Chapter 503
Next, Zheng Fa's goal was to accumulate spiritual power and break through to the Golden Core stage, ultimately condensing his Yuan Ying (Primordial Infant).
Based on Zheng Fa's preliminary estimates and Senior Sister Zhang's insights into the Golden Core, he figured that he could achieve a complete Golden Core within a year at the earliest!
After hearing this, Senior Sister Zhang lowered her head to calculate and couldn't help but smile, "So, you’ll only spend six years in the Golden Core stage!"
"Junior Brother, in our sect—no, in the Xuanwei Realm—there's probably no one who can condense their Yuan Ying faster than you!"
It was indeed fast.
Even considering the time spent on modern cultivation, Zheng Fa would take no more than ten years from forming his Golden Core to achieving mastery.
This was largely due to two factors: first, the ample supply of spiritual materials and herbs available to him. He practiced the "Shenxiao Golden Core" technique, and with the abundant lightning-type materials from the Jiushan Sect, he had more than enough resources.
Second, the formation of the "Jiushan Golden Core Method" had increased his speed by at least five or six times compared to before.
Finally, of course, there was Senior Sister Zhang's selfless dedication!
Zheng Fa reflected on all these accumulations and felt that perhaps he wasn't progressing as quickly as he thought.
For instance, Senior Sister Zhang had spent a century in the Golden Core stage, but given the same conditions, her cultivation speed would likely surpass his.
She might even accelerate!
"Senior Sister..." Zheng Fa's voice dropped.
Senior Sister Zhang looked up and saw her junior brother's face radiating pure determination.
"Um..."
...
Half a month later, Yuan Sister stood on tiptoe, her round head peering at the tightly shut gate of Senior Sister Zhang's courtyard, filled with confusion.
On her shoulder, the little golden crow flapped its wings, yawned lazily, and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"Senior Sister Zhang and Junior Brother Zheng haven't left this courtyard for days..." Yuan Sister mumbled, her expression tinged with worry. "I wanted to check, but Uncle Huang wouldn't let me go."
"Are you afraid something really happened?"
"I'm going crazy here!"
The little golden crow rolled its eyes and asked, "You don't know what they're up to?"
"You know?"
"Uh..." Seeing her genuinely clueless, the little golden crow had to explain, "It's a good thing! Don't worry, when the Sect Master comes out, his cultivation will probably increase significantly!"
Yuan Sister seemed to relax a bit, nodding her head, but suddenly her eyes lit up.
The little golden crow felt a sense of foreboding.
"Why didn't you take me along for this good thing?" Yuan Sister walked toward Senior Sister Zhang's courtyard, muttering, "I want my cultivation to increase too!"
The little golden crow broke into a cold sweat.
"You’re still too young!" It desperately used its three claws to hold down the silly bird, saying, "Wait until you grow up, and they’ll take you!"
"I'm small?" Yuan Sister looked even more confused. "Junior Brother Zheng is the one who's small!"
The commotion finally drew Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang out of the courtyard.
"Senior Sister!"
Seeing that Senior Sister Zhang was safe and looking particularly well, Yuan Sister stood in place, waving cheerfully.
Zheng Fa shot a glance of appreciation at the little golden crow, then turned to Yuan Sister, noticing her curious gaze darting between Senior Sister Zhang and himself, as if she thought Senior Sister Zhang's complexion was a bit rosier than usual.
Then she sniffed around Zheng Fa, mumbling, "Junior Brother, how come you have Senior Sister Zhang's..."
Zheng Fa quietly pushed her head away.
Yuan Sister wanted to struggle, but a surge of spiritual power emanated from Zheng Fa's arm, pinning her down firmly.
"Junior Brother!"
Yuan Sister's eyes were filled with disbelief—she knew Zheng Fa was stronger than her, but in terms of spiritual power, as an established Golden Core cultivator, she should have the upper hand!
Yet now...
Zheng Fa was effortlessly suppressing her with just one hand!
She glanced at Senior Sister Zhang, then back at Zheng Fa, her expression clearly conveying one message—
Senior Sister, this isn't fair!
Senior Sister Zhang shot Zheng Fa a glare, her expression tinged with playful annoyance.
Zheng Fa felt a bit embarrassed.
It wasn't entirely his fault.
If anyone were to blame, it would be that great being who had merged enlightenment, cultivation, and matters of the heart into one...
Such an efficient method made it hard for an ambitious Zheng Fa not to put it into practice.
If it weren't for Senior Sister Zhang being responsible for distributing the sect's merits and managing the affairs hall, with so many responsibilities, she would have reached her limit after half a month of neglecting her duties.
And as the Sect Master of Jiushan Sect and the leader of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, Zheng Fa couldn't completely isolate himself either.
They would probably have to delay things a bit longer.
Yuan Sister was chattering away with Senior Sister Zhang, clearly feeling a bit resentful about Zheng Fa getting special treatment and wanting to join in—Senior Sister Zhang, of course, would not agree.
Zheng Fa returned to his own courtyard, sitting on a mat, and delved into introspection.
After half a month of diligent cultivation, his strength had stabilized at the late Golden Core stage, without a hint of instability.
This was largely thanks to Senior Sister Zhang's contributions—during their dual cultivation, she had almost given all her spiritual energy to Zheng Fa, along with the infusion of her own internal power.
In a sense, the hardships of cultivation were borne by Senior Sister Zhang, while Zheng Fa enjoyed the sweet taste of progress.
The reason for this was the upcoming Five Sects Alliance Conference.
Even though the differences between Golden Core and Yuan Ying, or even between Yuan Ying and Transformation Stage, might not be significant in the context of the Five Sects Alliance, Senior Sister Zhang was still working hard to enhance Zheng Fa's strength—perhaps it wasn't that effective, but it was indeed the best she could do.
This wasn't about effectiveness; it was about doing one's best.
Thinking of the Five Sects Alliance Conference, Zheng Fa took out the Zao Hua Yu Zhe (Creation Jade Tablet). Over the past few days, Xie Qingxue had sent him over two hundred messages.
Most of them were just casual gossip.
Zheng Fa, being... quite busy, had replied very little, but Xie Qingxue didn't seem to mind.
Among those messages, about ten were related to the Five Sects Alliance Conference.
"My master seems to be doubting me... What I told you before might not be accurate."
One message made Zheng Fa frown.
This wasn't particularly surprising:
When Zheng Fa "killed" the Great Freedom Demon Emperor, he had used the Qingping Sword.
Many people from the Xuanwei Five Sects had witnessed this.
There was no way to hide it, and it was only natural for Xie Qingxue's relationship with him to be questioned.
"I heard my master went to the Ten Thousand Swords Realm and brought something back... but I didn't dare to inquire further."
Looking back, Zheng Fa realized that the Ten Thousand Swords Realm was the "Heavenly Stele Realm" left behind by the Tianhe Venerable. He had heard from Old Han that treasures from the cave heavens inside had fallen, making it uninhabitable.
Xie Qingxue mentioning this now likely meant she thought the items within were related to Zheng Fa.
Or perhaps there were treasures inside that could verify Zheng Fa's connection to the Tianhe Venerable!
This thought made Zheng Fa's heart race with alarm:
No matter how one looked at it, the Tianhe Sect was the legacy of the Tianhe Venerable, and their understanding of him far surpassed Zheng Fa's.
Some methods he couldn't anticipate might be quite ordinary for them.
Xie Qingxue sent another message, reminding him, "But I checked the sect's records and have some ideas. To verify your relationship with the ancestor, we could either start with the 'Nine Transformations Golden Core Method' or from your insights into it."
Her words pointed directly to the Yin Yang Fish Jade Pendant!
This was a bit troublesome.
Zheng Fa could conceal the "Jiushan Golden Core Method" using the "Tiangang Disha Transformation," but the Yin Yang Fish Jade Pendant was different.
This item resided deep within his sea of consciousness, and one could even say it was his companion spiritual treasure; he didn't know how to control it.
If someone from the Tianhe Sect could truly investigate this item...
Zheng Fa couldn't think of a way to deal with it at the moment.
Xie Qingxue seemed to realize that her information was too vague and, feeling apologetic, said, "Perhaps our sect doesn't have that many means; otherwise, how could they have not found it all these years..."
Zheng Fa gently furrowed his brow.
The biggest risk he had taken in his life was killing the Great Freedom Demon Emperor, which had been a last resort.
But now...
A message talisman suddenly arrived, and Zheng Fa's expression shifted as a circular portal opened before him.
A somewhat familiar figure reappeared in the Jiushan Realm—Chen Ting.
Zheng Fa hadn't expected Chen Ting to visit at this time.
"Daoist Chen..."
"Zheng Sect Master, do you have a secret place?"
Zheng Fa scrutinized the man before him, his mind racing as the two entered the void, hidden from all eyes.
He had many doubts about Chen Ting, knowing that behind him loomed the mysterious Jiu You Mo Zu (Nine Nether Demon Ancestor).
It was this very ancestor who had killed the Great Freedom Demon Emperor!
Now that Chen Ting had suddenly come, Zheng Fa couldn't grasp his intentions.
"Zheng Sect Master, are you troubled by the matters of the Five Sects Alliance?"
Hearing this, Zheng Fa began to suspect why the Jiu You Mo Zu wanted to find him.
Chen Ting pulled out a black talisman from his chest and abdomen, respectfully holding it out to Zheng Fa.
"This is..."
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