Chapter 252: Each One

Sitting in the meditation chamber, Zheng Fa stared at the jade cylinder in his hand.

He had always known that, while not foolish, he was far from surpassing the prodigies of the Xuanwei Realm.

Today, Master Huang had confirmed his thoughts—

The three Nascent Soul elders of Jiushan Sect in the previous generation each unlocked a unique technique: the Rune Array, the Linked Rune, and the Momentary Blossom Method—each, in its own way, far from simple.

Zheng Fa had originally believed his own master was the strongest, while Master Huang seemed the weakest.

He thought this natural, since she was the youngest among the three Nascent Soul elders.

The Linked Rune Method, Zheng Fa had seen Master Pang use—it likely manipulated temporal sequences, chaining one spiritual rune to another, amplifying the spell's power dramatically.

The Rune Array Method, in his view, was even more advanced—a parallel instruction set where multiple runes operated independently yet synergized to accomplish a single grand task.

But Master Huang's Momentary Blossom Method truly opened his eyes—it was pure black technology.

Master Huang was the kind who fearlessly courted death, treating her own life as expendable—Zheng Fa was certain she had developed this method through near-certain death and sheer luck.

This once again warned him: never underestimate any high-level cultivator in the Xuanwei Realm.

Yet even these three had failed to reach Soul Transformation—how daunting the difficulty of Soul Transformation must be.

This dimmed his confidence in Zhang Shijie's ability to awaken the Jiushan Ancestor.

On the other hand, it made Zheng Fa realize: Soul Transformation was likely far harder than he'd imagined, especially since Jiushan Sect now faced two Soul Transformation cultivators.

…

The Momentary Blossom Method held greater reference value than the Linked Rune and Rune Array techniques.

It was nearly equivalent to forcibly achieving Soul Transformation.

Zheng Fa was deeply studying the Momentary Blossom Method, hoping to aid Zhang Shijie.

A voice came from outside the door: "I'm here."

He stood and stepped out to find Xiao Yuying standing in the courtyard, gazing at him with tangled hesitation and helplessness.

Clearly, she hadn't wanted to come…

Zheng Fa had spoken to her three days ago—given Xiao Yuying's Nascent Soul cultivation speed, three days was painfully slow—she had hesitated.

"Lady Xiao…"

Zheng Fa bowed.

"Your Jiushan Sect base is awfully empty," Xiao Yuying muttered, her tone tinged with complaint.

Zheng Fa smiled, understanding her meaning.

Everyone from Jiushan Sect had vanished—yet Zheng Fa had lured her here, making it sound as if she were being forced to take the blame.

Seeing him smile, Xiao Yuying grew even angrier. "Hmph! I only thought your words were interesting—whether I'll actually get involved? I haven't decided yet!"

Hearing her complaints, Zheng Fa merely smiled indifferently.

Jiushan Sect now faced a great calamity—her reluctance was understandable; yet he didn't feel he'd tricked her.

"Lady Xiao, if you don't wish to come, I won't force you."

Zheng Fa's words left Xiao Yuying speechless—she couldn't retort, yet felt he had seen through her thoughts entirely—how infuriating!

"Zheng Shidi! Your thing is amazing—I woke up at Golden Core mid-stage!" A cheerful voice rang from outside. "What's going on? Where's everyone? Where's Zhang Shijie?"

Yuan Shijie burst in as she spoke.

Upon entering, she saw Xiao Yuying and Zheng Fa standing together—Xiao Yuying's face half-ashamed, half-irritated, yet powerless against Zheng Fa.

She froze, bewildered. "Zheng Shidi… did you two drive Zhang Shijie away?"

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…

"Sister, why didn't you wait for me?"

Yuan Shijie's eyes were red as she sniffled.

Beside her, Xiao Yuying's expression held a touch of admiration: "I'd never heard of Zhang Wuyi before—she never retreated. But these past encounters made me think she'd grown soft, lost her edge…"

Hm?

Who's talking about softness?

"I'm going back to find Zhang Shijie!"

"Sister Yuan! Zhang Shijie returned to awaken the Jiushan Ancestor—what would you go back for?" Zheng Fa asked.

"… "

"Then what can I do…" Yuan Shijie trailed off, but Zheng Fa understood her meaning.

Seeing his master, Master Pang, and Zhang Shijie trapped in dire straits—how could he not be anxious?

Moreover, each of them was a pillar of Jiushan Sect—if they died, the sect's future would be bleak.

"Sister Yuan, I need you to stay and help me!"

Looking at Yuan Shijie's reluctant face, Zheng Fa spoke solemnly.

"Help you?"

"Yes. I must accumulate more Heavenly Merit points until I control the Heavenly Stele—only then can I hope to aid Zhang Shijie and the others."

Zheng Fa knew his cultivation was too low—this was the only way he could help.

Yuan Shijie sniffled, then nodded softly.

Watching this, Xiao Yuying suddenly spoke: "What was it you asked me to help you with before?"

"Hm?"

"I've agreed."

Zheng Fa stared at Xiao Yuying, who turned her head aside. "But let me be clear—I won't die for Jiushan Sect. If a Soul Transformation cultivator shows up, I have my own escape plan."

Seeing her half-lies, Zheng Fa bowed to her, offering a light, sincere salute.

…

Outside the Heavenly Stele Realm, two people still accompanied Zheng Fa.

One had changed from Zhang Shijie to Master Huang.

As Zheng Fa had said, controlling the Heavenly Stele was now the best way to aid Zhang Shijie.

With Zhang Shijie gone, the main source of Heavenly Merit was lost—Zheng Fa could only turn to Master Huang.

Master Huang didn't hesitate—she agreed immediately.

She was naturally aloof, unfamiliar with Zheng Fa and Yuan Shijie; walking through Lei Chi, they remained awkwardly silent.

Halfway there, Master Huang suddenly pulled out several letters and handed them to Zheng Fa, her voice tinged with discomfort: "Could you check these? Are the wordings acceptable?"

Zheng Fa blinked, opened the letters—and found they were all plea requests from Master Huang to other sects.

To other sects within the Hundred Immortal Alliance.

To external immortal sects.

Even to figures within the Five Great Sects of Xuanwei.

The tone was gentle, even humble—nothing like Master Huang's usual style. In Zheng Fa's view, she was arrogant, cared for no one but Zhang Shijie, utterly disdainful of others.

He'd never heard she had any close friends outside the sect.

"This is…"

"I traveled widely in my youth—I met some people," Master Huang murmured. "I'm… bad at making friends. I don't have Master Pang's charm."

"Some of these people? We barely exchanged a word."

Zheng Fa studied the letters again.

Suddenly, he understood Master Huang's intent.

"Master…"

He couldn't help speaking.

"Don't use that tone," Master Huang smiled. "My disciple is nearly dead—can't I, as her master, even beg for help?"

"… "

"I can ignore my pride—but I curse myself for lacking Master Pang's connections. I don't know if any of them still remember me."

Zheng Fa shook his head—he didn't think Master Pang would fare better here… he still remembered the previous events clearly.

Inside the Heavenly Stele Realm, the three pressed forward relentlessly. Zheng Fa spent nearly all his time traversing his own territory, only occasionally using Spirit Wood Thunder to cultivate plants in Banshan City.

Yuan Shijie and Master Huang were even busier—after a month of relentless effort, they earned over twenty thousand Heavenly Merit points.

"Based on the previous seal upgrades, the next one requires one hundred thousand Heavenly Merit points—I've already earned about eighty thousand," Zheng Fa calculated aloud. "But I don't know how many more upgrades are needed to control the Heavenly Stele…"

Yuan Shijie and Master Huang said nothing, their faces etched with exhaustion.

"Sisters, rest for now."

He urged.

"Zheng Shidi, we're higher in cultivation than you—look at yourself."

Yuan Shijie suddenly said.

Zheng Fa fell silent—he'd drained every drop of spiritual power in the Heavenly Stele Realm to cast more Thunder techniques; his mental fatigue was unimaginable.

Xiao Yuying was startled by the sight:

"You three…"

"Forgive us for the spectacle, Lady Xiao…"

Xiao Yuying nodded, her gaze seeming to understand. She turned to Zheng Fa: "You said you wanted me to wait here—what for?"

"That's precisely what I need you to help me with."

Zheng Fa was utterly exhausted—he didn't delay, merely tapped the Golden Seal before him. A gentle wind lifted all four, carrying them toward the Herb Garden.

The herb garden was just as it always had been.

But Xiao Yuying was momentarily dazzled, gazing at the golden bell humming in the sky and the revolving sun and moon stars surrounding it, her eyes filled with longing.

"Miss Xiao?"

Zheng Fa was puzzled.

"A cavernous spiritual treasure…" Xiao Yuying murmured.

"Hm?"

"I always suspected there was such a treasure in the Heavenly Stele Realm…" Xiao Yuying turned her gaze to Zheng Fa and said, "My master told me that wielding a cavernous spiritual treasure allows one to escape spiritual energy depletion—but I've never encountered such a treasure myself."

Zheng Fa froze, turning to look at the golden bell—was this thing really that valuable?

"Do you wonder why I came to the Heavenly Stele?"

"If this Lei Chi didn't have such a treasure to sustain it, how could it possibly hold back the Great Liberation Demon Cult?"

Xiao Yuying noticed his confused expression and spoke up.

But Zheng Fa wasn't pleased—

The more precious this thing was, the harder it seemed his goal of truly controlling the Heavenly Stele Realm would become.

As if sensing his thoughts, Xiao Yuying also turned her gaze to Zheng Fa and asked, "What is it you want me to do?"

Zheng Fa set aside his worries—thinking more wouldn't help now; he just needed to act.

"Between the rotation of sun and moon, there are twenty-four nodes, each possibly with unique changes."

"Unique changes?"

Zheng Fa didn't know how strong Xiao Yuying's sensitivity to electromagnetic fields was, so he thought for a moment and unleashed a Spirit Wood Thunder.

"What is this…?"

"Miss Xiao, do you sense anything from this thunder technique?"

Xiao Yuying frowned, seemingly understanding Zheng Fa's intent, then suddenly extended her right hand.

Her pale palm slowly turned a faint blue; the meridians beneath her skin took on a purplish hue, with faint sparks of electricity flickering within.

"Try again?"

Another Spirit Wood Thunder was unleashed.

In Xiao Yuying's right hand, a weak electric current responded.

Zheng Fa's face lit up, but he said nothing, only switched to a Spirit Wood Thunder of a different frequency.

Another faint electric current appeared.

Zheng Fa asked, "Miss Xiao, can you sense the difference between these two thunder techniques?"

His tone was slightly anxious.

This mattered for the precision of Xiao Yuying's electromagnetic laboratory.

In modern measurements, these two Spirit Wood Thunders required extremely high instrument precision.

"Yes," Xiao Yuying nodded. "Though subtle, the difference in intensity between them is very clear…"

Zheng Fa turned to look at Huang Yu and Yuan Shijie beside him.

Their faces were blank, or rather, clearly said: Where's the difference?

The electromagnetic track body really was cheating!

"Miss Xiao, just stand among the medicinal plants and see if any changes correspond to these two Spirit Wood Thunders."

Zheng Fa's idea was simple.

To verify whether the Spirit Wood Thunders were correct, he only needed to match the twenty-four changes in the herb garden with the eight Spirit Wood Thunders he had developed.

But only Xiao Yuying could perform this verification in the Heavenly Stele Realm…

No one else had this ability.

…

Half an hour later, Xiao Yuying told Zheng Fa firmly: "Of your eight Spirit Wood Thunders, I can sense corresponding changes in the herb garden for six—but two don't seem to exist at all."

Zheng Fa nodded silently.

This wasn't surprising—the seven of those eight Spirit Wood Thunders were generated by computer calculations; some error was inevitable.

That's precisely why Zheng Fa had to ask Xiao Yuying for help.

…

"Two of the Spirit Wood Thunders are flawed?"

In the retirement home, Tang Lingwumin considered this and said: "We can only rely on comparison—if there's even a slight data error, it affects our results."

Tang Muda beside her nodded: "The raw data isn't necessarily accurate—we receive too many electromagnetic waves daily—and these fluctuations are too faint."

"From an information theory standpoint, the noise is too high."

Zheng Fa understood that finding six Spirit Wood Thunders was already lucky—but…

"There's something I'd like to ask of you all…"

He fell silent for a moment, addressing the group in the retirement home; seeing his seriousness, their expressions turned grave.

"This month, I must… find the electromagnetic waves corresponding to the remaining eighteen Spirit Wood Thunders… No, for safety's sake, for each Spirit Wood Thunder, we should identify several candidate special electromagnetic waves."

This was a thought he'd just had.

He wasn't afraid of having too many special electromagnetic waves—Xiao Yuying could help him eliminate the extras.

He was only afraid there'd be too few to choose from.

"This is extremely important to me."

After Zheng Fa spoke, the old men exchanged glances but said nothing.

Then Bai Huzi said: "If it's this important, I have an idea…"

"Hm?"

"We should start showing the outside world our value."