Chapter 337
Zheng Fa watched as Sister Zhang diligently recorded their conversation, then turned to Mu Qingyan and asked, “Is there anything else?”
Between questions and answers, two hours slipped by.
After all, Mu Qingyan had only heard about this secret realm; the information that circulated later was often a mix of truth and falsehood, leaving many gaps.
Yet, despite this, Sister Zhang had managed to compile a thick stack of documents.
As everyone looked at what she had written, they noticed the cover bore Zheng Fa's handwriting: "Archaeological Proposal for the Tianhe No. 1 Secret Realm."
Xiao Yuying was momentarily taken aback. Flipping through the documents, she found that every restriction and danger Mu Qingyan had mentioned was meticulously noted by Zhang Wuyi, along with various hypotheses and corresponding solutions.
Some of these solutions were proposed by her, some by the two elders, and others were Zhang Wuyi's own ideas.
The initial confusion array had surprisingly evolved into over twenty corresponding plans.
She couldn't help but look up at Zheng Fa, a bit incredulous, and said, “You’re being way too detailed…”
Zheng Fa's smile faltered for a moment.
“What are you thinking?” Xiao Yuying asked curiously.
What was he thinking?
In this day and age, could archaeology still be a solo endeavor?
In the Xuanwei Realm, due to the unique nature of secret realms, cultivators often worked alone—even temporary teams frequently fell apart over disputes about loot.
For this reason, Zheng Fa preferred to collaborate only with those he trusted.
At the same time, he relied on archaeological cooperation contracts for assurance.
In Zheng Fa's view, while cultivators lived long lives, it was hard to say they were all-rounders—take Xiao Yuying, for instance; she had little knowledge of weapon forging or pill refining, and her understanding of formations was relatively shallow.
Ultimately, the vast array of cultivation knowledge was profoundly intricate, almost endless.
This meant that even among highly skilled cultivators, there was ample room for collaboration.
In truth, those cultivators were not unaware of this; they just weren’t as dedicated to it as Zheng Fa.
“Xiao Fairy, I’ve divided this archaeological project into three parts:”
“The first part, as you can see, is gathering information and preparing plans, etc.”
“The second part, of course, is exploring the secret realm—when the time comes, you’ll lead your team into the secret realm, while my Jiushan Sect will provide you with more technical support…”
“Technical support?”
Xiao Yuying didn’t quite understand.
“What I mean is, for example, if you encounter any restrictions in the secret realm that you can’t break, I will work with my master and others to help find a solution.”
In simple terms, Zheng Fa viewed Xiao Yuying’s team as the front line.
Meanwhile, Jiushan Sect had its own advisory department.
As Zheng Fa mentioned, aside from wanting to acquire resources from the secret realm, he also aimed to train the disciples of Jiushan Sect.
Thus, he approached this matter with a mindset akin to warfare.
Xiao Yuying understood now.
She opened her mouth, but a thought remained unspoken—was there really such a cushy gig in the world?
Zheng Fa continued:
“The final step, of course, is analysis. You can see the results from our previous archaeological reports…”
As Xiao Yuying listened, her expression grew increasingly complex.
“Xiao Fairy?”
“…”
“I finally understand what those cultivators who encountered me in the secret realm were thinking…”
“What?” Zheng Fa asked, a bit curious.
“Maybe we should just go home…”
Xiao Yuying clearly recognized the power of this line of thought—if she were to face this situation, she would feel utterly hopeless.
She had talent, but Zheng Fa’s strategy of gathering a large number of Yuanying cultivators and preparing to the utmost was simply excessive.
Just thinking about it made Xiao Yuying feel despair…
Wait?
No, I’m on his side, right?
Then it’s all good…
…
“Wait… isn’t this a bit much?” Xiao Yuying stared at Zheng Fa, pointing at the illusion before them. “What’s this drill about?”
In the illusion, the island depicted was exactly as Mu Qingyan had described, with all the restrictions intact—though their power was somewhat diminished.
This was one of the unused islands in the Nine Islands of the Heavenly Palace, which Zheng Fa had now repurposed for drills—or rather, for a simulation.
This thing was essentially the game "Da Dao Zheng Xian" that Zheng Fa and the others had developed earlier, but the environment had been switched to a secret realm, and the goal was not to battle each other but to explore the secret realm.
Thus, he now referred to this island as Zheng Xian Island.
“We need to familiarize the disciples with the plans…”
Zheng Fa explained, as all the plans were merely ink on paper, and various spells ultimately felt shallow when only learned theoretically.
Xiao Yuying was left speechless, staring at Zheng Fa.
“Why do I feel like… future explorations of secret realms won’t be exciting at all?”
“Xiao Fairy, I’m not looking for excitement…”
Xiao Yuying noticed Zheng Fa pointing to a nearby rock wall facing the illusion.
On the wall, there was a line of large green characters carved by Senior Sister Yuan:
“Sweat more in peace, bleed less in war.”
These ten characters were simple yet immediately conveyed Zheng Fa’s thoughts to everyone.
Xiao Yuying then heard Zheng Fa say, “Xiao Fairy, I don’t want my hard-earned disciples to die in the secret realm due to ignorance and lack of preparation in pursuit of excitement…”
To be honest, only after becoming the sect leader did he realize how many resources it took to nurture an excellent disciple.
After changing so many systems, hiring these teachers, and investing so much effort, how could he casually let his disciples go out to die?
“…”
Mu Qingyan stood behind him, her eyelids twitching at his words. She looked up at the other disciples, who seemed to share a warm sentiment.
Even Xiao Yuying sighed, “With you as the sect leader, Jiushan Sect is fortunate…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone understood the admiration in her words.
“Oh, by the way, for those of you participating in the drill…” Zheng Fa suddenly seemed to remember something and glanced at Mu Qingyan and the others. “After the drill, make sure to write a summary—three thousand words will suffice.”
“Sect Leader… is the drill just one time?”
Mu Qingyan couldn’t help but speak up. Others might not know, but she was aware they had discussed and developed a thick stack of plans…
“What do you think?”
Zheng Fa smiled kindly.
“With you as the sect leader, it feels a bit unfortunate…”
Xiao Yuying shifted the topic.
Mu Qingyan and the others nodded in solemn agreement.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 308: A Gift from Elders, Enlightenment from Your Uncle
Looking at the disciples practicing in the simulated secret realm, Xiao Yuying changed the subject: “The Golden Core Project is showing initial results; you should be preparing to form your core soon?”
Zheng Fa nodded, not hiding anything. “Xiao Fairy, your insight is remarkable. My spiritual energy has accumulated sufficiently, and I’ve now clarified the principles of the Golden Core…”
After all, in the Xuanwei Realm, strength was paramount.
Everything he had done was primarily for the sake of his own cultivation.
Now, his accumulation was indeed enough.
Xiao Yuying glanced at him, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “I suppose there aren’t many obstacles left, right?”
Zheng Fa smiled, understanding her implication.
He had consumed a lot of spiritual materials and had become proficient in the Yin-Yang Fusion Secret Method; forming a Shenxiao Golden Core was not particularly difficult.
Now, with the clarity gained from the Golden Core Project, a high-quality Golden Core was almost within reach.
However…
Xiao Yuying seemed to grasp his thoughts: “It’s said that forming a high-quality core is akin to becoming a Yuanying seed, but we cultivators naturally strive for perfection, especially those of us with rare Dao bodies…”
Zheng Fa translated Xiao Yuying’s words in his mind—
Some people form high-quality cores simply because they can only achieve that level, even risking their lives to do so.
While others form high-quality cores because the highest grade of Golden Core is only high-quality.
It was a bit arrogant, yet it resonated with Zheng Fa’s own thoughts.
“Xiao Fairy, may I ask how you connect the Yuan Magnetic Dao Body with the Golden Core?”
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but inquire.
His current dilemma was that the Shenxiao Golden Core and his own Qingyang Dao Body seemed unrelated…
Especially after the appearance of the Fusang Wood, his cultivation had taken a slight detour—yet the Shenxiao Golden Core passed down in Jiushan Sect was not created with the Qingyang Dao Body in mind.
Zheng Fa’s concerns were twofold:
First, he worried that the Fusang Wood would interfere with the condensation of the Shenxiao Golden Core; second, he was a bit greedy—he feared that forming the Shenxiao Golden Core would harm the Fusang Wood within him or even the Qingyang Dao Body.
The greatest benefit of the Fusang Wood was currently the Fusang Spirit Dew, but Zheng Fa had high hopes for this legendary tree and truly didn’t want to give it up recklessly.
Thus, he sought a win-win solution.
Of course, this kind of worry… others might not understand, but someone like Xiao Yuying was just the person to ask.
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