Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 297 - 183: Too Much Internal Circulation

Chapter 297: Chapter 183: Too Much Internal Circulation

Zheng Fa didn’t have the time to play God; he was protecting Tang Lingwu as she was about to make a breakthrough to the fourth level of Qi Cultivation.

It took nearly a year of practice to reach the fourth level of Qi Cultivation, neither fast nor slow.

Compared to Zheng Fa, who established his Foundation in less than a year, Tang Lingwu naturally couldn’t match.

But compared to people like Han Qi, she was quite fast, especially considering she possessed a Single Spirit Root.

Given that the Spiritual Energy in the nursing home was not so abundant—Tang Lingwu’s efforts can be imagined.

Among the few people in the nursing home, Zheng Fa actually favored Tang Lingwu the most:

She was simple-minded due to her privileged family background, talented, and quick to learn—if she were in the Xuanwei Realm, she would make Master Pang green with envy.

Now, she was also the first to break through the mid-stage of Qi Cultivation.

Sitting outside the Quiet Room used for cultivation, Zheng Fa felt the fluctuations of Spiritual Energy within. With a probe of his Divine Sense, he saw Group Leader Yang ascending the mountain with two men.

...

Group Leader Yang cautioned the two men behind her: "Your presence here is a sign of trust from the higher-ups, but it’s also your opportunity."

The two exchanged a glance, nodding with slightly nervous expressions.

They had been discussing all the way here, growing more apprehensive as they talked.

The very mention of Cultivation was enough to inspire awe.

Now there’s something about nuclear fusion as well.

Superstition and science flourishing side by side, utterly leaving no room for faith to survive.

Hearing Group Leader Yang’s persistent reminders, they naturally felt even more apprehensive.

"Don’t be too nervous. Director Zheng isn’t someone with a bad temper," Group Leader Yang said with a smile to comfort them. "I just hope that you two can try to clear up some of Director Zheng’s doubts."

The two exchanged glances, internally acknowledging this was probably a political task... The higher-ups indeed placed significant importance on this man.

Their faces grew even tenser.

After a while, the younger man asked, "Group Leader Yang, do you think... I could learn Cultivation?"

Group Leader Yang turned back to look at him and noticed the middle-aged man beside him also showing a hint of anticipation.

She nodded at them.

"What would I have to do?" the young man’s eyes lit up as he asked, "Test my aptitude? Challenge my temperament? Or some kind of opportunity?"

"Write a thesis."

"?"

"I’m not kidding, you know about Elder Hou, right? He wrote a paper on the overview of agricultural science under Spiritual Energy. Now, he’s practicing the Farmer Posture."

As Group Leader Yang spoke, there was a hint of envy on her face.

But Tang Mudao also mentioned they’re still perfecting the contribution system—her role as a liaison, despite not having any achievements, counts for something.

Eventually, adding her name as the third or fourth author isn’t out of the question.

With gradual accumulation, even academic drifters have a chance!

...

Zheng Fa stood at the entrance of the main building of the nursing home, waiting for the three.

"Mr. Zheng!"

Group Leader Yang was surprised to see him receiving them in person, raising her eyebrows slightly.

She was now certain—Zheng Fa liked this group of academics.

The last time Elder Hou visited, Zheng Fa had welcomed him all the way to the door.

She didn’t receive such treatment.

She secretly noted this to add to the information on Zheng Fa.

The higher-ups’ concern for Zheng Fa was beyond what everyone imagined.

The information about Zheng Fa kept piling up day by day.

What Group Leader Yang found unbearable was that even Zheng Fa’s past exam papers had been collected and were being assessed by a group of people.

They say handwriting reflects the person. From these exam papers, one could discern an individual’s character.

She didn’t believe it that much.

But some analyses, Group Leader Yang felt, were quite accurate—

Zheng Fa was someone who disliked trouble, valued friendships, and had a great passion for knowledge.

To some extent, he was simpler and easier to get along with than any target Group Leader Yang had before.

These days, she even felt very comfortable working around Zheng Fa—

Zheng Fa had a good nature, and her position was pivotal; casually passing a word could attract considerable attention from all levels.

This sensation... how can one describe it as anything less than ’immense authority?’

Therefore, both professionally and personally, she didn’t want to displease Zheng Fa.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but feel immense regret—

Who could have imagined that the love she experienced in high school, the classes she skipped, the exams she didn’t write.

Would, more than a decade later, become an arrow that pierced her heart.

Causing her to lose the favor of Zheng Fa...

...

With the arrival of the three, the Golden Core Project research conference officially commenced in the main building’s meeting room.

The two newcomers sat in their seats, looking at the PPT at the end of the room, which also displayed analyses of twelve types of Golden Core structures...

Everyone was a bit numb.

Is cultivation modernizing to such an extent?

Zheng Fa glanced at the two and began to explain the essence, thought processes, and precautions concerning these twelve types of Golden Cores.

Of course, the most important thing was to translate the original cultivation terminology into something that everyone in the room could understand.

"I am familiar with the composition of eight out of these twelve Golden Cores."

This was the information Zheng Fa had gathered from interviewing four Nascent Soul cultivators from the Jiushan Realm and over ten Golden Core disciples.

After examining the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha within the bodies of the Golden Core disciples, although lacking modern technological means of detection, he could still confirm some of his previous conjectures using the "Void Spirit Eye" and simple density analysis:

The essence of Heavenly Gang truly consists of substances with lighter atomic nuclei.

While the essence of Earthly Sha has much heavier atomic nuclei.

In addition, he also consulted with his Master and others about the processes involved in the circulation of the Golden Core.

The Shenxiao Golden Core of his Master confirmed one thing for him—Golden Cores indeed undergo both fusion and fission processes.

It’s just that the byproducts of everyone’s Golden Core are different, which seems to be due to the differences in cultivation techniques.

If he really were to start explaining the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha, and talk about the circulation of Spiritual Energy, the two of them probably wouldn’t understand.

However, after Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai, among others, translated and even created flowcharts for several types of Golden Cores,

The two of them understood—the contemporary function of people like Old Man Bai is more like a translation squad.

After Zheng Fa finished speaking, he looked at the two with anticipation.

"Director Zheng." The middle-aged man thought for a while before he spoke, "As for your question, I don’t have an accurate answer right now—but I think you also know, the hydrogen bomb too involves both fusion and fission processes."

Zheng Fa nodded.

This was indeed something they had guessed long before.

But Zheng Fa did not fully agree with this explanation—

Hydrogen bombs indeed require fission to provide energy for fusion, but from the flowcharts, it seemed that Spiritual Energy itself could control the fusion process, without the need for fission as an energy source.

"Yin Yang Union" operates precisely this way.

On the other hand, Zheng Fa always felt—that the purpose of a cultivator’s Golden Core is not to generate energy.

At that moment, the young man beside spoke up.

"I actually think, Director Zheng, you said earlier that you don’t understand why the Golden Core needs to generate energy—if it were about matter though? Looking at these processes, it appears that the particles produced are different and there are discrepancies."

"Matter?"

Zheng Fa blinked.

He suddenly turned to Tang Mudao.

Tang Mudao slapped his thigh, full of self-reproach, "I can’t believe I was stuck thinking about controlled nuclear fusion too! Isn’t this cosmology? This process can also produce various particles!"

Zheng Fa shook his head too, thinking of nuclear reactors whenever he saw fusion but actually—this was a process that gave birth to the cosmos.

The early universe started with a quark-gluon plasma and underwent fusion all the way until various matter was created.

That is to say, through this most fundamental reaction, it’s possible to generate a universe!

Old Man Bai also understood and summarized, "You mean to say, Golden Cores are actually particle generators?"

Tang Mudao nodded and said, "This can also explain why there are two reaction modes—materials with atomic masses higher than iron are difficult to synthesize through fusion reactions and are more easily and simply obtained through fission."

"So—what’s the purpose of the Golden Core producing matter?"

Old Man Bai frowned.

"It’s probably related to the process of Nascent Soul..." Zheng Fa thought aloud as he spoke, "I just never considered that the so-called Nascent Soul... all particles are produced by the cultivator themselves..."

This was truly bewildering.

He knew that the Xuanwei Realm favored a small-scale farm economy, advocating self-sufficiency, but even this was entirely self-produced—too much of a closed loop for his taste.

On the other hand, this might also explain why cultivators undergo a qualitative transformation at the Nascent Soul stage.

The new particles produced by the Golden Core form the Nascent Soul and might even become a vessel for later Divinity Transformation stages, equivalent to an evolution of the very essence of life.

"What’s your name?"

Looking at the young man who seemed a bit bewildered, Zheng Fa kindly asked.

The young man raised his head, staring blankly at Zheng Fa, then turned to see an envious expression on Group Leader Yang’s face.

Had he... just encountered an opportunity of a lifetime?