Zhang Hongxing's vision

"That's way too overbearing."

"Exactly. We came here to do research, not work for you."

"No. I can't accept that demand."

Zhang Hongxing had anticipated the researchers' resistance, so he was not particularly worried. This was a process they had to go through.

It was better to lay this out at the start than wait until conflicts arose later.

"Quiet, all of you!" Zhang Hongxing's shout silenced the commotion. Only then did he continue:

"The Shimen County Research Base was established to study a core theoretical framework I possess. It is a body of theoretical knowledge none of you have ever encountered. Until you master the knowledge I provide, your opinions and perspectives can, at most, serve as references for me.

Now, do you have any other questions?"

An entirely new theoretical framework was not something any normal person would immediately believe in.

But when they thought about how this Research Base had come into being, they had to admit that it was very likely true.

Otherwise, how could they explain the approval from the Xia Kingdom Academy of Sciences?

Seeing everyone begin to settle down, Zhang Hongxing seized the moment to explain his theoretical framework and the first product they would research.

"What I possess is somewhat fantastical. It resembles the formations described in legends. Of course, you can also think of it as a special way of activating energy, much like modern integrated chips.

The formations I possess also achieve specific effects through the inscription and arrangement of runes, activated by a special form of energy.

Take this Concealment Formation, for example. Once I activate it with a special form of energy, it can keep my body hidden."

As he spoke about the Concealment Formation, Zhang Hongxing took out the small piece of Mulberry Wood Essence inscribed with it to give a demonstration. To make the effect more obvious, he created a concealing barrier around only his lower body.

The moment the barrier activated, his entire body below the waist vanished before their eyes.

"H-how did you do that?"

"Could this be that legendary invisibility-cloth technology?"

"What invisibility cloth? Didn't you hear Director Zhang say this was the effect of a formation?"

"Formations really exist in this world?! If formations exist, then immortals and ghosts must also..."

"All right, everyone, stop speculating. This is simply a special way of recombining and applying energy. The first thing I thought of that would suit this approach was the Maglev Train you're currently researching.

Now, choose a representative to explain the difficulties the Maglev Train is currently facing."

As soon as Zhang Hongxing finished speaking, Pan Qiwu stepped forward.

"The biggest problem facing the Maglev Train right now is actually cost. There are also two major technical challenges: noise and radiation."

Zhang Hongxing looked at Pan Qiwu, then turned to look at the others.

"It seems you all agree with what he just said. If we address the noise and radiation through conventional technology, I imagine both the train's overall cost and its eventual speed will increase considerably.

But if we combine it with the formation technology I possess, neither issue will remain a problem.

Now, I will provide a Sound-Isolating Formation and a Radiation-Isolating Formation. These two formations share certain similarities, and neither is particularly complex. In a moment, I'll give each of you a copy of Formation Basics. I want you to thoroughly understand it within a month.

But these two formations aren't the ideal combination I have in mind. If possible, I would prefer to equip the train directly with my Suspension Formation and propel it using a Flight Formation."

"A Suspension Formation and a Flight Array? If we actually pull that off, would it still count as a Maglev Train?"

"I think so. After all, the idea was conceived from the basic theory of magnetic levitation."

"I don't think so. It wouldn't use any magnetic levitation technology at all."

Zhang Hongxing's vision sparked a discussion among the researchers. Not one of them noticed that, without realizing it, they had begun accepting the idea of formations, something almost entirely incompatible with current science.

Naturally, Zhang Hongxing was delighted to see this.

He then handed out the copies of Formation Basics he had prepared in advance.

The entire text was written in the Xia Kingdom's language, with quite a few passages in its classical form. Without a certain level of proficiency in the language, it would be impossible to understand.

Once Formation Basics had been distributed, the researchers quickly immersed themselves in it, one after another.

Before long, someone discovered the crucial point.

"Director Zhang, does activating it with True Qi mean exactly what it says?"

"Yes, Director Zhang. Surely learning these formations doesn't require us to cultivate True Qi as well?"

"Director Zhang, is cultivation actually real too?"

"Everyone, stop for a moment." Zhang Hongxing interrupted those who still wanted to ask questions. "You don't need to dwell on cultivation, because not everyone can cultivate this energy. If any of you really want to learn, I'll create a group in a few days and post the complete cultivation method.

Then anyone interested can give it a try. But don't get your hopes up too much. In my own family, only my youngest son has succeeded.

What you should really be doing is studying formations carefully and identifying the principles behind how they operate. That is also what I require of you.

Our goal is not for you to inscribe formations using True Qi.

It is to use electricity to achieve the same effects as True Qi."

Zhang Hongxing's words left everyone momentarily stunned, but they soon understood.

At that moment, they even felt a flicker of admiration for Zhang Hongxing.

A man who practiced a legendary Immortal Cultivation Method had shared everything he knew without reservation, and was even doing everything he could to let ordinary people enjoy the conveniences available to immortal cultivators.

Someone like that truly deserved their respect and admiration.

With that admiration in their hearts, the researchers soon plunged into studying formations.

True to his word, Zhang Hongxing set up a discussion group the very next day and added everyone at the Research Base. For the cultivation tutorial video, he simply shared the one his son Zhang Jun had recorded.

While the researchers worked hard on their studies, Zhang Hongxing did not sit back and wait to reap the rewards.

When he first decided to build a Maglev Train, he had already had some ideas about combining the Suspension Formation with electricity.

As he devoured electrical energy to increase his strength, he had also developed a deep understanding of electricity itself.

All he lacked now were some experiments in practical application.

Normally, setting up a Suspension Formation required selecting a spiritual object of a suitable grade as the formation's core, based on the size of the object to be levitated. His idea, however, was to replace that core directly with a massive battery bank or a nuclear reactor.

With Zhang Hongxing's current standing, a nuclear reactor was not entirely beyond his reach.

But until he had concrete results, he could hardly bring up such a request.

So his first task now was to create a Suspension Formation using a battery bank as its core.

And it had to be a Suspension Formation capable of lifting an entire train fully loaded with cargo.