Chapter 497
Zheng Fa truly didn’t reply to her. After sending a few more messages without receiving a response, Xie Qingxue couldn’t help but pout.
Holding the Tongjian (通鉴), she glanced at it a couple of times, then pointed at it with her finger. Instantly, the Tongjian shrank to the size of half a palm, resembling a peculiar little ornament.
Still feeling a bit uneasy, she found some silk thread, tied a knot around the Tongjian, and attached it to the hilt of her beloved Qingping Sword. After inspecting it from top to bottom, she finally nodded in satisfaction.
Thinking about gathering information on the sect’s techniques from Zheng Fa, Xie Qingxue decided to leave her residence and head towards the library.
“Senior Sister!”
“Senior Sister!”
“Greetings, Senior Sister!”
Along the way, dozens of junior disciples bowed respectfully and greeted her warmly, their eyes filled with admiration.
Xie Qingxue nodded at each of them, but her expression remained as cold as ice, her steps unyielding.
One junior disciple, seeing Xie Qingxue for the first time, whispered in awe, “The rumors in the sect are true. Senior Sister is indeed taciturn and hard to approach.”
The other disciples of the Tianhe Sect nodded in agreement.
…
Zheng Fa wasn’t intentionally ignoring Xie Qingxue; he was preoccupied with a significant matter in the sect—the Grand Discussion on the Da Zizai (大自在) cultivation method.
Of course, that was just the name he had given it in his mind.
But the essence of the meeting was indeed that.
In a conference room on University Island, Elder Yuan and Uncle Pang were already waiting.
Aside from Jiao Wuji and the Blood River Ancestor, Sister Zhang and Madam Xuanhua were also seated nearby. Madam Xuanhua looked a bit dazed—when she joined the Jiushan Sect, she was tempted by the “Golden Elixir Project” but had her doubts.
Now…
She glanced at the two jade tubes in front of her, which contained the two cultivation methods left by Da Zizai—the “Wanyao Zhenjie” (万妖真解) and the “Da Zizai Zhenfa” (大自在真法).
These two methods were likely top secrets among the five major sects of Xuanwei.
Yet now, they were less than half an arm’s length away!
To be fair, when she signed the contract to sell herself, she had no idea she was worth this much!
Zheng Fa glanced at her and noticed she was lost in thought, so he gently tapped the wooden table beside him.
Madam Xuanhua had made significant contributions to the Jiushan realm through the Golden Elixir Project, and she was now regarded as one of their own. Even Sister Zhang didn’t oppose her looking at these two methods.
Seeing her come back to her senses, Zheng Fa turned to the Blood River Ancestor and Jiao Wuji.
“The ‘Da Zizai Zhenfa’ and ‘Wanyao Zhenjie’ share the same origin,” the Blood River Ancestor began, knowing what Zheng Fa meant. “As for how to achieve Dao fruit, I’m not sure.”
“But the Da Zizai method of transforming the spirit starts with the Dharma body.”
Jiao Wuji nodded in agreement, silently affirming his words.
Everyone listened intently. This wasn’t exactly news; in the demonic sect, the transformation of the spirit involved the Dharma body, while in the celestial sect, it involved the Yang spirit. The Tianhe Sect had its own peculiarities.
“What exactly is the Dharma body?” the Blood River Ancestor continued. “The Dharma body is the true form achieved through the Dao!”
“Master, please look at this passage in the ‘Da Zizai Zhenfa’…”
“…”
After the Blood River Ancestor finished speaking, Jiao Wuji also explained the “Wanyao Zhenjie.”
While they didn’t fully teach everyone these two methods, they at least grasped the general idea—Zheng Fa had come up with a rather crude explanation for the Da Zizai methods:
Human simulation!
What the Da Zizai Zhenfa does at the spirit transformation stage is precisely this—using various techniques to simulate a structure similar to the human body.
Of course, whether this structure can still be considered human is debatable, as its essence is fundamentally different.
The atomic structure, cells, organs, bones, and flesh within these Dharma bodies are all built upon spells.
Zheng Fa picked up the jade tube and read through the “Da Zizai Zhenfa” again, feeling an inexplicable admiration rise within him—
This idea sounds simple, but implementing it is incredibly difficult: at least modern biology hasn’t yet reached the point of constructing a human body step by step from particles—at most, it has only managed to construct biological macromolecules.
The complexity is astronomical.
Yet the Da Zizai had achieved it.
Even the enchanting techniques that the disciples of Da Zizai excelled at became clearer to Zheng Fa at this moment:
Producing various hormones is a natural process of the human body, but this process has been simulated by the “Da Zizai Zhenfa.”
And this simulation, in turn, became the Da Zizai’s forte, allowing it to stand out in such techniques.
“So, the transformation of the spirit in the demonic sect…” Sister Zhang pondered aloud, “is actually… the Nascent Soul growing up?”
This phrasing was overly concise, but it did capture a certain truth.
“I prefer to call it a kind of construction; perhaps the transformation of the spirit is a form of self-construction.”
“Or perhaps, a conscious evolution of life.”
Still, if one considers cultivation as a form of life evolution.
Then the path of the demonic sect’s spirit transformation is to become a more ‘advanced’ person?
Uncle Pang also spoke up:
“If that’s the case, we’ve figured out the source of the talismans…”
“It’s likely that the bloodline of the Da Zizai’s descendants inherently contains some spells.”
“The power of the spirit transformation itself comes from many spells, which has become their… talent?”
Everyone fell silent for a moment. After a long pause, Elder Yuan finally said, “Da Zizai… is truly remarkable.”
Indeed remarkable.
Creating one such complex method is already impressive; Da Zizai managed to create two.
Even Jiao Wuji couldn’t help but click his tongue, “The Wanyao Zhenjie took the Holy Ancestor hundreds of thousands of years to perfect…”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa felt a twinge of guilt.
The Da Zizai Demon Emperor truly worked hard…
…
The analysis of the “Da Zizai Zhenfa” and “Wanyao Zhenjie” left Elder Yuan in deep thought.
After a moment, he hesitantly said, “This Da Zizai Zhenfa doesn’t align with my cultivation method; I’m afraid I won’t be able to practice it…”
Sister Zhang nodded, “The methods of the celestial sect and the demonic sect are indeed different.”
As a celestial sect, Jiushan’s attempt to practice demonic methods was somewhat unrealistic.
“It’s a pity we don’t know how the celestial sect’s spirit transformation works…”
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said softly, “If the focus of the Dharma body is on the body, then the focus of the Yang spirit is likely on the spirit.”
“The spirit soul?”
Even Sister Zhang looked a bit confused; the concept of the spirit soul was something they hadn’t fully grasped.
In that case, the two methods of the “Da Zizai Zhenfa” were indeed not of much help to them at this moment.
Seeing that everyone was a bit silent, Elder Yuan suddenly clapped his hands and smiled, “Actually, I’m quite satisfied.”
Everyone looked up at him.
“A few years ago, when Zheng Fa first entered the sect, who would have thought I’d have the chance to transform my spirit?”
“Let alone having this ‘Da Zizai Zhenfa’ to refer to.”
“Now, these worries that once seemed impossible are blessings I could only dream of!”
Elder Yuan stroked the two jade tubes in front of him, his eyes filled with joy. “We’re merely scratching the surface of these two methods now; in our eagerness, wanting to understand how to transform the spirit is like dreaming!”
“Perhaps after we ponder over them for a while, we’ll gain some insights in the future?”
His words eased the urgency in everyone’s hearts—after all, their impatience stemmed from Elder Yuan’s limited lifespan.
The group discussed for a while and decided to return and contemplate these two methods, planning to reconvene after some time.
As everyone dispersed, Zheng Fa usually walked back with Sister Zhang, but Elder Yuan followed them.
“Master?”
Elder Yuan rummaged in his sleeve and pulled out a notebook.
“What’s this?”
“This is my understanding of spirit transformation over the years.”
Zheng Fa took the notebook and flipped through it, only to hear Elder Yuan continue, “If I attempt to break through to spirit transformation in the future, I’ll also record some of my thoughts and ideas.”
Zheng Fa stopped in his tracks and looked at Elder Yuan.
But Elder Yuan didn’t look at him; he was gazing into the distance.
“If I succeed in the future, this will be Jiushan Sect’s very first spirit transformation method.”
“And if I don’t…”
His voice trailed off.
“This notebook can also help you avoid mistakes in the future, serving as a cautionary tale.”
Zheng Fa’s grip on the notebook tightened slowly, and he opened his mouth to say something.
Elder Yuan seemed to sense his thoughts and waved his hand, saying, “Now, Jiushan Sect is a thousand times stronger than before, and you are a thousand times stronger than I am.”
“As your master, I can’t protect you or teach you much…”
“But I can still help you navigate the path ahead.”
Zheng Fa’s words caught in his throat.
“To be able to explore spirit transformation in this life… is enough!”
After Elder Yuan finished speaking, he swayed and walked away, his steps light. His head, full of white hair, turned left and right, as if he were cherishing the familiar yet strange Jiushan Sect.
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