"Yes, we could develop along two tracks. Otherwise, the mundane technology route would be far too slow. Array research is so much faster. Could it be that you have no confidence in yourself, Senior?"
Zhang Zijin lifted his eyelids to glance at her. "Provocation won't work on me. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I want to use it for the Emperor," Pan Yun said. "Every time I communicate with him, I have to write so many words. I'm exhausted."
Zhang Zijin: ...
"Besides, the Emperor treats me very well, and I'm happy. I can give this to him as a gift." The more Pan Yun spoke, the happier she became. "I've decided. This gift will be his coming-of-age present."
"Less than a year," Zhang Zijin sneered. "You certainly have faith in yourself."
Pan Yun said, "With cultivation and abilities like ours, if we still can't create a Spirit Communication Device within a year, then we're useless."
"You are, not me," Zhang Zijin said. "I never agreed to this."
Pan Yun was quite curious. "Don't you get bored staying in the palace every day? Wouldn't it be good to find something to do?"
Zhang Zijin said bluntly, "You're staying perfectly well in one place, and then someone comes along and assigns you extra work. Would you be happy?"
"I would," Pan Yun said. "I could learn new knowledge and deepen my understanding of this world. Why wouldn't I be happy?"
Pan Yun stood, her gaze blazing. "Cultivating truth, cultivating truth—aren't we cultivating the true essence of the world and the true essence of ourselves? If one does not understand the world, how can one cultivate truth?"
Zhang Zijin fell into thought.
Pan Yun braced both hands against the table and leaned toward him, her eyes pressing him hard. "Senior,