Chapter 597
"Is that the Zheng Xianren from Hongshan?"
"Yes! I heard they pay well. Although it's still a tough grind, if you do well, you can cultivate immortality! The career prospects are promising!"
The middle-aged man felt a stir of excitement at this. His colleague continued, "In the past, the entrance exam scores for computer science were higher than those for engineering. I think it might flip now. Writing code... while it also leads to immortality, our path is fraught with risks!"
The middle-aged man pressed his hand against his chest, feeling the bitterness of the coffee in his mouth intensify.
"It's like that massage therapist; you have to switch careers while you still can!"
After two days of hesitation, a rumor suddenly spread through the company:
"There's going to be a special project team?"
"Yes! I heard it's organized from above, with different companies tackling it, and universities are involved too."
"Please, no! These kinds of projects are thankless and exhausting. We've finally got it easy."
The middle-aged man, who had just pulled two all-nighters, nodded silently.
"I heard this time it's voluntary, but you have to pass a skills test."
"Voluntary? Do you believe that?"
The middle-aged man frowned at this, turning to see the colleague from two days ago seemingly buried in a hefty tome.
Are they really preparing for the entrance exam?
He felt a pang of reluctance and tilted his head, sensing something was off.
"Aren't you studying mechanical engineering? Why are you looking at language design?"
"Mechanical? What mechanical? I love programming! My life is all about code!"
As a close friend, the middle-aged man keenly sensed something was amiss. He fixed his gaze on his colleague, curiosity brimming in his eyes.
"What’s going on?"
"That project team..."
The latest news was just released!
"Huh?"
"It really can lead to immortality."
The middle-aged man remained puzzled, watching as his colleague flipped a page, revealing a face sketched on the title page—
"Zheng from Hongshan..."
"Hey! I heard about it from a friend too! Several companies are in an uproar!"
"Good buddy!"
The middle-aged man secretly noted the title of the book his colleague was reading and glanced toward Hongshan.
Hmm?
Am I just too excited?
Why does it seem like there's a face of Zheng Xianren on Hongshan too?
...
"This is going to impress Zheng Fa..."
The old man raised his head, gazing at Zheng Fa, who was sitting cross-legged atop Hongshan, his face radiating envy.
The sun hung high in the sky, casting a clearer shadow of the Fusang tree, its rays descending from the heavens, infused with spiritual energy, illuminating the ethereal image of Zheng Fa's nascent soul.
This nascent soul bore a striking resemblance to Zheng Fa, youthful and childlike, yet towering thousands of meters high, sitting in the void like an unfinished giant spirit.
Beneath the nascent soul, a mysterious turtle and a white snake coiled protectively, appearing both submissive and vigilant.
Team Leader Yang stood beside the old man, her expression filled with excitement as she gazed up at the scene.
This grand sun shining over the nine provinces, the immortal sitting atop Hongshan—this phenomenon had been visible for several days, even half of the capital could faintly see it.
But what thrilled her was not just the marvel of the phenomenon, but...
"Is Zheng Fa going to give a lecture?"
The old man nodded with a smile and said, "Zheng Fa claims he has become a nascent soul cultivator, and now Hongshan can accommodate even more cultivators. Today, he will accept those who have made contributions into his fold."
Team Leader Yang's breath quickened.
Previously, Zheng Fa had always said that accumulating contributions could lead to immortality, and she had never doubted it. However, due to the lack of spiritual energy in Hongshan, she had been waiting.
Now that Zheng Fa mentioned accepting those who have contributed...
As one of the second batch of elders at the retirement home, she was more than ready!
And she wasn't alone.
At the foot of Hongshan, a crowd surged, with thousands of people from all walks of life looking up at the nascent soul of Zheng Fa.
Among them were many researchers like Cheng Yun, who had worked at the retirement home for a long time and made significant contributions.
There were also instructors from the Jiushan Martial Arts School, overseen by the old man, and employees from the Jiushan Grain Company under Tang Lingwu.
Additionally, there were people from various universities and research institutes who had previously designed the "Nezha" experimental machine.
While not everyone could attend, the number was still considerable.
In their eyes, there was nothing but excitement, as if they were in a dream.
Zheng Fa looked at these eager faces, a smile breaking out on the youthful visage of his nascent soul, and he opened his mouth, producing a booming voice:
"Everyone, please enter the lecture hall."
The crowd below clasped their hands in salute and bowed to the nascent soul, quickly yet quietly flowing into the newly constructed lecture hall—a large auditorium built on Hongshan, as the previous classroom could not accommodate so many listeners.
Zheng Fa's consciousness detached from his nascent soul and returned to his physical body. He looked up at the nascent soul in the sky, astonished.
When he advanced to the nascent soul stage and performed the "Ling Mountain Method," the phenomenon over Hongshan had exceeded his expectations—
His condensed nascent soul suddenly emerged, radiating brilliance above Hongshan, while the spiritual veins within the mountain truly took on the shape of a turtle and snake.
It seemed that the spiritual energy of Hongshan was not just a simple upgrade; it had become much more vibrant and lively.
Zheng Fa focused his mind, stepped out of the retirement home, and with a single step, arrived at the entrance of the lecture hall.
Inside the hall, there was no platform, just over a thousand meditation cushions.
Zheng Fa sat down on the frontmost cushion, gazing at the crowd.
In the vast auditorium, with thousands of listeners, not a sound could be heard.
The old man and Tang Lingwu sat in the front row, eagerly awaiting.
"Starting today, I will be giving lectures here for a month."
"The content of this lecture will cover from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage, supplemented with knowledge of talismans."
"If anyone has questions, feel free to interrupt; there's no need to adhere to formalities."
After finishing his introduction, Zheng Fa began to explain the foundational cultivation methods.
As he looked at the audience, he felt a sense of anticipation—
After all, these people were not randomly selected.
Researchers like Cheng Yun and those from universities and research institutes were undoubtedly the best candidates for disciples, possessing sharp minds and rich knowledge.
As for the grain company and Jiushan Martial Arts School personnel, they were no ordinary folks either:
Some excelled in business, while others had exceptional talent in martial arts.
In short, these individuals were the elite among ordinary people.
Zheng Fa was opening the gates wide, partly because he was now a nascent soul cultivator, and the spiritual energy of Hongshan had surged, making it no longer difficult to accommodate these people for cultivation, fulfilling his promise.
On the other hand, he had another expectation—Fusang wood.
Originally a Dao fruit of the demon emperor, it had inexplicably changed in his hands, drifting further away from the concept of a demon emperor.
Now, as he gained a deeper understanding of Dao fruit cultivators, he had more speculations about the Fusang wood—such as the fact that he now bore an implicit title of Dao Ancestor in the modern world.
If we consider the ceremony of the great freedom demon emperor achieving Dao, the Dao fruit requires rituals for completion, and these rituals can be seen as a recognition from heaven and earth and all living beings.
The changes in his Fusang wood Dao fruit occurred after it integrated with the modern sun, bringing spiritual energy to the present.
In other words—today's Fusang wood Dao fruit is likely related to the title of "Dao Ancestor."
However, the changes in the Fusang wood had been slow, almost imperceptible, which had left Zheng Fa puzzled.
After all, the Haori Mountain was eyeing him covetously, and the Xianjian was lurking dangerously close; his greatest trump card against the Dao fruit was the Fusang wood.
After all, he didn't yet possess the Xianjian method, and even if he did, he might not be able to control it.
After much contemplation and drawing from various novels and myths, Zheng Fa formed a hypothesis: the responsibilities of a Dao Ancestor might be related to lecturing, or even large-scale lecturing!
Previously, he lacked the cultivation and the spiritual energy of Hongshan.
To widely accept disciples and conduct large-scale lectures had been a mere fantasy.
Now that he had condensed his nascent soul, Zheng Fa decided to open the gates wide—perhaps it was a grand experiment in lecturing!
...
With a heart full of anticipation, Zheng Fa looked at these new disciples and began to speak about meditation and breathing techniques.
Every day, he started lecturing at six in the morning and ended at four in the afternoon, without a break.
Now, the Jiushan realm's cultivation system was relatively complete. Even without the Yuan Condensation Pill, which prevented the cultivation of the "Talisman Foundation Establishment Method," Zheng Fa was well-versed in the choices and key points of the methods prior to the nascent soul stage.
He spoke with great familiarity.
However, what disappointed him was that after twenty days of lecturing, the Fusang wood showed no signs of change.
Had he guessed wrong?
Zheng Fa sighed inwardly, feeling a bit delusional, but he didn't show it on his face. After finishing the cultivation methods, he began to discuss talismans, or rather, spells.
The Jiushan talisman system was now based on topology, and as Zheng Fa spoke, he demonstrated by drawing talismans.
Most of the disciples in the audience wore troubled expressions, clearly struggling with the complexities of topology.
Yet, among them were many academic heavyweights, including mathematicians, who seemed quite engaged.
As Zheng Fa continued, a flurry of thoughts suddenly surged in his mind—
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