Vol 2 Chapter 201: Confidentiality Agreement

“All right!”

In the main hall of Heavenly Palace Island, Zheng Fa waved his hand and handed a long document to Senior Sister Zhang.

Senior Sister Zhang picked up the document and read through it from beginning to end, then looked up silently at Zheng Fa.

Martial Uncle Pang craned his neck to glance over as well. He stared at it for a long while, seeming more confused the more he read, and couldn’t help but start reading it aloud softly:

“Confidentiality Agreement for the Golden Core Engineering Project”

“Article 1 (Definition)”

“‘Confidential Information’ in this agreement refers to any information provided by Jiushan Sect (hereinafter referred to as Party A) to __ (hereinafter referred to as Party B), in verbal, written, or other forms, including but not limited to project data, experimental processes, unpublished research results, etc...”

……

“If Party B violates the confidentiality obligations of this agreement, they shall voluntarily suffer a Heart Demon Catastrophe…”

……

“Article 6 (Execution of the Agreement):

The validity and enforcement of this agreement shall be guaranteed through a Heart Demon Oath, as follows: ……”

……

The wording was a bit convoluted. Martial Uncle Pang took a while to finally understand it: “So… you’re planning to use Heart Demon Oaths to keep the Golden Core Engineering results from leaking?”

“Yes. Bufan, take a look and see if there’s anything wrong with the agreement—especially the Heart Demon Oath.”

Zheng Fa turned and consulted the expert, Lin Bufan, the former Great Freedom Demonic Sect defector—maximizing everyone’s strengths and using every resource.

Lin Bufan: …This is a big problem. Is that how Heart Demon Oaths are supposed to be used?

He thought for a moment, then hesitantly said, “Heart Demons are quite mysterious even in the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, and seem separate from the Demon Ancestor’s inheritance. No matter what cultivation method you practice, you’ll encounter Heart Demons. Once a Heart Demon Oath is made, it’s extremely difficult to violate its terms. And this oath in the agreement… seems airtight.”

Of course it was airtight...

Don’t you understand what an ironclad employment agreement is?

Lin Bufan was silent for a moment, then added, “No one’s ever used Heart Demon Oaths like this before…”

Senior Sister Zhang’s expression turned even stranger upon hearing this—she was probably reminded of her own Heart Demon.

This Heart Demon stuff was about to be ruined by her junior!

“Is everyone required to sign this agreement?”

Martial Uncle Pang asked with a frown.

“That’s what I’m planning,” Zheng Fa shook his head. “Didn’t we already classify all kinds of inheritances earlier?”

“For high-security knowledge like the Golden Core Engineering project, this kind of agreement is unavoidable.”

“There’s also another situation... if in the future, conditions permit and disciples want to travel outside Jiushan Realm, such an agreement would be even more necessary.”

Senior Sister Zhang frowned. “But the sect already has its own confidentiality measures.”

Sects in the Xuanyi Realm weren’t foolish—any major inheritance had its own confidentiality systems—

On the low end, it was just hiding key information, avoiding written records, and passing things down orally from master to disciple.

On the higher end, Jiushan Sect’s original teachings included coded language or even Heart-Demon-like safeguards.

The top-tier method was like the Great Freedom Demonic Sect’s approach—like Lin Bufan’s technique, which even if it were explained clearly, you wouldn’t dare to practice it!

In fact, given the nature of cultivators in the Xuanyi Realm, most people were quite self-disciplined when it came to secrecy—or simply treasured their knowledge too much to share.

“Senior Sister, our research and cultivation methods might not be the same... what we study is technique and theory…” Zheng Fa began explaining. “These things are sometimes just ways of thinking, very different from techniques, and often unrelated to spiritual power. The previous confidentiality methods aren’t detailed enough.”

In short, they left too many loopholes.

“On the other hand, strict agreements like this aren’t always about restriction—they’re also about encouragement.”

“Hmm?”

Senior Sister Zhang was startled. Martial Uncle Pang also looked over.

“The more clearly and thoroughly we define the rules, the more everyone knows what can be shared with each other…” Zheng Fa explained. “Clear boundaries are actually much better than vague ones.”

“If punishment is unknown, then deterrence is ineffective…”

Having once led the Disciplinary Hall, Martial Uncle Pang immediately understood.

“Yes, and that’s also where I hope you can help Martial Aunt Huang—right now, the regulations in the Disciplinary Hall are too crude... Uncle Pang, you led it for years and have plenty of experience.”

Zheng Fa was also a bit helpless here. After all, he wasn’t a legal expert, and even with modern tools, the Jiushan Realm had no precedent—he could only take it step by step.

Martial Uncle Pang nodded, once again sighing: “These methods... where do you even come up with them?”

Zheng Fa always seemed to come up with ideas on the spot, yet somehow, they all had some logic—some had even started to show unexpected success.

Instead, Senior Sister Zhang laughed, as if already used to it.

“Senior Niece Zhang? Why are you laughing?”

Senior Sister Zhang glanced at Zheng Fa, saw him also looking at her, and explained, “Junior Brother Zheng’s methods are just the surface.”

“Hmm?”

“All of his ideas revolve around a single point…”

Zheng Fa looked at her, curious.

“These agreements, the earlier educational methods, all of it—they’re all about encouraging and protecting Jiushan Realm’s research and development…”

Martial Uncle Pang frowned slightly, then slowly nodded.

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel a bit moved—perhaps Senior Sister Zhang really was the one who understood him best in the Xuanyi Realm.

From his childhood experiences, he knew he wasn’t a purely idealistic person—he didn’t really believe in human nature. He knew some Jiushan disciples even thought he was too generous and had complaints.

But that wasn’t the case.

In a way, he just wanted to create a system where those who contributed and researched diligently would get more tangible rewards.

At the end of the day, he simply believed that adjusting how benefits were distributed could shift the culture.

……

“Qingyan, have you read this confidentiality agreement?” Mu Qingyan heard her senior sister’s question as she looked down at the document in her hands.

The wording was a bit tedious and long-winded, but it read surprisingly clearly, with almost no ambiguity.

Though the agreement was lengthy, it actually said something quite simple: don’t casually disclose the research results or methods of the Golden Core Engineering project—it just used especially precise language.

“It feels really strict...”

The senior sister sighed as she read.

“No... it’s very lenient.”

Mu Qingyan suddenly said.

“Huh?”

“If a sect master is vague and moody, versus one who explains everything clearly and never punishes without warning… which one would you prefer?”

“Uh…” The senior sister blinked and understood.

“Besides, didn’t Sect Master Zheng already say? If someone doesn’t want to sign, they just can’t join the Golden Core Engineering project—there’s no other consequence.”

Hearing this, the senior sister slowly nodded, seeming to agree that Mu Qingyan had a point.

“Qingyan, you’re defending Sect Master Zheng!”

She suddenly exclaimed.

Mu Qingyan pursed her lips but didn’t argue.

She looked down, no longer reading the contents, and signed her name.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com