Chapter 621: Immortal Art: The Sixteenth Power of the Prototype of the Prototype of the Jin Zhi Sword

Hearing Zhang Zhang Junsheng's words, Jiang Ding was speechless.

Indeed, for the world of Void Refinement grandmasters, he was still far too insignificant; their twilight years were enough for a lower-stage cultivator to undergo dozens of reincarnations.

"Forget it, let's get back to the main matter."

"Didn't you say your Soul Transformation opportunity ranking was very low? Let's set aside expanding the Immortal Sect's overall resource pool for now; that's too distant. Just focus on yourself, earn more Soul Transformation battle merits to raise your ranking, just like Senior Mie Ri did."

Jiang Ding spoke directly: "Do you want to publish a paper? The kind that earns Soul Transformation battle merits, but I must be the first author."

Although unverified, Jiang Ding was fairly confident that the inspiration he had suddenly erupted with earlier—the prototype of the prototype of the prototype... of the prototype of the True Immortal Jin Zhi Sword—held considerable value.

Yes, publishing a paper could also earn battle merits; the most top-tier research results qualified.

This was also the reason why Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun, Yuan, Cang Hai Canghai Tianjun, Xiong Mao Hua Hua Lingling, and other Canghai Tianjun had been so diligent recently.

It wouldn't do for research results to benefit the entire Immortal Sect while the Soul Transformation Canghai Tianjun, having spent time, effort, and vast amounts of heavenly treasures on experiments, ended up working for free.

Of course, the Soul Transformation Canghai Tianjun were not lacking in those of high moral character who dedicated themselves selflessly.

But that was a matter of personal morality; society could not withhold payment from someone simply because their moral character was high. The reward and punishment mechanism must be orderly and, above all, clear.

"A paper that can earn Soul Transformation battle merits?"

"You're dreaming."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng paused, shook his head, showed no excitement, and said with a hint of disdain: "If it were research results on Foundation Establishment opportunities, the two of us working hard for decades might manage it. As for a paper involving Soul Transformation battle merits, you might as well dream about it."

"Don't think it's easy just because Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun, Cang Hai Canghai Tianjun, Yuan, and others publish a paper every few years; you can't just pick up money like that."

"These few are peak Soul Transformation cultivators; their talent, genius, research capabilities, and experience are the top among all Soul Transformation cultivators in this realm. Working together, plus mobilizing research teams from various universities, the Immortal Sect Academy for assistance, and the Central Array Spirit Computer for help, to speak arrogantly, their research and creation capabilities are stronger than several Void Refinement grandmasters."

"It's normal for these people to achieve such results."

"For an ordinary single Soul Transformation cultivator, producing one result in several decades or even a century is already good."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng pursed his lips, not believing it at all.

"Although you have a very sharp intuition in the Sword Dao, you are still not up to par."

"Is it that difficult?"

Hearing this, Jiang Ding was also startled in his heart.

"What else?"

Zhang Zhang Junsheng rolled his eyes: "This is research involving Immortal Arts. Even the furthest fringe of the fringe is unimaginably difficult. For us to merely smell the exhaust fumes of Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun and the others and catch a glimpse of their brilliance is already a great opportunity; don't be ungrateful."

"Please don't rush to discourage me, okay?"

"What if it actually works?"

Jiang Ding, made somewhat insecure by him, felt he might have been presumptuous and underestimated the capabilities of the various seniors. He immediately organized his previous realizations and sent them over.

"Take a look; is it just my illusion?"

After more than ten minutes, a file so massive that even a Golden Core Master Dinghai Zhenjun's divine sense would find it difficult to receive was transmitted via the Immortal Sect network to Zhang Zhang Junsheng's sea of consciousness.

"Let me see; don't hold out too much hope."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng opened the compressed file in his sea of consciousness and glanced at the filename.

"Immortal Art: Prototype of the Jin Zhi Sword."

"Hiss... hiss..."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng sucked in a cold breath: "That name is quite arrogant. You seem to have been infected by the style of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion; they are all like that, fight if you disagree, and if you can't win, just die in front of you. They don't know what reverence means."

"Arrogant? Maybe a little."

Jiang Ding thought for a moment: "Then how about changing it to 'Immortal Art: The Sixteenth Power of the Prototype of the Prototype of the Jin Zhi Sword'? Our prototype is indeed too far from an Immortal Art to deserve the name 'Prototype of an Immortal Art'."

"It's not about adding how many 'prototypes'."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng replied casually and continued to browse the decompressed file.

"You young people have this flaw; you make your thesis titles bigger and more comprehensive one after another, which is wrong. They must be specific, not broad. They must have substance; just select an accurate detail or spell structure to research."

"Such broad titles can only be chosen by academic leaders of the rank of Academician, with many big and small bosses underneath them..."

"If I had dared to choose such a title when I was a graduate student, my advisor would have scolded me black and blue..."

He suddenly stalled.

"Jin Zhi Sword... the causality of Jin Zhi, pursuing the origin to destroy it... first form the body of ten thousand golds, then destroy all golds in the world..."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng murmured to himself, falling into a daze, motionless for a long time.

Suddenly, he turned sharply, staring at Jiang Ding, his voice somewhat distorted: "I don't understand these, but I feel they are somewhat similar to the research of Senior Yuan and others. Did you copy them from somewhere, or are they your own research results?"

"My own research results; a sudden flash of inspiration."

Jiang Ding answered and transmitted a pile of Gong Fa via the divine sense network: "The references are 'The Thousand Crow Feather Transformation Canon', 'The Great General Heishi Night Canon', 'The Golden Flame Fire Feather Canon', 'The Hundred Ghosts Ten Thousand Transformations True Slaughter Canon', and two hundred and seventy-six other Gong Fa and spells."

These Gong Fa came from the library of General General Heishi of Tushan Xiancheng; the original source was the invincible powerhouse of the Northern Plains ten thousand years ago, Master Master Dinghai, who had removed the parts helpful for family growth, such as bloodline and spiritual root sacrifice techniques.

"Give me some time."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng sat cross-legged, and the green light on his body suddenly brightened several times.

Clearly, he had requisitioned most of his Golden Core divine soul's computing power from other threads, pouring it all here to read the General Heishi inheritance Gong Fa one by one, not swallowing them whole but understanding them thoroughly, digesting and absorbing them.

"Okay."

Jiang Ding returned the computing power he had requisitioned, strengthening the deduction of Sword Technique Sword Nine, his own cultivation, and Master Master Dinghai's Immortal Academic Conference, among other things.

The threads here were not idle either; he took out Immortal Sect Sword Dao Gong Fa one by one to continue contemplating and reading, adding to his foundation in the Immortal Dao.

Time flew.

Unknowingly, three years passed.

During these three years, Jiang Ding's divine sense network conference connection never broke, but he was not without tasks; cultivation, attending classes, and traveling back to the North Plain Spiritless Desert were all carried out without delay.

"I have finished reading."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng suddenly stood up, his eyes shining: "I understand most of it. It is indeed not written casually or plagiarized. You kid can actually produce this; you are so strong it's almost like you aren't my student."

"Truly the juvenile form of the Realm Overlord!"

In three years, he read through all of General General Heishi's Gong Fa and was able to fully comprehend and integrate them.

If this news were released, no Nascent Soul cultivator in the Northern Plains would believe it; they would think he was boasting and simply laugh it off.

Classic-level Gong Fa are obscure and difficult to understand; even a Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun refines only one in a lifetime, while others are merely sampled superficially.

If one persisted, it would be a waste of time; even with continued deep study, it would take at least several hundred years to truly claim integration and fluency.

Cultivators of the Immortal Sects are different.

They receive this education from childhood, and their understanding and absorption speed of Immortal Dao knowledge differs from that of other Qitaxian Sects.

"You explain Chapter Seven, Section Twenty-Seven, and Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven, Section Fifty-Six of 'The Sixteenth Power of the Prototype of the Immortal Art: Jin Zhi Sword' to me."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng rubbed his hands, his face flushed with red light, as if he could already see the Soul Transformation merit beckoning, and urged on.

"Alright."

"It's like this..."

Jiang Ding was equally excited, explaining his insights bit by bit; the two discussed and debated without a moment's pause, and soon a month passed.

"I understand it all now."

"The two of us are going to get rich."

"At most ten years from now, the most prominent spot on the cover of 'Cultivator' will belong to the two of us."

Zhang Zhang Junsheng took a deep breath.

"Forty-sixty?"

He asked tentatively.

"I get forty percent of the Soul Transformation merit, you get sixty; I am the second author."

Perhaps feeling he was being a bit excessive, Zhang Zhang Junsheng emphasized: "Your insights are purely speculative in many places; I still need to find people to execute them. Master Master Dinghai, Shu Ling, and their teams below will all participate, and benefits must be shared across all aspects—third author, fourth author, and so on. In the end, I will receive at most twenty percent!"

"No problem."

Jiang Ding agreed readily.

(End of this chapter)