Chapter 610
**The One with Great Fortune!**
This legend sounds absurd, yet history has shown that some cultivators have had continuous fortuitous encounters, as if they were the favored children of heaven and earth, emerging in a short time like meteors.
Now, among the Xuanwei cultivators, there are whispers that Zheng Fa is indeed one of those with great fortune.
Could it be that Li Hao...
"Not inferior to Zheng Fa... not inferior to Zheng Fa..." Shi Nandang murmured to himself, suddenly looking up at Elder Jiu and asking, "Where is Li Hao?"
"They say he went into seclusion to consolidate his cultivation."
"When Li Hao returns, have him come see me."
Elder Jiu nodded respectfully.
Shi Nandang gazed deeply at her and added, "I wonder, Elder, would you be willing to part with him?"
The crowd on the mountaintop was momentarily stunned.
Shi Nandang continued, "If I can achieve merit and return to the mountain, I could be granted the surname of the Holy Ancestor. Li Hao's talent is exceptional..."
Elder Jiu had yet to respond.
The other six Huashen cultivators exchanged glances, feeling a twinge of envy towards Li Hao.
Shi Nandang was clearly considering taking Li Hao as his disciple.
If that happened, Li Hao would be a disciple of the three clans, holding a status even higher than theirs.
Previously, Shi Nandang had only seen Li Hao as a tool, but now his attitude had shifted dramatically.
Yet, thinking of Li Hao's astonishing rate of progress, they were unsure whom to envy more.
"Yes!"
After a long silence, Elder Jiu finally gritted her teeth and nodded, seemingly reluctant.
"By the way, whose secret realm is that?"
"I heard from Li Hao that it belongs to a senior from Haori Mountain."
Shi Nandang paused for a moment, then laughed, "This child truly has a connection with Haori Mountain!"
His words were filled with anticipation.
...
About ten days later, Zheng Fa returned to Shenhuo Mountain.
As soon as he arrived, he was seized by the head of the Chongxuan Sect and led up the mountain.
Elder Jiu followed behind him, and the usually stern Elder Ba, who often raised an eyebrow at him, was now smiling warmly.
"Li Hao..."
"Master?"
"Once you become a disciple of Shi Nandang, don't forget your roots in the Chongxuan Sect."
The head of Chongxuan urged earnestly.
Zheng Fa pressed his lips together and nodded lightly.
"Quick! Come with me to meet Shi Nandang. Be sure to show proper respect, or you might miss a great opportunity!"
"…"
The four of them ascended the mountain side by side, and the seven Huashen cultivators, with fourteen eyes, were all fixed on Zheng Fa.
"Shi Nandang, I've brought Li Hao to pay his respects!"
The head of Chongxuan smiled, turning to Zheng Fa as if urging him to seize the moment.
But Zheng Fa stood tall, seemingly oblivious to the hint in his gaze.
"…"
At the mountaintop, an awkward silence fell.
"Li Hao..."
The head of Chongxuan grew anxious and whispered.
But Shi Nandang suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed on a jade pendant at Zheng Fa's waist. He scrutinized it for a long time, as if confirming its origin.
He quickly bowed to Zheng Fa and said, "Greetings, Uncle Grandfather!"
"…"
Ah! Grandfather is here!
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 441: The Technique in Hand, the Demon Ancestor Exposed**
At the peak of Shenhuo Mountain, a moment of silence enveloped the crowd, with only the sound of the raging fire deep within the mountain echoing in their ears.
Confusion was etched on everyone's faces as they looked at Zheng Fa and Shi Nandang, their expressions filled with bewilderment.
In truth, Shi Nandang's eyes were also somewhat dazed.
He kept his gaze on the jade pendant at Zheng Fa's waist, seemingly still trying to determine whether it was genuine.
"Shi Nandang?" The thin elder among the six Huashen could no longer hold back and asked, "Are you two... related?"
Shi Nandang took a long time to respond, his eyes still fixated on the pendant. After a while, he exhaled and, without looking at anyone else, asked Zheng Fa, "Did you obtain this jade pendant from the secret realm?"
"Yes."
"Who is the master of the secret realm?"
"His surname is Lu, given name Chengping."
"The Cheng generation..." Shi Nandang's lips twitched, "He is the fifty-seventh direct descendant of the Lu family. I didn't expect he left behind a legacy, and you managed to obtain it."
The thin elder finally understood as he listened to their conversation.
"Are you saying that Li Hao... is considered a member of the Holy Clan now?"
Shi Nandang remained silent, simply opening his palm to reveal another jade pendant, identical in style to the one at Zheng Fa's waist, though the surface patterns differed slightly.
"All direct descendants of the Lu clan possess such a jade pendant."
At that moment, the thin Huashen finally grasped why Shi Nandang had immediately addressed Zheng Fa as Uncle Grandfather.
The three clans of Haori Mountain were powerful, and they had their own internal rules. The hierarchy of kinship was taken very seriously, even outsiders had to be ranked according to their master's status.
While this hierarchy might not dictate everything, it was crucial within the clan; otherwise, it would lead to discord and resentment.
And now, Li Hao had actually received the legacy of a certain direct descendant of the Lu clan in the secret realm...
In terms of clan identity, Li Hao and Shi Nandang were essentially equal—both were heirs of the Lu clan.
In terms of seniority, Li Hao was even two generations higher.
How could he be so lucky?
...
But this was no mere luck.
For over half a year, with the assistance of Xiao Yuying, following Mu Qingyan's memories, the Jiushan Sect had secretly explored all the ruins in the Baixian Alliance territory that might be related to Haori Mountain.
They didn't limit themselves to just the secret realms Mu Qingyan remembered.
As one of the five sects, Haori Mountain had a long history, and over time, it had accumulated quite a number of ruins.
Even Xiao Yuying had encountered several, and she had some relevant information and treasures in her possession.
Before the rise of the Baixian Alliance, this area was also under the influence of Haori Mountain, and many senior disciples from Haori Mountain would come here to travel, leaving behind various legacies or inheritances.
In total, Zheng Fa and his companions had searched through about ten secret realms before finally finding a suitable one:
The legacy left behind by a Yuanying cultivator of the Lu clan before his death.
When he had asked Mu Qingyan earlier, he had already had this plan in mind:
From the information revealed by Shi Nandang, combined with the intelligence brought by Xie Qingxue and Elder Han, Zheng Fa had come to understand the path to obtaining the complete true teachings of Haori Mountain—joining the three clans.
Given the three clans' desire to control the true teachings and suppress other cultivators, there were almost no other possibilities.
And for outsiders to join the three clans, they could only take a direct descendant of the three clans as their master. For instance, Shi Nandang was a direct disciple of the Lu family.
In the territory of the Baixian Alliance, the most feasible method was to become a disciple of Shi Nandang—though he wasn't a direct descendant, he seemed to be quite valued. If he achieved merit and returned to the mountain, he might be granted the surname Lu.
However, this person had somewhat high standards; Zheng Fa's previous display of Jindan cultivation didn't seem to impress him much. To become his disciple, one would need to be at least at the Yuanying stage.
This was why Senior Sister Zhang had guessed that Zheng Fa was looking for a place to "advance."
"I always knew you had a connection with Haori Mountain, but I didn't expect..."
Shi Nandang, sensing the pure Yuanying aura of the "Chixiao Yujing" emanating from Zheng Fa, spoke with surprise, tinged with lingering doubt.
"I must also thank you, Master, for teaching me the 'Chixiao Yujing,' which allowed me to obtain this inheritance."
Shi Nandang was taken aback, then suddenly enlightened: "So that's how it is. Your fortune has truly arrived."
As Zheng Fa noticed the hint of doubt in Shi Nandang's eyes gradually fading, he felt a sense of calm. Achieving Yuanying was quite simple for him:
He was originally a Yuanying cultivator.
It was merely a matter of using illusions and heavenly tribulation lightning to simulate a fierce lightning tribulation.
With his mastery of lightning techniques, even the Celestial Sovereign was no challenge for him.
But the secret realm of the Haori Mountain disciples was the key.
Becoming a disciple of Shi Nandang and obtaining the true teachings of Haori Mountain seemed like a reasonable path, but in reality... it was impossible.
Not to mention how long it would take for Shi Nandang to be granted the surname of Haori Mountain.
Just the credit for refining the Xianjian would be something Zheng Fa would never allow Shi Nandang to claim.
In this lifetime, Shi Nandang would probably never be worthy of the surname Lu.
Thus, Zheng Fa needed to find a legacy from a direct descendant of Haori Mountain, securing a new identity for himself in one fell swoop.
As for seniority, he could only say...
He wasn't doing it on purpose.
"This... Uncle Grandfather."
"Just call me Li Hao, Master."
Zheng Fa interrupted Shi Nandang.
Though the three clans of Haori Mountain had their peculiarities and emphasized seniority, in the Xuanwei realm, cultivation was paramount.
Zheng Fa didn't believe that the deceased direct descendant of the Lu clan could allow him to walk tall before Shi Nandang—his own master was still alive!
Indeed, Shi Nandang's expression softened considerably. He scrutinized Zheng Fa, his eyes filled with approval:
"Your foundation is so solid. No wonder you could receive the legacy from your ancestors."
The crowd at the mountaintop, all at least Yuanying cultivators, looked at Zheng Fa, feeling the overwhelming and intense Yuanying aura emanating from him, far surpassing that of an ordinary early-stage Yuanying.
Shi Nandang's tone became more intimate:
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