I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 331Book 2: : Free Trade, Zhongxuan’s Hope
Vol 2 Chapter 331 – Free Trade, Zhongxuan’s Hope
Zheng Fa showed an unusual level of respect toward Haori Mountain—so much so that he even held a seminar on Haori Mountain's artifact crafting secret techniques on Gongkai Island.
Watching Zheng Fa lead Madam Xuanhua and a group of disciples in a serious study of Haori Mountain's artifact crafting methods, Han Lao had only one expression:
You guys really don’t see Haori Mountain as actual people...
This is just bullying!
Being from Tianhe Sect, one of the Five Great Sects like Haori Mountain, Han Lao couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy—almost a sense of "the rabbit dies, the fox grieves."
“Han Lao?” Just as he was grumbling to himself, Zheng Fa suddenly looked up and asked, “Aren’t you interested in Haori Mountain’s artifact crafting methods?”
“Me? I’m allowed?”
Zheng Fa nodded naturally. “You’re a member of Tiangong Pavilion too.”
“Then yes, very interested!”
Han Lao’s eyes lit up, and he quickly moved closer to Zheng Fa and the others. He didn’t even have time to feel bad anymore—
If the rabbit’s dead, and the fox gets a bite of rabbit meat… that grief might just come out the corners of his mouth in drool form.
Objectively speaking, the artifact crafting secrets from Haori Mountain didn’t solve all the problems Jiushan Sect faced:
For example, how to fuse the Shenxiao Warship with an Immortal Formation—that might still be beyond Haori Mountain’s reach.
“This Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art only covers the Golden Core stage, but it’s truly worthy of being a secret technique of the Five Great Sects.”
Putting down the jade slip in her hand, Madam Xuanhua sighed with sincere admiration—it was clear she was thoroughly impressed.
Han Lao opened his mouth, shook his head, and said, “Among the Five Sects, our Tianhe Sword Dao is peerless, Taishang Dao excels in alchemy, and Haori Mountain’s artifact crafting is unmatched.”
“I used to think that while Haori Mountain was good at forging, our Tianhe Sect probably wasn’t far behind.”
“But just from this Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art, you can see that Haori Mountain’s accumulation over countless eras far surpasses Tianhe Sect…”
Zheng Fa silently agreed.
In the Xuanyi Realm, artifact crafting techniques were mostly built upon accumulated experience.
For Jiushan Sect, there was no way they could catch up to the tens of thousands of years Tianhe Sect had under its belt.
And Haori Mountain was even older than Tianhe Sect!
Even if the Tianhe Venerable had once seized the secret techniques of many sects, once he died, there was no way Tianhe Sect could hold on to all that knowledge. Ｒ₳₦Ο₿Èś
Just a Golden Core–level Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art was enough to make Han Lao reluctantly admit Tianhe Sect couldn’t compare to Haori Mountain in artifact crafting.
In short:
Haori Mountain’s generosity?
You’ll never finish repaying it!
…
“Even though the Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art only goes up to Golden Core stage, its system is complete and perfectly suits Jiushan Sect’s current needs…” Madam Xuanhua was all smiles, clearly delighted. “What we’re missing is the basics.”
That hit right at Zheng Fa’s heart.
His vision for Jiushan Realm’s industrial technology focused on two things—
Using the experience and foundation of the Xuanyi Realm’s cultivation techniques,
and transforming them through scientific concepts and methods.
Sure, high-tier techniques were great.
But foundational methods were often even more crucial.
Jiushan Agronomy, for instance, had grown from those humble basics over time.
Not to mention, this was perfect for training artifact crafting novices.
Just how complete was Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art?
It didn’t just contain refinement techniques—it also included:
Analyses and designs of many common artifacts,
Comparisons of various spirit materials used in crafting—
Stuff you wouldn’t find in other sects.
This kind of massive raw data could only come from deliberate, long-term collection.
Haori Mountain’s accumulation in this area even surprised Zheng Fa.
What delighted him even more were the experimental results from these techniques.
Looking at the data from various tests, Zheng Fa beamed and asked Madam Xuanhua:
“With this Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art, can artifact crafting costs really be reduced to 80% of what they were before? And performance improved by 20% on average?”
Madam Xuanhua was just as thrilled. She pointed at a few figures in the records and smiled:
“According to this technique, our previous artifact crafting methods had many areas for improvement… Some spirit materials weren’t just useless—they even reduced the artifact’s effectiveness.”
“From the test results, flying artifacts are about 30% faster than before.”
“Offensive artifacts have 15% more power.”
“Defensive artifacts are 20% tougher.”
“And that’s with our disciples not even fully mastering the technique yet.”
Her tone was filled with excitement and anticipation.
Zheng Fa’s mind was also brimming with possibilities:
If just the first round of experiments with this technique had such results,
then once Jiushan Sect fully absorbed this knowledge, they might take another huge leap forward.
Perhaps Jiushan Sect’s artifact path could stand on Haori Mountain’s shoulders and soar!
As for whether Haori Mountain was happy about being stood on…
Well, that was their choice!
Zheng Fa sighed to the others:
“When Tiangong Pavilion is fully developed in the future, we absolutely must enshrine a plaque for Haori Mountain!”
Han Lao frowned at that, something feeling off—
Why did it sound like they were praying for Haori Mountain’s death?
…
Half a month later, Zheng Fa stood at the dock of Jiushan Realm’s market, watching thirty Shenxiao Warships lift into the sky, eyes full of expectation—
These warships carried the combined results of Jiushan Realm’s recent efforts:
Like the pills crafted by Master Song and the Alchemy Guild,
The artifacts refined by Madam Xuanhua and everyone in Tiangong Pavilion,
And of course, Jiushan Sect’s specialty—various talismans.
Even mundane items like woven clothing and food from the mortal world of Jiushan Realm were aboard.
He said to Han Qi:
“Only do business with the sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance. Don’t go near Zhongxuan Sect territory.”
“Safety first.”
Han Qi nodded respectfully. “Don’t worry, Sect Master, I understand.”
Seeing that Han Qi had now reached Foundation Establishment, Zheng Fa felt a bit sentimental—
When he first arrived at Jiushan Sect, Han Qi had no hope of establishing a foundation, full of bad attitude,
and had even forced a talisman technique written by Senior Sister Zhang onto him.
Now, thanks to the Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique, he had entered the Foundation Establishment stage and was in charge of a whole fleet of Shenxiao Warships.
You could say he was even more impressive than many Golden Core cultivators.
Thinking of this, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel a little wary:
“Don’t forget—Jiushan Realm might be the alliance leader,
but if I hear about you abusing power, throwing your weight around, or strong-arming others…”
Han Qi quickly said, “Sect Master, I wouldn’t dare…”
Given his track record, Zheng Fa didn’t say more—he just stared at him.
Han Qi could only laugh awkwardly:
“I used to be like that, but now there’s no need for strong-arming.
Everything on these ships—pills, artifacts, talismans—they’re cheaper and better than anything from those sects…”
“Only an idiot wouldn’t buy them!”
And to be fair, that was probably true—
Compared to the Five Sects, Jiushan Sect’s goods weren’t top-tier yet,
but for the many sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance…
This was basically dimension-reduction warfare.
“Sect Master, I really don’t want to strong-arm anyone,
but what if some sects try to play dirty and block our business?”
Seeing Zheng Fa seem convinced, Han Qi cautiously brought it up.
It was a fair concern.
Many small sects in the alliance relied on alchemy or artifact crafting to survive.
Some weren’t even part of the trade guilds.
So these Shenxiao Warships were basically coming in to steal their business.
Of course, they wouldn’t dare target Jiushan Sect openly,
but behind the scenes?
Smearing them with rumors, or banning their disciples from buying Jiushan goods…
People would do anything for spirit stones. Zheng Fa wouldn’t even try to guess how far they’d go.
“You think I put Shenxiao External Pills on your warships just because they look cool?”
Zheng Fa answered flatly.
“Got it!”
Han Qi’s eyes lit up. He jumped aboard the Shenxiao Warship, waved his hand, and led the Jiushan trading fleet in grand departure.
Their mission was simple: Dump goods.
Massive dumping!
Since Jiushan Realm lacked spirit materials, they had to get them from the other sects in the alliance.
With Jiushan Sect’s current capabilities, they couldn’t claim full industrialization yet,
but every pill or artifact sold could bring back materials—
a huge help to the realm.
As for complaints from other sects…
If they didn’t respect the Trade Agreement,
then Zheng Fa would gladly let them experience what “free trade” truly meant.
…
In a geothermal cave beneath Divine Fire Mountain, Ninth Elder of Zhongxuan Sect was staring up and down at Zheng Fa… her expression full of doubt.
Mainly doubting herself.
She had summoned Zheng Fa to guide him through Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art,
but when he started asking questions—
she couldn’t answer them.
“How did you pick up Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art so quickly?”
Zheng Fa gave a shy smile.
Of course he learned it quickly—
he had a private tutor!
After extensive experimentation and discussion in Jiushan Realm,
Zheng Fa had gained deep insight into the technique.
Let’s put it this way…
He was pretty sure not even Haori Mountain’s Golden Core disciples had the benefit of being taught jointly by Madam Xuanhua and Han Lao, both Nascent Soul cultivators.
Not to mention the experiments on Gongkai Island…
With that kind of teaching staff and learning environment,
how could he not master it?
“Just… studied it a couple times and got it.”
He said honestly, sounding like one of those genius students who claim they didn’t even review before acing the test.
The Ninth Elder’s face froze.
“That fast?”
“Not… not too fast…” the Ninth Elder muttered through gritted teeth. “But this spirit fire of yours…”
“That’s from a small opportunity I had.
Because of it, my Burning Heaven Technique reached completion.”
The Ninth Elder frowned slightly, seeming a bit puzzled,
but she didn’t press further.
When it came to cultivator opportunities, even a master didn’t have the right to pry.
Zheng Fa showed an unusual level of respect toward Haori Mountain—so much so that he even held a seminar on Haori Mountain's artifact crafting secret techniques on Gongkai Island.
Watching Zheng Fa lead Madam Xuanhua and a group of disciples in a serious study of Haori Mountain's artifact crafting methods, Han Lao had only one expression:
You guys really don’t see Haori Mountain as actual people...
This is just bullying!
Being from Tianhe Sect, one of the Five Great Sects like Haori Mountain, Han Lao couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy—almost a sense of "the rabbit dies, the fox grieves."
“Han Lao?” Just as he was grumbling to himself, Zheng Fa suddenly looked up and asked, “Aren’t you interested in Haori Mountain’s artifact crafting methods?”
“Me? I’m allowed?”
Zheng Fa nodded naturally. “You’re a member of Tiangong Pavilion too.”
“Then yes, very interested!”
Han Lao’s eyes lit up, and he quickly moved closer to Zheng Fa and the others. He didn’t even have time to feel bad anymore—
If the rabbit’s dead, and the fox gets a bite of rabbit meat… that grief might just come out the corners of his mouth in drool form.
Objectively speaking, the artifact crafting secrets from Haori Mountain didn’t solve all the problems Jiushan Sect faced:
For example, how to fuse the Shenxiao Warship with an Immortal Formation—that might still be beyond Haori Mountain’s reach.
“This Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art only covers the Golden Core stage, but it’s truly worthy of being a secret technique of the Five Great Sects.”
Putting down the jade slip in her hand, Madam Xuanhua sighed with sincere admiration—it was clear she was thoroughly impressed.
Han Lao opened his mouth, shook his head, and said, “Among the Five Sects, our Tianhe Sword Dao is peerless, Taishang Dao excels in alchemy, and Haori Mountain’s artifact crafting is unmatched.”
“I used to think that while Haori Mountain was good at forging, our Tianhe Sect probably wasn’t far behind.”
“But just from this Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art, you can see that Haori Mountain’s accumulation over countless eras far surpasses Tianhe Sect…”
Zheng Fa silently agreed.
In the Xuanyi Realm, artifact crafting techniques were mostly built upon accumulated experience.
For Jiushan Sect, there was no way they could catch up to the tens of thousands of years Tianhe Sect had under its belt.
And Haori Mountain was even older than Tianhe Sect!
Even if the Tianhe Venerable had once seized the secret techniques of many sects, once he died, there was no way Tianhe Sect could hold on to all that knowledge.
Just a Golden Core–level Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art was enough to make Han Lao reluctantly admit Tianhe Sect couldn’t compare to Haori Mountain in artifact crafting.
In short:
Haori Mountain’s generosity?
You’ll never finish repaying it!
…
“Even though the Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art only goes up to Golden Core stage, its system is complete and perfectly suits Jiushan Sect’s current needs…” Madam Xuanhua was all smiles, clearly delighted. “What we’re missing is the basics.”
That hit right at Zheng Fa’s heart.
His vision for Jiushan Realm’s industrial technology focused on two things—
Using the experience and foundation of the Xuanyi Realm’s cultivation techniques,
and transforming them through scientific concepts and methods.
Sure, high-tier techniques were great.
But foundational methods were often even more crucial.
Jiushan Agronomy, for instance, had grown from those humble basics over time.
Not to mention, this was perfect for training artifact crafting novices.
Just how complete was Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art?
It didn’t just contain refinement techniques—it also included:
Analyses and designs of many common artifacts,
Comparisons of various spirit materials used in crafting—
Stuff you wouldn’t find in other sects.
This kind of massive raw data could only come from deliberate, long-term collection.
Haori Mountain’s accumulation in this area even surprised Zheng Fa.
What delighted him even more were the experimental results from these techniques.
Looking at the data from various tests, Zheng Fa beamed and asked Madam Xuanhua:
“With this Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art, can artifact crafting costs really be reduced to 80% of what they were before? And performance improved by 20% on average?”
Madam Xuanhua was just as thrilled. She pointed at a few figures in the records and smiled:
“According to this technique, our previous artifact crafting methods had many areas for improvement… Some spirit materials weren’t just useless—they even reduced the artifact’s effectiveness.”
“From the test results, flying artifacts are about 30% faster than before.”
“Offensive artifacts have 15% more power.”
“Defensive artifacts are 20% tougher.”
“And that’s with our disciples not even fully mastering the technique yet.”
Her tone was filled with excitement and anticipation.
Zheng Fa’s mind was also brimming with possibilities:
If just the first round of experiments with this technique had such results,
then once Jiushan Sect fully absorbed this knowledge, they might take another huge leap forward.
Perhaps Jiushan Sect’s artifact path could stand on Haori Mountain’s shoulders and soar!
As for whether Haori Mountain was happy about being stood on…
Well, that was their choice!
Zheng Fa sighed to the others:
“When Tiangong Pavilion is fully developed in the future, we absolutely must enshrine a plaque for Haori Mountain!”
Han Lao frowned at that, something feeling off—
Why did it sound like they were praying for Haori Mountain’s death?
…
Half a month later, Zheng Fa stood at the dock of Jiushan Realm’s market, watching thirty Shenxiao Warships lift into the sky, eyes full of expectation—
These warships carried the combined results of Jiushan Realm’s recent efforts:
Like the pills crafted by Master Song and the Alchemy Guild,
The artifacts refined by Madam Xuanhua and everyone in Tiangong Pavilion,
And of course, Jiushan Sect’s specialty—various talismans.
Even mundane items like woven clothing and food from the mortal world of Jiushan Realm were aboard.
He said to Han Qi:
“Only do business with the sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance. Don’t go near Zhongxuan Sect territory.”
“Safety first.”
Han Qi nodded respectfully. “Don’t worry, Sect Master, I understand.”
Seeing that Han Qi had now reached Foundation Establishment, Zheng Fa felt a bit sentimental—
When he first arrived at Jiushan Sect, Han Qi had no hope of establishing a foundation, full of bad attitude,
and had even forced a talisman technique written by Senior Sister Zhang onto him.
Now, thanks to the Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique, he had entered the Foundation Establishment stage and was in charge of a whole fleet of Shenxiao Warships.
You could say he was even more impressive than many Golden Core cultivators.
Thinking of this, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel a little wary:
“Don’t forget—Jiushan Realm might be the alliance leader,
but if I hear about you abusing power, throwing your weight around, or strong-arming others…”
Han Qi quickly said, “Sect Master, I wouldn’t dare…”
Given his track record, Zheng Fa didn’t say more—he just stared at him.
Han Qi could only laugh awkwardly:
“I used to be like that, but now there’s no need for strong-arming.
Everything on these ships—pills, artifacts, talismans—they’re cheaper and better than anything from those sects…”
“Only an idiot wouldn’t buy them!”
And to be fair, that was probably true—
Compared to the Five Sects, Jiushan Sect’s goods weren’t top-tier yet,
but for the many sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance…
This was basically dimension-reduction warfare.
“Sect Master, I really don’t want to strong-arm anyone,
but what if some sects try to play dirty and block our business?”
Seeing Zheng Fa seem convinced, Han Qi cautiously brought it up.
It was a fair concern.
Many small sects in the alliance relied on alchemy or artifact crafting to survive.
Some weren’t even part of the trade guilds.
So these Shenxiao Warships were basically coming in to steal their business.
Of course, they wouldn’t dare target Jiushan Sect openly,
but behind the scenes?
Smearing them with rumors, or banning their disciples from buying Jiushan goods…
People would do anything for spirit stones. Zheng Fa wouldn’t even try to guess how far they’d go.
“You think I put Shenxiao External Pills on your warships just because they look cool?”
Zheng Fa answered flatly.
“Got it!”
Han Qi’s eyes lit up. He jumped aboard the Shenxiao Warship, waved his hand, and led the Jiushan trading fleet in grand departure.
Their mission was simple: Dump goods.
Massive dumping!
Since Jiushan Realm lacked spirit materials, they had to get them from the other sects in the alliance.
With Jiushan Sect’s current capabilities, they couldn’t claim full industrialization yet,
but every pill or artifact sold could bring back materials—
a huge help to the realm.
As for complaints from other sects…
If they didn’t respect the Trade Agreement,
then Zheng Fa would gladly let them experience what “free trade” truly meant.
…
In a geothermal cave beneath Divine Fire Mountain, Ninth Elder of Zhongxuan Sect was staring up and down at Zheng Fa… her expression full of doubt.
Mainly doubting herself.
She had summoned Zheng Fa to guide him through Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art,
but when he started asking questions—
she couldn’t answer them.
“How did you pick up Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art so quickly?”
Zheng Fa gave a shy smile.
Of course he learned it quickly—
he had a private tutor!
After extensive experimentation and discussion in Jiushan Realm,
Zheng Fa had gained deep insight into the technique.
Let’s put it this way…
He was pretty sure not even Haori Mountain’s Golden Core disciples had the benefit of being taught jointly by Madam Xuanhua and Han Lao, both Nascent Soul cultivators.
Not to mention the experiments on Gongkai Island…
With that kind of teaching staff and learning environment,
how could he not master it?
“Just… studied it a couple times and got it.”
He said honestly, sounding like one of those genius students who claim they didn’t even review before acing the test.
The Ninth Elder’s face froze.
“That fast?”
“Not… not too fast…” the Ninth Elder muttered through gritted teeth. “But this spirit fire of yours…”
“That’s from a small opportunity I had.
Because of it, my Burning Heaven Technique reached completion.”
The Ninth Elder frowned slightly, seeming a bit puzzled,
but she didn’t press further.
When it came to cultivator opportunities, even a master didn’t have the right to pry.
Besides, she knew she’d barely said two sentences to this fourth disciple until recently, so she could only offer praise:
“Your spirit fire… is quite extraordinary.”
Of course it is.
That’s the Great Sun True Fire.
According to Senior Sister Yuan, even the most elite spirit fire of the demon race—the Golden Crow Divine Flame—was nothing but a piece of junk compared to the Great Sun True Fire.
Even if, in Zheng Fa’s heart, the best use of the Great Sun True Fire was “stat resetting,”
that didn’t mean it wasn’t powerful for artifact crafting.
On the contrary, Great Sun True Fire had its own unique brilliance in forging.
To put it simply—it could “reset stats” during the forging process.
Just like debugging code.
If there was a bug mid-process, as long as Zheng Fa had enough spiritual power and soul energy,
he could modify it on the fly instead of starting from scratch.
This thing… was practically a walking cheat code!
Zheng Fa could even say with pride:
Even without Madam Xuanhua or Han Lao’s extra tutoring, with just the Great Sun True Fire,
he was absolutely a peerless genius in artifact crafting!
The Ninth Elder seemed to remember something and said:
“Refine a Flying Cloud Sword for me to see.”
Zheng Fa paused for a moment.
The Flying Cloud Sword was one of the most common standard flying sword artifacts in the Xuanyi Realm.
It wasn’t particularly difficult to make.
This master likely just wanted to gauge his skill.
But of all the artifacts she could’ve picked… why a flying sword?
When it came to artifact crafting, Tianhe Sect couldn’t match Haori Mountain in most areas—
except swordcraft, where it was peerless in the Xuanyi Realm!
Even if Han Lao wouldn’t hand over the core sword-crafting techniques,
the other methods he’d passed along still fully lived up to Tianhe Sect’s reputation as the top sword cultivators.
Combined with Haori Mountain’s Heavenfire Artifact Refinement Art,
as Han Lao himself had said:
Zheng Fa, who had learned from both schools, was on par with true disciples of Tianhe Sect when it came to refining flying swords.
After thinking for a while, Zheng Fa decided to hold back—
Li Hao had always been average. Sudden improvement from a lucky opportunity was believable.
But being too much of a genius… would seem suspicious.
With that in mind, he deliberately made his technique look clunky,
used the Great Sun True Fire with some roughness, and spent several days
forging a Flying Cloud Sword that only reached high-grade artifact level.
By his own estimate, he was only using about 50% of his actual ability…
Otherwise, that sword would’ve been a top-grade artifact for sure.
But when he turned around, he saw the Ninth Elder staring at him for a long moment,
then shifting her gaze back and forth between him and the sword, as if unsure what to say.
Crap!
He’d overestimated Zhongxuan Sect!
“I really did underestimate you before…”
No way. Was Zhongxuan Sect that bad?
“Even when I refine a Flying Cloud Sword, it’s only a high-grade artifact at best…”
The Ninth Elder looked at Zheng Fa with growing satisfaction.
Not only was his technique refined enough for Nascent Soul potential,
his talent in artifact crafting was also sky-high.
Even if they hadn’t been close before, a disciple this capable was still good for her reputation.
“Among the younger generation of Zhongxuan Sect… you might be the most gifted.”
After saying this, the Ninth Elder went quiet for a bit,
then suddenly waved her hand, picked up the Flying Cloud Sword, and said to Zheng Fa,
“Come with me.”
Huh?
Zheng Fa was delighted when he saw her heading toward the mountaintop—
this was exactly why he’d come to Zhongxuan Sect!
But halfway up the mountain, the Ninth Elder veered off and walked to a cave residence.
“Sect Master, Bixia requests an audience.”
She called outside the cave, and a young disciple quickly appeared to greet them respectfully and lead them inside.
Zheng Fa knew immediately—this was the Sect Master’s cave.
The furnishings inside were different from the Ninth Elder’s.
The walls were mostly black stone, giving the place a solemn and austere feel.
The Sect Master of Zhongxuan Sect was a stern-looking middle-aged cultivator.
He was holding an iron box, brows tightly furrowed, and looked even more intimidating.
“Ninth Elder, you’re here? Good timing—”
But she cut him off, pulling out the Flying Cloud Sword:
“Sect Master, take a look at this sword.”
The Sect Master blinked, took the sword, examined it carefully, and nodded repeatedly:
“Ninth Elder, you made this? You’ve improved.”
“He made it.”
She pointed to Zheng Fa.
The Sect Master froze again, then injected spiritual power into the sword to test its quality.
After half a stick of incense, he finally looked up at Zheng Fa, surprise written on his face:
“Li Hao forged this?”
“I saw him do it with my own eyes,” said the Ninth Elder.
With that confirmation, the Sect Master had no more doubts.
His gaze toward Zheng Fa became filled with warmth and approval.
“Congratulations, Junior Sister—another talent emerges from your line.”
He smiled.
The Ninth Elder smiled in return, then said, “Sect Master, I’d like to let him go to the mountaintop…”
Zheng Fa’s heart skipped—surprise and joy flashing through him.
This was exactly why he’d come to Zhongxuan Sect—to find out what was on the mountaintop.
“You mean…”
“The Nascent Soul Elders who oversee that treasure… surely won’t fear Zheng Fa.”
Zheng Fa’s thoughts raced—
What treasure?!
“But they don’t care about Zhongxuan Sect either.
Passing down secret techniques, handing out spirit stones… all so they can one day refine that treasure.”
“And once it’s done, we’ll be of no further use. Maybe even…”
Zheng Fa found this all confusing.
Last time, the Ninth Elder didn’t even know why Haori Mountain was handing over artifact techniques.
It seemed she’d learned something new in the past few days…
But she was clearly cautious—speaking vaguely and cryptically.
She was an annoying riddle-speaker.
Yet the Sect Master understood her perfectly.
“You’re saying… let Li Hao go up and make a showing?”
“Exactly.
He has at least Nascent Soul potential and immense talent in artifact crafting—
He might just catch the eye of that Haori Mountain elder.”
“If something goes wrong in the future, he’ll have a better chance of surviving.”
The Sect Master went quiet for a long while, then said softly,
“That’s against the rules. Only Nascent Souls are allowed up there to refine…”
“But Li Hao’s crafting skill already surpasses mine, and I am a Nascent Soul.”
The Ninth Elder argued her case.
Still, the Sect Master didn’t agree—until she said,
“Sect Master, Zhongxuan Sect is no longer in control of its own fate… we need to preserve some strength.”
“Haven’t we already sent disciples to Haori Mountain?”
“But which of them has Li Hao’s talent?”
She pointed to the Flying Cloud Sword, her tone confident and logical.
The Sect Master stared at Zheng Fa for a long moment, then finally nodded:
“I’ll find a chance to ask the elder.”
The Ninth Elder said no more—it was clear this wasn’t a decision the two of them could make on their own.
Then the Sect Master changed the subject,
handing over the iron box with a somewhat bitter expression:
“I’ve got an artifact I want you to take a look at too.”
“What is it?” the Ninth Elder asked, curious.
Oh, I know this one!
Zheng Fa recognized it instantly—it was a Greenleaf Needle,
one of the artifacts Jiushan Realm exported to the various sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance.
Already?
Zhongxuan Sect had gotten their hands on one this quickly?
Clearly, some sects in the alliance were closely connected with Zhongxuan Sect.
The Ninth Elder opened the iron box, still looking puzzled.
“Greenleaf Needle? Quality’s pretty good… Where’d this come from?”
“Jiushan Sect made it.”
“…”
The Ninth Elder was visibly surprised.
She glanced again at the needle and said, “So Jiushan Sect’s not bad at artifact crafting after all!”
“‘Not bad’ doesn’t even cover it.
Do you know how much Jiushan sells these for?
Only twenty spirit stones!”
“…That cheap?”
The Ninth Elder gasped—finally grasping the implications.
“That’s not all.
They’ve got all kinds of artifacts,
all cheaper and stronger than ours!
I thought without us, Jiushan Sect’s Artifact Crafters Guild would fall apart.
Who would’ve guessed—”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
And the Ninth Elder didn’t respond either.
But Zheng Fa understood the subtext—
Zhongxuan Sect, or rather Haori Mountain, had hoped to drag Jiushan Sect down in artifact crafting.
But now it seemed Jiushan Sect had a whole crop of talented people.
At the very least, they had capable artifact smiths.
Artifact crafting wasn’t just an economic concern.
For cultivators, crafting power directly equated to combat power.
This was a major blow to Zhongxuan Sect.
The Ninth Elder and the Sect Master stayed silent for a long time—
But really, what could they say?
After all, Zhongxuan Sect’s fate wasn’t even in their own hands.
As Zheng Fa followed his “cheap master” out of the Sect Master’s cave,
he was still thinking about what treasure might be hidden at the mountaintop,
when suddenly the Ninth Elder spoke to him:
“Worried about Jiushan Sect?”
Huh?
Zheng Fa looked up to see the Ninth Elder smiling at him.
“In my opinion,” she said,
“Even if Jiushan Sect has a few crafting talents,
your talent in artifact refinement far surpasses whoever made that Greenleaf Needle.”
Of course it does…
That thing was made by Jiushan Sect’s disciples.
They didn’t have extra tutoring, or the Great Sun True Fire cheat code.
Zheng Fa was the superior product.
The Ninth Elder looked at him, smiling with visible pride.
…And she should be proud.
After all, both sides were technically taught by her.
Those disciples in Jiushan Sect?
Might as well be her grand-disciples.
