I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 119Book 2: : Me Too

Vol 2 Chapter 119: Me Too

The weather hadn’t been great these past few days. Even at night, thick layers of dark clouds loomed over the nursing home, blocking out all traces of starlight.

Zheng Fa put down the book in his hands and gazed at the overcast sky, his mind drifting to the passage he had just read—about the two most famous "dark clouds" in the history of physics.

If one were to view both Xuanyi Immortal Arts and physics as methods of understanding and applying objective laws, then physics had only two dark clouds.

Whereas in immortal arts… it was an endless night.

The Sunset Sword Immortal was clearly a hardcore fan of the Tianhe Venerable, his descriptions leaning heavily in favor of the man.

Admittedly, after hearing Han Lao’s story, Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel a deep admiration and regret for the Tianhe Venerable.

But he hadn’t forgotten the cold, hard fact—the Tianhe Venerable’s new method had failed.

He didn’t believe that every cultivator would willingly become "not themselves."

He also didn’t believe that if the new method was truly superior to the old, everyone would be too blind to see it.

The fact that the old method still dominated Xuanyi Realm today must mean there were objective reasons for it.

Even if the old method had countless flaws, Zheng Fa suspected that the Tianhe Venerable’s failure had its own inevitability.

But that didn’t scare Zheng Fa—after all, wasn’t science built on the inheritance and refutation of previous knowledge?

What worried him more was something else—

Had those people wiped out all traces of the new method simply to cover up their betrayal of the Tianhe Venerable?

Or was it because, at its core, the new and old methods simply could not coexist?

And the Great Freedom Demonic Sect’s relentless pursuit of so-called "geniuses" across the world—was it because they feared the rise of another Tianhe Venerable?

Or… another new method?

The answer to these two questions would determine whether Zheng Fa was walking the path of Einstein or Bruno.

Researching the new method could mean gambling with his life—honestly, that gave Zheng Fa some hesitation.

As the Sunset Sword Immortal had said, he had an exceptional Dao Body and an incredibly high talent level. If he followed the old method, his future would still be bright.

……

The rain finally began to fall. Heavy droplets pattered against the eaves.

Zheng Fa had been sitting in the courtyard, but seeing the downpour, he prepared to stand up and move the table and chairs inside.

But then he noticed—the rain wasn’t falling on him.

He looked up.

Tang Lingwu was standing there, holding a large umbrella over his head, shielding him from the wind and rain.

Zheng Fa smiled at her gratefully. With a casual wave of his hand, the reclining chair in the courtyard floated to the veranda. He and Tang Lingwu walked over as well, standing side by side, watching the rain.

Neither of them spoke.

Zheng Fa’s thoughts were still tangled in the conflict between the new and old methods.

Researching the new method aligned with his ideals, but it could turn the entire world against him. And even the Tianhe Venerable had failed.

Cultivating the old method carried its own risks, but at least for a long time, he likely wouldn’t face any immediate danger.

By his nature, Zheng Fa always weighed his options carefully. Both paths had their pros and cons, and neither was a perfect choice.

He glanced at Tang Lingwu beside him, knowing that, compared to the other cultivators in Xuanyi Realm, he had one more risk to consider—modern society.

He still didn’t understand why he could travel between the two worlds.

But if what the Sunset Sword Immortal said was true—if, after reaching Soul Formation, a cultivator no longer remained themselves—

Then if one day, he truly became someone else…

Wouldn’t that mean chaos for the modern world?

The potential consequences for modern society, for the people around him, were beyond prediction.

The most immediate impact would be on Tang Lingwu, Old Bai, and Teacher Tian.

Thinking of this, Zheng Fa found himself unconsciously leaning toward a decision.

Suddenly, Tang Lingwu began to sing.

It was a foreign song:

"When you walk through the storm..."

"......"

"With hope in your heart, and you'll never walk alone..."

The wind howled through the trees, the rain drummed against the ground—but none of it could drown out the girl’s clear, melodic voice.

Zheng Fa listened quietly, saying nothing.

He had heard this song before.

Back in high school, his best friend, Wang Chen, had been a soccer fan and had made him listen to this song—"You’ll Never Walk Alone."

Behind them, Old Bai and Teacher Tian stepped out together, watching them with amused smiles.

When the song ended, Tang Lingwu didn’t say anything more, as if the lyrics had already said everything.

Instead, it was Old Bai who spoke up with interest, "Little Lingwu, do you like soccer too?"

"No." Tang Lingwu shook her head, tilting it slightly as she explained, "When I was little, my mom wasn’t sick yet, and my dad wasn’t always so busy."

"My dad loved watching soccer, and my mom would watch with him. I didn’t understand the game, so I just learned this song."

"Back then," Tang Lingwu glanced at Zheng Fa, her voice soft, "I used to sing it for both of them, and they were so happy."

As she spoke, her eyes carried a hint of nostalgia, as if reminiscing about something precious.

Zheng Fa felt a pang of sympathy—this was probably Tang Lingwu’s fondest memory of family.

Now that they were in Jingcheng, her mother, Aunt Ye, visited often, largely for medical treatment.

But her father... since the school term started, he hadn’t come at all.

Teacher Tian noticed this too. She gently pushed Old Bai aside and hugged Tang Lingwu. "You can think of us as family."

Old Bai scratched his head, then turned to Zheng Fa with a grin. "So? Have you figured it out?"

"Not completely, but…" Zheng Fa looked at Tang Lingwu and smiled.

"This song... gave me the courage to stand against the world."

"……"

Old Bai froze.

"This… you’re in college now. Shouldn’t you be reading something less teen-angst?"

"Maybe reconsider?"

"Just a song—surely it’s not that serious!"

……

Inside the newly constructed physics lab.

Zheng Fa’s divine sense guided his spiritual power, slowly tracing the path of the Cloud Rain Thunder Talisman as recorded in the Investiture of the Gods.

"Stop!"

Tang Lingwu’s voice rang out.

"The humidity sensor just picked up a change! There’s a significant increase in moisture!"

Zheng Fa nodded and quickly recorded the trajectory, handing it to Old Bai.

The Cloud Rain Thunder Talisman was far more complex than the Heaven’s Tribulation Thunder Talisman.

It was an entire system of talisman diagrams, each serving a different function.

Right now, Zheng Fa was specifically tracking the formation of water vapor and condensation of clouds.

……

"This diagram generates clouds."

"This one alters the strength of the magnetic field."

"This one creates a laser beam…"

"This one produces a positive particle stream…"

As Old Bai listed them off, his mind grew increasingly overwhelmed.

"Why the hell is this so complicated?" He frowned at the diagrams. "Wait—why are the Divine Name Sub-Talismans all different?"

Zheng Fa shook his head. He had already expected this.

Based on his current understanding of talisman techniques, these spiritual talismans likely came from different origins—perhaps created by different great cultivators.

The Heaven’s Tribulation Thunder Talisman was relatively straightforward;the Investiture of the Gods probably just picked the most powerful one.

But the Cloud Rain Talisman was so intricate that the various powers involved had developed different interpretations—resulting in divergent yet valid approaches to the same phenomenon.

On the other hand, this also indicated that, unlike the Heaven’s Tribulation Thunder Talisman, the Investiture of the Gods hadn’t been able to determine which of these approaches was superior, so it simply recorded them all indiscriminately.

"The ones that generate rain clouds definitely need to be kept."

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Fa added, "As for the rest, let’s each find some research papers and check them out."

……

Zheng Fa sat with a stack of papers in his hands, reading as he discussed the findings with Old Bai and the others.

Just as the senior professor from Jingcheng University’s Meteorology Department had pointed out, in this field, experiments on laser-induced rainfall and snowfall were the most extensive, with the most comprehensive data.

The underlying principles of this method weren’t particularly difficult—at least, not for Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu.

In fact, similar studies had been conducted not only abroad but also within the country.

"The advantage of laser-induced rainfall is that the laser’s frequency and wavelength are relatively fixed, making the conditions simpler and the energy intensity higher."

"The principle behind it is using lasers to excite plasma, which captures charged raindrops in the clouds, accelerating their growth and coalescence."

"Several research institutions have already achieved controlled artificial rainfall and snowfall using this method," Tang Lingwu summarized.

Old Bai nodded beside her. "Lasers are good—nice and simple…"

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Zheng Fa nodded as well.

Lasers were essentially just electromagnetic waves, specifically the light emitted when electrons transitioned between energy levels.

"In the previous Cloud Rain Talisman, there were already some pathways capable of generating lasers," Old Bai recalled. "Lasers are indeed easier to control compared to other methods, but… they also require more precise handling of thunder techniques."

As he spoke, he looked at Zheng Fa with a questioning gaze, as if asking Can you handle it?

Laser wavelengths were uniform, meaning even the slightest variation in energy could make a huge difference.

The directionality of the laser was also crucial, and to precisely control the amount of rainfall, timing and spatial control of thunder techniques had to be extremely precise.

This meant Zheng Fa needed a much finer level of control over his thunder techniques—far beyond the simpler energy manipulation required for the Heaven’s Tribulation Thunder Talisman.

Zheng Fa thought about it. He had already mastered the Heavenly Net Thunder Armor, and his control over thunder techniques had improved significantly compared to before.

"Let’s give it a try!"

Nodding toward Old Bai and Tang Lingwu, Zheng Fa followed the experimental process outlined in one of the research papers and began a cultivation-based replication experiment.

……

At the foot of the mountain, in the guesthouse.

The guesthouse owner stood by the window, staring at the endless rainy weather with a worried expression.

Bad weather meant fewer guests at the guesthouse.

Even the livestream’s background was gloomy, and viewership had dropped significantly.

Thinking about it, he suddenly recalled the old man from the nursing home—back when that guy had visited, the livestream had been buzzing with activity!

"Are you free right now?"

His grandmother suddenly walked over and asked.

"Grandma?"

"If you’re free, drive me to the Temple of the Goddess. I want to pray!"

"Grandma! You want to go again?"

"You saw the Goddess manifest last time with your own eyes!" she insisted. "If we don’t go, won’t she think we’re not devout enough?"

The guesthouse owner remained expressionless, clearly unwilling to move.

"Besides, just look at business lately!" Seeing that he still wasn’t convinced, she added, "Maybe a prayer will fix everything! Look at Old Wang’s family—after they built a temple, their business started booming!"

"…I’ll go start the car."

"Hmph, as if I don’t know you?"