Chapter 666
This disciple never fights without preparation. Not only has he long regarded the sea as a retreat, but more importantly, given time, he could truly turn the Jiushan Realm and even the Xuanwei Realm upside down.
Zheng Fa was unaware of the elder's thoughts; otherwise, he would feel that not only did Haori Mountain underestimate him, but even his own master did as well.
With his temperament, how could he feel at ease with just the sea as a fallback—he still had the modern world!
(End of this chapter)
**Chapter 468: Modern Development, Since Ancient Times**
In the Xuanwei Realm, storms were brewing, while the modern world grew increasingly peaceful.
It was autumn again at Hongshan.
Zheng Fa strolled through the woods behind the nursing home, accompanied by Tang Lingwu.
A few steps behind them walked Bai Laotou and Teacher Tian side by side.
The autumn air in the forest was desolate.
The wide, yellowed leaves crunched underfoot, and the autumn wind rustled through the branches, brushing against Zheng Fa's face with a refreshing chill.
The mountain path was difficult to traverse, but as cultivators, they faced no significant obstacles.
Tang Lingwu and the others seemed to understand that he just wanted to take a walk, so they kept their conversation to a minimum.
Though they walked in silence, Zheng Fa's growing anxiety gradually subsided, and he found a sense of calm.
The Xuanwei Realm was on the verge of change, the intentions of the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor were inscrutable, and Haori Mountain was watching closely.
Jiushan was weak, and the elder harbored hidden fears, making it hard for Zheng Fa to feel at peace.
Fortunately, he had grown accustomed to treating the modern world as a temporary haven—whether resting for a few months or staying alert, it was always a place for him to sort out his thoughts.
Tang Lingwu and the others seemed to have adapted as well. Though they had once been unaware of the details, they now understood that Zheng Fa had a foundation in "another world," which naturally deepened their understanding.
Though the four of them did not use any spells, as cultivators, they were agile, and in less than half an hour, they stood atop the peak of Hongshan.
Looking down, the current view of Hongshan unfolded before them.
"The changes are truly remarkable..."
Bai Laotou sighed, his tone tinged with an indelible pride.
Teacher Tian chuckled, "That's thanks to Lingwu."
Tang Lingwu shook her head vigorously, "It's Zheng Fa's achievement."
Compared to when they first arrived at the nursing home, the scenery here had completely transformed:
Back then, Hongshan, while close to the capital, was still relatively remote, with only a small village at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by desolation.
Now, the original village site was dotted with buildings, nearly forming a city.
In addition to the previous highway, three newly constructed roads had been added in recent years, with vehicles arriving from all directions, converging at the foot of the mountain.
Between the roads lay patches of medicinal fields and wheat fields.
In the city at the foot of the mountain, there were dormitories for the families of researchers from the mountain.
Besides these residents, the headquarters of Jiushan Grain Company and Jiushan Pharmaceutical Company were also gathered here.
As various companies became increasingly significant in the country, their operations grew busier, and the population continued to swell.
Later, after Bai Laotou's Jiushan Martial Arts School and other companies moved in, nearly all the core industries of the Hongshan nursing home congregated at the foot of Hongshan.
A mountain doesn't need to be high; it gains fame with immortals—residents at the foot of the mountain were thriving day by day, and last year, a new shopping mall was built, reportedly doing quite well.
Team Leader Yang once joked that if it weren't for the concern of disturbing Zheng Fa, Hongshan might have become a second-tier city.
The four of them gazed down at the mountain, momentarily recalling how desolate it had been when they first arrived at Hongshan, and a sense of nostalgia washed over them.
"Elder Hou told me that once the large-scale planting of Lingmai No. 4 begins this year, it should be able to meet the domestic market's needs. With over a billion people, not only will they not go hungry, but they might even enjoy the best grains," Teacher Tian remarked, looking at the wheat seedlings in the fields. "He’s been so focused on this lately that he hardly wants to practice anymore."
Zheng Fa also looked toward the wheat fields, where researchers from the nursing home were busy recording their observations.
Teacher Tian continued, "At that point, we should focus our efforts on spiritual plants."
The products of Jiushan Grain Company, while high in nutritional value, yield, and taste, still fell short of being classified as spiritual plants—though they were excellent, they couldn't absorb spiritual energy, which limited their benefits for cultivation.
Of course, this wasn't due to Zheng Fa's concern for the world; it was mainly because cultivating spiritual plants had not gone smoothly. He had no way to produce spiritual grains and could only manage some spiritual by-products.
However, the Jiushan series of rice seeds, the Lingmai series of wheat seeds, and various vegetable crops had all shown outstanding taste, yield, and nutritional value. Focusing on these had reached a point of diminishing returns, yielding little profit.
Bai Laotou nodded in agreement, "Speaking of which, I checked the data from the martial arts school. The physical fitness of the new students over the past two years has significantly improved compared to previous years."
As the head of Jiushan Martial Arts School, which was responsible for the national physical education programs in schools, his words carried weight.
Tang Lingwu added, "The average lifespan has increased rapidly in the past two years, but I heard from Team Leader Yang that medical expenses have been decreasing."
Even Zheng Fa felt a flicker of joy upon hearing this:
These figures could be summed up in two words: strong breeds.
The reasons were also twofold:
The nourishment from Jiushan Grain Company's various crops.
The promotion of physical education.
Bai Laotou stood with his hands on his hips, a proud expression on his face: "Unknowingly, we've accomplished so much."
Though Zheng Fa had never considered himself particularly ambitious, hearing this and seeing the slight pride on Bai Laotou's and Tang Lingwu's faces brought him a small sense of satisfaction.
Or perhaps, despite his lack of intention to do anything, many things were indeed changing because of him.
"Zheng Fa, when will the enrollment for our Hongshan Research Institute begin?" Bai Laotou brought up another matter. "Every time I visit various universities, people chase after me asking."
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment before replying:
"Once I reach the Transformation stage."
"Transformation stage?" Bai Laotou asked, bewildered. "I haven't even reached the Foundation stage yet, and you're already talking about Transformation?"
Zheng Fa turned to look at the three of them. After these years, Bai Laotou was still in the early stages of Foundation Building, Teacher Tian was slightly better, having advanced to the mid-stage, while even the most talented Tang Lingwu was stuck at the early stage of Golden Core.
Their cultivation levels lagged behind even the disciples of Jiushan Sect with similar qualifications.
And it was getting slower as time went on.
This was, of course, partly due to Zheng Fa's insufficient strength and the lack of abundant spiritual energy in Hongshan.
On the other hand, the modern world lacked various spiritual herbs and materials.
"Once I reach the Transformation stage, the spiritual energy in Hongshan will increase, and the graduate school can start enrolling new students. It won't be so difficult for you to cultivate," Zheng Fa said.
Hearing this, Teacher Tian felt a bit guilty: "The research on spiritual herbs has held us back."
"Not just spiritual herbs, but also spiritual materials," Bai Laotou shook his head. "If we had spiritual materials, Lingwu could also try refining her innate magic treasure, and she wouldn't be getting slower in her cultivation."
Zheng Fa looked at Tang Lingwu, feeling helpless.
Innate magic treasures were crucial for those at the Golden Core stage; it wasn't just a matter of combat power, but they could also accelerate one's cultivation.
However, Tang Lingwu was reluctant to absorb the Tian Gang Di Sha energy from his Nascent Soul...
Especially after seeing the increasing pressure Zheng Fa had been under lately, this obedient girl was as stubborn as a mule.
...
Of course, the Tian Gang Di Sha energy stored in Zheng Fa's Nascent Soul was indeed insufficient to supply the entire modern world—meaning the modern world had to find a way to produce spiritual materials and herbs on its own.
Otherwise, development would be hard to achieve.
Still, for Zheng Fa, the modern world was his final trump card—
The development of the modern world was not just about supporting the Fusang Wood Dao fruit.
Moreover, Zheng Fa had a grand ambition:
If it came down to the wire, even if the Jiushan Realm couldn't hold on, as long as he was alive, once he cultivated a large number of cultivators in the modern world, he could launch a counterattack!
However, without spiritual materials and herbs, this ambition would likely remain a distant dream, truly just a fantasy.
As the four began to walk down the mountain, Teacher Tian seemed to sense Zheng Fa's worries and spoke up: "We’ve also found many similar species to those spiritual plant genes you mentioned earlier, but the problem is... many of these species are ambiguous, and some genes have already vanished from history."
"On the other hand, the environment, especially the spiritual energy, has limited the cultivation of spiritual plants."
Zheng Fa nodded gently, understanding the difficulties faced by Teacher Tian and the others:
Cultivating spiritual plants required finding specific species, which was a minor issue.
The bigger problem was the lack of spiritual energy in the modern world, especially outside of Hongshan, where it was almost negligible.
Spiritual plants that could survive in such an environment were already rare, and having to select through genes and even search among extinct species made it exceedingly challenging.
"Spiritual materials are the same," Bai Laotou frowned. "According to your theory, spiritual materials are the result of long-term effects of spiritual energy on ordinary particles, but the time frame for spiritual energy's appearance has been too short."
This statement hit the nail on the head.
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