Chapter 114: Unparalleled

Seeing Senior Sister Zhang's expression was somewhat off, as if she harbored some regret.

Zheng Fa quickly changed the subject: "Senior Sister, this junior brother has a matter to ask."

"What is it?"

"Since there are Five Elements Child Talismans, does that mean there are Yin-Yang Child Talismans?" Zheng Fa posed his question: "But when I used the same line of reasoning to analyze the Yin-Yang Talisman Diagram, I could not find the part symbolizing Yin and Yang."

In the modern era, he and Old Man Bai and the others had actually tried many methods.

Whether it was asking Han Xiaobai to modify the calculation method.

Or the three of them using topological analysis.

The Yin-Yang Talisman Diagram seemed to truly have no similar parts.

"Yin and Yang... I do not know this matter either." Senior Sister Zhang slowly furrowed her brows: "But Yin and Yang should be different from the Five Elements."

"Why?"

Senior Sister Zhang said nothing, merely letting a flowing light shimmer on her body, displaying her Yuanling Dao Body once more.

The twin lotus throne within her dantian slowly rotated; one lotus throne gradually collapsed, as if suddenly withering.

But the next moment, Zheng Fa clearly saw that the remaining lotus throne extended several root-like lines, as if spontaneously regrowing.

That vanished lotus throne actually slowly reappeared.

"This is..."

Zheng Fa felt somewhat enlightened.

"Yin and Yang are born together; neither can be lacking." Senior Sister Zhang said.

Zheng Fa nodded lightly, his brows also furrowing slightly.

He understood what Senior Sister Zhang meant—

The essence of the Five Elements as one is that they are like parts of an object.

But the meaning of Yin and Yang being born together is a bit like light and shadow; it seems that as long as one lotus throne exists, the other lotus throne must necessarily exist, even if it was briefly destroyed, it can spontaneously regenerate.

This is even harder to understand than the Five Elements Child Talismans.

It seemed she saw the confusion on his face.

Senior Sister Zhang comforted him: "The 'Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method' was originally crudely created by the Jiushan Ancestor; I have only initially perfected it. There is no need to rush."

"Hmm..."

"If you need anything in the future, feel free to come find me." Senior Sister Zhang said gently.

"Unfair!" Senior Sister Yuan muttered from the side: "When I come to find you, Senior Sister, I have to wait until you are free!"

As she spoke, she leaned her entire body against Senior Sister Zhang, as if declaring her sovereignty in front of Zheng Fa.

"When you come, you make my head hurt."

Senior Sister Zhang rolled her eyes at her, yet did not dodge, letting her lean.

"What about him?" Senior Sister Yuan said discontentedly: "When he comes, you still let him do as he pleases!"

"When he comes..."

Senior Sister Zhang suddenly let out a light laugh; her slender body rose without wind, standing upright high in the sky.

Zheng Fa walked out of the study, looking up at Senior Sister Zhang above his head.

Now the sky was dark; the sun had long vanished without a trace, leaving only layer upon layer of dark clouds occupying the sky of Jiushan Sect.

Senior Sister Zhang shimmered with dazzling five-colored light; with a wave of her hand, the sea of clouds, so high one could not see the top, vanished like smoke, revealing a clear sky.

The light on her body was like a colorful aurora, illuminating the snow-white peaks of Jiushan, reflecting back, making the entire Jiushan Sect look as beautiful as the polar night.

Senior Sister Zhang slowly descended beside the two of them, glanced at Senior Sister Yuan, and said with a smile:

"You see, the day has brightened since he arrived."

... Senior Sister, you know how to play with cheesy special effects.

"Senior Nephew Zhang has completed the Five Elements."

On the Eighth Peak of Jiushan, a portly middle-aged man, looking like a wealthy landlord from the mortal world, sighed as he watched this scene.

"Completed the Five Elements? Sect Master, what realm is this?" Sun Daoyu, standing beside him, asked.

This person was Sun Daoyu's Sect Master, True Person Pang. Hearing his disciple's question, he answered patiently: "Gathering and clustering the Five Elements to perfection, then harmonizing Yin and Yang, is the Great Success of the Jin Dan; the Nascent Soul is within reach."

"Then... is Senior Sister Zhang about to advance to Nascent Soul?"

Sun Daoyu's tone was a mix of joy and worry.

"Still one step away, just one step." True Person Pang shook his head, his tone conveying mostly regret: "I originally thought repairing the 'Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method' to harmonize the Five Elements would suffice, but now it seems harmonizing Yin and Yang is also a barrier; this cultivation technique is too incomplete."

"... Then, Sect Master, shall we still switch?"

Hearing that the 'Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method' was not fully improved, Sun Daoyu could not help but hesitate, clearly no longer so keen on this method.

After all, if this cultivation technique was still incomplete, there was no need for him to cultivate it—although the 'Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method' was good, he still preferred cultivation techniques that pointed directly to Nascent Soul.

"Switch! Never mind two thousand-year Purple Bamboo Tears; no matter how high her price, I must switch—but I want to switch the person!"

Unexpectedly, True Person Pang nodded heavily, appearing even more urgent than before.

"Ah? Who?" Sun Daoyu was stunned.

"Whoever improved this cultivation technique, I want to switch for them."

True Person Pang looked at Senior Sister Zhang's courtyard, as if seeing a certain figure within.

"Senior Sister Zhang?" Sun Daoyu was stunned: "Sect Master, you want to snatch Senior Sister Zhang; I fear True Person Huang will fight you to the death."

"Who said it was her?"

True Person Pang looked at him as if looking at a fool.

"Then who is it?"

"Zheng Fa." True Person Pang's eyes flashed with silver light as he looked down the mountain: "He is the one who improved the cultivation technique."

Sun Daoyu froze.

Even though the speaker was a Nascent Soul True Person and his own master, disbelief still dominated his face.

"Master... Zheng Fa is merely at the early stage of Qi Condensation; he has only been in the sect for less than three months!"

True Person Pang glanced at him as if looking at a fool: "You have been watching Zheng Fa for so long, and you thought of nothing?"

"Thought of what?"

"Fool!" True Person Pang's face showed an expression of frustration at his disciple's lack of progress: "Sequence! You discovered first that Zheng Fa had solved the problem of the Five Elements being uncoordinated, and only then did Shijie Zhang advance!"

"... Oh, right." Sun Daoyu paused, but still asked: "Perhaps Shijie Zhang let Shidi Zheng try practicing it first?"

"Just now Zheng Fa went to Shijie Zhang's home, and then Shijie Zhang achieved perfection in the Five Elements."

"..."

Sun Daoyu paused, looking at his master's eyes which shimmered with silver light.

"Right now Shijie Zhang is seeing Zheng Fa off... hmm, she saw him past the main gate and walked a few extra steps, reluctant to part."

"..."

True Person Pang turned to look at Sun Daoyu and asked in a low voice: "Do you think if I went to Shijie Zhang's home, I would receive such courtesy?"

"..."

Your vision is sharp, you are amazing!

"But Master, Zheng Fa previously refused us."

Sun Daoyu reminded him.

"Last time I did not take him seriously enough; this time I will go to see him personally."

"Master!"

"What is wrong? Is Shidi Zhou not someone I personally took into the sect?"

"Master, did you not say that now a Nascent Soul will only fully cultivate one direct disciple?" Sun Daoyu said softly: "Shidi Zhou is the one you chose as that direct disciple..."

True Person Pang fell silent for a while.

"Your Shidi Zhou has a broad heart."

"Ah?"

"Anyway, he also wants to learn the Talisman Art from Zheng Fa; how about letting him transfer to Zheng Fa's sect and become my grand-disciple?"

"... I fear Shidi Zhou's heart is not that broad."

After seeing Zheng Fa off, Shijie Zhang did not return home, but flew towards the Seventh Peak of Jiushan.

On the Seventh Peak, there was a palace that seemed built from cold jade.

The palace gates were tightly closed, with no sound of people, appearing empty and desolate.

Only when Shijie Zhang reached the palace gate did a somewhat cold female voice sound: "Wuyi, why have you come?"

"This disciple has something to request an audience with Master."

"Come in."

The palace gate opened without wind, revealing the scene inside the hall.

A female cultivator sat in the hall; her face seemed colder than the snow covering the entire mountain, yet it would warm slightly when looking at Shijie Zhang.

"What is it?" she asked: "Matters of our lineage, you can decide with a single word; there is no need to ask me."

"Master, I wish to request that you accept another disciple."

"Hmm?"

"A disciple?" The woman seemed not to expect her own disciple to come to her for this matter; her face clearly showed some shock: "You know I am the most impatient at teaching disciples."

Shijie Zhang fell silent for a moment, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, but still spoke:

"This disciple means to request that Master grant the spiritual materials accumulated by our lineage to that disciple for cultivation."

"..." Upon hearing this, the woman suddenly stood up, staring at Shijie Zhang for a long time, and her face actually showed a hint of excitement.

"Wuyi, you... has the Hongluan Star moved?"

"... No."

"Then you must be threatened!"

As the woman spoke these words, the cold wind in the hall seemed to become even more grim and deadly.

"No."

"... Then are you foolish?" The woman stared at her, seeming unable to understand: "Those spiritual materials were prepared for me to condense a Nascent Soul; among them are some you collected yourself."

"This disciple simply feels that this Shidi... is worth it."

"I have never heard you evaluate a person this way." The woman, as if finally taking interest, smiled brightly and beckoned for Shijie Zhang to come closer.

Her expression carried some nostalgia: "The little Wuyi in my memory would not accept any loss and would not yield anything."

"Spiritual materials, mine."

"Cultivation technique, mine."

"Even the Jiushan Sect is mine."

When the woman said these words, there was actually some tenderness.

Shijie Zhang smiled lightly: "Master, that was my ignorance in youth; I thought everything could be solved by relying on my own talent."

"... How powerful you are! You just decided to cultivate the 'Foundation Establishment Method of the Talisman Dao' and did so; no amount of scolding could stop you." The woman pouted and said: "What is wrong? Do you regret it now?"

"No regrets." Shijie Zhang shook her head and said: "This disciple never felt she was oppressing anyone; with the decline of spiritual energy, giving those spiritual materials to me is better than giving them to those mediocre ones..."

"Ha!" The woman laughed loudly, as if thinking of something: "I remember when you first entered the sect, you dared to tell me that the future of the Jiushan Sect, the future of the Xuanwei Realm—all rested on your shoulders! How old were you then? Twelve, right?"

"Yes." Zhang Shijie also smiled and said, "My thoughts have not changed."

"Then you still want to give these spiritual materials to others?"

"If I am better than others, I should receive them. If he is better than me, he should receive them." Zhang Shijie's simple words left the woman speechless for a long time.

After a long silence, the woman finally spoke: "Tell me, who is this disciple?"

Zhang Shijie sat beside her master and began to tell the story of Zheng Fa.

After a long while, the woman sighed softly: "He is a talent; no wonder you value it so much."

"Then does Master wish to take on another disciple?"

"I will not agree."

"Master?"

"Now, with one Nascent Soul, cultivating a true disciple with potential to reach Nascent Soul is already difficult... If you give it to him, you will have none."

"Master, for decades my Jin Dan has not advanced a single inch. I have felt despair, I have doubted, and only then did I finally understand one question." Zhang Shijie shook her head and said, "Even if spiritual materials are scarce, a fellow path who can mutually temper and promote each other is truly unique in the world."