Chapter 293
Between the phenomenon and the tool, a new word suddenly emerged—“knowledge.”
Everyone was no fool; they quickly grasped Zheng Fa's meaning, their faces reflecting a dawning realization.
The words on the light screen began to change again.
Finally, they crystallized into three sentences—
“Observe the phenomenon, summarize the knowledge.”
“Utilize the knowledge, create the methods.”
“Knowledge is power.”
...
“Knowledge is power?” The sect leader murmured to himself, feeling that this statement was exceedingly simple, yet it seemed to encapsulate the essence of the immortal arts.
However, Uncle Pang furrowed his brow and spoke up, “Nephew, if you say knowledge is power, then this knowledge relies on each person's observation and stems from their individual insights. Doesn’t that mean this knowledge is different for everyone?”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance at Sister Zhang, seemingly recalling the previous rivalry between their two factions.
Zheng Fa nodded, “This is precisely the shortcoming of past immortal arts—they lacked experimentation.”
“Experimentation?”
“Not every insight can be called knowledge,” Zheng Fa pondered for a moment before continuing, “Theories that have not been validated through experimentation can only be conjectures.”
Sister Zhang fixed her gaze on Zheng Fa, as if she understood he was now touching upon the essence of his theory.
“The simplest empirical evidence is the process by which our ancestors created spells—they observed the symbols in the air, used spiritual energy to simulate the trajectory of those symbols, and then produced the effects of the spells.”
“This... is a fundamental form of empirical proof.”
Once he said this, everyone began to understand a bit more.
“So, according to this, didn’t our ancestors also conduct empirical validation?”
Uncle Pang frowned.
“Indeed, they created the immortal arts, but the empirical validation of the past often stopped there... failing to summarize more essential knowledge.”
With that, Zheng Fa sighed.
Having traversed between the modern world and the Xuanwei realm, he naturally grasped the disparity between the two.
In his view, when it came to wisdom, ability, and insight, the cultivators of the Xuanwei realm were not lacking...
In fact, the destructive power and vitality of these cultivators, thanks to the immortal arts, far surpassed that of modern humans.
Yet, cultivators in the Xuanwei realm rarely questioned the most fundamental issues—
What is spiritual energy?
Why are immortal arts effective?
What is the essence of cultivation?
Of course, they had creativity, but that creativity was likely an accumulation of coincidental discoveries over generations; simply put—there was no systematic methodology for research.
To Zheng Fa, the greatest difference between the two realms lay in:
The modern world excels at understanding the world, but transforming it is exceedingly difficult. Take, for instance, the matter of extending lifespan... Modern science has existed for hundreds of years, yet humanity has not fully broken through its biological limits.
Conversely, for cultivators in the Xuanwei realm, transforming the world is far too simple.
They don’t even need to question those tedious issues; they just need to embark on the path of cultivation, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, and naturally, they can gain immense power and longevity.
This simplicity greatly stifled the exploratory spirit of many.
In fact, if it weren’t for the decline of spiritual energy, most people probably wouldn’t even aspire to discover new methods.
Zheng Fa was fortunate in that he had received a modern education, understanding a bit about the methods of comprehending the world.
At the same time, he also had the opportunity to practice the immortal arts...
In today’s lesson, Zheng Fa aimed not just to discuss his lightning techniques but to use the exploration of those techniques to delve into methodology.
However, judging by the expressions of his disciples, it seemed they still hadn’t quite grasped his points.
Anticipating this issue, Zheng Fa spoke again, “For instance, when I asked you what lightning techniques are, your answers reflected the seemingly absolute knowledge of the Xuanwei realm—lightning techniques can only be controlled by cultivators because only by using spiritual energy can one generate the power of thunder.”
“My little sister’s experiment... proved that this knowledge is flawed.”
With this, everyone began to understand a bit more.
“So, lightning techniques have nothing to do with spiritual energy?” the sect leader said slowly.
“Very good, Master! You’ve already managed to summarize new knowledge through experimentation!” Zheng Fa praised.
Upon hearing this, the sect leader initially grinned, but then quickly realized something was off...
He slowly reined in his smile, fixing a piercing gaze on Zheng Fa.
Rebellious disciple!
(End of this chapter)
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Chapter 273: The Nine Mountains of Lightning Techniques
“However, Master, to be precise, it’s the lightning that has nothing to do with spiritual energy.”
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and corrected the sect leader’s statement.
He glanced at the crowd below; many faces were marked with confusion.
His concepts were too abstract, making it difficult for many of his fellow disciples, who were just beginning to grasp his ideas, to keep up with his train of thought.
“Brothers and sisters, do you have any questions?”
Zhou Qianyuan, having likely heard Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang debate before, seemed to understand his character and showed no signs of hesitation—
“Zheng Shixiong, I can roughly grasp what you mean, but... what’s the point?”
Other disciples nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
Clearly, while Zheng Fa was speaking grandly, they were more concerned about the practical benefits—would learning these concepts help them cultivate faster, enhance their spells, or extend their lives?
Little sister Zheng Shan puffed out her cheeks, seemingly understanding the doubts of her fellow disciples.
Zheng Fa, however, was not surprised—he had long understood the mindset of the Xuanwei realm cultivators.
With a wave of his hand, copies of “Introduction to Lightning Techniques” appeared on the tables of his fellow disciples.
“What’s this?”
“This is the lightning technique you will learn, the lightning technique I have studied...” Zheng Fa said meaningfully.
“Zheng Shidi’s lightning technique?”
A buzz of conversation erupted among the crowd, unable to contain their excitement.
Who didn’t know that Zheng Shidi’s lightning technique was extraordinary—extraordinary to what extent?
Xiao Yuying was impressive, right?
Or was it Yuan Cidao, the Yuanying True Person?
Zheng Shidi had outright seized the title in the Tianbei realm!
One senior brother suddenly exclaimed, “Zheng Shidi, when you say this is the lightning technique you’ve learned, does that mean... if we master this, we’ll have the same level of lightning technique as you?”
“No!” Zheng Fa laughed, “If you master this, you’ll be much stronger than I am.”
Zheng Fa wasn’t being modest.
His grasp of electromagnetism was far from complete.
If someone truly understood this book, their mastery of lightning techniques would likely be profound.
Upon hearing this, the crowd’s breaths quickened as they looked at “Introduction to Lightning Techniques.”
To be fair, Zheng Fa’s response was the best answer to Zhou Qianyuan’s question!
Seeing their expressions of anticipation mixed with skepticism, Zheng Fa said, “Everyone, please turn to the first page.”
The crowd eagerly flipped open the book, unable to wait to read.
Their spiritual awareness surpassed that of ordinary people.
To aid their understanding, Zheng Fa had written many concepts as simply as possible.
Yet even so, he could see the confusion on the faces of these disciples.
Even his own master was frowning, staring at the first page of “Introduction to Lightning Techniques.”
On the first page, there was a single sentence:
“Lightning is the flow of charged particles; lightning techniques are methods that influence this flow.”
The sect leader felt a bit of a headache.
Though his disciple’s words were brief, the implications were vast!
What is thunder?
To mortals, it is the authority of the divine.
To cultivators, it is the most powerful offensive spell.
It could be said that among the myriad of Xuanwei spells, lightning techniques are particularly unique.
They are mysterious, powerful, difficult to control, yet captivating.
But what was Zheng Fa saying?
Two sentences, and he aimed to unveil the mystery of thunder?
Not just the sect leader, but other disciples also wore expressions of doubt.
“This sentence will serve as the outline for this book,” Zheng Fa smiled, “You could say that if you understand this sentence after finishing the book, you’ve mastered it.”
Zheng Fa felt helpless.
This sentence seemed simple, yet it contained a wealth of physical knowledge.
And that knowledge... was something the disciples of Jiushan Sect lacked.
Especially the term “particles.”
Explaining it was almost enough to take Zheng Fa’s life.
“First, we need to understand what it means to be charged, or in other words, what electricity is.”
He avoided the most difficult topic of particles and started with simpler concepts.
With a flick of his hand, a slender piece of amber and silk flew before him, rubbing vigorously in the air.
After a while, Zheng Fa separated the two and pointed in the void.
Those present felt the spiritual energy in the classroom suddenly take flight like birds with wings, joyfully soaring out of the room. This classroom had momentarily become a realm devoid of spiritual energy.
Everyone looked on in confusion.
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