Chapter 456
It’s true, there’s not a hint of connection to the "Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa" at all!
Seeing Senior Sister Zhang turn around with a smile and head into her courtyard, Zheng Fa chuckled and shook his head. She seemed much more lively than before, almost like Senior Sister Yuan.
Thinking of Senior Sister Yuan, Zheng Fa suddenly realized he hadn’t seen her in quite a while.
I wonder what she’s been busy with.
He didn’t dwell on it too much and walked into his own small courtyard, sitting cross-legged in the quiet room for cultivation.
Zheng Fa first glanced at the tiny figure within the golden elixir, pondering for a long time before shifting his gaze to the Zao Hua Yu Die (Creation Jade Tablet).
He had been contemplating whether the Yuan Ying (Nascent Soul) was also a combination of spiritual material particles generated from the Jin Dan (Golden Elixir). The Jiu Shan Jin Dan Fa... the Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa—could it have an impact on the Yuan Ying?
He had thought about this ever since he learned the principles behind the Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa.
Later, he even asked Yan Wushuang and found that the Yuan Ying techniques in their sect seemed no different from those of other sects.
This suggests that either the Tianhe Zunzhang (Tianhe Elder) had a secret method for Yuan Ying that wasn’t passed down, or perhaps... it was something even the Tianhe Zunzhang wasn’t aware of!
After all, the Tianhe Zunzhang might not understand the principles of the Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa as deeply as the Jiu Shan Sect did—at least, if someone discovered the theory of spiritual material cycles, it wouldn’t remain unshared.
Zheng Fa wanted to practice the Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa mainly to experiment with its effects and see if it could help him condense his Yuan Ying.
He was progressing quickly, even exceptionally so, but the current situation was unclear, and his cultivation was actually holding him back.
Of course, he didn’t dare to rush into working on his Yuan Ying right away.
With a thought, Zheng Fa sent the Zao Hua Yu Die from his sea of consciousness into the golden elixir within his dantian.
Sitting on the mat, his fingers moved like swords, directly pointing at the nine orifices of his body—this was the secret method of the nine orifices deduced by Madam Xuanhua through the alchemical cauldron.
After all, cultivators couldn’t grow new chambers within their bodies; they could only refine the orifices to establish new reaction workshops, or rather—turn their nine orifices into an alchemical cauldron.
This wasn’t too difficult; once the golden elixir took shape, it could generate spiritual materials on its own. Zheng Fa had even once created an alchemical cauldron in the modern world...
Taking a deep breath, Zheng Fa felt the golden elixir slowly rotating within the nine orifices, refining the Zao Hua Yu Die.
Half a day later, the Zao Hua Yu Die flew out from Zheng Fa’s dantian, shimmering with a rich golden light—this was the power of the Jin Xing Zi Fu (Metal Elemental Symbol).
The spiritual materials that made up the Zao Hua Yu Die were mostly of the earth element, which gives rise to metal; now, with the addition of the Jin Xing Zi Fu, these earth element materials had changed.
With a thought, Zheng Fa made the Zao Hua Yu Die suddenly transform into dozens of golden blades, flying towards the sky outside the courtyard.
“Flying swords?” Yan Wushuang’s voice came from outside the courtyard. “Zheng Fa, are you planning to practice swordsmanship now?”
Zheng Fa shook his head, and the Zao Hua Yu Die flew back into his hand, transforming back into its jade form.
Yan Wushuang stepped in and immediately understood. His mouth fell open, his expression dazed. “You succeeded?”
“Yeah.”
Zheng Fa glanced at the Zao Hua Yu Die. While it couldn’t compare to the offensive capabilities of the Tianhe Sect’s flying swords, it now possessed a sharpness that could actually be used to cut.
Of course, Zheng Fa was reluctant to use it that way. Fortunately, the Zao Hua Yu Die’s greatest enhancement was its defensive power—after gaining the Jin Xing Zi Fu, it seemed even harder than before. So, could it be said that its stability had increased?
At least it wouldn’t explode in the server room.
Most importantly, the spiritual energy within the Zao Hua Yu Die had increased significantly, allowing for more connections to be made.
He could even slowly start trying out the online marketplace and teaching website he had been wanting to set up.
Yan Wushuang’s expression was hard to describe; his eyes dimmed as he looked at the golden light on the Zao Hua Yu Die. He seemed to want to ask something but appeared deflated, losing the desire to inquire further.
His expression was quite conflicted.
After a while, he finally calmed down and spoke, “When did you succeed?”
“Three days ago, I think.”
“...”
“Three days... and it matched up...”
“What matched up?”
Yan Wushuang shook his head, looking at Zheng Fa with a peculiar gaze. After a long pause, he said, “You can’t call this method the ‘Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa.’ You absolutely must not use that name outside...”
“Why not?”
“Otherwise, I’m afraid my father and the elders in the sect won’t be able to handle it...”
Zheng Fa hadn’t expected Yan Wushuang to say that.
Senior Sister Zhang’s concern was naturally for the safety of the Jiu Shan Sect, to avoid unnecessary trouble.
“It’s best not to reveal it in front of my Senior Sister...” Yan Wushuang added, “Otherwise, I’m worried something might happen to her!”
Huh?
Worried about your Senior Sister?
Aren’t we more concerned about the Jiu Shan Sect’s safety?
...
Zheng Fa felt that Yan Wushuang was acting strangely today. He shook his head and said, “Brother Yan, once we finish our research and organize the Jiu Zhuan... I mean, the Jiu Shan Jin Dan Fa, I’ll make sure to give you a copy.”
The current Jiu Shan Jin Dan Fa was still inferior to the Tianhe Sword Dao; at least the Tianhe Sword Dao had the level of a two-turn Jin Dan Fa, while the Jiu Shan Jin Dan Fa had only achieved the first turn.
But both Zheng Fa and Yan Wushuang knew that once the first turn was broken through, the subsequent research would become exponentially easier.
“You’ll give it to me?”
Yan Wushuang was momentarily stunned, his face lighting up with disbelief and joy.
“You... I didn’t really want it that much, you don’t have to...”
He stammered.
“Yeah, Brother Yan, you participated in the research. By contribution, you deserve a share of the results.”
This was the current rule in the Jiu Shan realm; after all, it was necessary to motivate the disciples to learn.
Yan Wushuang had made significant contributions.
Without that secret manual, this project might not have even been initiated.
Not to mention he had demonstrated the sect’s secret methods.
“Of course, you’ll still need to sign some confidentiality agreements, Brother Yan.”
Yan Wushuang bit his lip and nodded vigorously. After a long pause, he finally whispered, “I won’t say a word!”
“I trust you...”
Zheng Fa patted Yan Wushuang’s shoulder and smiled—after all, this guy had nearly turned into a professional spy just to send him messages.
He added, “Actually, once our Jiu Shan Sect becomes stronger, it wouldn’t be impossible to share it...”
“Ah?”
“Cherishing our own broom isn’t a bad thing.”
Zheng Fa needed to keep things confidential mainly to avoid trouble, to steer clear of issues with the Xuan Wei Five Sects, and to avoid complications with the Tianhe Sect. Ultimately, it was the troubles stemming from the Tianhe Zunzhang.
But if the day came when it was possible, he would love to make Yan Wushuang’s story public, attracting more well-established cultivators to join the Jiu Shan Sect.
A foolish second-generation heir encountering the Jiu Shan Sect, restoring the secret methods of their predecessors, and making up for the sect’s million-year regrets.
What great promotional material! It would be a wonderful tale of sect collaboration!
Yan Wushuang stared at him blankly, suddenly realizing—Zheng Fa was different from the Xuan Wei cultivators, and the Jiu Shan Sect was not like the Xuan Wei sects.
...
Yan Wushuang returned to the Tianhe Sect’s base, beaming with joy, only to find Xie Qingxue in the courtyard, looking irritated. Seeing him grinning like an idiot only made her angrier.
“Did you run off to the Jiu Shan realm again?” she scolded. “With the current situation being so unclear, why aren’t you focusing on your cultivation instead of running off to the Jiu Shan realm?”
Yan Wushuang shrank back.
“People know you’re the true disciple of Tianhe, the sect leader’s son. Those who don’t know might think you’re from the Jiu Shan Sect!”
Yan Wushuang lowered his head, muttering softly, “What a good thing that would be...”
“What did you say?”
Xie Qingxue glared at him, unable to hear clearly or perhaps not quite believing what she had just heard.
Yan Wushuang shook his head, realizing from her expression that his Senior Sister was in a bad mood. He asked, “Senior Sister, who made you angry?”
“Who else?” Xie Qingxue snapped. “The Qingping Sword!”
“That Qingping Sword just keeps buzzing... I suspect it’s malfunctioning!”
Xie Qingxue said, feeling frustrated.
Upon hearing this, Yan Wushuang couldn’t help but wonder, “Does the Qingping Sword sense the Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa?”
“Exactly! The ‘Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa’ is the fundamental method of our ancestor, and the Qingping Sword is a treasure the ancestor carried before achieving enlightenment. In other words, it was forged through the Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa...” Xie Qingxue explained. “Only by fully comprehending the ‘Jiu Zhuan Jin Dan Fa’ can one unleash the full power of the Qingping Sword.”
Yan Wushuang fell into deep thought upon hearing this.
“However... it seems I’ve hit a bottleneck.”
“Senior Sister...”
Yan Wushuang suddenly spoke up.
“Ah?”
“I will cherish the Qingping Sword from now on!”
“...Huh?”
...
Zheng Fa was in the laboratory continuing his research on the Jiu Shan Jin Dan Fa when he received a message from Cheng Kong, the Master of the Void.
Qingyun Great Sage—Bai Shan!
He exchanged a glance with Senior Sister Zhang, and the two of them stepped out of the Jiu Shan realm together.
“This Qingyun Great Sage is probably here to clear his name...” Zheng Fa speculated.
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