Chapter Twenty-Two: Physical Assessment

"Take a look, this is a poster I collected from the Tang Group. See? The Tang Group is dedicated to developing new pollution-free energy. All products developed and produced under the Tang Group are completely environmentally friendly and green," said Patron B, handing over a poster.

"It does say that. So what exactly is this pollution-free energy?" asked Patron A.

"This thing, I heard it's called Spirit Stones. Apparently, only cultivators possess it."

"Wait, cultivators? Isn't our Great Song Dynasty promoting atheism?"

"Oh come on, didn't that Lord Shi, a thousand years ago, say anything is possible? Don't you own a phone made by Eternal Communications? When you open the back cover, don't you see something like a battery? That thing is a Spirit Stone," Patron B replied.

"No, that's called a Jade Cell. According to Eternal Communications’ technicians, it's a special jade stone that supplies the energy needed for the phone. He also said their products all use this jade as a power source, very eco-friendly, but it's a bit expensive. Once it's depleted, you need to replace it, though one lasts an exceptionally long time. And the call charges are steep. If my business hadn't picked up these years, I wouldn't be able to afford the phone," Patron C said.

"I can't afford it either, but I believe it won't be long before ordinary people can afford these phones. Haven't you noticed? In just three months, the prices have started dropping," Patron A remarked.

Meanwhile, at the Tang Group headquarters, Tang Yi was deep in thought. What was he pondering? The phone battery charger—or more precisely, a machine to recharge the Jade Cell with spiritual energy.

"This spiritual energy from heaven and earth can be harnessed by people, and I've already created the 'Cultivation Technique for Psychic Powers.' It's essentially the same principle. Why can't I get it to work?" Tang Yi lamented.

"Ha! I understand now. You can't use inferior Spirit Stones to replenish spiritual energy." Previously, Tang Yi had been using inferior Spirit Stones to manufacture the Jade Cells, which couldn't be recharged and had to be replaced once depleted. This made production costs too high and hindered the phone's widespread adoption.

"I’ll make a prototype first, then break it down into steps like the phone, so the factory can mass-produce it. I'll keep the core technology for myself, so if I return to the cultivation world, I can continue developing it," Tang Yi muttered to himself.

"A Spirit Charging Array—ha! Another great invention of mine. Too bad there's no patent office here." Tang Yi finally succeeded in creating a rechargeable Jade Cell and charger. Placing the Jade Cell in the charger allowed it to automatically absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, as long as the two weren't wrapped up and blocked. The longer it was left charging, the longer the Jade Cell would last.

Once the rechargeable Jade Cells and chargers hit the market, they sold out instantly. With phone prices dropping, more people could afford phones. Eternal Communications’ revenue soared.

"Brother Zhao, what do you think? The Tang Group's income these past few months has been impressive. I imagine the tax revenue will be substantial as well. Looks like you're destined to be Crown Prince," Tang Yi said in the lounge to King Ming.

"You're forcing me! I really don't want to be Crown Prince!" King Ming replied helplessly.

"It’s all the same whether I force you or not. You’re the emperor’s chosen one. It’s only a matter of time," Tang Yi asserted. "Alright, the Tang Group has reached its current stage. I need to rest for a while. Don’t bother me unless it’s urgent." With that, Tang Yi returned to the Tang Group headquarters.

"All these people have gone into seclusion. Not one stayed to help me—so annoying! One day, I'll make them pay. My Ruoxue is the best; she’s always accompanied me everywhere. I must reward her properly. Right, I remember I received many top cultivation techniques as payment for healing others. Let me see if any are suitable for Ruoxue," Tang Yi thought as he sat in his room bored that night.

"Wait, I don’t know Ruoxue’s constitution yet. I need to have her tested. Luckily, I snatched a testing machine from Old Lu, though it’s not very good. I'll improve it someday. For now, I’ll make an even better one myself, but I should call Ruoxue for a test first." Tang Yi, having thought this through, rushed out the door to find Hua Ruoxue.

"Ruoxue! Ruoxue, are you there?" Tang Yi knocked for ages, but no one answered. "Is she asleep? It’s so early. Haha, let me use my X-ray vision to peek—looking at my girlfriend sleeping isn’t really spying, right? Haha!" After a while...

"No one’s there? Ha, I’m such an idiot. I should call her. 139876543210123... Hello, Ruoxue, where are you?... Oh, hurry back then. Never mind, I’ll come pick you up!" Tang Yi hung up, feeling something was amiss, like he’d forgotten something.

"Ah, I remember—ringtones! The current communications service stations are all set up. I’ll deal with custom ringtones later. Now, I’ll move... Ruoxue." Using his earth manipulation psychic power, Tang Yi instantly appeared before Hua Ruoxue.

"Tang Yi, what ability is this?" Hua Ruoxue asked. Recently, Tang Yi would often perform psychic abilities to amuse Hua Ruoxue and make her happy.

"This ability is the same as Hua Shaojie’s, only mine is the upgraded version. Haha... Come, let me show you around!" Tang Yi said, slowly spreading his hands. The world before Tang Yi and Hua Ruoxue shifted and changed, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.

"Wow, it’s so beautiful!" Hua Ruoxue exclaimed, leaping into Tang Yi’s arms and whispering, "Tang Yi, you’re so good to me. You always make me happy." As she spoke, tears began to fall.

"There, there, silly girl. Didn’t I promise you? In a few days, I’ll let you see your parents again," Tang Yi comforted her, and instantly brought her back to his room.

"Tang Yi, stop comforting me. The dead can’t come back to life, and it’s been over ten years," Hua Ruoxue said, letting go of him.

"Ruoxue, you must trust me. Now, let’s measure your constitution so I can help you find a suitable cultivation technique. Once everything’s ready, I’ll take you to see your parents, alright?" Tang Yi said, taking out the constitution testing machine.

The machine was as large as a wardrobe, with three rows of crystal stones at the top, each labeled. In the center was a platform. Tang Yi had Hua Ruoxue place her hands on the platform and activated the machine. After a moment, the results appeared. None of the thirty crystals lit up, only a single crystal by the platform glowed. That crystal represented mediocre aptitude, without any outstanding qualities.

"Tang Yi, it’s useless. I was tested when I was eight. It’s impossible for my constitution to change after over ten years," Hua Ruoxue shook her head.

"Don’t worry. Let me think—there must be a way, there must be a way."