Chapter 539
On the island of universities, the alchemists of the Dan Dao were all groping in the dark, making painfully slow progress. This was one reason why Zheng Fa wanted to recruit talent from the Qingmu Sect.
"On the other hand, the guild needs to organize an assessment for the alchemists of the Jiushan Sect and the Baixian Alliance."
At this point, Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel a bit helpless—he hadn't realized this before, and it had never crossed his mind.
The Baixian Alliance, oh no, the Xuanwei Realm, surprisingly had no proper assessment for alchemists!
The arts of cultivation were divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Yellow.
For instance, in the realm of talismans, if you could craft Earth-grade talismans, you would be recognized as an Earth-grade talisman master.
If you could refine Heaven-grade elixirs, naturally, you would be a Heaven-grade alchemist.
But the problem was that the criteria for evaluating elixirs were quite troublesome... after all, consuming a bad elixir could be fatal.
The Qingmu Sect was somewhat better off; some experienced alchemists had the ability to judge elixirs, but this was based on experience and not always accurate.
However, smaller sects and rogue cultivators were in dire straits. There were numerous cases of people going mad or even dying after consuming inferior elixirs.
Even if they didn't die, the varying quality of elixirs could lead to significant side effects.
The Xuanwei cultivators understood this issue, which is why the term "Dan Du" (elixir poison) existed.
The alchemist assessment was meant to standardize the grading of alchemists, establishing a threshold for this mixed bag of an industry.
Sovereign Song was very much in favor of the alchemist assessment—having industry standards would make the cultivators of the Qingmu Sect more valuable...
But when it came to drafting the curriculum, he and Elder Xiong seemed a bit hesitant, clearly holding onto their own interests.
The two were caught in their indecision.
Sister Zhang, however, broke into a smile: "Does Sovereign Song have any objections to this agreement?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
This was exactly what Zheng Mengzhu had said earlier, but it lacked the terrifying intensity of Sister Zhang's words.
Zhang Wuyi's smile was familiar to him!
When they had mentioned the Chongxuan Sect earlier, she had smiled just like that—exactly the same!
"Speaking of technical exchanges..." Elder Xiong, no longer acting like a bear, quickly changed the subject, "Is it about the patent rights and the Dan Dao... journal mentioned in the appendix?"
When he brought up the journal, he hesitated, clearly not quite understanding what it was all about.
"Essentially, these are the two measures."
The "Xian Dao" journal was somewhat akin to a mixed-format publication.
According to Zheng Fa's vision, only groundbreaking discoveries that could change the cultivation world would be published in "Xian Dao."
The Alchemist Guild indeed had the capability to publish a Dan Dao journal.
On one hand, they had enough reviewers.
On the other hand, they also had a need for communication and learning.
As for patent rights... in this model, it was a way to appease the Qingmu Sect, a Dan Dao sect.
Of course, the patent rights also aimed to encourage innovation among alchemists.
"So, you're saying that the secret techniques of my Qingmu Sect can be patented?"
Sure enough, Sovereign Song immediately grasped the benefits of this arrangement, his expression lighting up with joy.
He had thought that their secret techniques would no longer belong to them.
Now, he realized not only did they not have to surrender them, but they could also profit more!
"Yes, but patent rights do have a time limit. According to my discussion with Sister Zhang, it's fifty years."
"Fifty years..."
The joy on Sovereign Song's face suddenly froze.
Clearly, he felt that this time frame was too short.
Indeed, in modern times, this duration seemed reasonable, but for Xuanwei cultivators, it was far too brief; one could easily miss it during a retreat.
"Of course, if someone innovates, they can apply for a new patent."
Zheng Fa seemed oblivious to his distress and exchanged a glance with Sister Zhang, straightforwardly... encouraging him.
In his view, patent rights were meant to protect innovation; he certainly didn't want to see these people resting on their laurels with outdated techniques—wasn't that counterproductive?
Cultivators might live long lives, but that didn't mean their thinking was slower than mortals. Fifty years was enough for modern pharmaceutical companies to develop a slew of new technologies; couldn't cultivators do the same?
Seeing his firm stance, a flicker of tension crossed Sovereign Song's face, but he still looked unwilling.
Elder Xiong, however, snorted, a hint of pride in his voice: "If it comes to competition, my Qingmu Sect won't lose to any Dan Dao sect of the Baixian Alliance."
Upon hearing this, Sovereign Song felt a wave of shame wash over him.
Zheng Fa couldn't help but admire Elder Xiong's clarity.
Compared to the talisman path, the Dan Dao and Qi Dao required a vast array of talents and resources.
The cost of training an alchemist was significantly higher than that of a talisman master.
Moreover, the Dan Dao production required a large quantity of spiritual herbs.
Thus, it easily led to a phenomenon where the strong became stronger, even creating a natural monopoly.
Although the Qingmu Sect would lose some Dan Dao secret techniques in the future, from another perspective, they would certainly occupy the most resources and advantages in this guild, allowing them to capture a significant portion of the Baixian Alliance's future market.
With a market comes spiritual stones, and with spiritual stones comes the capital to research new Dan Dao...
Sovereign Song seemed to have come to this realization as well. Looking at Zheng Fa, he spoke softly, filled with shame: "I was mistaken."
Zheng Fa remained silent, but Sister Zhang spoke up: "Not only is my junior brother the leader of the Jiushan Sect, but he is also the leader of the Baixian Alliance."
Sovereign Song understood.
Sister Zhang's implication was that while Zheng Fa needed the Qingmu Sect's techniques, as the leader of the Baixian Alliance, he had the vision and was not inclined to suppress his subordinate sects.
In fact, it seemed he was looking out for their interests.
He even detected a hint of dissatisfaction in Sister Zhang's tone, as if she had some grievances against him. His heart trembled, and he quickly said:
"Ah, I didn't think of it that way regarding Zheng Mengzhu... It was that Tang Chaoxian, the leader of the Chongxuan Sect, who misled me, making me judge a gentleman with the mindset of a petty person!"
This was a timely deflection.
Especially now that the Chongxuan Sect's intentions were clear, this statement held a high degree of credibility.
"How did he mislead you?"
Sister Zhang's tone shifted, curiosity evident in her gaze.
"He wrote a letter expressing dissatisfaction with the Jiushan Sect... He even said that the Jiushan Sect was openly stealing the secret techniques of various sects."
Sovereign Song effectively placed the blame squarely on Tang Chaoxian, the leader of the Chongxuan Sect.
Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang exchanged glances, fully aware that he was shifting blame, but seeing him speak so confidently, they suspected the letter might not be a fabrication.
Sovereign Song continued to explain: "I had met Tang Chaoxian before; the Qingmu Sect and the Chongxuan Sect have always been on good terms. This letter was indeed written to me by him!"
Zhao Jingfan, listening nearby, thought to himself that the Qingmu Sect and the Chongxuan Sect were roughly equal in strength—one focused on alchemy, the other on weapon forging. There was no conflict of interest; in fact, they complemented each other quite well.
Their relationship was indeed quite good.
So why was the leader so quick to sell out his ally...
After all, he had even sold the ancestral secret techniques.
What was a leader of the Chongxuan Sect compared to that?
"And then?"
Sister Zhang asked again, seemingly aware that Sovereign Song wouldn't provide trivial information now.
They had long known about the Chongxuan Sect's dissatisfaction and ulterior motives.
"Tang Chaoxian likely has the backing of five sects!" Sovereign Song dropped a bombshell.
"Five sects?" Sister Zhang's expression turned serious, "Are you sure?"
"It should be Haori Mountain..." As he mentioned Haori Mountain, Sovereign Song's voice lowered, "I've heard that the techniques of the Chongxuan Sect seem quite similar to those of Haori Mountain."
"And when the Dazizai Demon Cult emerged, the Chongxuan Sect also moved their entire sect towards Haori Mountain to avoid disaster."
"…"
Zheng Fa was not surprised by this revelation. The Chongxuan Sect had such audacity; unless they were truly reckless, they must have some backing.
According to Sovereign Song, it seemed the Chongxuan Sect was also a sect with external teachings?
However, compared to a sect like the Tongming Sect, which had transcended to the God Transformation stage, the Chongxuan Sect, being a Nascent Soul sect, was likely looked down upon by Haori Mountain.
Suddenly feeling emboldened...
"Haori Mountain likely has ulterior motives."
Sister Zhang said coldly.
"In the alliance, the five sects have their own agendas, and Haori Mountain is not exactly friendly towards us." Zheng Fa shook his head and spoke, "But the Chongxuan Sect is right next to Haori Mountain's territory; dealing with them could be troublesome."
The current issue was that the alliance had agreed not to take action, and Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang naturally counted as part of that agreement, at least regarding Qingjing Zhu and Fusang Mu.
For a period of time, the God Transformation stage should still be the dominant force in the Xuanwei Realm.
The Baixian Alliance's accumulation beyond the God Transformation stage was relatively weak.
"We have to fight, no matter how troublesome it is!"
Sister Zhang's eyes sparkled with fire, causing Sovereign Song to instinctively shrink his neck, his face filled with fear.
The rumors were indeed true!
Zhang Wuyi was not to be trifled with.
Zheng Fa, however, shook his head: "Haori Mountain's actions seem deliberate..."
Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa, her face still carrying some anger, clearly ready to take on Haori Mountain as well.
Zheng Fa reached out, holding Sister Zhang's fingertips and giving them a gentle squeeze.
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