Chapter 365
“Because of you, he and I have actually grown quite distant…” Uncle Pang sighed. “Though I haven’t shortchanged him in any way, still…”
Zheng Fa understood what Uncle Pang meant.
Uncle Pang couldn’t be said to have treated Zhou Qianyuan poorly; he had been attentive in his teachings and generous with resources. If it weren’t for that, Zhou Qianyuan wouldn’t have made such rapid progress in his foundational cultivation.
However, Uncle Pang had initially taken Zhou Qianyuan under his wing as a personal disciple, and later, he also began to favor Zheng Fa and Zheng Shan. Naturally, this left Zhou Qianyuan feeling a bit overshadowed.
He couldn’t say Uncle Pang was wrong—after all, wanting a genius to support the sect, especially when compared to Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang, was understandable.
“With the Jiushan Sect backing you, you’ll have the confidence to refuse the Hundred Immortals Alliance…” Uncle Pang said, holding the booklet with a sense of pride. “I can’t compare to you.”
“Since Qianyuan has such talent…”
“I’ll nurture him with all my strength; in the future, he may not be any worse than you or Sister Zhang!”
With that, Uncle Pang strode purposefully toward Zhou Qianyuan’s courtyard, looking determined to supervise him closely.
Zheng Fa watched his retreating figure, opening his mouth as if to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out:
Junior Brother Zhou has some talent, but he doesn’t deserve such harsh treatment…
…
If Zhou Qianyuan was a pleasant surprise for Zheng Fa, then Madam Xuanhua was methodically and steadily advancing the external alchemy experiments.
In recent days, Madam Xuanhua had only shown her face when welcoming the members of the Hundred Immortals Alliance. After that, she devoted herself entirely to guiding the disciples of the “Golden Elixir Project” in researching the improved Golden Elixir methods Zheng Fa had provided.
As a master of weapon refinement, her curiosity about these Golden Elixir methods was insatiable, leaving her little time to concern herself with the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
Not being in the Jiushan Realm was also due to the fact that some techniques couldn’t be used there.
The disciples of the “Golden Elixir Project” had gained experience from the “Divine Sky External Elixir” and were now quite skilled.
With Madam Xuanhua’s refining abilities and the resources provided by the Hundred Immortals Alliance, such as the Tiangang and Dizhao, their research on the Golden Elixir methods progressed remarkably quickly, having already validated two of them.
“One method is at the stage of combining spiritual energy and particles; there were some issues with the spell selection, so I made some adjustments,” Madam Xuanhua said. “But it has reduced the steps by nearly thirty percent compared to the previous methods, and the quality of the Golden Elixir has improved significantly.”
She spoke to Zheng Fa, her eyes filled with wonder and satisfaction.
“Thank you for your generosity, Madam.”
Zheng Fa replied, acknowledging that the rapid progress of the research was largely due to Madam Xuanhua’s extensive experience, and many of the experimental materials were even funded by her.
Madam Xuanhua waved her hand dismissively, “Compared to these external elixir methods, what does that count for?”
“Your disciples… have also been quite helpful.”
She gestured toward the disciples of the “Golden Elixir Project.”
Zheng Fa smiled, “Since we’ve organized two Golden Elixir methods, let’s have the brothers learn them individually.”
Among those disciples, there were about ten who had reached the peak of foundational cultivation, and they had participated in this project for that very reason. Upon hearing this, they couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.
Even Madam Xuanhua, watching them, seemed a bit envious…
…
Two months later, the Hundred Immortals Alliance’s grand event was nearing its conclusion.
The Contest of Immortals Island, the very island Zheng Fa had used for archaeological exercises, was now being used as the venue for the grand event, which was quite fitting, as the name suited the occasion perfectly.
A theater had been built on the island.
The elite disciples of the Hundred Immortals Alliance were engaged in fierce battles in the theater’s open space.
Zheng Fa sat beside Master Tongming, accompanying him as they watched the event, with dozens of Yuanying around them acting as judges to prevent any excessive actions that could lead to fatalities.
The final match among the Golden Elixir disciples was underway, and it had to be said, the duels were exceptionally thrilling.
The theater was packed, with many disciples from the Jiushan Sect in attendance, and quite a few were cheering for the competitors.
“Master Tongming, that disciple named Qi, not only possesses a high-quality Golden Elixir, but his combat skills are also remarkably refined… Truly worthy of the true transmission from Tongming Mountain.”
One Yuanying spectator remarked, half in admiration and half in flattery.
Master Tongming chuckled, “He’s just a bit talented; the disciple from the Chongxuan Sect across from him has an extraordinary innate treasure, making him a bit stronger.”
The Yuanying replied, “Isn’t that also a fine disciple of the Hundred Immortals Alliance? We’re all on the same side here.”
Hearing this, Master Tongming couldn’t help but smile even wider. He glanced at Zheng Fa, feeling a mix of pride and complexity—Zheng Fa had rejected Cheng Kong, and he felt a certain way about it.
He wasn’t foolish; he could see that Zheng Fa didn’t think highly of the Hundred Immortals Alliance…
Though he was willing to step down from the position of leader, as Jiang Chengkong had said, it was almost the culmination of his life’s work, and now Zheng Fa had cast it aside like a worn-out shoe…
How could that feel good?
At that moment, the two strongest Golden Elixir disciples of the Hundred Immortals Alliance were in the arena, both possessing high-quality Golden Elixirs and having achieved remarkable feats in their confrontations with the Great Freedom Demon Sect. They were truly impressive.
Their performance in this match certainly lived up to their reputation… In fact, in his eyes, they were not inferior to the legendary Zhang Wuyi of the past.
As he watched Zheng Fa, he felt a surge of defiance: Can’t my disciples from the Hundred Immortals Alliance catch your eye at all?
“Master, what do you think of these two disciples?”
He blinked and asked Cheng Kong, who was sitting nearby.
Cheng Kong turned to look at him and Zheng Fa, seemingly understanding his thoughts. He nodded, “With a bit more experience, they might just make it into my Taishang Dao sect.”
Master Tongming couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly—Cheng Kong was probably also feeling a bit miffed at Zheng Fa. After all, he had lowered himself to make a sincere offer, and he had a proud personality.
Being rejected by Zheng Fa… how could he not have thoughts about it?
Hadn’t he noticed that after Zheng Fa turned him down, he never brought it up again?
Zheng Fa glanced at the two of them and then back at the arena. These two Golden Elixirs were indeed formidable—both high-quality Golden Elixirs, both at the peak of their cultivation, with Yuanying within reach. Among the Golden Elixirs of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, their talent was among the best.
Moreover, after these days of contention with the Great Freedom Demon Sect, they had gained considerable experience, making them even more extraordinary.
Zheng Fa mused that among the Golden Elixirs of the Jiushan Sect, aside from himself, who relied on innate abilities and was not afraid of the two, the others were likely weaker.
No wonder Master Tongming was so pleased with himself.
He didn’t mind Master Tongming’s attitude—after all, they were paying customers, and boasting was part of the business; emotional value had to be maximized for the customers!
Sure enough, as the match progressed, the disciple from the Chongxuan Sect gradually gained the upper hand with his powerful innate treasure, and it looked like he was about to defeat the Qi disciple and claim the title of champion for this Hundred Immortals event.
In the theater, everyone stood up, seemingly welcoming the birth of a victor.
Just then, a beam of light shot from the Qiu Xian Island, and soon, purple clouds gathered in the sky, sending a wave of spiritual energy rippling throughout Jiushan.
The Yuanying present, not to mention the two Huashen masters, Jiang Chengkong and Master Tongming, all knew what this phenomenon meant.
“Someone has formed a Golden Elixir?”
One Yuanying exclaimed.
“Moreover, it’s a high-quality Golden Elixir!”
Zheng Fa was also taken aback. Qiu Xian Island was where the disciples of the Jiushan Sect were located, and if someone was forming a Golden Elixir there, it must be one of those few who had reached the peak of foundational cultivation.
With the improved Golden Elixir methods, it wasn’t surprising that they could form high-quality Golden Elixirs.
Two months… he thought it was a bit fast—after all, it took him a year!
Then he realized it was probably because he had too much Qi and thus was slower; perhaps his senior brothers were just normal…
Seeing Master Tongming and the others looking at him, Zheng Fa smiled, “A disciple has broken through; let’s focus on the match.”
The earlier phenomenon had caused both combatants to pause for a moment, and the Chongxuan disciple lost his chance to seize victory…
After a brief exchange, just as it seemed they were about to determine a winner again… another beam of light shot from Qiu Xian Island.
Zheng Fa: …
He glanced at Master Tongming, whose expression was quite peculiar, and felt a sense of helplessness in his heart:
Well, this is just great; the main event has been overshadowed.
This emotional value is probably negative.
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 321: The Grand Event of Frustration, Jiushan Auction**
Master Tongming watched the two Qi Refinement disciples battling in the arena, his gaze focused, his mind undistracted, his expression blank.
What?
You say that the frequent flashes of light can be distracting?
Who do you look down on?
As a dignified Huashen, what’s so special about two or three… four or five… a dozen disciples achieving Golden Elixirs? Hasn’t anyone seen that before?
Oh, you haven’t seen such a dense occurrence?
Neither have I…
A dozen Golden Elixirs are nothing; he truly didn’t take them seriously.
But in less than half a month, the Jiushan Sect had somehow gained over a dozen new Golden Elixir cultivators…
One a day, like a hen laying eggs…
As he thought of this, he turned to look at Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa also raised his eyes, glancing toward the direction of Qiu Xian Island, frowning slightly, devoid of any smile, seemingly dissatisfied.
Master Tongming’s gaze deepened even further:
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