Chapter 650
She was not only well-versed in human emotions but also resolute in her ambitions, earning great respect within the archaeological team.
Given her own experiences, it wouldn’t be fitting to teach Gu Chang in a hands-on manner.
It would be better to let Mu Qingyan decide for herself:
While he might not be able to teach the three thousand paths, he could certainly gather a few scholars with some effort.
Although he valued Gu Chang more, he had always intended to take Mu Qingyan under his wing, so he wouldn’t merely use her as a tool.
Mu Qingyan was stunned for a moment, as if awakening from a dream, and said, “You want me to choose?”
“Of course, it’s your choice. And don’t feel burdened; if you want to learn something else later, you can switch,” Zheng Fa said patiently. “Just tell me what you want to learn the most right now.”
Mu Qingyan felt a hint of envy in Gu Chang’s gaze toward her, a feeling that was suddenly mutual.
After all, she had lived only two lifetimes, and throughout history, how many masters would grant their disciples such freedom and leniency?
It wasn’t that her master didn’t value her; rather, he valued her too much…
With a smile that sparkled with sweetness, Mu Qingyan exclaimed, “I’m best at alchemy!”
The secret techniques and relics she remembered would eventually run out.
If she were to speak of her greatest strength in her past life, it would indeed be the alchemy of the Qingmu Sect, which had helped her ascend step by step to the Yuanying stage.
“Alchemy?”
What a coincidence.
Zheng Fa had been pondering how to bring modern pharmacological concepts into this world.
Compared to others, Mu Qingyan’s talent and background made her the most suitable candidate.
…
After leaving Zheng Fa’s courtyard for quite a distance, Mu Qingyan remained silent, while Gu Chang chuckled, teasing her, “You’re not feeling wronged, are you?”
“Senior Brother!”
“I heard you say that you worked just as hard as I did to become Master’s disciple, and back then, you looked at me like I was nothing,” Gu Chang said, seemingly oblivious to Mu Qingyan’s reproach. “And now?”
Mu Qingyan didn’t respond; she simply stopped in her tracks and turned to look back at her master’s small courtyard.
There was a peach tree leaning against the wall, only three years old, yet it was lush and vibrant, its blossoms radiant, promising a bountiful harvest in the future.
Sister Zhang slowly walked out of her courtyard, watching the two figures disappear into the horizon, shaking her head as she entered Zheng Fa’s courtyard.
“Your two disciples would probably be willing to die for you right now.”
“Why would I want them to die?” Zheng Fa replied, surprised. “Isn’t this what a normal teacher is supposed to do?”
Normal?
Looking at the certainty on her junior’s face, Sister Zhang felt a moment of confusion.
She had always wondered where her junior’s sense of normalcy came from.
But in the Xuanwei Realm, whether her junior was the sect leader or a master, his actions were anything but normal.
Some people were truly willing to sacrifice their lives for such abnormality.
After pondering for a moment, she set aside that thought and spoke of her own intentions: “Junior, I’m preparing to enter seclusion.”
“Are you going to break through to the Huashen stage?”
“Yeah, my spiritual energy has accumulated enough,” Sister Zhang sighed. “If it weren’t for the increasing abundance of spiritual materials in the Jiushan Realm, I wouldn’t be rushing this.”
It was undeniable that the prosperity of the Jiushan Realm benefited the higher-ups the most, like Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang:
They were certainly busy, but they also earned the most merit, exchanging for various spiritual materials without hesitation.
The Jiushan Realm was at least on par with the Five Sects in terms of power; with its productivity, the wealth of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, and the support from Haori Mountain and Taishang Dao, nurturing a few late-stage Yuanying cultivators was quite simple.
Moreover, Sister Zhang and Zheng Fa’s dual cultivation was not without its advantages—Sister Zhang’s Yuanying had already been reforged, and she had made significant progress in the Tiangang and Dizang transformations, cultivating at a pace not much slower than Zheng Fa’s.
Sister Zhang explained:
“Currently, the affairs of the Shumu Hall are handled by Jiu Zhang Suanling, and I’ve assigned certain tasks to my disciples. As for their future training, my master will oversee it.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback.
You rely on your seniors to teach? Truly worthy of being my sister!
“I’ve also briefed Yuan Shimei and the others. I can’t afford to delay my breakthrough to Huashen.”
Sister Zhang’s urgency was likely due to the matter of the Xian Sword.
After all, Haori Mountain had given them only about eighteen or nineteen years.
Once Sister Zhang reached the Huashen stage, although her hard power wouldn’t match that of the Dao Fruit, her endurance in controlling the Qingjing Bamboo would be incomparable.
“Senior Sister…”
Zheng Fa felt a pang of reluctance.
Once she officially began her breakthrough to Huashen, it would be hard to interrupt—like Elder Yuan, who seemed to have entered a critical phase and was truly in a deadlock.
No one dared to call out to him.
Since entering the sect, Sister Zhang had always been by his side, providing him with great support.
Now, with her entering seclusion, it seemed they might not meet for years.
Even for cultivators, it was impossible to remain unaffected in their hearts.
“Junior Brother.” Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa, her gaze gentle as water, and cast a spell to seal the courtyard tightly.
“Hmm?”
“I only have five days.”
The peach tree by the courtyard wall suddenly trembled violently, its blossoms raining down like petals, showering the courtyard in spring colors.
…
Sister Zhang was indeed ruthless.
She had a keen sense of time; when she said five days, she meant it, slipping into her dress and leaving without a moment’s delay.
But Zheng Fa understood that the pressure from Haori Mountain was immense.
He and Sister Zhang had run the calculations several times; the best outcome would be for him to obtain the Xian Sword, blow up Haori Mountain’s spiritual vein, and make them pay dearly—yet that would also bring many repercussions.
In terms of hard power, Jiushan Sect couldn’t even compare to Haori Mountain.
When Haori Mountain retaliated, the pressure on Jiushan Sect would be unimaginable.
Sister Zhang’s determination to break through to Huashen was, on one hand, to enhance her cultivation and accumulate more trump cards for Jiushan Sect.
On the other hand, it was also to pave the way for Zheng Fa’s own journey to Huashen.
Currently, Zheng Fa possessed four methods to reach Huashen: the “Chixiao Yuce,” the “Xian Sword Classic,” and the “Great Freedom True Method” and “Wanyao True Solution” from the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor.
Each of these was among the top-tier secret techniques in the Xuanwei Realm.
However, Zheng Fa had grand ambitions; he felt unsatisfied with these four methods and was wary of other Dao Fruits, so he aimed to draw inspiration from their concepts to develop the most suitable method for himself.
Sister Zhang’s Jiu Zhang Suan Array was one of the results derived from the “Chixiao Yuce,” a product of her research.
Sister Zhang’s breakthrough to Huashen was also an experiment of her method.
But to be honest, the power increase from Yuanying to Huashen didn’t bring much to the Jiushan Realm.
Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang were fine—they could at least enhance their endurance a bit, but for other Huashen cultivators, it didn’t significantly affect the outcome of battles.
What could truly contend with Dao Fruits were still those few treasures:
The Xian Sword, Fusang Wood, Qingjing Bamboo, Qingping Sword, along with the currently incomplete Wanyao Banner that could only be considered a remnant Dao Fruit.
No matter how much potential they dug from within, it was limited.
To gain more assurance, they could only look for external forces…
Thinking of this, he glanced down at a deep blue pearl on his chest—the Cang Hai Pearl.
This was left with him by Xiao Yuying, a safeguard for his life.
From the initial wariness of Sect Leader Yan toward Xiao Yuying and her own confidence, it was likely that the master behind the Cang Hai Pearl was at least a Loose Immortal.
“I’m afraid I’ll only have one chance…”
He had a good relationship with Xiao Yuying, but he had never met her master.
Moreover, he now felt an unconscious wariness toward any Dao Fruit.
If Xiao Yuying’s master could help Jiushan Sect once, it would be a pleasant surprise.
Aside from that, the only external force he could rely on was one place—
The Tianhe Sect!
Though their goals were not aligned, their enemies were likely the same.
Zheng Fa stepped out of the courtyard, looking toward the direction of the Tianhe Sect, wondering how far that sect leader had gone in his rebellion…
It would be best if he could wipe out Haori Mountain.
If that wasn’t possible, attracting two or three Dao Fruits from Haori Mountain would still be a significant boost for Jiushan Sect.
“Zheng Fa?” Uncle Pang’s voice called out, “What are you doing standing there?”
“Nothing much, Uncle. Did you need something?”
“There’s a storybook you need to take a look at.”
“A storybook?”
Zheng Fa was taken aback, then looked at Uncle Pang with a strange expression.
Since the new-style Tongjian had come out, the storybooks in Jiushan Entertainment had attracted quite a few cultivators.
Not only were they reading, but they were also writing.
In just a month since the new-style Tongjian was released, over a hundred storybooks had already been published.
Zheng Fa actually welcomed this development—
Most cultivators lived long lives, and some were simply bored; there was a huge gap in the entertainment industry.
Reading novels, writing novels, passing the time, and promoting consumption also contributed to Jiushan Sect.
Zheng Fa didn’t read much.
Table of Contents
