Chapter 664

On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety—after all, he had heard of the reputation of the Xuanwei Five Sects for countless years, and it weighed heavily in his heart.

When the time came for swords to clash, how could he not feel a chill?

Though a bit flustered, the elder did not wish to interfere with his disciple's choice. He said nothing more and smiled at Zheng Fa, “Don’t worry, I’ve been in this position of the Nine Mountains Sect leader longer than you have. There won’t be any mistakes.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa suddenly burst into laughter.

“Master, you’ve been in seclusion for fourteen years.”

“Fourteen years? What of it?”

……

The elder quickly understood.

Fourteen years, for Zheng Fa’s Nine Mountains Sect, was a lifetime of change.

On University Island.

“Senior Sister, I’m leaving the Nine Mountains University and the Nine Mountains Military Academy in your hands.”

Zhang, the senior sister, seemed not to hear him, her gaze fixed on the University Island, her pupils reflecting a sense of wonder.

The elder’s eyes widened as he pointed ahead and asked, “Is that the Nine Mountains University?”

In the direction he pointed, a sea of heads surged, the spiritual light of magical artifacts and the fragrance of elixirs mingling with the bustling voices, overwhelming the elder who had been in seclusion for fourteen years.

After the academy's restructuring, University Island had been divided into five sections.

At the center, behind the Nine Chapters Calculation Array, lay a vast courtyard, the basic education district—where new students would spend five years.

In the four cardinal directions of University Island, four new colleges had been established:

The Refining College, the Alchemy College, the Agricultural College, and the Array College.

Currently, Zheng Fa and the others were in the basic education district.

But this place was no longer the tranquil learning environment of the past.

“Brothers! Brothers!”

A divine warship floated in the void, its exterior shimmering with blue and white lightning, nearly dazzling the elder’s eyes.

On the deck, a Golden Core disciple boomed like a bell, looking down at the crowd and shouting:

“Join the shipyard! Great benefits await! Plus, Master Xuanhua provides regular guidance!”

“Our factory has more orders than we can handle! The merit points distributed to disciples at the end of last year increased by fifty percent! This year, it will rise again!”

“If you want to make progress in refining, we have senior brothers from the Tiangong Pavilion to guide you! Two years ago, we had over ten disciples from the shipyard pass the inner sect exam and enter the Artifact College!”

The elder was bewildered. “What’s going on here?”

“A job fair,” Zheng Fa explained with a smile. “Every year, new graduates come out, so there’s a job fair on University Island.”

“All the major factories and departments need disciples to join.”

The inner sect assessments happen every five years, but the Nine Mountains Sect recruits disciples once a year—mainly to prevent new disciples from missing their cultivation window.

Some new graduates, either because their graduation year didn’t coincide with the inner sect assessment or their grades weren’t good enough, had to find a job.

The elder, somewhat confused, pointed to the right and asked, “What’s over there?”

There stood a five-zhang tall alchemical furnace, which was quite eye-catching.

Flames danced within the furnace, and the aroma wafted out, drawing many disciples to watch.

Zhao Jingfan stood in front of the furnace, beaming:

“Brothers and sisters! Come try one! It’s fine, you don’t have to join to have a taste!”

“Our alchemy factory is eager for talent, not only offering merit points but also various elixir benefits!”

“The shipyard may look impressive, but can it match our alchemy factory’s guaranteed returns? Think about it, how can cultivators live without elixirs?”

“Join our alchemy factory, and you’ll receive spiritual elixirs every month. Your cultivation will advance quickly!”

His words slightly belittled the shipyard, drawing the ire of the Golden Core disciple, who glared back and shouted:

“The sect already has plans for expanding into the sea! This is a twenty-year project; can the sect master deceive us? The divine warships are in high demand!”

“How much can elixirs earn? Working six hours a day, how many merit points is that?”

“Brothers, keep your eyes open!”

Zhao Jingfan was no pushover either; the two exchanged barbs across the crowd, while other recruiters from the external alchemy factory, Agricultural Department, and even the news center added fuel to the fire.

In an instant, the elder felt his head buzzing.

He turned to Zheng Fa and asked, “Why is it so noisy?”

“It’s like this every year; everyone’s used to it,” Zheng Fa shook his head. “Isn’t it because we’re short on disciples?”

“Short on disciples?” The elder was increasingly puzzled. “Aren’t we the sect with the most recruits in the Xuanwei realm?”

Indeed, they were.

The Nine Mountains Sect had a relatively low threshold for recruiting disciples, and although there were exam score requirements, at least three hundred new disciples entered each year.

Now, the number of disciples in the Nine Mountains had surpassed five thousand, with over five hundred being Golden Core disciples.

“While we have many disciples, each industry has an even greater demand.”

Zheng Fa pointed to the chaotic job fair ahead and said, “Every factory and department needs disciples to handle the growing production and management tasks.”

Not to mention the ever-increasing orders in the Nine Mountains realm.

The management of the mundane world was also becoming increasingly complex:

The population of the Nine Mountains realm had just surpassed one hundred million, and the number of towns was skyrocketing.

Although most management positions were filled by students from vocational colleges, the demand for Nine Mountains disciples was also surging.

After all, agriculture and factory production could not do without spells.

In the Nine Mountains realm today, what was most in short supply was actually people.

This year, hundreds of Nine Mountains disciples were bustling around various recruitment points, their faces a mix of confusion and anticipation for the future.

The elder watched for a moment and suddenly asked, “Do you remember when you first joined?”

Zheng Fa nodded gently, understanding what the elder meant:

Back when he first arrived at the Nine Mountains Sect, the new disciples, especially those at the bottom, did not have such opportunities:

There weren’t so many choices, or rather, so many futures.

They were too quiet, even eerily so, but the resentment hidden in that silence was something even the elder, who had been holed up in his cottage, could sense.

Compared to those days, hearing the current clamor made even the elder find the quarrel between Zhao Jingfan and the Golden Core disciple quite pleasant to the ears.

……

“Is that… Han, Han Qi?”

At the market dock, divine warships flowed in and out, one after another.

Outside a three-story building, Han Qi, now exuding a sense of authority, stood.

Disciples streamed in and out of the small building, seeking his guidance, and Han Qi arranged everything almost without a second thought.

“The Qingling Pill from the Wuling Sect has been sent out. They want to place an additional order? No, there are still people in line ahead.”

“Qingyuan Sect wants to collaborate? Why didn’t they come sooner? The sect master said, within a radius of five hundred miles, we’re only working with one force for now.”

“The Canghai Wu family has gone to the sea? They’re quite sensible; according to the sect master’s arrangement, we’ll allocate a batch of elixirs and spiritual tools to them.”

“……”

The elder had some impression of Han Qi, as he was indeed a follower of his disciple, and he had seen him a few times. He had even paid attention to him—yet the confident and efficient Han Qi before him was quite different from the slightly gloomy and timid Han Qi he remembered.

Han Qi’s spiritual root wasn’t particularly good, and he was still in the late Foundation Establishment stage, not yet a Golden Core, but now he managed the trade routes well, especially with the various forces of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, almost as if he knew them all by heart.

After arranging the disciples, he walked over to Zheng Fa and the others, bowing respectfully, “Sect Master, Elder Yuan, Elder Zhang.”

Zheng Fa pointed at the elder and said, “For the time being, if you have any matters, consult Elder Yuan.”

Han Qi nodded, seemingly not surprised, but then bowed again to the elder, his expression respectful.

The elder was curious and asked, “The sects you mentioned, are they all part of the Hundred Immortals Alliance?”

“Yes, Elder,” Han Qi replied.

“What does it mean that the Qingyuan Sect wants to collaborate? Why did you refuse?”

Han Qi’s face tightened slightly; he glanced at Zheng Fa, and seeing him nod, he relaxed a bit and explained, “This is the sect master’s order.”

“What order?”

“The sect master said that the first wave of sects willing to collaborate and possessing technology can join the major guilds.”

“Later, we used trade routes to deliver goods, and our interactions with some sects became closer, gradually capturing the market for elixirs and spiritual tools in the Hundred Immortals Alliance, and we also collaborated with many sects on mining.”

“Some forces don’t have particularly valuable mines, can’t make money, and lack the technology to enter the guilds, so they’re left without an industry.”

The elder nodded repeatedly as he listened, recalling the bustling job fair earlier, and naturally understood—if it weren’t for the booming business of the Nine Mountains Sect’s factories, they wouldn’t need so many disciples.

Given the output of the Nine Mountains Sect’s factories, other sects would naturally struggle to compete.

“So, they want to collaborate?”

Han Qi shook his head. “No, it’s the sect master’s arrangement.”

The elder was taken aback and looked at Zheng Fa.

Table of Contents