Chapter 295
Furrowed brows and gritted teeth, Zheng Fa was buried in a book—one he recognized, a textbook for Xiao Qing and the others... elementary school mathematics.
“Senior Sister.”
He bowed respectfully to the two senior sisters.
Zhang Shijie nodded slightly, while Yuan Shijie’s eyes lit up, breaking into a grin as if she had found a savior.
“What’s up?”
Zhang Shijie could tell right away that Zheng Fa had something on his mind.
Zheng Fa handed over a jade tube.
Zhang Shijie took it, her expression shifting to surprise. “Yin Yang He?”
“This is a secret method passed down by our Master. It’s said to be very beneficial for forming the Golden Core,” Zheng Fa explained.
Zhang Shijie nodded, continuing to read the secret method within the jade tube. After a long pause, she finally responded, “This method is indeed quite intriguing.”
“It seems to simulate the Golden Core.”
“Though it’s not complete, it will greatly aid your Golden Core formation.”
Zhang Shijie clearly held this “Yin Yang He” in high regard.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa’s face lit up with a mix of relief and a hint of toothache.
“Junior Brother?”
Zhang Shijie was taken aback by his expression.
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment before asking, “Senior Sister, I’ve heard that after forming the Golden Core, one must gather the energies of Tian Gang and Di Sha. Is that true?”
Zhang Shijie’s face showed even more confusion at his question. She replied, “This is basic knowledge in the Xuan Wei realm. Gathering the corresponding Tian Gang and Di Sha energies is essential for enhancing the power of the Golden Core.”
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and turned to Yuan Shijie.
“Senior Sister…”
“Hmm?”
“I’d like to see your Golden Core.”
Yuan Shijie glanced at Zhang Shijie, her eyes darting mischievously, and she replied indignantly, “Junior Brother, this… even demons have their principles!”
“You don’t need to study this book anymore!”
“Look!”
With a flick of her wrist, a brilliant azure-golden orb of light appeared in the hall.
The Golden Core shone brightly, as if immense power surged within it.
Zheng Fa swallowed hard—this power was indeed tremendous.
This thing… was truly a miniature nuclear reactor!
It even seemed to encompass both fusion and fission processes…
(End of this chapter)
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**Chapter 275: The Trials of the Golden Core, Ancestral Fusion**
When Zheng Fa first encountered the “Yin Yang He” secret method, he found it somewhat absurd—
Summarizing its concept, he thought it involved the following process:
Heating certain gases into a plasma state using high-energy rays.
Constraining the movement of this plasma with magnetic fields.
Then, waiting for the bang, bang, bang!
Wasn’t this just a magnetic confinement fusion device?
Of course, due to Zheng Fa’s limited spiritual power, the particle flow he could heat and capture was minuscule, and the energy wasn’t as terrifying—rather, it was far less impressive than the term “nuclear fusion” suggested.
But it was still nuclear fusion!
So when Zhang Shijie mentioned that the “Yin Yang He” was a simulation of the Golden Core, Zheng Fa was convinced—perhaps the Golden Core was indeed a type of nuclear reactor.
As for Tian Gang and Di Sha, if Zheng Fa’s guess was correct, they likely related to light and heavy nuclear particles, which meant they were akin to nuclear fuels like uranium, plutonium, or deuterium and tritium.
The problem was…
Zheng Fa had previously hesitated to believe his own hypothesis; the cultivation technology in the Xuan Wei realm seemed too advanced.
He looked at Yuan Shijie, wishing he could hide the book in front of her—if she blew herself up while studying, it would be quite the spectacle.
To be honest, there were too many questions involved.
Zheng Fa turned to Zhang Shijie.
Zhang Shijie’s brow twitched, and a look of knowing yet heroic resignation crossed her face as she said, “Ask away.”
“Senior Sister, based on my calculations, the Golden Core should generate an immense amount of energy… where does that energy go?”
Though the Golden Core was powerful, Yuan Shijie’s performance suggested it wasn’t as formidable as Zheng Fa imagined.
Zhang Shijie frowned, her expression puzzled as she looked at Zheng Fa. “Are you implying that Golden Core cultivators should be stronger than they appear?”
Zheng Fa nodded.
Zhang Shijie pondered for a moment before saying, “While there are differences in the quality of Golden Cores in the Xuan Wei realm, the combat power of Golden Core cultivators is generally on the same level…”
Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned; he understood Zhang Shijie’s implication—Golden Core cultivators had this level of ability…
That made sense!
This world didn’t have an equation for mass-energy equivalence.
For Xuan Wei cultivators, the strength displayed by Golden Core cultivators was entirely normal.
“However… I also sense the energy you mentioned,” Zhang Shijie suddenly seemed to recall something and said, “Do you remember the method of the Tian He Zun Zhe’s life-bound treasure?”
Zheng Fa nodded.
“The life-bound treasure requires various spiritual materials, but it also needs to be nurtured within the Golden Core.”
“Are you saying that energy is used for crafting treasures?”
“At least that should be the case since the Tian He Zun Zhe invented the method for life-bound treasures.”
Zheng Fa was struck with realization—this aligned with another of his doubts.
Both fusion and fission produce certain byproducts; generally speaking, due to binding energy factors, iron is considered the end point of fusion and fission.
Theoretically, fusion reactions beyond iron would require energy input.
So, it seemed that the Tian He Zun Zhe’s method for life-bound treasures could even produce metals?
He could be considered a great eco-warrior…
“Since you’ve come to inquire about the methods of forming the Golden Core, you must have thoughts about achieving it,” Zhang Shijie observed, noticing the lingering confusion on his face. “I don’t know how much you understand about the Golden Core, but I can only share my views on its formation.”
Zheng Fa nodded gratefully.
He knew Zhang Shijie likely felt unable to answer some of his questions, so she decided to share everything she knew, hoping it would help him.
“The Golden Core is said to be a decision without regret… do you know why?”
Zheng Fa shook his head.
Zhang Shijie pointed at Yuan Shijie’s Golden Core.
The Golden Core radiated light, constantly undergoing intense changes.
“Because the changes within it cannot be halted.”
Zheng Fa suddenly understood Zhang Shijie’s meaning.
Xuan Wei cultivators didn’t know what nuclear fusion or fission was.
But they understood that once the Golden Core began its reaction, it would be so fierce that they could hardly stop it.
“So, before you form your Golden Core, you must be clear about how you want to do it.”
“What kind of Tian Gang and Di Sha do you wish to gather?”
Zhang Shijie’s expression turned serious:
“Our Jiu Shan Sect has twelve methods for forming the Golden Core, each with its own characteristics and requiring different Tian Gang and Di Sha. You can take a look at them.”
“For example, the Long Hu Yuan Dan I cultivate is formed by gathering the innate Yang energy and the Xuan Bing You Ming Sha. This is one of the highest choices for a Golden Core in our Jiu Shan Sect.”
Zheng Fa then asked, “How are Golden Cores classified?”
“Upper-grade Golden Cores are pure and flawless, while lower-grade Golden Cores harbor impurities.”
“Impurities?”
Zheng Fa realized.
“Exactly,” Zhang Shijie confirmed. “The fewer impurities, the higher the quality of the Golden Core, and the greater the chance of advancing to the Yuan Ying stage in the future.”
Zheng Fa nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing the dawning understanding on Zheng Fa’s face, Zhang Shijie’s expression turned serious: “Do you know how long I took to form my Golden Core?”
Zheng Fa shook his head.
“I took just over a year to establish my foundation, and it took me about ten years to reach the late foundation stage. But from the late foundation stage to forming the Golden Core, it took nearly seventy years.”
“I understand now…”
Zhang Shijie was trying to convey the complexity of forming the Golden Core.
“Forming the Golden Core is a slow process,” she advised. “How the Golden Core is constructed, how to choose the Tian Gang and Di Sha, and how much to gather each time—all require gradual experimentation and contemplation.”
After bidding farewell to Zhang Shijie, Zheng Fa continued to ponder her words.
Zhang Shijie was quite candid, seemingly eager to teach him, yet his questions had multiplied since their conversation.
It seemed Zhang Shijie might not be able to answer all his queries.
But that was fine.
Someone else could.
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**Modern Day, Nursing Home.**
The garden of the nursing home had recently sprouted many new plants—due to the idea of cultivating the elderly, they had gathered numerous seeds and planted them in the nursing home, hoping to nurture new spiritual plants.
The garden was now devoid of others.
Even the elderly residents wouldn’t come to the back garden at night.
They left this time for the five residents of the nursing home.
“Golden Core… is a reactor?”
Listening to Zheng Fa’s explanation, the old man Bai gaped, his expression one of shock.
The others also looked stunned.
Clearly, they found this notion absurd.
Zheng Fa nodded, “But there’s a problem… why is fission necessary?”
This was a question he couldn’t ask Zhang Shijie… she probably wouldn’t understand.
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