Chapter 181
“Originally, that place was already crowded, and once the Tianbei was discovered, everyone in the market rushed over,” Yan Wushuang continued, a hint of regret in his tone. “It’s as if there’s not a single thief from the Da Zizai Demon Sect left to be found.”
“What's the use of those people going?” Chu Tianque interjected. “The Tianbei is not something they can aspire to. They’re just fools blinded by profit.”
His words carried a certain arrogance, showing a lack of faith in the group of blind cultivators heading that way.
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel curious about the actions of these three.
With the Tianbei emerging, these three remained leisurely in the tavern, seemingly in no rush at all.
Noticing his confusion, Yan Wushuang explained, “Zheng Shidi, you might not know, but the area around the Tianbei is often extremely dangerous... Even if we were to go recklessly, we would suffer greatly.”
Given that the Tianhe Sect possessed a Tianbei, Zheng Fa found this statement quite credible.
In fact, this matter was likely not a secret among the five sects of Xuanwei; otherwise, Yan Wushuang wouldn’t have spoken so openly in front of everyone.
He thought of those scattered cultivators who were completely unaware of the situation.
This piece of information, which held little value for the three of them, could very well cost many low-level cultivators their lives.
It even seemed that the three had the intention of using that group as cannon fodder.
“Those people are short-sighted, but Zheng Xiong, your mastery of thunder techniques is quite profound. With the Tianbei’s emergence, there might be some opportunity for you,” Yan Wushuang said with a smile, his tone suggesting a newfound respect.
Upon hearing this, the other two exchanged glances filled with surprise.
It seemed they trusted Yan Wushuang’s judgment on thunder techniques, and consequently held Zheng Fa in higher regard.
Yet on the other hand, Zheng Fa could sense a hint of wariness from them—perhaps they feared he would compete with them for opportunities.
Wait, aren’t you disciples of major sects supposed to be more cautious?
I’m from the Jiushan Sect, in the Qi Refinement stage!
What are you so wary of?
“Regarding our trip to the Thunder Pool, my senior sister and I are not actually going for the Tianbei,” Zheng Fa finally said, deciding to speak the truth.
At his words, Yan Wushuang looked momentarily stunned.
Chu Tianque shot him a glance, his eyes filled with disdain—clearly doubting his words and thinking he was lying.
“Then what are you going for?”
“I’m looking for my senior sister, who was previously trapped in the Thunder Pool. I’ve finally found her trace,” Zheng Fa explained.
Yan Wushuang nodded, neither affirming nor denying his belief.
The group fell into silence again, as if there was nothing more to say.
…
In the Thunder Pool, the four of them made their way toward the location of the Da Zizai Demon Sect.
The Thunder Pool was treacherous, and they each displayed their unique abilities.
Yan Wushuang remained unfazed, treating the lightning as if it were nothing, growing happier the closer he got to being struck.
The Taishang Daoist, Xue Shimei, didn’t do anything particularly astonishing; she simply moved gracefully, and the raging lightning seemed to have eyes, avoiding her path.
As for Chu Tianque, a transparent orb appeared above his head, absorbing the lightning from the sky, as if he were using the Thunder Pool to refine treasures.
Each of them had their own methods, yet in this fearsome Thunder Pool, they appeared remarkably at ease.
After a while, Zheng Fa noticed that the others seemed intent on continuing forward, so he spoke up, “Everyone, my senior sister and I will be taking a different path. We bid you farewell.”
The three of them were taken aback by his words.
Yan Wushuang couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you going to take a look at the Tianbei?”
“Not anymore,” Zheng Fa replied with a smile and a cupped fist gesture. “I’d rather go find my senior sister first.”
As he turned to leave with his senior sister, the three fell into a contemplative silence.
“Do you really believe someone would encounter the Tianbei and not even glance at it because they’re trying to save their senior sister?” After a long pause, Chu Tianque suddenly asked.
“...Not really,” Xue Shimei finally spoke up after a moment.
“This Zheng Fa, with such mastery in thunder techniques, must be a thunder cultivator himself. The Tianbei would be a treasure for him,” Chu Tianque continued. “I suspect he’s trying to hide in the shadows, waiting to reap the benefits.”
“When it comes to the Tianbei, not even one’s parents matter,” he added.
Though this was merely speculation, Yan Wushuang opened his mouth as if to refute it, but he found himself at a loss for words.
…
When Zheng Fa found Zhang Shijie, she was sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the Thunder Pool, a treasure the size of a small mountain resting atop her head, shielding her from the relentless lightning.
Zheng Fa approached her.
As he got within ten feet, the treasure emitted a beam of light that fell at his feet, blocking his path.
“Zheng Shidi? Yuan Shijie?”
The light seemed to awaken Zhang Shijie, and she looked up.
Upon seeing Zheng Fa, she seemed to remember something and hurriedly said, “I saw the Tianbei earlier, it was right…”
“I know, Shijie, the Tianbei has emerged.”
“Then you…”
“I came to see you, to see if I could help you get out,” Zheng Fa smiled.
Zhang Shijie’s gaze was fixed on Zheng Fa, as if she couldn’t see Yuan Shijie beside him.
Yuan Shijie glanced at the treasure above her head, thinking to herself:
Thank goodness for this Xuan Guan Jian, blocking these two lovebirds…
(End of this chapter)
---
**Chapter 177: A Sense of Awareness**
Zhang Shijie was, after all, a composed person; any emotion on her face flickered and vanished in an instant. She simply shook her head and said to Zheng Fa and Yuan Shijie, “This Xuan Guan Jian is an artifact from my master’s past. Only a Yuanying can pass through.”
“Yuanying…” Yuan Shijie blurted out, “How incredibly difficult…”
Seeing Zhang Shijie fall silent, she felt she had misspoken and quickly added, “But it’s a good thing you’re exceptionally talented, Shijie! What’s hard for others should be easy for you!”
“No, it’s actually a bit harder for me than for others,” Zhang Shijie said softly. “I cultivated too quickly in my early years, and now I must pay the price.”
Even Zheng Fa couldn’t help but nod at this.
He had heard about Zhang Shijie’s experiences:
While it typically took two to three years for someone with a single spiritual root to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, she had done it in less than a year.
When she achieved the Golden Core, she had only been cultivating for about ten years.
As a result, she gained immense fame, regarded as the foremost figure beneath the Yuanying in the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
However, for the next eighty to ninety years, she had been stuck at the Golden Core stage, making no progress.
She had hidden within the Xuan Guan Jian, escaping the pursuit of the Yuanying from the Da Zizai Demon Sect, but had also forced herself into a situation where she could not emerge without achieving Yuanying.
“Zheng Fa, you must remember… Foundation Establishment requires caution.” Despite being in a predicament, Zhang Shijie began to advise Zheng Fa. “I had little experience back then and walked a path that no one had taken before. I didn’t understand many things, and I was young, blinded by the title of the first genius of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.”
“Later, when I realized that the talisman-based Foundation Establishment method was incomplete, I consulted ancient texts and learned that if someone truly created a complete path, there would be signs in the heavens.”
“...Signs?”
Zheng Fa found this a bit puzzling.
“Not many people know about this,” Zhang Shijie explained. “The decline of spiritual energy has happened at least five times, and no one knows the origins of cultivation methods. They may have been perfected long before the last calamity, which is why those who create paths are extremely rare. In the last two calamities, only one person truly created a new cultivation method—”
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but twitch his lips.
He had already guessed who it was.
“Ancient texts record that after the Tianhe Zunren achieved his Golden Core, he created the method for his innate spiritual treasure. This has now become the foremost method for Golden Core cultivation in the Xuanwei realm. At that time, the heavens responded, and the entire Xuanwei realm experienced signs. Tianhe Zunren famously said, ‘When a path is born, signs will appear.’”
Sure enough, there you are again, Tianhe Zunren!
“When I condensed my Dao foundation using the Talisman Foundation Establishment method, there were no signs—perhaps because the Talisman Foundation Establishment method is merely a method for Foundation Establishment.”
“But it’s also possible that the Dao foundation I condensed was inherently flawed and didn’t qualify as a complete path,” Zhang Shijie sighed softly. “It’s a pity I only understand this now.”
“Cultivation has always been a series of missteps.” Zhang Shijie continued to advise Zheng Fa, “I still haven’t seen the path to condensing a Yuanying. Even if I do manage to condense one, there will likely be difficulties ahead—Zheng Fa, if you don’t want to end up like me, you must be three times as cautious during your Foundation Establishment.”
Seeing her in her current state, still advising him, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but interrupt, “Shijie, do you have confidence in achieving Yuanying?”
“…” Zhang Shijie fell silent for a moment before saying, “Golden Core cultivators live for a thousand years. I still have nine hundred years left, so there’s no rush.”
“…”
On the surface, this sounded confident.
But in reality, it was a lack of confidence.
The lifespan of Qi Refinement cultivators in the Xuanwei realm is not much different from that of ordinary people, usually just over a hundred years.
After reaching Foundation Establishment, one can live up to three hundred years.
Golden Core cultivators can live for a thousand years.
Yuanying is a significant leap; it’s said that the sect leader has lived for around ten thousand years.
But… these are all ideal lifespans.
From what Zheng Fa knew, very few cultivators actually die of old age.
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