174: Research competitions and the emergence of "bubble papers"

Research Competition and the Birth of "Bubble Papers"

The Golden Koi's incredibly "research-oriented" bubbles, like a single stone stirring up a thousand ripples, triggered a chain reaction inside and outside the Cloud Court. The Logic Federation and the Holy Land Alliance, these two major research factions, after their initial shock and confusion, simultaneously came up with an idea—can we also produce similar "achievements"?

A strangely formatted competition centered around "Cloud Court Rule Research" quietly began.

Logic Federation, "Eye of Logic" Space Station.

Dr. Li gathered all the top scientists, his tone more serious than ever: "Gentlemen, the situation is very clear. The entity inside GOD-001, its learning ability and adaptability far exceed our imagination. That Koi can imitate our research methods, which means our technical path is at least partially correct, but it also means the 'competition' we face... could come from any form!"

"We must accelerate our research pace and produce more substantial results! Otherwise, the Logic Federation's say in the Cloud Court research Domain might not even compare to a fish!"

The scientists felt immense pressure (and a touch of absurdity). They immediately adjusted their research direction, no longer content with just environmental monitoring and protocol deciphering, but instead began to attempt some more groundbreaking "active research" projects.

Using the limited permissions of the "visitor network," they cautiously guided the Chaos Qi Flow in the Cloud Court's periphery, attempting to construct a miniature, stable "Rule Singularity," hoping to observe the creation process of rules from disorder to order (Project Code: "Genesis Sandbox").

They began analyzing the massive data generated when the Artifact Spirit Collective's spiritual network interacted with the cloud court dao rhyme, trying to summarize more efficient "Rule Energy extraction algorithms" (Project Code: "Dao Rhyme Engine").

They even secretly launched a project called "Feasibility Pre-study of Consciousness Upload Interface," attempting to find the possibility of digitizing the consciousness of Federation scientists and safely connecting to the cloud court dao rhyme field through the "visitor network"—although at present, this seemed more like a fantasy.

Holy Land Alliance, "Cloud Study Research Alliance" Headquarters.

Several bigwigs who had returned from "enlightenment" in the polluted areas became the absolute core of the Alliance. Watching the bustling scientific research atmosphere on the Logic Federation's side, and then thinking about their own Sacred Koi's astonishing "research bubbles," they couldn't sit still either.

"The Sacred Koi has pointed the way for us!" The Master of Heavenly Secrets Pavilion declared passionately, "The Great Dao is simple, yet it can also be complex! Understanding rules does not necessarily require complex instruments; the key lies in method and mindset! We, too, must act!"

The research style of the Holy Land Alliance, after absorbing the "enlightenment" experience, became more... a combination of "metaphysics" and "practicality."

Heavenly Secrets Pavilion no longer merely deduced omens, but began to attempt to simulate and construct small-scale "Rule Models" using its own Dao Rhyme, such as weaving a miniature "Cycle of Stellar Birth and Death" with starlight, observing its differences and resonance with true Dao Rhyme (Project Name: "Universe in the Palm").

Myriad Grass Everlasting Spring Valley, utilizing the "strange grass" brought back from the polluted area and related cultivation experience, began large-scale cross-breeding and selection of various "mutated spiritual plants" that could grow in specific rule environments, attempting to create an "adaptive Dao Rhyme ecological garden" (Project Name: "Hundred Herbs Evolving Dao").

Thousand Illusions Sound and Rhythm Mansion had an even more imaginative idea; they were no longer content with "listening," but began to attempt to "play"! They selected Disciples with the strongest spiritual perception, holding specially made "Dao Rhyme Resonance Magical Artifacts," and played "segments of order" extracted from rule noise at the Cloud Court's boundary, attempting to use "music" to soothe and guide localized Chaos Qi Flow (Project Name: "Sound of Nature Shaping").

The Fierce Beast Star Domain was not idle either; Savage Bone led a group of the toughest warriors, daily conducting "resistance training" and "rule perception enhancement" in areas where rules were relatively active, under the guise of the "Physical Body Probe Project." Although the method was a bit crude, it indeed collected some first-hand data on the "texture" of rules that even precise instruments found difficult to capture.

Just as the two major factions were secretly competing, and various projects were in full swing, the Golden Koi in the Cloud Court pond once again made an astonishing move.

It seemed to feel that simple "analysis bubbles" could no longer satisfy its research desires. On this day, it summarized, concluded, and... "authored" its recent "research achievements" on pond sludge, aquatic plants, pebbles, and even other Koi!

It was seen facing the water, continuously spitting out more than a dozen "bubbles" with extremely complex structures, internal light and shadows flowing, as if containing complete logical chains and data analysis diagrams! These bubbles did not drift randomly, but were connected end-to-end, forming a complete, rigorously argued (in its own way) ... "Comprehensive Research Report on Local Ecosystem Rule Interaction and Optimization Paths in This Pond"!

This "paper," composed entirely of bubbles, floated in a corner of the pond, emitting a hazy and mysterious glow. The immense amount of information it contained, the unique analytical perspective, and the conclusions that were... (for a fish) earth-shattering, almost made Long Qianyuan, who accidentally swept it with his Divine Sense, pop his eyeballs out!

"I... I'll be! It... it can even write papers?!" Long Qianyuan felt his cognition refreshed once again, "If this thing were taken out, it would probably be directly awarded 'Outstanding Young Scholar of the Myriad Heavens and Worlds'?!"

He couldn't help but be curious and carefully "read" this "bubble paper" with his Divine Sense. The paper's content was all-encompassing, from the chaotic energy gradient distribution of the pond water quality to the correlation model between the photosynthetic efficiency of different aquatic plants and their rule affinity. It even included dynamic analysis and optimization suggestions for the "social behavior" ( 搶食, chasing) of other Koi (such as suggesting feeding by size and speed to improve overall feeding efficiency)... Although Long Qianyuan didn't quite understand many of the terms and models, the rigorous (for a fish) scientific research style left him awestruck.

The news simply could not be kept secret. Soon, both the Logic Federation and the Holy Land Alliance, through their respective channels, "studied" this epoch-making "document."

The scientists of the Logic Federation looked at the "paper" composed of bubbles, yet containing an astonishing density of information, and fell into collective silence. They found that their "Genesis Sandbox" and "Dao Rhyme Engine" models, which they had racked their brains to create, seemed so... crude and one-sided in the face of this fish's "comprehensive research report"?

"We... we might really need to re-evaluate the definition of 'intelligence,'" a senior academician murmured.

The bigwigs of the Holy Land Alliance had even more complicated feelings. Their projects like "Universe in the Palm" and "Hundred Herbs Evolving Dao" sounded grand, but actual progress was slow, and their effectiveness was questionable. In contrast, the Sacred Koi, without a sound, produced such a "hardcore" achievement! This gap... "This paper by the Sacred Koi aligns with the Heavenly Dao, profound in its subtle words!" The Master of Heavenly Secrets Pavilion forcibly interpreted, "Look at its suggestion for 'partitioned feeding,' doesn't it align with our principle of 'teaching according to aptitude' and 'each in their place'?"

Regardless of how shocked or interpreted by the outside world, the Golden Koi seemed quite satisfied with its "bubble paper." It swam around the paper a few times, then found a comfortable spot and began to... nap? As if after completing a major research task, it needed rest to replenish its energy.

Inside the Star Gazing Hall, Yun Feng's gaze swept over the floating "bubble paper," then looked at the two research factions outside, who were deep in thought and accelerating their internal competition because of a fish's paper, and the corners of his mouth slightly lifted.

"A single stone stirs up a thousand ripples," he said softly, a wisp of Chaos qi escaping from his fingertip, silently merging into the "paper," making its structure more stable and information flow smoother.

"It's just, I wonder, where will these ripples eventually lead?"

The research atmosphere of the Cloud Court was pushed to a new climax by a Koi's "paper." The boundary between science and metaphysics further blurred, and the dynamics of cooperation and competition became more subtle. Everyone realized that to truly understand the Cloud Court, there was still much, much to learn, perhaps even... how to emulate a fish.