Chapter 83: Returning to the Residence

Creating a spiritual qi environment in the modern world has always been Zheng Fa's idea.

This idea is based on an extremely realistic need—he can no longer endure it.

To let Bai Lao decipher the talisman diagrams, Zheng Fa felt he had become a scanner plus a printer.

Acting as a scanner in the Xuanwei Realm, memorizing those disgusting talisman diagrams day and night.

Acting as a printer in the modern world, drawing them out day and night.

It can be said that notebook was written with wisdom and sweat—Bai Lao was responsible for the wisdom, Zheng Fa for the sweat.

Leaving aside whether this method is sustainable, it also wastes a great deal of time.

In the modern world, he must take the college entrance exam and study.

In this world, he must also study literature and martial arts, and cultivate in the future.

Even if he can later master topology proficiently and no longer rely on Bai Lao, this method is truly somewhat inefficient.

Modern knowledge is endless; can he possibly learn every single subject?

Zheng Fa has always had a clear understanding of himself—his confidence never comes from his own talent, but from the entire modern knowledge reserve and talent reserve.

From the moment he realized he needed to borrow brains, Zheng Fa had a conception: just like those ecosystem experiments he had seen, he wanted to establish a cultivation laboratory in the modern world within a spiritual qi environment.

Ideally, he would find talents from various disciplines to use their knowledge and wisdom to research the various mysteries of cultivation; only then could he truly leverage his own advantages.

Perhaps Bai Lao had never said he was his student, and Zheng Fa had never called the old man "teacher."

But Bai Lao would seriously tell him that to go far, they must walk together.

And Zheng Fa would always keep this firmly in mind.

This was, of course, just a conception, with all sorts of problems: how to find and attract reliable and capable people, how to build an organization—these were fields Zheng Fa had never touched.

But the greatest obstacle actually came from the fact that there was simply no spiritual qi in the modern world.

This "Lingshan Method" gave him hope.

Watching Zheng Fa tuck the jade slip of the "Lingshan Method" into his robes, the Jiushan Ancestor waved his hand; Zheng Fa felt only a clear wind wrap around his entire body, carrying him down toward the foot of Jiushan.

When he raised his eyes again, the towering, boundless Jiushan had vanished.

A certain realization arose in his heart—this Jiushan was probably conjured by the Jiushan Ancestor himself, rather than the nine mountains of the actual Jiushan Sect flying over.

"Zheng Fa?"

The voice of the Seventh Young Master came from his ear; Zheng Fa turned his head and saw that all those who had fallen from the plank walkway were standing on the plaza of the Ascension Platform.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for the results." The Seventh Young Master was concise and to the point, which was truly not like his character.

One look at the Seventh Young Master's face, and Zheng Fa understood.

This guy was nervous.

The atmosphere around them now was exactly like the legendary college entrance exam score check—

Many people were on the plaza, but few spoke; only hushed whispers allowed one to feel the anxiety in their hearts.

Zheng Fa did not know how long they waited.

From the hall where the immortal-grade mirror was placed, that inhuman voice came again:

"The results of the Immortal-Grade Assembly are out."

As these words fell, Zheng Fa noticed that most people suddenly vanished into the colorful clouds, while for those who remained, the halos beneath their feet, symbolizing the Initial Grade, began to rise slowly, condensing in the air into tokens resembling the Immortal-Grade Tokens.

The token before Zheng Fa still bore the pattern of Jiushan, but its material had changed from jade to an unknown black metal, cold to the touch.

He turned to look at the Seventh Young Master; the token before the Seventh Young Master was made of bamboo, with a large tree painted on it, probably the token of the Qingmu Sect.

The Seventh Young Master's expression was dazed; looking at the token before him, he seemed afraid to reach out, as if reaching out would pierce this dream.

"What's wrong? Think it's ugly and don't want it?"

Zheng Fa asked with a smile.

"It is a bit ugly." The Seventh Young Master grabbed the token tightly in his hand, but still complained: "Using bamboo is too poor and shabby."

Zheng Fa glanced at the veins bulging on his left hand from the force, and smiled.

He looked around and found that the number of people able to enter the Baixian Alliance this time was not very large.

Those with tokens added up to just over two hundred.

Just the people participating in the talisman and method assessment numbered at least a thousand; calculating this way, the probability of passing the Immortal-Grade Assembly might be one in ten, or even less.

Among them, sects like the Jiushan Sect and the Qingmu Sect recruited more people, around twenty or thirty—thinking about it, one could understand; even if resources were tight for major sects, they still had more confidence than those minor sects.

While he was observing these people, the colorful clouds beneath their feet suddenly began to churn and surge; Xu Duoduo scattered and floated down before them.

A white cloud landed before Zheng Fa and, with a whinny, transformed into a pure white steed.

It rubbed its head against Zheng Fa's shoulder, warm breath blowing on his neck, as if inviting him to mount.

Beside every person who passed the Immortal-Grade Assembly stood such a steed.

Beside the Seventh Young Master was one with golden-yellow fur.

"Mount up!" The Seventh Young Master shouted excitedly at Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa swung himself onto the horse; the white horse beneath him let out a soft neigh, its hooves lightly tapping as it carried him into a gallop.

Before his eyes was a vast sky and open land; beside his ears, the wind flowed and clouds moved.

He rode the horse across the long sky, galloping through the air.

Sunlight struck his figure and the horse's, casting rings of golden light, like the legends of immortals descending to the mortal world in storybooks.

Zheng Fa, the Seventh Young Master, and Zhou Qianyuan's horses were almost side by side, heading toward Jingzhou City on the ground.

"Zheng Fa!"

"Hmm?"

"This master has discovered he is not afraid of heights!" The Seventh Young Master laughed loudly in the air: "If I return like this, everyone in the whole city will see my glory!"

Zheng Fa also looked toward Jingzhou City, drawing ever closer.

"Those who called me useless can now see I've entered the Qingmu Sect! Let's see if they still dare to look down on me!" Young Master Seven chattered incessantly; seemingly having held back for a long time, Zheng Fa simply continued listening.

"My mother might even be watching me and crying right now!" Young Master Seven fantasized. "I've brought honor to her today! Let me tell you, the moment I arrive home, she'll surely come rushing over and praise me with all her might!"

Compared to the smugness he displayed while venting earlier, Zheng Fa now saw even stronger anticipation on Young Master Seven's face.

Zhou Qianyuan, standing nearby, also watched Young Master Seven muttering away, his eyes seeming to confirm something even more firmly.

They soon arrived above Jingzhou City; the spirited horses beneath them galloped so low they nearly brushed the eaves of wealthy households.

Upon entering the city, Zhou Qianyuan immediately parted ways with the two, heading toward the large courtyard from which he had come.

Zheng Fa and the other proceeded toward the Zhao residence.

As they drew near, both could already see their relatives gathered in Zhang Shijie's small courtyard, looking up and awaiting their arrival.

The moment the two landed, the spirited horses carrying them transformed into a cloud of colorful mist and drifted leisurely upward into the sky.

Young Master Seven saw his mother, accompanied by his elder sister, hastening toward him—moving faster than he had imagined, their faces brighter with joy than he had expected.

He waited expectantly for his mother's praise, and then... he watched her sprint past him, rushing straight to Zheng Fa's side.

Young Master Seven slowly turned his head, gazing at his mother's heartless back as she sped away, leaving only dust in her wake.

"Mother, I'm over here!" he couldn't help but shout, somewhat suspecting his mother was so overcome with emotion that she had mistaken someone else for him.

The Lady waved a hand at him without even turning her head, and walked directly to Zheng Fa's side.

Young Master Seven heard his mother exclaim in admiration, "I always thought you, Zheng Fa, possessed some talent, but I never expected your talent to be so astonishing!"

The Young Lady standing nearby also nodded, appearing genuinely delighted for Zheng Fa.

... This scene matched Young Master Seven's imagination exactly, except the roles seemed slightly misplaced.

Zheng Fa, facing the Lady directly, noticed that the corners of her eyes were red.