Chapter 202: Fortune (4K)

"Zheng Shi-di, Zheng Shi-di!"

As Yuan Shijie's voice reached him, Zheng Fa had just swallowed a Zi Yun Pill; she walked in and stared fixedly at him—at the pill vial in his hand.

"Shi-jie?"

Zheng Fa, seeing her expression, assumed she was envious.

The Jiushan Sect had probably never in thousands of years seen a disciple treat spiritual pills like beans.

No matter how close the relationship, such preferential treatment would naturally stir thoughts.

Yuan Shijie glanced at the vial, then at Zheng Fa, and suddenly asked: "Tastes good?"

"Huh?"

"Tell me what this pill tastes like—sweet or salty? Is it fragrant?" Zheng Fa clearly heard Yuan Shijie swallow saliva.

"..."

He'd overestimated Yuan Shijie… she was just greedy!

"... Shi-jie, what did you come here for?"

"Oh, right." Yuan Shijie reluctantly tore her gaze from the vial and remembered her purpose: "I heard some disciples talking about Ling Ye Xianzi—saying she's incredibly powerful and plans to enter the Heavenly Stele… I came specially to tell you!"

"Ling Ye Xianzi?" Zheng Fa asked: "Who is she?"

Zheng Fa had been in the cultivation world too short a time and rarely left Jiushan Sect—he'd barely heard of most famous figures in Xuanwei.

"She…" Zheng Fa heard Yuan Shijie say: "She was even more renowned than Zhang Shijie back then… Some say, among their generation, Zhang Shijie had the greatest talent in talisman arts, while Ling Ye Xianzi had the greatest talent in thunder arts."

"Later, Zhang Shijie got stuck at Golden Core, but Ling Ye Xianzi advanced smoothly to Nascent Soul; some even thought Zhang Shijie was inferior to her."

Zheng Fa was slightly surprised.

Leaving aside other things, Zheng Fa knew better than anyone Zhang Shijie's talisman talent—the Foundation Establishment Talisman Method had been perfected by him, but its foundation was almost entirely laid by Zhang Shijie.

In other words, Zhang Shijie had nearly invented half a cultivation path herself.

Regarding Zhang Shijie's stagnation at Golden Core, Zheng Fa saw it differently from others:

Others thought Zhang Shijie's talent was limited, but Zheng Fa saw a genius who had leapt ahead—sometimes, too much talent makes one more likely to hit a dead end.

But this Ling Ye Xianzi's talent was truly not to be underestimated.

"I heard," Yuan Shijie's tone brimmed with envy: "This Ling Ye Xianzi has had unparalleled fortune since childhood—spiritual materials and magic treasures just fall from the sky…"

"Huh?"

Talent was one thing, but this kind of luck?

"Legend says when she was three, playing in the courtyard, a Thunder Essence Fruit smashed straight onto her head—after eating it, she had Qi Refining cultivation before even entering the path."

"When she first entered the path, celestial iron fell from the heavens, which she forged into her life treasure."

"Since childhood, wherever she went, she found spiritual plants; she constantly stumbled upon rare spiritual materials…"

"From her entry into the path to Nascent Soul, she must have consumed countless spiritual materials and acquired countless magic treasures…" As she spoke, Yuan Shijie swallowed again, imagining how many delicious things she'd eat if she had such fortune.

"This…" Zheng Fa looked at the vial in his hand and suddenly felt inferior: "It's too enviable!"

He was thrilled just to get spiritual materials from his shi-shu; look at her—Heaven itself delivered them!

"Exactly!" Yuan Shijie agreed wholeheartedly: "Now her so-called Magnetic Track Body is even called the Treasure-Collecting Body…"

"Wait… this Ling Ye Xianzi's body type is called Magnetic Track Body?"

Zheng Fa froze.

"Yes!"

…This Ling Ye Xianzi's attraction to treasures sounded almost scientific?

…

As Zheng Fa entered the main hall, he sensed Pang Shu's gaze at him was odd.

"Shi-shu?"

Zheng Fa couldn't help but frown.

"Ahem, Zheng Fa, what do you want?"

"Shi-shu, I'd like to ask—has a thousand-year Thunder Spider core ever appeared in the marketplace?"

"A thousand-year Yang Thunder Spider core?" Pang Shu frowned and said slowly: "Such beasts are rare to begin with; a thousand-year Yang Thunder Spider is especially formidable… Not just in Lei Chi marketplace, even in all of Xuanwei, these haven't been seen much lately. Why do you need it?"

"My master gave me three secret techniques; one is called Heavenly Net Thunder Armor—I'm currently cultivating it, and I need this thousand-year Yang Thunder Spider core."

"What does this secret technique do?" Pang Shu hesitated, as if reluctant to pry, then asked.

"The Heavenly Net Thunder Armor itself has formidable defensive power; for cultivators practicing Divine Thunder Controlling True Method, this technique lets them master the realm of condensing thunder into threads."

This was precisely why Zheng Fa wanted to cultivate this technique.

To master the Heavenly Stele's thunder arts, control over thunder is paramount.

"So that Yuan guy had something this good hidden away…" Pang Shu muttered: "But thousand-year Yang Thunder Spider cores are exceedingly rare—hard to find anytime soon, and even if found, the price would be astronomical."

Zheng Fa nodded.

Even if Pang Shu was generous with money, there were limits—and besides, whether you could even buy it was another question.

"No problem, I was just asking… I'll look for it in the Heavenly Stele." Zheng Fa remembered Yan Wushuang once saying the Hundred Treasures Hall in the Heavenly Stele realm had many thunder-type spiritual materials exchangeable for Heavenly Merit.

"Heavenly Stele…"

Unexpectedly, at the mention of "Heavenly Stele," Pang Shu's expression twisted, as if he wanted to say something.

His face shifted repeatedly, then he suddenly spoke: "Our Jiushan Sect's spiritual veins are actually quite good…"

"Huh?"

Zheng Fa blinked, confused why Pang Shu was saying this.

"I've spent my whole life in Jiushan Sect—I have deep feelings for this place…"

Zheng Fa began to understand Pang Shu's meaning.

"Actually… whether or not we control the Heavenly Stele doesn't matter much to Jiushan Sect," Pang Shu circled around finally revealing his point: "Whether we gain control of the Heavenly Stele is fate—gain it, I'm lucky; lose it, I accept it."

"Disciple understands."

"Good, you get my meaning." Pang Shu waved his hand: "I've already faced the Da Zizai Sect's demonic cult once—what's another?"

As he spoke, his expression radiated dominance, as if the Da Zizai Demon Cult meant nothing to him.

As Zheng Fa reached the edge of Lei Chi, he smiled toward Wulong Tian Gong—this shi-shu had started giving him a psychological pep talk in advance?

Clearly, Ling Ye Xianzi's reputation was immense.

…

Pang Shu wasn't the only one affected by Ling Ye Xianzi.

Yan Wushuang was even worse.

In the grand hall of the Heavenly Stele realm, Zheng Fa encountered Yan Wushuang with a gloomy face; seeing him, Yan Wushuang—who was usually warm—gave a listless greeting: "Zheng Brother, you're here?"

"Yan Brother, you…"

Sensing his expression was off, Yan Wushuang sighed: "Forgive me, Zheng Brother—ever since Xiao Xianzi arrived, my mind's been in chaos."

"... hat doesn't sound like you."

Zheng Fa knew Yan Wushuang somewhat—he wasn't the type to be intimidated by a name alone.

"You don't understand…" Yan Wushuang carefully said: "I rarely envy anyone's fortune—but this Xiao Xianzi… she's impossible not to envy."

"... iao Xianzi?" Zheng Fa, puzzled by his term, asked: "Yan Brother, do you know her?"

"Know her? Not really—about thirty years ago," Yan Wushuang seemed lost in memory: "Back then, a radiant glow shook a thousand li across the Hanhai Desert—rumors said a supreme treasure had emerged… Disciples from every sect went; of course, I went too."

Zheng Fa already understood what Yan Wushuang was about to say.

"Back then, we wandered that endless desert, our eyes sore from staring at the sand, searching for four full months... not a trace of the treasure." Yan Wushuang smiled bitterly. "Even that Xiao Immortal Miss came later, but she didn't bother looking—just strolled around for three days."

"We searched desperately in that endless desert, eyes sore from staring, for four whole months… We never even caught a glimpse of the treasure." Yan Wushuang chuckled bitterly: "Then Xiao Xianzi came too—she didn't search at all, just wandered around for three days."

"Three days…" Yan Wushuang's expression held thirty years of unresolved bewilderment: "That thing flew straight to her feet like a dog."

Seeing Yan Wushuang's shattered cultivation heart, Zheng Fa didn't know what to say.

"Zheng Brother, it's not that I lack willpower—it's just… this Xiao Xianzi's fortune is absurdly unfair!"

Zheng Fa opened his mouth but didn't say the thought that came to him—

Her situation… probably has some scientific basis…

Watching Yan Wushuang wander off in a daze, Zheng Fa shook his head and entered the Hundred Treasures Hall.

Watching Yan Wushuang wander off in despair, Zheng Fa shook his head and entered the Hundred Treasures Hall.

In the center of the hall stood a jade tablet, its surface shimmering with flowing light, listing spiritual materials and their required Heavenly Merit values.

There were many spiritual materials; Zheng Fa searched a long time before finding the thousand-year Yang Thunder Spider core he needed.

"Five hundred Heavenly Merit…"

Zheng Fa frowned—this was no small amount.

For example, Yan Wushuang and others had worked for months and barely gathered fifty Heavenly Merit.

According to the Divine Edict, using heavenly thunder to punish evil and reward good yielded at most ten Heavenly Merit—and only for the most heinous criminals.

For lesser crimes not involving murder or arson, you got zero Heavenly Merit—even if Yan Wushuang's group could control heavenly thunder, they couldn't earn such merit.

So five hundred Heavenly Merit was a lot.

As Zheng Fa pondered, a tall woman entered.

Her gaze paused on Zheng Fa, seemingly recognizing his Foundation Establishment realm, but she paid no mind—she simply walked to the jade tablet and studied the spiritual materials.

When she saw certain items, she muttered under her breath: "This… requires Heavenly Merit?"

Zheng Fa didn't need to hear more—he recognized her.

He bowed slightly to this brazen Ling Ye Xianzi as a greeting.

【101】 She nodded at him, saying nothing.

The gap in their cultivation bases was too great, so Zheng Fa had no intention of speaking; he simply turned to leave, though as he turned, he couldn't help but glance at the other's Divine Ranking Scroll.

Gold…

…

Zheng Fa's spiritual soul was attached to the statue.

He was still thinking about the Electromagnetic Trajectory Body of the Immortal Ling Ye.

Zheng Fa had long suspected—Xuanwei Realm wasn't without electromagnetic sensitivity; it was just that electromagnetic sensitivity was unstable under the influence of spiritual energy.

But judging from Immortal Ling Ye's past experiences of scavenging treasures everywhere, she likely had some talent in this area—either she could attract those treasures.

Or she could sense the unstable magnetic fields emitted by those treasures.

Perhaps even both.

Thinking of this, Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency.

He had previously assumed that Xuanwei Realm cultivators lacked the proper observational tools and could never truly understand how to control the power of heavenly tribulation lightning.

But if Immortal Ling Ye truly could sense changes in electromagnetic fields… she already possessed a highly refined observational method.

It was just that people in Xuanwei Realm probably preferred to treat it as a natural talent.

Just as he was pondering this, a loud gurgle suddenly came from beneath the statue.

Zheng Fa looked down.

The little girl who seemed to be his temple attendant was clutching her stomach, frowning, her face twisted in pain.

She looked as if she hadn't eaten in days.

Zheng Fa thought about it—indeed, it had been several days since anyone had offered him offerings; not a single person had come to the temple all day.

The temple seemed forgotten.

As he wondered, Zheng Fa suddenly heard the little temple attendant thinking:

"Lord Thunder, please manifest your divine power once more."

"… "

He heard her think again: "Even just a single sound, like a few days ago—everyone says I imagined it…"

"… "

"If Lord Thunder doesn't manifest again, Banshan City will have another Lord Thunder!"

These words made Zheng Fa, who had been watching coldly, pause.

Another god?

Isn't this my fief?

The little temple attendant, apparently used to being alone, began speaking aloud as she thought:

"The Thunder Sect has stolen all our worshippers lately; they keep saying their sect leader will become a god in these two days… I hear he can actually control heavenly thunder." The little attendant muttered: "Now everyone in the city is giving offerings to them—there's nothing left to offer Lord Thunder!"

Zheng Fa heard clearly.

It seemed a mortal had somehow gained some cultivation—or perhaps just some magic tricks—and was trying to steal his livelihood…

Zheng Fa didn't know who his previous Lord Thunder had been, or where he was now.

But clearly, the previous deity had long ceased to manifest.

Over time, the people of the city had grown disillusioned and begun worshipping this "living deity" instead.

"The sect leader says that once he ascends to godhood, his followers will live in comfort, with food and clothing guaranteed… He's attracted many."

Zheng Fa nodded inwardly—he actually thought this sect leader was talented; if he hadn't committed any crimes, Zheng Fa would have considered investigating him and replacing this temple attendant who only stole offerings.

"But I know he's lying… What kind of good life? Just a bunch of people running around naked, doing improper things all day in their big house!"

The little attendant said bitterly.

… This sect leader was talented, but too talented—he couldn't be allowed to live…

"My ancestors have served as temple attendants for Lord Thunder for generations—I know him well. It's only because Lord Thunder doesn't manifest…" the little attendant continued daydreaming: "… then what would the Thunder Sect even be? They'd be terrified out of their wits by Lord Thunder!"

"State your name."

Zheng Fa finally spoke.

"Lord Thunder?" The little attendant jumped three feet in the air.

"It is I."

Hearing this, the little attendant turned pale and suddenly fainted…

What, are you scared? Are you the Thunder Sect leader who holds those naked gatherings?

(End of Chapter)