The Omniscient

Chapter 59: Learning History

Huang Ji decided to learn history—not just as a collection of records, but as a scientific discipline. In its broadest sense, history refers to all past events, even those that were not documented. It is a study that involves examining and analyzing past occurrences to objectively determine their causes and effects.

The discipline employs various methods, using existing records or artifacts combined with logic and scientific tools to investigate and explain the progression of events. There are countless techniques involved, and Huang Ji saw no reason not to study them.

By mastering these techniques, he could reverse-engineer current information and decipher unknown historical puzzles. Just as he could unlock future states of information, he believed he could unlock past states as well. Huang Ji envisioned himself being able to directly observe the historical details of an object, tracing its history backward.

For example, when observing a tree in the past, he could sense information like “how much water it has absorbed in total” or “how many fruits it has borne.” Initially, he thought this was the tree’s historical record. While it could be called a historical record, it wasn’t the past state of information but rather its present state—details about the tree’s type, size, mass, and molecular composition in the present moment. These details continuously changed as time passed.

If he could truly access the past state of information, Huang Ji believed that even standing in an empty field, he could perceive who walked through a hundred years ago, who lived there a thousand years ago, or who roamed there ten thousand years ago.

“My current capacity to process information... How far back can I trace? How much detail can I perceive? I’ll have to experiment to find out,” he thought. “Logically, I should be able to trace back more than I can with future states.”

Huang Ji got off the train and checked into a hotel in Xinzheng City. Since only Lin Li had an ID, they shared a suite.

The sky was already dark. Huang Ji didn’t rush back to the countryside; he needed to create a new identity before treating his grandfather. After all, the identity of “Huang Ji” was supposed to be in Shanghai. Showing up suddenly with remarkable medical skills would raise too many questions.

As he strolled through the streets with Lin Li, they ate a meal, bought a large pile of history books, and returned to the hotel.

“You’re really dedicated, boss. You’re either practicing martial arts or reading books,” Lin Li remarked with a laugh.

Huang Ji smiled slightly, hearing the unspoken message: “You said you’d teach me martial arts, didn’t you?”

“Let me teach you a set of moves first. Once you’ve mastered these, you can learn more,” Huang Ji replied.

“Great!” Lin Li nodded eagerly, visibly excited. His fascination with mysterious things had often led him to be deceived in the past. Though he wasn’t sure if Huang Ji’s “internal energy techniques” were as magical as in novels, they had to be better than flashy, useless moves.

“I’ll demonstrate it for you once. But you won’t grasp it just by watching. You won’t see my hidden power points or breathing techniques.”

As he spoke, Huang Ji took out a fine needle and inserted it into a spot on Lin Li’s lower back. “Feel this spot. Memorize it.”

Lin Li nodded. “Okay, got it. What’s next?”

“Move it,” Huang Ji said with a smile.

“Move it?” Lin Li was confused. How was he supposed to move a single muscle in his lower back?

Huang Ji flicked the needle, causing a tingling sensation for Lin Li. “Focus carefully. Try your best to make that muscle move. Start with a larger motion involving your waist and gradually isolate that specific spot.”

Lin Li began his attempts, following Huang Ji’s detailed instructions.

“Match your breathing to the motion. Watch and learn from me,” Huang Ji guided him step by step.

After several minutes, Lin Li finally got a feel for it under Huang Ji’s precise coaching, but then he strained himself and felt a sharp pain.

“Ouch! I pulled a muscle!” Lin Li winced as the area began to throb.

“That’s a good sign. Can you move it now?” Huang Ji asked with a chuckle.

“I managed to move it a few times earlier,” Lin Li replied, though the area now felt unresponsive.

“That’s normal. Keep practicing. Breathe, pull, and activate the muscle internally. This is the first subsection of the fourth set of moves,” Huang Ji explained.

“Wait, what? The fourth set?” Lin Li exclaimed.

“Did you think it would be easy?” Huang Ji frowned.

“No, no, I’m just amazed at how intricate it is. No matter how hard it is, I’ll learn it—even if I have to work myself to the bone!” Lin Li declared.

“But why start with the fourth set?” he asked, puzzled.

Huang Ji explained, “Each set of my techniques can stand alone as a complete method. I’m starting with the fourth because it provides the most immediate improvement in combat effectiveness. Even without internal energy, just mastering the force control techniques of the fourth set will make your strikes much stronger than an average person’s.”

With that, Huang Ji continued teaching Lin Li the remaining subsections, repeating them until Lin Li could perform all nine subsections correctly. After two hours, Lin Li finally memorized the entire sequence and managed to execute it a few times.

“Alright, that’s the first group of moves. Perform them sequentially, integrating the breathing, internal force control, and physical movements. If you can chain them quickly enough, you’ll see immediate results with a single punch,” Huang Ji said with a smile.

“Got it!” Lin Li practiced diligently in the suite’s living room.

Meanwhile, Huang Ji left him to it, sitting on the sofa with a book titled An Introduction to Modern Historical Subdisciplines. Beside him stood a towering stack of history books—over a cubic meter of them. The collection ranged from methodological guides like Historical Research, Fragmented History, and A History of Global Historiography, to foundational texts like the Twenty-Four Histories and Introduction to Pre-Qin Literature. It even included philosophical works like Dialectics of Nature and technical books like Basics of Museum Studies and Quantitative Archaeology.

While literary subjects could be more accessible than sciences, they were also vast and seemingly endless. Nobody could memorize the entirety of the Twenty-Four Histories, not even the most accomplished historian. Research required consulting materials.

History, Huang Ji realized, was straightforward: research tools, use those tools on texts and artifacts, and propose interpretations. Even the greatest historians produced interpretations—not absolute truths.

Huang Ji concluded he didn’t need to learn history from professors or experts. All he needed were books. If he could read all the literature, he could memorize it entirely. Methods and theories were already documented in those books. The difference between experts lay in their effort and creativity.

If he studied all the material before him, Huang Ji believed he could become the world’s greatest historian.

At around midnight, Lin Li’s four-hour practice session resulted in a loud boom. He had thrown a punch that destroyed the suite’s sofa, ripping through the upholstery and exposing the foam inside.

“Haha! Did you see that, boss? I just smashed this leather sofa with one punch!” Lin Li exclaimed, beaming at his fist.

Huang Ji glanced over and calmly remarked, “It’s imitation leather, not genuine leather.”

“Even so, that’s a massive improvement! Just one run-through and I’m already this much stronger! I just shattered a sofa with one punch!” Lin Li grinned, clearly delighted.

With that punch, Lin Li felt an indescribable rush of exhilaration, as if he had unleashed all the strength in his body. Sure enough, the punch packed an incredible amount of power—fast and fierce!

Huang Ji remained calm. “This isn’t an improvement in strength. You’ve simply utilized the theoretical maximum potential of your punching power. Actually, no—you’ve only achieved about 70% of it.”

Lin Li’s physical strength hadn’t increased in the slightest. The amount of force a person can exert in a punch can be calculated using a rigorous biomechanics model. Of course, the models currently used by scientists are flawed. After all, scientists once claimed that humans couldn’t run 100 meters in under 10 seconds, yet that record was eventually broken.

Huang Ji’s perception allowed him to identify the true maximum potential of Lin Li’s punch, which he quantified as “100.” Most people only manage to use about 30% of their potential force when throwing a punch. Using Huang Ji’s optimized techniques, however, it was possible to reach 100%. In other words, at the same weight class, Huang Ji’s punch could be three times more powerful than the average person’s.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The reason Lin Li only managed to reach 70% was due to individual differences in baseline capabilities. Even the most perfect techniques have varying levels of effectiveness depending on the person. Huang Ji’s martial arts were designed for his own body, so their efficacy diminished when used by others. Lin Li’s compatibility with the technique was decent, which allowed him to achieve a 70% effectiveness rate.

“Hey, why isn’t it working anymore?” Lin Li threw another punch, but it only produced a dull thud without breaking the sofa.

Huang Ji explained, “You need to perform all nine movements in sequence before punching to achieve that effect. What, did you think doing it once would make you permanently stronger? It’s just a technique for generating power.”

Lin Li nodded. “Oh, I see! So as long as I can seamlessly link the entire sequence of moves anytime, I can replicate the punch’s effect at will?”

Huang Ji nodded, and Lin Li immediately threw himself back into training with renewed enthusiasm.

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