Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 132 - 37 Heavy Responsibility

Chapter 132: Chapter 37 Heavy Responsibility

Zhang spoke these words in the thatched cottage, which besides her and Zheng Fa, also had Yuan, Zhou Qianyuan, and the Sect Leader—the three of them present.

"Go to the Talisman Magic Pavilion as an instructor?" Zheng Fa pointed at his own nose and said, "Me?"

Zheng Fa remembered that the instructors of the Talisman Magic Pavilion were all from the Foundation Establishment Stage.

He had been in the sect for such a short time, and he was only at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation.

"You are originally a Xuan-grade Talisman Master," Zhang nodded and said: "I have also seen your accomplishments in talismanic Dao these days; you are more than enough to serve as an instructor."

Zheng Fa hesitated a little upon hearing these words.

"Now that the play has just started, I really can’t be in two places at once..." he said.

He wasn’t looking for excuses to get out of it.

"Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian" had already been shown twice within the sect, but not many external cultivators had seen it—the ticket prices he and Zhang had set for external sales were a bit steep.

One Spirit Stone could only buy three tickets, which was more than three times the price of internal tickets.

The last time it was shown, not many external cultivators in the workshop were willing to watch—most of those who were willing to come on the free Guiding Ship didn’t have much money.

The price was indeed a bit hard on their wallets.

There wasn’t a good solution for this; it could only spread slowly through word of mouth.

But the plan for the second play had already been placed on the agenda by him and the Sect Leader—now relying on the support of Jiushan Sect disciples, they could at least ensure they wouldn’t lose money by producing a play.

And it could even enrich the entertainment life of their Jiushan Sect brothers.

Not to mention that he needed to cultivate, earn money, and study talismanic Dao, time was indeed limited.

Seeing that Zheng Fa was reluctant,

Zhang shook her head and said, "To you, the Talisman Magic Pavilion is far more important than the plays."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa looked at Zhang in some confusion, just to see Zhou Qianyuan also nodding silently on the side.

Zhou Qianyuan looked at Zheng Fa staring at him and simply spoke on behalf of Zhang, saying: "I think what Zhang means is she wants you, elder brother, to take over the Talisman Magic Pavilion in the future."

"Take over the Talismanic Magic Pavilion?"

Zheng Fa looked at Zhang, and she didn’t say anything; she just nodded slightly.

"Zheng, the disputes between our two factions actually originate from the training of disciples in the Talisman Magic Pavilion," Zhou Qianyuan said with a soft sigh: "You must have seen the conflict between the two factions in the Talisman Magic Pavilion."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly, recalling the group fights that would start at any disagreement when he had first joined the sect.

"The things our two factions teach are actually not quite the same." Zhou Qianyuan explained: "I understand when I listen to you and Zhang discuss talismans, that your lineage primarily focuses on studying the Primordial Talisman."

"Whereas my master’s lineage does not emphasize the Primordial Talisman—if we have Primordial Talismans, we use them, otherwise, we can also use the past talismanic diagrams."

When Zheng Fa heard this, he found it absurd—they could fight over this?: "Do these two conflict?"

"No conflict." Zhang shook her head: "But this is the difference in understanding the Tao."

"Simply put, I believe that man can conquer nature, Master Pang believes in following the will of Heaven."

"For example, when it comes to the waning of the Spiritual Mechanism, I think a solution must be found."

"Master Pang thinks we should not force it."

Listening to this, Zheng Fa still felt that these two people had no substantial conflict—Zhang wanted to study, so let her study; what does it have to do with Master Pang?

"I have never mentioned to you before that in the Hundred Immortals Alliance, there are cultivators who think like me and those who think like Master Pang."

"Us people think that the predecessors have all failed, and hope to find another way out to change the decline of the Spiritual Mechanism," Zhang said in a soft voice: "I study new talismanic magic, and others study different things... it’s all the same."

"Master Pang and his people think that the possibility of what we think is too low... and it could lead to a waste of the current scarce resources of the Hundred Immortals Alliance." Zhang fell silent for a moment, then continued: "Their idea is that a great turmoil is coming to Xuanwei Realm, and we cannot waste resources on these things."

Now, Zheng Fa somewhat understood.

It was a question of choosing between now and the future:

Zhang’s idea was very good, and Zheng Fa agreed with it.

If they didn’t change after failing time and time again, were they just waiting to die?

But Master Pang also had his reasons—sister, when the enemies are about to knock on our door, who has the time for your research?

If your research succeeds and is seized by others, then it’s like making a wedding dress for someone else.

If the research fails, isn’t that just a waste of resources?

Seeing that Zheng Fa seemed to understand, Zhang said softly: "I almost used the resources of the sect that could cultivate three Golden Core cultivators to perfect the ’Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method.’"

Zheng Fa thought about the time before, when Zhang described her lone path of being against the world, he thought it was a bit exaggerated, but now he understood—during these times, using so many resources, if you don’t get attacked, who will?

"This kind of..." Zheng Fa looked for a word to describe these two factions: "Is the conflict between the Conservative Party and the Reformist Faction intense in the Hundred Immortals Alliance?"

"More or less, there are fewer people like me, and more like Master Pang," Zhang explained: "But those who share my viewpoint generally have some status within the sect."

Indeed, if not a genius like Zhang, who would dare to confidently pave a new path.

At its core, this conflict is about how to face the decline of the Spiritual Mechanism.

Zhang sees the issue most fundamentally—she believes that solving the decline of the Spiritual Mechanism is the Righteous Path.

But Master Pang is more realistic:

First, to survive the upcoming great turmoil, and then address the decline of the Spiritual Mechanism.

With both resources and time limited, the two are almost mutually exclusive.

"What does this have to do with me taking charge of the Talisman Magic Pavilion?" Zheng Fa asked.

"Among the two factions, Master Pang oversees the Discipline Hall, and I oversee the Affairs Hall, and thus do not overstep each other’s boundaries," Zhang said to Zheng Fa: "Only the Talisman Magic Pavilion, which trains the disciples of the sect, is actually the most important place. It affects the balance of power between the two factions and is most prone to disputes."

"Neither side of the factions is suitable to serve as the Pavilion Master of the Talisman Magic Pavilion, only you are a disciple of the Sect Leader, with your position and status, you taking charge of the Talisman Magic Pavilion is most acceptable to both parties."

"Moreover, if you want to reconcile the conflicts between the two branches, it is best to start from the Talisman Magic Pavilion."

The words of Sister Zhang left Zheng Fa speechless.

He knew that Sister Zhang’s arrangement was also for his own good.

Although there would be no short-term benefits, this was an essential path for anyone who wanted to become a good future Sect Leader.

His contemplation was because he was asking himself—did he currently possess the ability to resolve the discord between the two branches?

Zheng Fa admitted that his greatest strength was his sense of urgency:

Currently, his cultivation level was only at the Qi Refinement Realm.

He didn’t dare say his understanding of talismanic Dao surpassed that of Sister Zhang.

Besides the ideological conflicts Sister Zhang mentioned, there were also old grudges between the disciples of the two branches.

What he could rely on was merely his identity as a Sect Leader’s disciple; how could it be easy to resolve these issues?

"I know your cultivation is still a bit lacking. You can start by becoming an instructor, and after you reach Foundation Establishment, it will not be too late to talk about taking charge of the Talisman Magic Pavilion..." Sister Zhang paused, then continued, "If you think this is too rushed, it won’t be too late to start after you’ve established your foundation."

Zheng Fa felt a warmth in his heart; Sister Zhang probably still wanted to respect his thoughts.

"Go! Why not go! Just for an instructor position, you hesitate so much?" The voice of the Sect Leader suddenly rose, and he said loudly, "My disciple, how can you be so timid?"

"..."

"When I was young, if there was an opportunity to contribute to the sect, I would be eager and unyielding, leading from the front!"

"..."

Zheng Fa didn’t believe a word of this in his heart—this old man was surely boasting.

"Now, as the only heir to the Sect Leader, you will have to bear the heavy responsibilities in the future; how can you shrink back at a little difficulty?"

The Sect Leader continued to speak with heartfelt pain.

Hearing this, Zheng Fa remained silent for a while before gently bowing to Sister Zhang and said, "Sister, I’ll take the position of the instructor."

Satisfaction appeared on Sister Zhang’s face.

The Sect Leader also nodded with a smile, obviously pleased with his success in inspiring his disciple.

"Brother Zheng has just thought it over; to reconcile the conflicts between the two branches, conventional teaching methods will not work." Zheng Fa said suddenly, "I want to try some new methods."

Sister Zhang asked curiously upon hearing this, "How do you intend to teach?"

Zheng Fa looked at the Sect Leader.

The smile on the Sect Leader’s face froze slowly, as if he had a bad premonition.

"I want to utilize the techniques of Lu’s World, to let the disciples of the Talisman Magic Pavilion undergo simulation trials."

"Simulation..." Sister Zhang frowned, as if she didn’t understand what Zheng Fa was talking about, "Trials?"

"Lu’s World?" The Sect Leader’s face spelled trouble.

"My idea is to modify plays, to help fellows experience some real battles from the cultivation world." Zheng Fa explained, "To train those disciples in these battlegrounds."

He detailed his ideas to the others.

What Zheng Fa wanted to do was—e-sports, but a version with 100% realism.

This was an idea that had come to him the very first time he watched a play.

Lu’s World could certainly give Jiushan Sect disciples a taste of real warfare.

After hearing his ideas, the eyes of Sister Zhang and the others beside him lit up.

"Training the actual combat abilities of the Jiushan Sect disciples?" Sister Zhang always looked at issues from the perspective of the entire sect, "Indeed, chaos is on the horizon, and the Jiushan Sect disciples have been in peace for too long."

"Fun! This is even more interesting than plays!" That was Sister Yuan.

"Brother Zheng, when do you officially take up the post?" That was Zhou Qianyuan, who seemed unable to wait to experience it.

However, one person didn’t speak.

This person had the loudest voice just now, but at this moment, he not only shut his mouth but also quietly stepped back two steps.

"Master?" Looking at the Sect Leader, who was three steps away from them, Zheng Fa revealed an innocent smile, "What are your thoughts, old master?"

"I think your idea is quite good, very good."

"Then the research and development of this new technique will have to rely on you, Master?"

"This thing isn’t that simple!" The Sect Leader murmured upon hearing this.

Zheng Fa, of course, knew it wasn’t simple; the logic involved was entirely different—video games and movies were, after all, two separate products.

But looking at the Sect Leader’s expression, he knew it wasn’t that he couldn’t do it, but that he found it bothersome.

After all, Lu’s World was the Sect Leader’s beloved creation; powering it through love was nothing.

However, Zheng Fa’s new idea—was a task that had suddenly fallen from the sky.

With the old man’s tendency to avoid hassle, getting him to move would be difficult.

"Master, when you were young, for the sake of the sect, you were willing to be eager and unyielding, leading from the front, why be so timid with age?" Zheng Fa skillfully recited, "Master, now you bear the heavy responsibilities of the Sect Leader, how can you shy away from a little difficulty... right?"

The Sect Leader: "..."

...

At Zheng Fa’s home, he sat cross-legged on a cushion. Before his Master’s new technique was developed, he wouldn’t go to the Talisman Magic Pavilion—there was nothing he could do there.

During this time, he also wanted to do his best to improve his cultivation level.

Tonight, he must break through to the fifth level of Qi Refinement.