Chapter 635
This is like... the amount of money the richest man earns in a day, something many people wouldn't earn in a lifetime.
The resources that allow Madam Xuanhua and the others to work might be enough to make a Golden Core cultivator like Qian Zhenren wish for death.
Zheng Fa was even certain that among the first batch of Yuanying cultivators nurtured by the Jiushan Sect, Qian Zhenren's name would undoubtedly be included.
His promotion to elder was naturally due to his outstanding contributions to the Jiushan Sect:
The significance of Fusang wood and Qingjing bamboo is immense.
The various new species in the medicinal garden, which sustain the population and bring wealth to the Jiushan Sect, are evident for all to see.
Not to mention the assistance agriculture provides to alchemy.
As the dean of the Agricultural Academy, no one could voice any objections.
It could only be him, and no one else.
On the other hand, Zheng Fa also harbored a mindset of valuing talent highly:
What position could a relatively mediocre person achieve in the Jiushan Sect through research?
Qian Zhenren served as an excellent example for these disciples:
After all, the elder's salary is something that even the Jiuzhang Calculation Array must make public.
...
"The first thing these disciples learned was actually a paper on water."
Zheng Fa sat beside Senior Sister Zhang, looking at the freshly minted papers in the discussion, his expression hard to describe, and he seemed a bit pained.
A round of reforms had injected some enthusiasm into the Jiushan disciples:
The problem was, it seemed there was a bit too much enthusiasm.
Perhaps it was due to the pressure of internal assessments.
Or maybe they were envious of Qian Zhenren's salary.
It could also simply be that they wanted to take advantage of the merits pool.
In just over twenty days, the three thousand Jiushan disciples produced over six thousand... academic duds.
Many disciples didn't even know the standards for writing papers; the quality of these papers was so poor that it would have tarnished Zheng Daozu's reputation in modern education.
"Most of them simply lack the necessary accumulation," Senior Sister Zhang said, seeing his pained expression, and she couldn't help but smile. "Besides, they aren't just writing nonsense; many of their secret techniques and ideas are quite fresh."
Zheng Fa exhaled slowly and nodded.
These disciples were just lacking in ability, but their attitudes were correct, and quite a few had brought out their best secret techniques.
Lacking ability was understandable.
A poor attitude, however, was beyond redemption.
Zheng Fa patiently flipped through the papers on practical applications, suddenly stopping, furrowing his brow, and his expression turned serious.
Senior Sister Zhang leaned over to take a look and softly read the title of the paper:
"Exploring the Decline of Chi Yu Tiangang Qi?"
(This chapter ends)
Chapter 453: Crafting Transformation, Smuggling Through the Canon
Chapter 453: Crafting Transformation, Smuggling Through the Canon
The length of "Exploring the Decline of Chi Yu Tiangang Qi" was not long.
Zheng Fa quickly finished reading it. He looked up at Senior Sister Zhang, surprisingly saying nothing, and instead picked up the Zhaohua Jade Tablet to read again.
Seeing this, Senior Sister Zhang grew even more curious.
"I didn't expect this disciple to actually surprise me."
After reading the paper again, Zheng Fa fell silent for a moment before expressing his thoughts.
His gaze was somewhat vacant as he reflected on the content of the paper:
This paper was written by a Foundation Establishment disciple; it wasn't really a paper in the true sense, as it didn't even have a proper conclusion.
In essence, while it claimed to explore, it was merely an observational report.
What held value was the subject of his observations:
Chi Yu Tiangang Qi.
This was a type of Tiangang Qi, not particularly rare, but what made it special was that it didn't exist in the Jiushan Sect.
Not only was it absent, but Chi Yu Tiangang Qi couldn't even exist within the Jiushan Sect:
This was the most valuable discovery made by this disciple.
His discovery process was quite simple; the disciple didn't know where he had obtained the Chi Yu Tiangang Qi, and after not using it for several years in the Jiushan Sect, he found that the spiritual energy within it had completely dissipated.
In the end, it turned into a purplish-red solid powder that could self-ignite at slightly elevated temperatures.
He seemed unsure of what this substance was, but Zheng Fa recognized it immediately:
Isn't this red phosphorus?
Chi Yu Tiangang Qi is not particularly rare, but red phosphorus is even more common; what is rare is this transformation.
What intrigued Zheng Fa even more was the reason behind this change.
"Senior Sister, reading this paper made me think of a question."
"Yeah?"
Senior Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa's profile, noticing he wasn't looking at her but was instead staring blankly into space, speaking slightly faster than usual.
She realized that her junior brother didn't seem to be talking to her.
Rather, he was lost in thought, unconsciously asking and answering himself, sorting through his ideas.
"If spiritual energy is so variable, then why is this world so stable?"
Senior Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa, puzzled.
What does a stable world mean?
Zheng Fa continued speaking to himself:
"After reading this paper, I think I understand a bit."
"Understand what?"
"Substances without spiritual energy are the foundation of this world, thus they are the same..."
Senior Sister Zhang felt increasingly confused and asked, "The same? Same as what?"
Of course, he meant the striking similarities between the modern world and the Xuanwei Realm.
In Zheng Fa's view, this was quite unreasonable:
If spiritual energy is understood as the rules of the world, then the rules of the Xuanwei Realm are actually quite convoluted.
Zheng Fa believed that the Xuanwei Realm's excessive stability was due to this reason: there are so many rules, some of which even contradict each other, that it should have collapsed long ago.
Yet, the Xuanwei Realm not only has existed for several epochs but also shares countless similarities with the modern world.
Without the variable of spiritual energy, the two worlds would be nearly indistinguishable.
This suggests that the existence of spiritual energy seems to have no impact on the underlying laws of the Xuanwei Realm.
Most substances still operate according to the physical laws of the modern world.
This is not a simple matter: this phenomenon indicates that the physical laws of the modern world are more fundamental than spiritual energy.
To put it metaphorically, it's like spiritual energy is a virtual machine, while the modern world is the underlying operating system.
Zheng Fa had previously harbored some doubts, but after reading this paper today, he truly understood:
The reason for the change in Chi Yu Tiangang Qi is actually quite easy to guess—despite having Qingjing bamboo, the composition of spiritual energy in the Jiushan Sect is still incomplete.
Because there is no corresponding spiritual energy, Chi Yu Tiangang Qi cannot persist.
From this, Zheng Fa could draw a surprising conclusion:
In the absence of spiritual energy, all spiritual materials might degrade into substances commonly found in the modern world.
In other words, spiritual material particles would revert to a stable state.
And this stable state is the matter of the modern world.
Thus, the human structures on both sides are identical, and most substances are not much different.
Seeing this, Senior Sister Zhang couldn't help but ask again:
"Junior Brother?"
"Senior Sister, do you think that after the decline of spiritual energy, it would be like this?"
"…It does seem a bit similar. Without specific spiritual energy, spiritual materials not only cannot take shape but may even fail to exist?" Senior Sister Zhang pondered, "If all spiritual energy were to disappear..."
Zheng Fa silently completed her thought:
The Xuanwei Realm would become exactly like the modern world.
Seeing him smile so happily, Senior Sister Zhang frowned and asked, "But is this really worth your excitement?"
"Senior Sister, I have an idea for the next step of 'Tiangang Disha Transformation.'"
"…"
Senior Sister Zhang took out her own canon, found that paper, and read it over and over, frowning:
Have I become stupid?
...
"What do you want from me?"
The Jiushan Patriarch stood in Zheng Fa's courtyard, his expression cold, refusing to take a seat.
"Patriarch, are you still angry?"
"Angry? What am I angry about? What do I have to be angry about?" the Jiushan Patriarch shouted, "Am I not a dignified patriarch, yet I couldn't even secure a position as a Supreme Elder? I've lost all face! What is there to be angry about?"
The little Jinwu followed behind him, shouting, "Exactly! Why isn't the Patriarch a Supreme Elder?"
Senior Sister Yuan was also nodding vigorously beside them.
Seeing their enthusiastic support, the Jiushan Patriarch's momentum grew: "Look, this is what it means to have the people's support!"
Now, the Jiushan Patriarch, like Madam Xuanhua and the others, held a position as an elder.
But the Supreme Elder...
Zheng Fa wasn't worried about his character; he was mainly concerned about the Patriarch's intelligence.
The Patriarch seemed a bit unreliable; handing the Jiushan Sect over to him might truly lead to disaster.
He had originally hesitated about giving the Patriarch a chance to prove himself.
But upon seeing this trio of schemers, all gathered together in a raucous display of camaraderie, he and Senior Sister Zhang exchanged glances, feeling that their previous caution was indeed prescient.
"Patriarch, I called you here to enhance the spiritual energy of Wuxian Island."
"Not doing it!" The Jiushan Patriarch was quite adamant, "I've worked hard for the Jiushan Sect for so many years, what have I gained? Not doing it!"
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