The interview went very quickly.
A rectangular wooden table was set up in the classroom Zheng Fa, Senior Sister Zhang, and Xiao Yuying sat behind the table, organizing the interview materials of the previous disciples.
"Junior brother, do you have a disciple you prefer?"
"Senior Sister Zhang suddenly asked."
Xiao Yuying, who was standing nearby, also looked over, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Zheng Fa flipped through the dozen or so disciple resumes in his hand, thought for a moment, and said frankly, " Mu Qingyan."
Why?
"She has the most solid foundation and the most mature temperament," Zheng Fa and the other explained. "For at least the next ten years, I won't have much time left in the Nine Mountains Realm, and even less time for my disciples. I'm afraid I'll hinder the development of the other disciples."
" Mu Qingyan is much better."
Xiao Yuying's expression immediately changed—"You haven't even started as a disciple yet, and you're already thinking about slacking off?"
It was definitely laziness.
Mu Qingyan is a "reborn person" at least, with life experience perhaps even richer than Zheng Fa's, and extremely strong self-management skills.
Because of her strong sense of crisis about the future, Mu Qingyan worked incredibly hard.
Ultimately, her desire to become his disciple stemmed from a desire for peace of mind.
In the entire Nine Mountains Realm, apart from Zheng Fa, probably no one could give her a guarantee of safety that she could trust.
Conversely, every Nascent Soul True Person has their own beliefs. Zheng Fa figured he could offer help and advice, but Mu Qingyan probably didn't need him to worry about her learning attitude, self-planning, or development direction.
For Zheng Fa, choosing Mu Qingyan was not only simple, but also a very "safe" choice:
This disciple is guaranteed to reach the Nascent Soul stage, with no upper limit.
" Mu Qingyan is indeed a good choice." Xiao Yuying thought for a while, then brought up another matter, "Putting aside her aptitude, she learns very quickly in my archaeology group. Even when I'm not around, she manages the group extremely well."
"I even asked her before if she wanted to choose me as her mentor, but she was determined to become your student."
At this point, she noticed a hint of jealousy in Zheng Fa's expression. "It's not just me; it seems that Sect Master Song of the Azure Wood Sect also asked her about it privately, since she is from the Azure Wood Sect after all."
A hint of smugness appeared on Zheng Fa's face.
Mu Qingyan is really good.
Her talent goes without saying; the fact that she could achieve the Rogue Cultivator Nascent Soul in a chaotic world speaks volumes.
But this was not enough to sway Zheng Fa —after all, the difficulty of condensing Nascent Soul was far less than that of other sects in the Xuanwei Realm for the disciples of the Nine Mountains Realm, and its value was naturally not as high.
What impressed Zheng Fa was Mu Qingyan's self-reflection and learning ability:
Many cultivators, especially those with higher cultivation levels, often have somewhat rigid perceptions. It's not so much that they're arrogant, but rather that they genuinely find it difficult to change their mindset, especially since this mindset was very successful in the past.
Mu Qingyan is different. Perhaps because her cultivation level is only in the "dream," although she has the memories of Nascent Soul, she can also learn the various courses of the Nine Mountains Realm very quickly.
He performed well in subjects such as archaeology, alchemy, and Talisman Dao.
Even in some modern disciplines, remarkable achievements have been made.
Her involvement can be seen in the Golden Core Engineering, the archaeological team, and even in later research on Water-Method Alchemy.
He was the kind of good student who excelled in moral character, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor skills.
Even disregarding her status as a "reborn person," she is still the disciple with the highest overall quality and the highest contribution to the sect.
The three chatted briefly during a break in the interviews when they heard a soft knock on the classroom door.
"Enter!"
A hand pushed open the door, Gu Chang walked into the classroom.
He shrugged, his steps were light, he glanced quickly at Zheng Fa and the other two, then stared intently at the ground, refusing to look up again.
Upon seeing it was him, Zheng Fa was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, " Gu Chang, is that right!"
"Yes?"
Hearing the laughter in his voice, Gu Chang couldn't help but raise his head and bravely look at Zheng Fa, clearly not understanding why Zheng Fa was laughing.
"Senior Sister, do you remember this disciple? He's the top scorer in this Talisman Dao exam, the only one to get a perfect score!" Zheng Fa pointed at Gu Chang and said to Senior Sister Zhang and the other person, his praise practically overflowing.
Senior Sister Zhang and Xiao Yuying first glanced at Zheng Fa, then looked at Gu Chang, and both nodded slightly.
Gu Chang this, Gu Jian relaxed his shoulders slightly and straightened his body a bit.
Zheng Fa flipped through Gu Chang's resume and asked, "Are you a teacher on Paradise Island now?"
"Yes."
"Very good." Zheng Fa put down the resume, looked up at Gu Chang, and said, " Gu Chang, do you know what Zhang Taishang thinks of you?"
Gu Chang shook his head.
She said your talent in Topology surpasses hers by three points.
"This disciple dares not."
"There's no question of daring or not daring; facts are facts." Senior Sister Zhang frowned slightly and said seriously, "I've done that test paper before, and it wasn't without mistakes, unlike yours."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chang's expression brightened even more. He looked at Zheng Fa with an undisguised anticipation in his eyes.
Under his gaze, Zheng Fa remained silent.
He looked at Gu Chang for a long time before sighing, "But if you become my disciple, this talent will be wasted."
Gu Chang's expression froze, and his eyes suddenly darkened.
"I really don't have much time..."
Zheng Fa felt helpless.
Gu Chang is almost the opposite of Mu Qingyan.
His talent for cultivation was arguably the worst among this group of disciples.
Zheng Fa didn't reject the other party for that reason, but rather because nurturing such an extremely specialized genius would require considerable effort.
He was willing to teach, but to be honest, Gu Chang's aptitude was limited, and he had to make the most of every minute to cultivate and learn. Zheng Fa's hands-off approach was a waste of this disciple's time.
Simply put, with the same cultivation progress, someone with Single-Spirit Root might only need a year, while Gu Chang would need at least ten or twenty years. How could he afford to delay?
What's even more unfair is that... geniuses often live even longer.
Gu Chang's time is naturally even more precious.
Zheng Fa looked at Gu Chang with a conflicted expression. After thinking for a while, he suddenly said, " Gu Chang, if you're willing to change your tutor, I can help you arrange it. Either Supreme Elder Pang or Elder Huang will do."
This was already an exception, but he truly valued this boy's talent and was genuinely considering Gu Chang.
Uncle-Master Pang has always been devoted to his disciples, and Aunt-Master Huang is a good choice for Gu Chang.
Actually, the best candidate would be Senior Sister Zhang... but she is already preparing for her seclusion to reach the Spirit Transformation, and it's unknown when she will emerge from seclusion, nor does she have much time.
Especially given the level of the other party's Spirit Root, waiting five years to enter the inner sect would be a delay.
Upon hearing this, Gu Chang remained silent for a long time before whispering, "Actually, I didn't come here intending to enter the inner sect."
"Um?"
"This disciple... has a paper that he's halfway through, but he can't continue."
"Paper?"
Zheng Fa was surprised and turned to look at Senior Sister Zhang and the other woman. They were also astonished and had obviously not expected this.
Gu Chang nodded nervously.
"So you came here for this paper?"
"Yes, disciple wished to ask the Sect Leader for guidance, but I haven't been able to find the opportunity... I've been thinking that with my current cultivation level, entering the inner sect is wishful thinking, so why not find an opportunity to show the thesis to the Sect Leader?"
"In that case, I have no regrets."
He looked at Zheng Fa nervously, and when Zheng Fa nodded, he quickly took out a thick stack of manuscript paper from his Storage Bag.
The papers were of varying ages and even had slight differences in size, clearly indicating that this paper was not the work of a single day.
Zheng Fa took the paper, frowned, and asked, "You have a paper, why don't you upload it to the Dao Discussion?"
Gu Chang's voice weakened again. "This disciple... cannot afford the New-Style Comprehensive Mirror."
"..."
"Besides, I'm also afraid they'll laugh at me for wishful thinking."
Zheng Fa glanced at the paper on the table, but before he could open it, Gu Chang said, "My wish has been fulfilled; this disciple will take his leave."
"What about changing advisors?"
Gu Chang stopped in his tracks and said softly, "Thank you for your high regard, Sect Leader, but besides Sect Leader, who else would value someone with Four-Spirit Root?"
Zheng Fa frowned and said, "I can guarantee you won't be neglected."
Gu Chang lowered his head again, looked at Zheng Fa, and actually smiled, " Sect Leader, this disciple has no other requests."
"..."
Before Zheng Fa could say anything more, he saw Gu Chang stride out the door, his back view revealing a resolute determination.
After the interview, Zheng Fa stood in his own courtyard, his face hesitant.
"Junior brother?" Senior Sister Zhang stood at the door, looking at him with curiosity. "I've never seen you with such an expression before."
Zheng Fa pointed to the manuscript paper on the stone table in the courtyard, his brow furrowed as if in a knot, and said to Senior Sister Zhang, "This paper..."
"Um?"
" Gu Chang is a genius."
Upon hearing this, Senior Sister Zhang became even more curious. She picked up the manuscript and began to read it. She was immediately taken aback by the title. " Study of the Neural Connections of Spirit Roots? No wonder he was afraid the other disciples would say he was indulging in wishful thinking."
The study of Spirit Root is not a new topic in the Xuanwei Realm.
Spirit Root are almost one of the most important qualities for cultivators in their early stages, and countless powerful figures have explored their essence.
However, cultivators still see Spirit Root in the dark, completely unaware of their significance.
In the Nine Mountains Realm, Zheng Fa and other high-ranking officials were also at a loss.
Ironically, a disciple at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement has now written a related paper!
How to convince others?
"Senior sister, please take a look first."
Senior Sister Zhang lowered her head and began to carefully read the half-finished paper. She would frown occasionally, then suddenly realize something. After a full half hour, she let out a sigh.
"I see..."
"Senior sister, you think that makes sense too, right?"
"At least I can't find fault with him." Senior Sister Zhang raised her head, looking at Zheng Fa with a complicated expression. "This Gu Chang is truly a genius... what a pity."
Zheng Fa remained silent. He took two steps, sat down on the stone bench, and looked at the manuscript in Senior Sister Zhang's hand, feeling even more heartbroken.
In Gu Chang's half of this paper, there is only one main argument:
The Spirit Root is determined by the human nervous system structure.
To go even deeper, Gu Chang studied all the nerves in the human body, breaking them down into tiny structures, and found the Five-Element Talisman Diagram within them!
His theory is very simple:
The proportion of Spirit Root depends on the number of Five-Element Talisman Diagram in these patterns.
At first glance, Zheng Fa felt that the leap was too great, and he had never even considered combining the two concepts.
Gu Chang a very interesting saying:
"When you regulate your breath and meditate, your consciousness flows through your body. In reality, it's the movement of nerve currents. Isn't the pathway this takes very similar to that of Talisman Arts?"
This sentence reminded Zheng Fa of a question he had when he first learned the Pine Crane Stance:
Why is visualization effective?
At that time, he had no Divine Soul at all, but by visualizing the bird-man, he was able to attract Spiritual Qi and cultivate Dao-Entry Martial Arts.
However, if we apply Gu Chang's theory, it makes sense:
He had read a modern study that suggested that when people watch certain movements, the nerves in the relevant parts of the body will also activate on their own, simulating the movement and even forming neural synapses.
Contemplation may simply be a form of observation.
The nerves operating on their own are actually a form of unconscious breathing and meditation.
This also explains why, in both the Xuanwei and modern worlds, everyone possesses Spirit Root.
If this conjecture is true, then Gu Chang can be said to be the first person in Xuanwei's history to have comprehended the Spirit Root!
The difficulty of the Spirit Root problem lies precisely in the fact that this thing is ethereal and difficult to understand, let alone experiment with or improve.
Gu Chang's half-finished paper can be described as a groundbreaking achievement in the field of Spirit Root research!
Moreover, the issue of Spirit Root is extremely important to Zheng Fa:
His strength is insufficient, and he needs to preach in the modern world. The first obstacle he must face is the limitation of Spirit Root.
Even for the Nine Mountains Realm, without solving the problem of Spirit Root, the current reforms are like duckweed floating on water, without any foundation. Zheng Fa is doing well, but without Zheng Fa, they would probably be forgotten once the people leave.
The so-called material base determines the superstructure.
Spirit Root are the greatest material foundation for cultivators.
The significance of Gu Chang's paper to Zheng Fa cannot be overstated.
"According to his analysis, nerves with the same structure as the Metal-Element Sub-Talisman are mostly concentrated in the lungs, Water-Element Sub-Talisman talisman is most likely located in the kidneys... The Five Elements and Five Organs?" Senior Sister Zhang asked in surprise, "That's excellent evidence indeed."
The Five-Elements Five-Organs Theory is actually quite simple to explain.
Previously, Xuanwei cultivators had discovered that people with strong lungs generally have a metal element Spirit Root, their kidneys are closely related to the water element, and there are also sayings such as the heart belonging to fire and the liver belonging to wood.
People used to know about this phenomenon, but they couldn't explain why it happened.
Now, using Gu Chang's theory to explain it, it turns out to be quite comprehensive.
Therefore, Senior Sister Zhang said that this is an argument.
This paper even contains some very reasonable arguments:
Why does everyone possess the Five-Element Spirit Root? Because some nerves are essential to the human body, and the Five-Element Sub-Talisman corresponding to these nerves are relatively evenly distributed.
However, some people have more and denser Divided Spirit than ordinary people, which manifests as Dual-Spirit Root or even Single-Spirit Root.
Many of these inferences have formed a relatively complete theoretical system.
Senior Sister Zhang gently put down her paper, her tone filled with emotion:
" Gu Chang's thesis incorporates a lot of the latest knowledge from the Xuanwei Realm; it's no easy feat."
Zheng Fa nodded slightly.
Putting aside other matters, the knowledge related to the nervous system was only transferred to the Nine Mountains Realm on a large scale after Zheng Fa understood the essence of the < Scarlet Firmament Jade Register > and the Yang Spirit.
Some of these theories haven't even made it into textbooks; they're only mentioned in the book " The Immortal Way."
But Gu Chang had already mastered it completely and even started to innovate.
It's really not easy.
Senior Sister Zhang repeated:
"... What a pity."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa also looked up at the night sky and remained silent.
"Such a good disciple, wasted."
They now understood why Gu Chang refused to become a disciple of the other elders, and why he said he couldn't continue writing the thesis.
What I just mentioned was purely theoretical knowledge; there was absolutely no experimental data.
Or rather, it can only be described as conjecture.
If it were someone else, they might have stopped there.
But to everyone's surprise, Gu Chang was a madman—in order to verify his theory, he wanted to conduct experiments, including human experiments.
Given his cultivation level, abilities, and financial resources, finding experimental subjects would be virtually impossible.
But Gu Chang had another choice: himself!
"Damage specific nerves within oneself, then measure the changes in Spirit Root..." Zheng Fa's tone held a hint of melancholy, "How stubborn, how resolute."
Senior Sister Zhang nodded gently. "Even with spirit medicine to repair him, Gu Chang 'Dao Body is still crippled, and there is only a dead end ahead."
"Leaving aside his future cultivation, even his lifespan is probably..."
Zheng Fa was speechless, only staring at the paper in his hand with a melancholy expression.
On Paradise Island, Gu Chang's mother watched Gu Chang eating dinner, hesitant to speak.
After a long while, she finally couldn't help but say:
"Take an exam..."
"My cultivation level is too low; I have little hope."
Upon hearing this, Gu's mother was filled with disappointment, tears welling up in her eyes, and she was about to cry.
"When you first joined the sect, your father and I were so happy that we didn't sleep all night... Later we learned that our Spirit Root were not as good as the other disciples, but we thought that since we were now cultivating immortality, it would be better than before."
"Later, a girl came to propose marriage, what a wonderful girl!" Mother Gu seemed to have been holding back for a long time, and now, hearing that her son had failed the exam, she blurted it all out in one breath. "But you didn't want to, and if you didn't want to, then you didn't want to. You're all grown up now, and your mother is too naive to control you."
"But what kind of research are you going to do later!"
"What research do you know? I've only heard that this isn't something an ordinary disciple can achieve. With your level of cultivation, it's just wishful thinking."
"You buy those journals as soon as they come out! How much Merit can a teacher possibly do?"
" Merit are one thing! But why are you getting injured every day? Your mother washes your blankets and handkerchiefs, and I'm always afraid of seeing blood!"
" Merit you do every month have become medicine for your injuries and journals, and yet your body is still in this state!"
"I don't ask you to get married, I don't ask you to support the family, I don't ask you to become an immortal or an ancestor... Can't I even ask you to live to be a hundred years old?"
Gu Chang slowly put down his chopsticks and looked at his mother, his eyes filled with guilt.
"Mother."
"Please ask someone to find me a wife."
Mrs. Gu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Given our family's current situation, and the fact that we offended someone last time, it's not easy to find a girl with good qualities..."
"No need, just find someone who hasn't entered the Dao and has no background," Gu Chang said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Gu's mother looked at Gu Chang with some suspicion.
Then Gu Chang said, "Your son was wrong before, always daydreaming. Now it's time to settle down, get married and have children, so you can enjoy the joys of family life... And when you have grandchildren, they can keep you company."
Upon hearing this, Gu's mother beamed with joy and nodded repeatedly, "Good! Good! I'll ask someone to help you find it!"
She suddenly felt inadequate. "I heard that Mother's aptitude is lacking, and her Spirit Root for childbirth are also poor. Why don't we find someone with higher aptitude? After all, you've made it to the inner sect interview, and you have some reputation within the sect!"
"No need, Mother, you don't need to worry about Spirit Root."
Gu's mother became increasingly confused, then heard Gu Chang say softly, "I left a gift for the child."
Where?
"Sect Leader."
(End of this chapter)