Chapter 455: Virtue of Kindness, Interview for the Inner Gate
Chapter 455: Virtue of Kindness, Interview for the Inner Gate
No matter how excited the people are at the foot of the mountain, the scenery on the top of Shenhuo Mountain remains the same.
Seeing Zheng Fa coming up the mountain, Shi Nandang didn't ask any more questions about the situation in the sect. He just pointed to a pale-faced Zhenren beside him and didn't even say a word.
Zheng Fa leaped into the formation, replacing the real person who had attained the state of transformation, and together they took charge of the formation of the gods and demons of heaven and earth.
He looked around at everyone and saw that everyone had a haggard look and a listless look.
The Ninth Elder, Sect Leader Chongxuan and two True Men of Transformation were meditating outside the formation. Upon seeing Zheng Fa coming, the Ninth Elder slumped to the ground, opened his eyes and forced a smile.
The smile was fleeting and seemed very effortful.
No wonder they don’t care about Chongxuan Sect.
Don’t ask. If you ask, you will find that people are working on the assembly line. Their six senses are pure and they have long forgotten worldly ties.
Of course, the main reason is the self-confidence of these people - they have the power of life and death over the disciples of Chongxuan Sect and treat them like ants, so naturally they don't care.
To Shi Nandang, most of Chongxuan disciples are just tools:
They only used engraved spirit stones to harass the Hundred Immortals Alliance, and finally lined up to become nutrients for the Heaven and Earth God Array.
As for other things, he may care less than Zheng Fa.
Since no one had the energy to pay attention to him, Zheng Fa didn't say much. He just walked along the crater and looked into the belly of the mountain.
Shi Nan and his colleagues worked overtime and apparently achieved some results.
The spiritual energy contained in the underground fire is much richer than before.
The flames were so fierce that the air began to hiss, as if the sacred volcano was roaring.
The Xianjian Sword in the belly of the mountain seemed to have sensed the danger and struggled even more fiercely. Zheng Fa felt that operating the formation this time was three times more difficult than before.
Perhaps the exhaustion of this group of gods is also due to their efforts to suppress the resistance of the Xianjian Sword.
Now, Zheng Fa actually has two solutions for the Xianjian trap:
One set is naturally to cure the other person's schizophrenia like the one used by the Fire Refining Nine Mountains Patriarch.
But there are two big problems:
First, Zheng Fa's cultivation was not high enough. After all, the Xianjian Sword was a magic weapon of the real immortal. There was a huge gap between its strength and Zheng Fa's. It was not something that could be refined just by his saying so.
Even with the help of the Heaven and Earth God Array, he still didn't have much confidence.
The second big problem is actually more troublesome:
He lacked the means to control the Xianjian Sword.
The Xianjian Sword is different from the Fusang Wood Sword, and is also different from the Wan Yao Banner and Qingping Sword. Not only is its spiritual awareness complete, but its power is also extraordinary.
If he heals the magic sword and the other party turns against him, he will suffer a great loss.
Therefore, this solution has great hidden dangers.
The second solution is simpler:
Imitating Hao Rishan's thinking, he wiped out the intelligence of Xianjian in one fell swoop, thus achieving the goal of controlling the sword.
Thanks to Hao Rishan's efforts, this method has become very perfect.
In a word, it is to use the fundamental method of Haori Mountain to refine the Xianjian Sword again, but the design is very ingenious, so as to ensure that the power of the Xianjian Sword is not greatly lost, while also making it obedient.
Touching the rocks of Haori Mountain and using the Nine Chapters of Array, Zheng Fa was confident that he could take over the old position.
However, he looked at the Xianjian Sword and frowned slightly.
In this case, the Xianjian trap would not be a problem.
The trouble is Haori Mountain.
No matter how stupid Hao Rishan was, he would have to react after losing the Xianjian Sword.
At that time, what Jiushan Sect had to face was the crazy revenge of two true immortals, one wandering immortal and three Tao fruits.
However, the power of the Xianjian Sword would definitely be reduced at that time. Although Zheng Fa did not have a deep understanding of it, he could tell from the situation of the Qingping Sword that without Xie Qingxue as the sword spirit, the Qingping Sword would not be able to exert such great power.
By then, facing three Dao Fruits, it remains to be seen how much of a role the Xianjian Sword, whose rank may have dropped, can play.
Simply put, whether or not there is a sword spirit greatly affects the value of the Xianjian Sword.
You have to choose one of the two, and doing nothing is the worst option.
When the formation of the gods and demons of heaven and earth was completed, the Xianjian Sword was refined by Haori Mountain, and Zheng Fa had no power to fight back.
After much thought, the most ideal option is to cure the Xianjian Sword, maintain its power as a real immortal magic weapon, and still be able to control the opponent -
In this way, the Nine Mountains Realm has one more true immortal fighting force. Together with the Fusang wood, the Qingjing bamboo, the Qingping sword, and the Ten Thousand Demons Banner, it is still stronger than the Great Freedom Demon Sect back then.
Killing Hao Rishan might be a little difficult, but if it's just to protect oneself, the chances of success are not small.
In order to cure the Xianjian Sword, in addition to perfecting the refining technique, the cooperation of the Xianjian Sword spirit is also needed, and the other party must not be against him. This is quite difficult.
After all, for a Nascent Soul-level man like him, it is not a good match for him to gain the loyalty of a True Immortal magic weapon.
……
Zheng Fa stood in the void, feeling the agitation of the Immortal Sword Spirit. Seeing that there was nothing unusual in his sea of consciousness, he felt relieved:
Given the Xianjian's eagerness at this moment, if it could have invaded his sea of consciousness, it would have been unable to hold back long ago.
The fact that the sword spirit was not seen at this time meant that it could only communicate with monks who practiced the "Immortal Sword Canon"!
At the very least, there is no need to worry about the sword spirit leaking secrets.
……
The mist on the top of the mountain quietly obscured the fluctuations of Zheng Fa's breath. He circulated his spiritual power according to the "Trapping Immortal Sword Classic".
In just a moment, a childish cry came from his sea of consciousness:
"Get me out! It hurts!"
The Xianjian spirit suddenly rushed into Zheng Fa's consciousness. She was still wearing a black dress, with her hair in two tufts. Her small round face was wrinkled and her eyes were filled with tears.
It was obvious that she was in even more pain than the last time they met.
Sure enough, this sword spirit can only resonate with people who practice "The Sword of the Immortal".
Zheng Fa thought in his heart and didn't say anything, but the Xianjian Sword Spirit had changed: her expression turned cold and stern, looking at Zheng Fa, her eyes were old and turbid, and her voice was hoarse and old:
"You are not from Haori Mountain! You are here to steal the sword! You are so weak, but you provoke Haori Mountain. You are seeking death!"
Then there was another female voice:
"If you can help me escape from the formation, I will help you deal with Hao Ri Mountain and save your life! Otherwise, if I escape, you will be the first one to be killed!"
"If I am refined by Hao Rishan, I will definitely kill you. You can't escape!"
"Only by saving me can you survive!"
After saying this, the girl's childish expression was firm, yet also a little cruel.
"Do as I say, break the formation and rescue me! I'll give you a chance to live! Otherwise, you'll die without a burial place!"
After he finished speaking, the little girl, the old man, and two or three other voices, one after another, repeated to Zheng Fa as if brainwashing him:
"Get me out!"
"Otherwise you will die without a burial place!"
"No place to bury the dead!"
They were talking like repeaters. Zheng Fa felt it was too noisy and interrupted:
"You guys die first anyway."
"..."
Xianjian Ling's voice suddenly stopped. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Zheng Fa said, "Besides, even if Hao Rishan wants to kill me, let me ask you, who am I?"
This question made this lunatic silent.
Of course, they knew what Zheng Fa really meant by this question:
The Xianjian Sword was suppressed by the Haori Mountain for hundreds of thousands of years. Although it could not communicate with others, it could always sense its own situation.
They naturally understood how much Hao Rishan valued them.
He also knew that this great formation of gods and demons was a grand plan that Hao Rishan had been preparing for tens of thousands of years:
The man in front of him was obviously an enemy of Haori Mountain, but not only could he sneak into the formation, he could also control the formation and even had the pure skills of Haori Mountain.
With this kind of hiding ability, can Hao Rishan really find this person?
Xianjian Sword Spirit pursed his lips, and the arrogance he had just shown instantly dissipated by 80%.
She looked at Zheng Fa and saw that he looked fearless, so she lowered her voice:
"If you rescue me, I can also deal with Hao Ri Mountain! We have a common enemy! I believe you don't want them to refine me!"
"Who said that Hao Rishan wanted to refine you?"
"?"
"Who said Hao Rishan is my enemy?"
"..."
"It's obviously Hao Rishan, helping me refine you!"
"help you?"
Zheng Fa smiled lightly and looked teasing.
Just as the Xianjian Sword Spirit was about to speak, he felt the formation suddenly change and actually began to nourish itself!
The pain on her face disappeared, her eyes became misty, and a smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of her mouth.
But the next moment, the stinging feeling that burned her soul came again, and the gap made her feel even more unbearable.
"pain!"
The sword spirit trapped in the immortal realm groaned in pain, and Zheng Fa still had a faint smile on his face. However, those Nascent Souls who had transformed into gods were completely motionless, as if they had not noticed the changes in the formation just now, and were still working hard to run the formation!
It seems like everyone is fighting for their life!
Are you and Hao Rishan really in the same group?
"You...are you really in the Nascent Soul stage?"
The sword spirit opened its mouth slightly, its eyes widened, and it even forgot to groan in pain.
At this moment, she only felt absurdity in her heart, and also felt a kind of horror from the bottom of her heart:
Hao Rishan spent hundreds of thousands of years preparing the Great Array of Gods and Demons of Heaven and Earth, but it turned out to be a wedding dress for the person in front of him?
She knew clearly that this formation was created by the Immortal Lu, and Hao Rishan attached great importance to it.
But now it is controlled by others?
Simply unbelievable.
There is absolutely no way that a tiny Nascent Soul could accomplish this.
That’s right, considering this person’s hidden abilities, his Nascent Soul cultivation must be fake!
The more Xianxianjian thought about it, the more he felt that this idea was correct, and the more he looked at Zheng Fa, the more unfathomable he seemed to him.
Because he couldn't see Zheng Fa's "real cultivation", the sword spirit's expression showed some nervousness and fear: "I'm sorry that Xianxian is blind and didn't recognize which senior it was."
Zheng Fa just nodded and didn't answer.
The Xianjian Xianjian obviously felt that Zheng Fa was unfathomable, and his eyes were filled with fear and grievance, but he no longer asked Zheng Fa to break the formation.
This great formation was created by this mysterious and powerful being, how could it be possible… “I originally wanted to refine your spiritual wisdom directly.”
The Xianjian Sword Spirit's face tightened slightly, his eyes were filled with hostility, and the sword struggled more and more violently.
It seems that in her mind, the most dangerous enemy at the moment is no longer Hao Rishan, but Zheng Fa in front of her!
"But it is difficult to give birth to spiritual wisdom, and it is not easy for Venerable Tianhe to refine treasures. I also have compassion and the virtue of loving life."
After hearing this, Xianjian Ling's expression paused slightly, as if he realized something.
"senior?"
"I can choose not to erase the sword spirit."
"Thank you..."
"Wait, I'm not finished."
"..."
"But only one can stay."
Xianxian Sword Spirit's expression suddenly became dull, as if he was changing his face, with eight hundred expressions in one second, and each expression seemed as if he was aware of something, with hesitant eyes.
"which one?"
The old man finally couldn't hold back his voice and asked.
Zheng Fa just smiled: "As for which one to keep, that's up to you."
Looking at the sword spirit that was struggling and wary, Zheng Fa smiled secretly in his heart:
It is naturally not easy to forcibly control a true immortal magic weapon.
But who said we have to use force?
This is entirely voluntary!
With his level of cultivation, he had no way to control the Xianjian Sword.
But there must be a way for the trapped immortal sword spirit to show his loyalty, right?
If there is only one sword spirit, this method can probably only be considered a threat.
But if there are a few... when the internal conflict reaches its most terrifying point, signing a contract to sell oneself is a glory!
The Xianjian Sword Spirit was still struggling. In Zheng Fa's opinion, what they were struggling about was... what conditions other personalities would give.
He was not in a hurry:
This great formation of gods and demons from heaven and earth will take some time to complete.
What's more, the less anxious he is, the more anxious the Xianjian Spirit will become, and the more he will naturally become more complicated.
……
After staying on the top of the Divine Fire Mountain for two months, Zheng Fa, amid the envious gazes of a group of Nascent Soul cultivators, descended the mountain and returned to the Nine Mountains Realm.
Tongjian's business was booming, and the Yuanyings in the Nine Mountains Realm were even busier. Moreover, the academy had just been established, and there were a lot of things to do at once.
Especially after the inner gate examination, there is an interview and a tutor is assigned.
There's more to it.
Uncle Pang found Zheng Fa, looking very worried: "When does the interview start? I'm waiting for you!"
There is no way around it, Zheng Fa is even busier.
But the interview time is unified.
If Zheng Fa doesn't come back, many things cannot be advanced.
"Are there a lot of people?"
"What do you think?" Uncle Pang took out a list and handed it to Zheng Fa, saying in a strange tone, "You are the head of the sect! At least one-third of those who passed the exam chose you!"
There are probably a hundred names on this list.
"Zhou Qianyuan?"
Zheng Fa saw a familiar name at first glance. He glanced at Uncle Pang and said in surprise: "Isn't this yours, Uncle..."
"He asked me, and I said yes."
Zheng Fa looked at Uncle Pang, and heard him shaking his head and saying, "He has been studying with you and Junior Brother Zhang for a long time, so it's not an exaggeration to say that he is your disciple, not to mention..."
"This person is going to a higher place. If a disciple wants to make progress, can I stop him?"
When saying this, Uncle Pang had a complicated expression, as if he was really free and easy, or perhaps a little self-consoling.
Zhou Qianyuan, I’m afraid he means something different to Uncle Pang.
Although Uncle Pang was somewhat fickle, he always valued Zhou Qianyuan.
I'm afraid this will be really uncomfortable.
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said, "Junior Brother Zhou does have some talent. The Gold and Water Talisman Technique is now considered a prominent school of thought in our sect."
"But Uncle Master, you also know that I am very busy and have less time to spend in the sect, and even less time to instruct the disciples. I will not accept too many disciples."
The establishment of the inner sect and even the true transmission system was only for the purpose of cultivating talents. Disciples were not very necessary for Zheng Fa.
He has limited time and even less energy: considering the situation of the Heaven and Earth God Array, he would probably have to go to Chongxuan Sect from time to time in the next ten years.
In addition to dealing with the affairs of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, there is not much time left for disciples.
Therefore, we can only select those who are truly talented and can even be hands-off managers for training.
To be honest, Zhou Qianyuan cannot meet this requirement yet.
"Uncle, please tell Junior Brother Zhou, or rather, tell these disciples, that I may only accept one disciple for this inner sect assessment. If you choose me as your mentor, I may not be able to enter the inner sect this time."
"One?" Uncle Pang was stunned for a moment, then looked at a name on the list with a strange expression:
Zheng Shan.
Obviously, he felt that this disciple had already been chosen.
"Little sister, you are the first one to be eliminated."
Uncle Pang was startled, and then he heard Zheng Fa say, "I know my own character, and I can never be cruel to my little sister. If she wants to learn something, I will naturally teach her. But if I accept her as a disciple, it will not only be detrimental to her training, but also meaningless."
After hearing this, Uncle Pang nodded slowly.
He looked at Zheng Shan's name and his eyes lit up.
He also knew Zheng Shan. Not only did she have a single spiritual root, but she had also been cultivated by Zheng Fa since she was a child. Even though they were separated, Zheng Fa would always send her letters to educate her.
He can be said to be Zheng Fa’s first disciple!
Zhou Qianyuan?
Who is Zhou Qianyuan?
……
Three days later, outside a classroom on University Island.
More than forty disciples gathered at the door, silently and quietly looking at each other.
Mu Qingyan's face was tense and she was secretly observing other people.
All of them are here to compete for the position of the master's disciple.
Ever since the headmaster said that he might only accept one inner disciple this time, half of the disciples gave up because of the difficulty.
Candidates who dare to apply to become Zheng Fa's disciples are all very capable and talented.
If I apply to other tutors, I'm sure I'll be able to enter the inner gate.
But if the leader only accepts one person, the risk is too great. If you are not selected, you can only wait another five years.
In addition, the competitors are very strong, so many people think about it and go to interview other mentors.
In other words, those who remain now are the elites:
Among the more than forty interviewees, at least thirty-eight or thirty-nine are Jindan!
Mu Qingyan felt that her cultivation had improved very quickly, and she was now in the middle stage of the Golden Core. However, compared to everyone else here, she was not even the top one.
Although she was a reborn person, she had to admit that some of the disciples in the sect were not much slower in cultivation than her:
Now she doubts the truth of her dreams. They are too unreliable!
Mu Qingyan felt nervous and didn't want to look at these powerful competitors anymore. She turned her head and looked somewhere a little further away.
There, there was a male disciple standing alone. He should also be an interviewee, but he seemed afraid to get close to others.
None of the other disciples spoke to him. They just glanced at him from time to time with strange looks in their eyes.
Mu Qingyan also felt it was a bit strange, but the reason was very simple:
That person's cultivation level is only at the fifth level of Qi training!
Not to mention among these more than forty disciples.
Even in the entire Jiushan University, they are among the group with the lowest cultivation level.
Standing here now, it feels so discordant.
The man seemed to have low self-esteem as well. He huddled in a corner with his chin touching the ground and his back pressed against the wall. He looked like he wanted to burrow into the stone behind him.
Mu Qingyan looked at him for a while and inexplicably felt a sense of closeness to him: this disciple's age and cultivation were more in line with her "memory"!
She walked over:
"This junior brother?"
"Ah? Ah! Senior Sister, you called me?"
The male disciple raised his head and looked at Mu Qingyan nervously.
"Junior brother, are you here for the interview as well?"
The male disciple replied in a very low voice: "...Yes."
But no matter how soft his voice was, the other interviewees could of course hear it, and there was a sudden silence.
Cold sweat immediately broke out on the male disciple's head.
Mu Qingyan was more and more surprised: "Excuse me, Junior Brother, with your cultivation level, can you pass the inner sect examination?"
The man pursed his lips, lowered his head further, and said nothing.
"I don't mean anything else, but... I heard that to pass the exam, you need to have at least the foundation-building level?" Mu Qingyan asked the question in her mind, and then smiled, "Junior brother, you are able to come here for an interview with your current level of cultivation. I think you have some outstanding qualities."
The male disciple slowly raised his head and saw that there seemed to be no malice in Mu Qingyan's eyes. He still whispered: "I... I got full marks in the Talisman Dao exam."
"...full marks? Did you do the extra questions as well?"
"Ah."
Mu Qingyan looked at the male disciple and finally understood why he came here:
This internal examination not only includes regular questions, but also additional questions.
Generally speaking, you must have at least a passing grade in each subject to pass the exam.
But with the additional questions, if a person is extremely outstanding and fails in other subjects, but gets the additional questions right and gets extra points, there is still a chance.
This male disciple, with his fifth level of Qi training, naturally failed the test, but the additional questions in the Talisman Dao test actually allowed him to pass the test and come here.
Thinking of this, Mu Qingyan felt a little admiration - the talisman exam was difficult to begin with, and the additional questions were even more difficult. According to Fairy Xiao, not everyone could be a mentor in the sect.
But at the same time, she felt a little sorry for this male disciple:
If he chooses another mentor, this disciple may have a chance to choose the headmaster... The competition in the interview is so fierce, and with the other party's level of cultivation, I'm afraid his hope is slim.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but ask, "Junior brother, what's your name?"
"Gu Chang."
(End of this chapter)