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Chapter 417: Chapter 417: The Myriad Stars

"Hmph!" Bing Xuan snorted coldly.

"But this thing, can it really...?" Bei Qingsi asked, frowning.

She had just used her divine sense to inspect the device and hadn\'t detected any magical fluctuations. Could this really let them see "monsters"?

"You don\'t know. In a dark room, can you see the dust in the air clearly?" Zhong Shan asked.

"I haven\'t reached that level of cultivation," Bei Qingsi shook her head.

"Exactly. You haven\'t reached that level, but when a beam of light shines into a dark room, can you see the dust particles clearly through that beam of light?" Zhong Shan asked with a smile.

The onlookers all frowned, thinking it over. Indeed, in a dark room, when a beam of sunlight shines through, one can see the dust particles in the air clearly. But why?

"This is called dark field microscopy, which involves the refraction of light. Ah, trying to explain it to you is pointless. Just know that this device will let you see things in the dark field. Enough talking, let\'s look at the monsters!" Zhong Shan said with a smile.

The crowd was intrigued, Bei Qingsi was curious, and Bing Xuan was filled with resentment.

What Zhong Shan had created was a simple microscope. Although he hadn\'t used microscopes much in his youth, having only encountered them in school, he understood the principle: a form of dark field microscopy using refraction. The structure was straightforward—a metal base with different lenses, tubes, and mirrors. Very simple. Once he understood the principle, Zhong Shan could easily craft it because a microscope is quite basic. The only complex part was the need for extreme precision, which was no challenge for someone with divine sense.

"What do you call this device, Elder?" Zhong Shan asked.

"Bing Xuan!" Bing Xuan said coldly.

"Oh, it doesn\'t matter. Can you place a drop of that water here for us to see? Just a tiny drop on this glass slide," Zhong Shan said cheerfully.

Seeing Zhong Shan\'s smile, Bing Xuan felt a surge of frustration. He wanted to punch Zhong Shan, but in front of Bei Qingsi, he had to maintain his composure.

With a wave of his hand, a drop of the Spring of Life landed on the glass slide. Bing Xuan watched Zhong Shan coldly, having made up his mind to flay him alive once he exposed Zhong Shan\'s lies.

The crowd watched Zhong Shan with curiosity.

Zhong Shan carefully placed the slide under the microscope. After adjusting the focus, he exclaimed, "Oh, so many! What I saw earlier was just a fraction."

Everyone looked puzzled, including Bing Xuan, who frowned.

"Come on, little girl, take a look," Zhong Shan said, waving Bei Qingsi over.

Little girl? Despite Zhong Shan\'s disguised appearance making him look older, Bei Qingsi\'s cultivation level was clearly higher.

Bei Qingsi didn\'t mind. With a curious expression, she looked through the microscope. After a moment, she frowned and showed a look of disgust.

Seeing Bei Qingsi\'s reaction, Bing Xuan\'s heart skipped a beat. Could she really be seeing something?

"You all can take a look. These monsters are rare," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

The crowd quickly gathered around. After Bei Qingsi stepped aside, they eagerly took turns looking through the microscope.

"OMG!" a disciple from the Longevity Realm exclaimed.

"Move aside, let me see!" another one immediately pushed forward.

After the first person moved, they quickly glanced at the jade box in Bing Xuan\'s hand.

"Martial Uncle, there really are..."

The word "monsters" remained unspoken.

"Move aside," Bing Xuan said, not believing it.

As soon as Bing Xuan looked through the microscope, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"This glass slide must be dirty," Bing Xuan said immediately.

"You can clean it yourself," Zhong Shan said confidently.

Bing Xuan quickly cleaned the glass slide and looked again through the microscope after placing another drop of the Spring of Life. Once again, he saw the so-called "monsters."

Bing Xuan was in a predicament! The purest water he had used to deceive Bei Qingsi turned out to have disgusting wriggling creatures in it. How could he salvage his dignity now?

Zhong Shan continued inviting others, "Anyone who hasn\'t seen it yet, come take a look!"

Why was Zhong Shan so confident? How did he know there were "monsters" inside? Whether they were there initially or not, Zhong Shan didn\'t know. But when Bing Xuan opened the jade box to show Bei Qingsi, he set himself up for failure. Zhong Shan knew from a young age that the transparent air was full of countless microorganisms. What kind, he didn\'t know, but he knew they were there. Even distilled water, once exposed to air, would have microorganisms in it. Plus, with the life energy in the Spring of Life, those microorganisms would thrive.

Bing Xuan was unlucky. The Spring of Life might have been pure initially, but leaving it open was a mistake. Microorganisms from the air would proliferate in such a life-rich environment.

After inviting more people to see the microorganisms, Zhong Shan turned to Bing Xuan, whose face had turned dark with anger.

"Elder, what\'s your name again?" Zhong Shan asked, pretending to forget.

"Bing Xuan!" Bing Xuan\'s voice was icy cold.

"Oh, it doesn\'t matter. Look, a single drop of this so-called Spring has so many \'ancient fierce beasts\' in it. Imagine how many there are in the whole box. Sigh..." Zhong Shan shook his head, leaving his sentence unfinished.

Bing Xuan gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on Zhong Shan, his body trembling with rage.

"Sigh, forget it. Corpse Four, there\'s nothing interesting about these ancient fierce beasts. Let\'s go back to our game," Zhong Shan said, shaking his head in feigned disappointment.

"Oh, and young lady, you can keep this device. If anyone gives you some \'Spring\' in the future, use it to check for ancient fierce beasts. Don\'t get hurt by them," Zhong Shan said as he walked away, leaving behind a trail of sarcastic comments.

Bing Xuan, seething with anger, grabbed the jade box and disappeared in a flash, leaving a cold snort behind.

Seeing Bing Xuan vanish, Bei Qingsi let out a long sigh of relief. After the other disciples finished looking at the "ancient fierce beasts," Bei Qingsi collected the device and walked over to the pavilion, giving Zhong Shan a slight bow.

"Thank you for your help earlier. May I know your names?" Bei Qingsi asked.

Bei Qingsi knew Zhong Shuai\'s name but not Corpse Four\'s.

"Oh, he\'s called Corpse Four. You can call him Fourth Brother. I\'m Zhong Shuai. You can call me... well, if that\'s too much, you can call me Da Shuai (Great Marshal)," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

"Earlier..." Bei Qingsi started to say something.

"Earlier? It was nothing. I just can\'t stand some annoying flies. If you have something to do, go ahead," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

Bei Qingsi looked at Zhong Shan deeply, then nodded, "Thank you!"

Although Zhong Shan did not acknowledge Bei Qingsi, he was always watching over her from afar. He did not want to burden her with any psychological stress nor did he want to create any emotional obstacles for himself. Just watching her from a distance was enough. It was a gentle emotion, like a drizzle nourishing Zhong Shan\'s heart. There was no need for overt displays; just looking at her from afar was sufficient.

In the evening, Bei Qingsi sat alone atop a nearby hill, gazing at the star-filled sky and a bright moon. She seemed lost in thought, perhaps reminiscing about someone, her face reflecting a mix of emotions—sometimes smiling, sometimes sorrowful.

Zhong Shan sat in the pavilion, watching her, reminiscing about their open-hearted conversation from decades ago. Seeing Bei Qingsi\'s sorrowful expression, his strong heart softened once again. With a slight sigh, he rummaged through his storage bracelet, finding a small black basin. With a step, he flew up the hill.

As Zhong Shan approached, Bei Qingsi immediately noticed his presence.

"Sir?" Bei Qingsi asked, slightly puzzled.

"May I sit down?" Zhong Shan asked.

"Mm," Bei Qingsi nodded.

Zhong Shan sat down beside Bei Qingsi, took a deep breath, and said, "I noticed you seemed lost in thought earlier. What were you thinking about so deeply?"

"Nothing," Bei Qingsi shook her head, clearly not willing to open up to anyone just yet.

"Do you find the starry sky beautiful?" Zhong Shan looked up at the sky.

Bei Qingsi also looked up, nodding, "The starry sky is infinitely beautiful, but it\'s so distant."

"Earlier, I heard you mention to Elder Bing Xuan that many people in the Longevity Realm bother you," Zhong Shan asked.

"No one dares to; with a Dao Lord\'s protection, no one dares to trouble me. They pursue me because of my unique physique," Bei Qingsi shook her head.

"Like that pure water?" Zhong Shan asked with a smile.

"Yes, like that pure water," Bei Qingsi nodded with a smile, but the smile was more forced than genuine.

Zhong Shan nodded, "From your conversation with Elder Bing Xuan earlier, I understood. I am not capable enough to find pure water for you; it\'s too difficult. However, I can give you the starry sky."

"Huh?" Bei Qingsi was slightly taken aback. This was what she had mentioned to Bing Xuan earlier in the day.

Zhong Shan took out the small black basin and placed it between them. Under Bei Qingsi\'s puzzled gaze, he slowly poured clear water into the basin.

As the water filled the basin, the reflection of the starry sky and the large moon appeared in the water.

"This is the starry sky. You can try to grasp it," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

The starry sky shimmered in the basin, looking beautiful and enchanting.

Bei Qingsi stared at the reflection, her eyes wide with wonder. She gently touched the surface of the water, causing ripples to distort the stars and moon. A soft smile formed on her lips, genuine this time, and she looked at Zhong Shan with gratitude and a hint of curiosity.

"Thank you," Bei Qingsi said softly, her voice filled with emotion.

Zhong Shan nodded, feeling a warmth spread through his heart as he watched Bei Qingsi find a moment of joy amidst her sorrow.