182: Chapter 182 Who's the kind soul who put the lightning tribulation inside a battery?
That desolate mountain, which had been pierced through and melted by a single shot from the 'Electromagnetic Flying Sword', was still emitting wisps of green smoke.
It stood like a warning monument at the far edge of Heavenly River Sword Sect's view.
However, in the classroom of the Scripture Pavilion, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
The head Disciple, Ye Guyun, was slumped in his chair, his Face as pale as paper, as if his body had been hollowed out. He held a cup of spirit tea with an excessive amount of goji berries, his hand trembling slightly—a spasmodic reaction from his Meridians enduring ultra-high voltage current in a short period.
"Teacher..." Ye Guyun spoke weakly, "the power of this 'Railgun' technique is immense, but... it's just too taxing on the user."
"That one shot just now not only drained all the thunder spiritual power from my Dantian but even sucked out the Origin Life Qi I usually store deep in my marrow. Right now, I can't even wield a Flying Sword, let alone hold chopsticks."
He looked at Li Mo with a bitter smile. "If I were on the battlefield and missed with that one shot, I'd have no choice but to kneel and beg the demonic cultivators not to kill me."
The Disciples below the podium shared his sentiment.
The destructive power was indeed heaven-shaking and earth-shattering, but the price of being a 'one-shot wonder' was unbearable for anyone. Cultivation emphasized endurance, longevity. This 'three-second man' fighting style was too extreme.
"Excellent question."
Li Mo stood on the lecture platform, still wearing his insulated leather apron. In his hand was a porcelain bowl he'd borrowed from the kitchen, containing half a bowl of water.
"This is your current predicament."
Li Mo pointed at the bowl.
"Your Dantian is like this bowl. Although it can hold spiritual power, its capacity is limited, and its output channels—your Meridians—are too narrow."
"To maintain the high-power output of an electromagnetic railgun, you not only have to empty this bowl in an instant, you have to smash the bowl itself."
"Therefore, we need an external module."
"An energy storage unit that can 'carry the burden' for you."
Li Mo turned and drew a cylinder on the blackboard, then added a '+' and a '-' sign at each end.
"Scientific name: Capacitor."
"Common name: Power bank."
"Cultivation edition translation: Portable·High-Pressure Lightning Tribulation Storage Canister."
Li Mo's chalk tapped heavily on the blackboard.
"I had you review this last night. Now, who can tell me the three core problems that need to be solved to create a qualified cultivation battery?"
Zhang Yuan, the 'tech geek' from the Formation department in the front row, immediately raised his hand, his eyes shining with fanatical light. Ever since hearing the theory 'gravity is a Formation' yesterday, he had become Li Mo's die-hard follower.
"Teacher! I know!"
Zhang Yuan stood up, speaking rapidly:
"First, the dielectric. We need a highly insulating material that can lock in the violent thunder spiritual power and prevent it from dissipating."
"Second, the plates. We need a metal with excellent conductivity that can withstand high voltage without melting."
"Third, and this is the hardest point... charging. Where do we find lightning of such high purity and density to fill the battery?"
"Full marks."
Li Mo snapped his fingers.
"For the first two problems, go to the Artifact Refining Hall. Use ten-thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood for the casing, and deep-sea cold iron for the plates. It'll be a bit heavy and clunky, but it'll work."
"The key is the third problem—the energy source."
Li Mo looked at the Disciples below, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Rely on yourselves to meditate and charge it? Too slow. A month of charging wouldn't be enough for one shot."
"Extract it from Thunder Spirit Stones? Too expensive. Even if your family owned a mine, you couldn't afford to waste them like that."
"So, we need to think bigger."
Li Mo raised his hand and pointed at the ceiling, or more precisely, towards the vault of the Nine Heavens above.
"In this world, there is an energy source that is free, abundant, powerful, and... inexhaustible."
The entire hall fell silent.
A few seconds later, a terrifying thought rose in everyone's minds.
Ye Guyun's goji tea spilled all over the floor as he stammered, "T-teacher... you're not referring to... the Heavenly Tribulation, are you?"
"Bingo."
Li Mo nodded calmly.
"The Lightning Tribulation sent down by the Heavenly Dao... ahem, by the Heavenly Dao, is essentially a high-purity energy discharge."
"In the past, when you underwent tribulation, you'd sacrifice Magic Treasures or use your Physical Body to resist it. That's pure waste! A sheer desecration of a natural treasure!"
"Since it comes to you seeking to strike you down, why not... store it?"
"This is called—shearing the wool off the Heavenly Dao."
A collective sound of sharp inhales echoed from below the podium.
Madness.
Utter madness.
That was the Lightning Tribulation, representing the will of the Heavenly Dao, meant to destroy all living beings!
What kind of decent person would dare to stuff that thing into a canister and use it as a battery?
But the thought processes of these Disciples had already been thoroughly warped by Li Mo.
After the initial fear, a strange sense of excitement began to spread.
Zhang Yuan's eyes shone like two light bulbs. "Putting a Heavenly Tribulation into a canister... if, during a fight, you suddenly threw out a canister filled with tribulation lightning..."
"Wouldn't that be like... manually triggering divine punishment?!"
"Let's do it!"
Zhang Yuan slammed the table, roaring, "For science! For truth! For manually triggering divine punishment! I'm shearing this wool no matter what!"
...
In the afternoon, at the back mountain of Heavenly River Sword Sect, the Lightning Induction Platform.
This was originally a dedicated area for Sect Disciples to undergo tribulation. The ground was covered in defensive Formations, and several lightning rods (actually lightning induction pillars) stood around.
But today, the Lightning Induction Platform had been transformed beyond recognition.
Led by Zhang Yuan, the 'Formation Research Group,' together with the 'Metalworking Brigade' from the Artifact Refining Hall, had erected a strange-looking device here.
It was a massive cylinder three zhang tall, made entirely of transparent 'Spirit-Isolating Crystal.' Inside, one could see dense copper wire mesh and metal plates covered in engraved talismanic runes.
This was their overnight creation—【tianhe no. 1·Super Capacitor (Prototype)】.
Connected to the top of the cylinder was a long metal wire, hundreds of meters in length. At the end of the wire was tied... a giant kite.
On the kite were written four large characters: 【Heavenly Dao, Come Strike Me】.
This extremely provocative slogan was penned by Li Mo himself. Reportedly, it was to increase 'aggro' and improve the success rate of lightning induction.
"All units, attention!"
Zhang Yuan, wearing protective goggles and holding an amplification Formation Plate, commanded with composure.
"Insulation team, check the grounding wires! Ensure the grounding resistance is less than four ohms... I mean, less than four parts spiritual impedance!"
"Observation team, lock onto the cloud layer's charge reaction!"
"Bait team... uh, who's the bait?"
A Disciple with a bitter expression stepped forward.
He was an unlucky Outer Sect Disciple who had been stuck at the Foundation Establishment Stage Bottleneck for years. He'd been tricked into coming today, told that just by standing here, he could not only undergo tribulation for free but also earn the title 'Thunder Lord.'
"Senior Brother, is it really safe?" The unlucky guy looked at the kite with the provocative slogan, his legs trembling.
"Don't worry!" Zhang Yuan patted his chest reassuringly. "According to the teacher's 'Faraday Cage Principle,' that big canister will absorb 99% of the lightning energy. You just need to focus on releasing your aura to trigger it; leave the rest to science!"
"O-okay."
The unlucky guy took a deep breath, sat cross-legged in the safe zone next to the big canister, and began to release his aura with full force, attempting to break through his Bottleneck.
*Rumble—*
The Heavenly Dao was very accommodating.
Or perhaps, the slogan on the kite was simply too provocative.
The originally clear sky instantly became overcast with dark clouds. Purple lightning snakes writhed frantically within the clouds, emitting low, angry roars.
The Heavenly Dao seemed to be saying: *You dare not only undergo tribulation but also fly a kite to mock me?*
"Here it comes! High-energy reaction!"
The Disciple in charge of observation shouted.
*CRACK!*
A purple Heavenly Thunder as thick as a bucket, carrying world-destroying might, struck precisely at the kite in the air.
Under normal circumstances, the unlucky guy would have probably wet himself.
But today, a miracle occurred.
The moment the Heavenly Thunder struck the kite's conducting wire, instead of hitting the Disciple Undergoing Tribulation, it followed the specially made metal wire with extremely low resistance. Like a tamed fire dragon, it roared down into the 【Super Capacitor】 below.
*Zzzzzzzzz—!!!*
The massive crystal canister instantly lit up with a blinding blue light.
The metal plates inside vibrated violently. Countless complex talismanic Formations lit up, beginning to greedily devour and compress thisviolent energy.
"Voltage stable! Capacity rising 30%... 50%... 80%!"
Zhang Yuan trembled with excitement, staring at theReading disk in his hand.
"Success! We really captured a Heavenly Tribulation!"
However.
Just as the progress bar reached 99%.
An accident occurred.
It wasn't that the Formation was wrong, nor that the Materials were insufficient.
It was that... the Heavenly Dao seemed to have gotten angry.
In the clouds, the Lightning Tribulation, which should have ended, suddenly paused.
Immediately after, a gigantic eye that seemed composed of lightning flickered in and out of view behind the clouds, casting a cold glance at the 'electricity-stealing canister' below.
*Stealing my electricity, are you?*
*BOOM!*
A second Lightning Tribulation struck down.
But this bolt wasn't purple. It was... red.
This was the legendary 'Red Lotus Karmic Fire Thunder,' specialized in burning the Divine Soul, ignoring physical defenses.
Even worse, its energy density was ten times that of ordinary Heavenly Thunder.
"Warning! Warning! Input power exceeding limits! Overload! Overload!"
TheReading disk in Zhang Yuan's handIt exploded..
"Cut the connection, quick! This lightning is abnormal!"
But it was too late.
The red thunder followed the wire and plunged straight into the 'Super Capacitor,' which was already nearly full.
It was like throwing a lit match into a barrel filled with gasoline.
But the expected massive explosion did not occur.
Because the 'Anti-Detonation Talismans' designed by Li Mo took effect, firmly locking the energy inside and preventing any leakage.
However, the energy had to go somewhere.
Since it couldn't explode, it... overflowed.
*Hum—*
A strange high-frequency vibration instantly swept across the entire area.
The massive crystal canister, unable to withstand such a terrifying charge density, had its surface insulation Formation... punctured.
It didn't explode. Instead, it turned into a gigantic... static electricity generator covering a ten-mile radius.
...
A quarter of an hour later.
Heavenly River Sword Sect was plunged into an unprecedented 'social crisis.'
Zhang Yuan stood dumbfounded in place.
He wasn't dead, nor was he injured.
But his originally sleek long hair now stood straight up towards the sky like steel needles, forming a perfect 'sea urchin' style. Not just his hair, but even his eyebrows, body hair, and even the loose threads on his clothes were all standing on end.
He tried to raise his hand to touch his head.
*Zap!*
Before his fingertip could even touch his hair, a blue electric arc jumped out, making his hand twitch.
"Wh-what's going on?"
It wasn't just him.
Everyone (and every beast) within the range of the Mountain Protection Grand Array of Heavenly River Sword Sect had been affected.
On the training grounds.
Two Martial Brothers who hadn't seen each other in a long time were about to share an enthusiastic hug.
"Senior Brother!"
"Junior Brother!"
They opened their arms, looking at each otherdeep feeling.
Just as their fingertips were about to touch.
*Crackle-pop—BOOM!*
An electric arc as thick as an arm exploded between them.
Both screamed as they were blasted away, their hair instantly exploding into two pitch-black afros.
"Senior Brother... you shocked me?"
"Nonsense! You're the one who shocked me! Why are you carrying an electric charge?"
In the dining hall.
Elder Liu Changqing was about to enjoy a bowl of steaming hot spirit rice.
He picked up a metal spoon and brought it to his mouth.
*Zap!*
A current traveled up the spoon into his mouth, instantly numbing his tongue.
Elder Liu's whole body convulsed. The spoon clattered to the floor. He spat out a mouthful of black smoke, his speech slurred:
"M-my teeth... feel tingly..."
In the Spirit Beast Garden.
The usually proud immortal crane was currently running around like a panicked chicken with its feathers puffed up. It had discovered that whenever it stopped, its feathers would automatically attract dust and fallen leaves from the ground, and it couldn't shake them off.
Even the gatekeeping Big Yellow Dog would emit sparks from its rear end whenever it wagged its tail.
The entire Sect had become a massive high-voltage electrostatic field.
The air was filled with free-floating electric charges.
Everyone had to walk with extreme caution. Walking just a bit too fast could cause trouser legs to rub and generate static, burning off their own leg hair.
Greetings no longer involved bowing with hands clasped. Instead, people nodded from three meters away, terrified of triggering a 'lightning strike incident.'
...
Top floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
Li Mo stood by the window, wearing a thick insulated suit and rubber gloves, holding a cup of... milk tea in a glass cup (insulated).
Looking down at the groups of Disciples below with their afros, walking stiffly like zombies, he showed not a hint of remorse. Instead, he laughed heartily.
"Squeak... (Boss, this is too cruel.)"
Squeak lay on the table, suffering the most. As a long-haired mouse, it had now turned into a round, fluffy ball, completely indistinguishable where its head or rear was. Any movement caused aCracking and popping.
"Cruel?"
Li Mo took a sip of his milk tea.
"This is called the price of science."
"Besides, although the experiment had a 'minor mishap,' that canister..."
Li Mo's gaze passed through the crowd, landing on the 【Super Capacitor】 at the back mountain, which was still flashing with alternating red and blue light.
Although its casing was leaking electricity, although it had caused a Sect-wide static pollution.
It... hadn't exploded.
Moreover, the energy reading inside was off the charts.
That was the energy of two entire Heavenly Tribulations!
Including one 'Red Lotus Karmic Fire Thunder'!
"As long as we add thicker insulation and pair it with a transformer..."
A cold glint flashed in Li Mo's eyes.
"This isn't a battery."
"This is clearly a... Heavenly Tribulation bomb."
Just then, a pleasant System notification tone rang out.
【Detected host-led scientific experiment has triggered a large-scale group anomalous state.】
【Detected Disciples are currently writing 'Physics Analysis Report on Why Handshakes Cause Electric Shocks.'】
【Congratulations, host. Extracted new entry from chaotic rules.】
【Acquired Blue Entry: Electrostatic Field (Passive).】
【Effect: Anyone attempting to touch you has a 50% chance of being repelled and suffering aparalysis effect. You are a socialinsulator, also a hedgehog.】
Li Mo glanced at the entry and shook his head.
"A bit niche, but useful for self-defense."
He turned, picked up a pen, and wrote tomorrow's arrangements on a new sheet of paper.
"Pass down the order."
"In light of the Sect's current 'electrified' state, tomorrow's morning exercises are canceled."
"All Disciples are to immediately go to the Artifact Refining Hall to collect 'rubber insulated suits' (actually raincoats)."
"Additionally..."
"Tell Zhang Yuan to seal up that leaking canister properly."
"In a few days, isn't the neighboring Blazing Fire Sect coming for an 'exchange visit'?"
"When the time comes, the 'Red Lotus Karmic Fire Thunder' inside that canister will be the perfect... welcoming gift for them."
"Since they like to play with fire, let them see what we call... the wrath of science."
...
That night.
The night sky over Heavenly River Sword Sect was exceptionally brilliant.
Because whenever two mosquitoes collided in mid-air, they would burst into a tiny shower of electric sparks.
Amidst thiscrackling background noise, Ye Guyun, sporting an afro, used a wooden comb (insulated) to untangle his hair while looking at the freshly drafted 'Battery Design Diagram (Improved Version)' in his hand. His eyes held no trace of retreat, only an even moreMad Flame.
"The leakage is due to insufficient dielectric..."
"If I use Thunder Beast hide as an insulating layer..."
"Plus the 'Faraday cage' structure the teacher mentioned..."
"Next time, I will definitely be able to store a Lightning Tribulation... inside my sword case!"
On the path of scientific cultivation, these madmen could no longer turn back.