Chapter 450
"I said, controlled nuclear fusion is a reality!"
Cheng Yun spoke each word with emphasis.
Professor Wang finally confirmed he hadn’t misheard, but he looked as if he didn’t understand. Furrowing his brow, he asked, "How did it suddenly happen?"
"Where did the materials come from?"
"When was there a technological breakthrough?"
"Which project? Which organization made it happen?"
"I haven’t heard of it domestically, nor internationally! Can this really be a shortcut? No... this isn’t just a shortcut; it’s like a monkey jumping out of a rock..." His questions came one after another, clearly more confused than before, but the underlying message was disbelief.
"Boss, I’m the one taking you to that organization! Your project is gone, but they need you over there!"
Professor Wang perked up, his eyes wide as he stared ahead, seemingly feeling the car was moving too slowly. He squirmed in the passenger seat as if there were a thorn beneath him.
"Are we there yet?"
He got out of the car, tilting his head to look at the sign in front of the nursing home, seemingly unable to believe it. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, and upon seeing the same nursing home name, he turned back to Cheng Yun with a look of doubt.
"You mean this place? They’ve achieved controlled nuclear fusion?"
Cheng Yun nodded.
"A nursing home?"
"Boss, I can’t explain everything right now; you’ll understand once you go inside."
Cheng Yun sighed, knowing that some things could only be believed when seen.
Professor Wang, half-convinced, followed Cheng Yun into the courtyard, heading straight for the conference room.
The main building of the nursing home was bustling with outsiders, especially in the conference room, which was packed with people.
As soon as Professor Wang entered, he was taken aback.
"Academician Zhou?"
"Old Chen?"
"Ah... what are you doing here?"
Professor Wang greeted everyone with nods and bows, dazed as he made his way to his corner seat. He glanced around the room and quietly asked Cheng Yun, "What’s going on?"
"Like you, boss..."
"What do you mean, like me?"
"Either retired or unemployed..."
Professor Wang was momentarily stunned, looking at the circle of esteemed seniors, and surprisingly, his frustration began to dissipate.
Cheng Yun whispered, "Boss, don’t say your students don’t respect you. Trust me, this is the biggest opportunity of your life..."
Professor Wang looked at him suspiciously, then at the room full of big names, growing even more silent.
Team Leader Yang and Tang Muda walked in together, turned on the projector, and addressed the room full of scholars:
"Let me introduce myself, my surname is Yang..."
"Some of you may have heard rumors, while others may be completely unaware."
"Regarding those rumors, some may believe them, while others may doubt. But I assure you, in my name and on behalf of the nation, everything I’m about to say is true..."
The room fell silent as everyone listened intently.
They weren’t fools; with so many people gathered, who but the national will could bring them together like this?
Team Leader Yang began her presentation with the nursing home, and as she spoke, slides showcasing the nursing home’s achievements appeared.
At first, when she mentioned cultivating immortality, most faces in the room bore expressions of disbelief.
But then she introduced the new rice variety, Jiushan No. 1.
Next came a new set of calisthenics.
Then, various newly researched elixirs.
The first two had already circulated in society, and most in the conference room had heard of them, leading to murmurs as more people began to believe.
Finally, when Team Leader Yang spoke about the Golden Elixir, Professor Wang’s eyes widened. It seemed his eyes were too tired to read the words on the slides; he leaned forward, resting his head on the conference table, his gaze trembling.
He wasn’t alone.
Many researchers in nuclear engineering or nuclear physics were similarly craning their necks, afraid to miss a single word.
When Team Leader Yang finished, the room fell into silence.
No one spoke.
It seemed everyone was at a loss for words.
"Immortality... led to nuclear fusion?"
Professor Wang heard someone ask loudly, his voice almost cracking, as if on the verge of exploding.
Indeed, it sounded even more absurd than a monkey jumping out of a rock.
"Yes!"
"Is it real?"
"If you pass the director’s assessment, you’ll see the real thing."
"What if we don’t pass?"
"Not much, you’ll just lose this memory..."
As soon as those words were spoken, the room erupted into discussion again.
Professor Wang suddenly turned to Cheng Yun and whispered, "Did you participate in this Golden Elixir project?"
Cheng Yun nodded, his expression proud.
"Is it all true?"
"Absolutely true!"
"Then what about...?" Professor Wang’s voice dropped, and he leaned closer to Cheng Yun, whispering, "Is there a trick to the test?"
"…"
Cheng Yun looked at Professor Wang, seeing him come alive again, eager to re-enter the workforce, and couldn’t help but chuckle, teasing, "Aren’t you going abroad anymore, boss?"
"Not a chance! Do they even understand cultivating immortality?"
---
**Chapter 362: Who Passes on the Teachings, Mutual Interaction**
At the foot of Hongshan, a truck honked repeatedly. A middle-aged driver, unable to bear the monotony, opened the door and stepped out of the cab, looking ahead—at least a hundred vehicles were stuck in front of him, the traffic stretching from the foot of the mountain to halfway up.
He glanced back, seeing a line of cars trailing behind, emitting the smell of gasoline and smoke, like a game of Snake, each car linked to the one in front.
He shook his head and walked over to the next vehicle, calling out, "Hey, buddy, got a light?"
A stout man jumped out of the back car, quite friendly, and offered him a cigarette.
As they smoked, with nothing much to do, they chatted idly about the bustling Hongshan:
"How many trips have you made?"
"Three days, about ten trips. This job is urgent!"
"Yeah, they say a dozen construction sites are starting up at once, needing a lot of supplies. The cars can’t stop, and they won’t let us in. Who knows what they’re building?"
"Who cares, as long as they pay well..."
The stout man lowered his voice and said, "You’re not from around here, are you?"
"No..."
"Then you haven’t heard? There are plenty of rumors about Hongshan these past few years."
"What rumors?"
"Hongshan has a fairy!"
"…"
"Don’t doubt it! Someone saw her—a stunningly beautiful fairy, flying in the mountains when no one’s around, especially at night!" The stout man spoke with conviction.
The middle-aged man took a deep drag on his cigarette... This smoke was good; despite the guy being a bit eccentric, he was generous.
---
Tang Lingwu sat obediently with her legs crossed at the dining table, watching Zheng Fa with her big, blinking eyes.
Old Bai and the others surrounded her, chatting back and forth.
The new batch of people was no longer in the nursing home—this time, Hongshan was not just recruiting people but also establishing laboratories, research institutions, and even opening new spiritual fields.
These individuals either went down the mountain to arrange their families and previous jobs or went to the construction sites to supervise the work.
The outside clamor didn’t reach the nursing home, and the residents had little interest in the commotion because Tang Lingwu was preparing to establish her foundation.
She had been cultivating for nearly four years now, and given her single spiritual root, her progress was relatively slow.
The issue wasn’t with her but with the environment:
In the early years, Zheng Fa’s cultivation was limited, and the spiritual energy in Hongshan was insufficient, which was a major reason.
On the other hand, there was a lack of various spiritual materials, especially elixirs. For instance, Tang Lingwu didn’t have the Ningyuan Dan, which prevented her from practicing the "Symbolic Path Foundation Establishment Method."
Looking at it this way, Tang Lingwu’s speed was quite impressive—her talent was exceptional, and her straightforward nature, combined with her affluent background, allowed her to focus intensely. With her sharp mind, she could be considered a remarkable genius even in the Xuanwei realm.
In comparison, Old Bai had barely reached the seventh level of Qi training, and Teacher Tian’s cultivation was even shallower.
Zheng Fa felt a bit worried:
Setting aside his own situation, Tang Lingwu was the first to establish a foundation in this modern world, making her a pioneer in the realm of immortality.
Though he believed there was a 99% chance nothing would go wrong, he couldn’t help but think of that 1% possibility.
Old Bai and Teacher Tian squeezed in beside her, their faces filled with concern as they watched Tang Lingwu.
After years of interaction, their feelings toward Zheng Fa and the others might be complex, but toward Tang Lingwu, they regarded her as their own child, naturally worrying even more.
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