Chapter 720
He opened the mountain gates wide, recruiting so many talents, it wasn’t just because he felt the retirement home was too empty and needed more people to care for.
Zheng Fa glanced around, noticing the old man’s eager eyes fixed on him. He understood the urgency but hesitated for a moment before speaking up:
“Let’s find Team Leader Yang and conduct two more rounds of human trials. We need a larger sample size to see if there are any side effects.”
The old man paused, a smile creeping onto his lips, but he didn’t say anything.
...
The experimental results were still pending, yet the entrance exam for the research institute was already upon them.
Zheng Fa brought Tang Lingwu to the capital, standing before a middle school that served as one of the exam sites.
The entire street was quiet, with three police cars parked at the entrance and four yellow barriers set up at either end.
To prevent any mishaps, several disciples from martial arts schools were waiting beneath the teaching building.
The official start time was nine o'clock, but many candidates arrived before seven.
These examinees ranged from young to old.
Some stood dazed at the entrance, while others clutched reference materials, murmuring to themselves.
A few, either carefree or confident, gathered together, chatting and laughing softly.
This scene felt oddly familiar to Zheng Fa, prompting him to turn and look at Tang Lingwu.
The swirling hem of her qipao (a traditional Chinese dress) flashed in his mind.
Tang Lingwu seemed to sense his gaze and looked up at him.
Suddenly, she spread her arms wide and stood on tiptoe.
The skirt billowed around her.
Just like yesterday.
Though they had used secret methods to conceal their faces, a few passing candidates at the street corner were still left in awe.
Even though there were no ugly women in the world of cultivation, and he had seen countless beauties in the Xuanwei realm, Tang Lingwu still left Zheng Fa spellbound.
...
This exam had a limited number of spots:
A total of ten thousand, half of which were allocated to the Agricultural Institute and the Pharmaceutical Institute.
Firstly, the main purpose of this recruitment was the cultivation and development of various spiritual herbs.
Secondly, Zheng Fa had long realized that, in an environment rich in spiritual energy, spiritual materials and herbs were the foundation of a cultivation civilization.
Without developing this, everything else would face obstacles.
To say nothing of the fact that the initial talismans required a type of spiritual bamboo.
This spiritual bamboo was abundant in Xuanwei and was even worth very little.
Yet it had yet to be discovered in the modern world.
Thus, Hongshan had no talismanic path.
Naturally, there was no need to mention weapon forging, alchemy, or formations.
With ten thousand spots, the competition was fierce.
Not just anyone could take the exam; over the past six months, Team Leader Yang had already conducted a preliminary screening:
In simple terms, several pre-exams had been held, covering university-level knowledge across various subjects.
Anyone wishing to participate in this round of exams had to pass at least one pre-exam.
This was mainly because Zheng Fa had not set any age limits for the candidates; anyone over sixty, as long as they had the ability, could take the exam.
It was almost a nationwide examination.
With so many people, they had no choice but to conduct early selections.
Even so, the number of candidates entering the final exam exceeded ten million.
More importantly, the significance of this exam was so great that Zheng Fa couldn’t trust anyone else:
Even though he had been collaborating well with the authorities, he wouldn’t assume that everyone would behave themselves in the face of the temptation of cultivation.
He had dispatched martial arts disciples to this location.
Even Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu personally came to oversee the situation, all for one word—
Fairness.
...
Two months after the exam.
The old man, carrying a book, set off from the retirement home, heading toward the back of Hongshan, stepping into a square courtyard and entering a room.
Inside the room sat a dense crowd of students, young and old alike.
His expression momentarily blanked, and he almost felt as if he had returned fifty years into the past.
He walked up to the podium, slightly regaining his composure, gently placing the book on the desk, and smiled:
“Hello, everyone.”
“First, I want to congratulate you all on becoming the first graduate students of the Federation Research Institute.”
He paused, watching the students below stir with a sense of pride.
“For the next two years, you will study the foundational knowledge of the Dao of Immortality at the Hongshan Main Institute.”
“And I will be your talisman professor. My surname is Bai; you can call me Teacher Bai.”
With that, the old man pointed to the book in front of him and said with a smile, “The first name on the cover of this ‘Talismanic Topology’ is mine.”
A hush fell over the audience.
Seeing the awe in their expressions, the old man added suddenly:
“Oh, by the way, I have dual spiritual roots.”
...
“Where has Zheng Fa gone?”
Yin Chang Yuanyun suddenly asked Qian Zhenren, her gaze drifting to the side at Sister Zhang.
Not long ago, Zheng Fa would often come to discuss matters of collaboration between the three sects with her.
But in the past two months, he had rarely shown his face.
Instead, Sister Zhang would occasionally come to extend her hospitality.
Sister Zhang didn’t hide it: “Junior Brother is caught up in a crucial research project and can’t spare the time. I hope Yuanyun can understand.”
Yin Chang Yuanyun shook her head, understanding that Sister Zhang’s status was special, and didn’t feel slighted; she was just curious about what Zheng Fa was working on, so she asked:
“A research project?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had overstepped and quickly added, “I’m being too forward.”
Sister Zhang smiled: “This matter involves the power of the Yaochi (Jade Pool).”
“Oh?”
“If it weren’t for the few spiritual plants you provided us, this research would have taken much longer.”
Yin Chang Yuanyun felt even more curious but held her tongue, only sighing, “It’s really not worth much.”
“The collaboration hasn’t been finalized yet, and you were able to provide us with those spiritual plants in advance. This kindness, I, Jiushan, will remember.”
Sister Zhang said earnestly.
Qian Zhenren nodded in agreement.
Yin Chang Yuanyun was quite magnanimous; although the trade route had not been fully established, she had also offered several types of spiritual plants that could restore spiritual roots, which had led to significant breakthroughs in Jiushan Sect’s spiritual root transformation technology.
Unexpectedly, Yin Chang Yuanyun smiled shyly, her expression somewhat dejected: “I actually have some selfish motives.”
Sister Zhang said nothing, merely watching Yin Chang Yuanyun, as if she had anticipated this.
“You probably guessed it; there are some disagreements within Yaochi regarding this matter.”
Sister Zhang nodded slightly and spoke:
“It hasn’t been settled in the past few months; we’ve been aware of it… I didn’t expect the internal strife in Yaochi to reach this level.”
Yin Chang Yuanyun sighed, “I knew I couldn’t hide it from you.”
Qian Zhenren looked puzzled: “This is clearly a good thing for Yaochi; why are there still disagreements?”
“It’s good for Yaochi, but not for some people.”
Yin Chang Yuanyun fell silent for a moment, then gritted her teeth and revealed some truths:
“Sister Zhang, I can say that I am willing to collaborate with your sect; those spiritual plants are my sincerity.”
“But now Yaochi is already in chaos; even if I am willing, I can’t do anything.”
Sister Zhang understood.
If Yin Chang Yuanyun couldn’t represent Yaochi, then she had unwittingly become the weakest link in the tripartite collaboration.
No wonder her attitude had dropped significantly compared to before.
It could even be said that she seemed to regard this trade route as her lifeline.
Seeing the slightly anxious Yin Chang Yuanyun, Sister Zhang suddenly smiled: “Junior Brother mentioned this.”
“Hmm?”
“Junior Brother said that Yuanyun has been quite helpful to our Jiushan Sect and is a friend of ours.”
“…”
Yin Chang Yuanyun never expected that Zheng Fa would make such a promise without fully understanding the situation in Yaochi.
But Sister Zhang understood that Zheng Fa was not impulsive.
Now it seemed that if Yaochi had factions, then Yin Chang’s faction was relatively friendly toward Jiushan Sect.
The other faction was uncertain.
Not to mention that the trade route also had many benefits for Jiushan Sect.
With Sister Zhang having made some predictions, Zheng Fa and she had come to support Yin Chang Yuanyun.
Yin Chang Yuanyun’s expression shifted, and she suddenly laughed at herself: “I thought I was here to help you.”
“Who would have thought…”
Sister Zhang chuckled as well.
In terms of strength, Yin Chang Yuanyun was not inferior to Jiushan Sect.
But the trade route between the East and West continents was of immense significance to Yaochi.
Since they had reached this point, Yin Chang Yuanyun also spoke candidly about matters that even the disciples of Yaochi were unaware of: “Actually, I came to the East Continent with the intention of seeking assistance from the Taishang Dao.”
“Seeking assistance?”
Sister Zhang was taken aback, not expecting Yin Chang Yuanyun to utter those words, realizing that the situation in Yaochi must not be good.
“Speaking of which, this is actually a fundamental issue of the Divine Dao.”
“Divine Dao…”
“You Jiushan Sect is also practicing the Divine Dao now.” Yin Chang Yuanyun, unaware of the secrets of the “Huangting Jing” (Yellow Court Classic), misunderstood and said, “In the future, you might also face this trouble.”
“The Divine Dao, when we were weak, was naturally a ladder to the heavens, but for me now, it’s a cage.”
“A cage?”
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