Lu Li's voice rang through the hall from the jade pendant.
Though this was not the first time they had communicated, everyone thought of how the voice came from a fellow countryman in another world.
Everyone present was thrilled and excited.
Academician Elder Wang was especially impatient to begin speaking.
"Comrade Xiao Lu! The materials and written texts from the cultivation world that you sent back last time are extremely important!"
"We've already made a major discovery from them!"
Wang Zhiwen's voice was loud and vigorous, not at all like that of an elderly man.
His words traveled back through the jade pendant to Lu Li's ears.
Lu Li couldn't help but start.
"A major discovery? Could it be that the nation really can refine Spiritual Qi efficiently now?!"
Lu Li asked, but the answer he received took him somewhat by surprise.
"Not yet, I'm afraid."
"The material structures of the cultivation world are still rather different from those of our world."
"We're still trying to understand this Azure Gold Spirit Ore."
"But! We've made a major discovery concerning the 'Five Elements Instruction' you sent back last time!"
"The Five Elements Instruction? The Cultivation Method?"
"What did you discover?"
Lu Li hadn't expected the nation to make its first breakthrough with a Cultivation Method.
Wang Zhiwen, so that Lu Li could better understand what he was saying,
Wang Zhiwen beckoned to a team member beside him.
A palm-sized, latest-model 3D projection demonstration device was then brought over.
"Comrade Xiao Lu, increase your Spiritual Qi output and take this demonstration device back with you. Watch it while I explain."
"All right!"
Lu Li paused in surprise and circulated the Spiritual Qi in his body at full force. At the same time, to prevent the communication from being cut off if his Spiritual Qi ran dry,
he deliberately focused his mind and took a piece of Azure Gold Spirit Ore he had saved from last time out of the jade pendant's space.
"Hum!"
Holding the Azure Gold Spirit Ore, Lu Li absorbed thin wisps of Spiritual Qi in a somewhat crude manner.
Then he slowly reached toward the light from the jade pendant.
The next second, a 3D projection demonstration device resembling a tablet appeared in his hand.
He had to admit, seeing a product like this in the cultivation world
left Lu Li in a daze. It even felt utterly unreal.
If not for the cold sensation against his skin, he would have thought he was dreaming.
"Comrade Xiao Lu, turn on the demonstration device. We've already set up a playback program inside."
Wang Zhiwen's eager voice roused Lu Li from his daze.
"Understood."
With that, Lu Li swiped a finger across the device.
With a click,
the demonstration device's screen unlocked.
Immediately afterward, beams of futuristic pale blue light projected from above the screen.
They hovered in the air before Lu Li,
forming a lifelike 3D projection.
"Look, Comrade Xiao Lu. What's playing in front of you is the Five Elements Instruction's original circulation pattern."
"According to what you told us, this Cultivation Method requires the human body to absorb five kinds of energy-that is, Spiritual Qi-simultaneously through the Spirit Root, then accumulate it within the body through the meridians."
"Each complete cycle is one circulation."
Wang Zhiwen gradually began his explanation alongside the 3D holographic projection.
He seemed to know exactly how far the projection had progressed.
It was clear that, for this communication session, the old academician had rehearsed hundreds, if not thousands, of times.
I never expected the nation to be able to accomplish this.
What's shown in this projection is exactly the same as what I see through internal observation when I cultivate, without the slightest difference.
Sure enough, I must never underestimate the power of the nation.
Everything unfolding before Lu Li left him in awe.
He grew even more eager to hear what came next.
"Comrade Xiao Lu, after hundreds of thousands of simulations and calculations using our quantum computer,"
"we discovered that the Five Elements Instruction could use a far more efficient circulation route."
"Some of the complex cycles are completely unnecessary. Even some circulation paths can be changed to make them more efficient."
"Changed?"
Lu Li froze.
The projection before him abruptly changed.
A circulation route completely different from the previous one appeared before his eyes.
Numerous meridian nodes and even critical points had detailed labels and annotations.
"Look here, Comrade Xiao Lu."
A trace of excitement entered Wang Zhiwen's voice.
"The original Cultivation Method requires Spiritual Qi to pass through the hand taiyin lung meridian and the foot shaoyin kidney meridian at the same time. It appears balanced, but in reality..."
"the five elemental Spiritual Qi produce a subtle conflict between their attributes here, causing an internal loss of efficiency."
On the projection, the two meridian paths glowed red in unison,
simulating the ripples of turbulence produced by the Spiritual Qi at that point.
"After simulations and calculations, we changed simultaneous absorption to sequential pulse absorption!"
The image changed. The Spiritual Qi streams no longer flowed steadily in five colors side by side.
Instead, they became rhythmic pulse peaks, like well-trained soldiers passing through a narrow checkpoint one after another.
"Metal goes first, using its sharpness to briefly widen the meridian channels. Water follows, nourishing and stabilizing them."
"Wood regenerates, repairing the tiny injuries caused by the pulses."
"Fire erupts, further stimulating activity in the channels. Finally, earth brings up the rear... consolidating the foundation and preparing for the next pulse cycle."
"The absorption of each attribute of Spiritual Qi creates a better environment for the next attribute's cycle!"
"According to our calculations, the improved Five Elements Instruction should theoretically increase cultivation speed by at least three to five times!"
It was as though thunder had exploded in Lu Li's mind.
A three-to-fivefold increase in cultivation speed.
What did that mean?
This was no longer just an improvement.
It had practically turned a basic, commonplace technique into something comparable to a top-tier Cultivation Method.
The terrifying analytical and optimization capabilities displayed by the state apparatus let him truly feel the immense power of "scientific cultivation"!
"Academician Wang, can this really work?"
Lu Li swallowed hard, unsure what to say.
At those words, however, Wang Zhiwen suddenly fell silent.
The atmosphere seemed to grow heavy all at once.
That was right. The demonstration just now had all been theoretical.
If Lu Li actually tried cultivating it, the risks would certainly be enormous.
If he failed or suffered Qi Deviation...
"Comrade Lu Li, this is Li Yuanchao."
"What Elder Wang just described is only theory. My advice is that you don't experiment rashly."
"You can treat it as reference material. As for your current predicament, we can think of another way."
"In any case, every approach must put your safety first."
Li Yuanchao had taken over the conversation.
Hearing that, Lu Li fell silent as well.
Though he found it hard to believe that the nation could accomplish this in just a few days,
as he looked at the extraordinarily detailed cultivation projection before him, at the useless circuits flashing red,
his intuition told him it was worth a try!
Lu Li took a deep breath and gripped the jade pendant tightly, his voice growing firmer. "I... believe in the nation!"