I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 118: The Old Tales of Tianhe

Qingluan spread its wings, cutting across the sky as it carried Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang toward Jiushan Sect.

Its round, chubby head kept turning to look at its back, its eyes filled with both grievance and curiosity.

Zheng Fa sat on its back, propping up his head with one hand, his brows tightly furrowed, as if troubled by something difficult to comprehend.

"Junior Brother Zheng, what are you thinking about? You don’t look very happy." Senior Sister Yuan's voice was full of an attempt to please, as if trying to make up for her recently exposed beastly nature. "Didn’t Xiao Yuying say your Dao Body is incredible? Shouldn’t you be happy?"

Senior Sister Yuan’s voice came from Qingluan’s mouth.

"I’m just thinking about what Fairy Xiao said," Zheng Fa replied, unconsciously voicing his doubts aloud:

"A Dao Body is like a ticket to a Dao Path, but what exactly is that path...?"

"Why can only a limited number of cultivators fit on that path?"

The more Zheng Fa spoke, the more confused he looked.

A trace of human-like perplexity appeared on Senior Sister Yuan’s bird face.

She turned to glance at Senior Sister Zhang and asked, "Why wouldn’t it be right? Haven’t all the Nascent Soul cultivators in Xuanyi Realm always cultivated this way?"

A thought suddenly surfaced in Zheng Fa’s mind—Just because it has always been this way, does that make it right?

Senior Sister Zhang shook her head. It was unclear whether she also didn’t understand Zheng Fa’s concerns or if she simply didn’t want to explain them to Senior Sister Yuan.

She merely watched Zheng Fa, seemingly not wanting to disturb his thoughts.

But someone else had no such reservations.

"That Xiao Yuying is full of sh*t!"

A short figure suddenly landed on Senior Sister Yuan’s back—it was the Sunset Sword Immortal, with a bewildered Yan Wushuang beside him.

Both Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang looked at them in surprise, unsure how these two had suddenly appeared.

With two unexpected guests on her back, Senior Sister Yuan was naturally uncomfortable. She kept flapping her wings as if trying to shake them off.

Han Lao flicked his fingers, sending a Dan Yang Fruit—Senior Sister Yuan’s favorite—straight to her beak. She swallowed it in one bite, and to everyone’s surprise, she flew even steadier and faster than before.

"Brother Yan?"

Zheng Fa glanced at the two of them, but greeted the more familiar Yan Wushuang first, his expression asking for an explanation.

"Brother Zheng..." Yan Wushuang sighed. "I’m even more confused than you."

"It’s not this kid’s fault—I’m the one who wanted to see you," Han Lao spoke up. "I just brought him along so he wouldn’t get himself killed."

His tone made it quite clear that he considered Yan Wushuang a burden.

"Then... why did Zhenren Han come to see me?"

"I’m worried that Xiao Yuying is leading you astray!" Han Lao snorted. "You clearly have the potential to rival the ancestors, yet you’re walking down the same sh*tty path as those people."

"......"

Everyone present looked confused.

Han Lao paused, as if deciding where to begin.

"Actually, back in the day, I too stepped onto the Nascent Soul to Soul Formation path."

"Han Lao?" Yan Wushuang was astonished.

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang also widened their eyes.

The Sunset Sword Immortal was an extremely famous figure in Xuanyi Realm. Everyone knew he was one of the strongest late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, but he had never advanced to the Soul Formation stage. Most assumed it was due to either lack of talent or insufficient resources.

"I took half a step forward several times, but each time, I withdrew."

Han Lao’s next words shocked them even more.

Since when could someone withdraw from stepping into Soul Formation?

Did the threshold of Soul Formation have no dignity, letting people enter and exit at will?

This old man’s abilities far exceeded the rumors about him in Xuanyi Realm.

Yan Wushuang asked in confusion, "Why...?"

"I was afraid..."

Even Zheng Fa hadn’t expected those three words.

With Han Lao’s strength, what in this world could make him afraid—so much so that he abandoned advancing to Soul Formation? It must be something utterly terrifying.

"Zhenren Han, what were you afraid of?" Yan Wushuang pressed.

"I was afraid I would no longer be me."

As Han Lao spoke, his eyes suddenly locked onto Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa froze for a moment, a sudden realization dawning upon him.

……

"Seems like you’re starting to understand," Han Lao chuckled lightly. "This is one of the reasons why the Ancestor destroyed sects and seized all cultivation methods."

"The Tianhe Venerable did it for this reason? Wasn’t it to increase his own cultivation?"

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He knew that the Ancestor Han Lao spoke of could only be the Tianhe Venerable.

"It was both—but the main reason was actually this."

Han Lao’s words even made Yan Wushuang, the son of Tianhe Sect’s leader, look shocked.

"By the time the Ancestor reached his later years, he had actually stopped cultivating using our current immortal methods… Those texts were only references; they were no longer of use to his own cultivation."

"......"

Zheng Fa was astonished.

This didn’t match what he had previously heard from Senior Sister Zhang about the Tianhe Venerable.

Back then, upon learning of the Tianhe Venerable’s actions, Zheng Fa had thought the man had great ambition but an explosive temper—someone who enforced a follow me or perish philosophy.

But now, there seemed to be an additional layer to the story?

"The Ancestor’s belief was to sever the cultivation legacy of the previous era and replace it with a new method."

"A new method? You mean the Life-bound Treasure method?" Zheng Fa asked.

This method was now considered the primary way for Golden Core cultivators to advance to Nascent Soul.

"That little trick? Hardly," Han Lao sneered. "Xuanyi Realm no longer has the Ancestor’s new method. All that remains is the old method from the previous era."

"......"

Everyone else grew more confused the more they listened.

Yan Wushuang was especially shocked. "Zhenren Han, why would the Ancestor want to sever the cultivation legacy? And isn’t our Tianhe Sect descended from him?"

Han Lao sighed. "If I hadn’t overheard too many secrets over the years, I wouldn’t have known either."

He gazed at the sky, his eyes clouded with age.

"For as long as history records, spiritual energy has fluctuated, and we cultivators have long sought to uncover its source," Han Lao suddenly began narrating an ancient topic. "It’s actually an easy guess—every cultivator who reaches Nascent Soul will feel an unseen guidance from above. This spiritual energy likely originates from an external source."

Zheng Fa and the others nodded.

"And our current cultivation methods, though they appear to be our own discoveries, are actually influenced by that guidance once one reaches Soul Formation." Han Lao continued, "Meaning, they too originate from an external source."

This made a certain kind of sense.

"Everyone has been aware of this for a long time. But the Ancestor proposed an entirely different idea!" Han Lao’s tone grew heavy.

"This external method… does not belong to this world!"

"......"

Zheng Fa's eyes widened. He had always harbored many doubts.

The biggest of them was—Talisman diagrams were too complex!

So many great cultivators had written down their own sets of rules, and all of them were still valid.

This thing was practically infinite!

For those in Xuanyi Realm who didn’t understand topology, even just a single talisman system was enough to drive them mad.

"The reason the Ancestor gave was—no one in this world has ascended to immortality!"

"The Ancestor even once declared that beyond Soul Formation, the path ahead no longer belongs to oneself."

"……"

"Not oneself?"

"I never achieved Soul Formation, so I don’t fully understand these matters either," Han Lao shook his head. "But the Ancestor once left behind a few words—beyond Soul Formation, it may seem as if one is cultivating, but in reality, what they are cultivating is someone else’s Dao fruit."

"Is that… why there is talk of struggling for the Dao beyond Soul Formation?"

"Exactly!" Han Lao snorted. "That’s where Xiao Yuying is utterly mistaken. The Ancestor once said—the Dao should be infinite; where does this idea of 'limited spots' even come from?"

"Only an external Dao that does not belong to Xuanyi Realm would have such restrictions!"

"This entire system is man-made, so of course it has limits!"

"And so, the Ancestor vowed to sever the old ways and establish a new path for Xuanyi Realm!" Han Lao’s eyes grew hazy, lost in thought. "The Ancestor wanted to solve this problem."

The group fell silent.

The name of the Tianhe Venerable was praised throughout the world, yet almost no one knew about this.

"He failed?"

"Yes." Han Lao sighed. "The Ancestor was too arrogant, too confident… He never expected that in the end, he would be betrayed by those closest to him, forced to raise his sword against the heavens for one final struggle!"

"Han Lao? Why have I never heard of any of this in Tianhe Sect?"

Yan Wushuang, utterly dazed, couldn't help but ask.

"Heh, didn’t you hear what I said? The Ancestor was ultimately betrayed! Now tell me—who do you think betrayed him?"

"I…"

"The Ancestor was too naive. He thought everyone would be willing to sacrifice everything to carve a new path for future generations. But not everyone thinks that way. Some people only wanted to survive through the decline of spiritual energy. They followed the Ancestor—not because they believed in his ideals, but because he was the strongest."

"When the new method hit a dead end, everything changed."

"The Ancestor’s mentors had cultivated the old ways. His fellow disciples had cultivated the old ways. In the end, even his own students couldn’t resist turning back to the old ways."

"The Demon Ancestor rose again, and turmoil erupted from within." Han Lao spoke softly. "This was the world the Ancestor faced in his later years—internal strife, external threats, utterly alone. Carving a new world? Sigh, I think by then, the Ancestor must have been in complete despair."

"This… this…"

Yan Wushuang’s face turned deathly pale, as if he had suffered a tremendous blow.

"After the Ancestor was gone, they even destroyed the texts recording his new methods, burned his personal notes, and executed the disciples who still supported him."

"Now, in Xuanyi Realm, everyone knows the Ancestor’s name. Everyone knows about the Life-bound Treasure method he supposedly pioneered."

"But who knows the true new method?"

"Who even remembers the Ancestor’s ambition?"

"The people of Tianhe Sect wear the Ancestor’s robes, making sure everyone knows they are his successors."

"If the Ancestor were to return, heh—not a single one of them would survive!"

Han Lao looked at Zheng Fa and suddenly laughed.

"That’s why I say—the Demonic Sect is bullsht, and the Immortal Sect is bullsht."

"I’ve learned all this, yet I still can’t do anything. I don’t even dare to do anything."

"That makes me the biggest pile of bullsh*t!"

……

At this point, Han Lao suddenly seemed to lose interest.

"I wonder if it’s because my lifespan is running out." He sighed, as if slightly regretful. "Seeing you being influenced by Xiao Yuying, I just couldn’t help but say all this…"

"Still, I must thank Zhenren Han for the guidance," Zheng Fa said gratefully.

"No, Xiao Yuying wasn’t completely wrong about one thing—you do have an exceptionally powerful Dao Body. You also have extraordinary talent. Even if you follow the current cultivation methods, you’ll still achieve great success!"

"After all, the Demon Ancestor is still alive, but the Ancestor is gone."

……

Modern times.

Zheng Fa sat in a chair at the nursing home, holding a book in his hands. He had been reading it for an entire day and night.

"Professor Bai, did Zheng Fa… get dumped again?" Tang Lingwu glanced at Zheng Fa’s expression, then turned to ask Old Bai.

"…This time," Old Bai scratched his head and said, "he looks more like me back when I first realized I was completely hopeless at math and thought I had hit a dead end."