After putting away the Creation Jade Disc, Zheng Fa asked the two Old Yuan:
"Master, do you think the Devil Ancestor's words are credible?"
Unaware of Sect Master Yan's thoughts, he naturally harbored some caution.
The Old Yuan and Senior Sister Zhang exchanged a glance, remaining silent, unsure of what to do.
Senior Sister Zhang drew her Flying Immortal Brush and produced the Innate Eight-Trigrams Diagram. After three breaths, she nodded and said, "Considering only Sect Master Yan, they are about 70% credible."
yes!
Even if we consider the Nine Nether Devil Ancestor, Senior Sister Zhang is no match for him, but Sect Master Yan is not that strong.
"In that case, it's better to believe it exists." Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then asked, "What should we do with the Immortal-Trapping Sword?"
The Nine Nether Devil Ancestor made it very clear that if anything unusual happened to the Tianhe Sect, Vast Sun Mountain would not feel comfortable leaving the Trapping Immortal-Trapping Sword outside—they might even take the Immortal-Trapping Sword and attack the Tianhe Sect.
By pretending nothing happened and letting Vast Sun Mountain take away the Immortal-Trapping Sword, the Nine Mountains Sect can also enjoy a period of peace.
But to be honest, from an emotional standpoint, Zheng Fa was not very willing:
It's a bit too easy for the other party to just throw away and pick up the Immortal-Trapping Sword Vast Sun Mountain as they please.
Moreover, he and the Immortal-Trapping Sword Spirit are now deeply in love and inseparable; how could he allow that ugly monster Vast Sun Mountain to steal her away?
The Old Yuan frowned deeply. "You can hide for a while, but how can you hide forever?"
Aside from emotional factors, this is the crux of the problem:
The Immortal-Trapping Sword is a true Immortal Method. If Vast Sun Mountain takes it back, not to mention whether the sword spirit will reveal the suspicious points about Li Hao and expose Zheng Fa's trump card, the opponent will also find a way to refine the Immortal-Trapping Sword, and his strength will increase again.
On the other hand, the Nine Mountains Sect, having lost the Immortal-Trapping Sword, has essentially lost a True Immortal combatant, and there is almost no hope of making up for it in the short term.
With the balance of power shifting, if another conflict arises, the situation will be even worse than Senior Sister Zhang's previous predictions.
There may be a peaceful night's sleep then, but in the future, everything will be lost.
The Immortal-Trapping Sword will disappear from the Hundred Immortals Alliance, but the hostility of Vast Sun Mountain will not disappear.
"We can only play it by ear." After much deliberation, Zheng Fa finally made up his mind. "Master, I'm afraid I'll have to focus all my energy on the Profound Mystery Sect Chongxuan Sect these days. I'll have to entrust the affairs of the Nine Mountains Realm to you and Senior Sister Zhang."
The Old Yuan nodded, understanding Zheng Fa's choice—to act according to circumstances. Although there was no clear answer, he still leaned towards taking the Immortal-Trapping Sword. However, as the Sect Leader the Nine Mountains Sect, Zheng Fa naturally couldn't act impulsively. He had to stay at the Profound Mystery Sect to assess the risks and find a foolproof plan.
The affairs of the Nine Mountains Realm naturally need to be entrusted to someone to manage.
He and his Junior Nephew-Disciple Zhang were, respectively, the former Sect Leader the Nine Mountains Sect and Zheng Fa's dao companion.
Now Spirit Transformation.
In terms of status, strength, and prestige, he is the most suitable.
He knew Zheng Fa's choice was right; if he hid now, his fate would be even worse later.
On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel some worry—after all, he had heard of the reputation of the Five Sects of Xuanwei for thousands of years, and their prestige was very high in his heart.
When the time truly comes for them to clash in arms, how could he not be terrified?
Although a little flustered, the Old Yuan didn't want to interfere with his disciple's choice, so he didn't say much. Instead, he smiled at Zheng Fa and said, "Don't worry, I've held this position as the Sect Leader of the Nine Mountains Sect longer than you have. There won't be any mistakes."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa suddenly laughed.
"Master, you've been in seclusion for fourteen years."
Fourteen years? What happened in fourteen years?
The Old Yuan quickly understood.
Fourteen years is a period of profound change for Zheng Fa's Nine Mountains Sect.
University Island.
"Senior sister, I'm entrusting both Nine Mountains University and Nine Mountains Military Academy to you."
Senior Sister Zhang seemed not to hear, gazing at the University Island before her with curiosity in her eyes.
The Old Yuan's eyes widened as he pointed ahead and asked, "Is this Nine Mountains University?"
Where he pointed, a sea of people surged forth. The spiritual light of Law Treasure and the fragrance of elixirs mingled with the boisterous chatter, giving the Old Yuan had been in seclusion for fourteen years, a tremendous shock.
After the college was restructured, University Island was divided into five parts.
At the very center, behind the Nine-Chapter Calculation Formation, lies a large courtyard that houses the basic education district—the place where newly enrolled disciples will spend five years.
Four new campuses were built in the four cardinal directions of the University Island:
The Artifact Refining Academy, the Alchemy Academy, the Agriculture Academy, and the Array Dao Academy.
The location where Zheng Fa, and the other two are currently situated is within the basic education district.
The tranquility of this place for learning is no longer present.
"Fellow junior brothers! Fellow junior brothers!"
A Divine Firmament Warship floated in the void, its Divine Firmament External Alchemy wrapped in blue-white lightning, almost blinding the Old Yuan.
On the deck, a Golden Core disciple, his voice booming like thunder, looked down at the crowd and shouted:
"Join the shipyard! Excellent benefits for those Merit! Plus, regular guidance from True Person Xuanhua!"
"Our factory is unable to keep up with demand! The Merit distributed to our disciples at the end of last year increased by 50%! They will increase again this year!"
"If you wish to make progress in weapon crafting, you can also receive guidance from the senior brothers of the Heavenly Crafts Pavilion! Two years ago, about ten disciples from my shipyard passed the inner sect examination and entered the Artifact Dao Academy!"
The Old Yuan asked, bewildered, "What's going on?"
"A job fair," Zheng Fa explained with a smile. "Every year there are new graduates, so there's a job fair on University Island every year."
"All the factories and departments within the sect need disciples to join."
The inner sect assessment is held every five years, but the Nine Mountains Sect recruits disciples only once a year—mainly because they are afraid that new disciples will miss the prime age for cultivation.
Some newly graduated disciples, either because they didn't take the inner sect exam in the year they graduated, or because their scores weren't high enough, have to find a job.
The Old Yuan, seemingly understanding but not quite, pointed to the right of the three and asked, "What about over there?"
There stood a five-zhang-tall Pill Furnace over there, which was also extremely eye-catching.
The fire in the Pill Furnace was rising, and the aroma was spreading everywhere, attracting many disciples to watch.
Zhao Jingfan stood before the Pill Furnace, a smile on his face:
"Fellow disciples! Have one, have one! It's okay, even if you're not joining, have one!"
"Our alchemy factory is extremely eager to recruit talented people. Not only are there Merit, but there are also various elixirs and benefits available on a daily basis!"
"The shipyard may look impressive, but it's nothing compared to our alchemy factory, which guarantees a steady income regardless of drought or flood. Think about it, fellow cultivators, how can we live without elixirs?"
"Join our alchemy factory, and you'll receive a monthly stipend of spirit pills. Your cultivation will advance rapidly, step by step!"
His words were somewhat disparaging of the shipyard, which drew an angry glare from the Golden Core disciple, who shouted:
"The sect already has Sea-Region Expansion Plan; this is a twenty-year grand plan. Would the Sect Leader lie to us? The Divine Firmament Warship are currently in short supply!"
"How much money can you make from elixirs? How much Merit working six hours a day?"
"Fellow disciples, you'd better keep your eyes wide open!"
Zhao Jingfan was not one to back down either; the two exchanged barbs from afar, and the External Core factory, the Agriculture Bureau, and even the recruitment senior from the News Center were fanning the flames.
The Old Yuan were momentarily stunned.
He turned to look at Zheng Fa and asked, "Why are you arguing so loudly?"
"Everyone's used to coming once a year," Zheng Fa said, shaking his head. "Isn't it because we're short of disciples?"
"A lack of disciples?" The Old Yuan was even more puzzled. "Our Nine Mountains Sect recruits the most disciples in the Xuanwei Realm, doesn't it?"
That's definitely the most.
The Nine Mountains Sect has relatively low requirements for recruiting disciples Spirit Root. Although there are also exam requirements, at least three hundred new disciples are admitted each year.
The number of disciples in the Nine Mountains has now exceeded five thousand, and if we only count the Golden Core disciples, there are already over five hundred.
"We have many disciples, but the shortages in various industries are even greater."
Pointing to the chaotic job fair ahead, Zheng Fa said, "Every factory and every department needs disciples to handle the increased production and management tasks."
Not to mention the ever-increasing number of orders at the Nine Mountains Realm.
Even the management of the mortal realm within the Nine Mountains Realm is becoming increasingly complex:
The mortal population of the Nine Mountains Realm is now just over 100 million, and the number of towns is also skyrocketing.
Although most management positions are held by the Vocational Academy students, the demand for the Nine Mountains disciples has surged.
After all, both agricultural planting and factory production cannot function without Law Technique.
In the Nine Mountains Realm today, the most scarce resource is actually people.
Hundreds of Jiushan graduates this year shuttled between various recruitment sites, their faces mostly showing confusion and bewilderment, yet also full of anticipation for the future.
Old Yuan looked around, he suddenly asked, "Do you remember when you first started out?"
Zheng Fa nodded slightly, understanding what the Old Yuan was saying:
When he first arrived at the Nine Mountains Sect Nine Mountains Sect, the situation was quite different for the new disciples, especially those at the lower levels:
Back then, there weren't as many opportunities, nor as many choices, or rather, not as many futures.
They were too quiet, even deathly quiet, but the resentment in that silence was something even the Old Yuan in his Thatched Cottage hut understood.
Compared to back then, the commotion before him now sounded pleasant to the Old Yuan, even the argument between Zhao Jingfan and the Golden Core disciple.
"This is... Han, Han Qi?"
At the Marketplace docks, the Divine Firmament Warship came and went in an endless stream, one after another.
Outside the dock, in front of a three-story building, stood Han Qi demeanor was gradually gaining a touch of authority.
Disciples came in an endless stream to the front of the small building to ask for instructions, and Han Qi arranged everything for them without hesitation.
" The Five Spirits Sect's Clear Spirit Pill have already been sent out. Do they want to order more? No, there are still people ahead of them in line."
" Azure Origin Sect wants to cooperate? Why didn't you say so earlier? The Sect Leader said that within a radius of five hundred miles, we will only seek cooperation from one force for now."
" The Vast Sea Wu Clan went to the Sea Region? They're quite sensible; they followed the Sect Leader's instructions and were given a batch of pills and Spirit Artifact."
"..."
The Old Yuan had some impression of Han Qi, after all, he was his disciple's attendant, and he had naturally seen him before. He had even glanced at him a few times. But the confident and capable Han Qi in front of him was quite different from the slightly gloomy and even timid Han Qi in his mind.
Han Qi's Spirit Root is not very good, and his cultivation is still in the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm and has not yet entered the Golden Core stage. However, he is now familiar with the caravans, especially the major forces of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, which he knows almost like the back of his hand.
After settling his disciples in, he approached Zheng Fa and the other two, bowing respectfully and saying, " Sect Leader, Yuan Taishang, Zhang Taishang."
Zheng Fa pointed to Old Yuan and said, "From now on, if you have any problems, please consult Yuan Taishang."
Han Qi nodded, seemingly not surprised, but then bowed respectfully to the Old Yuan.
The Old Yuan, however, was quite curious and asked, "Those sects you mentioned, are they all part of the Hundred Immortals Alliance?"
" Your Taishang, it is a sect from the Hundred Immortals Alliance."
"What does the Azure Origin Sect mean by wanting to cooperate? Why do you disagree?"
Han Qi looked slightly nervous. He glanced at Zheng Fa, and only relaxed a little when Zheng Fa nodded at him. He explained, "This is the Sect Leader's order."
"What command?"
" The Sect Leader said that the first wave of sects willing to cooperate and possessing the necessary skills can join the various guilds."
"Later, we used caravans to deliver goods, gradually established closer ties with some sects, and slowly gained control of the Hundred Immortals Alliance's market for elixirs and Spirit Artifact. We also cooperated with many sects in mining."
"Some factions don't have particularly valuable mineral resources, so they can't make money. They also don't have the technology to join a guild, and they're watching their industries disappear."
The Old Yuan nodded repeatedly as he listened. He recalled the grand scene at the recruitment fair earlier and naturally understood that if the Nine Mountains Sect's various factories weren't currently booming, they wouldn't need so many disciples.
Given the output of the Nine Mountains Sect's factory, other sects naturally had poor business.
"So? They're going to cooperate?"
Han Qi shook his head and said, "No, it was arranged by the Sect Leader."
The Old Yuan was taken aback and looked at Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa explained, "The Tongjian is currently Comprehensive Mirror, and the mall has a lot of orders. We can't possibly deliver the goods to all those cultivators individually, so I simply let those sects handle this matter."
The rapid advancement of various cultivation technologies within the Nine Mountains Sect naturally led to a dramatic change in the employment market within the Hundred Immortals Alliance:
Simply put, many cultivators and sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance who lacked sufficient technical skills inevitably lost their livelihoods.
Therefore, Zheng Fa decided to provide them with flexible employment opportunities, open up the last 500 miles, improve the logistics chain, and launch door-to-door delivery services.
The Old Yuan suddenly realized, "Win over these sects?"
"Winning them over is secondary; the real problem is a lack of manpower," Zheng Fa explained. "Firstly, it gives those sect cultivators a way to make a living, and secondly, it's to improve the marketplace system. Now, at least half of the cultivators in the Hundred Immortals Alliance territory have the Comprehensive Mirror... the other half don't, mainly because they can't buy it."
Han Qi nodded and said, " The Comprehensive Mirror too popular. Nowadays, our Nine Mountains Sect's Marketplace is almost deserted; people only come to queue up to buy Comprehensive Mirror. Some sects, however, send people here to buy large quantities of various pills and medicinal materials to resell themselves."
Simply put, Nine Mountains Sect Market is now more of a wholesale business. While there are Rogue Cultivator coming, the majority are Lineage and sects that come to purchase in bulk.
Hundred Immortals Alliance's retail business has now been halved by Nine Mountains Marketplace.
The Old Yuan finally understood. "No wonder those sects are trying to transform..."
If even the Nine Mountains Market is in such a state, one can only imagine the desolation of the other Marketplace.
Why search only one power within a five-hundred-mile radius?
Han Qi looked somewhat puzzled upon hearing this, but still honestly explained, "It was also the Sect Leader's order. He said that firstly, we should try to give them some opportunities to survive, and secondly, we should control the number of sects and make other sects conform to our development strategy."
What strategy?
Zheng Fa chimed in, "Let's go to sea."
The Old Yuan suddenly remembered. " Sea Region development?"
"Yes, most of those forces that arrived later weren't that trusting or close to our Nine Mountains Sect."
The Old Yuan understood the meaning of these words:
Zheng Fa has given the various sects of the Hundred Immortals Alliance many opportunities.
The first wave, naturally, involves guild matters.
The second wave involves mineral resource cooperation.
The third time was to connect with the Hundred Immortals Alliance caravan and deliver goods for them.
In terms of profits, the first wave of forces that surrendered were able to sit back and enjoy the benefits of the patents, while the second wave could also continue to share in the profits from the minerals, which could also be considered as making money without lifting a finger.
The third wave of forces can still put in the effort, and given the size of the marketplace, they're doing quite well now; some smaller forces are even more free and comfortable than before.
Zheng Fa has been in charge of the Hundred Immortals Alliance for over a decade or two, yet no sect has integrated into the new Hundred Immortals Alliance system. Either they are too stupid, or they don't trust the Nine Mountains Sect, or they are simply not on the same page.
"So you want them to explore the Sea Region?"
" The Hundred Immortals Alliance has only so many resources and opportunities; if you're late, you're late." Zheng Fa spoke bluntly to the three of them. "Now, if they want to find their place in the Hundred Immortals Alliance, they'll have to do something even more arduous and dangerous."
"Regardless of what happens with the Immortal-Trapping Sword, our trade route with Vast Sun Mountain is gone forever. To make up for this loss, we can only head to the Sea Region."
"After the massacre by the Great Freedom Devil Ancestor, the population in the Sea Region is sparse, and the number of cultivators is even smaller. These sects can not only help us establish a foothold, but also try to develop trade with the Western Continent. The profits here are greater than those from the Vast Sun Mountain trade route."
The Vast Sun Mountain trade route is maintained because of Li Hao's identity, but this obviously cannot last forever.
On the contrary, the ocean is vast and rich in resources, and trade Western Continent is highly profitable.
The strategy of developing Sea Region is extremely important to Zheng Fa.
He is now intentionally or unintentionally pushing those Hundred Immortals Alliance sects to migrate to the Sea Region to replenish the island's population and pave the way for the Nine Mountains Sect.
For those sects, the Sea Region is naturally more dangerous than the Hundred Immortals Alliance's old territory, but once they achieve something, the rewards are also higher—so quite a few sects still grit their teeth and head to the Sea Region.
"Master, now that Uncle-Master Pang and Aunt-Master Huang are in charge of this area, I'm entrusting the caravan to you so that you can oversee this matter."
Senior Sister Zhang is in charge of internal sect affairs, while Old Yuan is responsible for external matters.
On the one hand, of course, Senior Sister Zhang has a lot of responsibilities. She not only has to manage the university, but also many research projects that require her to make decisions, so she is really overwhelmed.
On the other hand, it was also because Aunt-Master Huang and Uncle-Master Pang were involved in this matter. Although Senior Sister Zhang had a higher status in the sect, these two were, after all, elders, and Senior Sister Zhang sometimes couldn't give them orders.
Let the Old Yuan go; everyone will feel more at ease.
Simply put, he likes to swear.
The Old Yuan nodded slowly, then asked, "The two of them? What are they doing?"
" Uncle-Master Pang is in charge of Sea Region surveys, while Aunt-Master Huang is mainly responsible for dividing up the territories of various factions and resolving their disputes."
After all, Aunt-Master Huang had been in charge of the Nine Mountains Sect's Enforcement Pavilion for many years. Now, Zheng Fa was using him as a mobile court to set rules for those sects, so that they wouldn't neglect their duties and kill each other.
"Master, your main task is to support your two senior uncles, and on the other hand, you also need to promote the latest research from the Agriculture Academy."
"New research?"
Zheng Fa took out a Storage Bag and handed it to Old Yuan.
The Old Yuan took the Storage Bag, opened it, and saw three kinds of things piled inside:
Three spirit shells.
A bundle of plants resembling a black ribbon.
There are also six dead fish.
"This is... Moonlight Clam?"
He opened one of the spirit shells and recognized its origin.
The Moonlight Clam gets its name from the Moonlight Pearl it produces. This spiritual pearl is itself a superior magical Law Artifact that can enhance the power of Water-Element Art and even accelerate the cultivation of water-based Cultivation Method.
If refined into jewelry or clothing, it possesses even more extraordinary properties, making it an excellent spiritual material.
In addition, it is rumored that the powder made from Moon Pearls has skin-care properties, making it very popular among female cultivators.
Therefore, this spiritual material has never been cheap, and nowadays, spiritual materials are becoming increasingly scarce, making it even more difficult for the supply to meet the demand.
" Jiao Wuji researched this before, saying it could be artificially bred."
"Artificially cultured Moonlight Clam?" The Old Yuan's voice rose, as if incredulous. "Really?"
"The laboratory is complete, but whether it can be used on a large scale depends on the effectiveness of your promotion, Master."
" Moonlight Clam..." The Old Yuan pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Is this thing produced in high quantities?"
Zheng Fa smiled and said, "Otherwise, why would I want to develop the Sea Region? If aquaculture can be successfully carried out, about half of the losses caused by Vast Sun Mountain can be recovered."
What about these two?
" The Vastsea Fish and the Hundred-Knot Grass, according to Sect Master Song the Azure Wood Sect, are very important for many elixirs, but they used to be extremely expensive."
The Old Yuan now understood. "No wonder you value the Sea Region so much."
"Master, in the past, Xuanwei cultivators valued land resources too much and neglected the wealth of the sea. Whether it's the spiritual materials hidden there or the development of marine aquaculture, the wealth that the Nine Mountains Sect has brought to it is ten or even a hundred times greater than that of the Hundred Immortals Alliance's mainland."
Ultimately, the Sea Region is vast and naturally rich in resources; it's just that extraction is difficult, which also indicates the wealth hidden within.
On the other hand, due to the unique geographical environment of the Sea Region, many products are irreplaceable in the Xuanwei Realm and have low production, so their prices in the market are naturally high.
If the Sea Region can be developed and aquaculture promoted, the losses caused by the falling out with Vast Sun Mountain can not only be made up, but could even be ten or a hundred times more.
Not to mention the trade profits from controlling maritime trade routes.
After listening to Zheng Fa's grand vision, the Old Yuan was momentarily bewildered, then suddenly exclaimed, "If it weren't for Vast Sun Mountain, we wouldn't know how well we'd be doing!"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa laughed instead, "Master, if it weren't for Vast Sun Mountain, I wouldn't have made so many arrangements. In these fourteen years, my Nine Mountains Sect Nine Mountains Sect has accumulated sufficient resources, enough for my disciples to cultivate for ten years, and enough spiritual food to last for thirty years... I even thought that if we couldn't defeat Vast Sun Mountain, we could simply move the Nine Mountains Realm to the Sea Region, or even hide at the bottom of the sea, quietly develop, and wait for the future."
The Old Yuan was stunned for a moment, then looked at Zheng Fa in horror. "You're already prepared to abandon the Hundred Immortals Alliance?"
"As a last resort, we have no choice but to preserve our people and lose our territory, and do our best to develop the Nine Mountains Realm." Zheng Fa seemed to have already calculated this. "Of course, losing the Hundred Immortals Alliance's territory will also be a great loss to our Nine Mountains Sect; this is the worst option."
The Old Yuan looked stunned.
Vast Sun Mountain casually tossed out the Immortal-Trapping Sword, probably not thinking much of the Nine Mountains Sect.
However, Zheng Fa and the Nine Mountains Sect truly and rapidly accumulated wealth over fourteen years, and even prepared for war for fourteen years.
He gazed at the magnificent Divine Firmament Warship in the sky, which shone like a meteor shower, and then looked at Zheng Fa. His previous worries had unknowingly subsided considerably.
He even felt that Vast Sun Mountain should be worried—he really didn't know what kind of person Vast Sun Mountain had offended.
This disciple never fights a battle unprepared. He not only considered the Sea Region as a retreat route long ago, but most importantly, given time, he could truly turn the Nine Mountains Realm and even the Xuanwei Realm upside down.
Zheng Fa was unaware of the Old Yuan's thoughts; otherwise, he would have felt that not only Vast Sun Mountain had underestimated him, but even his master had looked down on him.
Given his personality, how could he feel at ease with only the Sea Region as an escape route—he also had the Modern World!
(End of this chapter)