Deep Blue Eye

Yang Ning was in no hurry to meditate. After all, night had not fallen yet.

Although it was not impossible to meditate during the day, it was difficult to enter a meditative state while full of energy.

So before that, Yang Ning decided to make himself an external aid.

After all, Yang Ning had fused with the Dragon Pearl and gained the superpowers to control electricity, water, and wind.

Having superpowers but not using them for scientific research—wouldn't that make him a Wakandan wielding a spear?

Yang Ning wanted to make an external display for Deep Blue, one that combined a telescope, microscope, and screen.

That way, he and Deep Blue would no longer need to enter the Spirit Realm to communicate. Although time flowed differently inside and outside the Spirit Realm, if some overwhelmingly powerful enemy targeted him, even one second could be fatal.

And the material for the display would be water.

As everyone knew, when water molecules were confined within a sub-nanometer space, the spatial orbitals between the two O atoms and two H atoms of two water molecules would overlap. The O and H nuclei of the water molecules would then produce a many-body nuclear quantum effect, providing a channel for ultrafast electron transfer.

Meanwhile, two linearly superimposed oxygen atoms possessed the characteristics of quantum topological excitation, allowing them to emit bright fluorescence.

The excitation conditions were simple as well. Anything from blue light to ultraviolet light could trigger it.

Simply put, if the display were placed over the retina, then as long as he opened his eyes, the light entering them from the outside world could make the display unfold and function normally.

It could also be excited with electric current.

Structured water was not easy to make. Water molecules would not obediently follow orders, after all. But Yang Ning controlled water flow as naturally as breathing, and experimenting in the Spirit Realm consumed no stamina, so he could try endlessly.

As long as there was one successful example, the Spirit Realm could record it and replicate it infinitely, thereby achieving the goal.

This was not some badass "one proof, eternal proof," but the most fundamental principle of science: reproducibility.

By two in the afternoon, he had produced a mass of structured water that could emit light.

Watching the structured water continuously give off overlapping blue, white, red, yellow, and green light after being energized, like he was holding a ball of neon lights, Yang Ning let out a breath of relief.

This was the hardest step. The remaining functions were much simpler.

Microscopes and telescopes were nothing more than applications of convex and concave lenses. Yang Ning solved them in the blink of an eye.

The software on the display was all provided by the Spirit Realm, so Yang Ning did not need to worry about it. Two minutes later, a layer of water mist less than 0.1 micrometers thick veiled his eyes.

It had no effect on his eyes whatsoever. The tears stirred up by a single blink were thicker than this.

But tears could not glow.

Structured water excited by natural light glowed green, but that method was uncontrollable, so Yang Ning still chose electrical excitation.

Structured water excited by ordinary current was blue. Yang Ning continuously adjusted the properties of the current, watching the structured water flash through colors like a neon sign before finally determining the excitation method for every color.

This display had skipped right over black-and-white and green-blue screens, evolving straight into the color stage.

He opened his eyes and looked around. First, he projected the scenery into his eyes to form an image, then slowly fine-tuned it until the colors were exactly the same as those of the natural world!

"Perfect!"

Yang Ning blinked, then began testing the telescope function.

Yang Ning looked toward the distant waterfall. At a thought, the waterfall was pulled closer and closer, until it seemed to be right before his eyes!

Unfortunately, the amount of light his field of vision could receive was limited. Things too far away were still somewhat blurry.

But that was no problem. Yang Ning adjusted the surrounding water mist into tiny droplets invisible to the naked eye, then had the droplets focus the light into his eyes. Now, the waterfall he saw was a crystal-clear waterfall.

He could clearly see even the spray splashing from the waterfall, as well as fish swimming down along its flow—their scales, and even the parasites on their bodies!

He had to know that his current location was 330 kilometers from the waterfall!

And this was not even the limit. His control was so fine and minute that he had not come anywhere close to the upper limit of his water-control ability.

Forget 330 kilometers. As long as he controlled water flow at full power, he could see a thousand li around him—or even ten thousand li—as clearly as the lines on his palm!

But being able to do something did not mean he had to do it. He was not yet confident he could bear the consequences of exposing his abilities. Though his observation relied on receiving light rather than emitting it, so in theory no one should notice him.

Who would notice someone a thousand li away using a telescope to watch them?

But mortals all had a sixth sense, and immortals would only be sharper. Just in case, it was better to stay cautious.

There was no such issue with the microscope. Unfortunately, the microscope installed over his eyes was inferior to the one in the Spirit Realm. The one in the Spirit Realm could even see cell nuclei and DNA, while the one over his eyes could only see down to the cellular level.

Even so, it had already reached Yang Ning's envisioned standard.

[Deep Blue Eye] was thus finalized!

"What is this?" Yang Ning casually scooped up a blade of grass from the riverbank and asked.

"Unknown. It has not been recorded in the archives!"

"No way. Vast Universe Records didn't mention it?" Yang Ning looked around. This bluish-white grass growing by the river was everywhere. It was not some rare plant!

"Vast Universe Records only records spiritual herbs of various kinds. Perhaps this grass has no value!" Deep Blue said.

"That makes sense!" Yang Ning nodded. This was a world of cultivation, where everyone pursued power.

No one had even invented the Curved Shaft Plow. Who had the time to study plants?

"Right!" Perhaps meditation had made his thoughts more active, but Yang Ning suddenly understood why this world still resembled a feudal society after hundreds of thousands of years.

Because the people calling the shots were all feudal landlords. They did not even need to farm their own land, and they would not starve anyway, so where would they find the motivation to reform agricultural tools?

Wouldn't it be better to read in their spare time, pass the imperial examinations, and become officials?

As for ordinary farmers, they could forget about invention and creation altogether. They could not even eat their fill from dawn to dusk. Other than hunger, there was only hunger. They had no time at all to think about anything else.

As for those of even higher classes, all they thought about was how to join cultivation sects. They would be even less likely to lower their heads and look at their own little patch of land!

"And people like me—even if I have the talent for invention, what attracts me most is still cultivation!"

After all, inventions could not grant immortality. A hundred years later, he would still be a handful of yellow earth. But cultivation could truly let one live for thousands of years!

Why care about leaving one's name in history? Wouldn't it be better to live on in history myself?

"Why am I thinking so much? I'm only a small fry. I can't even control my own fate, so how could I talk about changing the world?" Yang Ning shook his head.

I examine myself thrice each day. Whenever he thought of the gap between himself and true powerhouses, he gained another measure of motivation to cultivate!

"Deep Blue, record this thing. Call it Blue Silver."

"Hmm?"

"Cough, cough. Call it Water Blue Grass!" Yang Ning did not want to walk the path of courting death.

This thing had no use in the Cultivation World, but it might not be useless in the world of science. Many technological breakthroughs—even breakthroughs of civilization—sometimes relied on an inconspicuous plant.

Such as rubber, corn, and potatoes.

Outside of cultivation, he would search everywhere for plants, animals, and even ores to add to the archives. He was not Shennong and did not dare eat things raw, but recording what they looked like was still worthwhile.

Vast Universe Records was a travelogue, not a book dedicated to documenting plants. But cultivators who refined pills surely studied plants and herbs extensively, while artifact refiners also studied ores. They should possess more specialized books.

Recording them now might prove useful someday.

Since he was idle anyway, he looked for everything except Tuo Buchuan.