Chapter 100
After about forty minutes of meditation, Zheng Fa opened his eyes. Words eluded him, so he simply gestured to Tang Lingwu to turn off the transformer.
He felt a slight numbness in his cheeks, but he managed to smile at the two worried faces before him.
He was not only reassuring them; he genuinely had something to celebrate—his "Five Thunder Method" had indeed reached the stage of physical cultivation.
...
In the Xuanwei Realm.
Zheng Fa opened his eyes and gently clenched his fists, feeling a surge of strength coursing through him.
He stood up and walked to his desk, picking up an iron paperweight. With a slight exertion, the paperweight morphed in his hands like clay, conforming to whatever shape he desired, obedient and pliable.
After setting down the misshapen paperweight, Zheng Fa returned to his meditation cushion, turning his focus inward to his dantian.
The advancement of the "Five Thunder Method" was a natural progression, but the discovery of the Five Elements Sub-Charms was an unexpected delight.
He had previously contemplated adjusting the established Zhenli Wuying Charm and the Shuangren Charm.
Upon realizing that the Five Elements Sub-Charms were interconnected, he examined the two elemental charms within him and noticed some minor issues.
Although they were adjacent, they had not truly merged into one.
For them to fully integrate, a bit of topological transformation was necessary—much like the adjustments he made on his computer, requiring not just orientation and size, but also stretching and curling.
For those in the Xuanwei Realm, discovering the Five Elements Sub-Charms was one thing; the more challenging task was executing this transformation. He controlled his spiritual awareness, slowly adjusting the direction and shape of the two elemental charms.
...
In the attic where Sun Daoyu and Zhou Qianyuan were located.
Zhou Qianyuan looked at Sun Daoyu, who had been gazing in the direction of Zheng Fa's courtyard, and asked curiously, "Brother, how long are you going to keep watching?"
"A few nights should do," Sun Daoyu replied with a smile. "Actually, I can't see him; I can only perceive the Five Elements spiritual energy in his courtyard."
"Five Elements spiritual energy?"
"The Master’s洞虚灵眼 (Dongxu Lingyan, 'Void Spirit Eye') has three realms, and I am currently in the first realm—observing energy." Sun Daoyu explained, knowing that his junior brother would also be cultivating the Void Spirit Eye. "Do you know why the Master said that Senior Sister Zhang's charm foundation method has flaws but he can fix them?"
"Why?"
"Because of the Void Spirit Eye." Sun Daoyu's face showed a hint of pride. "You know this is the fundamental technique of our lineage."
"The Master has mentioned it to me," Zhou Qianyuan nodded.
"You probably don't understand why," Sun Daoyu chuckled. "The greatest ability of the Void Spirit Eye is its subtlety; it can observe the properties and flow of spiritual energy—clearer than spiritual awareness. That's why the Master could immediately identify the issues with Senior Sister Zhang's charm foundation method."
"What issues?"
"Disharmony among the Five Elements."
"?"
"Senior Sister Zhang proposed that charm methods are divided into Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements, and the Master actually discovered this too," Sun Daoyu said softly. "But Senior Sister Zhang has the Yuanling Dao Body, which allows her to test the charm foundation method."
"The Master can't do that?"
"Can the Dao foundation be casually altered? Who would dare to try that besides Senior Sister Zhang?" Sun Daoyu's tone was a mix of envy and something else.
"So... disharmony among the Five Elements?"
"I don't know either, but the Master once said that Senior Sister Zhang's Yuanfu Dao foundation isn't harmonious enough. He observed her cultivation with the Void Spirit Eye—when she cultivates, the Five Elements spiritual energy in her courtyard shows slight discord."
Zhou Qianyuan looked at Sun Daoyu and suddenly felt a twinge of discomfort. "The Master... observed... Senior Sister Zhang? Like you are now?"
"Not quite; how could the Master sit here like me? He observes from home using the Void Spirit Eye," Sun Daoyu said, a hint of envy in his voice. "I can't wait for my Void Spirit Eye to improve so I can try it too!"
"...Maybe that's not necessary?"
Zhou Qianyuan felt that the traditions of their sect were a bit strange.
Strange enough to be easily misunderstood.
"Actually, it’s thanks to the Void Spirit Eye that the Master has the confidence to improve this technique," Sun Daoyu continued, shifting to another topic. "But it’s not that simple; the Master is probably just experimenting—he said that if the charm foundation method could be perfected, it might become the foremost method for forming a Dan."
"Forming a Dan?"
"Of course!" A glimmer of desire flashed across Sun Daoyu's face. "Do you think everyone only calls it a foundation method now?"
"Why?"
"Because Senior Sister Zhang's Dan has issues. If it didn't, with her Golden Dan body, she could draw top-tier charms—there would be no doubt that the charm foundation method is the best for forming a Dan!"
Looking at the expression on Sun Daoyu's face, Zhou Qianyuan understood that if the "Charm Foundation Method" could be perfected, this senior brother would undoubtedly choose that path. The only reason he hesitated to practice it now was that it truly had some problems.
"Unfortunately, fixing this method isn't that simple... I heard that Senior Sister Zhang's Master, Huang Zhenren, also tried it and seemed to have no leads," Sun Daoyu sighed lightly, as if lacking confidence in his own Master.
"...Huh?"
Sun Daoyu looked up at the sky above Zheng Fa's courtyard, a puzzled expression crossing his face.
"What's wrong, Brother?"
"The spiritual energy above Zheng Fa's courtyard—it's changed!"
Sun Daoyu frowned, seemingly perplexed.
"Changed?"
Zhou Qianyuan didn't quite understand what Sun Daoyu meant.
But Sun Daoyu's expression shifted rapidly, alternating between surprise and gravity, as if he had discovered something significant.
After a moment, Sun Daoyu suddenly stood up.
"Brother?"
"Senior Sister Zhang truly deserves to be the greatest talent of our Jiushan Sect; she has really resolved the hidden dangers of the charm foundation method!"
"Ah?"
"The earth and metal spiritual energies above Zheng Fa's roof are exceptionally harmonious, completely devoid of the discord the Master mentioned!" Sun Daoyu's expression was complex, a mix of worry, desire, and joy.
He paced back and forth in the attic twice before suddenly turning to Zhou Qianyuan. "Junior Brother, I need to report this to the Master quickly... this 'Charm Foundation Method' needs to be changed!"
Sun Daoyu's face was animated. "If this hidden danger has truly been resolved by Senior Sister Zhang, then we too can cultivate the 'Charm Foundation Method' and have a chance to form a Dan!"
"But... the Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo Tears..."
Zhou Qianyuan hadn't forgotten that to change the "Charm Foundation Method," he would need to use his share of the Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo Tears.
"Junior Brother, for us cultivators, ten years is but a fleeting moment!"
Sun Daoyu patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"...Brother, you just told me that no matter how fast Zheng Fa progresses..." Zhou Qianyuan still felt reluctant.
"Junior Brother, my feelings for you are purely those of brotherhood," Sun Daoyu suddenly said.
"Ah?"
"You’re not my Dao partner; the opportunity to form a Dan is at stake... I simply can’t let it go."
"..."
"Even if you were my Dao partner, it wouldn’t matter!"
Seeing him silent, Sun Daoyu hurriedly added another remark.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 113: Experiment
Just take the components off the circuit board and replace them with these new ones—if the circuit board works, you'll know what this thing is really for.
If it doesn’t, take off another component and try swapping it out.
The only difference is—doing this might easily damage the circuit board. But for Senior Sister Zhang—she can't be broken!
"…Water Element."
Zheng Fa nodded; this aligned with the classification of the Five Elements Sub-Charms.
"Metal Light Charm."
"Earth Element."
"Jia Ma Charm."
"Earth Element."
...
After finally finding a human experimentation lab, Zheng Fa was a bit excited and tested several hundred charm diagrams in one go.
All of them conformed to the classification of the Five Elements Sub-Charms.
Just as he was about to press on and continue experimenting, he felt a tug at the hem of his clothes.
"Hmm?" He turned to see Yuan Shijie tugging at him, looking puzzled.
"…"
Yuan Shijie remained silent, simply pointing upwards, indicating he should look at Senior Sister Zhang's face.
When Zheng Fa turned back, he noticed—though Senior Sister Zhang's face was transparent, the curve of her lips was flat, as if she were pouting in annoyance.
He glanced outside at the sky and felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
When he arrived, the sun was still high in the sky, but now it was nearly setting.
Senior Sister Zhang, the tool he had been using, was too effective, making his time too enjoyable.
He couldn't help but lose some of his reverence for her.
Even experimental instruments needed to cool down and rest after prolonged use.
Being directed by him like this, how could Senior Sister Zhang not have her own opinions?
Moreover, the disparity in their statuses was immense, and Senior Sister Zhang was an unparalleled genius.
She probably had never been commanded like this before.
Zheng Fa looked at Senior Sister Zhang, then back at Yuan Shijie.
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