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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 1: [Nether Realm of the Dead]
Chapter 3: [The Buddha's Relic]
(3rd of Volume 1)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Li Weiyi gripped the Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Sword tightly, peering through the cracked porthole at the blurred boundary between sky and snow.
Only the occasional flashes of lightning tore through the wind, snow, and mist, briefly illuminating the chaotic scene.
Thunder roared, and the wind howled.
Snowflakes, sharp as ice blades, pelted the hull in a dense barrage, like rapid gunfire.
The bear-like creature had also vanished, leaving no trace.
"College student, there's no need to be so tense!" Xie Jin said, "No matter how strong that bear-like creature is, it's just as vulnerable to this weather as we are. It's surely hunkered down in its den, facing this storm."
Xie Jin was the cousin of Second Mate Xie Tianshu.
Though he owed his position partly to connections, he had also been selected through proper channels and believed his appointment was due to merit alone.
He never considered himself on the same level as Li Weiyi, holding himself in high regard.
Of course, even if he despised this inexperienced college student, he wouldn't stoop to outright hostility - it would lack dignity.
The real reason for his antagonism stemmed from Xie Tianshu's earlier instructions, entangled in the open and covert rivalry between the First Mate and Second Mate.
Li Weiyi held the opposite view but chose silence over argument.
He continued to vigilantly scan the window.
"Tap! Tap! Tap..."
A crisp, cool female voice drifted down from the stairs: "That bear-like creature is no longer a normal Earth creature. Bullets can't even penetrate its bones - how could a mere blizzard hope to affect it?"
Cai Yutong descended the stairs, appearing before the Security Team members.
She was a chemistry Ph.D. student at Capital University, the nation's premier institution, who had unexpectedly become an internet sensation due to her striking beauty.
The Security Team knew the stunning woman was on the research vessel, but she was so reclusive, spending most of her time in the laboratory, that many were seeing her in person for the first time.
She looked exactly like her online videos, without any excessive filters or retouching.
In fact, in person, she seemed even more refined and elegant.
"Dr. Cai, let me help you with those. What are these?" Xie Jin hurried forward, his gentlemanly gesture marred by an overly eager, obsequious expression as he reached out to take the suitcase Cai Yutong was tightly clutching.
Cai Yutong didn't let him touch it, her voice as cold and distant as the Arctic:
"Concentrated acid strong enough to dissolve flesh and freshly made explosives. You'd best not touch it."
Xie Jin extended his hand, then awkwardly withdrew it, forcing a stiff smile, "Excellent. As expected of a chemistry Ph.D. Knowledge is power."
Cai Yutong, carrying the box, walked toward Li Weiyi by the window, "I know who you are - the freshman basketball recruit from Capital University. How to address?"
"Li Weiyi."
Li Weiyi hadn't expected her to recognize him.
"I asked how you should address me," Cai Yutong said, her demeanor aloof and authoritative.
Standing over 170 cm tall, her features were strikingly refined, exuding elegance from every angle.
Li Weiyi chuckled awkwardly. "Senior."
"Give me a hand. Be gentle and steady," Cai Yutong instructed.
Li Weiyi quickly leaned the Huanglong Sword against the wall and carefully helped Cai Yutong lift the box, placing it steadily on the ground.
Among alumni, even those who had never met before, there exists a unique bond and trust that develops when they meet outside their alma mater.
Li Weiyi, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, possessed physical prowess and reflexes far surpassing the average person.
His basketball recruitment was merely a way to gain admission. If he put his mind to it, he could cultivate another specialty within months.
Xie Jin returned to the Security Team members, maintaining his forced smile.
Seeing the team members he had once flattered eye-rolling and exchanging knowing glances, their gazes filled with amusement, Xie Jin felt a surge of humiliation and annoyance.
He could no longer sustain the fake smile.
Then, observing the familiar and intimate way Li Weiyi and Cai Yutong interacted, a different kind of feeling stirred within him.
Before, his hostility toward Li Weiyi had been at Xie Tianshu's behest.
But now, genuine jealousy and resentment burned within him.
Meanwhile, Cai Yutong opened the case, explaining the usage and precautions for each item inside. Her gaze frequently met Li Weiyi's at close range, her fragrant hair brushing against his face in the cold wind, carrying with it a lingering scent.
"Senior, are you really giving me the entire box?" Li Weiyi asked.
Cai Yutong, awkward with social niceties, countered, "I'm a researcher. Do you expect me to fight that bear-like creature myself?"
"That's not what I meant... I, I think all Security Team members should learn how to use these," Li Weiyi stammered.
Cai Yutong looked at Xie Jin and the others.
Xie Jin smiled: "Dr. Cai, this junior brother of yours is quite skilled in martial arts. See that sword? To him, that sword is probably more valuable than all your gadgets combined. Some people wouldn't understand your kindness."
A security team member close to Xie Jin chimed in, "I've heard that traditional martial arts training can develop something called 'Internal Force' and 'True Qi.' Since Xiao Li is the First Mate's junior brother and was specially recruited into the Security Team, he must be one of those."
It was clear that their words were meant to sow discord.
By specifically mentioning Li Weiyi's relationship with Zhao Meng, they were implying to Cai Yutong that the university student before her was unreliable, merely a connection through family ties.
Li Weiyi remained calm: "What Internal Force and True Qi? Traditional martial arts training simply strengthens the body and improves fitness. It's not some mystical power. We should all trust in science."
Having started martial arts training at the age of five, enduring harsh winters and scorching summers, Li Weiyi's martial prowess was naturally exceptional.
But his strength, speed, and mastery of techniques were simply superior to ordinary people's.
He possessed no mystical Internal Force or True Qi.
When the Old Sect Leader lamented the decline of the Martial Arts, Li Weiyi had once asked him about it.
The Old Sect Leader sighed deeply, saying that he was born in the wrong era. His physical body was already nearing its limits, and if he had lived in ancient times, he would undoubtedly have cultivated some extraordinary accomplishments.
Li Weiyi pressed further, asking why such extraordinary accomplishments were possible in ancient times but not in the present era. And just how ancient were these "ancient times"?
The Old Sect Leader remained cryptic, simply stating, "When the myths fell, they were imprisoned forever."
Though Li Weiyi didn't fully understand, that exchange planted the seed of his unwavering aspiration: to pursue the extraordinary path of the Martial Arts, to delve deep into its cultivation, and to break free from mortal limitations, even if it meant defying the prevailing era.
'Young people, as always, have this indomitable spirit.'
The more his elders warned him of hardships and claimed his goals were unattainable, the more determined he became to prove them wrong.
.....
Xie Jin said, "Xiao Li, stop being so modest! We're all on the same team here. There's no need to hold back. Show us a few moves. I refuse to believe that a man as upright as the First Mate would specially recruit a slacker. We're dying to learn about Internal Force and True Qi. Let us see what you've got!"
Xie Tianshu had prompted Xie Jin to target Li Weiyi, but his true motive was to undermine Zhao Meng's authority.
If Li Weiyi proved to be as weak as a paper tiger, the reputation of Zhao Meng, who had specially recruited him for the Security Team, would plummet among the crew.
This wasn't the first time Li Weiyi had been provoked. He wasn't made of clay; he possessed a youthful spirit that said, "I won't attack unless attacked, but if you cross me, don't blame me for the consequences." He said, "Since Brother Xie is so persistent, we can certainly exchange a few blows."
A wave of excited chatter rippled through the boarding hall.
Even Cai Yutong, who usually remained indifferent to everything, showed a flicker of interest.
Xie Jin had been waiting for this opportunity for over a month, and now that it came before the stunning Cai Yutong, he felt his spirits soar.
With gentlemanly grace, he smiled and said, "Alright then, but let's agree to keep it friendly. We'll stop when we've made our point and we must not damage our comradery."
However, his true thoughts were far different.
Once they clashed, how could there be any restraint?
In front of such a beauty, neither would admit defeat.
Only one outcome was possible: one would have to knock the other down and force them to submit.
The two men locked eyes in a brief standoff.
Closing the distance, Xie Jin let out a low roar and charged forward. His hands curled into claws. As he sidestepped to the left, his right leg shot up in a knee strike.
A Security Team member gasped, "Black Dragon Eighteen Styles!"
This was a martial art so viciously cunning that it had been banned from military training.
Xie Jin opened with the Azure Dragon's Claw from the Black Dragon Eighteen Styles, executed with remarkable mastery - clear evidence of years of rigorous training.
This was no mere demonstration; he clearly intended to at least dislocate one of Li Weiyi's arms.
"Bang..!" A dull thud echoed.
In the blink of an eye, before anyone could process what had happened, Xie Jin collapsed sideways, his body rigid.
Li Weiyi's right palm, still arcing through the air like a blade, hung suspended in mid-motion.
Li Weiyi knew nothing of the Black Dragon Eighteen Styles. He only understood that with sufficient speed and force, any opponent's technique was nothing but fancy flourish.
Moreover, no one knew when that bear-like creature might attack the research vessel again. He needed to end this quickly and decisively, unwilling to let Xie Jin's recklessness delay a matter of life and death.
The Security Team members rose to their feet, exchanging stunned glances. Even if Xie Jin's defeat stemmed from underestimating his opponent, his physical prowess was undeniable. The speed and power behind Li Weiyi's single palm strike, which left Xie Jin unable to rise, left them genuinely shaken.
Cai Yutong stood several meters behind Li Weiyi, near the window. Even she had felt a wave of danger and pressure when Xie Jin attacked.
But how had he fallen so instantly?
"Looks good but useless?" The thought had merely flickered through her mind, but the words slipped out almost involuntarily, as if she were talking to herself.
Xie Jin's neck throbbed as if it were cramping. Dazed and ears ringing, he finally regained his hearing only to hear Cai Yutong's words, which nearly made him choke with fury.
"Thud! Thud! Thud..."
The sound of running footsteps echoed from the stairs.
The short student, who loved reciting poetry and telling mythological stories, burst into the boarding hall, brimming with excitement.
"I know! I know! That bear-like creature is the legendary Ghost Bear Emperor! It's said to have evolved when an Arctic bear king absorbed the aurora and devoured vast quantities of carrion, gaining a ghostly intelligence."
Silence.
A long, tense silence.
The short student forced an awkward smile, noticing Xie Jin being helped into a corner.
"What are you doing?" he exclaimed, "Have you already been attacked?"
Another silence.
"We're leaving this to you. I'm heading back to Laboratory 705."
"Boom!"
Just as Cai Yutong reached the stairwell, a familiar, heavy thud rang out from the deck outside the cabin, causing the boarding hall floor to tremble violently.
Everyone's expression shifted to alarm as they scrambled for their weapons.
"It's here!"
....
The leadership of the Long Ji boarded an elevator, descending to the lowest deck of the ship.
Director Yang explained as he walked, "The Underground Palace of the Ganlu Temple's Relic Pagoda was sealed since the Song Dynasty until it was finally opened in 1960. The Archaeological Team transported the rectangular stone casket, still intact, back to the laboratory."
"Inside the stone casket was a small silver coffin. When opened, it revealed an even smaller golden coffin."
"Only upon opening the golden coffin did the Buddha's Relic, preserved within a crystal container, finally appear."
"Please, come in!"
"Why the sudden mention of the Buddha's Relic?"
The door to Laboratory 705 swung open, and the group filed in, their confusion deepening.
The laboratory was filled with various precision instruments. At the very center of the room, on a raised platform, stood the crystal container holding the Buddha's Relic.
Within the container, the relic was roughly the size of a soybean, a pale red in color.
Standing beside the relic, Director Yang smiled and asked, "Given your extensive knowledge, what are your thoughts on the microscopic world?"
Seeing the puzzled expressions, he began by laying the groundwork: "At the microscopic scale, many classical physical laws no longer apply. They are replaced by the principles of Quantum Mechanics, such as Quantum Entanglement, Quantum Superposition, and the Tunneling Effect."
"There's a theory that humanity's journey beyond Earth and the solar system won't be through traditional space travel, but by exploring the microscopic world. Just as we can transmit voices across thousands of miles with a smartphone, not by shouting louder, but by transmitting information at the microscopic level."
"The elusive space wormholes we've been searching for might be commonplace in the microscopic realm."
"In short, the peculiarities and mysteries of the microscopic world will undoubtedly challenge our conventional understanding."
"Some say humans understand only five percent of the ocean."
"So, what percentage of the microscopic world do we understand?"
"One in a hundred million?"
"I doubt it's even one in a hundred million."
Everyone present stared at him with cold, disapproving looks, as if he were some heretical academic.
Director Yang knew further explanation would be futile.
He pointed to the high-powered scanning tunneling microscope focused on the Buddha's Relic and declared, "Let your eyes be the judge!"
"I'd like to see what all this mumbo-jumbo is about," Professor Xu growled, having tolerated Director Yang's claims for too long.
He was the first to step forward and peer into the microscope.
Moments later...
The robust professor, though nearing sixty, trembled violently as his legs gave way. He collapsed onto the floor, his eyes wide with shock and bewilderment, mumbling incomprehensible words.
Zhao Meng was utterly perplexed.
Professor Xu, who had remained calm even when faced with bear-like creatures and monstrous entities like the Nine Infants, was now terrified.
It's just a relic!
What on earth did he see?
After helping Professor Xu to his feet, Zhao Meng stepped up to the microscope.
Within the crystal container, the Buddha's Relic was no larger than a bean. Yet under the microscope, it resembled a vast, crimson planet: towering, jagged mountains, dried-up ancient riverbeds, and a desolate, boundless landscape that was both magnificent and awe-inspiring.
It was like standing in space, gazing down at the endless, barren expanse of Mars.
A tiny relic, concealing another world entirely.
This is utterly inconceivable!
Wait a minute...
Given its size, the microscope should be showing the relic's crystal structure. Why is this happening?
Suddenly, Zhao Meng felt a suffocating tightness in his throat as he witnessed something even more astonishing on the surface of the Buddha's Relic.
At the end of each ancient river channel lay the vast, crimson Withered Sea, its vibrant seabed stained as if by blood.
A peculiar bronze ship of antiquated design lay quietly moored at the Withered Sea's shore, its origin and destination unknown.
After centuries of silence, even the hull had rusted, leaving only the masts and sails still clearly visible.
Standing nearby, Director Yang adjusted the microscope to a higher magnification.
Zhao Meng saw the details more clearly, his scalp tingling with unease.
Through the lens, the bronze ship loomed enormous. The deck was littered with bones: armored human skeletons, phoenix remains, python skeletons, and an endless sea of tombstones.
The phoenix and python remains were especially colossal.
A single feather of the phoenix was dozens of times larger than the armored human skeletons.
The phoenix lay near the ship's bridge, one wing covering the forest of tombstones, the other draped over the nine-story-high bridge itself.
Zhao Meng wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but he distinctly saw a faint radiance emanating from the phoenix's feathers.
The microscope's magnification was limited, leaving much obscured.
But he understood one thing: If one could somehow board that ship, they'd discover a wondrous and terrifying new world.
A colossal vessel…
No...
It was only 460 nanometers long. A speck of dust on the surface of the relic.
Without the microscope, it would be no different from the billions of unseen particles in the air.
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END OF CHAPTER
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