Chapter 590
"One day, there might be someone who surpasses the rest, perhaps even someone who can rival Zheng Fa!"
Zheng Fa caught a glimpse of the others at the mountain peak, their lips curling in skepticism, as if they all thought Shi Nandang was just boasting.
But he truly believed that Shi Nandang was not wrong.
If there were to be a cultivator in the Xuanwei Realm who could rival Zheng Fa, it could only be Li Hao!
This true disciple of Haori Mountain had a beautiful vision, but he had a keen eye for people...
...
As Zheng Fa noticed the satisfied look in Shi Nandang's eyes, he began to understand the man's thought process—
As a project manager who had achieved little, Li Hao's accomplishments were practically the only highlight on the battle reports.
Moreover, Shi Nandang was preparing to paint a grand picture for the sect:
"You want me to deal with Zheng Fa? That's short-sighted! I've found the next Zheng Fa for our sect!"
Whether this grand vision could be realized was secondary; what mattered was how appealing it sounded, right?
"Do you... have confidence?"
Shi Nandang smiled at Zheng Fa, his gaze somewhat profound.
"Disciple will not shy away from responsibility!"
Zheng Fa clasped his hands, his confidence genuine and untainted.
He understood that Shi Nandang didn't care whether he could truly match Zheng Fa's strength in the future. What mattered now was that Shi Nandang needed to produce a genius for the Chongxuan Sect, to provide a short-term justification for the sect.
"Good!"
Shi Nandang chuckled lightly, seemingly unfazed by Zheng Fa's choice.
He tossed a storage ring to Zheng Fa.
"This contains some pills for the Jindan stage and the foundational techniques of my Haori Mountain's Yuanying method. Take it and cultivate diligently."
"Of course, the plundering of the Jiushan Sect's artifacts and pills must not cease."
Zheng Fa nodded lightly, understanding that Shi Nandang meant... Li Hao's persona must not only be that of a genius but also a combat genius!
Not just a combat genius, but one who could leave the Jiushan Sect in utter disgrace, robbing the Baixian Alliance without giving them a chance to retaliate.
The focus was on winning!
As for whether Li Hao would be exposed as a fraud by Haori Mountain for boasting too much, or whether he would be crushed by Zheng Fa for being too arrogant...
Shi Nandang seemed not to care much.
However, Elder Jiu, standing behind Zheng Fa, wore a worried expression, as if she understood that if Li Hao stood out too much, it wouldn't bode well.
Shi Nandang seemed to notice her expression and tossed her a jade tube:
"Senior?"
Elder Jiu looked somewhat bewildered.
"In the path of cultivation, one must compete. If your disciple does not strive, how can he survive? Should I push him?"
Elder Jiu lowered her head and replied, "What you say is true; I was momentarily shortsighted."
Shi Nandang shook his head, "I am not an unfeeling person... This jade tube contains my Haori Mountain's true transmission of the transformation technique, 'She Ri Shen Dian' (Shooting the Sun Divine Canon)."
"This..."
"Such a disciple deserves a reward."
Zheng Fa couldn't help but sigh—regardless of how Haori Mountain operated, Shi Nandang was quite straightforward in his dealings.
Of course, it might also be due to Haori Mountain's considerable wealth.
Standing beside his mentor, Elder Ba glanced at his newly appointed master and then at the jade tube in Elder Jiu's hand, his expression twisting in disbelief...
Both were receiving transformation legacies.
I rely on being a disciple, while you rely on taking in disciples?
And yet, you still received the true transmission of Haori Mountain's transformation technique... Is there any justice in this world!
...
Elder Jiu accepted the jade tube, and Shi Nandang didn't say much more to her. He simply took out a token and handed it to Zheng Fa, saying, "This token is the key to enter the great formation at the mountain peak."
"If the Jiushan Sect truly comes for us..."
"Once inside this formation, you will be safe."
Zheng Fa took the token and finally asked the question he had been most eager to know:
"May I ask, Master, what is the purpose of this great formation at the mountain peak?"
Shi Nandang smiled proudly, glancing at Zheng Fa as he replied, "It's fine to tell you."
"This sword is called the Xianxian Sword, one of the strongest swords in the Xuanwei Realm, capable of beheading even celestial beings."
"This formation is built upon this sword."
"If Zheng Fa enters this formation, he will surely meet his end."
What a coincidence, I'm right here...
But he also understood that Shi Nandang was not just talking big.
The inside of the formation was different from the outside.
Shi Nandang dared to linger in the Chongxuan Sect, and he had even considered luring Zheng Fa into the formation, which suggested he had some confidence.
"What a pity that Zheng Fa is truly as timid as a mouse!"
Shi Nandang lamented, his tone filled with regret.
...Keep cursing!
I'm right here!
At that moment, another transformation cultivator spoke up, "Master, please calm down. We all know that whether Zheng Fa comes or not is of little consequence."
Hmm?
Zheng Fa looked at Shi Nandang in confusion.
Shi Nandang chuckled, his anger seemingly dissipating:
"If Zheng Fa comes up the mountain, he is simply seeking his own death."
"If he doesn't come... heh."
"He will still find it hard to escape death in the future."
Zheng Fa felt increasingly wary and pressed on, "Is there some kind of mystery to this Xianxian Sword?"
"The power of this sword is beyond our imagination." Shi Nandang's gaze fell on the Xianxian Sword at the volcano's mouth, his tone a mix of longing and trepidation. "As the foremost sect in refining tools in the Xuanwei Realm, Haori Mountain has been unable to refine it for hundreds of thousands of years."
"Now, our sect has finally thought of a method—using the Qian Kun Shen Sha Great Formation to temper this sword, turning it into our Haori Mountain's greatest treasure."
Zheng Fa understood that this so-called Qian Kun Shen Sha Great Formation was the key and feigned curiosity, asking, "Qian Kun Shen Sha Great Formation?"
Shi Nandang paused, glanced at Zheng Fa, and after a moment's thought, continued:
"Since you have the token and can assist in setting up the formation, it's no harm to tell you about it. At this point, there's really no need for secrecy. Even if Zheng Fa knows what we are doing... what can he do?"
Seeing him grow more confident, Zheng Fa felt an increasing sense of foreboding.
"The so-called Qian Kun Shen Sha Great Formation combines the malevolent energy from the earth's veins with the destructive power of the stars above. This formation's might is boundless..."
"Earth's veins?"
Zheng Fa was momentarily taken aback, then suddenly enlightened.
Earlier, he had been puzzled as to why Haori Mountain was stationed at the Divine Fire Mountain, but now he understood the reason.
"Indeed, it is the earth's veins." Shi Nandang smiled, "This Divine Fire Mountain is the source of the earth veins of the Baixian Alliance. It not only benefits our tool refining but also connects with the various spiritual veins of the Baixian Alliance."
Zheng Fa's heart trembled as he heard Shi Nandang continue:
"Once this formation is completed, not only will the Xianxian Sword be refined, but many spiritual veins of the Baixian Alliance will also be shattered."
"So I say, Zheng Fa will find it hard to escape death in the future."
The crowd at the mountain peak nodded in unison.
Even Zheng Fa had to admit that Haori Mountain's scheme was indeed insidious and tricky.
If Shi Nandang's plan was true, once the Qian Kun Shen Sha Great Formation was completed, Haori Mountain would possess a world-shattering sword.
And even if Zheng Fa did not die under the Xianxian Sword...
The formation's ability to shatter the Baixian Alliance's spiritual veins would be a direct blow to their foundation.
Spiritual veins are the lifeblood of cultivators; without them, it would not be an exaggeration to say the Baixian Alliance would perish.
As Shi Nandang had said, Zheng Fa felt himself in a dilemma:
If he allowed these people to proceed, once the formation was set up, the Baixian Alliance would face a great calamity.
But at this moment...
Zheng Fa secretly pondered that if he were to act now, these few people before him were not much of a threat.
He glanced at the Xianxian Sword, hesitated for a moment, and decided to hold back.
It seemed that setting up the formation would take some time. He needed to gather more information about the Xianxian Sword and the Qian Kun Shen Sha Great Formation.
With this in mind, Zheng Fa turned to Shi Nandang and asked:
"What can I do for you, Master?"
Shi Nandang smiled and took out a spirit stone, handing it to Zheng Fa. "First, learn how to set up the Qian Kun Shen Sha Formation."
Zheng Fa was somewhat bewildered.
He had indeed learned a bit about formations.
For instance, the Zhou Tian Shen Lei Formation from the old man.
Or the protective formation of the Jiushan Sect.
He naturally knew that spirit stones could be used to set up formations.
But that was merely to provide energy; how could they be used to learn how to arrange formations?
Seeing his expression, Shi Nandang seemed to remember something and said, "I almost forgot, you don't have any inheritance in formation techniques."
"I only know about the protective mountain formation..."
"Hah! Can that even be called a formation?" Shi Nandang laughed proudly, "The true mysteries of formations, outside of the five sects, have almost no inheritance!"
"Among cultivators who can master the four arts of cultivation, formation masters are the rarest!"
This statement resonated with Zheng Fa's observations.
When he first entered the immortal sect, he thought the four arts of cultivation were parallel, with no distinction in hierarchy.
But later, he discovered—
The talisman path was the most fundamental.
Refining tools and alchemy were actually built upon the foundation of the talisman path, often only truly entering the field at the Jindan stage.
And the art of formations... was exceedingly rare.
When the Baixian Alliance established its guild, there was simply no guild for formation masters.
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