Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 171: There are Difficulties
Li Xian stood dumbfounded, muttering to himself, “As expected, there are difficulties!”
Currently, the two most powerful figures in Anyang should be Yan Ze’an and Yan Zhengqing. After all, one was once the prime minister of the Cai Kingdom, and the other was the general of the Cai Kingdom. Their cultivation was still formidable. If it weren’t for the betrayal by the Cai Kingdom, this small Anyang could never have accommodated these two.
Next are some of the recently risen generals and others with improved cultivation.
In fact, it is already quite impressive that Anyang has a dozen or so Golden Core cultivators; most counties only have three or five visible ones. Even in the entire Great Xia Kingdom, there aren’t many Golden Core experts.
As for Nascent Soul cultivators, they are almost legendary existences, the kind that can be called “ancestors.”
Zhou Likun seemed a bit embarrassed. “Young master, the formation arts are indeed vast and profound. Unlike cultivation, where it is relatively simple to practice—one just follows the cultivation method.
But formations have accumulated over tens of thousands of years and are incredibly complex. There are very few people who specialize in one particular formation, and those who can be called masters are rare. It not only requires talent, but also time, and a high level of comprehension.
Therefore, only Nascent Soul experts have the qualifications to become masters.”
Li Xian nodded, knowing Zhou Likun was speaking the truth. A person’s energy is always limited, so “one must specialize in a certain field” is inevitable. Formations, in particular, are an enormous system that spans almost every aspect of cultivation. From techniques and magical treasures, to pill refining furnaces, and even the grand trends of the world, formations are involved. Even the construction of imperial tombs and the study of feng shui are forms of formations.
Therefore, mastering formations and gaining widespread recognition, even becoming a master, is not an easy task. This makes it easy to understand why Xiao Yuquan is a Nascent Soul expert.
But, a Nascent Soul expert! Li Xian was troubled. A Nascent Soul expert… why would he invite such a person to visit? To be precise, why would he have someone who is a Nascent Soul “ancestor” take orders under him?
Li Xian was very clear about one thing—anything related to research and technology must be under his control, and there could be no compromise on this. Even today’s conversation would absolutely not have a single word leaked. Technology was the foundation of Li Xian’s position in this world.
Li Xian understood very clearly that while the Immortal Domain lacked technology, it was only because it lacked guidance. After tens of thousands of years of development, everything that should be there is essentially in place. As long as there is guidance, as soon as his thoughts here leak out, it would be hard to maintain any advantage.
Therefore, Li Xian kept his thoughts very secret; products can be sold, and they must be sold, but the ideas must remain confidential. This was why Li Xian did not accept any so-called collaborations. Hence, convincing a Nascent Soul expert was no small feat.
Most importantly, what if the Nascent Soul cultivator had malicious intent? Li Xian would have no ability to resist!
After hesitating for a long time, Li Xian had no choice but to suppress this impulse. “We’ll talk about that later. Let me talk about the internal combustion engine.”
“Is there any further questions about the internal combustion engine I discussed a few days ago? If not, the engine department will take over and officially begin research. Additionally, the branch factories for motorcycles, ships, and aircraft will oversee the creation of internal combustion engines suitable for their own needs.”
“No questions.” After everyone responded, they began to get busy.
First, they needed to test the combustion characteristics, combustion speed, and safety of various oils.
Li Xian randomly selected a sample, dipped a bit of cotton cloth in it, then ignited it with a small fire spell. To his surprise, a burst of flames exploded, startling the unprepared Li Xian. His hair was even scorched. If it weren’t for the timely operation of his true essence, he might have been disfigured.
“Why is the combustion so intense?” Li Xian naturally asked.
Zhou Likun was puzzled. “Young master, it’s been like this since we started refining it. Is there something wrong?”
Something wrong? Of course, something was wrong! Even on Earth, liquefied hydrogen wouldn’t combust like this! Just dipping a little, probably less than two milliliters, it produced a massive fireball.
Moreover, the flames were a pale blue, and the temperature was clearly much higher than Earth’s petroleum!
What could be the reason? Li Xian started to think.
Back when dynamite showed such a phenomenon, the explosive power was far beyond Earth’s! Later, gunpowder showed similar behavior. Now, petroleum had the same issue! There must be a reason for this.
What could the reason be? Spiritual energy! Li Xian suddenly had a flash of insight. This world is a high-energy world, and the most representative “high-energy” substance in the Immortal Domain is “spiritual energy”!
Li Xian turned to look at the bottle of milky white liquid spiritual energy. He dipped a bit of cotton in the liquid, but to his disappointment, the cotton soaked in liquid spiritual energy was like wet cotton and couldn’t be lit at all.
Li Xian didn’t give up. Ignoring the curious looks around him, he took some liquid spiritual energy and mixed it into the fuel, then dipped it into the fuel again. This time, the flame temperature clearly increased!
“Additive! Use spiritual energy as an additive!”
Li Xian’s eyes immediately brightened. That’s it! This spiritual energy is an additive, or perhaps a catalyst. It’s hard to say exactly what effect it has, and further research is needed. But the discovery made now is already enough.
Using liquid spiritual energy as an additive is quite luxurious! Fortunately, the current liquid spiritual energy can’t be used for cultivation, so using it as a fuel additive isn’t bad either.
With the doubts in his mind cleared and with oil refining, internal combustion engines, and microorganisms already starting to take shape, Li Xian clapped his hands, handed over all the work to his subordinates, and hurried back to Anyang with Xia Qingqing.
Li Xian certainly wasn’t truly idle; in fact, he was very busy. He reorganized the development plans for Anyang, reviewed the meticulous work of Zhao Guoshan and his son, examined the intelligence from LuLiang County and the Great Xia Kingdom, and looked over the dumping and agent plans.
After several days of such busyness, Li Xian finally decided to visit his father!
On one hand, it had been a long time since they last met, and he truly missed him. On the other hand, Li Xian was also concerned—was Li Yulong really a poison scholar? Ultimately, he wanted to consult his father on how to attract Real Master Xiao Yuquan.
When Xu Ren and the others could not offer better advice, Li Xian had no choice but to request an audience with Li Yulong.
Perhaps Xu Ren is very capable, and Li Yuanming is also skilled, but Li Yulong is even more capable. Whether it’s Xu Ren or Li Yuanming, their experience and background cannot compare to Li Yulong’s.
As for Yan Ze’an, Li Xian also planned to visit Ding Shan City on the way to ask for his advice.
Before he was about to depart, Xia Qingqing suddenly asked Li Xian a question, “Husband, who do you think is more outstanding, Xu Ren or Yan Ze’an?”
Li Xian hadn’t really considered this question before, and usually, he didn’t discuss it either.
Li Xian understood one crucial point: Yan Ze’an was a genius who could reverse the course of destiny. He had managed to revive an empire on the brink of collapse, and his abilities… perhaps even surpass Li Yulong’s. At least the Kingdom of Cai had been revitalized, while the Great Xia Kingdom was about to meet its end.
However, in terms of scheming, Yan Ze’an fell short, but that was due to his integrity. In Li Xian’s view, this was precisely what made Yan Ze’an admirable.
As for Xu Ren, he was Li Xian’s greatest benefactor! Without Xu Ren, Li Xian might still be struggling in the swamp of the imperial capital. It was Xu Ren’s decisive action, sacrificing the life of the Wang family’s illegitimate son, Wang Ming, to extricate Li Xian from the imperial capital, which led to Li Xian’s current situation.
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So, discussing who was more outstanding between Xu Ren and Yan Ze’an was pointless. Their specialties and areas of expertise were different.
Xu Ren was a strategist, serving Li Xian personally; more like a secretary.
Yan Ze’an was a prime ministerial talent, serving the Anyang conglomerate.
If one had to compare the two, no matter the outcome, it would inevitably hurt one person! Worse still, it could result in mutual harm!
If anything were to go wrong with either of them, it would shake Li Xian’s current foundation! On the other hand, if either one had an issue, it would affect the development of Anyang. Xu Ren had already become the representative of Li Xian’s strategists, and Yan Ze’an was seen as the representative of scholars. Together, they held up the current political structure of Anyang!
Thinking about this, Li Xian turned to look at Xia Qingqing. With the wisdom she had shown in managing Anyang, she surely wouldn’t have missed this point.