Chapter 71
“Even I don’t know what I really am—am I a spiritual vein, this rune, or those nine mountains?” The Nine Mountains Ancestor shook his head and said, “What I do know is that this rune conceals the ultimate truths of heaven and earth; otherwise, I would have spent my life as just an ordinary spiritual vein.”
Zheng Fa gazed at the four mysterious patterns above him, feeling a sense of awe in his heart.
He had long been aware of the wonders of the Xuanwei Realm, but the fact that this rune could grant a spiritual vein sentience and even establish a Yuan Ying sect was beyond his imagination.
“For my entire life, I’ve relied solely on instinct to wield the Mountain and River True Form Rune. It feels like my companion spirit treasure, and even when I sit in meditation, I may never grasp even a fraction of its mysteries.”
“So, Ancestor, who are you?”
“Me? I told you, I am the Nine Mountains, I am the spiritual vein, but I am no longer just this Mountain and River True Form Rune.” The Nine Mountains Ancestor spoke in a way that Zheng Fa found hard to understand, then continued, “That old man… has gone mad.”
“Hmm?”
The Nine Mountains Ancestor waved his hand, pointing at the Mountain and River True Form Rune. “His time is running out. Unwilling to simply sit in meditation, he split himself in two. A small part of him is me, the Nine Mountains, and the spiritual vein, while the larger part sleeps within this Mountain and River True Form Rune, absorbing the insights of future disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect regarding this true form, aiming to fully merge with it—he believes that compared to this profound true form, the Nine Mountains and the spiritual vein are burdens. Now, he has abandoned me, seeking to rely solely on this Mountain and River True Form Rune to reshape his foundation and gain a new life.”
“This…”
“Within this true form rune lies the old man’s treasures, his divine abilities, and even a part of himself—if you can comprehend it, you can obtain them.”
---
**Chapter 80: No Discrimination**
The Nine Mountains Ancestor gently waved his hand, and four dazzling golden lights shot out from the four runes on the mountain peak, forming four beams that converged upon Zheng Fa.
Unconsciously, Zheng Fa sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes slightly closed, and before him, it seemed he could see the flow of mountains and rivers, the rise and fall of the sun and moon, the withering and flourishing of time.
When he regained his senses, the snowy mountain peak was gone, as was the Nine Mountains Ancestor.
All that remained were the four golden runes, supporting the heavens and connecting to the earth, filling the world before him.
With just one glance, Zheng Fa felt dizzy…
He began to understand why the Nine Mountains Ancestor had never comprehended this Mountain and River True Form Rune—this thing was on an entirely different level of complexity compared to the rune diagrams he had seen before.
Whether it was the rune diagrams in the Seventh Young Master’s study or the talismans drawn by Senior Sister Zhang, they were all isolated figures.
But the Mountain and River True Form Rune before him could even be described as a grand assembly of rune diagrams.
They were interconnected, hand in hand, heart to heart, dancing together like they were at an exceptionally joyful bonfire party.
From a distance, Zheng Fa thought he was looking at four runes.
But as he approached, he realized it was actually a composite of countless rune diagrams, and he found it difficult to determine which rune diagrams combined to form the four runes before him—because the vast majority of the rune diagrams were not even the basic corresponding diagrams.
It was a bit like the joke Zheng Fa had heard before—
“I just learned one plus one, and you’re taking calculus for your finals?”
That’s way over the line!
The people of the Xuanwei Realm probably felt even more at a loss.
There were two main issues here:
First, why could originally isolated rune diagrams combine so harmoniously, appearing as if they were one entity? What purpose did this combination serve?
This was something Zheng Fa couldn’t comprehend either.
His understanding of rune techniques wasn’t sufficient to grasp this question.
But the second question was easier for him—most cultivators in the Xuanwei Realm had no way to deal with unfamiliar rune diagrams.
From the current understanding of basic runes in the Xuanwei Realm, they mostly just drew the rune diagrams to see what effects they produced.
Then they would categorize the rune diagrams with similar effects into one group, ultimately selecting the simplest figure as the basic rune.
This method was essentially akin to Shennong tasting a hundred herbs—“I don’t know what this is, let’s take a bite and see.”
They hadn’t yet summarized a universal method.
Before topology developed, almost no one regarded polyhedra and spheres as the same thing; when the standards for classification didn’t exist, classification itself was impossible.
“Bai Yuan Ying, it’s up to you!”
Zheng Fa looked up at the myriad rune diagrams above, trying to apply the patterns he had noted in his notebook to these unseen rune diagrams.
---
Down the mountain, amidst the colorful clouds, there was a wide square where people who had descended from the walkway were gathering.
The Seventh Young Master was feeling depressed.
He thought he could have gone further, but his fear of heights had affected his performance.
Lost in self-pity, a figure suddenly appeared before him, interrupting his gloomy thoughts.
The Seventh Young Master looked up and was surprised to see Zhou Qianyuan, who was glaring at him with a face that clearly meant trouble.
He was clearly not here to make friends.
The Seventh Young Master felt a bit guilty; he had been too arrogant up there, and it seemed he had genuinely affected the other’s assessment.
Thinking of the other’s initial talent being purple, he felt even more anxious.
“Do you need something?”
Sticking to the principle of not losing face, the Seventh Young Master asked coldly.
“Did you really say that your rune techniques were taught to you by him?” Zhou Qianyuan seemed more concerned about this.
“... A small part, maybe!” The Seventh Young Master straightened his chest. “Most of it is due to my exceptional talent!”
Zhou Qianyuan looked at him suspiciously, as if trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.
As the two locked eyes, a brilliant golden light suddenly burst forth from the horizon.
Everyone looked up and realized the light was coming from the Ninth Peak.
In the golden light, a figure sitting cross-legged was particularly eye-catching.
The complex and dazzling rune diagrams before him were also exposed to everyone.
“Zheng Fa!”
The Seventh Young Master recognized the person sitting cross-legged.
Zhou Qianyuan, however, was frowning at the rune diagrams, seemingly trying to analyze them.
More people were curious about what the seated figure was doing, and soon they found out.
Some rune diagrams seemed to be drawn to Zheng Fa, flying out from the four runes, surrounding him and illuminating his figure.
Gradually, these complex rune diagrams began to stretch, twist, and transform in the air, ultimately becoming some remarkably simple shapes.
“Yuan Fu?” (元符, "Yuan Fu" refers to basic or fundamental runes.)
Zhou Qianyuan murmured, his eyes fixed on the Yuan Fu swirling around Zheng Fa, looking somewhat dazed. “He’s analyzing the rune diagrams! I’ve never seen these Yuan Fu before; how does he have a way to analyze them?”
The Seventh Young Master snapped back to reality, glanced at him, and then at the others.
He noticed that everyone was looking at the Yuan Fu with a somewhat bewildered expression.
They probably had never seen them before.
“You said you learned from Zheng Fa, so what does he… require?”
Zhou Qianyuan looked at the Seventh Young Master, pursed his lips, and suddenly asked.
“Requirements?”
The Seventh Young Master was taken aback, not understanding his meaning.
“Does he teach anyone? Or does he look for something else? Spiritual stones? Talent? Character?”
Zhou Qianyuan explained.
The Seventh Young Master began to understand; this was a rival for the teacher!
He felt a sense of urgency.
No, why would a genius like you think of seeking a master just because you faced a setback?
What about us ordinary folks?
Can’t you be a little more rebellious?
“Ahem! His requirements are quite high!” The Seventh Young Master cleared his throat and said, “For example, take me; I’ve sent quite a few spiritual stones to become his disciple, but that’s just a small matter!”
“He first looks at talent! Someone with talent as astonishing as mine is barely qualified to enter!”
“But what he values most is character!” The Seventh Young Master tried to intimidate Zhou Qianyuan. “A pure and upright nature is a basic requirement. After entering, you must serve tea and water, work like a horse, and endure all sorts of grievances to show respect for the teacher. A genius like you wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of humiliation!”
Zhou Qianyuan looked at the Seventh Young Master, slowly nodding as if he understood.
“If you’ve been accepted, then it seems he’s not too picky about students.” He suddenly spoke.
“... Huh?”
---
On the Nine Mountains, Zheng Fa felt a bit dejected—this old man seemed to be slightly outmatched this time.
The Yuan Fu he could analyze didn’t exceed one-tenth.
He could understand that fast-track methods have their limitations, especially since this was originally derived from the basic rune diagrams.
Even in Senior Sister Zhang’s eyes, this method had already pointed to the essence.
But Zheng Fa knew in his heart that this was merely a means to pass an exam—like choosing the shortest option among three lengths, but fundamentally, it was still a gamble on probabilities.
Looking at the Yuan Fu swirling around him, Zheng Fa shook his head, preparing to rise.
“Who would have thought that old man would wait for this!” The Nine Mountains Ancestor suddenly appeared, praising him. “A talent for rune techniques rarely seen in ages!”
“Ah?”
“The Yuan Fu that old man analyzed in his lifetime, you’ve already surpassed him!”
“…”
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