Book 2: Chapter 239: Sounds Familiar, Jiushan Forum
Vol 2 Chapter 239: Sounds Familiar, Jiushan Forum
Xie Qingxue flew with Yan Wushuang toward Tongming Mountain.
At the base of Tongming Mountain, Zhenren Chengkong was already waiting.
Zhenren Tongming stood beside him, also looking off into the distance. Seeing not even a single cloud in the sky, he turned back to look at Zhenren Chengkong.
He rarely saw Zhenren Chengkong so formal.
The visitor was still tens of thousands of miles away, and yet this Envoy was already waiting?
Zhenren Chengkong seemed to notice his thoughts, shot him a sidelong glance, and said, “Do you know who’s coming?”
“Tianhe’s Xie Qingxue,” Zhenren Tongming quickly answered, then added, “Though she’s quite remarkable, she’s only been at Soul Formation for less than a hundred years…”
And that was what puzzled him:
Xie Qingxue was certainly powerful, but she was still young. Never mind seniority—her cultivation couldn’t possibly match Zhenren Chengkong.
Yet here was Zhenren Chengkong treating this meeting with such seriousness.
Zhenren Chengkong’s eyes carried a hint of surprise.
“Xie Qingxue reached Soul Formation at five hundred years old, practically the top in ten thousand years—arguably the most gifted cultivator in Tianhe Sect since the Tianhe Venerable…”
The implication was clear: Who are you, Tongming, to look down on Xie Qingxue?
“Five hundred years to Soul Formation…” Zhenren Tongming’s expression turned blank. “Top in ten thousand years?”
“Mm.”
“Then what does that make Zheng Fa?”
“……”
Zhenren Chengkong found himself at a loss for words.
Thinking of Zheng Fa gave him a headache… Cultivation is one thing, battle power is another—Zheng Fa could already be treated as half a Soul Formation cultivator.
He suddenly understood Tongming’s confusion a bit better.
Zhenren Chengkong shook his head again. “Xie Qingxue is more extraordinary than you think. Though she’s young, she must not be underestimated…”
Zhenren Tongming couldn’t help but feel surprised.
He saw a rare trace of caution on Zhenren Chengkong’s face.
And Zhenren Chengkong’s reputation back in the day was no less impressive than Xie Qingxue’s.
“Do you know why Tianhe Sect sent Xie Qingxue to deal with the Great Freedom Demonic Sect this time?”
Zhenren Tongming shook his head.
“Rumor has it, Xie Qingxue now wields a sword.”
“A sword?”
“The personal immortal sword of the Tianhe Venerable from back in the day…”
Zhenren Tongming straightened up instantly, but inside, he found it ridiculous:
“The Tianhe Venerable’s immortal sword? Does it still hold the Venerable’s former power?”
“Of course it can’t match the Venerable himself, but…”
Zhenren Chengkong didn’t finish, but Zhenren Tongming got the idea—no wonder, despite her youth, Zhenren Chengkong treated Xie Qingxue with such weight. ℞Ａ𝐍оꞖÈṧ
“To overcome the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, Xie Qingxue is the key.”
Zhenren Tongming was stunned.
That sounded like Zhenren Chengkong was admitting inferiority.
But thinking it over, it wasn’t strange—this was the Tianhe Venerable’s immortal sword.
Probably the Tianhe Sect’s guardian treasure!
He looked toward the horizon, a quiet longing rising in his heart.
Then Zhenren Chengkong said something with a subtle tone: “Otherwise, how do you think Tianhe Sect earned its seat among the Five Great Sects of Xuanyi?”
“Wasn’t it because of the Tianhe Venerable?”
“Heh.”
That soft laugh left Zhenren Tongming even more confused. He was about to ask more when he suddenly tilted his head.
The sound of wind surged like waves, stronger and stronger, higher and higher.
Zhenren Tongming looked up at the sky and saw the sea of clouds being pushed forward, surging in their direction.
Behind the cloud sea was a vast, visible current of wind.
It looked like a soft golden curtain slowly being drawn aside, sweeping away all the clouds and haze from the sky.
“She’s here.”
“This… did Xie Qingxue do this on purpose?”
“On purpose?” Zhenren Chengkong shook his head and smiled. “She just doesn’t care.”
“……”
“Xie Qingxue is said to be the second coming of the Tianhe Venerable—not just in talent… but in temperament.”
Zhenren Chengkong didn’t finish his sentence. A white tiger, as tall as three men, leapt in front of the two.
Riding the tiger, Xie Qingxue was dressed in black, her face faintly obscured—Zhenren Tongming couldn’t see it clearly.
Xie Qingxue and Yan Wushuang landed before them. At that moment, it became clear Zhenren Chengkong had said one thing wrong—Xie Qingxue did care what others thought. At least, she hadn’t tied Yan Wushuang up for their meeting.
Yan Wushuang was overly well-behaved, bowing respectfully to the two.
“Zhenren.”
Xie Qingxue was the first to speak. It was clear she recognized Zhenren Chengkong.
A flicker of complexity crossed Zhenren Chengkong’s face. “Fairy Xie…”
“Zhenren, just call me Qingxue.”
Zhenren Tongming was even more convinced they were familiar.
“Qingxue, the last time I saw you, you weren’t even as tall as my knee…”
Zhenren Tongming’s mouth twitched slightly. He suddenly understood Zhenren Chengkong’s headache—last time she’d been a toddler, and now she could probably stab him to death with a single sword.
The thought alone was indescribably awkward.
No wonder Zhenren Chengkong paid so much attention to her talent.
Xie Qingxue seemed to understand the complexity in Zhenren Chengkong’s tone and smiled. “Ten thousand years ago, Zhenren’s talent shook all of Xuanyi. Your fame exceeded what Qingxue holds today…”
Hearing this, Zhenren Chengkong finally smiled, sighing, “They say every generation brings forth new talents. Seeing you, Qingxue, I finally understand that saying…”
“You’re right, Zhenren. Xuanyi Realm has had geniuses in every era. Who’s to say someone more talented than me isn’t appearing somewhere right now?”
Xie Qingxue replied smoothly.
Hearing this, Yan Wushuang couldn’t help but nod internally—but didn’t dare show it. He still remembered what his Senior Sister had told him.
Zheng Fa was currently an unspeakable name!
Unexpectedly, Zhenren Chengkong’s expression also flickered slightly, as if something had just come to mind.
“From your expression, Zhenren, has the Supreme Dao Sect produced another genius?”
Xie Qingxue asked.
“Can’t call him ours just yet.”
“Then he likely will be soon.” Knowing the Supreme Dao Sect’s habit of recruiting outsiders, Xie Qingxue shook her head. “Who is this Junior Brother that even you speak so highly of?”
Zhenren Chengkong smiled broadly—clearly he truly valued this person.
“He’s from the Hundred Immortals Alliance.”
Yan Wushuang froze.
“He has incredible talent in talisman arts.”
Yan Wushuang scratched his head.
“Even greater talent in thunder techniques.”
Yan Wushuang gave his Senior Sister a sideways glance.
“Though he’s only at the Golden Core stage now, he can already be regarded as Soul Formation.”
Xie Qingxue’s expression grew a bit strange. She said, “Is this person… surnamed Zheng?”
“You know him, Qingxue?”
“…Sounds familiar.”
Xie Qingxue turned to look at Yan Wushuang. Yan Wushuang covered his mouth, eyes full of laughter.
“…What’s with that face?”
“Senior Sister, I wasn’t the one who brought up Zheng Fa!”
Seeing the two of them like that, Zhenren Chengkong grew curious too and asked, “You know Zheng Fa?”
“Know him?” Yan Wushuang’s tone sounded like he was about to put hands on his hips. “I know him really well!”
“……”
“Even my dad knows! Otherwise, how would I have ended up here?”
Xie Qingxue glanced at him, looking like she wanted to hit someone—
This guy, kicked out by the Sect Master for betrayal,
And yet he acted like it was something to brag about?
Zhenren Chengkong, unexpectedly, also furrowed his brows.
He’d also heard Xie Qingxue mention Yan Wushuang’s identity—the son of the Tianhe Sect Master...
So what Yan Wushuang was saying—did it mean Tianhe Sect also highly valued Zheng Fa?
Even earlier than them?
He and Zhenren Tongming exchanged a look, and both saw the concern in each other’s eyes.
After settling the two in on Tongming Mountain, Zhenren Chengkong asked Zhenren Tongming, “Do you think Tianhe Sect is also interested in Zheng Fa?”
Zhenren Tongming pondered for a long time before finally speaking: “Tianhe Sect has always been very selective in accepting disciples...”
Zhenren Chengkong nodded slowly, a hint of reassurance on his face.
“But... this is Zheng Fa.”
Zhenren Tongming added.
Zhenren Chengkong froze, his neck stiff. He stayed still, deep in thought, and only after a while said, “What do you think... Zheng Fa likes?”
……
Zheng Fa was quite fond of his new treasure.
It was a jade slip tinged with a hint of purple, floating in front of him.
The jade surface bore fine golden engravings of various talisman diagrams—these were not static, but flowed across its surface.
There were Five Element Rings, the Twelve Solar Term Thunders, and even Shielding Diagrams—most were talismans he or Senior Sister Zhang had independently developed.
Opening the jade slip revealed page after page of jade tablets. Most of them were blank, except for one that had some writing.
“Simulating Spirit-Nurturing Jade... actually worked...”
Even though it wasn’t her first time seeing it, Madam Xuanhua still couldn’t help sighing.
Zheng Fa was thrilled too. During the simulation process, he realized—simulating spiritual materials was easier than he’d imagined:
Spiritual-element particles were actually composed of two parts—
One was the original atom, the other was a Five-Element Sub-Talisman.
Each atom would bind with one sub-talisman.
After a period of experimentation, Zheng Fa finally figured out how to simulate spiritual materials—matching proton counts and matching the number of Five-Element Sub-Talismans would allow replication of material properties.
On one hand, through the Golden Core Project, Zheng Fa figured out what kind of particles his Dantian generated.
On the other, he used the Five Element Divine Light to analyze the composition of various materials.
Simulation came naturally.
In fact, this Creation Jade Slip—Old Bai had come up with a great name—was even slightly better than Spirit-Nurturing Jade in terms of information capacity.
In Zheng Fa’s view, that was probably because the materials produced by his Dantian were purer than natural Spirit-Nurturing Jade.
The Creation Jade Slip was still far from perfect, not even truly powerful. It couldn’t even be called complete—it was barely taking shape.
At his current cultivation level, just early-stage Golden Core, his treasure was only beginning to take form. The name “Creation Jade Slip” was still way too grand.
Its imperfections showed plainly—his server’s computing power, storage, and bandwidth were all severely lacking.
“Here.”
Madam Xuanhua flicked her wrist, and dozens of golden-bronze mirrors flew in front of everyone.
“This jade slip can currently only connect to a hundred Tongjian.”
These phones—no, mirrors—were now named Tongjian by Zheng Fa.
The name came from the idea of “connecting past and present, reflecting heaven and man.”
Zheng Fa tapped his finger, and the Creation Jade Slip released dozens of purple beams of treasure light, enveloping the mirrors.
A moment later, the light withdrew.
Senior Sister Yuan bounced up to Zheng Fa, grabbed one of the Tongjian, and curiously poked around its mirror surface.
“Senior Sister, inject your divine sense.”
Zheng Fa prompted.
Following his instructions, she tried it—and was pleasantly surprised:
“This feels kind of like the news!”
“But what’s this Jiushan Forum?”
Senior Sister Yuan asked in confusion.
“The forum is a space for Jiushan disciples to communicate.”
Senior Sister Zhang and the others each picked up a Tongjian, injected their divine sense, and saw a light screen appear in their spiritual sea—with four words in the upper left corner: Jiushan Forum.
Since the Creation Jade Slip wasn’t fully functional, he had only set up the forum for now.
It was still in a sort of internal testing phase.
He planned to distribute these Tongjian only to more outstanding disciples—
Such as those above Golden Core.
Or those who had participated in the Golden Core Project.
Or those who performed exceptionally in various fields.
Controlling forum access was necessary—not only because Zheng Fa lacked the capacity to equip the entire Jiushan Realm, but even all formal disciples of Jiushan Sect was beyond reach.
On the other hand, he also wanted to use these better disciples to shape the forum atmosphere...
In Zheng Fa’s vision, the Jiushan Forum should mainly be a place for knowledge exchange and problem solving.
Simply put: a Q&
A site.
Seeing the confusion on Senior Sister Zhang and the others’ faces, Zheng Fa opened a new post on the forum:
“New User Guide.”
The others quickly clicked into it.
“Q&
A discussions?” Martial Uncle Pang thought for a while. “Not bad—these disciples all have their own strengths. There might be potential for mutual complementarity.”
“...That ‘Merit Point Bounty’ feature is quite interesting,” Old Yuan said, stroking his chin. “That way, the better you study in Jiushan Sect, the richer you get.”
But Senior Sister Zhang frowned. “What does it mean to ‘post anonymously’?”
“Ah, it’s to encourage disciples to ask and speak freely.”
Anonymity could, to some extent, help students express themselves—after all, the Xuanyi Realm was very hierarchical. Many disciples didn’t dare to speak honestly.
And in turn, the realm lacked the cultural norm of asking without shame.
For example, if Martial Uncle Pang had some confusion, but didn’t want to post on the forum due to his status...
Anonymous mode would be quite necessary.
“You really can’t tell who made the post?”
“I didn’t assign names to these Tongjian.”
Zheng Fa smiled.
“What about tracking location and such?”
“There are spells that can obscure that.”
“True enough...”
Martial Uncle Pang nodded slowly. Zheng Fa could clearly see the growing interest in his eyes as he looked at the Tongjian.
Not just Martial Uncle Pang—Old Yuan and the others… were the same.
“Master, Martial Uncle—this tool is really meant for discussions and Q&
A.”
Zheng Fa had a faint sense something wasn’t right.
“Q&
A, got it!”
Martial Uncle Pang nodded vigorously, looking like he understood perfectly.
……
That evening, a post suddenly appeared on the Jiushan Forum—anonymous:
“Let’s be real: among the three Supreme Elders of Jiushan Sect, who teaches disciples best?”
As soon as Zheng Fa read it, he knew who posted it. The content said—Among the three Supremes, I think Master Pang is the most diligent and devoted teacher. You can’t judge teaching ability by student achievements alone!
Reply #2 wasn’t anonymous—it was Old Yuan: “Pang, are you not gonna own up? You think putting on a disguise means I won’t recognize you?”
Reply #4 also wasn’t anonymous—it was Martial Aunt Huang: “Senior Brother Yuan is right.”
Well, they were Nascent Souls and elders, so they spoke with authority.
The rest of the replies were all anonymous.
And none of them thought Master Pang was the better teacher...
One reply in particular almost brought tears to Zheng Fa’s eyes:
“You know what Master Pang says when teaching?”
‘This disciple has great talent. First beat Senior Sister Zhang, then defeat Senior Brother Zheng...’
“Master Pang, why don’t you try that yourself?”
Zheng Fa twitched at the corner of his mouth and thought to himself—
Brother Zhou, maybe don’t use anonymous mode next time…