Chapter 352
The Zhen Tian Drum is indeed a rare treasure. It is said that while this magical artifact possesses some offensive capabilities, its true effectiveness shines on the battlefield—
It can break illusions, inspire the fighting spirit of allies, and even has some healing abilities.
In simpler terms, it’s an auxiliary artifact.
Thus, few cultivators choose this one—after all, they tend to be more solitary.
Zheng Fa actually quite likes this thing.
…
Everyone was watching Zheng Fa, but he still frowned, clearly dissatisfied with all the options.
“What are you thinking?”
Sister Zhang glanced at him and asked bluntly.
“Sister, Master.” Zheng Fa looked at the others and slowly said, “What do you think of my talent in combat?”
“…”
“You have quite a talent,” Sister Zhang said, pursing her lips.
“Nothing major, but you’re improving quickly,” Elder Yuan said, gazing at the sky.
“...Above average,” Uncle Pang added after a long pause.
…Everyone sees their own child as the best!
Zheng Fa shook his head with a smile, not minding the self-deprecation: “I know myself well enough. Whether in the Illusion Trial or in the Xuan Wei Realm, I can’t be considered a genius in combat, and I’m even outshone by many of my senior and junior brothers.”
This wasn’t just false modesty.
He had once read a saying in modern times: most military geniuses learn about war through war itself… In comparison, his experience in combat was simply too limited.
The people before him—Sister Zhang, Master, Uncle Pang—who among them hadn’t been through countless battles, even thousands or tens of thousands?
Sister Zhang opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.
Zheng Fa smiled again, “To be honest, that’s just the way it is.”
If he couldn’t even admit this, then all he learned in modern times would have been for nothing.
To be frank, his life in modern times had influenced him quite a bit in this regard.
From a modern perspective, he leaned more towards enhancing his strength through knowledge and cultivation rather than pursuing combat skills.
Moreover, the peaceful life in modern times ultimately made his temperament different from those cultivators in the Xuan Wei Realm, especially with a diminished sense of life-and-death crisis—one could say it was a double-edged sword.
Sister Zhang was silent for a moment before asking, “So you’re thinking of not focusing on combat for your life artifact?”
As expected, Sister Zhang understood him best! Zheng Fa nodded, “If it’s about combat, there are stronger and more talented people in the Jiu Shan Realm. I think… my life artifact should maximize my advantages while also bringing unique benefits to the Jiu Shan Sect!”
Confusion was written all over Sister Zhang and the others’ faces.
It’s no wonder they couldn’t quite grasp Zheng Fa’s thoughts; most life artifacts in the Xuan Wei Realm are focused on combat, with few other options available.
For instance, the three choices in the “Shen Xiao Yu Lei Zhen Fa” clearly show the tendencies of Xuan Wei cultivators.
“This matter… might be a bit difficult,” Sister Zhang said, not elaborating further, as if she had shifted her thoughts and began to explore Zheng Fa’s idea: “Whether it’s to create a new life artifact or to find a special artifact for refining.”
“Our accumulation in artifact crafting isn’t enough.”
Zheng Fa nodded slowly; life artifacts naturally fall within the realm of artifact crafting.
So…
A voluptuous figure appeared in his mind.
He glanced at Sister Zhang, knowing she had thought of the same person—Madam Xuan Hua!
Just as he was about to speak again, he suddenly felt a sensation and waved his hand lightly. A communication talisman flew in from outside the realm and landed before him.
Everyone curiously looked at the talisman.
Zheng Fa held the talisman, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Who is it from?”
Zheng Fa replied, “It’s from Tong Ming Shang Ren.”
Sister Zhang was puzzled, “Isn’t Tong Ming Shang Ren always in touch with you? Why do you look like that?”
Zheng Fa explained:
“He mentioned three things. First, he congratulated me on achieving the Golden Core.”
“How did he know?” Uncle Pang’s eyes widened, then he quickly realized, “Oh right, the talent divine ability.”
What they didn’t know was that even without the talent divine ability, Zheng Fa’s Golden Core was remarkable enough to attract attention from all around.
“The second thing he mentioned… is that he wants to borrow the Jiu Shan Realm to hold a Hundred Immortals Conference.”
“A Hundred Immortals Conference?” Uncle Pang frowned, “Right, that time of year has come again… But didn’t we withdraw from the Hundred Immortals Alliance?”
The Hundred Immortals Conference had been brought up by Young Master Qi before.
It’s a grand event where, two years after the Ascension Conference, the various sects of the Hundred Immortals Alliance bring their disciples for a joint examination…
Essentially, it’s a way to assess the quality of new disciples and foster relationships, a grand event from the past of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
Sister Zhang had earned her reputation as an invincible figure at one of those conferences.
“Tong Ming Shang Ren means that the Jiu Shan Realm is safe, so he wants to borrow it for a while,” Zheng Fa explained.
“That doesn’t make sense…” Sister Zhang shook her head, “Right now, the Hundred Immortals Alliance and the Great Freedom Demon Sect are in fierce conflict. The Hundred Immortals Conference is a waste of time and unnecessary…”
That made a lot of sense.
Organizing such a large competition would waste considerable manpower, resources, and even materials.
On the other hand, if they wanted to assess the quality of disciples, they could see that on the battlefield…
“The third thing…” Zheng Fa continued, “The previous Supreme Daoist, Jiang Chengkong, will also come to the Jiu Shan Realm to participate in the Hundred Immortals Conference.”
“…”
Everyone exchanged glances, feeling as if Tong Ming Shang Ren had been coerced.
“We just want to have a peaceful time, but…” Uncle Pang looked a bit pained.
Now, it was clear to everyone that this Hundred Immortals Conference was likely the will of Jiang Chengkong; they just didn’t know what he intended to do.
Among these three matters, Jiang Chengkong’s arrival was the most pressing.
Zheng Fa had a guess—
Who set up the Tian He Ruins? There were only a few suspect factions.
Either it was the Demon Sect or the Five Sects of Xuan Wei…
The other factions basically lacked the capability, motivation, and generosity.
As for the Demon Sect, the most suspicious nearby was the Great Freedom Demon Sect.
But the Great Freedom Demon Sect had already lost people in the ruins… Of course, it’s possible that the Yuanying couldn’t access this kind of secret, but the suspicion was indeed lessened.
On the other hand, the Five Sects of Xuan Wei, the disciples of the Five Sects wandering nearby—Zheng Fa knew this Jiang Chengkong…
Was this guy not here to conduct a search?
…
After Uncle Pang and the others took their leave, Zheng Fa didn’t return home but instead went to Sister Zhang’s courtyard first.
“Sister Zhang, how is your research on the communication talisman going?” he asked.
“Hmm?” Sister Zhang was taken aback, looking at Zheng Fa with a hint of realization in her expression, “You want your life artifact… to be related to this?”
Zheng Fa nodded. This inspiration came to him after he made progress with the communication talisman:
In his view, a life artifact is closely tied to one’s path, and based on the experiences of Tian He Zun Zhe and that disciple, this thing is essentially a part of a cultivator’s body.
In simpler terms, this artifact should align with his path and his philosophy.
Zheng Fa believed his philosophy was quite clear.
He wanted to spread a new spirit, or rather, a scientific concept.
But ultimately, he wasn’t that selfless—he wanted to borrow brains!
So…
Please call me Zheng “Server” Fa!
In fact, similar things exist in the Jiu Shan Sect, like Sister Zhang’s Shan He Yin, or the essence of the Jiu Shan Ancestor, which is similar—yet ultimately different, as that thing is more of a spiritual vein rather than being fully used for computation and storage.
Sister Zhang was merely borrowing it, which was quite difficult, and sometimes it even conflicted with the spiritual energy circuits of the Jiu Shan Ancestor itself.
What Zheng Fa aimed to do was to spread knowledge through the internet in the future Jiu Shan internet era, and to borrow brains through the internet…
Ultimately, achieving a state of omniscience and omnipotence!
Of course, this is still just a dream for now; Zheng Fa himself wasn’t even sure if it could be realized, but he truly felt this was the path that suited him best.
If it weren’t for Sister Zhang finding that pattern in the communication talisman that shields against spiritual energy disturbances, which made Zheng Fa see the possibility of combining modern internet with spiritual energy, he wouldn’t have had this idea…
In this regard, he not only needed Sister Zhang and Madam Xuan Hua’s help.
He also needed modern support.
…
In modern times, at a nursing home.
“You succeeded in forming your Golden Core?”
Old Bai and the others looked at Zheng Fa, their faces filled with joy.
Over the past six months, Zheng Fa had been so focused on forming his Golden Core that he barely had time for them—after all, the process of forming a Golden Core couldn’t be taken lightly; he even withdrew from the Ling Shan Fa.
Naturally, Old Bai and the others were on edge.
“I did it!”
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