Book 2: Chapter 213: Network Vision, Archaeology Initiative |
Vol 2 Chapter 213: Network Vision, Archaeology Initiative
Xiao Yuying went silent—
Honestly, she had contributed plenty too!
Why were there levels to the credit?
Fine, Zheng Fa could have the top spot—she’d admit she lost that one.
But Zhang Wuyi…?
No way.
Senior Sister Zhang, however, went on calmly, “If I wanted to send you a Message Talisman, I’d just modify these glyphs…”
She lifted the Flying Immortal Brush, tracing several golden diagrams in the air.
“Divine Soul…”
Zheng Fa winced at those two words.
He had cultivated to a respectable level by now, and in terms of knowledge, he figured he could match most Golden Core cultivators.
In Mathematics, Electromagnetism, and Talisman Theory, he even dared say few Nascent Soul cultivators could rival him.
But anything involving the Divine Soul?
Still gave him a headache.
In his view, it was one of the most confusing concepts in cultivation—vaguer even than the essence of spiritual energy.
He glanced to the side—Xiao Yuying looked completely clueless and innocent.
Oddly comforting.
She probably didn’t even realize what part he was struggling with.
Senior Sister Zhang, however, understood. She nodded and said:
“I never paid much attention to Message Talismans before, but the deeper I dig, the more I realize—this specific rune is far more complex and refined than any of the others. If these were man-made, then whoever created them… must have been one of the absolute top cultivators.”
Hearing this, Zheng Fa looked again at the Divine Name Sub-Talisman in the message structure. He didn’t recognize it.
Back then, Tang Lingwu had compiled a breakdown.
More than half of the glyphs in these sub-talismans came from a tiny handful of legendary cultivators.
But the creator of the Message Talisman wasn’t one of them…
After thinking for a while and drawing a blank, Zheng Fa changed the subject:
“Our cultivation base is still limited. Talking about this is a bit too ambitious…”
“Senior Sister, based on your explanation—could we say the runes in the Message Talisman mainly serve encryption and interference shielding?”
Senior Sister Zhang thought about it and smiled.
“Well put, Junior Brother.”
Xiao Yuying blinked. She recognized the words but didn’t fully get them.
After all, outside of Mathematics and Electromagnetism, she rarely attended class…
Zheng Fa tried to process the underlying principles:
The Message Talisman was essentially using electromagnetic waves to transmit information.
But in a spirit energy environment, EM waves could be disrupted during transmission.
So it needed a shielding glyph structure to protect the signal.
And to ensure only the intended recipient could read it, it had to store a signature spiritual imprint—
Kind of like a fingerprint lock.
Only by inputting the matching spiritual energy could the message be unlocked.
He now understood why Senior Sister Zhang said the creator must’ve been a genius:
After all, Message Talismans could be used by Qi Refining cultivators.
That meant the glyph design had to be simple.
But the underlying theory was incredibly deep.
Putting aside the speculation, Zheng Fa looked to Senior Sister Zhang and asked:
“Senior Sister, is there any way to… modify the Message Talisman?”
“Modify?”
“I mean—could we use this method to broadcast our news to everyone?”
She frowned slightly, beginning to grasp his intent.
Right now, Jiushan’s news system was like a rural film crew going door-to-door—labor intensive, and each news point required a separate talisman formation.
Very limiting.
What Zheng Fa wanted was essentially to turn Message Talismans into a wireless broadcast system.
Currently, they worked like email—one-to-one.
He wanted to build a news website.
Senior Sister Zhang seemed to be chewing on the idea.
Then Zheng Fa added, “That’s one-to-many. But what about many-to-many?”
“Many-to-many?”
Even she couldn’t quite follow now.
“I mean—create a place where Jiushan disciples can freely communicate and exchange ideas.”
What he was describing was a classic Internet evolution arc…
But Senior Sister Zhang still looked puzzled.
“For example, say I have a cultivation question, but no one to ask. This place would let me post my question.”
He described it like a forum.
Her eyes lit up—now she was starting to understand.
“And let’s say I’m a talisman crafter. I could post and look for buyers.
It could even be integrated with our Merit Point System.”
A network marketplace.
“Or maybe I don’t have a specific skill, but I have insights into cultivation.
If I write them up and teach others through this platform—couldn’t I earn rewards that way too?”
Senior Sister Zhang blinked—and suddenly realized just how big the “Mother of the Internet” title might actually be.
Zheng Fa had only given her a very basic sketch, but she could already sense the potential—
This could become something far beyond what words could currently describe.
Even Xiao Yuying got it.
“Auntie it is!” she suddenly declared.
“…”
Zheng Fa looked at her. Her face practically said:
“Big auntie, little auntie—who cares? I’m getting on this train!”
…
The whole “Auntie of the Internet” thing was just a joke.
What Zheng Fa really valued was Xiao Yuying’s expertise in Archaeology.
Now, he wanted to pull her into his secret realm research initiative.
On University Island, inside a modest meeting room, sat nearly all of Jiushan’s current upper echelon:
Senior Sister Zhang, the Three Supreme Elders—
and the only outsider: Xiao Yuying.
It showed just how much weight they placed on her.
Zheng Fa stood before them holding a stack of files.
“I called everyone here to discuss whether we should begin secret realm exploration.
And if so—which one do we start with?”
The elders exchanged looks.
They understood—Zheng Fa had basically already decided to go.
Xiao Yuying stayed neutral.
Zheng Fa had mentioned this idea before.
She’d been intrigued by his archaeology report—but honestly, she wasn’t sure she needed Jiushan’s help.
Even if they did work together, couldn’t it be like her deal with Madam Xuanhua?
She’d go explore the realm, and just bring Jiushan the results for analysis.
Senior Sister Zhang was the first to speak:
“From the Administrative Hall’s standpoint…”
“Jiushan Realm is currently running a deficit.”
“We rely on outside purchases for almost everything except thunder-type spiritual materials. And with the current tense political climate, prices are rising across the board.”
“And with projects like the Golden Core Engineering, our costs are even higher.”
Everyone’s expressions turned serious.
“In terms of income—we currently only have thunder materials and spiritual talismans that sell well.”
“But the issue with thunder materials is—most of it goes to our own disciples, and output is limited.”
Zheng Fa sighed.
No farmer ever got rich, after all.
“And while spiritual talismans sell well, the Hundred Immortals Alliance has lost most of its resources. They’re broke. And what’s worse—they still haven’t gone to war with the Great Freedom Demonic Sect.”
A hint of disappointment crossed Senior Sister Zhang’s face…
World peace was the worst thing for weapons dealers.
“And also, they’re slow to pay.”
Zheng Fa glanced at the elders and could tell—they were beginning to understand why he was proposing this initiative.
He picked up from where Senior Sister Zhang left off:
“Beyond just resource issues… there’s something else on my mind.”
Everyone turned to him.
“Jiushan Realm… is too safe.”
“Preparedness in peace?” asked Old Yuan.
“Yes. I don’t want our people to live in constant fear—but let’s be honest… the world won’t allow us to stay untouched.”
Two events had left deep impressions on Zheng Fa:
First, when the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor infiltrated Jiushan and killed the Heavenly Venerate.
Clearly, their realm was not invulnerable.
Second, more recently—the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor was contemplating abandoning his very own Great Freedom Heaven.
What did that say about the current state of things?
Everyone nodded solemnly.
Old Yuan chuckled, “I’ve felt that way too. Thought you’d be too soft to admit it.”
“Exploring secret realms serves two purposes:
It trains our disciples…
And lets us collect resources and knowledge without getting sucked into the sect-vs-sect war.”
For Zheng Fa, the inheritances and lost knowledge were the true treasures—
And those could be shared.
That’s also why he wanted to partner with Xiao Yuying.
His meaning was clear:
Find a high-yield, relatively safe project that would strengthen Jiushan's future.
Old Yuan nodded. “I think it’s viable.”
Senior Sister Zhang and the other two elders agreed as well.
“So now it’s just a question of which secret realm,” Zheng Fa said, gesturing toward the files.
He turned to Xiao Yuying.
“Fairy Xiao, we’d like to invite you to collaborate.”
She replied, “I’m open to it—but I won’t be interested in just any secret realm.”
Zheng Fa smiled and handed over the top file.
She glanced down—then looked up in surprise.
“Tianhe Venerable? Where did this come from?”
“A disciple submitted the intel.”
“Tsk… Jiushan Sect really is full of hidden dragons.”
Zheng Fa hesitated, then admitted,
“Not really. He was actually sent by the Hundred Immortals Alliance…”
“…”
Xiao Yuying paused, then said dryly:
“Are they falling apart over there or what?”
Zheng Fa had to agree—Zhenren Tongming probably wasn’t being this generous out of goodwill…
“I’m in.”
Zheng Fa immediately pulled out a sheet of paper.
“Then please, Fairy Xiao, sign this Archaeological Cooperation Contract.”
“…”
Xiao Yuying glanced at him, then at the contract.
To her surprise, the terms were relatively lenient—mainly confidentiality, no mutual harm, principles of profit sharing and knowledge exchange.
Once she signed it, she stood up, clearly eager to set out already.
“Fairy Xiao!”
“Hm?”
“I’ve been thinking… I have some new ideas about this archaeological project.”
Xiao Yuying sat back down in a flash, eyes fixed on Zheng Fa’s head.
It was as if she found his brain more interesting than the secret realm left by Tianhe Venerable.
…
Mu Qingyan was led into the meeting room, a little lost—
She stared at the room full of Nascent Soul cultivators.
Senior Sister Zhang stood nearby, pen in hand, ready to take notes.
Zheng Fa looked at her and said, “Mu Qingyan, the sect has decided to explore the secret realm you submitted.”
Mu Qingyan pursed her lips and replied quietly, “…Yes.”
Zheng Fa then pulled out a contract. “Take a look. If there’s no issue, sign it.”
She looked down at the contract.
One party was Zheng Fa—his main obligation was to ensure her safety and guarantee her share of the benefits.
Mu Qingyan, in turn, was to provide all the information she could.
Everything was clear and aligned with what Zheng Fa had told her before.
“…"
She stayed silent for a moment, then signed it too, and said,
“This secret realm… I believe it’s related to Tianhe Venerable.”
“Wait,” Zheng Fa interrupted her, “tell me exactly why you think so?”
“…?” Mu Qingyan hesitated. Because everyone said that in my past life!
“I mean—what clues or details make you think it was left behind by Tianhe Venerable?”
“Oh!” Mu Qingyan got it. “As far as I know, there’s supposed to be a legacy left by him inside. There are also artifacts bearing his mark.”
Zheng Fa nodded. “Next question—what sort of gains might this secret realm hold?”
“Besides the inheritance… there should be two magic treasures.”
“What about the internal layout? Any idea what the architecture is like?”
“Yes… it seems to be a large lake, with an island at its center.”
“Any known dangers? Traps?”
“…Plenty. There’s one in the lake itself—an illusion array that can numb a cultivator’s five senses.”
Zheng Fa turned to Xiao Yuying.
“Fairy Xiao, from your expertise—what kind of illusion formations were popular in that era? Any general countermeasures?”
Xiao Yuying now understood what he was doing.
She thought a bit and said,
“To be honest, with someone like Tianhe Venerable, I can’t claim to understand his methods. But yes, certain types of arrays were common back then…”
She explained a few patterns, then added:
“Over time, some of those illusion arrays developed universal counters.”
After listening, Zheng Fa turned to the Supreme Elders.
Old Yuan spoke:
“In that case, I have a few talisman formations that may be more effective than standard techniques.”
Martial Uncle Pang added,
“My Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes might help as well.”
Zhenren Huang… stayed silent, a bit out of place.
Zheng Fa watched as Senior Sister Zhang diligently recorded all of it, then turned to Mu Qingyan again.
“Anything else?”
The Q& A session went on for two full hours.
Mu Qingyan only knew fragments of the realm—hearsay, some real, some false.
But even so, Senior Sister Zhang had already written up a thick stack of notes.
When they looked over her record, they saw the cover bore Zheng Fa’s handwriting:
“Tianhe No. 1 Secret Realm – Archaeological Project Plan”
Xiao Yuying blinked and flipped through it—
Every danger, every restriction Mu Qingyan mentioned had been analyzed, and solutions proposed.
Some solutions were hers.
Some came from the elders.
And some were Zhang Wuyi’s original creations.
That illusion formation alone had spawned over twenty contingency plans.
She looked up at Zheng Fa, half in disbelief.
“You’re this detailed?”
Zheng Fa’s smile froze for a moment.
“How do you think like this?” Xiao Yuying asked, curious.
Think like this?
Come on now—what age are we living in? Archaeology done solo?
In the Xuanyi Realm, because of how secret realms worked, cultivators usually operated solo.
Even temporary teams often turned on each other over loot.
Zheng Fa, on the other hand, only worked with those he somewhat trusted.
And even then—the contract came first.
To him, even though cultivators lived long lives, no one could master everything.
Take Xiao Yuying for example—
She was gifted, sure, but had little grasp of artifact crafting, alchemy, or formation techniques.
Simply put, every major field in cultivation is deep and complex. There’s no end to it.
Which means—even among powerful cultivators—cooperation still mattered.
Other cultivators understood this too.
But none of them pursued it as methodically as Zheng Fa.
“Fairy Xiao, I’ve broken this archaeological project into three phases,” Zheng Fa explained.
“Phase one—what you’re seeing now: data collection, contingency planning…”
“Phase two—exploration of the realm. You’ll lead the field team, and Jiushan will provide technical support…”
“Technical… support?”
Xiao Yuying blinked. She wasn’t following.
“I mean, if you run into a restriction you can’t crack, I’ll be back here with the elders helping solve it.”
Essentially, she was the field team, and Jiushan would act as HQ command.
Zheng Fa saw this like a military campaign.
Xiao Yuying finally got it.
She opened her mouth, about to say something—but paused.
There was actually a sect rich enough to run a secret realm like this?
“And finally, phase three—post-analysis.
You’ve already seen what that looks like in our previous archaeological reports.”
Her expression grew more complicated as she listened.
“Fairy Xiao?”
“…I finally get how those cultivators who ran into me in the past must’ve felt.”
“What do you mean?” Zheng Fa asked.
“…‘Should I just go home?’”
She could now see how devastating this level of planning was.
She had talent, no doubt.
But with Zheng Fa gathering multiple Nascent Soul experts, crafting absurdly detailed prep docs…
Even she would feel hopeless.
Wait…
No, hold on.
She was on his side.
Never mind then.
…
“This is just overkill.” Xiao Yuying stared at Zheng Fa, pointing at the illusion in front of them.
“What’s this simulation thing?”
The illusion showed the lake island Mu Qingyan described, with its traps accurately replicated—though the power was scaled down.
This was one of the Nine Islands of the Heavenly Palace, previously unused—
Zheng Fa had repurposed it as a training simulation, or rather, a secret realm “dungeon.”
It was essentially an upgraded version of the Dao Struggle Immortal VR game.
But instead of PvP, this one focused on secret realm exploration.
He now called the island: Struggle-for-Dao Island.
“We need the disciples to practice the contingency plans,” Zheng Fa said.
After all, a contingency plan on paper is just theory—
But spells and arrays? You need to train them.
Xiao Yuying was speechless, staring at him.
“…I’m starting to feel like secret realm exploration won’t be exciting anymore.”
“Fairy Xiao, I don’t want ‘exciting’…”
Zheng Fa pointed toward a mountain wall opposite the illusion.
On it, Senior Sister Yuan had carved ten large green characters:
“The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.”
The meaning was simple—blunt, even.
But everyone present instantly understood what Zheng Fa was trying to do.
Xiao Yuying heard him continue:
“Fairy Xiao, I’ve spent too much time and effort building this sect, recruiting teachers, rewriting systems, spending resources…
I can’t just let my disciples go die in some secret realm for the thrill of it.”
Behind him, Mu Qingyan’s eyelid twitched.
She looked around.
Many disciples had warmth in their eyes.
Even Xiao Yuying sighed.
“With you as Sect Master…”
She didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone understood the praise in her tone.
“Oh, by the way—you disciples participating in this drill…”
Zheng Fa suddenly looked at Mu Qingyan and the others.
“Be sure to write a reflection afterward. Three thousand words will do.”
“…Sect Master, is this drill just a one-time thing?”
Mu Qingyan couldn’t help asking.
Others didn’t know, but she did—they had written a mountain of contingency plans…
“What do you think?”
Zheng Fa smiled gently.
“With you as Sect Master… feels a little unlucky.”
Xiao Yuying muttered, her tone shifting.
The disciples all nodded—grimly.