Chapter 111
“Ha! Qian Yuan hasn’t learned much; you’ll see in the future.”
Zhou Qian Yuan’s expression darkened at that.
Zheng Fa was taken aback. What future?
“And also, your improvement on the ‘Fu Dao Foundation Establishment Method’ left a deep impression on me.”
Pang Zhenren knows about this too?
“I know that Master Zhang treats you very well; she’s quite generous. But I’m not stingy either!”
“Ah?”
“Here, take these two portions of Qian Nian Zi Zhu Lei (Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo Tears)!”
“This… no reward without effort.”
“Have you not heard? One must not refuse a gift from an elder!”
Pang Zhenren shoved the two portions of Qian Nian Zi Zhu Lei into Zheng Fa’s hands.
“But…”
“But what? One portion is for you, and the other you can give to your fellow disciples…”
Pang Zhenren hinted further.
Zheng Fa suddenly understood. This Pang Zhenren probably thinks he will definitely join his sect.
He’s giving me these gifts first?
And giving an extra portion to win over the disciples of his lineage?
“Master Pang… I’ve already taken a master.”
“Taken a master? Who? The one with the surname Huang?” Pang Zhenren’s face stiffened.
“No.”
“Then who dares to compete with me for a disciple?” Pang Zhenren’s tone carried a hint of anger.
“The sect leader.”
“...Who?” Pang Zhenren’s expression froze, and he slowly asked, “Has Brother Yuan come out of seclusion?”
“...Yes.” Zheng Fa cautiously handed the two portions of Qian Nian Zi Zhu Lei back to him, “Pang Zhenren, why don’t you take them back?”
“I said I’d give them to you, so I will!” After a long silence, Pang Zhenren suddenly said, “How could I be so petty?”
Watching Zheng Fa walk away, clutching the Qian Nian Zi Zhu Lei, Pang Zhenren’s face twitched, his expression despondent.
“Master… what about those two portions of Qian Nian Zi Zhu Lei?” Sun Daoyu asked, puzzled. “Why did you…”
Clearly, he didn’t believe his master was a generous person.
“Do you know what kind of person the sect leader is?”
“What kind?”
“Protective.” Pang Zhenren sighed, “He has only taken two disciples in total.”
“The first disciple seduced a demoness from the demonic sect, and he insisted on sheltering her in Jiushan Sect. The demonic sect came at him wave after wave, and he killed several Yuanying (Nascent Soul) cultivators.”
“The second disciple broke the seal left by predecessors, and the righteous path also came looking for trouble… he got beaten up too.”
“…”
“If he took a disciple with the surname Huang, I could still get him back. But taking a disciple from Brother Yuan… that’s like throwing a meat bun to a dog.” Pang Zhenren said bitterly.
(End of this chapter)
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**Chapter 122: Letting Go**
Zheng Fa was practicing the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan’ (Void Spirit Eye).
This technique was quite well-known to him.
Currently, the Jiushan Sect was divided into two factions.
If Master Zhang’s lineage was based on the ‘Fu Dao Foundation Establishment Method,’ then Pang Zhenren’s lineage was rooted in the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan.’
He had already grasped the wonders of the ‘Fu Dao Foundation Establishment Method.’ Without it, his cultivation wouldn’t have progressed so quickly, and he wouldn’t have any supernatural abilities in the modern world.
Naturally, he had high expectations for the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan,’ which was said to be equally renowned and, as far as he knew, without any flaws.
He took out the Qian Nian Zi Zhu Lei that Pang Zhenren had given him.
Just hearing the name, Zheng Fa thought it would be a liquid.
But what Pang Zhenren actually gave him were four pieces of transparent solid, resembling slightly purple crystals.
Zheng Fa pressed one piece of Qian Nian Zi Zhu Lei against his right eye, channeling his spiritual energy into the crystal.
The crystal began to slowly melt, transforming into a warm stream that seeped into his eye socket. At first, his right eye felt a warmth, followed by a slight sting.
As time passed, the sting intensified, becoming deeper—like someone was delicately carving his eyeball with a scalpel.
It brought him a mix of pain and fear.
If it weren’t for the records in the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan,’ he might have doubted whether he was going blind.
After two incense sticks worth of time, as the crystal in his palm gradually diminished, the excruciating sting began to recede like a tide, replaced by a gentle coolness in his eye.
Zheng Fa opened his eyes and reached up to touch his forehead and collar, the dampness confirming just how intense the pain had been.
He even considered resting for two days before attempting to cultivate his left eye.
But the changes in his right eye after practicing the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan’ made him feel that the pain was worth it.
Standing in front of the mirror, Zheng Fa saw a faint silver light flickering in his right eye as he activated the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan.’
More remarkably, he saw a different world.
When he looked out the window while using the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan,’ he found that objects a hundred meters away seemed to be right in front of him.
Moreover, the world before him appeared clearer.
Or perhaps, it was more complex.
He could see the symbols swimming in the space around him.
But what surprised Zheng Fa was that the symbols were no longer isolated.
In his previous observations, these “little fish” seemed to swim around individually, darting about with little connection to one another.
However, after cultivating the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan,’ he noticed faint lines connecting some of these symbols.
Some symbols had lines between them, while others did not, making it impossible to discern a pattern.
In the jade tube recording the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan,’ Zheng Fa recalled Pang Zhenren had once sighed and said:
“People say that the original symbols are limited, yet most have never even seen what the symbols truly look like.”
Reflecting on this statement while observing the symbols that revealed more secrets to him, Zheng Fa began to understand Pang Zhenren’s perspective—many who know more often feel more despair about humanity’s ability to understand the world, including many scientists.
Perhaps the symbols seen after mastering the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan’ left Pang Zhenren feeling bewildered, leading him to doubt that cultivators could truly decipher them.
But to Zheng Fa, the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan’ and the ‘Fu Dao Foundation Establishment Method’ not only did not conflict but seemed like a match made in heaven.
According to Pang Zhenren’s records, the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan’ is divided into three realms: Guan Qi (Observing Qi), Ru Wei (Entering the Subtle), and Dong Xu (Void).
Guan Qi enhances one’s vision, allowing one to see great distances and observe the flow and nature of spiritual energy in the void.
In the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan,’ Pang Zhenren mentioned that reaching this stage would give one a significant advantage in battles, even allowing one to find flaws in an opponent’s spellcasting.
The introduction to the Ru Wei realm in the ‘Dong Xu Ling Yan’ was quite sparse.
But from the literal meaning, it likely enhances a cultivator’s ability to observe microscopic phenomena.
As for Dong Xu, Pang Zhenren didn’t mention it at all, only stating that it was nearly impossible to cultivate this realm before reaching the Yuanying stage.
Zheng Fa sorted through his thoughts.
Guan Qi—like a telescope, perhaps with some analytical functions?
Ru Wei—like a microscope, possibly even at the level of an electron microscope.
As for Dong Xu, the information was too scant to understand.
But the idea of turning his eyes into experimental instruments sparked Zheng Fa’s imagination— the importance of observational instruments to science is self-evident.
With this in mind, Zheng Fa gritted his teeth and took out another piece of Qian Nian Zi Zhu Lei.
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At Master Zhang’s home, she was still working on the exercises Zheng Fa had sent her.
Yuan Shijie was chattering away as usual.
The two had been in this routine for decades, accustomed to each other’s presence.
But today, Yuan Shijie suddenly said, “Why do I feel like something’s off?”
Master Zhang paused, not looking up, and gently replied, “What’s off?”
Yuan Shijie glanced around the study, then looked at Master Zhang. After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly exclaimed, “We’re missing someone! Zheng Shidi hasn’t come!”
Master Zhang cast a gentle glance at her but said nothing.
“Zheng Shidi used to come every day to play with you… uh, I mean, to discuss the ‘Fu Dao Foundation Establishment Method’ with you. But it seems he hasn’t been here these past few days?”
“He just took a master.”
Master Zhang explained softly.
“Took a master?” Yuan Shijie frowned. “That old man took a disciple and then locked himself in his room to work on his script, claiming he’s going to create a masterpiece… how could he have time to pay attention to Zheng Shidi?”
“…”
“Don’t you find that strange, Master Zhang?”
“Not really.” Master Zhang set down her pen and said softly, “Before, Zheng Shidi was one of us; now he’s a disciple of the sect leader. It’s different now.”
“Different how?”
“...He used to come because I could provide him protection, resources, and teach him the ‘Fu Dao Foundation Establishment Method.’ Now that he’s a disciple of the sect leader, he naturally doesn’t need those anymore.”
Master Zhang spoke with a calm expression.
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