Chapter 304
The system of the Xuanwei Realm was heavily influenced by the preferences of those in power.
In this regard, the Jiushan Sect was relatively better off, but from what Zheng Fa knew, many sects treated their lower disciples like mere servants.
The demonic sects were even worse.
Especially since the answers to examination subjects were relatively objective, this further reduced the influence of personal bias.
Uncle Pang sighed:
“I don’t know where you get all these ideas, but they seem to have some surprising effects…”
Zheng Fa felt a bit embarrassed.
This… was just a small application of modern knowledge.
“For example, this microscopic array…”
“Refraction of light… can achieve such fine effects?”
Seeing his skepticism, Zheng Fa chuckled, “Uncle Pang, didn’t I already explain the principle?”
Zheng Fa had previously thought of using magical tools or arrays to create observational instruments in the laboratory.
After much contemplation, he realized that while other instruments might require modern assistance, the principle of an optical microscope was quite simple—merely the refraction of light.
Thus, implementing it with an array was relatively straightforward.
Although the precision of an optical microscope is affected by the wavelength of light, it might not even compare to the *Dongxu Lingyan* (洞虚灵眼, "Void Spirit Eye").
But this didn’t necessarily conflict with the *Dongxu Lingyan*.
What Zheng Fa hoped for was a combination of the two, achieving even greater precision.
Of course, he didn’t fully understand the principles behind the *Dongxu Lingyan* yet, and he wasn’t sure if the two could complement each other—but it was a thought worth exploring.
Moreover, the millennium-old purple bamboo was struggling to adapt in the Jiushan Realm, making the microscope a valuable supplement.
“The principle…” Uncle Pang sighed, “Training in the *Dongxu Lingyan* requires the tears of millennium-old purple bamboo… and now you’re telling me that two mirrors will do?”
Zheng Fa smiled.
If the array research didn’t pan out, he would try making glass—there was indeed crystal in the Xuanwei Realm, though it was relatively hard to find in the Jiushan Realm.
His current attempt with the microscopic array was not only to observe spiritual materials but also to further study talismans and familiarize himself with the meaning of arrays.
After some discussion among Uncle Pang, Sister Zhang, and Zheng Fa, they finally determined the composition of the spiritual symbols for the microscopic array.
Sister Zhang’s flying immortal brush danced in the air for a moment, and several spiritual symbols flew out, forming an array before them.
Uncle Pang looked at the magnified Xuanlei Stone, rubbed his eyes, and suddenly felt a surge of emotion…
**Chapter 281: The Microscopic World, Jiushan Paradise**
“This… doesn’t reveal much.”
Looking at the Xuanlei Stone under the microscopic array, Uncle Pang frowned.
This wasn’t surprising.
The microscopic array wasn’t more precise than the *Dongxu Lingyan*, so the three of them couldn’t discover anything new just from it.
Zheng Fa remained silent, his eyes shimmering with silver light—he was already aware of the limitations of the microscopic array. This attempt was merely to see if it could be combined with the *Dongxu Lingyan*.
The Xuanlei Stone transformed again, revealing a different scene.
He seemed to see a tiny universe, dotted with swirling purple and chaotic clouds.
This was useful!
Zheng Fa’s heart leaped with joy, realizing that the *Dongxu Lingyan* and the microscopic array indeed had complementary aspects.
He had been uncertain before, as the limits of optical microscopes stem from the properties of light—not the material itself. Simply put, light diffracts when it encounters extremely small scales of matter.
In other words, if the principles of the *Dongxu Lingyan* were consistent with those of optical microscopes, it wouldn’t be able to break through this limitation.
But now it seemed that the *Dongxu Lingyan* was different.
Looking at the swirling nebulae in that “void,” a smile crept onto Zheng Fa’s face.
“Hmm?”
Seeing his expression, Sister Zhang and Uncle Pang exchanged glances and activated their *Dongxu Lingyan* to look at the Xuanlei Stone.
“This…”
Uncle Pang’s face turned blank.
“Uncle, have you never seen such a scene before?” Zheng Fa asked curiously.
With countless powerful beings in the Xuanwei Realm, Zheng Fa found it hard to believe that this microscopic world was a secret to them.
Uncle Pang shook his head, sighing, “My cultivation is limited; I truly haven’t seen this… what exactly is it?”
Zheng Fa shook his head as well.
If he were in the modern world, he might guess it was something molecular, but the Xuanlei Stone was different—within those clouds, the misty areas were filled with rich spiritual energy!
Zheng Fa’s mind raced, and he waved outside.
A pile of stones had been stacked outside, used by the disciples to repair their houses during this time.
A white stone flew into Zheng Fa’s hand, which he placed under the microscopic array. Comparing it with the microscopic scene of the Xuanlei Stone, the conclusion became clear—
“The difference between spiritual materials and non-spiritual materials lies in whether this ‘cloud’ contains spiritual energy. Moreover, is this spiritual energy fixed?”
Uncle Pang frowned.
Zheng Fa nodded, his expression a mix of realization and confusion.
It was normal for spiritual materials to contain spiritual energy, but this observation made Zheng Fa understand something—there seemed to be a so-called spiritual energy molecule? Or perhaps spiritual energy atoms?
Uncle Pang had used a perfect term—fixed.
Spiritual energy is called “qi” because it is ever-changing.
Yet the spiritual energy in these clouds was remarkably stable, showing no signs of flow—what intrigued Zheng Fa was what caused the spiritual energy to gather in these clouds and not escape.
However, the effects of the microscopic array and the *Dongxu Lingyan* couldn’t be perfectly superimposed.
He wanted to see the details within that “cloud,” but found himself unable to do so.
Zheng Fa then attempted to study the previously captured copper coffin and the blood river ancestor’s life sword—both contained similar structures of spiritual energy clouds.
Only, their arrangement was more orderly and denser.
“The sizes of these three types of clouds differ greatly in the amount of spiritual energy they contain,” Zheng Fa summarized, “but I see some similarities between the copper coffin and the sword.”
Both Uncle Pang and Sister Zhang nodded.
“The cloud in the copper coffin contains less spiritual energy, while the sword has a bit more,” Sister Zhang remarked, “but they seem to originate from the same source.”
“Both are from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, so their similarities aren’t surprising…” Uncle Pang frowned, “but it’s a pity we can’t discern the details.”
“Now there’s a question…”
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment before speaking up.
Uncle Pang twitched his lips but perked up his ears to listen.
“Are the types of these spiritual energy clouds endless…”
“What difference does that make?” Uncle Pang asked, puzzled.
Zheng Fa shook his head.
They certainly couldn’t grasp the distinction, but Zheng Fa had a thought he wasn’t entirely sure about—
If the types of these clouds were limited, he felt it leaned towards the atomic level, as the atoms in the material world are finite.
If they were infinite… then it naturally leaned towards the molecular level.
“That’s simple,” Sister Zhang interjected, “there are plenty of spiritual materials in the Jiushan Realm; if we study more, we’ll know if they’re infinite.”
Zheng Fa nodded.
At this moment, Uncle Pang burst into laughter, excitedly saying, “Leave this to me!”
“Hmm?”
Uncle Pang looked at the microscopic array before him, his tone cheerful: “This microscopic array can also be considered a secret technique of my *Dongxu Lingyan*…”
“It’s that simple.”
“Once I thoroughly research it, my *Dongxu Lingyan* might just reach new heights.”
“Then I’ll leave this matter to you, Uncle.”
Zheng Fa felt a bit happy; Uncle Pang was his ideal for the microscopic lineage, and if it could evolve on its own, that would be even better.
Uncle Pang continued to murmur excitedly:
“Not just spiritual materials, I think we should also examine magical tools…”
“I want to take a look at the spiritual plants in the medicinal garden too!”
“You focus on your work; your master has been urging you to hold the sect leader ceremony every day… and you keep dragging it out.”
“I’m just waiting for Yan Wushuang and the others; they’ll be here soon.”
His master had been wanting to pass the position to him for some time, but the sect leader ceremony wasn’t that simple.
Although the Jiushan Sect was currently stable in its realm, it required some outsiders to witness the event—mainly to inform outsiders and let everyone know that the future leader of the Jiushan Sect would be surnamed Zheng.
So no one would get it wrong.
Zheng Fa didn’t need to worry about the guests his master invited.
But he had also invited a few people himself, just a handful.
One was Yan Wushuang, as he wanted to do some business with him in the future.
Another was Xiao Yuying, who had also lent a hand to the Jiushan Sect, so it was only right to invite her.
As for the rest, Zheng Fa had sent a letter to the Seventh Young Master, but he hadn’t received a reply before, so he wasn’t sure if he would this time.
Aside from these three, there were no others.
Table of Contents
