Chapter 97: Choice

Zheng Fa had never imagined he would see Senior Sister Zhang like this—

As he walked toward Senior Sister Zhang's backyard, the first thing he heard was a rumbling sound.

Raising his eyes, he discovered a waterfall on Ninth Mountain, white as a silken ribbon, surging down from the cliff and crashing into Senior Sister Zhang's backyard.

Indeed, the moment he stepped through the backyard gate, a wave of cool mist struck his face.

Beneath this waterfall lay a small lake spanning over half a mu, with a small pavilion situated on its shore.

Senior Sister Zhang sat on the steps before the pavilion, her plain-colored skirt hem slightly lifted to her ankles, her bare jade feet dangling and swaying in the lake water.

It was somewhat beautiful, but also somewhat mad...

This waterfall was likely formed from melted snow on Ninth Mountain; even from several zhang away, Zheng Fa could faintly feel the chilling cold of the lake water.

Inside the small pavilion sat another person, fifteen or sixteen years old, with a slightly round face, who had been boredly watching Senior Sister Zhang play in the water until seeing him enter made her eyes light up as she called out to Senior Sister Zhang: "He's here!"

Zheng Fa took two steps forward, first cupping his fists toward Senior Sister Zhang and saying, "Senior Sister Zhang."

After speaking, he turned to the young girl beside her and asked, "May I ask how this Senior Sister should be addressed?"

"My surname is Yuan; just call me Senior Sister Yuan."

Although the young girl spoke with a smile, Zheng Fa clearly sensed no warmth in her eyes.

"Senior Sister Yuan, pleased to meet you."

Seeing her expression remain indifferent, Zheng Fa merely offered a greeting.

Senior Sister Zhang turned her head without rising, simply nodding to Zheng Fa as she said, "I heard you chose the Five Thunders Dharma Body?"

Zheng Fa was startled, thinking she intended to dissuade him, and prepared to speak.

Senior Sister Zhang waved her hand and stated directly, "I am not your master, so I care not what you choose—however, the Five Thunders Dharma Body cultivation technique is somewhat special."

"Special?"

"Have you ever heard the rumor that our Jiushan Sect once dominated the world relying on this Five Thunders Dharma Body?"

"I heard Senior Brother Han mention it."

"Do you know why?"

"The Five Thunders Dharma Body can greatly enhance the power of Lei Fu..." Zheng Fa thought for a moment and voiced the reason Han Qi had told him back then.

"It is not that simple; while the Five Thunders Dharma Body cultivation technique can strengthen talisman arts, it can be cultivated even during the Qi Condensation stage, so naturally, this effect is limited." Senior Sister Zhang glanced at Zheng Fa and said, "The Five Thunders Dharma Body is linked to a peerless true transmission of our Jiushan Sect; only upon completing the Five Thunders Dharma Body can one cultivate this true transmission cultivation technique."

"..." Zheng Fa frowned and asked, "Then why has no one been able to cultivate the Five Thunders Dharma Body for a thousand years?"

According to Han Qi's account, Profound Thunder Stones were scarce, but not nonexistent.

If one could successfully cultivate the Five Thunders Dharma Body and immediately follow it with a true transmission cultivation technique, the cost-performance ratio would be extremely high.

"Because the spiritual materials required for that true transmission are even harder to find."

"I see... Thank you for the guidance, Senior Sister Zhang."

Zheng Fa now understood Senior Sister Zhang's purpose in summoning him.

She assumed he coveted the powerful effects of the Five Thunders Dharma Body, so she was informing him that to truly make it effective, one must also cultivate that specific true transmission.

Zheng Fa was not particularly concerned about this matter; his main reason for cultivating the Five Thunders Dharma Body was to achieve the Qingyang Dao Body.

Observing his expression, Senior Sister Zhang nodded and said, "As long as you know this, it is fine."

Senior Sister Yuan beside them suddenly spoke up: "Speaking of which, isn't the Sect Master cultivating the Divine Thunder Talisman Control True Method?"

Senior Sister Zhang nodded, explaining to the somewhat confused Zheng Fa: "The Divine Thunder Talisman Control True Method is that very true transmission; among all of our Jiushan Sect, only the Sect Master has had the fortune to practice it—well, he completed it a thousand years ago."

"If you cultivate the Five Thunders Dharma Body, you might even earn an audience with the Sect Master." Senior Sister Yuan looked at Zheng Fa and suddenly smiled: "His Venerable Self resides high atop Ninth Mountain, does not even have a single disciple, and rarely sees anyone."

As she spoke these words, her face was filled with a joking expression—clearly, she did not believe a mere Five Thunders Dharma Body held such influence.

After finishing the discussion on the Five Thunders Dharma Body, Senior Sister Zhang stood up and looked at Zheng Fa with a serious expression.

Her eyes held no emotion as she gently asked:

"I once said I saw potential in your future; do you know why?"

Zheng Fa shook his head.

"Did you obtain the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method from the Ancestor?"

Mentioning this, Zheng Fa's expression became hard to describe—he had checked both the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method and the Lingshan Method immediately after cultivating his divine sense.

The Lingshan Method was normal enough, merely requiring entry at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, which was out of reach for his current cultivation base.

As for the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method, he had long heard the Jiushan Ancestor describe this cultivation technique as a half-finished product.

But only after seeing it did he realize that calling it a half-finished product was actually a display of Gao Qing.

This cultivation technique consisted of merely a few hundred words in total.

Zheng Fa translated the main content as follows:

I have an incredibly brilliant idea!

Based on this idea, I could create an unparalleled foundation establishment method!

But I am already at the Nascent Soul stage, so I have no use for it and can't be bothered to think it through.

Creating this method is very simple; I have even written down the principles for you, so you successors just need to ponder it a bit and you should figure it out!

What Fermat behavior!

Seeing his expression, Senior Sister Zhang rarely curved the corners of her mouth upward, seeming to fully comprehend Zheng Fa's speechlessness at this moment.

"What do you think of this foundation establishment method?"

"... Setting aside the fact that we don't know how to practice it, this cultivation technique is indeed formidable." Zheng Fa thought for a moment and still offered a rather tactful evaluation.

The smile at the corner of Senior Sister Zhang's mouth grew wider.

However, this remark was not entirely due to Gao Qing; the Ancestor's idea truly opened Zheng Fa's eyes.

The Jiushan Ancestor, while studying the Mountain and River True Form Talisman, noticed that the four talisman characters were subtly absorbing corresponding talisman diagrams from the void to maintain their existence—so he wondered, if one condensed a talisman diagram within the dantian, could it not also automatically absorb talisman diagrams from the void?

Zheng Fa thought for a moment; this might actually be possible—during talisman creation, the talisman patterns attract each other, and if what Zhang Shijie said was true, that the patterns themselves were traces of spiritual energy flow.

Then the "Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique" was practically like an auto-running cultivation system.

More importantly, Zhang Shijie seemed to have already become a Jin Dan by relying on the "Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique."

Zhang Shijie seemed to know his thoughts; she pulled out a jade cylinder and said, "This is my perfected version of the 'Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique.'"

Zheng Fa responded promptly: "What does Sister Zhang require of me?"

Zhang Shijie smiled faintly and tossed the jade cylinder; Zheng Fa instinctively caught it.

"?"

"Cultivating this is the price you must pay."

"Huh?"

"The 'Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique' is still incomplete," Zhang Shijie said, looking at Zheng Fa.

"What do you mean, Sister?" Zheng Fa sensed something.

"I forged my Dao foundation using the 'Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique.' Only after forming my Jin Dan did I realize it was flawed—I stagnated for ten years, and only through deeper understanding of talisman Dao could I make up for it," Zhang Shijie said bluntly. "Now do you understand why I value you?"

Zheng Fa understood.

If he cultivated this technique, he might fall into the same predicament as Zhang Shijie.

"If you don't wish to cultivate this technique, you may leave now," Zhang Shijie said softly, her expression neither sad nor joyful.

Zheng Fa clenched the jade cylinder in his hand; without even a single breath of hesitation, he looked at Zhang Shijie and said, "Brother Zheng is willing to learn."

…

Zheng Fa had no choice.

After so long in Jiushan Sect, he had long understood—

He, the talisman prodigy, was valuable, yet also worthless.

The talisman artists of Jiushan Sect were like artisans.

The Administration Hall would purchase talismans drawn by disciples and sell them externally.

If unwilling to trade through the Administration Hall, talisman artists could trade in the marketplace—yes, Jiushan Sect took a tax.

To Jiushan Sect, Zheng Fa, the talisman prodigy, was certainly valuable—he drew excellent talismans that brought profit to the sect.

But to other disciples, Zheng Fa not only competed for their spiritual materials but might also steal their market—any benefits they gained from him were far outweighed by the threat of his competition.

This led to Zheng Fa's awkward position within Jiushan Sect—

For example, Zhou Qianyuan, though less gifted in talisman Dao than him, had long been taken as a disciple by True Person Pang thanks to his single-element root and Dao body; his boldness in slapping Li Shixiong's face in front of so many revealed his confidence.

Yet no one paid him any attention—only Zhang Shijie had quietly been backing him.

In the end, a cultivation prodigy and a talisman prodigy were different.

A cultivation prodigy could enter the sect without knowing talisman Dao.

Jiushan Sect's upper echelons valued cultivation prodigies because they were the sect's future pillars, the ballast stones in times of chaos in the Cultivation World.

They valued talisman prodigies only because they could bring profit to Jiushan Sect.

People like Zhang Shijie, who truly valued talisman talent, were rare—let alone her past help to him; clearly, he couldn't afford to lose this powerful ally.

Moreover, the "Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique" was the cultivation technique that best leveraged his talisman expertise.

Hearing this, Yuan Shijie beside him looked dejected and handed Zhang Shijie a deep black ore: "I lost!"

"?"

"I told you—he's clever."

Zhang Shijie took the stone and immediately passed it to Zheng Fa: "Xuan Lei Stone."

"..."

Zheng Fa held the Xuan Lei Stone.

Han Qi had told him its price: at least twenty spirit stones, and even then, it was scarce.

Looking at Zhang Shijie, he felt the happiness of having secured a wealthy benefactor.

"Come sit," Zhang Shijie gestured to him, inviting Zheng Fa into the small pavilion.

Although Yuan Shijie had lost a Xuan Lei Stone, her gaze toward Zheng Fa had grown much warmer.

Zheng Fa knew—he was finally accepted by Zhang Shijie's little circle.

"What do you think of Jiushan Sect?" After some idle chatter, Zhang Shijie suddenly asked.

Zheng Fa froze, recalling the same question Zhuang Shixiong had once asked him.

"What? Is it that hard to answer?" Zhang Shijie noticed his odd expression.

"I was thinking of Zhuang Shixiong," Zheng Fa told Zhang Shijie everything Zhuang Shixiong had said to him.

"... Him," Zhang Shijie laughed. "Always like this."

"... Does he really hate prodigies?"

"... He himself is a prodigy. He doesn't hate you—he simply wants to destroy every immortal sect."

"!"

Yuan Shijie chimed in: "If you ask me, Zhuang Shidi is the most ruthless one in Jiushan Sect."

"Zhuang Shidi's talent is actually excellent," Zhang Shijie explained. "He was only discovered by my master in his thirties—he'd long passed the ideal age for cultivation—but my master valued his talent and admitted him directly into the Immortal Realm."

"... But Zhuang Shixiong doesn't seem that strong."

"He's extremely lazy. If not for me and my master forcing him, he probably hasn't even reached Foundation Establishment," Zhang Shijie said with a hint of helplessness. "This man... refuses to cultivate, and even refuses to use spiritual materials."

Zhang Shijie added: "Truthfully, we dare not let him cultivate too much..."

... Indeed, what a Cultivation World fanatic.

"Do you know what he's thinking?"

"I don't know."

Zheng Fa now felt profoundly shaken.

"He said Qi is the poison of this world, and the Immortal Sects are great thieves of humanity. Even when Qi was abundant, only one in ten thousand could cultivate. After Qi declined, the masses were forced to die alongside the Immortal Sects' despair..." Zhang Shijie looked up and said: "He said that without Immortal Sects, the common folk would escape these recurring great calamities."

... That makes perfect sense!

When there was Qi, most people still couldn't cultivate or enjoy its blessings; when there was no Qi, most people had to die along with it.

This idea, aside from being a bit suicidal, has no major flaws.

In Zheng Fa's home, he sat cross-legged on a cushion, his internal Qi circulating according to the Five Thunder Body cultivation technique; faint bolts of electricity glowed within the Dark Thunder Stone in his hand—making Zheng Fa's body twitch intermittently.

After a long while, he opened his eyes and looked at the Dark Thunder Stone in his hand.

The blackness on the stone seemed slightly lighter.

One Dark Thunder Stone was far from enough for cultivating the Five Thunder Body.

But for Zheng Fa, this Dark Thunder Stone had one advantage—he could learn exactly how much electricity he needed.

The Five Thunder Body seemed brutal: first shock yourself, then use Qi and medicinal herbs to nourish the body, strengthening it in the process.

But in truth, this cultivation technique was extremely precise—the Five Thunder Body had five layers: skin tempering, muscle training, bone strengthening, blood replacement, and finally, summoning heavenly thunder to refine the body.

Each layer required Qi to communicate with the Dark Thunder Stone, drawing in thunder energy of varying intensities into the body—this process likely contained countless experiences of ancestors being electrocuted to near death.

For Zheng Fa, this technique had one major problem: modern electric current intensity couldn't be controlled by Qi.

He had to figure out the approximate voltage required for each layer.

Otherwise, too low would be ineffective, too high would leave no future.

One Dark Thunder Stone was certainly insufficient to master the Five Thunder Body, but it was enough to let him become familiar with the sensation of being shocked at each layer.

In the modern world, Zheng Fa stared at the outlet in his room, hesitating.

Starting with 220V voltage right away seemed a bit suicidal.

He thought for a moment, then took a power bank out of his room.

He cut off one end of the charging cable, exposing the copper wires inside, plugged the other end into the power bank's output port labeled 5V rated voltage, then gently held the exposed copper wires between his two fingers.

Hmm, a bit numb, but not enough!