Chapter 473
"No." Zheng Fa's gaze was clear as he looked at Xie Qingxue. "In 'Jiu Shan Jin Dan Fa,' there are many things that were perfected by those low-level disciples."
"But the Ling Su Cycle Theory and the Five Elements Child Symbols were all summarized or proposed by you."
Zheng Fa slowly shook his head and smiled. "Xie Xianzi, whether you believe it or not, the only thing I have that surpasses the Xuan Wei cultivators is actually something taught to me by a group of people with no cultivation at all."
Hearing this, Xie Qingxue's face was filled with confusion. Yet, looking into Zheng Fa's sincere eyes, she felt he was speaking the truth and found herself at a loss for what to ask next.
"Xie Xianzi, I don't think you must help me. You know I don't want to become a common enemy of the Xuan Wei." Zheng Fa's voice seemed to penetrate her heart. "What I'm saying is, if you want to change something, perhaps reviving the Ancestor isn't the only way."
Zheng Fa watched as Xie Qingxue returned to her residence. His intention was to persuade her, but he wasn't a very good negotiator.
As Senior Sister Zhang had said—he could only move hearts with facts, solve problems with the wisdom of the crowd, and lead Jiu Shan Sect to grow slowly with his own ideals.
What he showed Xie Qingxue was nothing more than this, and nothing less.
In the days that followed Xie Qingxue's return, she occasionally pondered while touching her Qingping Sword, and Zheng Fa did not seek her out again, as if their conversation had reached its conclusion.
Until one day, Zheng Fa sent a small box, which had a piece of paper affixed to it.
On the paper was a single line: "Xie Xianzi, this is the path I wish to take."
Xie Qingxue opened the box and found only a thin, brand-new book inside. At the top of the cover were two characters—
"Xian Dao" (仙道, "Path of Immortality").
(End of this chapter)
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Chapter 373: From Haters to Supporters, Automatic Boosts
"Senior Sister?"
Yan Wushuang stepped out of his meditation room and found the courtyard eerily quiet, with no one around. Noticing that Xie Qingxue's door was ajar, he recalled the strange atmosphere between Zheng Fa and Xie Qingxue earlier and felt a twinge of worry.
He could tell that Xie Qingxue's attitude towards Zheng Fa in recent days was hard to decipher—
On one hand, she seemed very concerned about Zheng Fa, constantly reminding him to keep things confidential.
On the other hand, whenever Zheng Fa was mentioned, her tone was filled with indignation, clearly indicating that something unpleasant had occurred between them.
Recalling the earlier attacks on Senior Sister in the forum, Yan Wushuang felt even more certain—Senior Sister had been wronged more than once in the Jiu Shan realm, and now she probably harbored some resentment towards Zheng Fa. Seeing him now, it seemed he had uncovered some secret of hers...
Having been taught by Senior Sister since childhood, but also having a deep bond with Zheng Fa, he felt it was time to mediate between the two to prevent any lingering grudges in the future.
With this in mind, Yan Wushuang approached Xie Qingxue's door and peeked inside. The room was even quieter, as if no one were there. Yet, he saw Xie Qingxue sitting on the couch, engrossed in a thin book.
She was staring at the book, completely absorbed, her expression shifting through various emotions:
At times, she seemed enlightened, as if moved by something in the text.
Then she would frown, as if encountering some difficulty.
More often, she was lost in thought, her mind drifting to who knows where.
"Senior Sister!"
Yan Wushuang called out again. This time, Xie Qingxue turned her head slightly, but instead of looking at him, she seemed to shudder, as if a chaotic vortex had appeared around her, greedily absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.
Has Senior Sister made progress in her cultivation?
Yan Wushuang dared not disturb her and took two steps back, feeling a surge of happiness. At Senior Sister's level of cultivation, even a small advancement could take countless years, yet now it seemed she had suddenly gained insight, and he was naturally delighted for her.
This only made him more curious about the book she was reading.
As he noticed the aura around her flicker and stabilize, he quietly approached her side and glanced at the book. The cover bore the two characters "Xian Dao," which at first glance seemed unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, he realized those characters were not a single entity but composed of numerous intricate patterns.
Using his spiritual vision technique, the secrets within the characters began to reveal themselves. Each stroke of the characters was made up of dozens or even hundreds of basic symbols, so closely packed that they appeared normal at first glance.
Next to the characters "Xian Dao," there was a line of smaller text, and Yan Wushuang recognized the handwriting immediately—it was Zheng Fa's.
The small text read:
"Where strength accumulates, nothing is insurmountable; where wisdom gathers, nothing is unattainable."
Yan Wushuang blinked, a strange feeling welling up inside him, though he couldn't quite articulate it.
"What are you doing here?"
He had gotten too close, and Xie Qingxue's surprised voice suddenly broke the silence.
"..." Yan Wushuang paused for a moment, wanting to say something, but Xie Qingxue waved her hand, seemingly finding his presence unimportant. Instead, she flipped a page and laid it open on the wooden table beside her.
This page was the table of contents.
In this issue, there were twelve articles, the first of which was written by Zheng Fa, titled "An Initial Exploration of the Lingcai Cycle Theory."
This was almost foundational knowledge in the study of spiritual materials, making it quite fitting as the first article.
The second article was by Madam Xuanhua, titled "Dan Ding and Fa Ti: Key Points for Dan Ding Transformation."
This article covered knowledge unique to the Jiu Shan realm, and Yan Wushuang was intrigued just by the title.
The next ten articles were written by other disciples, most of whom he recognized, though their cultivation levels were generally low, with only one at the Golden Core stage and the rest at most at the Foundation Establishment stage.
"Sigh..."
As he read, he heard a long, drawn-out sigh beside him. Turning his head, he saw Xie Qingxue staring blankly at the table of contents, unconsciously sighing.
"Senior Sister?"
This time, Xie Qingxue heard him.
"This was sent by Zheng Fa." She pointed at "Xian Dao" and then pulled out the piece of paper, handing it to Yan Wushuang.
Yan Wushuang read the line on the paper and was a bit puzzled. "What does it mean that this is the path Zheng Fa wants to take?"
"This is it."
Xie Qingxue stood up from the couch and moved to the window, seemingly gazing at Zheng Fa's small courtyard, and said to him:
"Take a look first."
Yan Wushuang picked up "Xian Dao" and flipped through it briefly.
Just from the first two pages, he understood what the book was about—
Zheng Fa had written a very straightforward preface, serving as an introduction, which included some regulations and expectations for the book.
According to the introduction, this book was called a journal, with plans to publish it every two months, accepting articles regardless of the author's cultivation level, focusing solely on the content.
Zheng Fa proposed four evaluation dimensions for the articles: innovation, academic value, impact, and logical reasoning, each with its own assessment system.
Yan Wushuang couldn't fully grasp it all at once.
The introduction then summarized the content of this issue of "Xian Dao": a special edition on the "Golden Core Project."
According to Zheng Fa, the "Golden Core Project" was the most heavily invested, most fruitful, and had produced the most talent since the stability of the Jiu Shan realm. The inaugural issue of "Xian Dao" featured various articles written by outstanding disciples from the project team.
As he continued reading, Yan Wushuang understood why Senior Sister seemed to be reading word for word rather than using her spiritual sense.
Because it was too dry.
The techniques they had seen before often contained profound insights and spontaneous reflections.
The articles in "Xian Dao" had a different style, with rigid sentences that seemed to prioritize dullness.
The structure was also monotonous, appearing as abstracts, keywords, introductions, main texts, and conclusions, making it quite arid to read.
Yet, oddly enough, after finishing an article, he found that every single sentence was remarkably concise and unambiguous. If he had to choose a single adjective, it would be—accurate.
What each article aimed to convey became clear upon reading, and the arguments were meticulously detailed, requiring deep contemplation; sometimes, a single sentence would take a long time to digest.
Not just Zheng Fa's articles, but even those written by two Foundation Establishment disciples left him pondering and reflecting deeply.
He understood why Senior Sister wanted him to read it first. Now, as he looked again at the small text beside "Xian Dao," he had a deeper understanding of what Zheng Fa meant by his own path.
Xie Qingxue spoke again, though it was unclear whether she was addressing him or herself.
"At first glance, this 'Xian Dao' seems to offer profound insights. Some of the statements have resolved many issues I've accumulated over the years."
Before Yan Wushuang could respond, his Senior Sister continued, clearly not needing his input.
"That article on the properties of spiritual materials—I spent half an hour reading it four or five times and felt my own cultivation had improved."
"The reasoning within it truly captivated me."
"It even made my cultivation progress a little."
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