However, ordinary people are weak and their influence is limited, so this "reward" is extremely weak and difficult to detect.
The Five Virtues Way takes humanity as its core, but its essence is the feedback from Heaven and Earth, hence it is innate.
------------
Chapter Twenty-Two: Rune Technology, The Path to the Golden Core
At the foot of Fragrant Hills, there is a grand royal garden with mountain and forest features, now known as "Qingxuan Changle Mansion".
When Lin Yi returned from his mountain climb and entered the mansion, he saw many Taoist priests coming and going. Upon seeing Lin Yi, they all bowed with one palm and then hurriedly left.
Wang Changyue, who was in charge of the affairs of the manor, greeted him with a happy expression, saying, "Greetings, Lord Manor."
Lin Yi smiled and said, "You look so happy, did you succeed in developing it?"
"Your Highness has discerning eyes," Wang Changyue said.
"Stop flattering me, just take me to see it," Lin Yi said.
"Please, Lord of the Manor," Wang Changyue said, and then led the way.
The two entered a courtyard, where they saw more than thirty Taoist priests of varying ages surrounding a strange device, observing it intently.
Next to it was a stove with charcoal burning fiercely, and on top of the charcoal was an iron boiler with iron pipes extending out and connected to that strange device.
These thirty-odd Taoist priests, although most of them were only at the first level of cultivation, needed to meditate on the corresponding talisman before casting a spell, then guide their true energy, and at the same time use high-quality cinnabar, peach wood, and other spiritual guides to have any chance of success.
However, Lin Yi never underestimated any of them. To achieve success in a world that was no longer suitable for cultivation, the effort these people put in was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Most of these Taoist priests came from the Quanzhen School. Some sought the Tao, while others aimed to revive Quanzhen. Each had their own goals.
Lin Yi walked closer and looked at the strange machine in front of him.
Many Taoist priests in ancient times could be considered scientists in a sense, as they studied the evolution of life.
The steam engine blueprints that Lin Yi produced opened another door for these "scientists," leading them to a vast and boundless new world.
The steam engine that appears in "Changle Mansion" now is probably the umpteenth version.
When technology is lacking, magic will make up for it.
Before Lin Yi could even catch his breath, the world had embarked on a path of rune technology that was completely unfamiliar to him.
For example, a crucial step in the steam engine—cooling the steam—requires a dedicated condenser, as shown in Lin Yi's drawings.
This is precisely where Watt made the most significant improvements in Earth's history.
But now, the condenser has been eliminated, and they've simply engraved a "water-gathering symbol" on one side of the cylinder, making steam recycling more efficient.
"Let's begin the experiment," Lin Yi ordered, looking at the completely altered steam engine before him. He was also very curious whether this modified steam engine could still be used.
Steam is injected into the cylinder, and due to the pressure of the steam, the piston inside the cylinder drives the connecting rod to move, and the speed increases, and the connecting rod in turn drives the crank...
Finally, a large wheel on one side began to spin rapidly with a loud rumble.
"Success..." The group of Taoist priests couldn't help but cheer.
"Good, good, good!" Lin Yi exclaimed happily, "Add more fire, quickly add more fire, let's see if this wheel can spin faster."
"Yes, Lord." Wang Changyue, standing next to Lin Yi, said excitedly, and personally rushed to the boiler, picked up a shovel and added coal into the furnace.
Another Taoist priest vigorously shook the blower, causing the charcoal fire in the furnace to blaze brightly, and the connecting rods and cranks of the steam engine to drive the large wheel to spin faster and faster.
Seeing this, Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction.
Lin Yi couldn't predict the ultimate direction of rune technology, but he knew clearly what changes the steam engine would bring to the world.
Lin Yi clenched his fist, a smile appearing on his face, and said softly, "I will be the one to sound the clarion call of the First Industrial Revolution. Isn't that what a cultivator who walks the path of sainthood should do?"
After a while, the steam engine slowly stopped running, and several Taoist priests surrounded the machine, constantly tapping and banging on it to see if there was anything that could be improved.
Wang Changyue walked to Lin Yi's side and asked, "Is the Lord of the Manor satisfied?"
"Very good." Lin Yi said, turning and leaving the courtyard, with Wang Changyue immediately following.
After stepping outside the courtyard, Lin Yi asked, "How's the improvement of the textile machine going?"
Wang Changyue said, "It has already been successful."
"Let's go take a look," Lin Yi said.
After inspecting the improvement work on the textile machinery, Lin Yi gave important instructions, requiring that the steam engine and the textile machinery be combined in everything.
Staff from all departments expressed their commitment to completing the task and to living up to the Lord's expectations.
Wang Changyue, the abbot of the Baiyun Temple of the Quanzhen School, accompanied them.
………………
As night fell, in a quiet room in the Qingxuan Changle Mansion at the foot of Fragrant Hills in the western suburbs of the capital.
Lin Yi sat cross-legged on the cloud bed, concentrating his mind and focusing on the one point.
Within his ancestral aperture at the center of his forehead, a flow of sacred virtue and Taoist aura appeared, resembling starlight, firelight, and waterlight, endless and continuous, its source being the "Star River True Scripture".
This supreme scripture directly reveals the elusive and profound path of saintly virtue.
Although it is only a fragment and not a complete system, it represents a great opportunity and a great fortune that countless people have sought but could not obtain.
Lin Yi quietly contemplated the passage of time.