Chapter 463
"Besides, how could someone from the Tai Shang Dao be bullied by Lei Yin Temple?"
Who?
Where am I from?
Zheng Fa blinked, sensing something was off, and turned to look at the head of Ming De.
Ming De smiled kindly at him, "Cheng Kong might have mentioned before that our Tai Shang Dao embraces all talents. You have great potential and unique spiritual abilities, and you've made significant contributions to our sect!"
"If you join Tai Shang Dao, I can guarantee you a position as a head elder!"
Cheng Kong opened his mouth, thinking, "Aren't you usually dismissive of the cultivators from the Xuan Wei Realm?"
Things were changing too quickly.
Though he was mumbling in his heart, he couldn't help but look at Zheng Fa with anticipation. What Ming De said was also what he desired—
If before he valued Zheng Fa's talent, now… if he took in Zheng Fa, wouldn’t that also mean he had a complete Qing Jing Zhu?
A broken bamboo out, and a peerless genius with a complete bamboo in return—who would dare say he couldn't do business?
He had made a great contribution to the sect!
Xie Qingxue and the other three from the Hua Shen sects were also watching Zheng Fa. The expressions on the faces of the Yao Chi and Hao Ri Mountain cultivators showed a hint of unease. Clearly, Zheng Fa's association with the Qing Jing Zhu had put pressure on them as well.
Zheng Fa glanced at Ming De, thinking, "This head elder… doesn’t seem that strong."
That wasn’t the main reason, though. Joining Tai Shang Dao might have some benefits for him, but he couldn’t see them clearly at the moment.
However, the drawbacks were evident!
Let’s not even mention the matter of the Tian He Zun Zhe; he still had the Nine Turns… Nine Mountains Golden Dan technique to consider.
The bigger issue was—cultivators cannot betray their own lineage. This ironclad rule made him wary.
He was actually a bit puzzled about this matter. What was it really about? Zheng Fa hadn’t figured it out yet—and judging by the looks of You Ming Xian, that person seemed to be thriving as well.
The secrets were still unclear to him.
The problem was, once he entered Tai Shang Dao, he would be bound to its lineage. Who knows what secret techniques he might learn? It could be like with Qing Yun Da Sheng, where life and death were no longer in his control.
Not learning…
Wouldn’t that raise suspicions from others?
Joining Tai Shang Dao would be like enrolling in a university but skipping classes—seemingly pointless.
Ming De and the others watched him, and seeing him silent, they naturally understood.
The Yao Chi cultivators showed slight signs of joy, mixed with confusion.
Ming De looked at him deeply, his smile slowly fading, but he didn’t say anything more and simply walked out of the Nine Mountains Realm.
Cheng Kong shook his head at Zheng Fa's back and followed after Ming De.
Zheng Fa watched Ming De leave, then turned to the worried Yan Wushuang and gave a gentle smile, as if he had anticipated this.
After all, he and Tai Shang Dao were not on the same path. A united front was possible, but in Zheng Fa's heart, he had always been the master of his own fate.
When he first entered the Jiu Shan Sect, he knew he didn’t quite fit in with the Xuan Wei Sect. Now that the Nine Mountains Realm had finally taken shape to his liking, he had no desire to wade through the murky waters of the Xuan Wei Five Sects unless absolutely necessary.
Ming De's obvious displeasure made the atmosphere awkward, and everyone had nothing to say but to take their leave.
Later that evening, Tong Ming arrived at the Nine Mountains Realm again.
"Master?"
Tong Ming took out two jade tubes from his sleeve and handed them to Zheng Fa.
"What are these?"
"One is a treasure from the Tong Ming Mountain treasury, and the other is… no, it’s a treasure that Cheng Kong can provide…" Tong Ming paused, "as instructed by Ming De."
Zheng Fa nodded at this.
He had come to understand Ming De's character; this person valued the sect greatly and was quite rigid. But from the last encounter with Hao Ri Sang, it was clear that he was straightforward in his dealings.
These two jade tubes were likely a gesture of gratitude.
As for why one was from Cheng Kong… wasn’t it because Ming De had run out of resources?
"Take a look."
Zheng Fa accepted the jade tubes and glanced through them. Most of the treasures from Tong Ming Mountain were common cultivation materials, not particularly valuable, but there were many of them.
He looked at Tong Ming, who had his eyes downcast, a faint smile on his lips, "It’s of no use…"
"…"
Zheng Fa didn’t know what to say, so he turned his attention to the other jade tube.
The treasures in the tube from Cheng Kong were fewer in number and variety, but each was quite valuable. Zheng Fa scanned through them and suddenly paused at one item, asking, "What is this incense bead?"
Currently, the Fusang wood was in need of the essence of living beings, so seeing the word "incense" naturally piqued his interest.
"This…" Tong Ming seemed to know, "This is a rare treasure from Lei Yin Temple. It’s said to have remarkable effects in the Dong Tian world and is quite valuable."
Hearing this, Zheng Fa felt a surge of joy: "In the Nine Mountains Realm, I have no other requests, but this incense bead…"
Tong Ming thought for a moment and replied, "This item isn’t taboo. I’ll ask Cheng Kong about it."
As Zheng Fa watched Tong Ming leave, he turned to see Mu Qingyan slowly approaching.
She walked very slowly, taking one step and pausing for two, seeming hesitant. When she noticed Zheng Fa standing at the door watching her, she seemed to shake off her hesitation and quickly walked up to him.
"Master!"
Zheng Fa watched as Mu Qingyan bent her knees and knelt on the ground, her voice low, "Disciple has something to report."
As expected, this female disciple seemed unable to hold back any longer.
Zheng Fa helped her up and led her into the inner chamber, pointing to the Sun and Moon Bell, then said, "With the Sun and Moon Bell shielding us, no one else in the Nine Mountains Realm can hear you speak."
He was genuinely curious about what secret this girl might have, as she always seemed so burdened.
The result…
"Rebirth?"
He scrutinized Mu Qingyan closely, recalling Lin Bufan, "Why don’t you two have a chat first?"
Mu Qingyan revealed her greatest secret, and at that moment, she seemed much more relaxed. She spoke softly, "Disciple dares not deceive. The Tian He secret realm is what I heard about in my previous life…"
Zheng Fa looked at her, speechless for a long time.
Rebirth was something he had doubts about.
He didn’t doubt Mu Qingyan; if she had a scheme, she could have used other reasons that would sound better. This claim was too shocking; if encountered by others, she might even be soul-searched.
But was it really rebirth?
Or rather, what did rebirth mean in the Xuan Wei Realm?
Zheng Fa listened quietly as Mu Qingyan finished her story, then suddenly asked, "In your memories of your past life, is there me?"
"No…" Mu Qingyan paused for a moment, then answered honestly, "I heard in the Bai Xian Alliance that the Jiu Shan Sect was the first to be exterminated by the Da Zhi Zai Demon Sect. The three great Yuanying of Jiu Shan Sect, along with Zhang Zhenren, fought valiantly and perished."
This… seemed like something that could have been done by his master and senior sisters.
It had some credibility.
"Not me…"
That sounded quite strange. Logically, without him, if the Jiu Shan Sect encountered the emergence of the Da Zhi Zai Demon Sect, they would likely be exterminated.
This development was quite reasonable.
But without him, this so-called memory of rebirth would lose much of its value—at least, it wouldn’t be as significant.
"Then why are you saying this now?"
Zheng Fa asked Mu Qingyan directly.
"I… want to take you as my master!"
"Ah?"
Mu Qingyan's idea left Zheng Fa somewhat stunned.
She quickly explained, "In my last life, although I had some opportunities, I was lost and never encountered a sect like the Jiu Shan Realm…"
Hearing this, Zheng Fa remained noncommittal, continuing to look at Mu Qingyan.
What she said next made him nod in agreement.
"In my last life, I was at most a Yuanying, and it was difficult to reach Hua Shen, let alone confront the Demon Ancestor."
This statement felt much more sincere than before.
It was like the principle that being handsome only allows for dating, and having money is necessary for marriage… No matter how good the atmosphere in the Jiu Shan Realm was, it would be hard to impress someone like Mu Qingyan, who had gone through great hardships.
Only through repeated battles, demonstrating increasingly strong abilities, could she reveal her secrets in hopes of clinging to Zheng Fa's coattails.
"To take me as your master?" Zheng Fa thought for a moment, looking at Mu Qingyan, and gently shook his head.
"Master?"
"My current cultivation is still low, and I’m busy with many matters. To take on a disciple, I must at least be at the Yuanying stage."
Mu Qingyan nodded in response, "Disciple guessed as much."
This was actually a common practice among talented individuals in the cultivation world. In their early years, they were too busy advancing and rarely took on disciples.
But once they reached Yuanying, they naturally had more time.
For instance, the previous disciples of the Jiu Shan Sect were all disciples of Yuanying Zhenren and their followers.
"Also, I can only say that I don’t reject the idea of you becoming my disciple."
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