134: Chapter 134 Conduction Symbol

On Friday morning, when Chen Zhen opened his eyes, the sky outside the window was still gray.

He lay still, first using Internal Vision on his Dantian.

The pattern was still glowing, just like yesterday; it had neither brightened nor dimmed.

He stared at it for a long time, then sat up.

Walking to the window, he saw that it had become foggy outside.

A thin mist shrouded the street, and the lights of the breakfast stalls blurred in the fog, looking like fuzzy orbs of light.

The old man selling soy milk was ladling it out; steam rose from the bucket and mingled with the mist, making it impossible to tell which was fog and which was steam.

He turned and walked to the workbench, taking out Heavenly Road from his Storage Space.

He flipped to yesterday's page and read it again.

"Once it glows, you may stop."

It was already glowing, but there was only one pattern.

He closed the book and put it away. It needed more time to nurture.

At seven o'clock, Chen Zhen stepped into the classroom.

Zhang Meng was in the back row catching up on homework; seeing him enter, he shouted without lifting his head:

"Help! Lend me your English homework to copy!" Chen Zhen threw his homework notebook over; Zhang Meng caught it and buried his head in furious copying.

Chen Zhen walked to his seat and sat down.

Su Xiaoya, who sat in front of him, turned around holding an insulated bag.

"My mom made these pan-fried buns, pork and cabbage filling. She said you definitely didn't eat breakfast today."

Chen Zhen took the insulated bag and opened it.

Inside were four pan-fried buns, their bottoms fried to a golden brown, sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions, still steaming hot.

He picked one up and took a bite; the crust was crispy, the meat filling fresh and tender, and the soup burst in his mouth.

"It's good, right?" Su Xiaoya's eyes were bright.

"Mm."

"My mom said she's been researching a new recipe lately, adding some crab roe. I'll let you try it next time."

"No need to go to such trouble."

Su Xiaoya smiled.

"It's no trouble. She's so happy now. She said before, she couldn't sleep, had no energy all day, and couldn't get motivated to do anything. Now that she's sleeping well, it's like she's a completely different person."

She turned back around.

In the last row, Zhou Rui looked up at him, then lowered his head to read. Chen Hao turned around from the front row.

"Chen Zhen, are you free this weekend?"

"What's up?"

"Xiaoxue said she wants to treat you to a movie. She got third place in the class on this month's exam and wants to thank you."

Chen Zhen thought for a moment. "I'm busy this weekend."

Chen Hao nodded. "Then maybe next time."

The first class was math.

Old Zhao was teaching comprehensive functions, and the blackboard was covered in formulas.

Chen Zhen listened for a while, then began constructing new talismans in his mind.

Not an Attack Talisman, not a defensive talisman, but a new type of talisman—conceived from the principles of electromagnetic talismans, called a "Conductive Talisman."

Placed on electrical appliances, it could reduce power loss and improve efficiency.

He took out a piece of paper and began to draw.

Stroke by stroke, he infused it with spiritual power.

A pale golden light shone on the talisman paper.

[Conductive Talisman · Experimental Version] Effect: Appliance efficiency +20%, power loss -15%. Quality: Fine.

He nodded with satisfaction and put the talisman away.

The bell rang for the end of class.

Chen Hao turned around from the front row and glanced at the paper in his hand.

"Are you drawing that again?"

"Mm."

Chen Hao was silent for two seconds.

"Are you actually listening in class?"

Chen Zhen looked at him. "I am."

Chen Hao opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. He turned back around.

At noon, after school, Chen Zhen went to the cafeteria.

He got his food and found a seat.

He had just taken a few bites when his phone vibrated. A message from Zhou Rui: "Master, the talisman is finished."

Chen Zhen replied: "What talisman?"

Zhou Rui replied instantly: "A Calming Talisman. I drew it using the flowers I grew myself. The effect seems pretty good."

Chen Zhen looked at the message.

He thought for a moment and replied with one word: "Bring it."

At three in the afternoon, at the Secret Base.

Chen Zhen pushed open the door; Zhou Rui was already there.

He was sitting at the workbench with a talisman laid out in front of him.

Hearing the movement, he turned his head and stood up.

"Master."

Chen Zhen walked over and picked up the talisman.

The structure of the talisman characters on the paper was correct, and the flow of spiritual power was also correct.

The lines were drawn more carefully than usual, and every stroke was just right.

Most importantly, the talisman retained the unique scent of the calming flower—delicate, lingering, like the wind in the mountains.

[Calming Talisman (anshen flower powder Version)] Effect: Calming +150%, duration 6 hours. Quality: Fine.

Chen Zhen nodded. "Not bad."

Zhou Rui smiled. "The person I want to give it to has been under a lot of pressure lately. I want to help her get a good night's sleep."

Chen Zhen handed the talisman back to him. "Then go give it to her."

Zhou Rui took the talisman and carefully put it away. He pushed the door open and left.

Shen Nian looked up from the pile of spiritual plants. "He's improved very quickly lately."

"Mm."

Shen Nian was silent for a few seconds. "Did you teach him?"

Chen Zhen shook his head. "He practiced it himself."

Shen Nian nodded and didn't ask again.

At seven in the evening, Chen Zhen sat alone in the center of the array.

He looked down at his chest.

The seed was still spinning, and the pattern was still glowing.

He reached out, pressed his hand to his chest, and slowly injected spiritual power.

The seed spun a little faster, and the pattern became a bit clearer. He withdrew his hand.

He stood up and walked to the row of spiritual plants.

The leaves of the Mutant Seedling had grown another circle larger, and the golden patterns on the leaves had increased from twenty-two to twenty-five.

It was growing, very slowly, but it was indeed growing.

Shen Nian walked over, crouched down, and stared at the patterns. "It's been growing slower lately."

"Mm."

"Is it not getting enough nutrients?"

Chen Zhen thought for a moment. "No. It's accumulating energy."

Shen Nian nodded and recorded in his notebook: "Growth phase, speed slowed down, suspected energy accumulation."

He stood up and looked at Chen Zhen.

"Chen Zhen, what do you think it will eventually grow into?"

Chen Zhen looked at the seedling.

The golden patterns on the leaves glowed faintly under the light, like blood vessels, like rivers, like some kind of script he couldn't yet understand.

He didn't know what it would eventually grow into, but he knew that on the day it grew up, many things would be different.

"We'll know when the time comes."

Shen Nian nodded and didn't ask again.

At ten in the evening, Chen Zhen sat alone in the center of the array.

He took out the Conductive Talisman and looked at it for a long time.

If this talisman could be used on more electrical appliances, how much electricity could be saved?

How many people could it help?

He thought for a moment, then took out paper and began to draw.

One, two, three.

By midnight, fifty Conductive Talismans were piled on the table.

He put them away and walked to the window.

The city lights were scattered like stars; among those lights were the talismans he had drawn.

Su Xiaoya's, Chen Hao's, Xiao Yu's, Liu Ying's.

Two hundred thirty-seven names, two hundred thirty-seven families.