I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 64: Not Bad

In Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard, Lin Bufan and Han Qi exchanged a glance, both looking toward the study where Zheng Fa was. Their eyes held a trace of worry.

“Young Master still hasn’t come out?”

“Yeah, he’s been in seclusion for three days straight,” Lin Bufan shook his head. “Hasn’t stepped out at all.”

“Sigh, about Senior Sister Zhang… I’ll head to the market district for my shift,” Han Qi shook his head, seeming to understand Zheng Fa’s decision. “Try to talk to him. Tell him not to be too hasty.”

…

Inside the study, Zheng Fa’s divine sense was immersed within his dantian.

On the seventh petal of his Twin Lotus Platform, a new Yuan Talisman had appeared—Thunder Chain Talisman.

This was a rather obscure type of Yuan Talisman. In fact, thunder-type talismans were rare in general, as they were highly unstable and not something most cultivators dared to use.

Following the Yin-Yang and Five Elements cycle, this talisman should belong to the metal element of Yang—typically, offensive or defensive types.

But what Zheng Fa truly needed was a healing or illusion-based talisman.

He had struggled with this decision for quite a while—until recently, he had almost settled on the Golden Armor Talisman, reasoning that:

• For offense, he already had the Frost Blade Talisman.
• For travel, he had the Crimson Clouds Talisman.
• A defensive talisman would round out his combat repertoire.

Yet, just the day before, he changed his mind and chose the Thunder Chain Talisman instead.

As its name implied, this talisman summoned a chain of lightning to bind opponents, paralyzing them and restricting their movements.

The Frost Blade Talisman was for killing. The Thunder Chain Talisman was for controlling. Together, they complemented his combat style perfectly.

But the real reason Zheng Fa chose the Thunder Chain Talisman was to prepare for his upcoming visit to the Thunder Pool.

Zheng Fa was eager to reach the Thunder Pool.

Partly for Senior Sister Zhang.

And partly because he had no choice.

The Jiushan Sect was already locked in conflict with the Grand Freedom Demonic Sect, and no one knew how long the war would last. As one of Jiushan Sect’s most renowned talents, Zheng Fa couldn’t escape being involved. 𝐫àꞐօꞖË𝒮

Sooner or later, he would have to face enemies from the Grand Freedom Demonic Sect—some he already had, such as Lin Bufan and Chen Ting.

Zheng Fa didn’t consider himself a combative person, but it wasn’t up to him anymore.

Since battle was inevitable, he preferred a battlefield that suited him best—

Ideally, within the Jiushan Sect, where he had home advantage. But their enemies weren’t fools.

The second-best option was the Thunder Pool. Aside from training in the Five Thunder Body Technique and Divine Thunder Art of Shenshao, he also wanted to familiarize himself with the Grand Freedom Demonic Sect’s combat style—treating it as live combat training.

His master forbade him from leaving the sect now, and Zheng Fa understood the concern.@@novelbin@@

But there was only one solution for him—train to the limit!

The sect master had said: Do not approach the Thunder Pool until you’ve reached mastery of the Five Thunder Body Technique.

Then he’d reach the fourth level—as fast as possible!

Zheng Fa picked up the Xuanlei Stone Senior Sister Zhang had gifted him.

He had been using it sparingly—only two or three times before. But this time, he wasn’t holding back.

Lightning surged from the Xuanlei Stone into his dantian. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, his skin flushing red as his teeth chattered from the shock. His bones felt as if they were vibrating out of his control.

This was his first attempt at the third-level tempering of the Five Thunder Body Technique—Bone Refinement.

Zheng Fa felt the difference immediately—this time, the power of the heavenly lightning within the Xuanlei Stone was several times stronger than before.

Only such intensity could penetrate his flesh and refine his bones.

What surprised him, though, was that his muscles and skin were also growing stronger, albeit more slowly than his bones.

Soon enough—

The Xuanlei Stone in his hand began to lose its black luster, turning pure white. With a gentle squeeze, the stone crumbled into a pile of fine dust.

Zheng Fa stood up, unfazed.

It was expected. The amount of heavenly lightning required for a single bone-refinement session was enormous. Consuming an entire Xuanlei Stone in one session was normal.

Xuanlei Stones were rare in the market district, but not impossible to find.

Zheng Fa had saved up some spirit stones. Buying a few more wouldn’t break his wallet. But a few pieces alone wouldn’t be enough to reach the fourth level of the Five Thunder Body Technique. Even if he used his time from the modern world, he would need more—a lot more Xuanlei Stones.

He had already made up his mind—

Senior Sister Yuan was… well, a bit gullible—no, generous.

Asking her for a loan wouldn’t be too difficult.

Just as he thought of her, her voice rang out—

“Zheng Shidi!”

“Zheng Shidi, are you still in seclusion?”

It was Senior Sister Yuan, speaking to Lin Bufan outside his room.

“Yes,” Lin Bufan replied.

“This is bad,” she said, her voice filled with worry.

“Senior Sister?” Zheng Fa opened the study door and stepped out, seeing Senior Sister Yuan pacing anxiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“The market district… it’s a mess.”

“A mess?”

“The situation with Senior Sister Zhang… it’s spread.”

…

Meanwhile, in the market district, Han Qi walked through the streets with two companions.

The place felt utterly unfamiliar today.

Chaos and despair hung thick in the air.

Some shops had closed their doors, with signs of scuffles still visible—blood, broken furniture, shattered wards.

The once bustling market stalls were half-empty, leaving an eerie emptiness.

The faces of those still wandering the market were filled with unease and urgency.

Talisman stalls.

Spirit grain shops.

Even the expensive, usually deserted alchemy and artifact shops—

They were all swarming with frantic customers, desperate to spend every last spirit stone, as if tomorrow wouldn’t come.

The news had spread—

Senior Sister Zhang was missing.

Worse still, many senior disciples who went to search for her… had not returned.

That was enough to throw the entire market district into turmoil.

“They say the sect is selecting Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples for the Thunder Pool… Everyone thinks it’s a death sentence.”

Han Qi nodded slightly. He understood what the tall, skinny disciple meant.

Stocking up on supplies, closing their stalls—

It all pointed to one thing—preparing for war.

“But the Thunder Pool is relatively safe for low-level disciples. Don’t they know that?” Han Qi asked.

“They know. Senior Sister Yuan explained it to them,” the tall disciple replied, “but they don’t believe her. They’re afraid it’s just a lie to send them to their deaths.”

“…”

Han Qi shook his head.

Honestly, he couldn’t blame them.

The order came from two Nascent Soul Elders—how could they defy it?

That was exactly why they felt so hopeless.

“…Do you believe it?” The tall disciple suddenly asked him.

“…”

Han Qi fell silent for a long moment before giving a bitter smile.

If Zheng Fa hadn’t been the one to say it, he probably wouldn’t believe it either.

“…They say the spiritual essence is thinning. Everyone knows a day like this would come sooner or later.”

The tall disciple’s voice was heavy.

Han Qi understood.

The panic in the market wasn’t just from distrust toward the sect’s higher-ups—

It was fear of the coming chaos.

…

The three of them were extremely busy today.

As market district enforcers, their duty was to maintain order.

But today—

It felt like everyone in the Jiushan Sect was a Thunder Talisman, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

In just one hour, they had already stopped three fights.

Tensions only kept rising—anger simmering beneath every conversation. Some had even started brawling openly in the streets.

The scene weighed heavily on Han Qi and his companions.

Suddenly—

A ripple of chatter swept through the market, coming from outside.

The air shifted. People began murmuring to each other—

And then, incredibly—

They started smiling.

The tense, explosive atmosphere vanished, replaced by a strange calm.

“What’s going on?”

Han Qi approached a nearby vendor.

“You don’t know?” The vendor grinned. “Senior Sister Yuan just passed the word—Zheng Shidi said he’ll head to the Thunder Pool himself. In at least half a month, at most a month.”

“…”

“If he’s going, then we’re not afraid.”

The relief on their faces was unmistakable.

Laughter returned, businesses resumed. It was as if a crushing weight had suddenly been lifted from their shoulders.

The tall disciple was stunned. “Senior Sister Yuan explained it for half a day, and we’ve told them a hundred times, but Zheng Shidi’s one sentence did more than all that?”

Han Qi pressed his lips together, then sighed, “One word from him is worth more than anything we say.”

“Because it’s Zheng Shidi.”

“If anyone is walking into death, it won’t be him.”

…

“Come here.”

Zheng Fa heard his master’s voice.

When he reached the thatched cottage, the Sect Master was standing outside, his face cold and stern.

“Master,” Zheng Fa greeted respectfully.

“You still recognize me as your master?”

“This disciple wouldn’t dare forget.”

“Then why are you disobeying my orders?”

“Master,” Zheng Fa replied steadily, “I plan to train the Five Thunder Body Technique to the Blood Exchange stage before heading to the Thunder Pool. I’ll need the Thunder Pool for my breakthrough.”

“…Half a month to a month. You plan to reach Blood Exchange in that time?”

“I’ll use more Xuanlei Stones.”

“Where are you getting so many?”

“If I don’t have enough spirit stones, I’ll borrow from Senior Sister Yuan.”

Zheng Fa’s trips to the modern world weren’t regular. Sometimes, when he hit a bottleneck, he wouldn’t return for a month.

But now—

He planned to visit every seven days, using modern electricity to accelerate his Five Thunder Body training.

And in this world—he wouldn’t hold back either.

Xuanlei Stones were expensive, but now wasn’t the time to be stingy.

The Sect Master narrowed his eyes at him, then snorted. “Don’t bully that fool of a bird.”

With a wave of his hand, a storage bag landed in Zheng Fa’s palm.

“…Master?”

“There’s some leftover Xuanlei Stones from my younger days,” the Sect Master said gruffly.

Zheng Fa opened the bag—

Inside were dozens of jet-black Xuanlei Stones.

“You kept…this many?” Zheng Fa looked up, a bit incredulous.

“There were plenty back then!” his master snapped.

“That must’ve been ten thousand years ago… You held onto them for this long?” Zheng Fa was half-moved, half-teasing.

“I was investing, hoping they’d go up in value. Got a problem with that?”

“…”

“Just say if they appreciated in value or not!” The Sect Master huffed.

Then, with a dismissive wave—

“Disciples are just walking debts! Now get out!”

…

As Zheng Fa’s figure disappeared, another elder stepped out from the cottage—

Master Pang, a Nascent Soul cultivator.

“You’ve got a good disciple there,” Pang Zhenren said. “If he leads the Jiushan Sect one day, we’ll have nothing to worry about.”

“…He’s good,” the Sect Master admitted with a sigh. “Respected, grateful for kindness—”

“—But never listens.”

“Then give him to me,” Master Pang grinned.

“In your dreams!” The Sect Master shot him a glare.

A long silence—

Then the Sect Master smirked, “But maybe I’ll let him take care of you when you’re old.”

“…”

“Just lend me some spirit stones, and we’ll call it even.”

“…Do I look like that fool of a bird to you?” Pang Zhenren snorted. “I’m a Nascent Soul cultivator—I don’t need a retirement plan!”