Not as ridiculous as some previous points were made, but in a broader view, why not a single "genius" was born?

Let me phrase it differently, you have the standard genius, for cultivation, like reached Sage Level in 10 years, WOW SUCH A GENIUS WOW! But why there is not a single "genius", great minds, like we have on Earth. In fact, there doesn't seem to be anyone even remotely interested in finding answers in the world they are living in. Could be anything, from Archimedes to Lavoisier, Newton, anyone? Why in the 100000000000000000 years (because each time, you had thousands of years to the story) that those countries existed, not a single peasant or officials began to ponder on basic things?

I mean, yes, cultivators exist, so why should they wonder about why gravity is present or stuff like that. But at the same time, isn't the comprehension of those laws part of the "DAO", never truly understood that term. I mean, the MC look at a pond created after two minutes of rain, and he immediately understands the Dao of Water. But no one else, like with the permanent regression of technologies and cultivation methods, wondered if it was possible for real humans, not cultivator, to still influence the world.

In that scope, I would greatly appreciate that one day, on any novels, just one, the MC stumbled on a mad human that was trying to sell one of his inventions to cultivators. Not something one cultivator created, with his Qi or the inner force of that world. No, just random Michel that was previously studying something came up with a principle similar to a water mill, allowing his country/city to be more prosper and show growth. Not asking a lot, but each time the MC looks at the peasants, it's like "they are weak, tired of working every day, dumb, dirty." There is never an aqueduct or even use things like black powder. I mean, the Chinese invented it, but I can't seem to recall a single time where I saw it. In cultivation novels, I speak, because in isekai like Release that Witch, yes, the white powder is used.

Loving the thread. Just a general comment on technology though: The tech tree of computer games is not an accurate depiction of how technology improves in human civilizations. Technology does not neatly "level up" to a certain state after the following prerequisites are met and by building the appropriate buildings and waiting a set amount of time.

According to wikipedia the stone age lasted about 3.4 million years. So a few million years of using literally stone age technology. So many thousand years of history is nothing in our history when it comes to technological advancements. We are currently living in a period of time where our technology level is improving at a literally unprecedented rate from what our ancestors would have experienced. Its not that there were no improvements in technology, but they were at a much slower pace. And technology and information was not shared as frequently as it is now.

And that does not take into account that technology levels can regress. The great pyramids of Giza were built ~2600BC. It would be thousands of years before buildings as tall would be constructed that tall in Europe. The method of making greek fire was lost. Presumably for forever. And even though they had a clear use for it, what with enemies all around. Some of whom eventually broke into their city, took it for their own and renamed it (and not before another group of enemies beat them to it first). Ancient mathematical proofs have been lost. Some probably for all time while others are being rediscovered. Some by mathematicians figuratively reinventing the wheel and some old documents are being recovered. The oldest are from thousands of years ago.

TL:DR version - Technology is a strange thing and does not progress at a set rate or even in a consistent direction. Our perspective on it is very skewed based on the period of time that we are living in.

    Yuyumamoru Are you asking for a Slice of life Cultivation novel?
    I'm sure they're out there but that niche would be a hard one to properly tightrope walk between staying casual and actually having interesting things happen on the cultivation side sans overused cliches.
    I've never read "Cultivation Chat Group" can anyone attest to it's similarities?

    Just thought of another one.
    When the MC is a lone cultivator and has no backing he's at the mercy of the Sects who all support each other. If he insults one of the members, all the others will put aside their differences and hunt him down to the bitter end. It is explained that the MC is only having troubles because he's not part of an organization, and that if he just joined one he wouldn't be having all of these problems. (But he wont because our Protagonist is just too Cool for School!)
    But then the next Novel will have an MC who has been in Familial Sect his entire life, but it's His Own Family Members that are holding him back and causing him problems, even though this MC is a really nice and cooperative person. And no matter how much he ends up doing for his Clan, or how many External threats he handles for them along the way, his main antagonists will always be the same kind of Proud Sons who refuse to cooperate with each other to keep Family harmony when it comes to the MC but will all lock arms and run into the Meat grinder when it's the Hero from the First example!
    Basically no matter who the MC is or where he comes from or what background he has, Everyone will bend over backwards and break all societal norms just to mess with him: His Cousins, his Clan Elders, other Clans, random Bandits and sometimes even the very Gods he prays to!

    For me, it's the culture, it makes no sense for a male dominated culture like ancient China, when female cultivators are no weaker than men of equal rank.

    mng I believe war, control and envy hindered technology advancements for those times. Leonardo Di Vinci formed blueprints of an aeroplane, but various "Holy Wars" ensured those designs weren't implemented. It wasn't until the Wright Brothers came along that the designs of a plane could literally take flight.

    As human beings who crave for advancement we also self-sabortage our technological growth by caving to our dark sides (war, mass destruction and so forth).

    Well that's my take anyway. :smile_cat:

      Yuyumamoru you should try lady cultivator!
      the FL/MC is basically just trying to cultivate so that she's safe from other people who want to use her for her constitution. it's not the most slice of life, but she's not all about revenge & the romance hasn't really played a big part yet. I think you'll like it if you haven't read it yet. :)

      Veronica8 War is the single most efficient catalyst for advancing technology (tanks, satellite, missiles, firearms, armor, computers - computers and AI were the result of military research, medical - firstaid kits and field dressings, chemical warfare which are in turn converted to fertilizers and daily household products, etc.). Look at World War II and the Great Acceleration. Or World War I and planes and tanks. Or ships and naval warfare.

      Funny you said holy wars hindered Di Vinci's attempts to build a plane, but then completely ignored the role World War I and World War II played in advancing flight and airplane technology.

        NIUr There is no nerf happening XD in scripted work of art. Talking about ygo battle that will last many turns in YGO TV stories, yet 1 turn win in reality-game. It's not scripted.

          Veronica8 Right before, but they only developed a prototype. It was the military who saw the potential airplanes had for combat, and so they basically accelerated the technological advancement and development of planes far beyond anything the Wright Brothers conceived (lightweight frame, machine gun emplacements, more powerful engines, increased speed and mobility, armor - though obviously they couldn't put too much armor or it'll weigh the plane down, etc.). If I'm not mistaken, commercial passenger planes were actually based off military plane technology, and the improvements the military first made.

            hyowhari that they get to meet/get something that will help them for a lifetime. Like they have a respective Senior White to pray on, or just be plain lucky/unFORTUNATE like ShuHang.😂
            Something like a lucky trigger for the character development, which I think is funny. IRL no one is that lucky anyway, we just have to find the right motivation.

              Yuyumamoru Try Cultivation Chat Group, easygoing cultivation novel with a lil good luck and bad luck combined, and the comedy

                i dont have many comment on this, well its always either bad writing or just the lazy author you decide it

                first rule, the worst possible condition ever possible when the mc was born
                second rule, theres always sky beyond the sky and mc is just a frog at the bottom of the well dreaming to reach the highest sky
                third rule, 10.1/10 luck stat. this is the shitty one. mc find inheritances lying around, 'somehow' strong people help you when mc in a pinch, etc etc
                fourth rule, Auction

                every generic cultivation novel out there is just a copy paste of one work to another with new name and new settings, you cant deny this
                of course theres some good one like ccg but its just that rare

                  Pill shit defying heaven!!!! this plot is the most boring shit to me. sadly, many novels abide by this pill shit rules.
                  pill can be and do almost everything under heaven such as cure diseases, dope cultivation, use as weapons, grow severed limbs and etc.

                  another is MC is the walking wikipedia (mostly reincarnate plot). dear authors ever heard of butterfly effect theory?

                  Arrogant bastards, the whole world fills with arrogant people. these bastards view others as insects but become losers eventually.

                  Auction shit, like someone said, MC either can make money himself to but many things in auction or buy cheap looking shit but the truth is it s godly artifact with heaven defy cheat ability.

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