Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 310 - 189: Talent Recruitment, Sect Leader Ceremony

Chapter 310: Chapter 189: Talent Recruitment, Sect Leader Ceremony

Tongming Master’s words left Zheng Fa looking puzzled.

"The great calamity is about to begin, and even we, the Hundred Immortals Alliance, do not know what the future holds... We wish to leave some descendants within the Jiushan Realm, in case we truly encounter great disaster..."

Tongming Master said to him, his tone quite calm.

Zheng Fa realized the intention—this was about leaving a legacy behind.

After all, the Great Freedom Demon Sect’s reputation was renowned, and with the decline in Spiritual Energy, no one could be certain of their own safety.

The backing of the Supreme Dao is significant, but could the great calamity be that simple?

Who dares say they could definitely survive?

Such as Tianhe Venerable... right?

These individuals naturally need to make more preparations.

Zheng Fa believed that the Jiushan Realm was not their final refuge.

He looked again at the few Nascent Soul real persons standing behind Tongming Master, with visible tension on their faces.

It is imaginable that many among those wanting to enter the Jiushan Realm were their juniors.

Zheng Fa pondered for a moment, then said: "I understand Master’s intentions, but the current state of Jiushan Realm is..."

He gestured behind him.

The grand hall prepared for the Sect Leader’s ceremony was simple and plain, the walls built of white stone devoid of any decoration, the hall was emptily spacious, without even a table set, and even the wind passing through carried an air of austerity.

The corner of Tongming Master’s mouth twitched, and he said: "Is Master Zheng asking for... Spirit Stones?"

Zheng Fa always felt that he originally wanted to say asking for alms...

"Master’s words, that is a huge misunderstanding! Am I such a person who loves Spirit Stones!" Zheng Fa complained.

"..."

Tongming Master didn’t respond.

Just looking at him.

The other Nascent Souls beside him did the same.

Zheng Fa turned his head to look at Zhang and Master... and then watched, wide-eyed, as both of them stepped back.

No, who am I doing this for!

"If I were to take advantage of this crisis between Jiushan Realm and the Hundred Immortals Alliance, what kind of person would that make me!"

Seeing Zheng Fa speak so sincerely, Tongming Master seemed to believe him somewhat: "Then what do you want?"

"What I mean is, Jiushan Realm is currently facing hardships, and if those disciples from the Hundred Immortals Alliance cannot adapt, it would not be an attractive proposition."

Zheng Fa was sincere with these words, not just making excuses.

Once Jiushan Sect disciples entered Jiushan Realm, life became harder than before—considering the renovations of the palaces, due to the peculiar rules of the Jiushan Realm, many cultivation methods couldn’t be used, and sometimes the disciples had to take matters into their own hands.

The renovation work was much slower than in the past.

"This is only reasonable, I will select accordingly."

Both sides understood that Tongming Master’s arranging for his disciples to join Jiushan Sect was not only about leaving an escape route—it also had a meaning of forming closer ties.

After all, both Zheng Fa and Zhang had the power of Divinity Transformation.

Simply put, those sent would be hostages, although not very important; it was more about showing mutual trust between the two sides.

Sending over some unruly young masters to cause dissatisfaction on both sides would be utterly foolish.

"Secondly, I would like Master to send some people who are skilled in the Cultivation Hundred Skills."

"Hmm?"

Tongming Master pondered, seemingly in thought.

A hint of unease appeared on the faces of the Nascent Souls.

Cultivation Hundred Skills, like the talismanic magic of Jiushan Sect, the Alchemy Dao of Qingmu Sect...

These things... although not directly related to cultivation, were the lifeblood of the various Sects’ survival, and Zheng Fa’s words naturally raised suspicions.

Zheng Fa explained: "Of course, I’m not referring to the secret techniques of various sects within the Hundred Immortals Alliance, but rather finding disciples who understand the basic cultivation methods to collectively develop the Jiushan Realm."

At this, everyone felt the suggestion was somewhat more reasonable.

Relying solely on talismanic magic could not maintain a realm’s cultivation civilization.

Tongming Master slowly nodded and said: "I will try to select disciples with particular skills."

Zheng Fa felt a sense of joy in his heart.

He, of course, knew that the people sent by these individuals wouldn’t be master-level Alchemists or Artifact Refiners.

It was possible that they were merely dabblers.

After all, once these people entered the Jiushan Realm, they would be at Zheng Fa’s mercy; how would they dare to send anyone truly important?

But compared to others who cared about secret techniques and the like, Zheng Fa valued basic theory more—secret techniques, in his view, were just derivatives of basic theory.

Not to say that they were useless, but they were not foundational.

Having secret techniques was certainly good, but their absence didn’t affect him as much as it would other Cultivators.

For instance, the secret techniques of Qianhe Sect, he barely used them, at most using them to explore principles.

This is where Zheng Fa differed most from the Cultivators of this realm—

Cultivators mostly seek secret techniques, power, and results.

Zheng Fa enjoyed establishing systems of analysis and understanding.

He kept a neutral expression on his face, seeming not to place much importance on these disciples.

Only Zhang glanced at him with the corners of her mouth upturned in a smile, seemingly happier than even he was.

...

The time for the Sect Leader’s ceremony soon arrived.

Zheng Fa stood at the entrance of the grand hall, facing the jade staircase outside, and from top to bottom upon the stairs stood more than a thousand Jiushan Sect disciples.

Golden Core disciples at the front, led by Yuan, and below the Golden Core disciples, the other disciples were arranged in two rows in order of cultivation level—Foundation Establishment in front and Qi Cultivation at the back.

Their gazes followed Zheng Fa, emotions complex in their eyes.

On the steps, Tongming Master stood on the left with other Nascent Souls who came to observe the ceremony.

Jiushan Ancestor, Master Pang, and Junior Master Huang stood on the right side, all with solemn expressions, not showing the slightest sign of negligence.

The Sect Leader Master stood in front of and to the side of Zheng Fa, holding a whisk in his hand.

Beside him, Zhang held a wooden tray with gold-trimmed edges, which neatly carried a golden Daoist robe and next to it laid a jade order.

Master Yuan’s face was even more somber. He flicked his whisk, and its fine strands touched Zheng Fa’s shoulders.

"Jiushan Sect disciple Zheng Fa."

His voice was different from usual, like a chorus of bronze bells or a clash of jade chimes, clear yet powerful, echoing through the Heavenly Palace Nine Islands.

"Present."

"Follow the Righteous Path, do not tarnish the name of your predecessors, can you adhere to this?"

"I can adhere!"

"Fair and just, do not harm the hearts of disciples, can you adhere to this?"

"I can adhere!"

"Bold and diligent, do not lose the ambition of reaching Qingyun, can you adhere to this?"

Zheng Fa looked up at his Master and Zhang.

"I can adhere!"

Master Yuan smiled and said, "Good!"

He then bowed to the Jiushan Ancestor standing aside and announced loudly:

"Reporting to the Ancestor, today we have the disciple Zheng Fa, with outstanding aptitude and virtue, beloved by all within our Sect. He is fully capable of inheriting the honorable position of Sect Leader and continuing the millennia-old Dao legacy of Jiushan."

Today the Jiushan Ancestor had also returned to his original form, his demeanor grave and his tone serious: "Granted! Bestow the Golden Daoist Robe and the Jiushan Order."

Master Yuan stood up, took the golden silk Daoist robe from the wooden tray held by Zhang, unfolded it in the air, and gently draped it over Zheng Fa’s shoulders.

He then raised the jade order high and walked in front of Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa accepted the Jiushan Order and held it in his hands.

Master Yuan, accompanied by Zhang, retreated to the side of the Jiushan Ancestor.

Now, the five Nascent Soul elders of Jiushan Sect all bowed in unison, showing respect to the new Sect Leader.

Zheng Fa returned the respect with proper form.

After he stood up, the Jiushan Sect disciples below, led by Yuan, paid their respects to him.

Zheng Fa meticulously returned the gesture.

The third salutation was directed at the observing guests, including the Tongming Master.

After the three respects, the traditional Sect Leader enthronement ceremony of Jiushan came to a close.

Unexpectedly, a chorus of shouts suddenly arose from Paradise Island.

All present were far from ordinary, especially the observing guests like Tongming Master, whose strength was outstanding, their senses far beyond that of common folk.

They turned towards the source of the sound and instantly recognized who it was that emitted this noise.

They saw that in front of every household on Paradise Island, people were standing with the old and the young, bowing in the direction of the grand hall, while shouting phrases like "Long live the Sect Leader".

Zheng Fa was slightly startled.

Having entered the Jiushan Realm, he was overwhelmed by countless matters.

Thus, he hadn’t had much interaction with the mortals on Paradise Island.

He couldn’t fathom why they held such deep respect for him.

Zheng Fa looked towards Zhang, thinking she might have arranged this.

But Zhang gently shook her head at him and, through a subtle movement of her lips, transmitted her voice to him: "They are weak, but they are not ignorant."

Zheng Fa was taken aback.

He suddenly understood what Zhang meant—being in a high position, he might feel that he hadn’t done much, but his thoughts and principles unconsciously affected everyone in the Jiushan Sect.

For these mortals, it meant a completely different way of life.

Especially since these people, who had endured hardships before arriving at Jiushan Realm, knew more about the worldly affairs than ordinary mortals.

Seeing those figures prostrating on the ground, Zheng Fa also deeply bowed towards Paradise Island.

Only then did the Sect Leader reveal a smile and announced loudly: "The ceremony is complete!"

At his word, Yuan cheered and transformed into a green phoenix, her tail feathers ablaze with a cold, green flame.

The Golden Crow that was hiding behind her also let out a long cry at this moment, joining her in flight, surrounded by even more splendid golden flames.

The two birds joyfully danced in the sky above Heavenly Palace Nine Islands, the one green and one golden flame-trails shimmering, painting a beautiful picture in the air.

The children on Paradise Island were even more excited, not frightened at all, and pointing at them in the sky, they chattered and laughed.

...

Observing this scene, Tongming Master’s face showed surprise and a hint of confusion.

He turned his head and looked at the several Nascent Soul cultivators beside him.

They exchanged glances, each thinking the same thing—those bloodline disciples sent by their sects couldn’t be too ordinary. Although they couldn’t send their most cherished kin, they also couldn’t pick any unworthy ones.

Tongming Master also understood that this feeling was inexplicable to them...

If they really tried to sort it out, it was possibly because as Divinity Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators, they had seen countless sects rise and fall.

Although they didn’t dare to say they could foresee the fate of any given sect at a glance, some things were clear to them.

For example, when a sect is on the verge of decline, internal strife and endless disputes are inevitable.

Just like the recent state of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, which had reached a point where change was unavoidable.

Whereas when a sect is rising, it is often with unanimous support and one voice, as with the Jiushan Sect today.

Considering the matter of sending outstanding disciples, Tongming Master suddenly thought of the so-called Favor of the Dragon from the mundane world...

And he unexpectedly felt it was fitting.

Only now did he genuinely experience pain over the departure of Jiushan Sect from the Hundred Immortals Alliance, filled with regret for not being able to manage the alliance sooner.

"Sigh..."

He suddenly let out a heavy sigh.

The several Nascent Soul cultivators beside him curiously glanced at him, surprised:

Did the Master... just think of something sad?