I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 30 – Looking at the Mountain

Hearing the Sect Master's words, Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan sensibly prepared to excuse themselves.

But the Sect Master waved them off, indicating that there was no need.

"There’s nothing to hide—I really don’t have much to teach him."

Sitting upright on the meditation cushion, he looked at the three of them and said,

"The Xuanwei Realm I cultivated in during my Qi Refining days was completely different from the one today."

Zheng Fa paused, beginning to understand his master’s point.

"Back then, I also cultivated the Five Thunder Talisman Body. But at the time, Xuanlei Stones were abundant!"

The Sect Master reminisced, "Not like now, where these damned things cost a fortune. Five Thunder Talisman Body is practically a lost technique now."

There was a hint of nostalgia in his tone.

"When I was in Qi Refining, who cared about a few dozen spirit stones?"

His words left the three of them in silent contemplation.

"You ask me how I reached Nascent Soul? How the hell should I know? I just cultivated however I wanted!"

The Sect Master’s face was so open and honest that Zheng Fa couldn't help but scrutinize his words carefully.

Finally, he understood—the golden age was over.

Now he knew why the Sect Master said he couldn’t teach him anything.

The changes in the world meant that the Sect Master’s cultivation path during Qi Refining no longer applied to Zheng Fa’s situation.

"If I were to guide you… well, you practice the Crimson Sky Technique. That technique has been cultivated by countless people—it’s practically foolproof. It’s hard to even go astray, let alone suffer from cultivation deviation."

The Sect Master sighed, his tone helpless. "I really don’t have much to teach you."

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

The Sect Master seemed to sense this and thought for a moment before suddenly raising an eyebrow.

"Forget it. Today, I’ll teach you my understanding of Talisman Formations."

"Talisman Formations?"

The Sect Master smirked proudly.

"Your Uncle-Master Pang, your Senior Sister Zhang’s master Yellow Junior-Sister, and I each have our own approach to talisman techniques."

"Your Uncle-Master Pang relies on the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes—he prefers to strike after careful planning, always waiting for the perfect moment. If you ask me, that’s just a cowardly turtle’s way of fighting."

"As for Yellow Junior-Sister… well, her methods are not for the faint of heart."

Zheng Fa glanced at Senior Sister Zhang and saw that she had no reaction to this evaluation—clearly, she was used to it.

"As for me, I specialize in Talisman Formations."

Zheng Fa nodded. He remembered that the Hut Within the World Technique had also been described as a talisman formation.

"A Talisman Formation is a formation set up using talismans. Unlike regular formations, talisman formations require fewer resources but don’t lose out in power."

The Sect Master continued explaining, "For example, the Hut Within the World Formation is an illusion formation set up with just ten talismans. Compared to using a single illusion talisman, the formation lasts longer and covers a wider range."

"But my greatest specialty is Killing Formations!"

The Sect Master declared proudly.

"If I have enough time to set up a Heavenly Lightning Grand Formation, then as long as the enemy’s cultivation doesn’t exceed mid-Nascent Soul, I can blast them to the point of no return!"

Good heavens.

This master of his sure had a big mouth!

Even Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan looked surprised—clearly, they hadn’t expected that this Sect Master, who had secluded himself for a thousand years, had such terrifying power.

Zheng Fa suddenly thought of something and asked,

"May I ask, Sect Master—what grade of talismans does the Heavenly Lightning Grand Formation require?"

"Heaven-grade talismans."

"And how many?"

Zheng Fa had a bad feeling.

"Three hundred and sixty-five."

Zheng Fa wasn’t quite sure of the value of Heaven-grade talismans, so he turned to Senior Sister Zhang.

She pondered for a moment before saying,

"With that many spirit stones, you could just smash them into your enemy’s face. The result would probably be the same. You might even gain a new ally."

Understood… no wonder the old man was so poor!

"Back in the day, a Nascent Soul cultivator wasn’t this cheap…"

The Sect Master muttered dejectedly.

"Master, could it be that you haven’t left seclusion for a thousand years because…?"

"The times have changed!"

The Sect Master let out a long sigh, looking utterly forlorn.

Clearly, due to the decline of spiritual energy, his extravagant battle tactics had become completely outdated.

"Oh, right. If you ever leave the mountain and travel through Xuanwei, don’t use my name."

Hmm?

Why did this sound familiar?

"Master, I’m not the kind of person who goes around causing trouble."

Zheng Fa said, feeling a little wronged.

"…That’s not what I meant. I still have some old grudges."

The Sect Master waved a hand dismissively. "And not everyone is someone I can just blast to death."

"Then… will these big figures cause trouble for me?"

Zheng Fa asked doubtfully.

That would be a bit unseemly, wouldn’t it?

"Are you looking down on your master?"

"?"

"I might not be able to kill them, but they sure as hell won’t have an easy time either!"

The Sect Master smirked proudly.

"Those guys have to spend at least a few hundred years—maybe even a thousand—recovering from their injuries!"

"…"

Couldn’t kill them?

That meant his master’s enemies were strong.

Took centuries to recover?

That meant these grudges ran deep.

So the troublemaker was actually him?!

After a long silence, Zheng Fa sighed dryly.

"Master, I suddenly feel that Uncle-Master Pang is quite decent."

The Sect Master scoffed.

"Him? If you followed him, you wouldn’t even know how to properly cultivate the Lingshan Method!"

"Huh?"

"The Lingshan Method you have was created by the Jiushan Ancestor..."

Zheng Fa suddenly recalled the half-finished version of the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Technique.

"Master, are you saying…?"

The Sect Master tossed him two jade slips and said dismissively,

"The version I revised is the one actually meant for people to cultivate."

"..."

Zheng Fa infused his divine sense into the jade slips.

The revised version wasn’t that different from the original, except for one key issue—it actually required a real mountain!

One of the jade slips contained the modified Lingshan Method, while the other contained a text called Treatise on Spiritual Veins, which detailed how to locate suitable mountain ranges and harness their natural formations for cultivation.

"Then the Jiushan Ancestor…?"

"He was a mountain!"

The Sect Master looked a bit frustrated, as if he had personally suffered from the original Lingshan Method before.

"He never needed to find a mountain!"

"…So, Master, does that mean cultivating the Lingshan Method requires living in the mountains?"

Thinking about how this old man had been holed up for a thousand years, Zheng Fa grew a little concerned.

How was he supposed to cultivate in modern times if he needed a mountain?

"Not necessarily," the Sect Master clarified.

"You only need to rely on specific mountain ranges to transform your internal spiritual energy into ambient spiritual qi."

His explanation was a bit vague, so Zheng Fa examined the revised Lingshan Method and finally understood.

To put it in modern terms—

The Lingshan Method essentially turned the cultivator into a large human-shaped battery.

But to convert internal energy into usable qi, a "signal tower" was required—which meant a suitable mountain range.

As for why the Jiushan Ancestor never noticed this issue?

Well, because the Jiushan Ancestor himself was a spiritual vein, a talisman, and Jiushan’s terrain fused into one.

All of the techniques he created were massive pitfalls!

"Do you know why I was willing to take you as a disciple?" the Sect Master suddenly asked.

Zheng Fa looked down at the revised Lingshan Method in his hands.

"I went through so much effort to modify it, and if no one practiced it, wouldn’t that be a waste?"

The Sect Master nodded in satisfaction, as if Zheng Fa had guessed correctly.

"But finding an idiot willing to cultivate the Lingshan Method is not easy!"

"..."

For a while, they discussed how to modify Saving Young Cultivator Pang Qian.

In Zheng Fa’s opinion, his version still had many flaws.

First, his memory wasn’t perfect—he hadn’t watched the original film while taking notes, so there were still many gaps. He planned to rewatch it carefully when he returned to modern times.

Second, the format was different.

He had originally watched it on a computer screen—not even in 3D.

Meanwhile, the Sect Master had projected it in full holographic form.

The viewing experience was completely different.

However, the Sect Master’s creativity was commendable—after all, he had spent centuries experimenting with the Hut Within the World Technique.

As Zheng Fa prepared to leave, Senior Sister Zhang suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Sect Master, a spiritual nexus seems to have emerged in Taiyang County. The Changchun Sect has already sent a request for aid to Jiushan Sect."

Hearing this, the Sect Master’s usually carefree expression turned serious.

"What do you think?"

"A spiritual nexus appearing will attract the attention of the Hundred Immortals Alliance and might even draw interest from the Demonic Sects."

Senior Sister Zhang spoke slowly.

"The Changchun Sect has always been respectful to our sect and pays tribute every year. We cannot ignore their request."

The Sect Master nodded.

"Since your master entrusted you with the Administrative Hall, he clearly trusts your judgment—handle it as you see fit."

"Understood."

As Senior Sister Zhang and Senior Sister Yuan descended from Ninth Peak, Zheng Fa hesitated, wanting to ask something.

"Junior Brother Zheng, your only task right now is to focus on cultivation."

Senior Sister Zhang seemed to know what he wanted to say and spoke softly.

"I understand."

Zheng Fa remained silent for a moment before replying.

The three of them walked side by side for a while, none of them speaking.

Just before they parted ways, Senior Sister Zhang suddenly said,

"You’ve already helped."

"Huh?"

"The Five Elemental Sub-Talismans have strengthened me significantly."

She gazed into the distance, a flicker of fire in her eyes.

"If those petty schemers think I’ve remained stagnant for decades and dare to stir up trouble in the shadows…"

Zheng Fa stared at her in surprise.

Then, Senior Sister Zhang turned to him and smiled.

"Jiushan Sect still has me, three Nascent Soul cultivators, and our Sect Master. There’s no need for you to worry."

Watching her silhouette fade into the distance, Zheng Fa knew—this matter was far from simple.

The Sect Master’s face had rarely been that serious.

And he recalled how Senior Sister Zhang had considered sending Senior Sister Yuan away—likely as a precaution for this very situation.

Clearly, in her mind, this was no trivial matter.

Modern World—

Sitting at his desk, Zheng Fa fell into deep thought.

He felt that his cultivation speed wasn’t slow.

But compared to the crises that Senior Sister Zhang and the others were now facing, he was still far too weak.

If he truly wanted to help quickly, then he couldn’t delay the establishment of a Spiritual Energy Laboratory any longer.

Even if he couldn’t personally use the research results right away, if they proved useful to Senior Sister Zhang and the others, that was good enough.

But…

The Lingshan Method required a mountain!

Where was he supposed to find a suitable mountain range?

Just then—

"Zheng Fa, my mom had the housekeeper make some soup. She asked me to bring you a bowl."

A voice came from the front row.

It was Tang Lingwu.

Zheng Fa looked up, and his eyes lit up.

There it was! The mountain had come to him!

"You’re smiling like that over a bowl of soup?"

Beside him, Wang Chen grumbled sourly.

"You don’t understand—I see a mountain!"

"Pfft! Of course I understand! I’m your brother, and I know that one must not look at what is improper!"

Wang Chen resolutely stared straight ahead, not looking at Tang Lingwu at all.

His expression was one of unshakable loyalty.

"A brother’s wife is off-limits!"

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