PCJ – Chapter 573 Deeply Entrenched

Zhang Jiaohua had absolutely no interest in the so-called seminar here. What really intrigued him was the small market set up by the cultivators themselves. Despite their decline, some of these fallen cultivators still possessed valuable items.

From the collection of cultivation techniques and manuals he had acquired, Zhang Jiaohua realized that he was different from other cultivators. The ability to visualize cultivation diagrams was extremely rare. The “internal meridian diagram” wasn’t considered some top-secret technique—otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten hold of it. Initially, he thought other cultivators could also visualize similar diagrams, but later discovered that his own cultivation diagram was completely different. Even he didn’t understand why he could visualize such a unique diagram.

“Sect Leader, why don’t we take this opportunity to recruit some people from among these unaffiliated cultivators?” Wei Chenguang suggested, thinking differently from Zhang Jiaohua.

But Zhang Jiaohua shook his head. “This is Kunlun’s territory, one of the Three Great Holy Lands. If we just quietly collect a few things left behind by declining sects, they might not care. But if we start mass recruitment and expanding our power here, do you think they’ll just sit back and ignore us?”

Zhang Jiaohua was very aware that his cultivation diagram couldn’t be exposed to the public.

Wei Chenguang wasn’t stupid. He immediately realized that the resources Zhang Jiaohua brought out were highly coveted. While the Meishan Sect might not draw much attention in the capital region, if they aggressively absorbed remnants of old sects here, it would certainly draw the attention of the Three Great Holy Lands. At that point, it would be hard to say if Zhang Jiaohua’s resources could still be protected. Among the original 36 Dongtian and 72 Blessed Lands, only the Three Great Holy Lands still stood strong. Wei Chenguang had a vague idea why.

He’d long heard that the reason the Three Great Holy Lands managed to endure was because they had found a way to devour the world’s spiritual veins, thereby sustaining their own.

As this thought struck him, Wei Chenguang broke into a cold sweat. “It was careless of me,” he admitted.

“Although we can’t do large-scale recruitment, we can still build relationships with promising individuals,” Zhang Jiaohua said. “You never know—we might cooperate in the future.”

Wei Chenguang nodded. It was indeed a good plan. If recruiting wasn’t feasible, they could still make connections. When the time came, those people could be brought in more discreetly.

“You’re really not going to attend the seminar?” Wei Chenguang asked.

Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head. “Had I known I came all this way just to attend a few lectures, I wouldn’t have bothered. Thankfully, the market here is decent—I managed to get a few good things.”

On the first day, Zhang Jiaohua had excitedly attended the seminar, only to realize it was nothing more than some early-stage cultivators giving self-aggrandizing speeches. The very first lecture was titled “How to Unblock Meridians and Improve Energy Refinement Efficiency.” It sounded promising, but turned out to be a boastful story by a beginner cultivator talking about how he had broken through at a remarkably young age. Useless to Zhang Jiaohua, who had unknowingly broken through that stage long ago and was already on the cusp of another breakthrough—at a much younger age than the speaker.

After that, Zhang Jiaohua stopped going. The rest of the lectures were on alchemy and artifact forging—subjects in which, as far as he could tell, none of the speakers surpassed the Meishan Sect’s traditional masters. So instead, Zhang spent his time treasure-hunting in the market.

The three sect leaders of the Great Holy Lands—Liang Dengheng, Di Muguo, and Zhao Kaiyuan—weren’t interested in mingling with members of decaying sects either. The entire seminar seemed more like a formality than a true exchange.

So, the Kunlun Cultivation Seminar began smoothly—and ended just as uneventfully. Zhang Jiaohua, still rather confused by it all, left Kunlun.

Back at school, before Wei Yunlong had a chance to hassle Zhang Jiaohua, Xu Xiaoting stormed in, furious.

She didn’t even sit in the seat next to him. Instead, she stood glaring at him, full of righteous anger. “Zhang Jiaohua, have you gotten too full of yourself?”

Her anger wasn’t petty—it came from disappointment and frustration.

“No, no! I just had something to take care of. I even got permission from Teacher Wei, and I’m ready to catch up on missed classes. I was just about to borrow some notes,” Zhang Jiaohua replied earnestly.

“Alright, I’ll bring them over in a bit,” Xu Xiaoting said, her voice suddenly softening and becoming almost syrupy sweet.

“Hmph!”

A sharp, odd-sounding snort came from Zheng Wendong. His voice was high-pitched and strange. He cast a glance toward Zhang Jiaohua—his face pale, but his eyes… unusual. His irises had enlarged, nearly taking over the whites of his eyes.

Zhang Jiaohua jumped in fright. What the heck is that?!

Zheng Wendong gave him a fleeting glance and a ghostly smile. The smile was terrifying.

At that moment, someone clapped Zhang Jiaohua hard on the shoulder—startling him again. It was Xu Chuan’an.

“Zhang Jiaohua, finally back at school! Coach Shen’s been looking for you for days. Zheng Wendong’s already back on the basketball team, but the team core—you—still haven’t shown up. If it weren’t for Zheng Wendong stepping in last game, we would’ve lost to the Affiliated High. You have no idea—his skills are amazing now. He single-handedly turned the game around. If you two were on the court together, you’d be unstoppable!” Xu Chuan’an was full of enthusiasm, oblivious to how Zheng Wendong’s face darkened with every word.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t mind, still smiling.

“I had stuff to do recently. I might not be able to play in future games, either. You can let Coach Shen know,” Zhang Jiaohua said calmly. He didn’t feel right about competing with regular people. As a cultivator, it just felt unfair.

Then he suddenly thought of Mute—he wondered how Mute’s basketball skills were developing. And Yuanbao—if he kept practicing foundational Meishan techniques, he should have a very solid base. If his basketball skills also improved, he’d be one of the top players among his peers.

“That won’t do! Coach Shen said you must report to him after your return. I’ve passed the message—if you don’t go, he’ll come get you himself.” Xu Chuan’an was genuinely worried Zhang wouldn’t go.