Chapter 649
Even if everything goes smoothly, if the Xuanwei Realm and the modern world truly share a common origin, then the genomes of those spiritual plants must have existed in the modern world at some point.
Looking at Teacher Tian's expectant expression, Zheng Fa nodded slightly.
The modern world is crucial to Zheng Fa's Dao ancestor and Dao fruit, and the importance of spiritual medicine is increasingly evident. Moreover, the Jiushan Realm indeed has a wealth of technical knowledge—agriculture is a field where Jiushan excels in Xuanwei.
To be even more optimistic, if there are spiritual plants similar to those in Jiushan, the benefits brought to the Dao of alchemy in Jiushan by modern pharmaceutical research experience would be immeasurable.
As for finding suitable medicines for reshaping spiritual roots, that hardly seems significant in comparison.
...
"You guys are here?" Seeing Gu Chang and Mu Qingyan walk into the courtyard, Zheng Fa waved to them with a smile, "Come over here."
The two quickly approached Zheng Fa, standing straight.
Mu Qingyan still wore a hint of frustration on her face.
Zheng Fa looked at her and smiled, "Qingyan, how is your senior brother's cultivation going?"
Mu Qingyan glanced at Gu Chang, her eyes filled with helplessness: "Senior brother is working hard, but his ability to absorb spiritual energy is just too poor..."
At this point, she couldn't continue.
Gu Chang, however, spoke up calmly: "Master, at my current cultivation speed, not to mention building the foundation, even reaching the Great Perfection of Qi training seems like a distant dream."
Mu Qingyan sighed inwardly.
To be honest, it felt a bit unfair for Master to ask her to teach her senior brother.
In terms of strength, talent, and relationship with Master, Gu Chang should be inferior to her.
Yet, Master clearly cared more about this senior disciple.
Moreover, with her Yuan Ying (Nascent Soul) memories, she believed she was diligent and talented, so how could she not feel a sense of pride?
Master's favoritism made her feel uncomfortable, even a bit resentful.
But after learning about Gu Chang's efforts, she had to admit that this senior brother... was indeed admirable.
The research on spiritual roots is incredibly important, and with her knowledge, she certainly understood its significance.
Not to mention the sacrifices Gu Chang made for his research.
Now, calling him "senior brother" felt entirely sincere.
Though she still felt a bit stifled, thinking that Master only accepted her because of her senior brother was quite hurtful to her pride.
But she also felt a deep sympathy for Gu Chang.
"Gu Chang, come here."
She heard Master call to her senior brother, and then saw Master hand him a book.
Curiosity piqued, she didn’t lean in but watched as her senior brother first flipped through the book, then exclaimed, "The 'Study on the Relationship Between Spiritual Roots and Nerves' is finished?"
Mu Qingyan was taken aback.
She had heard her senior brother mention the flaws in this paper; according to him, it would be a stroke of luck if he could see it perfected in his lifetime.
But how long had it been since then?
"It’s finished. If you’re willing to publish it, you’ll be the first author. I’ll arrange a special issue for you in 'Xian Dao.'"
Such research certainly warranted a special issue.
But Gu Chang merely stared at the paper, and after a long pause, he said, "Disciple feels ashamed. This paper has undergone a complete transformation compared to my previous half-version; the gap is beyond measure. How can I claim the title of first author?"
Mu Qingyan was even more astonished.
She heard her senior brother continue, "Just looking at this paper, I know that compared to Master, I’m like a firefly next to the bright moon. If it’s to be published, Master’s name should come before mine."
To be honest, this wasn’t Gu Chang being overly modest.
The paper had undergone significant revisions under the guidance of Old Bai and his team; while the core argument remained unchanged, the content had reached an entirely different level.
Not to mention that it included ideas for designing spiritual roots, taking it a step further than Gu Chang's original paper.
Mu Qingyan listened, her mouth agape, looking at Master:
This paper, which took her senior brother years of hard work to complete, had undergone such a dramatic transformation in Master’s hands in such a short time.
Having spent time with Gu Chang, she understood his talent in talisman studies all too well and acknowledged that she was far behind...
Now it seemed that Master was even better than her senior brother?
Although the names of Old Bai and others had long appeared in the Hall of Worthies, they could never be credited on this paper:
The talisman texts in the Hall of Worthies could still be considered the work of predecessors.
But the paper on spiritual roots could only be attributed to the present... Adding Old Bai and others' names would immediately reveal their existence, which would be far too dangerous in the modern context.
Not wanting to explain further, Zheng Fa decisively stated, "The main idea of this paper is yours, and there’s no need for further discussion."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chang lowered his head, seemingly moved.
Even Mu Qingyan felt a surge of emotions—solving the problem of spiritual roots, once shared, would be enough to secure a place in the annals of history in the Xuanwei Realm.
Such an achievement was even more important than any technique; those credited on the paper would undoubtedly be remembered for eternity.
But Master said to give it to her senior brother, and such generosity...
She had previously complained about Master; she truly felt ashamed!
(End of this chapter)
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Chapter 460: Tailored Teaching, Harmonious Iron Fist
"Let’s hold off on publishing the paper for now?"
Gu Chang hesitated for a long moment before speaking.
Zheng Fa looked surprised at this senior disciple.
"If the other disciples find out about this... I’m afraid they’ll have too high expectations."
Zheng Fa was taken aback, seeing a hint of gloom in Gu Chang's expression: "I’ve nearly gone mad; my body has suffered damage, and I can’t help but feel the pain of having no spiritual root. The other senior and junior brothers must be in a similar situation."
"Perhaps it’s better to wait until we have some results before making it public..."
"To avoid giving them false hope."
Zheng Fa silently nodded in agreement.
The prospect of spiritual root transformation could drive most Jiushan disciples to madness.
It was indeed a significant matter, and Gu Chang’s considerations made some sense.
From his words, it seemed he was worried about the pressure of public opinion and also concerned that some Jiushan disciples might recklessly follow in his footsteps, showing a bit of kindness.
It was clear he was very concerned about his current lack of a spiritual root.
Watching Gu Chang’s complex expression, Zheng Fa’s palm glowed with starlight, which coalesced in the air to form a light screen.
On the left side of the screen was a transparent human figure, with nerves and meridians drawn inside.
On the right side were some words detailing treatment suggestions and ideas for spiritual root transformation.
"Master, what is this...?"
Gu Chang looked at the chaotic nerves on the light screen, his eyes brightening with understanding, though his lips trembled slightly, as if he couldn’t quite believe his guess.
"This is a proposed treatment plan for you. The main idea is to focus on thunder techniques, supplemented by spiritual medicine..."
"Thunder techniques are fine, but the spiritual medicine will require more research."
Zheng Fa looked at Gu Chang and explained carefully:
"But there’s hope in this matter; you don’t need to rush..."
"Yes!"
Gu Chang stared at the densely packed text on the light screen, and after a long time, he could only manage a simple "yes."
Mu Qingyan, however, slightly lowered her gaze, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart.
Master had planned so much for her senior brother; when she became a disciple, she hadn’t asked for much—after all, she could still reach the Nascent Soul stage by following the usual path.
She only sought a place to rest.
But seeing Master’s dedication to her senior brother, in comparison to herself, how could she not feel a sense of disparity?
Zheng Fa then turned to Gu Chang and said, "Besides this, you have much knowledge to learn, including neuroscience, biology, and talisman topology. Here’s a reading list; start with that."
"After you finish, it would be best to write a few reviews for me."
Gu Chang cupped his hands and replied, "Disciple will definitely study hard!"
Mu Qingyan felt increasingly that her senior brother was Master’s most valued disciple, while she was merely an afterthought.
Although the thought of writing reviews sounded daunting, being taught so meticulously by Master... was truly enviable.
Didn’t she see how quickly her senior brother agreed?
Forget it, I’m a reincarnated Nascent Soul, having gone through trials and tribulations, with a heart of iron; I’m not bothered...
"Qingyan."
"Master?"
Mu Qingyan looked up, only to find Zheng Fa gazing at her, leaving her a bit bewildered.
"Qingyan, is there anything you want to learn?"
"Ah?"
"Since you’ve joined my sect, I should teach you something." Zheng Fa frowned, seemingly troubled, "But you’re different from your senior brother; his talent is obvious, while you excel in many areas..."
Mu Qingyan was taken aback.
She and Gu Chang were different; Gu Chang had some areas of weakness:
Not to mention his talent, his performance in subjects other than talisman studies was quite average.
In terms of temperament, Zheng Fa could sense that this disciple was somewhat insecure, often feeling anxious about gains and losses.
Though he was called the senior brother, he felt more like a junior to Mu Qingyan.
But Mu Qingyan was different:
She performed well in many subjects.
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