Listening to Zheng Fa's words, Yan Wushuang's expression gradually changed. "So, you're saying a mortal can carry a hundred mortals... and fly faster than a Qi Refinement cultivator?"
His tone was filled with astonishment. "Is this flying boat expensive?"
Zheng Fa glanced at him and replied honestly, "The cost of a Jindan (Golden Core) is quite high, but the flying boat itself isn't."
Aside from the shielding runes, the materials for the Shenxiao flying boat were all sourced from the mundane world, costing only about a dozen spirit talismans.
Of course, when factoring in labor costs, it wasn't exactly cheap, but Zheng Fa planned to manufacture these in the mortal realm in the future—after all, the components requiring spiritual energy were minimal.
As for the Shenxiao Jindan... this was essentially a basic energy facility, capable of powering not just a flying boat, but also contributing to transportation systems, like the streetlights on Le Tu Island, and even future industrial systems.
Yan Wushuang nodded, falling into silence, lost in thought.
The flying boat slowly descended to the ground.
The cabin door opened, and the mortals inside remained seated, their expressions as if they were dreaming.
"Master..." Xiao Qing suddenly asked, "Will we be able to ride it again in the future?"
"In the future?" Zheng Fa chuckled. "Not only will you be able to ride it, but you'll also be able to build one yourselves."
"Build?"
Xiao Qing touched the nearby glazed window, bewildered. "Us?"
"Haven't I told you? There's no difference between you and me."
Xiao Qing wasn't sure if she understood. After a moment of silence, she suddenly looked up and said, "Master, I want to learn!"
"…"
Zheng Fa looked at Xiao Qing as she continued, "I want to fly up to the sky, even higher, to find you, Lord Thunder God!"
……
When Yan Wushuang returned to the residence, his expression was contemplative.
Due to its lineage, the Tianhe Sect had always possessed some unique techniques in artifact refinement.
However, things like the Shenxiao flying boat—completely designed for mortals—had never appeared in the Tianhe Sect before.
He had so much to say, yet he didn't know where to start. After holding it in for a long time, Yan Wushuang finally couldn't contain himself and walked into the quiet room where his senior sister was.
"Senior Sister, today I..."
"Don't speak!" Xie Qingxue raised a finger to her lips and whispered, "Listen!"
"…"
Yan Wushuang was taken aback and looked down at the Qingping Sword.
The Qingping Sword was buzzing with energy.
"What... is wrong with it?"
"In recent days, it's been increasingly active..."
Yan Wushuang was even more puzzled. "Why?"
Xie Qingxue smiled. "I feel this is a sign, indicating that I'm about to comprehend something!"
"…"
Yan Wushuang's expression shifted slightly as he suddenly looked toward the direction of the Jiushan Realm.
He could still hear Xie Qingxue's somewhat puzzled voice:
"But... what is it that I've comprehended?"
"Why does my mind feel so empty?"
(End of this chapter)
---
**Chapter 364: Reforging the Magical Artifact, Time is of the Essence**
On Jiushan University Island.
The project team for the "Jindan Engineering," along with Senior Sister Zhang and others, held their breath, eyes filled with anticipation, watching Zheng Fa and Madam Xuanhua.
"The thirty-third experiment of the 'Tianhe Sword Dao!'"
Zheng Fa's voice was somewhat weary, but it didn't show any signs of discouragement from the repeated failures. As soon as he finished speaking, a silver light sparkled in Senior Sister Zhang's eyes.
Based on the hypothesis that the soul is a medium combining spiritual energy, they had come up with a theory—too many participants in the external elixir refinement had led to a chaotic mix of souls, preventing the five elemental child symbols from combining.
In these thirty-some experiments, the number of participants had been significantly reduced, down to just three:
Madam Xuanhua, who was mainly responsible for modifying the cauldron's structure and refining the overall experimental plan.
Senior Sister Zhang, who was in charge of observing and recording experimental data and phenomena.
As for Zheng Fa, due to his exceptional soul and deep understanding of the Shenxiao external elixir, he was the main force behind the experiments.
The other disciples weren't idle either; while they were primarily there to learn, they also assisted Senior Sister Zhang in analyzing data and providing suggestions for improvements.
In the previous thirty-two experiments, a few had come close to success but ultimately fell short.
After each failure, Zheng Fa would take a short break while Madam Xuanhua and the disciples busily revised the experimental plan, cauldron structure, and the selection and order of the spells.
No one complained, as everyone understood how remarkable the spell they were studying was.
And they knew that their research approach was groundbreaking, unprecedented in the Xuanwei Realm!
What excited them even more was the feeling that they were close—very close—to success!
In fact, during the last experiment, there had been a brief moment when the Earth Elemental child symbol and the Wood Elemental child symbol had combined.
Zheng Fa looked at the "cauldron" before him, which had grown a bit longer.
Previously, this candied hawthorn cauldron had only three compartments; now it had three more, stacked on the ground, and after looking at it for a while, it even seemed pleasing to the eye.
He exhaled softly, performing the spell gestures, and his soul surged with the Tiangang and Dizhao energies into the cauldron.
The flames flared up.
The first compartment was normal.
The second and third compartments had no issues either—this was the process of refining the Shenxiao external elixir, and Zheng Fa was already quite familiar with it.
However, the reactions in the last three compartments were derived from an improved method of refining another type of Jindan, and Zheng Fa's gaze grew increasingly focused as he carefully guided his spiritual energy to slowly merge with this external elixir in the cauldron.
The atmosphere on the university island grew increasingly silent, even the sound of the wind felt jarring.
Only the muffled sounds from the cauldron resonated in everyone's hearts.
Until Zheng Fa opened his eyes, Senior Sister Zhang, Madam Xuanhua, and the Jiushan disciples all looked at him.
A smile crept onto his lips. "It worked!"
"It worked!"
The earlier silence was shattered by cheers.
The ecstatic Jiushan disciples shouted loudly, and Zheng Fa saw Mu Qingyan bouncing around while glancing at him, prompting him to smile back—Mu Qingyan had been performing well in the sect lately, learning quickly, and during this research on the "Tianhe Sword Dao," many of her ideas had even enlightened Madam Xuanhua.
However, Mu Qingyan's gaze toward him felt strange, as if she were conflicted.
As Mu Qingyan left with the other disciples, Zheng Fa shook his head, not overly concerned about her odd behavior—he still had some confidence within the Jiushan Realm.
Moreover, he was already aware of some of Mu Qingyan's secrets, and it seemed she was on the verge of revealing them.
Zheng Fa looked at Senior Sister Zhang and Madam Xuanhua, who had been discussing the experimental data for a long time, before following Senior Sister Zhang back to his quiet room.
"Are you planning to try the Tianhe Sword Dao?" Senior Sister Zhang suddenly asked.
"Since I understand how to upgrade the Shenxiao Jindan, I want to give it a shot. It seems this technique has high requirements for the soul, and among those in the Jindan stage, I'm the most capable," Zheng Fa admitted.
He far surpassed ordinary Jindan cultivators; if he couldn't do it, then this Jindan technique would be useless.
"The Shenxiao Jindan..." Senior Sister Zhang pondered for a moment. "Have you considered not calling it the Tianhe Sword Dao, or even not naming it 'Nine Transformations Jindan Method'?"
Zheng Fa immediately understood Senior Sister Zhang's meaning. Although their research was derived from the Tianhe Sword Dao, the core was mostly from Jiushan Sect itself.
The Tianhe Sword Dao was essentially a sword refinement method.
As for calling it the "Nine Transformations Jindan Method"...
The problem was that it was somewhat taboo.
The inheritance from the mountain stone was indeed the "Nine Transformations Jindan Method."
The Chengkong Master was using it to fish!
Changing the name would certainly reduce a lot of trouble.
Moreover, they weren't the authentic version...
Senior Sister Zhang continued, "From what we see now, the path before the Jindan stage, even before the Yuanying stage, our Jiushan Sect has actually established a unique and distinct new path."
This wasn't mere self-praise.
The Jiushan Sect's foundation was based on the "Talisman Path Foundation Method."
The Jindan was reliant on the "Jindan Engineering."
As for artifact refinement, they now had a pirated version of the "Nine Transformations Jindan Method"—this method had seven parts of secret techniques derived from the Jindan Engineering, two parts of true meaning from the "Talisman Path Foundation Method," and perhaps only one part of the concept came from the Tianhe Sect or the Tianhe Venerable.
Senior Sister Zhang's words plunged Zheng Fa into deep thought.
Changing the name would indeed reduce many hassles, making Jiushan Sect happy, and perhaps... the Tianhe Sect would be pleased too?
He needed to ask Yan Wushuang.
"So, Senior Sister, what name do you think would be good?"
"This method is derived from the Nine Transformations Jindan Method, and to show respect, I think we should take a few characters from that name and combine them with our Jiushan Sect's name..."
"Mm... take a few characters?"
"Yes, the Tianhe Venerable deserves respect. Let's take more, four characters. I think... 'Jiushan Jindan Method' sounds good!"
"……"