This is exactly the same as studying the symbols of the Dao.
However, for cultivators in the Xuanwei Realm who have not received training in topology, these trajectories may not have a single match...
"Well, it's quite simple," the old man Bai pointed to the draft paper on the table. "These patterns appear every time, just with different frequencies."
Zheng Fa glanced at it and nodded, "If we add the Five Elements sub-symbols, this might just be the spiritual symbol of the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder."
According to the three-sub-symbol law that he and the old man Bai had speculated, if we consider spells as another form of spiritual symbols, then the spiritual power itself could provide the Five Elements sub-symbols, and these trajectories should correspond to the second and third types of sub-symbols.
"True... but it's a pity we haven't found any common sub-symbols between this Heavenly Tribulation Thunder pattern and the other thunder spell symbols," the old man Bai remarked after examining it closely. "If Ling Wu's conjecture about interactive sub-symbols is true, then the thunder spells... should have completely identical sub-symbols."
Zheng Fa pondered at this.
Their research on thunder spells was actually due to the relatively simple nature of the spell's target. Whether the essence of thunder spells acted on electrons or electromagnetic fields... the target should be the same, meaning there should be some common sub-symbols.
But...
There were none.
This led them to feel like blind men trying to grasp an elephant, with each touch revealing a different part.
...
"Alright!" Just as Tang Lingwu was speaking, a soft gasp came from her side. The two turned to see various lightning patterns flashing on the computer screen in front of Tang Lingwu, each a different color and varying in length.
There were also some fluctuating curves nearby.
These displayed the current, voltage, and temperature generated by each bolt of lightning on the metal pillar.
Zheng Fa and the old man Bai walked over to examine the data on the screen.
"Is there any pattern?" the old man Bai asked.
"Not particularly, except for the correspondence between current and voltage, and the relationship between temperature and lightning color."
Zheng Fa nodded; these relationships were already established in physics.
"Take a look at this?" The old man Bai handed over the analyzed pattern. Tang Lingwu frowned slightly upon seeing it, suddenly recalling something, and began typing rapidly on the keyboard, seemingly forgetting about Zheng Fa and the old man Bai.
The two exchanged glances and stepped closer to the computer screen.
"Is this... fitting?"
After watching for a while, Zheng Fa understood that Tang Lingwu was fitting the occurrences of the same symbol patterns with various data, trying to find a correlation.
The data was not complex; in fact, it could be described as simple.
Soon, the computer displayed an equation.
The old man Bai was taken aback and summarized, "The current intensity is roughly proportional to the sixth power of the number of occurrences?"
Zheng Fa was also a bit surprised; the result of the fitting was indeed quite simple—a straightforward sixth-degree equation. Ignoring the coefficients, the variable x in the equation represented the number of times the symbol pattern appeared, while the other side of the equation represented the peak current.
"So, to control the power of the lightning, we just need to control how many times that symbol pattern appears?"
The three of them stared at the formula in silence; it was too simple, simple enough to make them doubt themselves.
"In other words, the number of times the symbol pattern appears can determine the energy of the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder," the old man Bai summarized with a frown. "This... seems similar to the process of how spiritual symbols work?"
"Exactly." Zheng Fa also thought of this: "When drawing symbols, one absorbs the symbol patterns from the void, meaning—this increases the frequency of the symbol patterns appearing. The more occurrences, the greater the power."
Zheng Fa spoke slowly, gazing at the formula, and suddenly added, "This reminds me of a concept from middle school physics..."
"What?"
"Work." Zheng Fa explained slowly, "Whether it's spiritual energy or spiritual power, these symbol patterns are the paths they flow through—only by following certain special paths can they produce the correct effects. It can almost be likened to doing useful work on certain materials along this path."
"And I can feel that as the spiritual power moves along the trajectory, my spiritual power is also being consumed—meaning my spiritual power is being converted into the energy of the lightning through this trajectory."
"Now that you mention it..." the old man Bai said, bewildered, "It sounds very similar! Spiritual power doing work, converting into corresponding electrical energy, but it's not linear..."
"Have we derived the functional equation for the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder?" Tang Lingwu, who had been listening, summarized.
"It should be called the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder Spiritual Energy Equation. With this equation, at least controlling the strength of the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder won't be a problem," the old man Bai corrected. "But yes! We made a discovery in our first experiment!"
At this point, the old man Bai sighed again, "Why does it feel like there are always new findings in the study of cultivation..."
He even expressed a hint of regret, "It's a pity we don't have a journal here... otherwise, publishing our paper would be like a sow giving birth!"
Zheng Fa chuckled; if he could truly master the Tianbei Realm and establish a secure base, journals would be something he could consider...
In the Xuanwei Realm.
Zheng Fa sat cross-legged in his room, slowly recovering his spirit, his mind still pondering the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder Spiritual Energy Equation.
This equation revealed a remarkably simple yet long-ignored phenomenon—the power of a spell is determined by how many effective paths the spiritual energy, or spiritual qi, has traversed.
In fact, the people of the Xuanwei Realm were not entirely unaware of this; they knew that the more similar symbol patterns a spiritual symbol attracted, the greater its power would be. However, understanding the quantitative relationship behind it was another matter entirely.
Now, at least for Zheng Fa, he had a direction for controlling the power of the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder.
...
While Zheng Fa was focused on his cultivation, in the main hall, Uncle Pang was chatting with Sister Zhang, and unsurprisingly, their topic revolved around Zheng Fa.
"If we can control the Tianbei Realm..." Uncle Pang's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Our Jiushan Sect will have nothing to worry about in the future... I just wonder how confident Zheng Shidi is."
Sister Zhang understood that this wasn't due to Uncle Pang's lack of trust in Zheng Fa, but rather the natural anxiety that comes with facing such a monumental opportunity. She comforted him, "You know Zheng Shidi's character... you understand him."
"Hmm?"
"Cautious!"
"Yeah... that's true!"
"Zheng Shidi has always been prudent. I noticed this when he helped me manage the market... he never speaks in absolutes; for things he is quite sure about, he only claims to be eighty percent certain at most." Sister Zhang's words made Uncle Pang nod slowly. "Now that he tells us he wants to control the Tianbei Realm, he must be at least somewhat confident."
Hearing this, a smile gradually appeared on Uncle Pang's face, even tinged with a bit of embarrassment. "You see things so clearly, Shijie. I've lost my usual calm and needed you to comfort me."
Sister Zhang shook her head, "It's not that you don't understand; you just place too much importance on the Jiushan Sect..."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Pang's smile grew a bit sheepish. He looked in the direction of Zheng Fa's room and said softly, "It's a pity that there are very few disciples in our Jiushan Sect who practice thunder spells... we can't provide Zheng Fa with much help... I need to send someone to the market to see if there are any new spiritual materials!"
Seeing his worried demeanor, Sister Zhang couldn't help but laugh.
Just as Uncle Pang was about to call for a disciple to head to the market, both of them suddenly felt something at the same time and turned their gaze toward the market.
A purple haze descended from the sky, landing in front of the Thunder Pool Market in the blink of an eye. As the light scattered, a tall, beautiful woman with a small bell in her hair stood before the market. She clasped her hands toward the Wulong Heavenly Palace and said, "Is Master Pang of Jiushan Sect here? Xiao Yuying has come to visit."
She appeared to be in her twenties, yet her words carried an air of equality with Master Pang.
The bustling Thunder Pool Market fell silent for a moment, and the people inside cautiously observed this woman, unsure of why she spoke with such authority.
"Xiao Yuying?" Uncle Pang of the Wulong Heavenly Palace was taken aback, as if recalling something, his expression changing dramatically as he walked outside.
The doors of the Wulong Heavenly Palace swung wide open, and Uncle Pang hurriedly made his way toward the market, clearly intending to greet her in person.
"With Fairy Lingye's arrival, our Wulong Heavenly Palace is graced... please, come in, come in!"
Upon hearing his words, the people in the market finally understood who this woman was.
"Fairy Lingye... no wonder Master Pang is treating her so seriously."
"Is she here for the Thunder Pool as well?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Fairy Lingye was already renowned as the foremost practitioner of thunder spells during her Golden Core stage, on par with Sister Zhang of Jiushan Sect, and she even entered the Nascent Soul stage earlier than Zhang Wuyi... aside from the Thunder Pool, what else could possibly attract her here?"
"Who says there isn't? Isn't the Tianbei here?"
...
"Fairy Xiao, are you also here for the Tianbei?"