I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 63 – Thunder Pool

At Jiushan Sect’s Ninth Peak, the atmosphere was unusually heavy.

This incident was so serious that Uncle-Master Pang had personally come to the peak, accompanied by Sun Daoyu and Zhou Qianyuan, both of whom seemed completely lost about the situation.

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Yuan were also present.

As soon as Uncle-Master Pang arrived, he called out, "Senior Brother, what on earth is going on?"

His expression was full of urgency.

The Sect Master, however, remained calm.

"Junior Sister Huang sent word—she was too late."

"Too late? What do you mean ‘too late’?"

A wave of shock rippled through the gathered disciples.

This wasn’t just extermination—whoever did this had ripped out the roots of the sect itself. This was an act of total annihilation.

The Sect Master continued, "With no leads at Changchun Sect, Junior Sister Huang turned her search to the Thunder Pool. For days, she found nothing… until she stumbled upon multiple disciples of the Great Free Demon Sect."

"Multiple?"

Uncle-Master Pang frowned deeply.

"Yes. She followed them and finally uncovered the truth—Changchun Sect was destroyed by the Great Free Demon Sect. The sect leader had discovered their presence and attempted to send a warning to Zhang Wuyi, but he was caught and eliminated before he could escape."

"The Great Free Demon Sect?"

Uncle-Master Pang’s expression became even more confused. "Why would they send so many people to Taiyang County?"

Zheng Fa had been wondering the same thing.

It made sense that the Great Free Demon Sect would want to eliminate promising talents—a lesson learned from past failures.

But wiping out an entire sect? That was far too bold.

Officially, the Xuanyi Realm was still dominated by the Immortal Sects.

No matter how deep the Demonic Sects’ foundations ran, they were still the underdogs in the grand scheme of things.

"They didn’t come to Taiyang County."

Unexpectedly, the Sect Master shook his head, looking frustrated.

"They were already here."

"…What?"

"According to Junior Sister Huang, the newly emerged spiritual cavern was accompanied by a Thunder Pool, which triggered a massive underground upheaval—exposing a secret Great Free Demon Sect stronghold hidden beneath Taiyang County." 𝐑𝐀𐌽Ȫ₿Ě𝘴

"……"

Zheng Fa was speechless.

Wait.

So the ones who got screwed over here… were actually the Great Free Demon Sect?!

They had been hiding and developing in secret—

And then, bam, a random spiritual cavern just dropped out of nowhere and blew their cover.

Uncle-Master Pang was also at a loss for words.

He pressed his lips together, his expression even heavier than before.

Zheng Fa understood why.

This had turned into a sudden battlefield, and neither side had been prepared for it.

But at the same time, the Great Free Demon Sect had now been forced into a corner—and if they were desperate, they would definitely fight with everything they had.

—

"What about Zhang Wuyi? What about the other disciples?"

"Junior Sister Huang followed the Demonic Sect disciples and found Zhang Wuyi leading a group of survivors from Changchun Sect," the Sect Master replied.

"They were ambushed before they even reached Changchun Sect and were forced to flee."

"And then?"

Even Zheng Fa was feeling anxious now.

"That region is their home ground. Zhang Wuyi, despite her skills, was no match for multiple Nascent Soul cultivators. She was injured and had no choice but to flee into the Thunder Pool."

The Sect Master shook his head.

"By using the power of the Thunder Pool, she was barely able to hold them off."

—

"Wait. What do you mean ‘using the power of the Thunder Pool’?"

Uncle-Master Pang was even more confused.

"That Thunder Pool is extremely violent…"

The Sect Master glanced at Junior Sister Huang’s report and explained,

"In that place, the higher your cultivation, the more you must beware. If anyone reveals a cultivation level above Foundation Establishment, the heavens will smite them immediately."

"If you are at Golden Core, you’ll be struck by countless bolts of lightning. And if you are at Nascent Soul…"

The Sect Master paused for a moment before adding,

"A Nascent Soul cultivator from the Demonic Sect got too cocky and was literally blasted to death by the heavens."

"……"

Zheng Fa twitched slightly.

Okay.

Now it made sense why Senior Sister Zhang fled into the Thunder Pool.

She was planning to use her experience in low-level battles to drag those shameless Nascent Soul cultivators down to her level and beat them to death.

—

"Did Junior Sister Huang find her?"

"No," the Sect Master replied, his expression darkening.

"She engaged several Nascent Soul demons in battle and was forced deeper into the Thunder Pool. The remaining survivors were scattered, and many did not survive."

Silence fell over the room.

The situation wasn’t as bad as Senior Sister Yuan’s panic had suggested—

But it was still a major problem.

Zhang Wuyi wasn’t just an important disciple of Jiushan Sect—

The real issue was that the Great Free Demon Sect's secret stronghold had been revealed.

Taiyang County was considered Jiushan Sect’s territory.

And now, a Demonic Sect sanctuary had been exposed right on their doorstep.

That was a huge problem.

—

"I will request assistance from the Hundred Immortals Alliance," the Sect Master declared.

"This is too big of an issue for Jiushan Sect to handle alone. We’re not fighting this war by ourselves."

Zheng Fa nodded in agreement.

His master had made it very clear—

When dealing with the Demonic Sects, there was no need for honor or fairness.

Everyone should just gang up on them.

Uncle-Master Pang, however, hesitated.

"But… that spiritual stone mine inside the cavern. And the Thunder Pool…?"

"The spirit stone mine is something us Nascent Soul cultivators will have to negotiate," the Sect Master admitted.

"But the Thunder Pool might be even more important… We need to send a group of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples there."

Zheng Fa’s ears perked up.

The Sect Master continued:

"Finding Zhang Wuyi is our top priority. But given the Thunder Pool’s unique environment, it’s actually easier for lower-level disciples to operate there."

"Additionally, the Thunder Pool holds great value for our sect’s strongest inheritance—the Divine Thunder Art of Shenxiao."

"If we can secure the Thunder Pool… then Jiushan Sect’s future might just be even brighter than before."

"To restore our former glory."

"Agreed."

Uncle-Master Pang nodded slowly.

Zheng Fa could feel it—everyone present was secretly looking at him.

He knew exactly what they were thinking.

The Thunder Pool was practically tailor-made for him.

Even though he was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, his divine sense was already comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his talisman arts carried Foundation Establishment-level power.

On top of that, he had cultivated Five Thunder Body, a technique designed for withstanding lightning.

If there was anyone in Jiushan Sect who could move freely through the Thunder Pool, it would undoubtedly be him.

And everyone here knew it.

"Master, let me lead the group—"

"No."

The Sect Master cut him off immediately.

"I won’t allow it."

"…Huh?"

Zheng Fa stared at his master, completely stunned.

But I’m the most suitable candidate.

"Zhang Wuyi is undoubtedly important, but your talent is no less than hers."

The Sect Master hesitated, then continued,

"She is already missing. I won’t risk losing you too."

"But—"

"You are my disciple!"

For the first time, his master spoke with absolute authority.

"Listen to me."

Looking at the serious expression on the old man’s face, Zheng Fa didn’t know what to say.

Before he could find an argument, Uncle-Master Pang also spoke up.

"Your master is right. We don’t even fully understand Zhang Wuyi’s situation yet. At the very least, we should find her first before making any rash decisions. You shouldn’t act recklessly."

With both of them against it, Zheng Fa pressed his lips together and said nothing more.

Seeing his silence, the Sect Master and Uncle-Master Pang both nodded, satisfied.

"So, who are we sending?"

Uncle-Master Pang frowned.

"This person can’t be too highly cultivated—Foundation Establishment at most—but they also need to have enough authority to keep the others in check."

That left very few options.

Jiushan Sect had only two branches.

The best candidate from Zhang Wuyi’s side was Zheng Fa, but since the Sect Master refused to send him, the choice had to come from Uncle-Master Pang’s disciples.

Uncle-Master Pang scanned the two people standing beside him—Zhou Qianyuan and Sun Daoyu.

Among his disciples, only a handful had enough authority, and these two were among them.

"Qianyuan…"

Uncle-Master Pang sighed.

"You're still at Qi Refining. And you have a single spiritual root…"

His face was filled with reluctance.

"Not suitable."

Then, he turned to Sun Daoyu.

"Daoyu, you have dual spiritual roots—no, wait, you’re at Foundation Establishment already. You’re going."

Sun Daoyu: "…???"

—

After everyone else had left, Zheng Fa followed his master into the grass hut.

Neither of them spoke for a long while.

"Do you have something to say?"

The Sect Master finally broke the silence.

"Are you still thinking about going after Zhang Wuyi?"

"…No."

Zheng Fa hesitated before voicing what was truly on his mind.

"Master… why won’t you let me go? I’m the most suitable for this mission."

"‘Suitable’?"

His master scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"You’re my disciple."

"…"

"I have only ever taken three personal disciples in my life."

"…"

"Two of them died after leaving the sect."@@novelbin@@

"…"

Ah.

Now it made sense.

His master was basically one disciple away from developing a full-on heart demon.

"Zhang Wuyi is undoubtedly a genius and a future pillar of Jiushan Sect," the Sect Master continued, gazing out the window.

"But she is Junior Sister Huang’s disciple."

He turned back to Zheng Fa.

"You are my only disciple."

"…"

"I’m not saying you’ll never go," the Sect Master added. "Even if Zhang Wuyi wasn’t missing, you would still need to visit the Thunder Pool once you complete Five Thunder Body."

"Why?"

"The fifth stage of Five Thunder Body requires you to channel heavenly lightning to temper your flesh."

"Even if you’ve mastered the first four stages, this step is still dangerous."

The Sect Master explained further,

"The advantage of the Thunder Pool is that it contains many rare lightning-based spirit plants, as well as heavenly lightning of varying intensities. You could use it to gradually temper your body in a controlled manner."

"Then…"

"Let Uncle-Master Pang’s disciples scout it out first."

The Sect Master’s tone was calm but firm.

"Keep training. Reach the tenth level of Qi Refining before you go. Right now, the situation there is chaotic. We still don’t know how many demons from the Great Free Demon Sect are lurking around."

Zheng Fa was silent for a moment, then finally spoke in a low voice.

"Thank you for looking out for me, Master."

Until now, he had never been entirely sure if his master truly cared about him.

But today—he understood.

"Actually," the Sect Master muttered, "this wasn’t just my decision. Before Zhang Wuyi left, she came to see me."

"…Huh?"

"She told me that if anything happened to her… I should stop you from going after her."

"…What?"

Zheng Fa blinked.

Senior Sister Zhang actually left such instructions?

"She said…"

The Sect Master sighed, recalling her words.

"‘He will be a better Sect Master than me. Better than you, too. For Jiushan Sect, he is more important than I am.’"

—

Zheng Fa slowly descended from Ninth Peak, walking toward Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard.

He entered the garden and wandered through the familiar pathways.

From the study, he made his way to the back courtyard.

There, he sat in a pavilion, listening to the thunderous roar of the waterfall behind him.

He sat there for a long time.

Eventually, he stood up and walked toward the flower garden.

His steps unconsciously followed the exact same route he and Zhang Wuyi used to take when discussing Daoist principles.

As he reached the end of the path—

For a brief moment, it felt as if she were walking beside him.

Zheng Fa turned his head.

But there was no one there.