Chapter 559: Life Inside the Wormhole?

Li Banfeng entered the academic lecture hall at Yuezhou University to witness an academic debate. Such debates were rare at Yuezhou University and uncommon throughout the entire country of Huang.

Typical academic conferences involved inviting several industry experts as guests to deliver reports in their specialized fields. Even during the discussion segments, participants would share experiences from their research processes, guided by a moderator. Today, however, the situation was entirely different. There were no formal presentations; instead, the session immediately moved into discussion. The two main guests held completely opposing views on many academic issues, and their discussion was highly likely to evolve into a full-fledged debate.

The primary topic for discussion today was gravitational tidal forces during the process of traversing a wormhole.

Li Banfeng found a seat in the back row of the hall and sat down. Professor Song, who had achieved significant research results in the field of wormholes and was one of the conference guests, was not seated near him. She sat in the front row, ready to participate in the discussion.

On the stage, the undisputed authority in the domestic wormhole field, 72-year-old Professor Yan Youjun, began speaking. He had prepared neither slides nor speaking notes, as in his view, today's topic did not warrant any preparation.

"The tidal effect experienced by a traveler passing through a wormhole must be sufficiently small; this is a fundamental requirement for traversable wormholes. Honestly, I don't see any point in debating such a topic. What do you think, Yu?" Yan Youjun took a sip of tea, and with a benevolent smile, looked at 48-year-old Yu Yaoming.

At 48, Yu Yaoming was no longer considered young in most fields, but in front of Yan Youjun, he had to maintain the demeanor of a junior.

"It's not just him," a female student sitting to Li Banfeng's left adjusted her glasses and whispered to him, "In the domestic wormhole field, any academic argument that contradicts Yan Youjun's understanding is considered absurd, childish, and not worth debating."

Li Banfeng did not look at the female student or respond. He continued listening to Professor Yan Youjun's explanation: the so-called tidal effect refers to the difference in gravitational forces experienced by different parts of an object within a non-uniform gravitational field. To give a simple example, if a person were to fall headfirst into a black hole, their head would be closer to the black hole, and their feet farther away. The head would experience a stronger gravitational pull, while the feet would experience a relatively weaker one. At a certain distance, the gravitational difference between the two points would be enough to tear a person apart—this is the tidal effect.

"The same applies to wormholes," Yan Youjun took another sip of tea. "In extreme cases, the tidal effect of a wormhole is no different from that of a black hole, and most wormholes cannot possibly be traversable. Based on these common understandings, I truly believe there's no need for debate on this topic. Of course, many people present here aren't entirely clear on the concept of wormholes, so I can briefly introduce some fundamental knowledge. A wormhole, also known as a spacetime conduit, is a narrow tunnel in the universe that connects two different regions of space, serving as a means to achieve long-distance spatial travel in a short amount of time—."

Listening to Yan Youjun's explanation, the female student again spoke to Li Banfeng: "Look how nauseating he is. He knows it's common knowledge, yet he deliberately elaborates on it, as if explaining the quadratic formula to a mathematician, or as if the other person is a beginner student. Yan Youjun loves to use this method to suppress and disgust others."

The method was indeed quite off-putting. Initially, Li Banfeng had found Yan Youjun's explanation easy to understand and rather helpful for an outsider like himself. However, after finishing the basic theory, he proceeded to discuss the history of wormhole research, from the earliest concept proposed by Austrian physicists in the early last century to the later connections between general relativity and wormholes. Yan Youjun repeatedly used fundamental knowledge to lecture a scientist who had already made significant contributions in the academic field, much like an elder instructing a renowned chef on the uses of soy sauce.

"Wormholes are far from a new field of scientific research. Countless predecessors have already shown us the way. Our efforts should be directed towards finding newer achievements in the right direction, not wasting our valuable time on meaningless disputes. Even an undergraduate physics student can clearly explain the concept of tidal effects. If this issue still requires an academic discussion in a professional setting, I find it shameful and laughable!"

After nearly half an hour of explaining basic knowledge, the old professor finally made his point clear. In his view, Yu Yaoming was nothing more than a clown who couldn't even grasp fundamental concepts.

The female student sitting next to him said to Li Banfeng, "If I remember correctly, you didn't continue your studies after graduating with your bachelor's degree, right?"

Li Banfeng gave a dry laugh. "You still remember me?"

The female student chuckled, "How could I not remember you? How many times have you rejected me since high school?"

This female student was Fang Yufei. She had been Li Banfeng's classmate in high school and had confessed her feelings to him once in her second year, only to be rejected. After the college entrance exam, Fang Yufei had offered to visit Li Banfeng's home, but was rejected again, as Li Banfeng was living under a bridge at the time and it was inconvenient to receive guests. Both of them were admitted to Yuezhou University, though in different majors. During their university years, Fang Yufei confessed her feelings to Li Banfeng three more times, all met with rejection. Even today, at the academic conference, Fang Yufei surprisingly still recognized Li Banfeng.

Her feelings for Li Banfeng were unique, but recognizing a 'Cloud-Dwelling Cultivator' among a crowd was not something that could be explained by mere emotion alone.

Fang Yufei smiled as she looked at Li Banfeng. After more than two years apart, she was still as beautiful as ever. She had been the class beauty in high school, and in the College of Science during university, only Lu Xiaolan was her equal. However, she was different from Lu Xiaolan, who barely passed all her exams, sometimes even requiring He Jiaqing's help. During her undergraduate studies, Fang Yufei's academic performance was consistently at the top of the entire College of Science. After taking the postgraduate entrance exam, she became a graduate student at another renowned university in Yuezhou. Such an outstanding girl was never short of admirers.

Currently, one such admirer was by her side: Han Yuelong. He was in the same major as Fang Yufei but had a different supervisor. Han Yuelong had come to this academic conference today simply to spend more time with Fang Yufei. Han Yuelong didn't know Li Banfeng, but upon overhearing their conversation, he noticed their unusually close relationship. So, he deliberately taunted Li Banfeng: "You're only a bachelor's graduate? Then you'd better not come to conferences like this. Even if you're just here to watch, you should consider the occasion. There's too much here you won't understand."

Li Banfeng remained silent. If he hadn't received private tutoring from Professor Song recently, there was indeed much he wouldn't have understood.

Fang Yufei turned to Han Yuelong, "You say he doesn't understand, but what do *you* understand? Do you know more than he does?"

Han Yuelong was somewhat indignant. "I'm a third-year graduate student, and this is my research area. I'm at least an insider. Are you comparing me to an undergraduate?"

"An insider?" Fang Yufei chuckled, shaking her head as she laughed. "You're not an insider. In this academic lecture hall, true insiders are few and far between—you can count them on one hand."

Han Yuelong grew angry. Although he was actively pursuing Fang Yufei, her words seemed to have wounded his pride. "Then by your standards, what level does one need to reach to be considered an insider?"

Fang Yufei looked at the podium, her eyes filled with respect and admiration. "Listen to what the insiders have to say. This knowledge wasn't meant for you to know, but it's enough to benefit you for a lifetime."

After Yan Youjun's lengthy lecture concluded, the other professor, 48-year-old Yu Yaoming, finally had an opportunity to speak.

"The focus of today's discussion is whether the tidal effect experienced by a traveler passing through a wormhole must be sufficiently small as a necessary condition for traversing it. Professor Yan just explained that if the tidal effect is too great, a person approaching a wormhole would be torn into fragments, becoming elementary particles. This indeed sounds like a matter of common sense. But we've overlooked another question: What state would this person approaching the wormhole be in at that moment? What form would their life take? Under conditions of severe spatial distortion, would their body still be affected by the tidal effect?"

Yan Youjun took the microphone from the moderator and directly interrupted Yu Yaoming: "Are these statements of yours based on theoretical evidence, or are they purely products of wild imagination? If it's just your imagination, I see no need to waste my time with you here."

Yu Yaoming chuckled, "Professor Yan, this is just a hypothesis I formed during my research. Of course, I've conducted extensive mathematical proofs for this hypothesis. Although some parts of the theory still have issues in their derivation, the overall idea is very clear. For example—"

Just as Yu Yaoming displayed his derivation process on the large screen, Yan Youjun interrupted him mid-sentence: "Don't think that mathematical proof can solve all problems. You could also use mathematics to prove that this world is two-dimensional, but what would be the point of proving such a hypothesis?"

Fang Yufei said with a grim expression, "That ignorant old man! Interrupting others multiple times. Look how ill-mannered he is!"

Han Yuelong exclaimed, "Professor Yan Youjun is a titan in this field; he's internationally recognized! How can you call him ignorant?"

Fang Yufei said scornfully, "He's only recognized by a bunch of laymen. He's lived all these years for nothing; he knows nothing about wormholes."

Han Yuelong replied, "That's going too far. So many experts are here today specifically for Professor Yan. You're saying he knows nothing? Are all these experts blind? Are they all fools?"

"Yes," Fang Yufei nodded, first looking at Han Yuelong, then at Li Banfeng. "They are all blind, all fools. You are the same, and I used to be the same."

Fang Yufei's gaze lingered on Li Banfeng. "I once thought you were so special, so different. But actually, you're no different from them—just as ignorant and foolish. I'm ashamed of myself, for having such limited understanding of wisdom, life, and this world, that I genuinely believed you were an extraordinary person and wasted so much emotion and fantasy on you. Fortunately, you are lucky. You've come to the right place today. Use your eyes to witness, your ears to listen, and carefully observe the power hidden within wisdom."

Han Yuelong thought Fang Yufei was acting very strangely today; she seemed overly excited.

Li Banfeng paid little attention to Fang Yufei's state; he was engrossed in Yu Yaoming's presentation slides. Yu Yaoming presented his derivation process piece by piece on the slides: "Among the life forms we know, there is a threshold value for enduring tidal effects. Exceeding this limit would damage the molecular structure of our bodies. This is a basic assumption based on our current knowledge, because none of us have truly approached a wormhole, and no one knows what changes we might undergo near or within one. If we consider an alternative hypothesis, we might transform from carbon-based life to silicon-based life. Our life forms might break down their current molecular structures, or even atomic structures, to adapt to the extreme changes near the wormhole. Alternatively, our structure itself might not change, but under the influence of some energy, negative energy density could appear in localized areas, creating a relatively stable environment near the wormhole—"

Yan Youjun chuckled and interrupted Yu Yaoming again: "Professor Yu, did you seriously consider what you were going to say before you came here? Don't even talk about atomic structure. Even if molecular structure changes, would life still be called life? If you burn a living person to ashes, do you think that person can come back to life?"

"That analogy is inappropriate," Yu Yaoming continued, displaying his derivation. "Burning a living person to ashes doesn't involve a change in the fundamental nature of space, whereas a change in the fundamental nature of space can bring adaptive evolution to the environment and to life."

"You talk about evolution? With humanity's current scientific understanding, we can't even fully reconstruct the evolutionary history of life. And you're telling me life will evolve near a wormhole? Don't you feel like a comedian when you say such things?" Yan Youjun found it absurd and was ready with more aggressive words.

Several experts watching the debate from below began to grow restless. They turned their gaze toward the conference organizer, Vice-Chancellor Lu Jianpeng.

"Old Lu, is it appropriate to make the atmosphere so tense?"

"This is hardly an academic conference anymore; those two are almost coming to blows. Where's the atmosphere for scholarly discussion?"

"I think this is precisely the atmosphere an academic discussion should have," Lu Jianpeng said, highly satisfied with the current situation. "How were academic conferences done before? Five or six experts would take turns giving reports, then give interviews, and praise each other. After the exchange, those on stage felt comfortable from the flattery, while those in the audience were nearly falling asleep. After it dispersed, the field remained the same, the structure remained the same. What could possibly be achieved?"

The people around him fell silent. They noticed that Vice-Chancellor Lu was also speaking quite assertively today, seemingly influenced by the atmosphere on stage. He was indeed influenced; this was his original intention in organizing this conference. He wanted to change the landscape of wormhole research and garner more attention for the field.

On stage, Yu Yaoming and Yan Youjun's debate grew increasingly fierce. Every point Yu Yaoming made was refuted by Yan Youjun, and every one of Yan Youjun's rebuttals was met with a counterattack from Yu Yaoming.

"Professor Yan, biological evolution is the process of adapting to the environment. For this, I conducted specialized research in biology. The speed of biological evolution under extreme conditions is astonishing—"

Yan Youjun interrupted Yu Yaoming again: "Don't talk about research. You were originally a biology student, your undergraduate degree was in biology, you switched to astronomy during your master's, and then to quantum physics for your doctorate. Nowadays, in academia, everyone talks about breaking down disciplinary barriers, mixing unrelated fields together. You confuse experts from various fields, publish papers quickly, and win many awards. Is this what you call academic research?"

Fang Yufei clenched her teeth in the audience. "This old man is starting personal attacks! That's all he's capable of!"

Han Yuelong asked beside her, "Yufei, do you care about Professor Yu that much? Just because he's your supervisor, you can't stand to see him suffer even a little injustice?"

Fang Yufei nodded. "Yes, he cannot suffer injustice, especially not from these foolish people. Their ignorance is so profound that every challenge they pose to Professor Yu is a blasphemy against wisdom."

People nearby heard Fang Yufei's words and looked in her direction. Han Yuelong started to sweat. The conference was already tense, and Fang Yufei's state was causing even more concern.

"Yufei, don't say anymore—"

"So what if I do?" Fang Yufei scoffed, "You're one of the foolish ones. You have no idea what true wisdom and power are."

She had originally intended to taunt Li Banfeng as well, but Li Banfeng was listening intently to Yu Yaoming's elaboration, highly interested in his perspective. Yu Yaoming said to Yan Youjun, "Professor Yan, I've listed a significant amount of my reasoning here. Please review it, and then we can proceed to the next stage of discussion."

Yan Youjun shook his head. "I will not look at your baseless arguments. The foundation of these arguments consists of hypotheses you've conjured out of thin air."

"Then at least allow me to fully articulate my viewpoint. Please don't interrupt me so frequently."

"I *will* interrupt you! You've established an absurd viewpoint and are using an absurd derivation process to mislead others' thinking. This is classic misdirection; this is classic academic fraud!"

Professor Song shook her head; Yan Youjun was beginning to assign labels. She observed Yu Yaoming's reaction; for now, his emotions appeared normal.

"Professor Yan, if you claim I'm engaging in fraud, then please point out which of my arguments or evidence constitutes fraudulent behavior."

"You don't need to explain further. Just tell me, do you truly believe that organisms can evolve to adapt to the tidal effects around a wormhole on their own?"

"Yes," Yu Yaoming nodded. "I even believe that life exists around wormholes, and possibly even within them."

"Did everyone hear that? He says there's life inside wormholes," Yan Youjun smoothed his white hair and burst out laughing.

Yu Yaoming did not laugh; he remained serious throughout. "The internal environment of a wormhole is much more stable than its surroundings. If we can successfully enter a wormhole, I believe we could also live within it."

"We can even live *inside* a wormhole," Yan Youjun laughed even louder. "Do you also think there's life near black holes?"

Yu Yaoming still nodded. "I think it's possible."

Yan Youjun chuckled, "Are you perhaps imagining several giant dragons guarding the entrance to a black hole, ready to devour anyone who dares to enter?"

"I don't necessarily think it would be dragons. I believe it could be other life forms, perhaps even life forms more familiar to us, or some that are entirely identical to us, possibly even civilizations that have developed within black holes."

Yan Youjun nodded. "Why don't you write science fiction?"

Yu Yaoming answered very seriously, "If this were a literary salon, I would gladly discuss creative writing with you. But this is an academic discussion, and all our discussions must be based on academic theory."

"You still know this is an academic discussion?" Yan Youjun's smile vanished, but the sarcasm and mockery in his tone remained. "Then please provide an example, an example of life evolving near a wormhole, to support your absurd viewpoint."

"You want an example?" Yu Yaoming raised the fountain pen in his hand. "I propose that this pen, due to its proximity to a wormhole, might exhibit certain life characteristics."

"A pen has life characteristics." Yan Youjun laughed aloud again. Many people in the hall, including the moderator, also chuckled.

Han Yuelong sighed, "How could an academic conference turn into this? Professor Yu is too dogmatic. This has become a farce."

"Professor Yu isn't dogmatic at all, and this isn't a farce!" Fang Yufei shot a glare at Han Yuelong. "Listen carefully to Professor Yu's theory. This is one of your few chances to escape ignorance."

Han Yuelong no longer wished to speak with Fang Yufei; he thought she was just as dogmatic as Yu Yaoming.

Fang Yufei looked at Li Banfeng again. Li Banfeng was intently observing the formulas on the large screen and listening carefully to Yu Yaoming's explanation. The idea that a pen has life, that all things have life—Li Banfeng had heard this before. His wife had said it, and the projector had said it too. This idea had been proven; the projector and the sickle were examples. Yu Yaoming's viewpoint was not absurd.

However, others did not share Li Banfeng's thoughts. The hall was filled with constant murmurs and whispers; everyone seemed to suspect Yu Yaoming had gone mad.

Yu Yaoming held the pen, looking at Yan Youjun. "I say this pen has the characteristics of life. Don't you believe me?"

Yan Youjun laughed for a long time. "You believe a pen has life. How am I supposed to communicate with you?"

"That's truly a pity." Yu Yaoming flicked his wrist and threw the pen.

The pen flew towards Yan Youjun, directly piercing his forehead. Yan Youjun sat on the sofa, his smile slowly freezing as blood trickled down his forehead. His eyes instantly dulled, and his entire body reclined onto the sofa. The moderator froze, as did all the experts and professors. The hall fell silent for a few seconds before screams erupted.

This was an academic exchange, an academic debate. Han Yuelong screamed loudly, "What, what happened? Murder? What happened to Professor Yan?"

"He's dead," Fang Yufei said calmly. "Such stubborn conservatives are stumbling blocks to scientific progress. He deserves to die, he should have died long ago. He will pay the price for his ignorance and arrogance!"

Yu Yaoming stood on the stage, silently observing the audience. Amidst screams, the audience frantically rushed towards the lecture hall exits. Several security guards attempted to maintain order but could not stop the out-of-control crowd.

"Yufei, run!" Han Yuelong grabbed Fang Yufei, intending to flee the lecture hall, but she sharply shook his hand off.

"Go on, you fool," Fang Yufei said with a mocking look at Han Yuelong. "I told you, you know nothing. You have no idea what true wisdom and power are. Today, you've witnessed it."

Han Yuelong stopped talking to Fang Yufei and rushed towards the exit with the crowd.

Fang Yufei turned to Li Banfeng. "You should leave too. This place is very dangerous; get out quickly. I know you're slightly stronger than those fools. You might have felt the shock of wisdom; you might know what true knowledge is. But like them, you also know nothing of true power. Professor Yu is very angry now, and the power he is about to unleash will surpass your comprehension. To you, that power is akin to the wrath of a god, equivalent to destroying the world. You are a mortal, and you haven't found the path to transcend mortality. I also possess some power. While I can still protect you, hurry and leave this place."

She reached out to pull Li Banfeng, but found that he had vanished, leaving only a faint afterimage. Where did Li Banfeng go? How did he suddenly disappear? Fang Yufei looked around in surprise, searching for Li Banfeng's figure.

On the stage, the moderator had fled in fear, and all the other experts and professors had left, leaving only Yu Yaoming and Yan Youjun's corpse. Yu Yaoming bent down to pick up the pen, vaguely hearing someone whisper in his ear: "Don't touch that. It's the murder weapon. You'd best leave it where it is."

"Who's there!" Yu Yaoming looked towards the source of the voice but saw no one.

"You are under arrest. I have a few questions for you now—"

Before the other person could finish, Yu Yaoming immediately picked up the pen and flicked a spray of ink towards the source of the voice. The pen was special, and the ink was custom-made. If the other party was using some kind of invisibility spell, the ink could mark their location. But the ink left no trace, only splattering onto the red carpet of the stage.

"If you don't want to answer questions, that's fine, but don't go spraying ink everywhere. It will create considerable trouble for the investigation and evidence collection. Also, your presentation slides are quite interesting. Could I take a look? If you have more detailed materials, please lend those to me as well."

Realizing the situation was amiss, Yu Yaoming put away the pen, leaped onto the roof of the academic lecture hall, intending to escape the scene. Li Banfeng appeared on the roof and, with a kick, sent Yu Yaoming sprawling into the audience seats. Yu Yaoming fell heavily, unable to get back on his feet. Li Banfeng, holding him by the hand, placed him into a seat. The entire process was incredibly fast; Yu Yaoming could not see Li Banfeng's figure and couldn't break free from his grasp. Yu Yaoming possessed some abilities, but judging by his physique, he was likely not a cultivator.

Fang Yufei adjusted her glasses and, indeed, saw Li Banfeng. Her glasses were special, a highly valuable piece of advanced equipment, but her brain was struggling to process what was happening. Li Banfeng had injured Professor Yu. To Fang Yufei, Professor Yu was like a deity. When he could no longer tolerate the foolishness of mortals, he would unleash world-destroying power. She was willing to be a steadfast follower of Professor Yu, and under his guidance, she had found the path to transcend mortality. Yet, in just an instant, only one instant. Li Banfeng subdued Professor Yu. Who exactly was he?

The academic lecture hall was in complete chaos, and it seemed no one noticed Yu Yaoming's condition. Fang Yufei also wanted to escape, but suddenly saw Professor Song appear before her. "You're Fang Yufei, aren't you? I remember you. You used to be a student at Yuezhou University."

Fang Yufei suddenly darted, trying to get past Professor Song, but Professor Song pressed down on her head. "You saw him? I shouldn't have overlooked you. I didn't expect you to be sitting next to him." Professor Song didn't speak aloud, but Fang Yufei could hear her voice.

"What you saw wasn't Li Banfeng. You must remember, he is not Li Banfeng. He is a stranger, a stranger you have never seen before. You don't know him at all." Fang Yufei felt a tingling sensation at the top of her head, as if an electric current was passing through. "You don't know him..." The same words were repeated several times, and Fang Yufei fell into a coma.