect face and figure, an incredibly high IQ, and even her Martial Arts Cultivation was not to be underestimated.

She was the undisputed number one draft pick of that year.

She later disappeared for unknown reasons, and even the Security Department couldn’t find any leads. And now, she was here.

HSSS!

The strange, eerie sound made the emotionally turbulent Cheng Rong slowly turn her head. Her beautiful eyes then flew wide open.

She saw the Skin and Flesh between Zhu Ju’s eyebrows split open. Countless hair-thin threads of blood emerged, coiling around the chip on the Rehabilitation Pod.

’What is that?’

The color drained from Cheng Rong’s face.

Her right eye had been modified, so she could see with perfect clarity.

The bloody threads emerging from between Zhu Ju’s eyebrows weren’t just ten or a hundred strands, but over one hundred thousand of them.

The threads, nearly invisible to the naked eye, made contact with the chip and penetrated it, breaking it down and dissolving it bit by bit.

Soon, a bizarre chip, twisted together from flesh and blood, reappeared in its place.

”Using neurons to replace virtual signals, using the brain as a processor... neural chips are still in the experimental stage.”

Dai Duoduo watched this scene unfold, her voice filled with awe. ”Sir, if you were to publish this research, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation in the scientific community. It might even trigger a technological explosion.”

”My body is special, that’s the only reason I can do this. Others can’t,” Zhu Ju said evenly. ”Just the energy required to power the chip’s data analysis capabilities would be enough to suck a person dry.”

”Sir,” Dai Duoduo asked curiously, ”why are you doing all this?”

Ever since he had rescued her from the Doctor’s research institute, she had been helping Zhu Ju.

Her tasks were simple: collect various intelligent subsystems and analyze their foundational logic.

She also collected all sorts of algorithms.

After several months of working with him, Dai Duoduo’s respect for Zhu Ju had grown into outright adoration.

His deductive and analytical abilities, powered by his own strength, were in no way inferior to the most advanced intelligent systems.

She knew that even with algorithmic optimization, the energy consumption for an intelligent system’s calculations and evolutions was still terrifying.

It required a large corporation or conglomerate to build a dedicated power system just to support it.

But this man before her...

As a single person, his deductive power was comparable to that of a massive corporation.

Zhu Ju just smiled faintly and said nothing.

In his field of vision, several partially filled energy bars appeared, representing the progress of his deductions.

Blood Flesh Martial Dao!

Refining Sword into Silk!

Myriad Phenomena Celestial Attraction, Tier Two!

Among them, the energy bar for Blood Flesh Martial Dao was only one-third full, while Refining Sword into Silk was already at fifty percent.

The Tier Two Myriad Phenomena Celestial Attraction had reached about ninety percent.

All of this was derived from his calculations and evolutions; it was as if Zhu Ju had built a system for himself.

When an energy bar filled up, it meant the deduction was successful.

”A data-based system!”

However, the ”system” was still in its early stages, and the progress bars weren’t set in stone.

”If there’s nothing else...”

Seeing Zhu Ju lost in thought, Dai Duoduo bowed and said, ”I’ll take my leave.”

”Not so fast.” Zhu Ju slowly opened his eyes, let out a breath of turbid air, and sat up in the Rehabilitation Pod. ”Help me change the nutrient solution.”

”Yes.”

Dai Duoduo acknowledged.

’?’

Cheng Rong’s eyes narrowed, her gaze fixed on the nutrient solution. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

She hadn’t noticed before, or perhaps she’d ignored it, but the liquid in the Rehabilitation Pod wasn’t just any ordinary nutrient solution.

It was...

High-Level Nutrient Solution!

This was something that even a rich person earning a million Credit Points a year would only buy a cup of to drink once in a while.

And now, someone was using it to take a bath!

”One more thing.”

Zhu Ju stood up, letting the viscous nutrient solution slide slowly off his body. He glanced down at Cheng Rong, whose expression was shifting rapidly, and said, ”Have Wang Qiang come here.”

”Yes.”

Dai Duoduo acknowledged.

...

Wang Qiang was a short, skinny man with dark skin and features that exuded a shrewd cunning.

He was also the person in charge here.

People like him were resourceful and not lacking in strength. In the Underworld, he was considered a somebody.

But now, he was standing obediently before Zhu Ju.

Cheng Rong’s body was taut. She feigned continuing the massage for Zhu Ju, but in reality, the steel needle hidden on her person was ready. If anything went wrong, she could erupt in an instant, subdue Zhu Ju, and use him as a hostage to escape.

She had never expected the situation to turn out like this.

Wuh Tian!

He was definitely not some lowlife from the bottom of society!

What was his real identity? Why had he infiltrated the Celestial Wealth Commerce Association under the guise of Wuh Tian?

What was his goal?

”Sir.”

Wang Qiang’s eyes flickered.

”You were looking for me?”

”Mhm.” Lying in the Rehabilitation Pod, Zhu Ju enjoyed the massage while simultaneously performing Refinement on the nutrient solution. ”I’ve heard rumors recently that the club is forcing women to service clients?”

’Hm?’

Cheng Rong’s heart stirred, and she pricked up her ears.

”That’s impossible!” Wang Qiang shook his head. ”Sir, the nightclub is like a casino. We only make the money we’re supposed to make. There’s no need to stir up that kind of trouble. The men who look for women at a place like this are never rich. The money we’d make servicing them is small, but the trouble they cause is big. It’s not worth the loss.”

”Besides...”

”The wealth gap in Funeng City is so huge, there are plenty of women willing to sell themselves. We just provide the venue; we don’t get involved in anything else.”

”Mhm.” Zhu Ju nodded. ”Where there’s demand, there’s a market. But there’s no need to get involved in that kind of business. It just dirties your hands.”

”Then... why have women been disappearing from here?”

”Sir,” Wang Qiang said, looking completely baffled, ”I don’t understand what you mean.”

”Heh...” Zhu Ju chuckled lightly. ”You should know that the Security Department has a special drug that can make people tell their hidden secrets.”

”Look.”

He gestured toward the Che next to Cheng Rong.

”There’s a dose right here.”

”Are you going to tell me yourself? Or do you want her to give you a shot and *then* tell me everything?”

Wang Qiang’s expression froze.

Cheng Rong’s expression was equally strange.

’I’ve been exposed?’

’When did that happen?’