Chapter 124: Gazing at the Mountain

Hearing the Sect Master's words, Zhang Shijie and the other two, showing good sense, wished to take their leave.

But the Sect Master waved his hand, Shen Shi Yi that they need not do so.

"There is nothing to avoid; I indeed have nothing good to teach him." Sitting upright on the cushion, he spoke to the three: "The Xuanwei Realm of my Qi Refining era is different from now."

Zheng Fa paused, somewhat understanding the Sect Master's meaning.

"I cultivated the Five Thunder Divine Body back then, but Thunder Stones were plentiful!" the Sect Master recalled. "Unlike now, where this broken thing costs a fortune; the Five Thunder Divine Body is nearly lost."

"Not just Thunder Stones; spirit herbs, spirit pills, and spirit talismans were all cheaper than now..." the Sect Master's tone held nostalgia: "In my Qi Refining days, who cared about ten or eight spirit stones?"

The Sect Master's words left all three silent.

"If you ask me how I cultivated to Nascent Soul, how would I know? I just practiced casually!"

Looking at the Sect Master's innocent, candid face, Zheng Fa tasted his words and finally understood his own master's meaning—the good era had passed!

He now also knew why the Sect Master said he could not teach him.

Changes in the general environment meant the Sect Master's success experiences from the Qi Refining stage were no longer applicable to the current Zheng Fa.

"As for guiding your cultivation, you practice the Crimson Sky Art. This cultivation technique has been practiced by countless people; it is hard even to suffer qi deviation." The Sect Master added, his tone also somewhat helpless: "I have nothing good to teach you either."

Zheng Fa's expression was inevitably a bit disappointed.

The Sect Master also seemed to feel he had taught nothing; after thinking for a while, he suddenly raised his eyebrows and said, "Very well, today I will tell you about my talisman-array way."

"Talisman-array?"

The Sect Master smiled proudly: "I, your Junior Uncle Pang, and your Senior Sister Zhang's master, Huang Shimei, each have our own insights into talisman arts."

"Your Junior Uncle Pang relies on the Void-Opening Spirit Eye; he likes to strike after the enemy moves, planning before acting. If you ask me, it is the old turtle style."

"Huang Shimei... well, her method is one that people afraid of death generally should not learn."

Zheng Fa glanced at Zhang Shijie and found no confusion in her expression; she seemed accustomed to this evaluation.

"As for me, I am skilled in talisman-array arts."

Zheng Fa nodded; he remembered the Sect Master had said the Technique of the World Within the Hut was a type of talisman-array.

"A talisman-array is arranging an array with spirit talismans—compared to ordinary arrays, this talisman-array has lower requirements but its power is not diminished." The Sect Master continued explaining: "For example, the World Within the Hut is an illusion array arranged with ten spirit talismans; compared to a single spirit talisman, this illusion array lasts longer and affects a slightly larger area."

"But what I am best at is the Killing Array!" Zheng Fa heard the Sect Master say proudly: "Give me a chance to set up the Zhou Tian Thunder Array—if the enemy's cultivation does not exceed Mid-Nascent Soul, I can blast them into a dilemma of life and death, with no return!"

Good heavens.

My own master's tone is a bit too big!

The two beside him, including Zhang Shijie, also showed surprised expressions on their faces.

Clearly, they did not expect this Sect Master, who had stayed indoors for a thousand years, to possess such strength.

"May I ask, Sect Master—what quality of spirit talismans does this Zhou Tian Thunder Array require?" Zheng Fa suddenly remembered something.

"Heaven-grade talismans."

"Then how many are needed?"

Zheng Fa had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Three hundred and sixty-five."

Zheng Fa did not know the value of Heaven-grade talismans, so he looked at Zhang Shijie.

Zhang Shijie pondered for a while and spoke: "With that many spirit stones, you could just smash them in their faces; the effect would be about the same, and you might even gain an extra helper."

Understood... no wonder this old man is so poor!

"Back then, Nascent Soul cultivators weren't this cheap..."

The Sect Master said, somewhat depressed.

"Master, could it be that you haven't left home for a thousand years because..."

"The times have changed!" the Sect Master sighed deeply, looking extremely desolate.

It was clear that due to the decline of spiritual energy, this extravagant style of fighting had become an outdated version in this era.

"By the way, if you go out of the mountain in the future and walk the Xuanwei Realm, do not mention my name."

Huh?

Where had he heard this before?

"Master, disciple is not the type to cause trouble everywhere."

Zheng Fa said, feeling slightly aggrieved.

"... I mean, I still have a few old enemies." The Sect Master waved his hand to explain: "Not everyone I can blast to death."

"Then... would such big shots come looking for my trouble?" Zheng Fa asked, puzzled.

That is also a bit too low-class.

"Do you underestimate your master?"

"?"

"I may not be able to blast him to death, but he won't have a good time either!" the Sect Master said, somewhat proudly: "Those few people will at least need to nurse their wounds for a thousand or a hundred years."

"..."

Cannot blast to death.

Means master's enemies are strong.

Wounds take long to heal.

Means the grudge is great.

So the troublemaker is you, old sir?

"Disciple now thinks Junior Uncle Pang is truly excellent." After a long silence, Zheng Fa sighed dryly.

"Him? Following him, you wouldn't even know how to cultivate the Lingshan Art." The Sect Master let out a cold laugh.

"Ah?"

"The 'Lingshan Method' you are holding was created by the Ancestor of Jiushan..."

Zheng Fa suddenly remembered that half-finished product version of the 'Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method'.

"What does Master mean?"

The Sect Master tossed him two jade slips and said with a pout, "This version I modified is the one meant for people to cultivate."

"..."

Zheng Fa immersed his divine sense into the jade slips and found that the difference between these two versions in cultivation methods was actually not great.

But there was one problem alone—the Sect Master's version of the 'Lingshan Method' requires a real mountain!

Among the two jade slips he threw to him, one was the modified 'Lingshan Method', and the other was a theory called 'Treatise on Spirit Veins'.

It spoke of how to find suitable mountain ranges, borrowing the trends of mountain ranges and rivers to cultivate the 'Lingshan Method'.

"Then the Ancestor..."

"It was originally a mountain!" The Sect Master sounded a bit depressed when saying this, as if he had been scammed by this first edition of the 'Lingshan Method': "There is absolutely no need to find a mountain!"

"... Master, so cultivating the 'Lingshan Method' requires living in a mountain?"

Remembering that this old man had stayed indoors for a thousand years without going out, Zheng Fa felt a bit worried.

How can one cultivate in the modern world like this?

"That is not necessary; it is only by borrowing specific mountain ranges that you can transform the spiritual power within your body into spiritual qi and emit it."

The Sect Master's explanation was a bit vague; Zheng Fa looked at the modified 'Lingshan Method' again and finally understood the Sect Master's meaning—

To use an analogy:

The 'Lingshan Method' is somewhat like cultivating oneself into a large human-shaped battery.

But he needs a signal tower to transform the spiritual power within his body into the spiritual qi of the void.

As for why the Ancestor of Jiushan did not discover this problem, it is because he was originally a product of the spirit vein, runes, and Jiushan being three-in-one.

The cultivation techniques established by this Ancestor of Jiushan are all traps!

"Do you know why I was willing to accept you?" the Sect Master suddenly said.

Zheng Fa looked down at the modified 'Lingshan Method' in his hand.

"I worked hard to modify it once; if no one cultivates it, isn't that like a bright pearl covered in dust?" The Sect Master nodded, indicating that Zheng Fa guessed correctly: "But it is hard to find a fool willing to cultivate the 'Lingshan Method'!"

"..."

The few of them talked for a while about how to modify 'Saving the Little Cultivator Pang Qian'—in fact, in Zheng Fa's view, his own version still had many problems.

One was that his memory was not that good; when he watched the original version before, he did not think about remembering every shot, so there were still many blurry parts.

He prepared to watch it carefully again in the modern world.

The other was a problem of form.

He watched it on a computer, and it wasn't even 3D.

But what the Sect Master produced was in holographic projection mode.

The experience also had some differences.

The Sect Master actually had many ideas—he had played with the 'Heaven and Earth within the Hut' for so many years after all.

When Zheng Fa took his leave, Zhang Shijie suddenly seemed to remember something and said to the Sect Master:

"Reporting to the Sect Master, it seems a Spirit Cave has emerged in Taiyang Commandery; the Changchun Sect has already sent people to request aid from our Jiushan Sect."

Hearing this, the Sect Master's originally worldly and unconcerned face actually showed a few traces of solemnity.

"What do you think?"

"When a Spirit Cave emerges, the major sects of the Baixian Alliance will have some thoughts, and it may even attract the covetousness of the Demon Sect." Zhang Shijie said slowly: "The Changchun Sect has always been respectful to our sect, offering tribute every year; we cannot fail to save them."

The Sect Master nodded and said: "Since your master entrusted the General Affairs Hall to you, it is also trust in your ability—just go ahead and do it."

"Yes."

As Zhang Shijie and the other two walked down the Ninth Peak, Zheng Fa looked at Zhang Shijie, wanting to ask something.

"Zheng Shidi, your task now is to cultivate well." Zhang Shijie seemed to know his thoughts and said softly.

"I understand."

Zheng Fa was silent for a while and then spoke to respond.

The three walked side by side for a while; no one spoke.

Until the moment of parting, Zhang Shijie suddenly spoke: "You have already helped."

"Ah?"

"The Five Elements Talisman has increased my strength considerably." Zhang Shijie looked into the distance, and flames seemed to burn in her eyes: "If those Yan Xiaoxiao still think I have stagnated for these few decades and are causing trouble in the dark..."

Zheng Fa was stunned, looking at Zhang Shijie turn her head and smile at him: "The Jiushan Sect still has me, and three Nascent Soul True Persons; Junior Brother, you do not need to worry."

Watching Zhang Shijie's figure depart.

Zheng Fa knew, however, that this matter was not so simple.

Just now, the Sect Master's expression was rarely serious.

He also remembered that before, Zhang Shijie had wanted to transfer Senior Sister Yuan, probably also for this matter.

It can be seen that this matter is by no means trivial in Zhang Shijie's heart.

In the modern world, Zheng Fa sat in his seat, thinking silently.

He felt that his cultivation was not slow.

But compared to the troubles Zhang Shijie and the others are facing now, it probably won't be of much use.

If he really wants to help quickly, establishing a Spiritual Qi Laboratory in the modern world can no longer be delayed—even if the research results are not usable by him for a while, it is good if they are useful to Zhang Shijie and the others.

But—the 'Lingshan Method' needs a mountain!

Where did he find a suitable mountain range?

"Zheng Fa, my mom had the maid make soup and told me to bring you a bowl."

Tang Lingwu's voice came from the front row.

Zheng Fa looked up, his eyes brightening.

Look, the mountain came to me!

"A bowl of soup and you're smiling like that?" Wang Chen said sourly from beside him.

"You don't get it—I'm seeing mountains!"

"Pfft! Like I don't get it? I treat you like a brother—I know what's proper and what's not!" Wang Chen stared straight ahead, refusing to look at Tang Lingwu, wearing an expression of deep loyalty: "A friend's wife is not to be touched!"