Chapter 70
The tall and slender figure, with its graceful curves, was one he knew all too well. Who else could it be but Zhang Shijie?
But how could Zhang Shijie be here?
As he reached the last step of the eighth peak, the figure slowly turned around, revealing the face of Zhang Shijie.
Yet at that moment, Zheng Fa immediately confirmed that this person was definitely not Zhang Shijie—Zhang Shijie would never wear such a lewd smile!
...
"He can compete with me," Zhang Shijie suddenly said, gripping a jade tube.
"Huh?"
Sun Daoyu was puzzled, and he saw on the screen that Zheng Fa had already stepped onto the ninth peak.
"Zheng Shidi has actually reached the ninth peak? The second person in ten thousand years!" Sun Daoyu sighed, his words already casually referring to Zheng Fa as a junior brother, infused with a sense of familiarity, as if they had known each other for a long time.
But he shook his head, saying, "I have to admit, Zhang Shijie's judgment is impressive... But this person only has dual spiritual roots and lacks a Dao body. I fear he still can't compare to you, Zhang Shijie."
"Do you know who you will encounter on the ninth peak?"
Zhang Shijie suddenly asked.
"Who?"
"The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains."
"The Ancestor! Hasn't he already passed away?"
"A wisp of residual soul remains, regaining some intelligence. Do you think my method of establishing the foundation of talisman Dao came from nowhere?" Zhang Shijie looked at Zheng Fa on the screen, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Pang Shishu underestimates me too much. Just because I have a Dongxu Lingyan, does he think I would lose my way?"
"Huh?"
"My ambitions are vast; I seek not just a Dongxu Lingyan, but a kindred spirit." Zhang Shijie gazed at Zheng Fa and continued, "I failed the Ancestor's test back then."
"What about the talisman foundation method?"
"...A small reward." Zhang Shijie cast a sidelong glance at Sun Daoyu, her gaze fixed intently on Zheng Fa, her eyes filled with anticipation.
...
Zheng Fa looked at the "Zhang Shijie" before him, his expression strange.
"I never expected that after just a hundred years, someone else would arrive at the ninth peak." The Zhang Shijie in front of him smiled warmly yet lewdly, even carrying a hint of grievance as if to say, "Why did it take you so long to arrive?"
"And you are?"
"I am the Ancestor of the Nine Mountains!" "Zhang Shijie" raised her head and declared, "The path you just walked was designed by me! Oh, right, the female disciple who came before you had some good suggestions too, but I didn't shortchange her; I gave her a small reward!"
A hint of pride seemed to flicker across her face.
So it was you, old thief!
No, wait, so this is what Zhang Shijie is like!
"I think this trial is a bit too simple," Zheng Fa said with an innocent smile, deciding to learn from this excellent role model, Zhang Shijie.
---
Chapter 79: True Form Talisman
In Zhang Shijie's small courtyard.
"A small reward?" Sun Daoyu looked at Zhang Shijie, murmuring the words "small reward" three times. "Sister's talisman foundation method is said to be the fastest in the Hundred Immortals Alliance. Is that really just a small reward?"
Zhang Shijie shot him a glance and replied, "This Ancestor is unpredictable and has a special status; even a Yuanying Zhenren must placate him. If he is unhappy, you won't even see the true treasures of the ninth mountain. What does a foundation method count for?"
"And Zheng Shidi..."
"I don't think he seems like a good person."
"Huh?"
"The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains loves people like that."
"......"
...
"Too simple?" The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains became indignant upon hearing Zheng Fa's words.
Zheng Fa had never imagined that such a seemingly explosive expression could appear on Zhang Shijie's face.
"Do you know how much effort I put into this? I spent a thousand years coming up with it!" he exclaimed. "And you say it's too simple?"
He spoke as if Zheng Fa had insulted him.
"I'm not saying the path lacks creativity, but rather... there's still room for improvement," Zheng Fa replied calmly.
"......What do you mean?" The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains looked at Zheng Fa suspiciously, seemingly doubting he could have any good suggestions.
"Ancestor, may I ask what the small reward was that the previous disciple received?"
Zheng Fa decided to test the waters of his conscience.
"Her? She had some ambition and asked for a talisman foundation method." Remembering Zhang Shijie, the Ancestor of the Nine Mountains couldn't help but show a hint of admiration. "That foundation method was created by me in my early years, but it was not perfect."
Zheng Fa trusted Zhang Shijie's judgment—whatever she valued was certainly not ordinary.
Zheng Fa quickly sold out his conscience: "I think the path is still too stable!"
"Stable?" The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains looked at the path behind Zheng Fa, which was swaying in the mountain wind.
"What I mean is—why can't it move a little?"
"Move?"
"It should move on its own, like shaking up and down from time to time, swaying left and right. Oh, and it would be best to add a countdown to remind the disciples how long they have before the path beneath them disappears."
It's all about the mindset; who can't do that!
"Hmm, that makes some sense. Anything else?" The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains began to ponder.
"I think the mountain wind is a bit monotonous. A little rain, some thunder, a bit of snow or hail, or even a landslide—wouldn't that align with the principles of nature?"
"......" The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains glanced at him, saying nothing, but finally asked, "Anything else?"
Seeing his indifferent demeanor, Zheng Fa gritted his teeth and sincerely apologized to future disciples: "I think the biggest problem with the path is that it's not realistic enough!"
"Realistic?"
"The greatest danger for disciples of the immortal sect comes from where?"
"What?"
"People!" Zheng Fa pointed at the path behind him. "Why should each path be separate? Why not let a few paths intersect?"
"Let them compete?"
The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains' eyes lit up, and he hurriedly urged, "Elaborate, go on."
Zheng Fa fell silent, tightly pursing his lips as if he had cramped up.
The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains was clearly an understanding person. He took out a jade tube and placed it in front of Zheng Fa. "Talisman foundation method!"
Zheng Fa's mouth immediately loosened: "For example, let two disciples search for the same talisman diagram, but there is only one path in front of them."
"Keep going!"
"It would be best to designate a range, like drawing a circle. If they don't reach the circle within a specified time, they're all eliminated."
"That's good! That's good! They won't dare to hesitate; if they don't compete, they'll be too late!" The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains clapped his hands, clearly pleased with this model: "You're a clever one; I like you!"
"......" It felt a bit strange.
The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains laughed, and suddenly transformed into Zheng Fa's appearance.
"?"
"The previous female disciple told me the path should be transparent, and I thought she was quite talented!" The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains praised. "I transformed into her likeness so that future disciples would know it was her clever idea that made this path more perfect. Now I think this opportunity for eternal fame should be given to you!"
No, you can't just use my likeness without permission. Does Zhang Shijie know?
Eternal fame?
Let future generations know that these bad ideas came from him?
What a stench that would leave!
Zheng Fa hurriedly waved his hands: "I just offered a small suggestion; I don't dare to take credit! I don't dare to take credit!"
The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains looked at him deeply and suddenly said, "With your temperament, you must be one of my Nine Mountain Sect's people!"
"?" Zheng Fa felt a bit uneasy. "Are there many people like me in the Nine Mountain Sect?"
Then this sect must be a good place to stay?
"Not many; most of them have been killed." The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains said enthusiastically, "Come, come, let me show you something good."
Zheng Fa followed the Ancestor of the Nine Mountains up the mountain, curious about where they were going. However, they didn't walk far before stopping on the slope of the ninth peak, facing away from the crowd.
"Look up."
Seeing Zheng Fa's confused expression, the Ancestor of the Nine Mountains pointed to the mountain peak above.
The peak was covered in white snow, shimmering with golden light under the sun.
Huh? Golden light?
Zheng Fa looked up closely and found four characters that seemed like letters but weren't, resembling talisman diagrams but not quite.
"What is this..."
"This is my original body!" The Ancestor of the Nine Mountains said. "The Mountain River True Form Talisman!"
"Talisman can also become a Dao?"
This was truly beyond Zheng Fa's understanding.
"Do you know the origin of the Nine Mountain Sect?" Unexpectedly, the Ancestor of the Nine Mountains suddenly brought up another topic.
"Nine Mountains... are nine mountains?"
"Yes and no. I was originally a spiritual vein, but through natural creation, the flow of spiritual energy in that vein formed an incredibly profound talisman, which is the Mountain River True Form Talisman."
"Over time, I gained some intelligence from this talisman and later comprehended the Mountain River True Form, transforming into nine spiritual mountains—so the nine mountains of the Nine Mountain Sect refer to both those nine mountains and to me."
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