I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 69 – Results

The new market district was established in no time.

By the third day after their arrival at Thunder Pool, Zheng Fa and Uncle Pang had already selected the location.

It was a small mountain, once the site of Changchun Sect’s headquarters. Now, however, it was an unclaimed land.

The reason for choosing this place was simple—it still retained traces of a spiritual vein.

Though Great Freedom Demonic Sect had destroyed Changchun Sect’s spiritual veins, this particular offshoot had survived, likely because its weak spiritual energy made it unnoticeable.

It wasn’t strong enough for cultivation.

But it was more than enough to power illusion formations—ensuring that mortals wouldn’t accidentally stumble into the market district.

Once the location was set, the construction process was straightforward.

The new market layout was fan-shaped, with a theater at its center—this had been insisted upon by Jiushan Sect disciples working outside the sect.

The inner three layers were shops, mostly rented to sects from the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

Beyond that, the outer circle was reserved for individual cultivators and rogue cultivators to set up their stalls.

The moment the market opened, sect representatives and disciples arrived to inquire about rental fees.

Within three days, all the inner-circle stores were sold out, and the stalls were nearly gone as well.

"How much does Thunder Pool Market make per month?"

Uncle Pang asked, watching Zheng Fa go over the account ledger.

Though officially named Thunder Pool Market, it was a natural name that had simply stuck.

"Just from rent, about three thousand spirit stones per month."

Zheng Fa estimated.

"That much more than Jiushan Sect’s own market?"

Uncle Pang knew that Jiushan Sect’s market district only made around a thousand spirit stones per month—including both rent and taxes.

"It can be even more."

Zheng Fa glanced outside the market, where streaks of light from incoming cultivators never seemed to stop. He spoke with confidence.

Uncle Pang also took a glance and clicked his tongue. "If I could just lie here and collect spirit stones, I wouldn’t even want to go into Thunder Pool." ȓаNȯ𝔟Εş

"Uncle, you’re entering Thunder Pool? For the Heavenly Stele?"

Zheng Fa was a bit surprised.

"What kind of look is that? Everyone here came for the Heavenly Stele—why can’t I have ambitions too?"

"I meant, Thunder Pool suppresses high-level cultivators—it’s risky for you."

Zheng Fa explained.

"It is," Uncle Pang admitted, a bit helplessly. "But it’s still the Heavenly Stele."

"…"

"You think these people don’t know how dangerous Thunder Pool is?" Uncle Pang pointed to the cultivators in the sky. "You think they don’t realize that even if they see the Heavenly Stele, they might not gain anything?"

"…"

"Cultivators are both the most cautious and the most reckless people." Uncle Pang said simply. Then, as if remembering something, he became more serious. "Also—don’t underestimate cultivators stronger than you just because Thunder Pool suppresses their cultivation."

"Why do you say that, Uncle?"

"Even if they can’t use their full cultivation, they still have artifacts, puppets, and other means—and for someone at your level, that’s enough to be fatal."

"I understand."

Zheng Fa’s heart tightened. He hadn’t considered this before.

"Don’t worry. Using those methods in Thunder Pool isn’t easy either. Just don’t push people to their limits."

"…Uncle, I’m always polite and friendly with others!"

"You saying that means you’ve truly inherited my teachings!"

Uncle Pang nodded, looking very pleased.

…

As more and more people arrived at the market, one particularly striking figure appeared.

It was dusk, and Zheng Fa was patrolling the market district with Senior Brother Yang and a few others, looking for ways to improve the layout.

Suddenly, a sword’s cry echoed from the sky.

They looked up.

A streak of sword energy split the sky in two, slashing straight down at the market entrance.

When the sword light dissipated, it revealed a young cultivator in his twenties.

What surprised Zheng Fa was that this man’s attire was unusual—he wore a celestial coronet and crane cloak, a style not popular in today’s Xuanyi Realm.

Before Zheng Fa could speak, Senior Brother Yang remarked, "Isn’t that a Tianhe Sect disciple?"

"Tianhe Sect?"

Zheng Fa was a bit surprised.

Even he had heard of Tianhe Sect—it was a legendary name.

Tianhe Venerable.

One of the Five Great Sects of Xuanyi.

Those eight words alone were enough to describe Tianhe Sect’s influence in the cultivation world.

"Yeah. No one else dresses like that."

"Why not?"

"Legend has it that Tianhe Venerable liked this style the most, so all Tianhe Sect disciples wear it."

…A sect-wide cosplay event?

"Not only that, but they don’t let outsiders wear it."

…A monopolized cosplay event?

The Tianhe Sect disciple walked into the market, completely ignoring the whispers around him—he seemed used to it.

He strode straight past the cheap roadside stalls, heading directly to the inner shops.

This man was bold and decisive with his spending. In no time, he had purchased a large number of pills and magical artifacts before heading toward the exit.

From the time he entered the market to the time he was ready to leave, only a single incense stick’s time had passed.

Clearly, he was someone with an impatient personality.

And because of that, the more impatient and high-handed he acted, the more the surrounding cultivators looked at him with reverence.

After all, he was from a major sect—he spent money so freely, and his arrogance was clear for all to see.

Just from hearing his mannerisms, one could tell he was not someone to be easily provoked.

As he exited the market, he happened to pass right by Zheng Fa and the others.

Watching his retreating figure, Senior Brother Yang turned to Zheng Fa. "Junior Brother Zheng, do you think he's here for the Heavenly Stele?"

Perhaps hearing the words Heavenly Stele, the young man slightly turned his head.

"…Probably. I can't think of anything else that would attract someone like him."

"But… doesn't Tianhe Sect already have their own Heavenly Stele to study?" A newly recruited disciple frowned. "Why come all this way? Could it be that he couldn't com—mmph!"

Before he could finish, Senior Brother Yang swiftly covered his mouth.

Zheng Fa noticed that the Tianhe Sect disciple’s steps faltered for just a moment, but he said nothing and walked away.

Senior Brother Yang released the junior disciple and exchanged a knowing look with Zheng Fa.

That was a sharp observation.

However, at least this Tianhe Sect disciple wasn’t the type to lash out…

…

Inside the Five-Dragon Celestial Palace, Zheng Fa swallowed a Condensing Yuan Pill.

After reaching Qi Refining Eighth Layer, he could now condense his eighth Yuan Talisman.

He had already chosen—it would be the Great Dream Talisman.

A Yang-based Water Talisman, its effect was simple: it could induce dreams in others and, to some extent, manipulate their dreams.

However, the talisman had limitations.

Typically, a Foundation Establishment cultivator would find it difficult to influence the dreams of a Qi Refining cultivator.

But Zheng Fa intended to use it for testing the nature of mortals—for that, it was perfect.

The Great Dream Talisman was soon condensed.

Afterward, Zheng Fa picked up a Xuanlei Stone and resumed cultivating Five-Thunder Body Technique.

Beside him lay the half jade pendant—its silver glow flickering gently, as if keeping him company… or waiting for something.

…

Zheng Fa handed a book to Old Man Bai and Tang Lingwu.

The cover bore three words: Spiritual Eye Technique.

Old Man Bai glanced at the title, raising an eyebrow. "This is… a technique?"

"A spell technique," Zheng Fa confirmed.

Spell techniques weren’t widely used in the Xuanyi Realm.

Most cultivators preferred using talismans, magical artifacts, or formations over traditional spellcasting.

After all, people liked shortcuts.

Or rather, they preferred external tools to augment their strength.

It wasn’t that spell techniques weren’t effective—but aside from unique, secretive arts, most spells consumed too much spiritual energy while lacking sufficient power.

By contrast, talismans and artifacts allowed cultivators to leverage less spiritual energy to harness greater forces of nature.

However, that didn’t mean spell techniques were completely obsolete—every major sect still preserved their spellcasting traditions.

For one, many talismans were based on spell techniques.

For another, spell techniques served as a safeguard against the eventual depletion of spiritual materials—when resources ran dry, cultivators would inevitably resort to direct spellcasting.

The nursing home faced a similar problem—it was naturally deprived of spiritual energy.

Thus, Zheng Fa had scoured the Scripture Pavilion, eventually finding a few practical spell techniques for Old Man Bai and Tang Lingwu.

Spiritual Eye Technique was essentially a spell version of the Spiritual Eye Talisman.

The first time Zheng Fa had seen floating talisman diagrams, it had been because Senior Sister Zhang placed a Spiritual Eye Talisman on him.

He wanted Old Man Bai and Tang Lingwu to learn this spell so they could observe talisman patterns and potentially make new discoveries.

"Spiritual Eye Technique…" Old Man Bai ran his fingers over the book, clearly intrigued. "If I master this, how many layers can I see—"

"…Layers?"

"You know, like how many layers I can see through?"

Tang Lingwu suddenly took two steps back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Wait, I haven’t even learned it yet! Why are you guarding against me? Guard against Zheng Fa—he’s definitely learned it!"

Tang Lingwu hesitated for a moment, then took a few more steps away from Zheng Fa.

"I haven’t learned it," Zheng Fa said flatly.

Tang Lingwu let out a relieved sigh.

"Spiritual Eye Technique only reveals spiritual energy," Zheng Fa explained.

"Not actual see-through vision?"

"No."

Old Man Bai clicked his tongue, clearly disappointed. The excitement in his expression faded. "What’s the point, then? You cultivators are surprisingly considerate about privacy."

Tang Lingwu, on the other hand, looked pleased—even a little shy as she took a few steps closer to Zheng Fa again.

Zheng Fa suddenly thought about his own Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes and the secret techniques he had learned from Uncle Pang.

For some reason, his face heated up slightly…

…

With no other choice, Old Man Bai and Tang Lingwu begrudgingly sat down to practice the spell technique.

Suddenly, Zheng Fa’s phone—which was placed on a distant table—rang.

He opened his eyes and slowly closed the book on Lingshan Method.

Tang Lingwu and Old Man Bai were forced to pause their cultivation as well.

Zheng Fa picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID.

"Old Chen?"

Zheng Fa raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was calling.

"Mr. Chen?"

"Hello? Zheng Fa, have you checked your results yet?!"

"No."

Zheng Fa suddenly remembered—today was the day high school entrance exam results were released.

He had almost forgotten.

"You haven’t checked?!" Mr. Chen sounded shocked at first, but his tone quickly shifted to barely contained excitement. "Never mind! You don’t need to! I already know!"

"Hmm."

Zheng Fa waited for Mr. Chen to continue.

…

Mr. Chen stood in the staff office, gripping his phone with excitement.

He wasn’t alone—there were two school administrators and two officials from the education department present as well.@@novelbin@@

"You got the city’s…"

He almost blurted out the word "top scorer", but caught himself.

In recent years, new regulations prohibited schools from publicly announcing rankings—especially top scorers.

Saying it privately was one thing.

But now, in front of officials, Mr. Chen knew he had to be careful.

…

Meanwhile, on the phone, Zheng Fa listened to Mr. Chen stammer for a while before finally saying:

"Your results… I can’t even bring myself to say it!"

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