I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 189Book 2: : Talent Recruitment, Sect Master Ceremony

It was easy to imagine that many of those wanting to enter the Jiushan Realm were their juniors.

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Fa spoke: "I understand what you mean, Zhenren, but our Jiushan Realm right now..."

He gestured behind him.

The main hall prepared for the Sect Master Ceremony was simple and bare—white stone walls without a single decoration, an empty interior with not even a table set, and the wind passing through had an unmistakable air of poverty.

Zhenren Tongming twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Sect Master Zheng is asking for... spirit stones?"

Zheng Fa had the feeling he actually wanted to say ‘begging’...

"Zhenren, saying that is a huge misunderstanding of me! Am I really someone who loves spirit stones that much?" Zheng Fa protested in grievance.

"......"

Zhenren Tongming didn’t speak.

He just looked at him.

The other Nascent Soul cultivators beside him did the same.

Zheng Fa turned to look at Senior Sister Zhang and his Master... and then watched helplessly as the two of them took a step back.

Come on, I’m doing this for your sake!

"The relationship between the Jiushan Realm and the Hundred Immortals Alliance—if I took advantage of this crisis to exploit you, what kind of person would that make me!"

Seeing how earnest Zheng Fa sounded, Zhenren Tongming finally seemed a bit convinced: "Then what do you want?"

"I'm saying, the Jiushan Realm is struggling right now. If those disciples of the Hundred Immortals Alliance can’t adapt, it would only lead to unpleasant outcomes."

Zheng Fa was sincere;this wasn’t exactly a refusal.

After entering the Jiushan Realm, life for Jiushan Sect disciples had indeed gotten harder—just the matter of restoring the buildings, because of the Realm’s unique laws, many techniques couldn’t be used, and often the disciples had to do things manually.

Restoration work progressed much slower than before.

"That’s reasonable. I’ll select carefully."

Both men understood that Zhenren Tongming’s intent in sending disciples to the Jiushan Sect wasn’t just about having a backup plan—it also carried a gesture of goodwill.

After all, Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang both possessed Soul Formation-level combat strength.

Put simply, those people were more like symbolic hostages, a token of mutual trust.

Sending some unruly rich boys who’d cause trouble on both sides—that would be plain stupid.

"Additionally, I’d like the Zhenren to send people skilled in the Immortal Cultivation Arts."

"Hmm?"

Zhenren Tongming sounded thoughtful, seemingly considering the idea.

The Nascent Soul cultivators’ faces showed a flicker of change.

The Immortal Cultivation Arts referred to disciplines like the Jiushan Sect’s talisman techniques, or the Qingmu Sect’s alchemy...

These things, while not directly tied to cultivation level, were still the lifeblood of their respective sects. Zheng Fa’s request naturally raised suspicion.

Zheng Fa explained, "Of course I’m not asking for the Hundred Immortals Alliance’s secret techniques—I just want a few disciples who understand the basics, to help build up the Jiushan Realm together."

That statement made things seem a bit more reasonable.

Relying solely on talisman techniques indeed couldn’t sustain an entire realm’s cultivation civilization.

Zhenren Tongming slowly nodded and said, "I’ll do my best to pick those with a particular skill."

Zheng Fa felt a tinge of satisfaction.

He was well aware these people wouldn’t be sending any master-level alchemists or artifact crafters.

They might not even send anyone more than mildly competent.

After all, once these people entered the Jiushan Realm, they’d be completely under Zheng Fa’s control—who would dare send someone truly important?

But Zheng Fa valued foundational theory more than others worried about secret techniques. To him, secret methods were merely byproducts of basic theory.

Not useless, but not the foundation either.

Having secret arts was certainly nice, but not having them wouldn’t impact him as much as it would other cultivators.

Take the Qianhe Sect’s secret arts, for instance—he barely used them, maybe just explored the principles behind them.

This was Zheng Fa’s greatest difference from the cultivators of this realm—

Most sought secret methods, raw power, and results.

Zheng Fa preferred to build systems, to analyze and understand.

His face betrayed no emotion, as if he didn’t care much about those disciples.

Only Senior Sister Zhang glanced at him, her lips curled in a smile, looking even more pleased than he was.

...

The time for the Sect Master Ceremony arrived quickly.

Zheng Fa stood at the entrance of the main hall, facing the jade steps outside. On the steps, over a thousand Jiushan Sect disciples stood in rows from top to bottom.

The Golden Core disciples were at the front, led by Senior Sister Yuan. Behind them, the rest of the disciples lined up in two columns by cultivation level—Foundation Establishment in front, Qi Refining in the back.

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

On the steps, Zhenren Tongming and the visiting Nascent Soul cultivators stood to the left.

The Jiushan Ancestor, Martial Uncle Pang, and Martial Uncle Huang stood to the right, their expressions solemn, not a trace of carelessness on their faces.

Zheng Fa’s Master stood a bit in front and to the side of him, holding a horsetail whisk.

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Beside him, Senior Sister Zhang held a wooden tray painted gold with red accents. On the tray was a neatly folded Daoist robe embroidered with golden threads, and next to it lay a jade token.

The former Sect Master’s expression was especially grave. He flicked the whisk, its fine threads falling onto Zheng Fa’s shoulder.

"Jiushan disciple Zheng Fa."

His voice was unlike usual, resonant like a carillon of bronze bells, like jade chimes striking together—clear and deep, echoing through every corner of the Nine Islands of the Heavenly Palace.

"Present."

"Will you walk the righteous path, and not dishonor the names of your predecessors?"

"I will."

"Will you uphold fairness and justice, and not wound the hearts of your disciples?"

"I will."

"Will you be brave and diligent, and never abandon your lofty Qingyun ambition?"

Zheng Fa raised his head, looking toward his Master and Senior Sister Zhang.

"Yes, I will!"

The former Sect Master smiled and said, "Good!"

He bowed to the Jiushan Ancestor at the side and declared loudly:

"Reporting to Ancestor, today we have disciple Zheng Fa, exceptionally talented and virtuous, beloved by all within the sect, fully worthy of the position of Sect Master, to continue the Jiushan Dao lineage for ten thousand years."

The Jiushan Ancestor had resumed his usual appearance today, his expression solemn, his tone grave: "Granted. Bestow the golden-threaded Daoist robe and the Jiushan Token."

The former Sect Master rose, took the golden-threaded robe from the wooden tray held by Senior Sister Zhang, unfolded it in the air, and gently draped it over Zheng Fa's shoulders.

Then he raised the jade token high, stepped forward, and handed it to Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa received the Jiushan Token and held it aloft.

The former Sect Master and Senior Sister Zhang then stepped back to the Jiushan Ancestor’s side.

The five current Nascent Soul cultivators of Jiushan Sect all cupped their hands simultaneously and bowed respectfully to the new Sect Master.

Zheng Fa returned the salute properly.

After he rose, the disciples below, led by Senior Sister Yuan, bowed to him in unison.

Zheng Fa returned the salute with equal formality.

The third salute was to the observers—Zhenren Tongming and the others.

With the completion of the three salutes, the traditional Jiushan Sect Master Ceremony came to an end.

Unexpectedly, a chorus of voices suddenly rose from Letu Island.

None of those present were ordinary mortals—especially the visiting Zhenren Tongming and others, whose cultivation levels were extraordinary, their hearing and sight far beyond the norm.

They looked toward the source of the sound and instantly saw who was calling out.

Letu Island’s households had gathered at their doorsteps, young and old supporting one another, all bowing in the direction of the main hall, chanting blessings like “Long life to the Sect Master!”

Zheng Fa was momentarily dazed.

Since entering the Jiushan Realm, there had been countless matters to deal with.

He hadn’t had much contact with others, and thus barely interacted with the mortals on Letu Island.

He truly didn’t understand why they held such deep respect for him.

Zheng Fa looked at Senior Sister Zhang, thinking this was her doing.

Senior Sister Zhang gently shook her head at him, her lips moving slightly to transmit a message: "They may be weak, but they are not ignorant."

Zheng Fa was taken aback.

And suddenly, he understood what she meant—he, being in a position of power, might feel he had done nothing much, but his thoughts and ideals had unconsciously influenced everyone within Jiushan Sect.

And what he had brought to these mortals... was a completely different way of life.

Especially since these people knew more than average mortals and had endured hardship to reach the Jiushan Realm.

Seeing those figures prostrated on the ground, Zheng Fa bowed deeply in return toward Letu Island.

Only now did the Sect Master finally smile and declare loudly, "The ceremony is complete!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Senior Sister Yuan let out a joyful cry and transformed into a Qingluan, her tail feathers burning with a cold blue flame.

The Golden Crow hiding behind her also let out a long cry and soared into the sky with her, its golden flames even more dazzling.

The two birds flew joyfully above the Nine Islands of the Heavenly Palace—one blue, one gold—trailing radiant streaks that painted a breathtaking scene in the sky.

The children on Letu Island were even more thrilled, not afraid at all. Instead, they pointed and giggled at the sight of them in the sky.

...

Watching this scene, Zhenren Tongming looked surprised, even a bit lost.

He turned and glanced at the other Nascent Soul cultivators beside him.

The few exchanged glances, and the same thought quietly stirred in all their minds—

The disciples they’d send here couldn’t be too average.

They might not send their most beloved kin, but they also couldn’t send a bunch of rotten fruit.

Zhenren Tongming also realized, this feeling... they couldn’t quite explain why they had it.

But if they had to put it into words, perhaps it was because, as Soul Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators, they had seen countless sects rise and fall.

Though they couldn’t claim to see the future fate of a sect at a glance, there were things they did understand:

For instance, before a sect declined, there would always be endless infighting and discord.

Just like the Hundred Immortals Alliance before—it had reached a point where change was no longer optional.

And when a sect rose to prominence, it was often united in purpose, every voice in harmony—just like Jiushan Sect today.

Suddenly, the idea of sending valued disciples here made Zhenren Tongming think of the mortal saying about “joining a dragon’s rise to power”...

And strangely, it felt very appropriate.

Only now did he feel a genuine pang of regret over Jiushan Sect’s departure from the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

His heart filled with remorse for not having reined in the Alliance sooner.

"Sigh..."

He let out a long sigh.

The other Nascent Soul cultivators beside him couldn’t help glancing his way in curiosity, surprised:

Did the Zhenren... just recall something painful?