Chapter 32: The Purple Light Immortal Palace Reverses the Agricultural Season

Great Tang, Ministry of Agriculture.

Inside the main hall, dozens of officials in charge of the Great Tang's agriculture rushed into the courtyard, rubbing the hems of their official robes until they were as wrinkled as withered tree bark.

The Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture's voice trembled: "No soil... fruits hanging in mid-air?"

The Chief Clerk beside him panted heavily, pointing at the white tubes on the Sky Screen, his voice shrill.

"My Lord, look at those fruits; they are big and red, with no signs of insect bites, and even the leaves are shining green!"

The Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture clutched his head, groaning in pain.

Earlier, when he saw the Hybrid Rice yielding a thousand jin per mu, he was shocked but could still understand it.

After all, it was still planted in paddy fields, relying on the miracle of superior seeds. Reading novels and books all day, ttk s. tw is super reliable.

But today.

The scene before him completely shattered the agricultural books he had read all his life.

"Going against Heaven... this is going against Heaven!"

The old official pounded the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Separated from the thick earth, avoiding the four seasons."

"They have snatched the power of life and death, which the gods hold, into the hands of mortals."

"No need for spring planting and autumn harvesting, no need to pray to the Dragon King for rain; they have created a small world where even the Heavenly Dao cannot govern!"

The agricultural officials of the Great Tang felt a tremor originating from the depths of their souls.

For thousands of years, humanity could only humbly submit to the laws of nature.

Relying on Heaven for food is an iron law branded into the bones and blood.

Yet the people of the future in the Sky Screen used Glazed Ware for roofs and iron frames for support.

They forcibly fenced off a piece of land on the earth, flipped the bird at the Lord of Heaven, and declared: "The rules here are decided by me."

Outside Chang'an, by the banks of the Weishui River.

In the vast farmlands.

Countless farmers weeding under the scorching sun stopped their work.

They straightened their hunched backs and looked up at the Sky Screen.

In the scene.

Inside the greenhouse, the temperature was constant and cool, and the ground was clean.

The future "farmers," wearing white lab coats, pushed carts, shuttling between the white pipes.

They only needed to reach out to pick fruits hanging in mid-air.

No mud caked their legs, no dizziness from the scorching sun.

Even no need to deal with venomous snakes, rats, or ants.

An old farmer threw down his hoe, his knees buckling as he knelt in the scorching yellow earth.

He clasped his hands together and bowed heavily to the row of purple LED grow lights in the Sky Screen.

"Immortal treasures... that is the immortal light that nurtures all things!"

The farmers around him fell to their knees like dominoes, a whole group crashing down.

They did not understand technology or comprehend the light spectrum.

In their eyes, light that could replace the sun and nurture endless grains and fruits where no soil grew could only be a miracle.

Inside the demonstration garden's greenhouse.

Lin Xuan looked at Xiao Sizi, who was still in a daze.

He walked forward, plucked a ripe red strawberry from a hole in the white pipe.

He pinched the stem between his thumb and forefinger and gave it a gentle twist.

The strawberry fell into his palm.

He walked to a water pool nearby, turned on the faucet, and rinsed off the surface dust from the fruit skin.

Walking back in front of Xiao Sizi, he handed over the strawberry emitting a rich fruity fragrance.

"Taste it; no pesticides were used, it's hydroponic."

Xiao Sizi took the strawberry, slowly opened her mouth, and took a bite.

Juice overflowed, and the fresh sweet taste instantly exploded in her mouth.

Sweeter than any wild fruit offered as tribute in the Great Tang.

She swallowed the flesh and looked up at Lin Xuan.

"Lin Xuan, it is really sweet, but I still do not understand."

A hint of stubbornness flashed in Xiao Sizi's eyes.

"The ancients said, if the hide does not exist, where can the fur attach?"

"Without soil, where does the flesh and blood of this fruit come from?"

The corners of Lin Xuan's mouth curled up.

He walked towards a metal control cabinet at the end of the corridor.

Embedded on the cabinet door was a huge liquid crystal touch screen.

The screen flickered with dense data line graphs and circular progress bars.

Lin Xuan waved his hand.

Xiao Sizi, holding the half-eaten strawberry, walked over quickly.

Lin Xuan tapped his index finger on a water drop icon in the center of the screen.

The scene switched.

A complex chemical element periodic composition table appeared.

Words like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium lined its surface.

"Princess of the Great Tang, today I'm giving you a biology lesson that shatters your ancestors' understanding."

Xiao Sizi stepped closer, looking up at him.

"Nature is a great furnace," Lin Xuan said, slowing his pace to use words a little girl could understand. "The nutrients in the soil also come from elsewhere."

"The excrement of birds and beasts, dead leaves, stones ground to dust by wind and rain."

"These things rot in the soil, soak in rain, and turn into food for plants."

Xiao Sizi nodded, half-understanding.

She often watched palace maids tend flowers and knew the principle of fertilizing.

Lin Xuan tapped the Glass panel. "For plants, soil is not irreplaceable."

"Soil only does two things."

"First, it grips the plant's roots to prevent them from being blown over by wind."

"Second, like a damp cloth, it holds rainwater and its nutrients, letting the roots drink slowly."

Xiao Sizi listened, entranced.

"Since you know what they like to eat,"

"later generations built giant factories to extract minerals from rocks and capture nitrogen from the air."

"Measured precisely, dissolved in water—this is industrial nutrient solution."

Lin Xuan pointed at the strawberry roots hanging suspended before them.

"Since soil is merely a container, we use rigid tubes to grip the plant's roots."

"We pump the mixed water and nutrients directly into the tubes to feed them."

"Since soil is merely a container, we use rigid tubes to grip the plant's roots."

"We pump the mixed water and nutrients directly into the tubes to feed them."

"Plants cannot tell whether they grow in soil or in tubes."

"As long as the water has food and light shines above, they grow wildly."

Xiao Sizi frowned slightly, pointing her finger at the LED light strip above.

"What about the purple light on top?"

Lin Xuan's tone was calm: "All life grows by the sun. This purple light is artificial, made by machines."

"Plants don't need the whole sun—they only absorb specific colors from sunlight."

"Machines purify this light and shine it on them. They can't tell real from fake—they still sprout and branch."

Xiao Sizi shoved the remaining strawberry into her mouth.

Sweet, crisp juice slid down her throat.

She lifted her small face, her big eyes shining with understanding.

"A trick to deceive Heaven—you deceive the plants' perception, act in Heaven's stead, and control life, death, withering, and flourishing."

Lin Xuan smiled.

He swiped his finger across the screen, pulling up two photos.

The first: ice sealed for ten thousand li.

In the snow stood several red buildings.

Inside, iron racks brimmed with lush green vegetables.

The second: a pitch-black starry sky.

Inside a floating sealed metal cabin, transparent tubes held thriving lettuce.

"The first picture is Nanjidalu. Outside, it's so cold water freezes instantly, even the soil can't be dug."

"Our people hide inside, turn on the heating, turn on the lights, and grow vegetables using hydroponics."

Lin Xuan's fingertip moved to the second photo. "This one is Taikongkongjianzhan."

"Out there in space, there isn't even wind."

"With just this water and light, green leaves still grow."

"Agricultural seasons and solar terms are useless here."