Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World-Chapter 80 - Not Picky
Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Not Picky
Chapter 80 -80: Not Picky
Jiushan Ancestor waved his hand gently, and four dazzling golden lights shot out from the four runes atop the mountain, forming four pillars of light that converged upon Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa unconsciously sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes half-closed, and before his eyes, it seemed as if he saw mountains and rivers flowing, the sun and moon rising and setting, the passing of seasons, flourishing and withering.
When he came back to his senses, the snowy mountain peak before him was gone, and so was Jiushan Ancestor.
Only the four golden runes remained, stretching from heaven to earth, filling the world before his eyes.
With just a glance, Zheng Fa felt dizzy…
He began to understand why even Jiushan Ancestor had not been able to comprehend the Mountain and River True Form Talisman—this thing, just in terms of complexity, was not on the same level as the talismanic diagrams he had seen before.
Whether it was the talismanic diagrams in the Seventh Young Master’s study or the talismans drawn by Sister Zhang, they were actually isolated patterns.
But the Mountain and River True Form Talisman before him could even be described as a talismanic diagrams’ convention.
They were next to one another, hand in hand, heart to heart, interconnected, dancing together, like participating in an exceptionally joyous bonfire party.
From a distance, Zheng Fa thought these were four runes.
But up close, he found that they were actually a composite of numerous talismanic diagrams, and it was very hard for him to determine which diagrams made up the four runes before him—because the vast majority of the diagrams were not basic Primordial Talismans.
This was a bit like a joke Zheng Fa had seen before—
I just learned one plus one, and you’re giving a final exam on calculus?
That’s beyond the syllabus!
The people of the Xuanwei Realm would probably feel even more bewildered.
There were two problems here:
First, why could the isolated talismanic diagrams combine, even harmoniously, as if they were inherently one?
What was the function of the combination of talismanic diagrams?
This was also something Zheng Fa could not understand.
His understanding of talismanic magic was insufficient to clarify this issue.
But the other problem was easier for him—faced with unfamiliar talismanic diagrams, most Xuanwei Realm cultivators had no solution.
Judging from their current analysis of Primordial Talismans, their approach was more to draw the talismanic diagrams once and see what effects they had.
Then group talismanic diagrams with the same effects into categories, and eventually find the simplest pattern among them as the Basic Primordial Talismans.
This method was basically equivalent to Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs—I don’t know what this is, let’s take a bite and see.
They hadn’t yet summarized a universal cultivation method.
Before the development of topology, almost no one considered polyhedra and spheres the same thing.
When there are no standards for classification, there couldn’t be a discussion about categorization.
Bai Yuanying, it’s up to you!
Zheng Fa looked up at the myriad of talismanic diagrams above his head, trying to apply the patterns in his notebook to these unseen talismanic diagrams.
…
At the foot of the mountain, among the colorful clouds, there was also a spacious plaza, and people descending from the walkway were gathering here.
The Seventh Young Master was feeling depressed.
He felt that he could have gone further, but his fear of heights still affected his performance.
While wallowing in self-pity, a figure suddenly walked up to him, interrupting his gloomy thoughts.
The Seventh Young Master looked up and saw Zhou Qianyuan with a dark face staring at him, looking unfriendly.
Clearly not here to make friends.
The Seventh Young Master did feel a bit guilty, he had been a bit too arrogant up there, and it seemed like he really had affected the other’s assessment.
Thinking of the other’s talent manifesting in the violet grade, he became even more panicked.
“What do you want?”
Adhering to the principle of losing the battle but not the war, the Seventh Young Master coldly asked.
“Is it true what you said before, that he taught you your talismanic Dao?” Zhou Qianyuan seemed more concerned about this.
“…A small part, yes!” The Seventh Young Master straightened his chest: “The majority is due to my exceptional talent!”
Zhou Qianyuan looked at him skeptically, as if pondering whether what he said was true.
As the two men locked eyes, suddenly a golden light that pierced the heavens appeared on the horizon.
Everyone looked up, only to realize that the light was coming from the ninth peak.
Within the golden light, a figure sitting cross-legged on the ground was extremely conspicuous.
The complex symbols before him were now exposed to everyone’s view.
“Zheng Fa!”
Seventh Young Master recognized the person sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Zhou Qianyuan, however, was looking at those talismanic diagrams, frowning, as if trying to decipher them.
More people were curious about what the cross-legged person was doing, and then they found out.
Some talismanic diagrams seemed to be attracted by Zheng Fa, flying out from the four runes, landing beside him, swirling around him, illuminating his figure.
Slowly, these complex talismanic diagrams gradually stretched, twisted, and deformed in the air, eventually turning into some exceptionally simple shapes.
“Primordial Talisman?”
Zhou Qianyuan muttered, his eyes fixed on the Primordial Talismans circling around Zheng Fa, with a hint of realization: “He’s deciphering talismanic diagrams!
I’ve never seen these Primordial Talismans before, and he actually has a method to decode them?”
Seventh Young Master came to his senses, glanced at him, and then at the rest of the people.
He noticed that their gaze towards those Primordial Talismans was somewhat baffled.
Most likely, they had never seen them before.
“So, you said you learned from Zheng Fa, then what…
are his requirements?”
Zhou Qianyuan looked at Seventh Young Master and pursed his lips, suddenly asking.
“Requirements?”
Seventh Young Master was puzzled, not understanding what he meant.
“Does he teach anyone?
Or does he look for something else?
Spirit Stones?
Talent?
Character?”
Zhou Qianyuan explained briefly.
Seventh Young Master understood a bit now, this was a rival trying to take his teacher!
He felt a sense of urgency in his heart.
No, you, such a genius, why do you think of finding a master after being hit?!
How are we supposed to live then?
Wouldn’t it be good for you to be a bit unruly?
“Cough!
His requirements are quite high!” Seventh Young Master coughed lightly: “Take me for example, I had to give many Spirit Stones to become his disciple, but that’s a minor matter!”
“He first looks at talent!
Someone with astonishing talent like me just barely made it to beginner level!”
“But what he values most is character!” Seventh Young Master scared Zhou Qianyuan: “Being upright and pure at heart is the basic requirement, and after entering, you must serve tea, carry water, be at beck and call, lower your stance, endure all grievances to show respect for the master and reverence for the Dao.
A genius like you can’t withstand this sort of hardship!”
Zhou Qianyuan looked at Seventh Young Master and slowly nodded, as if he understood.
“If he even accepts you, then it seems he isn’t very selective.” He suddenly said.
“…Hm?”
…
Atop Jiushan, Zheng Fa was somewhat depressed—Old Man Bai seemed to be at a slight disadvantage this time.
The Primordial Talismans he could decipher did not make up more than one-tenth.
He could understand that the Quick Method had its limitations, especially since it was derived from the basic rules of fundamental talismanic diagrams.
Even to Zhang, this method seemed to be directly targeting the essence.
But Zheng Fa knew in his heart that this was merely a means to pass exams—it was slightly better than choosing the shortest among one long and three short, but essentially, it was still gambling on probability.
Looking at the Primordial Talismans swirling around him, Zheng Fa shook his head, preparing to stand up.
“To think the old man would wait to see this!” Jiushan Ancestor suddenly appeared, admiring: “A talent for the talismanic Dao that is rarely seen in aeons!”
“Ah?”
“All the Primordial Talismans the old man has deciphered in his lifetime are about as many as you have now!”
“…”
Is Bai Yuanying that powerful?
Zheng Fa turned his head, looking at those four runes, his admiration and yearning for the original Jiushan Ancestor diminished instantly.
“Let me see…
with such talent, you can choose two items from what the old man left behind.”
…I, Zheng Fa’s respect for the Ancestor is as clear as day and night!
Jiushan Ancestor pointed a finger at those four runes, and as the runes flickered, two vermilion gates appeared on the mountainside.
