Only I Walk Alone

This story revolves around a composer who spiraled from gloom to depression, and eventually, schizophrenia. He would often isolate himself at home for weeks, surviving on compressed food alone. He claimed that during these periods of solitude, he could hear his other self speaking.

Unquestionably, he was experiencing schizophrenia, but his condition was unique. His other self constantly offered words of comfort, encouraged him to live well, and even sang mysterious songs to him.

For a composer with few friends, this was like finding a soulmate, a friend who wholly supported him and a talented singer who didn’t mind him using these inexplicable songs.

Thus, whenever the composer felt overwhelmed or struggled to create music, he would seclude himself and converse with his other self.

However, human nature being inherently selfish, the composer, upon realizing his unique ability, wasn’t content with just composing music. He harbored greater ambitions, asking his other self how to make money, gain fame, win the affection of beautiful women, and even inquired about the Unified Field Theory.

Of course, asking himself for the Unified Field Theory was too high an ask. However, after frequently appearing in public and showcasing his talents in songwriting, composition, literature, and public speaking, he caught Xiao Chao’s attention.

Xiao Chao reported this to Wu Ge, who carefully reviewed the composer’s psychiatric history and wondered, “Is this like having a doppelganger?”

Xiao Chao replied, “Ji Tai, male, from the demon race, 37 years old, has severe schizophrenia. He underwent six months of treatment at XX psychiatric hospital and never returned after that. It was after this period that his compositions, song lyrics, poetry, and short stories began gaining popularity.”

Wu Ge pondered for a moment before asking, “Didn’t you mention before that in ancient Dan Dao practices, there’s a stage called ‘Dual Body Synchronization’?”

Xiao Chao explained, “According to ancient texts, ‘Dual Body Synchronization’ is indeed a method of creating a doppelganger, but it requires first achieving the ‘Yang Shen’ state.”

Wu Ge inquired, “What exactly is Yang Shen?”

Xiao Chao couldn’t clearly explain such a profound concept. Wu Ge wasn’t really asking Xiao Chao but was rather thinking aloud.

Wu Ge also contemplated his cultivation levels. Without a master or a reference, he had to explore and advance on his own, categorizing his journey into stages: Enlightenment, Breaking-Delusions, Out-of-Body, and Spirit Condensation. Currently, at the Spirit Condensation realm, his psychic power continued to grow without reaching a bottleneck.

There surely were stages beyond Spirit Condensation realm, but Wu Ge was unsure what they entailed. This was an entirely new path with hardly any guidance. Aside from nature itself, no one else could serve as his master.

Indeed, everyone could be his teacher in some way, just like Ji Tai, the demon race composer. His story intrigued Wu Ge.

Wu Ge mused, “Ji Tai’s case isn’t about having a doppelganger but rather about communicating with the subconscious or what could be termed as communicating with an inner god. The subconscious mind is immensely powerful, potentially hundreds of times stronger than the conscious mind. Thus, tapping into the subconscious can unleash endless creativity, technical skills, talents, and inspiration. Famous scientists like Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla had similar capabilities.”

Xiao Chao, after being with Wu Ge for over five hundred years, instantly understood what Wu Ge was getting at. It inquired, “Do you mean to teach scientists how to communicate with their inner god, thereby enhancing their research capabilities across the board?”

Wu Ge nodded, “Exactly, but I think we can take it a step further. I want to synchronize all scientists, allowing them to enter a societal-level Spirit Condensation state, similar to the Martians before us, giving them a collective boost to advance their research.”

While Wu Ge expressed this idea, Xiao Chao wasn’t entirely clear on how Wu Ge planned to implement it. Nonetheless, Xiao Chao supported Wu Ge’s initiative unconditionally.

Wu Ge immediately issued an order for all Earth’s scientists to halt their research, including those secretly working on the Unified Field Theory. He commanded a complete stop to all scientific endeavors, instructing them not even to think about their work.

Wu Ge explained, “Sometimes, when you’re stuck at an impasse, it helps to take a few steps back for a running start.”

He wanted all scientists to step back from pondering the Unified Field Theory, suggesting they revisit previously established scientific theories or technologies developed by ancient civilizations.

Wu Ge, having full control over the research sector, issued a new set of tasks to all Earth’s scientists.

His first task was papermaking. In the current era, paper had become a collector’s item, rarely used due to its inefficiency and wasteful nature in an electronic age.

Thus, no one had considered how paper was produced.

However, Wu Ge specifically ordered them to make paper without allowing them to consult any resources or communicate with each other. He wanted them to rely solely on their individual capabilities to produce paper.

This wasn’t like the era five hundred years ago, where students might not learn papermaking techniques but at least knew paper was made from pulp. Students of the current era were unaware of such outdated technologies.

Nevertheless, as it was an order from Wu Ge, scientists had no choice but to strive to fulfill it. Wu Ge promised a significant reward for the first person to complete this task. Given Wu Ge’s reputation, the successful individual would gain not only a financial reward but also fame and honor.

Therefore, all scientists began to independently research papermaking technology.

This research, seemingly unrelated to the Unified Field Theory, was designed to awaken the scientists’ genetic memories or stimulate their subconscious, their inner god.

In addition to this first task, Wu Ge had a second and third task in mind. He aimed to activate the inner god within all scientists and achieve their mental linkage. This linkage wasn’t about communication but a spiritual connection!