Chapter 102
Sun Daoyu was taken aback, looking at his master whose silver eyes sparkled with light.
"Right now, Junior Brother Zhang is seeing off Zheng Fa... Well, he walked him to the main gate and even took a few extra steps, reluctant to part."
"......"
Real Master Pang turned to Sun Daoyu and asked softly, "Do you think I would receive such treatment if I went to Junior Brother Zhang's house?"
"......"
Your eyesight is impressive, Master!
"But Master, Zheng Fa has already rejected us before."
Sun Daoyu reminded him.
"Last time, I didn't take him seriously enough. This time, I’ll meet him in person."
"Master!"
"What is it? Isn’t your Junior Brother Zhou someone I personally took in?"
"Master, didn’t you say that a Yuan Ying cultivator can only focus on nurturing one true disciple?" Sun Daoyu whispered, "Junior Brother Zhou is the one you’ve chosen as your true disciple..."
Real Master Pang fell silent for a moment.
"Your Junior Brother Zhou has a broad mind."
"Huh?"
"Anyway, he wants to learn talismans from Zheng Fa. Why not let him switch to Zheng Fa’s sect and become my disciple?"
"… Junior Brother Zhou’s mind might not be that broad."
……
After seeing off Zheng Fa, Sister Zhang did not return home but flew towards the Seventh Peak of Jiu Mountain.
On the Seventh Peak stood a palace seemingly built from cold jade.
The palace doors were tightly shut, devoid of any sound, giving it an empty feel.
Only when Sister Zhang reached the entrance did a somewhat cold female voice ring out, "Wuyi, what brings you here?"
"I have something to discuss with Master."
"Come in."
The palace doors opened without a breeze, revealing the scene inside.
A female cultivator sat within, her expression colder than the snow covering the mountains, though a hint of warmth flickered in her eyes when she looked at Sister Zhang.
"What is it?" she asked. "You can decide matters of our lineage without consulting me."
"Master, I would like to ask you to take in another disciple."
"Mm?"
"Disciple?" The woman seemed taken aback that her own disciple had come to her for this. "You know I’m the least patient when it comes to teaching disciples."
Sister Zhang fell silent for a moment, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, but still spoke up:
"What I mean is, I would like you to grant that disciple some of the spiritual materials accumulated by our lineage for cultivation."
"……" Upon hearing this, the woman suddenly stood up, staring at Sister Zhang for a long time, her face showing a hint of excitement.
"Wuyi, did the Red Luan Star move?"
"…… No."
"Then you must be under threat!"
As she said this, the cold wind in the palace seemed to grow even more oppressive.
"No."
"…… Are you out of your mind?" The woman stared at her, seemingly unable to comprehend. "Those spiritual materials were prepared for you to condense your Yuan Ying, and some were even collected by you yourself."
"I just feel that this Junior Brother… is worth it."
"I’ve never heard you speak so highly of anyone." The woman finally seemed interested, smiling as she beckoned Sister Zhang closer.
Her expression carried a hint of nostalgia: "The little Wuyi I remember wouldn’t tolerate any loss, wouldn’t yield anything."
"Spiritual materials? Mine."
"Techniques? Mine."
"Even the Jiu Mountain Sect is mine."
When she said this, there was a touch of warmth in her voice.
Sister Zhang chuckled softly, "Master, that was my youthful ignorance, thinking I could solve everything with my talent."
"…… How impressive you are! You say you can cultivate the 'Talisman Path Foundation Technique' just like that, and no amount of scolding would change your mind." The woman pouted. "What’s wrong? Regretting it now?"
"Not at all." Sister Zhang shook her head. "I never felt I was oppressing anyone. If my spiritual roots are declining, those materials are better off with me than with the mediocre."
"Hah!" The woman laughed heartily, as if recalling something. "I remember when you first entered the sect, you dared to tell me that the future of Jiu Mountain Sect and the Xuanwei Realm rested on your shoulders! How old were you then? Twelve?"
"Yes." Sister Zhang smiled. "My thoughts haven’t changed."
"Then you still want to give those materials to someone else?"
"I’m better than others, so I should receive them. If he’s better than me, then he should get them." Sister Zhang’s simple statement left the woman speechless for a moment.
After a long silence, the woman finally spoke, "Tell me, who is this disciple?"
Sister Zhang sat beside her master and began to recount the story of Zheng Fa.
After a long while, the woman sighed softly, "He’s quite a talent; no wonder you value him so much."
"Then, Master, would you consider taking in another disciple?"
"I won’t agree."
"Master?"
"Right now, a Yuan Ying cultivator can only nurture one true disciple with potential for Yuan Ying... If you give him that, you’ll have none left."
"Master, after decades of stagnation in the Golden Core stage, I’ve felt despair and doubt, but eventually, I realized something." Sister Zhang shook her head. "Even if spiritual materials are scarce, a companion who can mutually encourage and uplift each other is truly unparalleled in this world."
(End of this chapter)
---
**Chapter 115: The Human Heart**
Zheng Fa had no idea that overnight, the two Yuan Ying cultivators of Jiu Mountain Sect were discussing him.
After returning home, he focused entirely on his cultivation.
Since adjusting the Zheng Li Wu Ying Talisman and the Shuang Ren Talisman, he felt his practice had become smoother, and he sensed he was on the verge of breaking through to the third layer of Qi Refinement.
Zheng Fa had researched the cultivation speeds of various spiritual roots.
The gap between single and double spiritual roots was significant—
Generally speaking, a single spiritual root could reach the tenth layer of Qi Refinement and push for foundation establishment in about a year.
However, for someone like Zheng Fa with double spiritual roots, even with diligence, it would take three to five years to reach the tenth layer of Qi Refinement.
If one was busy with life's demands, it was common to take eight or nine years.
This was a frequent occurrence—disciples with single spiritual roots often had their masters’ support and only needed to focus on cultivation, while those with double spiritual roots rarely enjoyed such privileges.
After reaching the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, establishing a foundation was another hurdle—foundation establishment required foundation pills, which were scarce and quite valuable.
Disciples in the Qi Refinement stage often found it impossible to purchase such pills, usually needing years of hard work to save up.
Considering this, aiming for foundation establishment within ten years was indeed a daunting task.
Thus, Jiu Mountain Sect only provided a ten-year subsidy to entry-level disciples, which was hardly sufficient for those with double spiritual roots, let alone those with three or four spiritual roots.
This time limit essentially left double spiritual root disciples with a small window, while those with even lower qualifications were left with no opportunity at all.
For instance, Han Qi, with three spiritual roots, had dreams of achieving foundation establishment upon entering the sect.
Over time, however, he found himself merely struggling to survive within the sect.
As for foundation establishment, it became a distant dream from his youth, one he had no grasp of.
Most lower-tier disciples, like Han Qi, either became numb or filled with anger.
But Zheng Fa’s cultivation speed far surpassed that of ordinary double spiritual root disciples; his progress was only slightly slower than that of single spiritual root disciples.
For example, Zhou Qianyuan reached the second layer of Qi Refinement in just over thirty days.
Zheng Fa took just under fifty days.
At first, Zheng Fa didn’t understand the reason behind this.
But after some observation, he figured it out.
On one hand, it was certainly due to the "Talisman Path Foundation Technique." According to his current estimation, his absorption of spiritual energy was about twenty to thirty percent faster than that of an ordinary double spiritual root.
On the other hand, he had to thank the modern world.
While the modern world lacked spiritual energy, Zheng Fa was naturally diligent and would still practice the Chi Xiao Jue to circulate his spiritual power daily.
Initially, it was just a habit, but later he discovered the benefits: while his spiritual power wouldn’t increase in the modern world, it gradually became purer, solidifying his foundation.
Others needed time to adapt to the increase in spiritual power before they could continue to absorb spiritual energy.
Zheng Fa didn’t need that; in the Xuanwei Realm, he could just charge ahead.
He felt that even without mastering the Yuan Talisman Path Foundation, he could potentially match Zhou Qianyuan’s cultivation speed.
As he practiced, Zheng Fa felt a surge in his dantian, a sense of fullness emanating from within.
When he looked inward, he saw his dantian brimming with spiritual power, which, compared to the trickling stream of energy when he first started, now resembled a roaring river.
He had reached the third layer of Qi Refinement.
Zheng Fa opened his eyes, a faint smile gracing his face, a small celebration for himself—
After all, he was surrounded daily by Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan, both Golden Core cultivators.
Even among the disciples in the market, there were quite a few foundation establishment disciples.
A breakthrough at the Qi Refinement level seemed rather insignificant.
Perhaps they wouldn’t even bother to look.
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