Chapter 340
In Zheng Fa's view, measuring the atomic weight of the Gangsha energy was not merely for his own advancement in forming the Golden Core, but rather a natural requirement of the "Golden Core Project."
In fact, without the rune in the communication talisman that could shield spiritual energy from electromagnetic interference, Zheng Fa would have had little means to measure this phenomenon.
Gangsha energy was somewhat different from the hydrogen and helium discussed in modern science—it contained a certain amount of spiritual energy.
Or rather, this substance was essentially a type of spiritual material, albeit with rather unique properties.
Zheng Fa had his own thoughts on this matter:
Spiritual energy could have both positive and negative effects on matter.
The negative aspect was that spiritual energy could disrupt the stability of electromagnetic waves.
On the positive side—sometimes, it seemed to maintain the existence of certain special states of matter.
For instance, Gangsha energy was one such example.
Gangsha energy could exist stably outside the intense reactions of the Golden Core, serving as a raw material for the Golden Core reaction, likely benefiting from this very property.
...
Sister Zhang had a natural affinity for water, so Zheng Fa arranged for her to have a courtyard next to a lake. He walked to the lakeside, channeling his spiritual power, and a small bolt of lightning fell into the water.
Through the perspective of the "洞虚灵眼" (Dongxu Spirit Eye), one could see two streams of clear energy, one light and one heavy, rising slowly.
Due to their limited understanding, the others failed to realize—he was electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen.
Of course, he didn’t intend to use hydrogen as a substitute for the Tiangang energy; that would likely explode upon nearing the Golden Core. However, it served as an excellent standard...
Using this as a benchmark, measuring the atomic weight of Gangsha energy would be much simpler.
Zheng Fa explained his thought process to everyone:
By measuring the atomic weight, he aimed to first understand what the raw particles and output particles in the "Shenxiao Golden Core" were.
Then, he would find the corresponding Tiangang energy for the hydrogen particles.
Finally, through calculations, he would replace the Tiangang energy in the "Shenxiao Golden Core."
Of course, this would also require external alchemical refinement to test the new method.
After he finished speaking, he noticed various expressions on the faces of those present:
Sister Zhang seemed to have grasped something; she understood.
Sister Yuan looked utterly confused; she didn’t get it...
Xiao Yuying... hmm, Zheng Fa glanced at her; she was pretending to understand.
In truth, Elder Yuan and the others seemed to grasp it to some extent, but the achievements prior to the "Golden Core Project" had given them some confidence in Zheng Fa.
As for those who didn’t understand...
Hadn't they experienced that before?
It was just a matter of getting used to it!
For measuring atomic weight, Zheng Fa's approach was indeed similar to that of a mass spectrometer—ionizing different Gangsha energies and observing their movement in an electromagnetic field to determine the mass-to-charge ratio of these particles.
By measuring their charge, he could naturally calculate the corresponding atomic weight.
As for how to measure the charge...
In this regard, Xiao Yuying was particularly sensitive!
This was also why Zheng Fa didn’t hide anything from her; aside from his relative trust in her, she was quite useful in this area.
...
Days later, Zheng Fa looked at a mass of clear energy before him, which fluctuated and contained a vast amount of spiritual energy.
"The Taichu Gangqi from the thirty-six Tiangang energies... is this the particle you need?" Sister Zhang asked.
The Xuanwei realm traditionally spoke of thirty-six Tiangang and seventy-two Dizhao, and Zheng Fa had measured them all this time.
After measurement, the corresponding Tiangang energy for the hydrogen particles was indeed the Taichu Gangqi before him.
This name...
Hydrogen particles could indeed be said to be the origin of all atoms.
Zheng Fa shook his head, casting aside his strange thoughts, and began to channel his spiritual power according to the method of "采天罡" (Cai Tiangang) in the "Shenxiao Golden Core."
The Taichu Gangqi before him transformed into light smoke, enveloping Zheng Fa, entering through his mouth and nose, and flowing straight down to his Dantian.
In the Dantian, the fruit on the branch of the Fusang tree had turned a deep red, resembling a smooth ruby, crystal clear, and appeared to be on the verge of ripening.
The Taichu Gangqi seemed to know the way, naturally gathering towards that fruit, coating its surface with a layer of frost.
In the next moment.
A blinding golden light burst forth from the Fusang fruit, illuminating Zheng Fa's Dantian and surrounding meridians.
When he looked again, the Taichu Gangqi in the Dantian had vanished without a trace.
Only within the fruit, there seemed to be tiny golden flames, small yet dazzling.
"It absorbed it..." Zheng Fa felt a surge of joy in his heart, indicating that his previous thoughts were correct—this Fusang fruit's uniqueness lay in its natural ability to undergo proton reactions.
However, it seemed that this small amount of Taichu Gangqi was insufficient for it to mature; according to his vague intuition, the amount needed was certainly not trivial...
"How is it?" Sister Zhang asked with concern.
"It should be fine..." Zheng Fa nodded at her, smiling.
Before Sister Zhang could respond, Xiao Yuying's expression turned somewhat strange—
Though she was following Zheng Fa's instructions, she felt dazed, as if in a dream.
She understood better than anyone the difficulty of modifying a high-grade Golden Core secret method...
As she had said, her cultivation had been smooth sailing until the moment of forming the Golden Core, which had taken her nearly a hundred years—there was something she had hesitated to mention in the jade tube to Zheng Fa:
At the beginning, she too had wanted to comprehend the method of forming the Golden Core that suited her best without relying on her master.
But as days turned into years, she still fell short.
Her master, unable to bear it any longer, had sought out the Nine-Leaf Bodhi Seed for her.
This spiritual herb was already precious in the Xuanwei realm; had it not been for her master being a Transformation God and her being the only direct disciple, others would never have dared to hope for it.
Even so, her master had expended considerable resources to obtain this herb, not to mention the debts of gratitude involved...
But... Zheng Fa's seemingly inexplicable actions were about to succeed?
Thinking of this, Xiao Yuying couldn't help but ask, "Do you also have a treasure for enlightenment?"
Zheng Fa glanced at her, pondered for a moment, and replied, "I have something even better."
After all, a single Bodhi seed... might not compare to the wisdom of an entire world.
Understanding that matter is composed of atoms...
This path had been traversed by modern science for thousands of years.
As for the scientific research methods, they were the wisdom of generations.
The few days Xiao Yuying had experienced were backed by the relentless exploration of countless scholars in modern times.
He didn’t believe that the Nine-Leaf Bodhi Seed was more valuable than this understanding.
This also marked a fundamental difference in pursuit between him and the cultivators of the Xuanwei realm—
According to Xiao Yuying's description, the Nine-Leaf Bodhi Seed seemed to allow one to contemplate a problem a million times in an instant...
Whereas Zheng Fa's approach to building the Jiushan realm felt like enabling millions of people to think about a single problem together.
Which was superior, Zheng Fa himself couldn’t say, but one thing was clear to him—he didn’t have Xiao Yuying's conditions; he only had this choice.
Xiao Yuying nodded gently, her expression calming somewhat. After a moment, she suddenly sighed, "Was I not a good person before...?"
"Huh?" Zheng Fa was taken aback, not understanding why she felt this way.
"I used to think it was others who were narrow-minded..." Xiao Yuying looked up, seemingly reminiscing about the past.
"..."
"After meeting you, I realized... it can be understood."
...Watching the wistful expression on Xiao Yuying's face, it was clear that after a good beating, her empathy had grown quickly!
...
On University Island, beside the peculiar gourd-shaped alchemical cauldron, Zheng Fa and the others were once again refining the "Shenxiao External Pill."
This time, it was not the disciples of the "Golden Core Project" who were operating, but Zheng Fa taking the lead, with Madam Xuanhua assisting, while the disciples observed and learned.
Zheng Fa aimed to familiarize himself with the process of forming the Golden Core.
Madam Xuanhua was purely curious.
With Madam Xuanhua, an experienced hand, and the success from the last attempt, it wasn’t long before a brand new Shenxiao External Pill appeared in the cauldron.
This Shenxiao External Pill was of even better quality than the last one—it possessed the potency of a low-grade Golden Core.
Holding the Shenxiao External Pill in his hand, a smile inevitably crept onto Zheng Fa's face:
At this point, he could confidently affirm that his idea of using Taichu Gangqi to replace the original Tiangang energy had succeeded!
Or rather—he had found the Golden Core method that suited him best!
This Shenxiao External Pill was brighter than the previous one, its radiance casting reflections on the faces of those around, revealing their various expressions.
No one spoke; it seemed no one even breathed.
They simply gazed at the Shenxiao External Pill...
After a long while, Uncle Pang finally broke the silence, "Is this... the 'Golden Core Project'?"
Zheng Fa nodded gently.
Using the "Golden Core Project," he aimed to simplify the Golden Core methods for everyone, even allowing them to create the Golden Core method that suited them best...
Zheng Fa had stated this from the beginning—but it was only at this moment that they truly grasped the weight of his words.
"Without the Nine-Leaf Bodhi Seed..." Xiao Yuying's tone was somewhat ethereal.
"And not the Enlightenment Spirit Body either..." Uncle Pang continued.
Table of Contents
