Chapter 578
The head of the Chongxuan Sect paused for a moment, channeling his spiritual energy into the Feiyun Sword, as if he were meticulously inspecting the quality of this magical artifact. After a stick of incense had burned down, he turned to Zheng Fa, his face betraying a hint of astonishment. "Li Hao forged this?"
"Yes, I watched him do it with my own eyes," Elder Jiu confirmed.
Upon hearing this, the head of the Chongxuan Sect had no room for doubt. His gaze toward Zheng Fa was now filled with appreciation.
"Congratulations, Junior Sister! Another talent has emerged from our sect!"
The head of the Chongxuan Sect smiled.
Elder Jiu nodded with a smile and added, "Sect Leader, I want him to go to the mountaintop..."
Zheng Fa's heart jolted with unexpected delight. He had come to the Chongxuan Sect precisely to uncover the secrets of the mountaintop.
"You mean...?"
"Sect Leader, those elder masters in the Transformation Stage are in charge of that treasure... they certainly won't fear Zheng Fa."
Zheng Fa's mind raced. What treasure?
"But they won't care about our Chongxuan Sect. Right now, they are passing down secret techniques and distributing spirit stones, all to prepare for the future when they can refine that treasure..."
"If that treasure comes to fruition, we might be of no use anymore, or even..."
Zheng Fa listened, feeling perplexed. Last time, Elder Jiu had no idea why the Haori Mountain would pass down the Chongxuan Sect's artifact forging secret techniques, but it seemed he had found out something in the past few days...
Yet Elder Jiu appeared somewhat apprehensive, speaking in a hesitant manner, like a frustrating riddle.
But the sect leader understood.
"What you mean is... let Li Hao go and make an appearance?"
"Exactly... He is at least of Yuan Ying caliber now, and he has great talent in artifact forging. He might catch the eye of that master on Haori Mountain."
"In the future, if anything happens, he might have a better chance of survival."
The head of the Chongxuan Sect fell silent, and after a long pause, he finally said softly, "This goes against the rules. Only those of us in the Yuan Ying stage can go up to refine..."
"But Li Hao's skills in artifact forging are already on par with mine as a Yuan Ying!" Elder Jiu argued.
The head of the Chongxuan Sect still did not agree. Elder Jiu then revealed his thoughts: "Sect Leader, our Chongxuan Sect is currently in a precarious position... we must preserve some vitality."
"Aren't there disciples sent to Haori Mountain?"
"But which of them has talent like Li Hao?"
Elder Jiu pointed at the Feiyun Sword, his reasoning solid and his momentum strong.
The head of the Chongxuan Sect looked at Zheng Fa, his expression uncertain. After a long moment, he nodded, "I'll find an opportunity to ask the master."
Elder Jiu said no more, clearly understanding that this matter was beyond their control.
Then the head of the Chongxuan Sect suddenly shifted the topic, handing a metal box to Elder Jiu, his tone tinged with bitterness. "I have an artifact I want you to see."
"What is this?" Elder Jiu asked curiously.
I know this!
He was very familiar with this item; it was the Qingye Needle, a magical artifact exported from the Jiushan Sect to various sects of the Baixian Alliance.
How long has it been?
The Chongxuan Sect has already obtained it?
This shows that some sects within the Baixian Alliance have close ties with the Chongxuan Sect.
Elder Jiu opened the metal box and looked inside, his expression still puzzled. "Qingye Needle? The quality is quite good... where did this come from?"
"Made by the Jiushan Sect."
"…"
Elder Jiu's expression grew even more surprised as he glanced at the Qingye Needle in the box, saying, "The Jiushan Sect is not bad at artifact forging!"
"Not just not bad! Do you know how much the Jiushan Sect sells this Qingye Needle for? Only twenty spirit stones!"
"…So cheap?"
Elder Jiu exclaimed, clearly realizing the implications.
"Not only that, but they have various magical artifacts that are cheaper than ours and even more powerful! I originally thought that without us, the Jiushan Sect's artifact forgers would be unable to achieve anything, but who would have thought..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Elder Jiu didn't respond either.
But Zheng Fa understood the underlying meaning of their words—Chongxuan Sect, or rather Haori Mountain, wanted to hinder the Jiushan Sect in artifact forging, but it seemed that the Jiushan Sect still had a batch of talents!
At least, they had people capable of crafting magical artifacts.
The ability to forge artifacts is not just about economics; for each sect, strong artifact forging capabilities represent superior combat power.
This was undoubtedly a significant blow to the Chongxuan Sect.
Elder Jiu and the head of the Chongxuan Sect fell into silence for a long time, with little to say... after all, the fate of the Chongxuan Sect was not in their hands.
As Zheng Fa followed his somewhat indifferent master out of the sect leader's cave, he was still pondering what treasures lay atop the mountain when Elder Jiu suddenly spoke to him:
"Are you worried about the Jiushan Sect?"
Hmm?
Zheng Fa looked up to see Elder Jiu smiling at him, saying, "While the Jiushan Sect seems to have some talent in artifact forging, in my view, your talent in this area surpasses that of the one who forged the Qingye Needle."
Of course... that thing was forged by the Jiushan Sect's disciples, who clearly didn't have the advantage of the Great Sun True Fire like Zheng Fa did.
Elder Jiu looked at Zheng Fa, a smile still on her face, clearly proud of him.
...You should be proud.
After all, both sides were taught by you.
The disciples of the Jiushan Sect could be considered your cheap apprentices.
(End of this chapter)
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Chapter 426: A Lesson in Reality, Can This Be Lost?
After leaving the sect leader's cave, Zheng Fa followed behind Elder Jiu, his mind filled with questions.
What puzzled him the most was still the nature of the treasure atop the mountain.
From what Elder Jiu and the sect leader had said, it seemed that if he reached the mountaintop, even if the Chongxuan Sect couldn't withstand the Jiushan Sect, he might still be able to save his own life.
Moreover, he had another question:
Why was Elder Jiu so supportive of him?
It wasn't that he was overly suspicious; it was just that Li Hao and Elder Jiu, as master and disciple, didn't seem particularly close.
Elder Jiu also didn't have much to say to him.
As they walked out of the sect leader's cave, they encountered many disciples of the Chongxuan Sect along the way, most of whom had low cultivation levels, with some at the Foundation Establishment stage and many more at the Qi Refinement stage.
With nothing else to do, Zheng Fa quietly observed these "fellow disciples."
He soon realized that the situation in the Chongxuan Sect was not very good—
The core of the Shenhuo Mountain had a magma vein, and the temperature was extremely high, making the Chongxuan Sect feel as if they were living in a furnace.
Fortunately, cultivators' physical capabilities far exceeded those of ordinary people, and the Chongxuan Sect's techniques were adept at artifact forging, giving them some resistance to the heat, so there was no immediate danger to their lives.
However, the disciples Zheng Fa saw, judging by their clothing, expressions, and even their gazes, all seemed to carry a sense of oppression.
Many of the disciples' clothes were even dirty, including those of the female disciples, clearly showing a lack of concern for cleanliness.
Only when they saw Elder Jiu did their eyes light up slightly, as if filled with a glimmer of hope.
But Elder Jiu seemed oblivious, her pace quickening without pause.
Zheng Fa followed her, weaving through the oppressive silence, deep in thought.
It wasn't until they reached the entrance of Elder Jiu's cave that she suddenly spoke, "In the next few days, focus on comprehending the techniques of artifact forging. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to ask me. If the sect leader can secure an opportunity for you... you must seize it."
Zheng Fa was taken aback by her words, realizing they were all for his benefit.
Elder Jiu was not one to speak much, and she rarely smiled at others, yet at this moment, she smiled lightly, her tone teasing:
"The Chongxuan Sect is incompetent, and so is my master... saving one is better than none."
There was a hint of frustration in her words.
"Master..."
"In this conflict between the Jiushan Sect and Haori Mountain, our Chongxuan Sect..." Elder Jiu paused, "I don't know how many will survive."
Even as an adversary, Zheng Fa found Elder Jiu to be quite clear-headed.
Compared to Haori Mountain and the Jiushan Sect, the Chongxuan Sect's capabilities were indeed lacking.
"There are some matters within the sect that cannot be hidden. Your second senior brother and the others have gone to Haori Mountain... rumors are already spreading among the disciples."
Zheng Fa pondered this and understood why the disciples of the Chongxuan Sect appeared so desperate.
No matter how much Haori Mountain invested, allowing the talented to leave first was enough to prove many things.
No one was foolish.
He couldn't tell what Elder Jiu had learned, but her words seemed more pessimistic than usual.
Despite her efforts to conceal it, her dissatisfaction with Haori Mountain leaked through.
This was understandable.
The relationship between the Chongxuan Sect and Haori Mountain had always been distant. It was likely that few knew about it in earlier years; otherwise, they wouldn't have remained a Yuan Ying sect for so long.
Now, their desire to become part of Haori Mountain was normal, after all, it was one of the Five Sects.
But to expect every member of the Chongxuan Sect to willingly march to their deaths based on this relationship... that was a bit too high-handed regarding Haori Mountain's influence.
It was clear that Elder Jiu was not very willing to accept this.
"What Haori Mountain wants to do... neither I nor the sect leader can do anything about it."
Elder Jiu's expression darkened further.
"But Haori Mountain also values talented cultivators, especially those skilled in artifact forging..."
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