I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 101: Heavenly Merit

Zheng Fa reached out and took the silver scroll floating in the air before him. The cover had a red-bordered blank space, as if waiting for him to write something.

He tried to open the pages, but the scroll seemed to be fused together, refusing to budge no matter how much force he applied.

He attempted to channel his divine sense into it, but the scroll remained unresponsive.

"Brother Zheng, you have to inscribe your name on the cover using your divine sense. Only then will the Divine Seal Scroll recognize you as its owner."

Yan Wushuang’s voice came from behind him.

Following the instruction, Zheng Fa used his divine sense to write his name. Immediately, he felt a mysterious connection form between his mind and the scroll.

As if it had finally accepted him, the previously stubborn Divine Seal Scroll obediently unfurled.

The first page displayed a rough map—so crude that it barely indicated directions, relying instead on the reader’s imagination to make sense of it.

The third page contained something different.

It detailed the location and timing of tomorrow’s lightning strikes, specifying their magnitude and even their precise length in inches and feet.

The fourth page outlined the rainfall expected the day after tomorrow, down to the exact fraction of an inch.

Nearly ten pages followed the same format.

Beyond that, Zheng Fa found the contents completely unreadable.

"The earlier pages are a schedule, while the later ones contain spells—though unfinished ones." Yan Wushuang and the others had approached by now, and his expression looked somewhat bitter. "This is exactly why I said the Heaven Monument world gives us headaches."

Zheng Fa glanced at them, sensing a subtle shift in their attitudes.

While Yan Wushuang himself seemed unchanged, Chu Tianque and the others—along with the cultivators who had entered later—were now looking at him differently.

Noticing his puzzled expression, Yan Wushuang smiled. "Brother Zheng, an initial domain of 5,000 li truly took us by surprise."

Zheng Fa looked at the silver scroll in his hands and gradually understood.

"And all of you?"

"Among those who entered the Heaven Monument world, I only know of myself starting with a 5,000-li domain." Yan Wushuang chuckled. "Of course, I don’t know everyone who has ever come here, but… given that I’ve held the top rank on the Heavenly Merit leaderboard, even if there were others with silver scrolls from the beginning, they wouldn’t be many."

"Silver scroll…" Zheng Fa cupped his hands toward Yan Wushuang. "Could you explain what these domains and Heavenly Merit actually are?"

"You’ll find out soon enough," Yan Wushuang sighed. "We only figured it out through trial and error over the past few days."

"When we first arrived in the Heaven Monument world, we were completely lost. Only later did we realize—the gods here function much like officials in a mortal kingdom. The domains we are given are our territories, and our duty is to govern them."

Zheng Fa nodded. That part was easy enough to understand.

"That wouldn’t be a big deal," Yan Wushuang continued in a low voice. "Many of us have served as officials in the mortal world for training. The real trouble is that aside from thunder techniques, no other spells, talismans, or artifacts work here."

"Yes, I noticed that the moment I arrived."

"Because of that, managing Heavenly Merit is a challenge." Yan Wushuang sighed. "We still haven’t figured out exactly how it’s measured."

"But from what we’ve observed, using these spells to punish evil and uphold justice, enforcing laws, all of that earns Heavenly Merit."

"According to this schedule, governing thunder, controlling rain, and even promoting agriculture contribute to Heavenly Merit."

"And, of course, the growth and prosperity of the people also generate Heavenly Merit."

"Heavenly Merit can be used to expand one’s domain or exchanged for spiritual materials in the Treasure Hall."

"So… it’s all about governing the people?" Zheng Fa started to understand. "Doesn’t sound too difficult."

Yan Wushuang let out a bitter laugh. "We thought the same at first, but… Brother Zheng, once you visit your domain, you’ll understand why we say it’s difficult."

"Oh?"

"Brother Zheng, we have a theory… To accomplish everything listed in this schedule, your thunder techniques must reach a level of divine mastery."

"Divine mastery?"

"In other words… a level of control that no one in the entire Xuanwei Realm has achieved. No one has ever perfected these seemingly impossible spells."

…

Seeing that Zheng Fa still looked unconvinced, Yan Wushuang pointed to the Divine Seal Scroll.

"Brother Zheng, flip further. You’ll see that the thunder techniques here are categorized into just three types."

"Three types?"

"The first is the most common—Heavenly Tribulation Thunder." Yan Wushuang explained. "It’s used for punishing evil and rewarding virtue. Most of us rely on this for accumulating Heavenly Merit, but we still don’t fully understand how to control its power."

"The second type is far more difficult—Cloud and Rain Thunder."

"Cloud and Rain Thunder?"

"It involves using thunder to control rainfall," Yan Wushuang said with a helpless expression. "This is what the Divine Seal bestowed upon us—balancing clouds and rain. It’s even harder than Tribulation Thunder. Just look at the schedule—the rainfall measurements are precise to the millimeter. Not to mention the relationship between thunder and rain… even getting the intensity right is impossible for us."

Zheng Fa was taken aback—wasn’t this just using electromagnetic forces to manipulate rainfall?

Seeing his reaction, Yan Wushuang seemed to think Zheng Fa had realized the difficulty of the task. He sighed again, "That’s already hard enough, but the most difficult is the third type—using thunder techniques to promote plant growth."

"Wait… how does that even work?" Zheng Fa was completely confused now.

"That’s exactly what baffled us for a long time." Yan Wushuang explained, "We later found out from inquiries in the Xuanwei Realm that spiritual plant cultivation actually relies heavily on thunder. Many sects that specialize in cultivating spiritual plants believe Heavenly Thunder contains vital energy."

"Vital energy?"

"Yes. For example, the first thunderclaps of spring are said to awaken plant life." Yan Wushuang elaborated. "But if you asked us to replicate those spring thunders with our thunder techniques, we wouldn’t even know where to begin—the spells in the Divine Seal Scroll don’t seem to be of much help either."

"…"

Zheng Fa suddenly recalled a modern problem in spiritual plant cultivation—Professor Tian had mentioned the absence of a certain environmental factor.

If what Yan Wushuang said was true…

Could that missing factor be linked to a specific type of Heavenly Thunder?

The evidence for this theory was still flimsy, and Zheng Fa wasn’t sure if it was true.

But Yan Wushuang’s certainty made him even more interested in the Heaven Monument.

"Even though we can’t accomplish these tasks yet, accumulating some Heavenly Merit over time lets us exchange for spiritual materials in the Treasure Hall." Yan Wushuang continued, "This world isn’t dangerous, so we make a trip here every month."

"Can Heavenly Merit only be exchanged for spiritual materials?"

Zheng Fa asked, “Is Heavenly Merit only for exchanging spiritual materials?”

“Of course not. First, we can use it to expand our domain. Second, we can exchange it for additional thunder techniques—the ones in the Divine Seal Scroll are just the most basic ones. There are stronger thunder techniques available in the Treasure Hall, but they require Heavenly Merit to obtain.”

“That’s why, Brother Zheng, having an initial domain of 5,000 li is something to be envied.” Yan Wushuang chuckled. “A larger domain means more people, and more people mean a faster accumulation of Heavenly Merit.”

After chatting with Zheng Fa for a bit, Yan Wushuang excused himself—he was busy accumulating merit.

Following his instructions, Zheng Fa channeled his spiritual energy into the Divine Seal Scroll.

The scroll absorbed his energy and suddenly shot toward his forehead.

His entire body became illusory, while his consciousness was drawn into another realm alongside the scroll.

Before he could even observe his surroundings, his eyes were drawn to the sky.

It was as if an enormous thunder pool had been overturned above him, unleashing chaotic bolts of lightning that rampaged wildly across the heavens.

The sky was perpetually dark, with no sign of clear weather.

Naturally, such an atmosphere meant endless rain.

A torrential downpour battered the land, showing no signs of stopping.

As for the ground below—it was less land and more a vast swamp, a muddy sea of sludge and water.

So this… is my 5,000-li domain?

Looking at the waterlogged wasteland, Zheng Fa had a thought—if there were truly mortals living here, their lives must be miserable.

…

His spiritual consciousness roamed across his domain for several days.

As he walked, he estimated the land’s total area.

By modern measurements, this region covered nearly a million square kilometers—an area comparable to a medium-sized country in his past life.

But… there were no people.

Across this vast expanse, he found only a dozen or so human settlements, and their total population was under 500,000.

That wasn’t surprising—

From what he had observed, 99.9% of this land was uninhabitable, let alone suitable for agriculture.

On this day, his spiritual consciousness reached a mountainous area.

Nestled against the mountainside was a small city, the largest settlement in his domain, with a population of roughly 70,000 to 80,000—as confirmed by his Divine Seal Scroll.

The city had no walls, looking more like an oversized village.

The architecture was strange—houses were small and low, half-buried underground, with thick, steep roofs.

The design was clearly meant to ward off lightning and drain rainwater.

The people of this city wore rough, plant-based cloth woven from aquatic vines, their figures thin and frail, their faces pale from lack of sunlight.

It was hard to tell if their expressions were apathetic or simply hardened by survival.

Their clothing seemed to be a precious commodity.

The men were mostly bare-chested, their ribs jutting out sharply.

The women only had a small strip of fabric covering their chests, though to be honest, most of them were too emaciated to be considered attractive.

They were even thinner than the men, and for many, their gender was indistinguishable at a glance.

At the heart of the city, against the cliffside, stood a temple—

It was the tallest and widest building in the settlement.

But tallest here only meant about five meters high, and widest was no more than ten meters across.

Inside the temple stood a weathered statue—

Its paint had long since peeled off, and its facial features were completely worn away.

The temple wasn’t crowded, but there was a steady trickle of people coming and going.

They knelt and prayed, but their faces lacked devotion—

It felt more like they were performing a routine, clinging to a last hope, or desperately gambling for a miracle.

Zheng Fa’s spiritual consciousness entered the statue.

Instantly, he was bombarded by a chorus of voices—

The inner thoughts of the worshippers.

It must have been the power of the Divine Seal Scroll, allowing him to understand their language.

"The Thunder God hasn’t shown a sign in years…"

"Please let me catch more fish today…"

"Can it rain a little less…?"

"My son was struck by lightning—he was a good child! Thunder God, please have mercy…"

All sorts of pleas and prayers filled his ears, buzzing incessantly.

But what chilled him the most was—

They only prayed.

No one made any offerings.

Clearly, these people had little faith in their so-called Thunder God.

To be fair… if they didn’t trust him, how was he supposed to help them?

Still, according to Yan Wushuang, this was the main method of accumulating Heavenly Merit—listening to prayers, judging good and evil, and…

Striking down sinners with lightning.

The tricky part was controlling the strength of Tribulation Thunder—

According to the Divine Seal Scroll, different levels of wrongdoing required different intensities of punishment.

Of course, Yan Wushuang and the others weren’t precise about it.

They simply struck enough people, and eventually, some of the punishments would land appropriately.

That was exactly why Zheng Fa had chosen this city—

With a larger population, it would be easier to accumulate Heavenly Merit.

As for governing rain, balancing Yin and Yang, and promoting agriculture?

Forget it. Impossible.

…

Finally, night fell.

The temple emptied, leaving only one person behind—

A young girl.

She closed the doors, swept the floor, and took out a piece of dark, coarse cloth to wipe down the altar and statue’s base.

Zheng Fa observed her closely but couldn’t determine her exact age.

Her face suggested seventeen or eighteen,

But her body was so thin she looked closer to thirteen or fourteen.

This… is my temple attendant?

Isn’t she a bit too young?

After cleaning up, the girl put away the cloth, knelt before the statue, and muttered under her breath—

"Thunder God, I’m going to eat your offerings now! If you don’t agree, show me a sign!"

Zheng Fa froze.

Then he heard her continue—

"You agree? Thanks, Thunder God!"

He watched as she happily grabbed a few unknown fruits from the altar and stuffed them into her mouth.

These had been left by previous worshippers, though none had been offered today.

She must have secretly saved them for herself.

"Thunder God," she mumbled between bites, "if you don’t show a sign soon, no one will bring fruit anymore, and I’ll starve to death…"

"…"

"If I starve, you won’t have anyone left to clean your temple!"

There was even a hint of "Do what you will" in her tone.

"Hmm…"

Zheng Fa’s mind stirred, and a deep, authoritative voice suddenly echoed through the temple.

The girl jumped in fright, staring wide-eyed at the statue.

She seemed to remember her casual remarks just moments ago, and her face paled.

After a moment of hesitation, she didn’t stop eating.

Instead, she chewed even faster—

As if thinking, "Might as well die on a full stomach!"

Seeing no further reaction from the statue, she cautiously approached and whispered, "Thunder God… are you still there?"

Zheng Fa remained silent.

The girl looked confused but eventually dismissed it as her imagination.

…

A month passed inside the Heaven Monument world.

Then, Zheng Fa felt a force push him out—

When he regained awareness, he was outside the Heaven Monument once more.

As he stepped away, Senior Sisters Zhang and Yuan were waiting for him.

Seeing him emerge, Senior Sister Zhang smiled faintly.

"Junior Brother, how was it inside?"