181: Chapter 181 Electromagnetic Induction: Teaching Flying Swords to "Dance"

Morning sunlight streamed into the classroom through the newly repaired ceiling of the Scripture Pavilion (the hole punched by Chu Linger yesterday).

A strange scent permeated the air.

It was the smell of metallic rust, stale machine oil, and the... pheromones of three thousand cultivators, a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

Today's class was exceptionally crowded.

Because Li Mo had declared yesterday: "Whether you are a Sword Cultivator, an Artifact Cultivator, or an Alchemy Cultivator, as long as you have iron equipment in your hands, bring it all to me."

Consequently, the scene was once completely out of control.

Ye Guyun sat in the front row, clutching his Lifebound Treasure "Liuguang" Flying Sword with a solemn expression, as if he were holding not a sword, but his own son about to undergo surgery.

Iron Pillar Zhao sat in the aisle carrying a thousand-pound iron rod like a temple guardian, blocking the path completely.

The most absurd were the Disciples from Dan Ding Peak; they had actually carried their Pill Furnace here. Massive bronze cauldrons were placed on desks, blocking the view of the Disciples in the back, triggering small-scale shoving and friendly exchanges of "What are you looking at?"

"Quiet."

Li Mo stepped onto the podium.

He had changed his outfit today. No longer in the grey robes of a sweeping monk, he wore a work apron he had dug up from somewhere, and on his hands were thick, insulated gloves (stitched from the hide of some high-level Yao Beast).

"Today's topic is somewhat dangerous."

Li Mo pushed up the plain-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose (a prop for looking cool) and scanned the room.

"Yesterday, we studied mechanics. We learned what 'push-back feeling' is and what reaction force is."

"Today, we are advancing."

"We are going to make those 'dead objects' that only know how to use brute Qi force learn to move on their own. And even... learn to 'disco'."

The audience was bewildered.

"Disco? What kind of high-level footwork is that?"

"Could it be the legendary 'Dance of the Heavenly Demons'?"

Li Mo did not explain. Instead, he turned and drew a large "U" shape on the blackboard, then drew a stick in the middle.

"First, I want to ask a question."

Li Mo picked up a piece of chalk and pointed it at Ye Guyun.

"Student Ye, you are a Sword Cultivator. In your opinion, what is the top speed of a Flying Sword?"

Ye Guyun stood up immediately and said proudly: "Reporting to Teacher, when this Disciple flies the sword at full power, I can reach eight hundred miles in an instant! If I burn my life essence, I can break the sound barrier!"

"Break the sound barrier?" Li Mo sneered. "That's just one times the speed of sound?"

"Too slow."

Li Mo shook his head and held up a finger.

"In my hometown, there is a type of iron gadget that doesn't require Qi to drive it; it can reach dozens of times the speed of sound when flying. It can fly from the Tang Empire to the Western Paradise in a single breath, and deliver a package to the Buddha while it's at it."

The room was in an uproar.

"Dozens of times the speed of sound? That's impossible!"

"Unless it's a Soul Transformation Stage expert shrinking the earth into an inch!"

"There is no such thing as impossible."

Li Mo pulled two plain-looking black iron blocks from under the podium and tossed them onto the table.

"Clack."

The two iron blocks didn't bounce away; instead, they stuck together tightly, making a crisp clashing sound.

"This is a magnet," Li Mo said indifferently. "Everyone has seen this, right?"

The Disciples nodded. Magnets were not rare in the Cultivation World and were commonly used to make compasses or Elementary Formation Plates.

"Then what about this?"

Li Mo pulled out a roll of red copper wire, quickly wound it into a coil, and then...

"Zzzzt!"

A faint trace of Lightning Qi emerged from his fingertips and was injected into the copper wire.

The next second, a magical scene occurred.

The iron nail that had been lying quietly on the table suddenly seemed to be summoned by some invisible force; it "whooshed" into the coil, hovered in mid-air, and spun crazily.

Buzz buzz buzz—!

The nail spun so fast that it made a humming sound like a bee flapping its wings.

"Is... is this the Object Control Technique?" someone exclaimed.

"Wrong." Li Mo interrupted coldly. "I did not use Divine Sense to control it. I just passed electricity (Lightning Qi) through the coil."

"This is called—Electromagnetic Induction."

Li Mo wrote a formula on the blackboard that was enough to change the warfare landscape of the entire Cultivation World: F = qvB.

"Lorentz force."

Li Mo tapped the blackboard, his eyes burning with fanaticism.

"As long as there is an electric field and a magnetic field, a moving charge will be acted upon by a force."

"By the same logic, as long as we build a sufficiently strong magnetic track, and then pass a sufficiently strong current through the conductor (the Flying Sword)..."

"This sword will gain a terrifying acceleration under the influence of the magnetic force."

"It doesn't need you to 'drag' it with Divine Sense, nor does it need to 'spray' backward like a rocket."

"It will be forcefully 'ejected' by this most violent electromagnetic force in heaven and earth!"

"This device is technically called—an Electromagnetic Railgun."

Having said this, Li Mo looked at Ye Guyun, who was stunned.

"Student Ye, bring your 'Liuguang' sword up here."

Ye Guyun swallowed hard and walked to the podium clutching his sword. He felt like he wasn't attending a class, but witnessing the start of some forbidden ritual.

"Teacher... this sword is this Disciple's Lifebound Treasure, please... please be gentle with it."

"Don't worry, as long as it's hard enough, it won't break."

Li Mo took the Flying Sword and plucked the blade gently with his finger.

Ding—

Crisp and pleasant. The material was good; it was mixed with Geng Metal, so the conductivity should be very good.

"Now, I am going to modify it."

Li Mo pulled a large handful of Formation Flags from his System space, not to set up a Formation, but to build a "magnetic field."

"Watch."

Li Mo's hands flew as he inserted the twelve Formation Flags around the podium, forming a long, narrow channel.

"This is a fixed magnetic field. Although it's a bit crude, it's equivalent to laying an invisible highway for the Flying Sword."

Next, he looked at Ye Guyun.

"You have a Lightning Spiritual Root, right?"

Ye Guyun nodded: "That is correct. This Disciple mainly practices the 'Nine Heavens Lightning Induction Technique'."

"Very good, a natural generator." Li Mo patted his shoulder with satisfaction. "Now, hold your sword hilt."

"Listen to my instructions."

"Do not use Qi to 'control' the sword."

"Convert all your Lightning Qi into current... oh no, lightning plasma."

"Inject it into the sword body!"

"Even if your hands go numb, don't stop!"

Ye Guyun took a deep breath. Although he didn't understand what a "generator" was, he chose to trust this teacher who could break defenses with a brick.

"Hah!"

Ye Guyun let out a low roar, and lightning erupted around him.

Purple electric arcs flowed like dragons down his arms, pouring crazily into the "Liuguang" sword.

Zzzzt—!!!

The Flying Sword lit up instantly, turning a piercing blue-purple all over.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

The once-quiet Flying Sword suddenly began to tremble violently the moment it entered the magnetic channel.

This trembling wasn't fear, but a high-frequency vibration.

The sword tip swayed up and down, the blade twisted left and right, making a strange "buzzing" sound, and one could even hear a rhythm similar to metallic percussion.

It was as if... this sword was wildly shaking its head and dancing disco on the podium!

"Tea, Teacher! It's not listening to me! It's convulsing!"

Ye Guyun was terrified, feeling as if the sword in his hand had turned into a slippery loach, struggling desperately to break free from his control.

The Disciples below were also stunned.

"Is this what the teacher called 'disco'?"

"Good heavens, this sword's dance moves are wilder than the enchanting women of the Joyful Union Sect!"

"Senior Brother Ye, hold it down! Don't let it get too high!"

Li Mo, however, looked calm, even pushing up his glasses.

"What are you panicking about?"

"This is because the frequency of the current you are inputting is unstable, causing the magnetic force to change constantly. This is commonly known as—alternating current."

"This also proves from the side that your mind is not calm, and your output is unstable."

"Steady it! Straighten out the frequency! Turn it into direct current!"

Li Mo shouted, his voice carrying the pressure of an "authority dog."

Ye Guyun's heart shook; he quickly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of life essence (although scientifically unnecessary, cultivators were used to it), forcibly stabilizing his Qi output.

"Give me... straight!"

Following Ye Guyun's roar, the Flying Sword that had been wildly "discoing" suddenly went still.

No.

It wasn't still.

It was a state of solidification, charged to the extreme.

The air around the sword body distorted due to the high temperature, and the blue-purple electric arcs no longer jumped but clung tightly to the sword, forming a terrifying plasma shield.

"Now!"

A brilliant light flashed in Li Mo's eyes.

"Let go!"

"Launch!"

Ye Guyun subconsciously let go.

The next instant.

There was no process.

Only the result.

Everyone felt a flash of white light across their retinas, like staring directly at the noon sun.

Immediately after.

Boom—!!!

A delayed, deafening roar exploded in their ears.

It wasn't thunder; it was the wail of the air being brutally torn apart—a sonic boom.

The blackboard, the walls in front of the podium, and even the one-meter-thick defensive Formation of the Scripture Pavilion vanished instantly in front of this white light, like tofu dregs.

And outside the Scripture Pavilion, on an uninhabited barren mountain several miles away.

"Rumble..."

The mountaintop was gone.

It wasn't blown to pieces; it was directly "pierced" and melted.

A large hole with a diameter of three meters, with molten edges, pierced straight through the mountain body, revealing the blue sky and white clouds behind it.

And that "Liuguang" sword was long gone.

It had probably flown to the neighboring state.

Silence.

Deathly silence.

In the classroom, all the Disciples remained with their mouths wide open, their ears still ringing.

They looked at the hole in the wall that was still steaming, and then at the mountain in the distance that had been skylighted.

"Gulp."

Iron Pillar Zhao swallowed his saliva, his voice trembling:

"Is... is this a Flying Sword?"

"Is this f*cking a Heavenly Tribulation?"

He looked at his muscles, which he was proud of, and suddenly felt a bit chilly.

If that hit him just now...

Never mind the Golden Bell Shield; even if he trained himself into a solid iron lump, he would probably just end up melted.

Ye Guyun was even more dumbfounded, looking at his empty hands, his face full of confusion.

"Where is my sword?"

"Where is my huge sword?"

"Ahem."

Li Mo waved his hand, dispelling the smoke on the podium.

Although the recoil from that moment almost blew him away, he still maintained an unfathomable demeanor.

"Did you see that?"

"This is the gold content of the Lorentz force."

"As long as the magnetic field is strong enough, and the current is large enough, there is nothing in this world that you cannot shoot through."

"Whatever mountain-protecting Formation, whatever Magic Treasure armor, they are all made of paper in front of a kinetic energy projectile at several times the speed of sound."

Li Mo walked up to Ye Guyun and patted his big Disciple, who was already stunned.

"Student Ye, congratulations."

"You just unleashed the fastest sword strike in the history of the Heavenly River Sword Sect."

"Although your sword... has likely vaporized due to friction-generated heat."

Ye Guyun swayed, almost crying.

That was his Lifebound Treasure that he had refined for ten years!

"Don't cry."

Li Mo comforted him, "Out with the old, in with the new."

"An ordinary Geng Metal sword simply cannot withstand this level of acceleration. You need better Materials."

"Like... tungsten steel? Or high-temperature resistant ceramic composite Materials?"

Li Mo turned around and wrote a new assignment on the remaining corner of the blackboard.

"Since everyone has witnessed the power of the 'Electromagnetic Railgun'."

"Then the question arises."

"That shot from Student Ye just now almost drained all the Lightning Qi in his body."

"If this were on the battlefield, would you be a 'one-shot man'? Useless after one shot?"

"Therefore, we need a device that can store a large amount of electrical energy (Lightning Qi) and release it instantly."

Li Mo's gaze swept over the Disciples from Dan Ding Peak holding their large cauldrons.

"Alchemy Cultivators, stop watching the show."

"It's your turn to step up."

"Empty your Pill Furnace. I'm not asking you to practice Alchemy; I want you to make—batteries."

"To be precise, ultra-high-voltage Lightning Qi capacitors."

"I want you to capture the Lightning Tribulation from the sky and put it into jars for me."

"In the future, when Sword Cultivators go out to fight, they won't need to consume their own mana. Carrying a backpack of 'batteries', they can just spray their Flying Swords out with the rate of fire of a Gatling gun the moment they see someone!"

The breathing of all the Disciples became rapid.

Gatling? Rate of fire?

Although they didn't understand these terms, just imagining the scene—

Hundreds or thousands of Flying Swords covering the area like a rainstorm at several times the speed of sound...

Is that still cultivation?

That is simply a slaughter!

"Science... this is science..."

Ye Guyun muttered to himself, the heartache in his eyes instantly turning into fanaticism.

He seemed to see a broad road leading to the Peak of "Sword Immortal".

No, not Sword Immortal.

It's "Electromagnetic Sword God"!

"Teacher! I want to learn how to make batteries!"

"Teacher! My cauldron is big! It can hold a lot!"

"Teacher! Can you teach me how to install heat sinks on a Flying Sword? I want to fire continuously!"

Watching the "research enthusiasm" that erupted in the audience, Li Mo smiled with satisfaction.

"Very good."

"Tonight's assignment: In groups, design a blueprint for a 'portable electromagnetic sword box'."

"Requirements: Must include a battery compartment, acceleration rails, and... a disco stabilizer (rectifier)."

"Class dismissed!"

...

Just as the Heavenly River Sword Sect was immersed in the carnival of the "Electromagnetic Railgun".

On the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

The System notification sound rang quietly, which only Li Mo could hear.

【Detected that the Host has successfully modified the "Sword Control Technique".】

【Detected a collective cognitive Breakthrough.】

【Extracting rules from "Ye Guyun's Shooting Experiment Data"...】

【Congratulations to the Host, you have obtained the purple trait: Electromagnetic Control (Elementary).】

【Trait effect: You are a human Pikachu. You can freely control the electromagnetic field around you, and even hijack other people's neural signals through "bio-electricity".】

Li Mo stretched out his hand, and a ball of blue-white electric arcs danced on his fingertips.

This was no longer ordinary lightning magic.

This was... a rule.

"Very good."

Li Mo looked at the electric light on his fingertips, his mouth curling up.

"With this, the 'electroshock therapy' for the next lesson... oh no, the 'bio-electric stimulation experiment', is guaranteed."

"The Yang Yongxin of the Cultivation World... ahem, Professor Li, is about to go online."

Outside the window, the sun was setting.

The style of the Heavenly River Sword Sect was running wildly on the path of no return towards "Cyber Cultivation", and there was no pulling it back.