Chapter 120
As Han Qi glanced around, he felt a mix of envy and distance in the eyes of those around him—he couldn't quite put his feelings into words.
Who would have thought that just a moment ago, he was wondering when the market would be under the Zheng family name?
And now, it seemed like the Jiu Shan Sect was almost ready to take on the Zheng name!
He had only wanted to follow Zheng Shidi to make a bit of money.
How did he end up as a trusted confidant of the future sect leader?
Noticing the subtle glances from his senior brothers directed at the three of them, Han Qi pursed his lips and led his two followers out of the crowd.
“Senior Brother, why do I feel like the other seniors aren’t as friendly as before?” the tall, thin one whispered.
“Because Zheng Shidi has become a disciple of the sect leader,” Han Qi explained softly. “But Sister Zhang… she was always considered the top choice for the next sect leader of Jiu Shan Sect.”
“...Will Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang clash?”
“...It’s hard to say, but this is the position of sect leader. It’s not uncommon for brothers to turn against each other,” Han Qi sighed quietly. “Those seniors are probably just trying to gauge the situation.”
“...Then they should have figured it out by now.”
“Figured out what?”
“Look!”
The tall, thin one pointed into the distance.
Zheng Fa was walking toward the new building.
On his left was Sister Zhang, a prodigy of the Bai Xian Alliance, smiling as she chatted with Zheng Fa.
On his right was Zhou Qian Yuan, a well-known disciple of Master Pang, who was intently watching the two, as if afraid to miss a single word.
“This great situation is pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
“…”
As the crowd observed, both openly and discreetly, Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang entered the new theater.
“Are you saying that for this trial screening, we won’t charge any fees, but we’ll collect feedback from the disciples of Jiu Shan Sect?” Sister Zhang said as they walked.
“After all, it’s the first play,” Zheng Fa explained. “They might not be very receptive, so it’s better to make it free.”
Sister Zhang nodded, not opposing the idea.
Inside the new theater, the sect leader was standing there, surveying the place.
He seemed to be assessing how well the “Lu Zhong Tian Di” (a technique for creating immersive environments) would work here.
“Master,” Zheng Fa quickly bowed to his teacher, surprised that the old man had actually come out in person.
This showed just how much he valued the trial screening of “Saving Little Cultivator Pang Qian.”
The sect leader nodded at the three of them and asked, “What are you discussing?”
“Shidi suggested that for the first trial screening, since it’s for our Jiu Shan Sect disciples, we shouldn’t charge spirit stones. Also, we should collect their thoughts after watching.”
“Collect thoughts?”
“Mainly to see if the disciples have any negative feedback.”
“Hmm… we should take note of those clueless disciples,” the sect leader nodded, as if he understood.
Wait, are you planning to jot this down in a little notebook?
“...We’ll modify the play based on their feedback,” Zheng Fa explained after a moment of silence. “After all, a play is a new thing, and it has to face the public. We need to see the audience's reactions and make gradual adjustments.”
This was quite difficult in the modern world—making a movie costs a lot.
If you want to make changes, it involves additional funding and the actors' schedules.
That would be a real challenge.
But in the Xuan Wei realm, you could change things however you wanted!
With just a thought, this old man could not only change faces but even alter the very fabric of reality.
Zheng Fa valued the opinions of these disciples for a reason—after all, they were two different worlds.
In modern times, the cultural trends between two countries can be vastly different.
At least for the initial few plays, Zheng Fa wanted to gauge the aesthetic and acceptance of the audience in this world.
…
By the next evening, the first trial screening of “Saving Little Cultivator Pang Qian” began.
To Zheng Fa’s disappointment, the theater was not very full that night.
Out of over ten thousand seats, only about a thousand were occupied.
“Many disciples heard it wasn’t mandatory to attend, so they preferred to go home and cultivate,” Senior Sister Yuan, standing nearby, seemed to understand his expression and comforted him softly. “Most disciples of Jiu Shan Sect aren’t really into leisure activities.”
Zheng Fa nodded.
Many of the less affluent disciples in Jiu Shan Sect were like that.
They had to work during the day, and only had time to cultivate at night—though even that might not significantly help their cultivation.
But it was like sitting in a classroom.
You know that studying and doing exercises might not be very useful. But when you see your deskmate reading during breaks, you can’t help but pick up a book to pretend.
It might not be good for your brain, but it’s good for your conscience.
Beside him, Zhou Qian Yuan hesitated before speaking up: “Also, it seems Master has forbidden our branch’s seniors from attending…”
When he mentioned this, a look of confusion crossed Zhou Qian Yuan’s face, and he added, “Actually, many of my seniors wanted to come, but… Master really didn’t look pleased.”
“…”
This was definitely the sect leader’s fault!
Sister Zhang and the others also wore strange expressions.
It seemed they had also thought of Master Pang’s reasons for doing this.
“Zheng Shidi, do you know why my Master is so angry?” Zhou Qian Yuan asked, seemingly reading the expressions of the three.
“Zhou Shidi, knowing too much isn’t good for you,” Zheng Fa said after a moment of silence. “Do you want to head back first?”
Zhou Qian Yuan nodded, a hint of regret in his voice as he said, “I can’t not go back. Master specifically instructed me to go to him for guidance today, and I absolutely cannot break my promise—I was actually hoping to sneak a peek.”
Watching Zhou Qian Yuan’s departing figure, a puzzled voice suddenly came from beside Zheng Fa: “Why did he leave?”
Looking at the confused expression on the sect leader’s face, Zheng Fa remained silent, just staring at the old man.
“What are you looking at me for?” the sect leader frowned. “Do you think he ran away because he saw me?”
…
As the time for the screening approached, the sect leader waved his sleeve.
Zheng Fa could see ten spirit talismans flying out from the sect leader’s sleeve.
In an instant, the vast theater seemed to transform into another world.
The sounds of talismans exploding, the roars of cultivators, and the cries of anguish echoed in the ears of the audience.
For a moment, many viewers who had never seen such a play were thrown into chaos, with some even pulling out spirit talismans, ready to throw them away.
“It's all an illusion, no need to panic.”
Sister Zhang’s calm voice resonated throughout the theater; she had a certain authority at the entrance.
The panicked disciples gradually settled back into their seats.
Zheng Fa was also immersed in the story.
He had seen this play three times already.
First, the original version from the sect leader.
Then, he modified it based on his memories.
Later, he went to the modern world and watched the original film again.
Upon returning, he combined the sect leader’s ideas and made another version.
Comparing the two versions, he admitted that perhaps the original film had a more mature narrative technique.
But he still felt that the sect leader’s version was better—
The sect leader’s “Lu Zhong Tian Di” technique not only had the effect of holographic projection.
In the illusion, Zheng Fa could not only perceive the characters and environment through sound and sight.
He could smell the scent of blood from the battlefield.
He could feel the sticky blood dripping from his companions beside him—especially after understanding the perspective, it seemed the sect leader had deliberately crafted a more immersive illusion.
This kind of visceral experience was something modern film technology could not yet achieve.
Having watched the two original films before, Zheng Fa had now seen this story five times.
Yet he remained captivated by this screening until the story reached its conclusion.
As the illusion gradually faded away, the theater was enveloped in silence.
No one spoke.
Zheng Fa looked up at the audience; they sat in their seats, seemingly still lost in the screening, their gazes vacant, expressions melancholic, and some even had tears in their eyes.
Zheng Fa exchanged a glance with Sister Zhang, who then spoke up:
“The play has ended. Please exit the theater.”
“If anyone has suggestions or feedback, you can pick up a questionnaire at the door and write your thoughts on it.”
Glancing at the sect leader, she added, “It’s anonymous! And it’s not mandatory!”
Hearing her speak, the disciples obediently stood up, forming small groups as they made their way out.
To Zheng Fa’s surprise, almost every disciple picked up a questionnaire on their way out, eagerly jotting down their opinions with the pens provided.
A long line even formed in front of the table where the questionnaires were distributed.
This scene exceeded Zheng Fa’s expectations.
“So many opinions?”
Senior Sister Yuan blinked, looking puzzled. “I thought it was quite good!”
Once the audience had left, the table was piled high with feedback forms, unable to hold any more.
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