Chapter 131: The Heavy Burden

When Zhang Shijie spoke these words, the thatched cottage held not only her and Zheng Fa, but also Yuan Shijie, Zhou Gan, and the Sect Master.

"Teach at the Rune Law Pavilion?" Zheng Fa pointed at his own nose. "Me?"

Zheng Fa remembered that instructors at the Rune Law Pavilion were all Foundation Establishment senior brothers.

He had only just entered the sect, and now he was barely at Qi Refining fourth level.

"You're already an Xian-grade rune master," Zhang Shijie nodded. "I've watched your rune mastery grow these past months—you're more than qualified to be an instructor."

Zheng Fa still hesitated upon hearing this.

"The theater project has only just begun—I really can't spare the time…"

He wasn't making excuses.

"Save Little Cultivator Pang Qian" had been shown twice within the sect, but few external cultivators had attended—he and Zhang Shijie had set the external ticket price rather high.

One spirit stone bought only three tickets—more than triple the internal price.

Last time, few external cultivators in the marketplace were willing to go—most who took the free shuttle had little money.

The price really strained their wallets.

There was no quick fix; word-of-mouth would have to spread slowly.

But the plan for the second play had already been put on the agenda by him and the Sect Master—now, with support from Jiushan Sect disciples, they could at least break even on each play.

It would also enrich the entertainment lives of Jiushan Sect's brothers and sisters.

Not to mention his own cultivation, money-making, and rune research—all demanded limited time.

Seeing Zheng Fa reluctant,

Zhang Shijie shook her head. "To you, the Rune Law Pavilion is far more important than the theater."

Zheng Fa looked at her, puzzled, and saw Zhou Gan nodding silently beside her.

Zhou Gan, seeing Zheng Fa stare at him, spoke up to explain for Zhang Shijie: "I think what Zhang Shijie means is that she wants you to eventually take over the Rune Law Pavilion."

"Take over the Rune Law Pavilion?"

Zheng Fa glanced at Zhang Shijie; she said nothing, only gave a slight nod.

"Zheng Shixiong, the conflict between our two lines stems from how we train disciples within the Rune Law Pavilion," Zhou Gan sighed gently. "You've seen the clashes between our two lines."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly, recalling the brawls that had broken out the moment he first entered the sect.

"Our two lines teach differently," Zhou Gan explained. "I heard you and your partner debate runes—I realized your line focuses on researching Yuan Fu."

"My master's line doesn't emphasize Yuan Fu—we use them if we have them, but if not, we still make do with older rune diagrams."

Zheng Fa found this absurd: "Can this really cause conflict?"

"Not conflict," Zhang Shijie shook her head. "But it's a difference in understanding the Dao."

"Simply put, I believe man can overcome heaven; Master Pang believes in following heaven's flow."

"For example, regarding spiritual energy decline, I believe we must find solutions."

"Master Pang believes we shouldn't force it."

Zheng Fa still felt these two had no real conflict—let her research if she wants, what does it matter to Master Pang?

"I never mentioned this before, but among the Hundred Immortal Alliance, there are cultivators like me, and others like Master Pang."

"We believe the ancients failed, and we seek new paths to reverse spiritual energy decline," Zhang Shijie said softly. "I study new rune methods; others study different things—all the same."

"Master Pang and his followers think our ideas are too unlikely—and they waste the Alliance's scarce current resources," Zhang Shijie paused, then continued. "They believe the Xuanwei Realm is on the brink of chaos; we mustn't squander resources on such pursuits."

Now Zheng Fa began to understand.

It was a choice between now or the future:

Zhang Shijie's view was excellent—he agreed with it completely.

If the ancients kept failing, was standing still just waiting to die?

But Master Pang had his own logic—sister, the enemy's almost at the gate; who has time for your research?

If you succeed and someone steals it, you've just made someone else's success.

If you fail, isn't that just wasting resources?

Seeing Zheng Fa seemed to grasp it, Zhang Shijie whispered: "To perfect the 'Rune Foundation Method,' I used nearly the resources needed to cultivate three Golden Core cultivators."

Zheng Fa recalled how, when Zhang Shijie once described her solitary path as a prodigy facing the world's enmity, he thought it exaggerated—now he understood: in this era, using so many resources, who else would you expect to be targeted?

"This kind of…" Zheng Fa searched for a word to describe the two factions: "... onservative versus reformist conflict—is it intense within the Hundred Immortal Alliance?"

"Somewhat," Zhang Shijie explained. "People like me are few; people like Master Pang are many. But those who hold my views usually hold some status within the sect."

Of course—not just anyone bold enough to claim they'd forge a new path could be a genius like Zhang Shijie.

This conflict, ultimately, was about how to respond to spiritual energy decline.

Zhang Shijie saw the most fundamental issue—she believed solving spiritual energy decline was the true path.

But Master Pang saw more practically:

Survive the coming chaos first, then address spiritual energy decline.

With limited resources and time, the two were nearly incompatible.

"What does this have to do with me leading the Rune Law Pavilion?" Zheng Fa asked.

"Among our two lines, Master Pang oversees the Discipline Hall, I oversee the General Affairs Pavilion—we've kept our distance," Zhang Shijie told Zheng Fa. "But the Rune Law Pavilion trains our disciples—it's the most crucial place, shaping the balance of power between our lines, and the most prone to conflict."

"Neither side is suitable to lead the Rune Law Pavilion—only you, as the Sect Master's heir, hold the position that both sides can accept."

"And if you wish to reconcile the two lines, you must begin with the Rune Law Pavilion."

Zhang Shijie's words left Zheng Fa silent.

He knew this arrangement was meant for his own good.

Though it brought no immediate benefit, it was the necessary path to becoming a worthy future Sect Master.

He hesitated because he asked himself: Do I even have the ability to resolve this conflict now?

Zheng Fa believed his greatest strength was knowing his limits:

His cultivation was still only Qi Refining.

His rune mastery couldn't claim to surpass Zhang Shijie's.

These decades of conflict weren't just about ideology, as Zhang Shijie mentioned.

There were also old grudges between disciples of the two lines.

All he had was his status as Sect Master's heir—how could he possibly resolve this?

"I know your cultivation is still lacking," Zhang Shijie added. "Start as an instructor; once you reach Foundation Establishment, we can discuss taking over the Rune Law Pavilion… If you feel it's too soon, wait until after you've reached Foundation Establishment."

Zheng Fa felt warmth in his chest—Zhang Shijie still respected his own wishes.

"Go! Why not? A mere instructor position makes you hesitate?" The Sect Master's voice suddenly rang out. "My disciple shouldn't be so timid!"

"..."

"Back when I was young, if I'd had a chance to serve the sect, I would've thrown myself into it without hesitation, stepped forward, led by example!"

"..."

Zheng Fa didn't believe a word—this old man was definitely boasting.

"Now you're the sole heir to the Sect Master position—you'll bear the Sect Master's burden. How can you shy away from minor difficulties?"

The Sect Master continued, lamenting bitterly.

Zheng Fa fell silent for a moment, then bowed slightly to Zhang Shijie. "Sister, I'll take the instructor position."

Zhang Shijie's eyes lit with satisfaction.

The Sect Master beside her smiled and nodded—clearly pleased he'd successfully motivated his disciple.

"Just now, I thought about it," Zheng Fa suddenly said. "To reconcile the two lines, ordinary teaching methods won't work. I'd like to try something new."

Zhang Shijie asked curiously, "How do you plan to teach?"

Zheng Fa looked at the Sect Master beside him.

The Sect Master's smile slowly froze—he sensed something bad coming.

"I want to use the Cottage's Heaven-and-Earth Art to let Rune Law Pavilion disciples undergo simulated trials."

"Simulated…?" Zhang Shijie frowned, seemingly confused. "Trials?"

"Cottage's Heaven-and-Earth Art?" The Sect Master's face screamed: Trouble.

"My idea is to revise the plays further, so disciples can experience real cultivation-world battles," Zheng Fa explained. "Let them train within these battlefields."

He detailed his idea to the group.

What Zheng Fa wanted was esports—but with 100% realism.

It had been his thought since the first time he watched a play.

The Cottage's Heaven-and-Earth Art could let Jiushan Sect disciples truly experience war.

After hearing his idea, Zhang Shijie and the others' eyes brightened.

"Train Jiushan Sect disciples in real combat?" Zhang Shijie always saw from the sect's perspective. "That's necessary—the great chaos is coming, and Jiushan disciples have been too long in peace."

"Fun! This is even better than the plays!" Yuan Shijie said.

"Zheng Shixiong, when do you officially start?" Zhou Gan asked, clearly eager to try it himself.

But one person stayed silent.

This person had been the loudest moments ago—but now he had shut his mouth and quietly stepped back two paces.

"Master?" Zheng Fa smiled innocently at the Sect Master, now three steps away. "What do you think?"

"I think your idea is great. Very great."

"Then the development of this new technique must rely on you, Master!"

"How simple do you think this is?!" the Sect Master muttered upon hearing this.

Zheng Fa knew it wasn't simple—the logic behind them was entirely different—video games and movies were two entirely different products.

But from the Sect Master's expression, it was clear he wasn't incapable—he just found it troublesome.

After all, the Inner Chamber's Realm was the Sect Master's favorite; he'd do anything for love.

But Zheng Fa's new idea—the task descending from the heavens.

Given this old man's aversion to trouble, getting him to move was hard enough.

"Master, when you were young, you threw yourself into the sect's service without hesitation, leading from the front, never shirking duty—how can you now be so timid?" Zheng Fa recited smoothly: "Master, you now bear the weight of the Sect Master's responsibilities—how can you evade minor difficulties… right?"

Sect Master: "..."

At Zheng Fa's home, he sat on a meditation cushion—he wouldn't go to the Talisman Hall until the Sect Master's new technique was developed; even if he went, he could do nothing.

During this time, he also wanted to push his cultivation as much as possible.

Tonight, he must break through to Qi Refining Fifth Layer.