I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 85: Silence

The Dao?

Senior Sister Zhang’s words sounded like an excessive compliment.

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned.

His theory was actually quite simple—

The Five Elements sub-talismans were inherent properties of spiritual energy.

The material foundation of talisman cultivation was spiritual energy itself.

So, to refine a complete talisman foundation, only the Five Elements sub-talismans were necessary.

As for the other two types of sub-talismans, they were not essential to the foundation. As for what they actually were—Zheng Fa wasn’t sure yet.

Those two sub-talismans determined how spiritual energy interacted with other substances. But exactly how they did that, Zheng Fa had no concrete answer.

For now, his approach was—ignore those two sub-talismans for the time being. Since the essence of the talisman foundation was spiritual energy, he would focus only on the Five Elements sub-talismans. They alone could explain the principle of Yin-Yang interaction.

And since Yin-Yang interaction led to the generation of the Five Elements sub-talismans, then the other two sub-talismans would naturally form as well.

It all sounded straightforward.

But the key issue was—without discovering the Five Elements sub-talismans, this idea would have never come up.

Without understanding the relationship between Yin-Yang and handedness, this concept would have never surfaced.

Senior Sister Zhang had stopped speaking.

Her entire body became transparent, like flawless glass, and within her, two lotus pedestals emerged, their bases conjoined.

This time, the twin lotuses slowly merged into one.

At the center of the lotus, a golden core appeared, embedded in the heart of the lotus like a seed.

Inside the core, a tiny human figure—an infant-like silhouette—floated with its eyes closed in deep slumber.

The figure’s face bore an uncanny resemblance to Senior Sister Zhang—about eighty percent similar.

But its body proportions were those of a classic three-head-tall infant, with a round, cherubic face that was undeniably adorable.

The Five Elements sub-talismans within the lotus petals transformed into a glowing five-colored halo, slowly encircling the head of Little Zhang.

The remaining petals peeled away from the lotus base, swirling around Little Zhang and forming a soft pink-and-white robe.

The other two types of sub-talismans became golden patterns on the dress, adding an air of mystery.

As if sensing Zheng Fa’s… affectionate gaze, Little Zhang suddenly opened her eyes and glared at him.

Her gaze was fierce—

Or, at least, it tried to be.

But with her tiny body and chubby little face,

She only looked even cuter.

Zheng Fa, completely unfazed.

"You should leave."

Just as Zheng Fa was lost in thought, Senior Sister Zhang suddenly spoke.

Somehow, he detected a faint trace of embarrassment in her voice.

"Senior Sister Zhang?"

Zheng Fa asked, puzzled.

"I’ve had an insight—I’m ready to form my Nascent Soul," she said softly. "There may be a tribulation. It’s dangerous for you to stay here."

Zheng Fa’s heart tightened.

He nodded and prepared to leave.

"Wait."

Before he could take a step, she added,

"Don’t rush into Foundation Establishment yet."

"Wait until I’ve successfully formed my Nascent Soul. I’ll see if the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method has any lingering issues. Then, and only then, should you proceed."

Zheng Fa froze.

He hadn’t expected her to be thinking that far ahead.

"Senior Sister Zhang."

"You’re not planning to abandon the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method, are you?"

She smiled knowingly, as if she had already seen through him.

"Correct."

Zheng Fa would never give it up.

The reason was simple—his biggest advantage in the modern world wasn’t that he was a cultivator, but that he possessed the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method.

The nine talismans within the method were the foundation of his abilities in the modern era.

Ling Mountain Arts required the Enlightenment Talisman.

Healing and medicine relied on the Nurturing Spirit Talisman and the Taiyi Talisman.

Spiritual plant cultivation depended on the Evergreen Talisman.

And with other talismans for protection and survival—

Without the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method, he would lose eighty percent of his abilities in the modern world.

Senior Sister Zhang watched him quietly.

Zheng Fa felt a little sheepish.

She had probably been thinking solely about his safety—hence, her suggestion to use the Huayuan Pill to dissolve his rune-based foundation. It was the safest path forward.

But he had his own reasons—reasons he couldn’t explain.

"I won’t ask why, nor will I force you," she finally said after a long silence.

"But I have just one request—wait until after my tribulation is over before you establish your foundation."

"Senior Sister Zhang?"

"Let me test your theory first…"

"Understood."

Hearing Senior Sister Zhang’s words, Zheng Fa pressed his lips together, momentarily speechless.

At the end of the day, his idea was just a theory.

He wasn’t completely certain it would work.

And now, Senior Sister Zhang was essentially volunteering to take the risk on his behalf—

At the very least, she wanted to confirm that this method could truly lead to forming a Nascent Soul.

As Zheng Fa stepped out of the Thunder Pool, he realized just how massive the commotion from Senior Sister Zhang’s breakthrough was.

Turning his gaze back, he saw the sky above the Thunder Pool erupt with five-colored radiance, cascading down like waterfalls. Waves of spiritual energy surged like an endless tide.

The spectacle covered a radius of several hundred li, visible to everyone.

His brows furrowed slightly in concern as he slowly made his way back to the marketplace.

The moment he arrived at the Five Dragons Heavenly Palace, Uncle Pang was already there, blocking his path.

"Junior Sister Zhang is advancing to Nascent Soul?"

Clearly, he had also recognized the source of the celestial phenomenon.

"Yes," Zheng Fa nodded lightly. "She had a sudden insight and is attempting the breakthrough."

"Good!" Uncle Pang exhaled deeply, his voice booming with joy. His expression was one of genuine happiness. "With Junior Sister Zhang’s talent, if she takes this step forward, she’ll have a much greater chance of success than most!"

The disciples of the Five Dragons Heavenly Palace all broke into smiles.

No one here was foolish.

Inside the sect, Senior Sister Zhang might be domineering, but that was just internal conflict.

Outside, she was Jiushan Sect’s stabilizing pillar.

Even a blind man could see that Jiushan Sect was facing imminent threat from the Grand Freedom Demon Sect—

Another Nascent Soul cultivator would make a huge difference.

Especially when this one had already been strong enough in the Golden Core stage to rival weaker Nascent Soul cultivators.

"You?"

After his initial joy, Uncle Pang suddenly seemed to realize something.

He turned to Zheng Fa, giving him a strange look.

"…I only made a small contribution," Zheng Fa said modestly. "It was all thanks to Senior Sister Zhang’s exceptional talent."

Uncle Pang nodded slightly, but his expression remained complicated.

"Uncle Pang?"

"Tell me, have I misjudged that woman surnamed Huang?"

"Huh?"

"You’re only at Qi Refinement, yet you helped Junior Sister Zhang break through to Nascent Soul," Uncle Pang murmured, his voice slow and deliberate. "But my friend… he died trying to save his wife."

"…?" Zheng Fa wasn’t sure he followed his logic.

"Maybe," Uncle Pang continued, his expression strangely relieved, "it wasn’t that the woman surnamed Huang was too reckless… maybe my friend just wasn’t talented enough?"

For the first time, Uncle Pang looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Zheng Fa resisted the urge to scratch his head.

That’s all it took to resolve your grudge?

It wasn’t completely unreasonable logic…

But looking at you two, I doubt your friendship was all that deep in the first place.

Uncle Pang shook his head, quickly dropping the subject and moving on. "Junior Sister Zhang’s breakthrough is, of course, a good thing. But I doubt the Grand Freedom Demon Sect will just stand by and watch."

Zheng Fa nodded.

Previously, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Grand Freedom Demon Sect had hunted Senior Sister Zhang.

She had escaped into the Xuanguan Mirror, forcing them into a passive position.

As long as she was trapped, they had the upper hand.

If the Thunder Pool changed, they could simply wait and kill her when the time was right.

So, they had never been in a hurry.

But now, the Thunder Pool remained stable—

And Senior Sister Zhang was about to reach Nascent Soul.

They wouldn’t tolerate this.

That was what had been worrying Zheng Fa.

"The breakthrough itself will take ten days at most," Uncle Pang said grimly. "But during these ten days, the marketplace and the Thunder Pool may see major upheaval."

He turned to the disciples in the hall.

"Pass down my orders—starting today, the marketplace is under lockdown. No disciple is to leave without permission!"

At his words, the disciples’ faces turned tense, their eyes filled with apprehension.

Everyone understood the unspoken meaning in those words—

Life and death were on the line.

In the following days, the Five Dragons Heavenly Palace fell eerily silent.

Even the sound of footsteps grew rare.

Everyone was preparing for an inevitable battle.

4:30 AM.

Zheng Fa’s eyes opened precisely on time.

He carefully lifted the blanket, silently got out of bed, and stepped into the bathroom to wash up.

With his current cultivation, he could move without making a sound—aside from the gentle flow of water from the faucet, his actions were completely silent.

In truth, he no longer needed to wash up.

But to avoid seeming strange to his roommates, he kept up the habit every morning.

Once he was done, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the dormitory at 4:40 AM.

By 5:00 AM, he arrived at a secluded patch of grass, sat down cross-legged, and began cultivating.

One major inconvenience about university life—

Unlike at Qingshui High School, he couldn’t cultivate in his dorm at night.

If he sat meditating in his dormitory, his roommates would definitely ask questions.

So, he had chosen this hidden grassy area near the gymnasium.

Fortunately, he had noticed that Peking University had plenty of eccentric students.

Some came early in the morning to practice vocal exercises.

Others swung around unsharpened swords, performing elaborate routines.

A few practiced boxing techniques.

And all of them… were students.

Among them, Zheng Fa’s quiet meditation was probably the most normal-looking activity.

After cultivating until 8:00 AM, Zheng Fa stood up and headed toward the university library.

If he had no morning classes, he usually spent his time there.

At this hour, the library hadn’t opened yet.

But a line of students had already formed outside.

Zheng Fa queued up behind a male student.

The student turned around, spotted him, and greeted him with a smile.

"Here early again? You’re just a freshman, but you’re more punctual than us grad students rushing to finish our papers!"

It was a physics graduate student named Yang.

Lately, he had been swamped with his thesis and had become a regular at the library—enough that he and Zheng Fa now recognized each other.

"You’re just a freshman," Yang continued, shaking his head. "Shouldn’t you be enjoying university life? Let me tell you—your first two years of college are the most relaxing years of your life. The grind of the library? You can save that suffering for later."

Zheng Fa simply shook his head.

Suffering?

He didn’t think so.

He liked the library.

Sure, he enjoyed reading.

But even when he was tired of studying, he liked observing the students around him—

Some were deep into their books.

Some were solving problems.

Others were just playing games on their phones or laptops.

But overall, the library was quiet.

It felt… a lot like the current silence in the Five Dragons Heavenly Palace.

Yet the reasons behind these silences were completely different.

And that made him appreciate the library even more.