Chapter 377
“... Not just that,” Zheng Fa said, furrowing his brow, his eyes shining brightly. “I’m wondering if the Five Elements spells are constructing a special kind of spiritual energy bond?”
“Spiritual energy bond?” It was Teacher Tian who spoke up. “Are you saying it’s similar to a molecular bond?”
“We know that matter can be roughly categorized into three states: solid, liquid, and gas, with distinctions between metals and non-metals.”
“This distinction essentially comes down to molecular structure, the spacing between molecules, or the nature of the bonds between them…”
“And in the Five Elements spells, the Metal element creates metallic crystals from substances that would otherwise never exhibit metallic properties.”
At this point, the old man finally understood:
“So you mean the Water element spell transforms substances that cannot exist in liquid form at normal temperature and pressure into liquids?”
“Exactly, for example…”
Zheng Fa waved his hand in the air, and the wooden chair beside him suddenly melted, turning into a pool of wood-colored liquid.
“Then the Earth element forms non-metallic solids?”
“What about Fire? Is it gasification?”
Zheng Fa shook his head and said, “That might involve a forced oxidation process, no, a forced release of energy.”
“For gasification, I think the Wind element spell is more fitting.”
Zheng Fa frowned, as this was merely a hypothesis, and the most important thing was…
“I really can’t wrap my head around the Wood element…”
Tang Mu Dao nodded, “At least for the Metal, Water, and Earth element spells, I think there’s some logic to it… changing molecular structures to alter the state of matter.”
The old man pondered for a moment and sighed, “In the hands of an immortal, the hardest metal can turn into the softest water.”
“The lightest gas can become the sharpest blade…”
“It does make some sense.”
“So, spiritual materials are the solidified interactions between spiritual energy and molecular atoms? Or rather, the solidification of spiritual energy bonds?”
Zheng Fa nodded, though there was some uncertainty in his expression—after all, a single paper couldn’t verify many things.
…
The expressions on the faces of the old man and the others were still filled with confusion, clearly feeling that this theory lacked practical support.
The group of Chen Sheng and others nearby felt even more so.
As they listened to terms like the Five Elements spells, they were naturally curious, hanging on every word, not wanting to miss a single one.
But after a while, they exchanged glances, their eyes filled with bewilderment.
“Did you understand?”
Everyone shook their heads, their expressions somewhat dejected.
After a moment, Chen Sheng sighed, “When immortals discuss profound truths, we mere mortals can’t comprehend it. I guess we lack the wisdom.”
A girl nearby asked, “What do you mean by wisdom?”
“Um…” Chen Sheng frowned, “Like… a university diploma?”
“…”
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 326: Journal Concept, The Death of Blood River**
Chen Sheng’s complaint was not without its own obsession—he didn’t get into university because he was too immersed in martial arts.
Of course, if he had been a top student in his youth, he probably wouldn’t have been so obsessed with martial arts.
But he still regretted it immensely.
However, his words struck another person…
Though he spoke softly to the person beside him, with Zheng Fa and the others’ cultivation levels, those few sentences were impossible to hide.
So…
The old man and the others exchanged glances, communicating silently, or rather, scolding him.
The old man said, “... A university diploma? Is that really so hard to get? Isn’t it just handed out when you reach a certain age?”
Tang Mu Dao added, “I don’t know, I got my PhD over thirty years ago…”
Teacher Tian turned to look at Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu.
Zheng Fa: “…”
He glanced at Tang Lingwu, his eyes filled with a hint of consolation.
“Um… I’m still in school,” Tang Lingwu suddenly said, biting her lip.
“Hmm?”
Zheng Fa’s eyes widened.
Little Lingwu, you’ve gone astray!
We agreed to drop out together, and you’re secretly studying?
Tang Lingwu whispered, “I asked Aunt Yang to transfer me to a management course, and I’ve been taking classes remotely from the nursing home.”
Tang Lingwu was likely studying this to better manage the Jiushan Grain Company.
Zheng Fa’s decision to not attend school was quite simple—there was no need or convenience.
He didn’t actually think going back to school would benefit him.
But ever since he started interacting with Leader Yang and the others, he felt that some people were deliberately looking out for him…
As if afraid someone might offend him.
He understood this, of course.
After all, having such a powerful figure wandering around Beijing, if he were to encounter someone careless— it could lead to quite the spectacle.
Though Zheng Fa always appeared kind-hearted.
No one dared to gamble on his kindness.
After going twice, he didn’t want to trouble others anymore, mainly because he found it pointless—no matter what, he could see how others were tiptoeing around him.
Moreover, with his spiritual awareness, it was hard for him to miss the subtle arrangements made by Leader Yang and the others.
Eventually, he simply stopped going to school.
As for learning, that hadn’t stopped—he had been learning from various experts in different fields through Leader Yang, just no longer caring about diplomas.
But objectively speaking:
A university diploma was something he would never obtain through normal means in this lifetime…
On the other hand, Tang Lingwu, lacking Zheng Fa’s influence and convenient conditions, would benefit from systematically studying management at a university.
Beijing University was indeed a suitable choice.
Chen Sheng’s words struck Zheng Fa deeply, and it seemed they only affected him.
After hearing their conversation, the old man and the others looked at Zheng Fa with somewhat strange expressions, as if they felt he was out of place among them.
“Actually, I was just thinking…” Tang Lingwu quickly changed the subject, “There’s no need to correspond spells with the states of matter.”
“Hmm?”
Zheng Fa looked at her, and Tang Lingwu continued, “If the Five Elements are the foundation of matter, or if the Five Elements spells construct spiritual energy bonds similar to molecular bonds, then gas molecules can indeed be seen as having no bonds present.”
Everyone paused, realizing that this was indeed the case.
“So, the Five Elements correspond not to the states of matter, but to different spiritual energy bonds.”
“For example, the Water element likely corresponds to the forces between liquid molecules.”
“The Fire element can be seen as a structure formed by the gain and loss of electrons? The gain and loss of energy is also a kind of manifestation.”
“The Metal element naturally corresponds to metallic bond structures, while the Earth element relates to the forces between non-metallic solids.”
“As for the Wood element… organic matter? I haven’t figured that out either.”
Tang Lingwu’s words made Zheng Fa nod in agreement:
“Indeed, the solid, liquid, and gas states of matter are merely properties; the essence lies in the chemical bonds or the forces and structures between particles. Gas molecules can be seen as lacking spiritual energy bonds, hence they don’t correspond to the Five Elements.”
“From this perspective, the Fire element spell is fundamental, while the Wind element spell might be an application, which makes sense.”
Tang Lingwu’s explanation not only clarified the essence of the Fire element spell but also filled a gap in Zheng Fa’s reasoning—if spells correspond to the states of matter, then why isn’t the Wind element spell one of the fundamental Five Elements, but rather the Fire element?
Now, analyzing it entirely through the lens of spiritual energy bonds, it was clear that the Wind element spell, or the interactions between gases… indeed didn’t require spiritual energy bonds.
The old man thought for a moment and found this explanation much clearer. He smiled at Tang Lingwu, “This little brain of yours is quite impressive!”
Tang Lingwu proudly lifted her chin.
The old man added, “No wonder you can get a university diploma!”
Zheng Fa: “…?”
…
Chen Sheng felt that Zheng Yuan’s gaze on him was particularly intense.
So intense that when he practiced his calisthenics, he felt stiff all over, clumsy and disorganized, forgetting the next move after finishing the previous one.
He performed poorly.
After finishing, he couldn’t help but feel a bit dejected, lowering his head anxiously.
Zheng Fa slowly retracted the silver light from his eyes and looked at the health reports brought by Chen Sheng and the others.
To study the effects of martial arts on the human body, Jiushan Martial Arts School had a unique rule—every half month, they would conduct a detailed health check to collect various data.
“They’ve all shown improvements in various routine indicators…” the old man leaned in, looking over the report while explaining, “Similar to my previous condition.”
The old man hadn’t been in great health before either, but after practicing martial arts, he had indeed improved, with all his minor ailments gone—these people naturally hadn’t made such significant progress, as the old man had later practiced the “Spirit Crane Body Technique.”
Not to mention the Five Thunder Law Body.
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