Chapter 627
"Among the other five applications, two are exclusively for the disciples of Jiushan Sect, just like the Jiushan Forum."
Thanks to the smartphone—no, the New Tongjian was a novel concept for these individuals—Zheng Fa explained in great detail:
"The one on the far left is the Remote Classroom."
"Remote Classroom?"
This term sounded a bit strange to the group of Xuanwei cultivators, but it was not hard to grasp.
Uncle Pang speculated, "Is it for classes?"
"Exactly. The Remote Classroom serves two main purposes." Zheng Fa opened the application and pointed at the new interface as he explained, "First, it allows for remote teaching."
"In the future, even those disciples out on missions won't miss their classes."
"And if they don't have time, this app also has a course playback feature."
Uncle Pang's face lit up with joy, and he nodded vigorously, "This is great! I was worried that my disciples, always out investigating, wouldn't be able to come to University Island and would miss their classes."
"Now they can investigate during the day and study at night, so they won't fall behind."
He fondly stroked the New Tongjian in his hands, clearly pleased for the sake of his disciples.
Seeing Uncle Pang's expression, Zheng Fa guessed that those disciples probably wouldn't be able to smile as brightly as he did...
He turned back to continue introducing the application:
"Apart from these two main functions, the Remote Classroom also includes features like teacher Q&A, online seminars, and assignment submissions. They're all quite simple; everyone can figure them out gradually."
After hearing this, Xie Qingxue seemed to understand what Madam Xuanhua had meant: "Just this Remote Classroom holds significant meaning for Jiushan Sect."
Madam Xuanhua smiled at her in response.
Xie Qingxue blinked, feeling that there was a hint of pity in that smile, as if she were being looked at like a simpleton.
She wasn't angry, but rather curious, glancing at the other four applications displayed on the screen.
"The last application, which is for internal use only within Jiushan Realm, I call it 'Lun Dao' (Discussing the Dao)."
"Lun Dao?" Xie Qingxue repeated the two words, her tone filled with confusion.
Clearly, these words were too vague for her to understand what the application was for.
Zheng Fa chuckled and explained, "If the Remote Classroom is for the convenience of disciples' learning, then Lun Dao is... for disciples to exchange their insights or research findings with each other."
"Isn't that redundant with the Jiushan Forum?" Uncle Pang interjected.
"Originally, the Jiushan Forum was meant for that, but the current atmosphere..."
Zheng Fa glanced at Uncle Pang, his eyes reflecting a bit of exasperation.
"...the atmosphere of the forum isn't entirely my fault!"
Uncle Pang's voice trailed off, clearly lacking confidence.
"Lun Dao is for disciples to upload their papers, and comments can only be limited to those related to the papers."
The Jiushan Forum still had its merits; its greatest utility was allowing Zheng Fa to keep tabs on public opinion... I mean, to grasp the internal issues of Jiushan Sect and gather disciples' feedback.
In Zheng Fa's mind, Lun Dao was somewhat akin to modern preprint servers like arXiv.
"The main purpose of Lun Dao is to cultivate a research-oriented atmosphere among the disciples. This application lowers the threshold for disciples to publish their papers."
"The 'Xian Dao' journal shouldn't include too many papers; even with a few other publications, the number of papers that can be published is limited."
"However, the threshold for Lun Dao is almost non-existent, and it can enhance academic exchanges among the disciples."
The others listened and understood Zheng Fa's intentions, nodding in agreement.
"Sister Zhang, I plan to establish a merit reward pool in Lun Dao every month to reward some promising or impactful paper authors."
Sister Zhang frowned and looked at Zheng Fa, asking, "Why do that?"
"Naturally, to encourage their research," Zheng Fa explained. "You can estimate how much merit to allocate."
At this point, Zheng Fa sighed, "This way, it can also promote disciples to share their unique knowledge."
Disciples of Jiushan Sect still leaned towards the Xuanwei cultivators' mindset; many preferred to keep their research findings to themselves, reluctant to share their exclusive insights.
Rewarding merit was, in fact, a necessary means to entice them.
"Not just merit; in the future, 'Xian Dao' and major journals can also select from Lun Dao, allowing those disciples to see the benefits of publishing their papers there," Zheng Fa elaborated to the group.
"What use are these journals?" Uncle Pang couldn't help but ask. "Aren't they all for publishing papers?"
Zheng Fa looked around at everyone, noticing their confusion, and decided to explain the system he had set up in detail.
"The low threshold of Lun Dao and the one-time merit rewards are primarily to encourage disciples to research and strengthen academic exchanges."
"The role of the major journals is to identify those disciples who truly have research talent." At this point, Zheng Fa looked at Uncle Pang, "I called everyone and the disciples back for the further reform of Jiushan."
"Starting today, the disciples of Jiushan Sect will undergo professional differentiation, with some becoming research-oriented disciples."
"Although there will still be five levels: outer sect, inner sect, true inheritance, elders, and supreme elders, the evaluation criteria will be different."
Uncle Pang realized, "Using journals for evaluation?"
"The journals will be the main factor; at least, research-oriented disciples will need to publish in relevant journals to advance to true inheritance."
"Once they level up, they will not only enjoy all rights but also be able to apply for funding to conduct their own research."
Uncle Pang nodded slowly, as if he understood: "So Lun Dao is essentially still a forum, but focused on research? The journals are more stringent?"
Zheng Fa nodded with a smile. After a moment's thought, he added, "Actually, it's more than that. I plan to establish some research-related awards."
"Awards?"
"Yes, to reward those with significant or groundbreaking research achievements. I intend to set a high standard for the merit associated with these awards."
"A high standard?"
"At least enough for these disciples to cultivate to the Yuan Ying stage."
Everyone's faces showed surprise.
Because that standard was indeed very high.
Uncle Huang had spent a lifetime accumulating resources, just enough for Sister Zhang to reach the stage of pregnancy. At that time, Sister Zhang said she wanted to give it to Zheng Fa, but she was reluctant.
This shows how substantial the merit number was.
Zheng Fa's emphasis on this award was even more evident.
"Uncle, University Island has expanded its enrollment for over four years now. The first batch of disciples, including those older ones, have accumulated a certain amount of knowledge."
"The focus of Jiushan University needs to shift from education to research; it should at least balance both."
As soon as this was said, Sister Zhang immediately agreed: "Currently, educational expenditures account for over twenty percent of Jiushan Realm's overall spending. With the increasing number of disciples each year, the costs are rising, so we really need to consider the return on investment. Otherwise, it would be putting the cart before the horse, and Jiushan Realm would struggle to bear it."
Education is a good thing.
But if the cultivators produced by education cannot generate value... it could drag down Jiushan Realm.
Thus, research and output must be encouraged.
In Zheng Fa's plan, the low threshold of the Lun Dao application is meant to cultivate the habit of academic exchange among disciples, or rather, to serve as an academic exchange forum.
Journals like 'Xian Dao' are the formal academic advancement system, influencing resource allocation and project investment.
And research awards are what truly establish the status of top researchers, fostering a culture that prioritizes scientific inquiry.
Together, these three components form the research system of Jiushan Realm.
"Reform, huh?"
Xie Qingxue thought to herself.
Her gaze was somewhat complex as she recalled what she had heard from her master about the founder.
Upon hearing the word "reform," she couldn't help but compare Zheng Fa to the founder.
Today's Zheng Fa resembled the founder in many ways, yet also differed significantly.
He shared the founder's extraordinary talent and the ability to manifest divine transformation techniques seemingly at will, even tailoring them for Zhang Wuyi.
But there were more ways in which he did not resemble the founder.
She glanced up at Old Han, only to see him slowly shaking his head: "There is no sect like that in the Xuanwei Realm."
Xiao Yuying also softly added:
"None throughout history."
This was where Zheng Fa diverged from the founder:
The current model of Jiushan Sect, which places such importance on disciples and the spirit of nurturing talent, was unprecedented in the Xuanwei Realm.
Whereas the Tianhe Sect under the founder was essentially no different from other sects.
Thus, in the end, the founder was left with only himself.
But Zheng Fa, surrounded by...
She looked at Old Han, Xiao Yuying, and even the Blood River Ancestor and Elder Xiong, feeling a sense of emotion.
It was only by constantly thinking of others that Zheng Fa had unknowingly gathered so many diverse companions around him.
Yet Zheng Fa was unaware of Xie Qingxue's sentiments; in truth, he wasn't as selfless as she imagined.
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