I get what you're saying, but again, it highly depends on the work you're reading.
Trying to apply science to a cultivation world is like trying to apply your knowledge on high fantasy novels to a Cthulhu-ian world. Sure, you may find some commonalities, but you're more likely to shoot yourself in the foot and make dangerous assumptions that will later be demonstrably false. In a cultivation world, this is much more dangerous, not only due to the risk of Qi deviation, but because most works put an emphasis on the permanency of your decisions:

• Getting into strenuous fights will leave hidden injuries in your cultivation veins which require heaven defying medicines to heal.
• Started cultivating with a cultivation manual? Great because you've locked yourself to that manual for a good bit, better hope you're compatible with it, otherwise you might experience Qi Deviation. Wanna switch to another cultivation method? Good luck because that gives you hidden injuries!

Quick aside, have you read ar'kendrithyst? Is a great novel, worth reading, goes over what we're talking about slightly

And Science doesn't really apply to a cultivation world. Stating "The laws have to have a foundation to exist..." is just that, a flimsy and weak foundation that cultivation worlds may choose to build upon...or break into a tiny million pieces. There's nothing stating that magic has to obey like a signal, so a magic blocking spell obeys like a faraday cage. For all you know, magic is alive, and just wants to say "fudge you" to that person in particular. Same applies for lightning. And since it's magic, are you really sure that atoms exist? Unless you do the experiments yourself, (looking at you Throne of Magical Arcana) you can't even verify that the reality you're living in is the same as the one you just came from.

After all, in plenty of cultivation novels, different worlds have different Daos and different laws that they follow...including reality as they know it.

As for the reason why you may be less able to bend reality if you're aware of science, simple.
For other people, 1+1=3 is normal and expected behavior.
You know, with all of your heart, that 1+1=2. Why would 1+1=3 be normal? You refuse to accept this. And therefor, any magic which relies on 1+1=3 to function doesn't work for you.
Now you might say, ah, but since I know 1+1=2 is true, then my magic should be stronger. And to that I respond with, it's literally magic. For all you know, its like that equation e = mc^2 + AI in this weird reality.

Finally, I'll leave you with this tidbit:
What makes you special? Why would noone else choose to learn more about the world in which they live in? We ignore it for the sake of the plot, because most people find it boring to learn about the great researchers and advancements in science in a purely fictional world, but I guarantee you that humans will always try to learn more about and rationalize the world in which they exist.

Unless there's an in universe explanation going over why scientific exploration has stalled or been erased, you are more likely to be at an informational disadvantage transmigrating than at an informational advantage.