I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 305Book 2: : Heartfelt Words, One Thought to Leave

Book 2: Chapter 305: Heartfelt Words, One Thought to Leave

Vol 2 Chapter 305: Heartfelt Words, One Thought to Leave

Zheng Fa looked at Xiao Yuying. She stood before the magic treasure screen, gazing at him intently. Her eyes weren’t sharp, but they were exceptionally clear, as if seeing everything with complete clarity.

On the screen, a jade-colored fawn was faintly visible amid the mountain scenery, turned slightly away from the two of them, seemingly about to head into the vast mountain range.

Seeing Zheng Fa remain silent, Xiao Yuying didn’t stop her questioning:

“Tianhe Venerable may be a taboo among the Five Sects of Xuanyi, but what you’re doing now is offending cultivators all over the world… Others might not know, but don’t you?”

“I’ve read many records of the past and considered myself somewhat knowledgeable about Xuanyi’s history…” Xiao Yuying, usually extremely confident to the point of arrogance, now showed a hint of fear, “What you’re doing… since ancient times, no one has dared—no, not even thought—to attempt it.”

Only now did Zheng Fa understand why, since joining the Jiushan Sect, Xiao Yuying, while cooperative, had been drifting further away from them, to the point that now, she even wished to leave.

He had thought it was because she took pride in her background and didn’t want to pledge herself to Jiushan Sect too early.

Now it seemed, she had been watching coldly all this time, as if she’d seen through him, and even through what Jiushan Sect had become.

He believed Senior Sister Zhang might grasp some of his thinking, others might have vague guesses, but no one had seen so far or so deep as Xiao Yuying.

What Xiao Yuying was saying could be summed up in one sentence—Zheng Fa had betrayed the cultivator class!

Even Senior Sister Zhang might not fully grasp this.

“Fairy Xiao, I always thought of you as a historian in my heart… I didn’t expect your vision to be so long-reaching…”

“What are you really thinking?” Xiao Yuying said irritably, as if she could barely hold herself back from cursing him, “You started the ‘Golden Core Project’—fine, I could say it was just for your own Core Formation.”

“But what are you doing now?”

“You’re simplifying cultivation methods and spreading them widely, even teaching mortals how to forge spiritual tools… If it stopped there, maybe it would be fine.”

“But where does this path lead in the end? Do you even realize?”

“It means anyone could learn cultivation theory!”

“It means all cultivation arts will either be obsolete or worthless!”

“It means cultivators won’t just stop being superior—they’ll have to work for mortals!”

“What cultivator could accept that?”

“What sect could tolerate it?”

Xiao Yuying spoke faster and faster, her tone rising until she nearly shouted: “Zheng Fa, with your talent and brilliance, why would you choose to become the enemy of all cultivators?” ŖãℕꝊＢÊṧ

She looked utterly anxious, but the smile on Zheng Fa’s face only grew stronger.

“What are you smiling at!”

Zheng Fa cupped his hands, “I’m grateful for your concern, Fairy Xiao.”

He truly hadn’t expected that Xiao Yuying, who was gifted in thunder arts, also had such deep insight into these matters. Her current agitation was, in fact, a kind gesture.

“As long as you understand… With your current accomplishments and talent, if you abandon this path and pledge allegiance to one of the Five Sects, you might not have the same reputation or status as now, but you wouldn’t be cutting yourself off from the cultivators of Xuanyi.”

Zheng Fa remained silent but didn’t refuse. Yet his silence was itself a form of rejection.

“If you’re unwilling to bow to the Five Sects…”

Xiao Yuying hesitated slightly, seeming unsure of herself, but still bit her lip and said,

“I can ask my master for help… There should be a way to spare your life… so long as you turn back now.”

To say such a thing—her master must truly be no ordinary figure.

Her desire to protect him was both sincere and tangible, which moved Zheng Fa a little.

Zheng Fa looked at Xiao Yuying, his smile deepening—but he still shook his head.

“You…” Xiao Yuying seemed flustered, then said, “Then allow me to leave Jiushan Realm. I don’t want to be buried with Jiushan Sect.”

“Fairy Xiao…” Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said generously, “With all you’ve contributed to Jiushan Sect, as long as you honor our previous agreement, you may come and go as you please. I will not interfere.”

Xiao Yuying was stunned. Zheng Fa waved a hand behind her, and a portal of light opened.

Beyond it was the Xuanyi Realm.

All she had to do was lift her foot, and she could leave the terrifying vortex that was Jiushan Sect.

But at that moment, she hesitated.

Zheng Fa smiled, “Fairy Xiao, since you’re not in a rush to leave, how about sitting down so I can properly explain what I’m thinking?”

He pointed at a chair in the hall.

Zheng Fa sat down first on a wooden chair. Xiao Yuying was silent for a while, then sat as well. Between them was a small wooden table usually used for teacups.

Seeing her sit, Zheng Fa finally began to speak:

“Fairy Xiao, the questions you asked are weighty. Some things… even I haven’t fully figured out.”

He paused to think, then added:

“I’m not that well-versed either, not like you with your deep knowledge of Xuanyi’s past. If I say anything mistaken, I hope you’ll point it out, for the sake of our friendship.”

Hearing his earnest tone, Xiao Yuying was a bit surprised—it seemed he truly wanted her opinion.

Zheng Fa gave a wry smile: “There are many things I can only discuss with Senior Sister Zhang. Martial Uncle Pang and the others treat me well, but their thinking is no different from traditional cultivators of Xuanyi. For some matters, telling them would do more harm than good.”

“Since you, Fairy Xiao, have seen through some things and still think on my behalf, I feel I can share some of what’s in my heart.”

Xiao Yuying nodded, “Let’s hear it.”

“You were right. If Jiushan Sect continues on this path, it will stand opposed to almost all cultivators.”

“Simplifying cultivation methods lowers the threshold for practice. Even if spiritual energy remains abundant, competition among cultivators will intensify… Spiritual materials, spiritual lands, and spiritual energy are all limited.”

“You know that yet—”

Zheng Fa shook his head and interrupted her, then continued: “Building factories, training workers, even those without cultivation, will reduce the profits of artifact forgers, even render traditional forging methods obsolete…”

“The same goes for talisman inscriptions.”

“I won’t hide it, Fairy Xiao. I’ve long been aware of the dangers of this path.”

What Zheng Fa said, and what Xiao Yuying said, were essentially the same—Xuanyi’s current state is one where cultivators, through overwhelming force and superior techniques, control—or rather, monopolize—all resources in the realm.

These people are inherently small-scale artisans.

The sects of Xuanyi resemble feudal lords.

What Zheng Fa was doing with his reforms lowered the threshold for gaining power, simplified techniques, and spread them widely…

Industry would inevitably impact artisans. Factories would challenge feudal lords.

He was doing this more thoroughly than any cultivator in Xuanyi’s history, which is exactly why Xiao Yuying said he had turned against all cultivators.

He had expected this.

But now, Xiao Yuying fell silent.

She looked at Zheng Fa in confusion, as if asking with her eyes—if you understand all this, why still choose this path?

To this, Zheng Fa gave the most ordinary of answers:

“I have no choice.”

His words startled Xiao Yuying.

“This was a necessary decision, Fairy Xiao. Right now, Jiushan Sect can only advance. Aside from this path, I truly can’t see any way to quickly grow the sect.”

Xiao Yuying wanted to say more.

“Fairy Xiao, whether it’s joining one of the Five Sects or having your master protect me… Let’s not even talk about Jiushan Sect—just me. I still want my life in my own hands.”

Zheng Fa said calmly: “There are some things I can endure, but some things I simply can’t learn to accept.”

“……”

Xiao Yuying pursed her lips, unsure what to say. She seemed to understand some of Zheng Fa’s choices.

“Also, Fairy Xiao… You say I’ve betrayed cultivators, but I think—it may be cultivators who’ve betrayed mortals.”

That made Xiao Yuying frown: “What do you mean by that?”

“I didn’t used to feel this way, but ever since I learned part of the truth about Dao Fruit, I’ve had a different perspective…” Zheng Fa explained, “Whether it’s the Divine Path, Immortal Path, or other methods of cultivation—in the end, they all need people, and most of those people are mortals…”

“And Dao Fruit might be the origin of all cultivation methods.”

“Not only do cultivators come from mortals, but even the Dao itself may have thrived because of mortals…”

“If being good to mortals is called a betrayal of cultivators, then who’s really betraying whom?”

When Zheng Fa learned the truth about Dao Fruit, he thought of a line from an essay he once read: I once thought it was the Buddha who saved all beings—

but now I believe it was all beings who saved the Buddha.

Xiao Yuying stared blankly. She had never thought of it that way and didn’t know how to respond.

“Of course, this isn’t something I can fully explain. Like I said—if I had another choice… I wouldn’t have taken this road.”

Zheng Fa said honestly.

He really didn’t have such a deep moral sense. Ever since entering Jiushan Sect, he had always harbored resentment and confusion in his heart, but as for shedding blood for fairness or some such cause—honestly, he couldn’t do it.

If it weren’t for the current situation—Jiushan Sect appearing radiant on the surface but in truth as fragile as an eggshell—he wouldn’t have made this choice either.

He understood the dangers of this path more clearly than anyone.

Xiao Yuying said nothing. After thinking in silence for a long time, she finally said: “But…”

“Fairy Xiao, I just now said I had no choice—because of short-term interests…” Zheng Fa interrupted her, continuing to explain, “But in the long term…”

“In the long term, you’ll become the enemy of all cultivators—whether from the Demonic Sect, the Immortal Sect, or the ancient immortals and gods…”

“No, in the very long term, all of us will face the decline of spiritual energy…” Zheng Fa said slowly, “If we can’t solve this, cultivators will cease to exist.”

“This path… can it solve the crisis of spiritual energy decline?”

Xiao Yuying widened her eyes.

Zheng Fa honestly shook his head, and said slowly, “I don’t know. I don’t understand the decline of spiritual energy well enough yet, but… Fairy Xiao, you know this: exterminating mortals—the Demon Ancestor tried it;exterminating cultivators—Tianhe Venerable did that…”

“We must find a new path.”

“A new path…” Xiao Yuying seemed to understand. “You mean, your method?”

“Xiandao. I know you subscribed to it.”

“…‘Gather all wisdom’?”

Xiao Yuying didn’t seem surprised. She’d been in Jiushan Realm long enough to be thoroughly familiar with Zheng Fa’s old idea.

“Yes. If I alone can’t think of a way, can’t ten thousand people? If ten thousand can’t, then what about hundreds of millions?”

“…What if no one can?”

“If in the end, we truly can’t, then at least I tried. Fairy Xiao, you know more about the past than I do. Do you think there’s a better way?”

Zheng Fa spread his hands, looking helpless yet free.

His words were honest and simple, but Xiao Yuying thought for a long time, frowning, as if trying to come up with a better option.

But…

She couldn’t think of one either. On the contrary, there was a faint expression on her face that seemed like she was convinced by Zheng Fa.

Of course she couldn’t think of one. Jiushan Sect’s rapid progress now was itself proof of this path’s effectiveness.

“In the short term, this is the most suitable path for Jiushan Sect’s development. In the long term, I believe this is the method most likely to solve the decline of spiritual energy,” Zheng Fa’s words now carried a hint of authority, “Whether the world’s cultivators love me or hate me—what are a few storms along this path compared to that?”

“……” Xiao Yuying was speechless. “Those words… sound like you’ve truly inherited Tianhe Venerable’s teachings.”

Zheng Fa chuckled.

He had chosen this path out of necessity, but once chosen, he let go of all hesitation and pressed forward.

A thoughtful glint passed through Xiao Yuying’s eyes. After a long pause, she suddenly looked up and asked Zheng Fa: “You’ve said so much, but there’s one question you still haven’t answered.”

“Hmm?”

“From the start I asked you—what does Jiushan Realm, or rather, what does the Xuanyi Realm look like in your heart… You haven’t said.”

Zheng Fa hadn’t expected her to be so fixated on this question.

Seeing his confusion, Xiao Yuying’s gaze became a little hazy as she murmured:

“What you’ve said is all very good, but whether it was the Demon Ancestor or Tianhe Venerable, they too began with good intentions, and yet… in the end, perhaps brought about less than desirable results.”

“……”

Xiao Yuying’s thinking genuinely surprised Zheng Fa. Honestly, her insight was very reasonable—perhaps even a kind of truth.

“Fairy Xiao, now… I really don’t want to let you leave anymore…”

He sighed sincerely.

Xiao Yuying blinked. Her expression wasn’t angry but rather joyful. With a faint smile, she seemed to understand what Zheng Fa was regretting.

“Fairy Xiao, if you’re asking what the Jiushan Realm in my heart looks like… to be honest, it’s still vague. I haven’t yet figured out what it should become in the end.”

Zheng Fa was always straightforward, and now he was even more open.

“For now, if I must put it into words, it’s probably… this sentence.”

Zheng Fa reached out and carved a line onto the small table between them.

The words were engraved deep into the wood—and into Xiao Yuying’s heart.

On the low table were just ten characters: Cultivation becomes labor;labor becomes cultivation.

Xiao Yuying’s face flashed with a look of realization.

Zheng Fa further explained:

“‘Cultivation becomes labor’ means that in the future, all cultivators will no longer receive resources based on cultivation level, but on contributions to the sect. That contribution could be military merit, it could be mundane administrative tasks, it could be research—whatever it is, as long as it creates value for the sect, it counts.”

“I understand… but that’s very difficult.”

Zheng Fa nodded. It was indeed difficult—almost a dream.

And for a simple reason: it naturally went against the interests of high-level cultivators.

“‘Labor becomes cultivation’ is my current goal. Cultivators’ abilities are incredibly powerful—wasting them on destruction is such a pity…”

“A single simplified External Pill could completely transform the mortal world.”

“A single minor spell could bring abundant harvests…”

“As long as we use cultivation spells to reform the mortal realm, and transform immortal techniques from combat-focused research into production-focused research, the resulting gains would be unimaginable… Mortals, low-level cultivators, and maybe even all cultivators one day, might be able to escape the burden of low-quality labor and devote all energy to pursuing the Dao and advancing their cultivation—and Jiushan Realm itself.”

“Maybe, one day, when we have enough talent, we can solve the disaster of spiritual energy decline.”

At this point, Zheng Fa paused and said to Xiao Yuying,

“This is just one of my attempts. Whether it’s right or whether it’ll lead to irreversible consequences—I don’t know… Fairy Xiao, if you could be there to offer advice…”

Through this conversation, aside from being envious of Xiao Yuying’s achievements in archaeology and thunder arts, Zheng Fa was even more impressed by her insight.

He considered his greatest strength to be the ability to recognize his own shortcomings. If history is a mirror… then wasn’t Xiao Yuying, who excelled in Xuanyi’s history, precisely that mirror?

Just as he’d said earlier… at this moment, he truly couldn’t bear to let her leave.

With her vision, she’d be an excellent policy advisor—able to fill in gaps and offer reminders as needed.

Mm, definitely not because of her impressive background, or to have someone powerful to cling to in case things went south.

What he said earlier about spiritual energy decline was mostly to persuade Xiao Yuying to stay—because with her insight, she’d understand that this path might hold the greatest hope.

If he wanted her to risk her life to help them, the only possible reason was to resolve the spiritual energy crisis…

And coincidentally, with her broad knowledge, Xiao Yuying could comprehend the immense potential contained within this idea far better than others.

For someone like Martial Uncle Pang, who was wholeheartedly devoted to Jiushan Sect, the goal of strengthening the sect was reason enough.

But someone like Xiao Yuying—a “historian”—was different.

Only such long-term thinking, grounded in the patterns of history, could move her.

As expected, Xiao Yuying’s doubt slowly faded, replaced by a look of belief.

But what Zheng Fa didn’t expect was—after a long silence, when Xiao Yuying finally spoke again, she still insisted:

“I want to leave Jiushan Realm…”

Zheng Fa sighed inwardly, but upheld his promise and said,

“Then let me see you off…”

“Didn’t you say you were looking for me to restart the archaeology project team, to have me explore relics within the Hundred Immortals Alliance territory?” To his surprise, Xiao Yuying smiled, a little mischievously, “If I’m in Jiushan Realm, how can I go relic-hunting?”

“Fairy Xiao, you really…”

Zheng Fa was a bit speechless.

Previously, Mu Qingyan had provided some information about caves and treasures from a “previous life.”

At the time, with the threat of the Great Freedom Demon Emperor looming and cultivators from the Five Sects present, Zheng Fa, cautious by nature, set it aside.

But now, there were no such concerns.

Mu Qingyan had spent most of her previous life nearby, and most of the relics she knew of were within the former lands of the Hundred Immortals Alliance—now under Zheng Fa’s control. A righteous cause.

Right now, Jiushan Sect was in need of a vast amount of resources and had no immediate threats—time to go tomb ra… no, to do archaeology. Perfect timing.

He had come to Xiao Yuying precisely for this—he wanted to form a new archaeology team to begin excavating various relics.

And somehow, Xiao Yuying had seen through both him and the state of Jiushan Realm—she’d really grasped parts of his thinking…

Even though earlier, she’d acted like she was dead set on leaving.

Zheng Fa’s complicated expression seemed to amuse Xiao Yuying. She looked like she’d succeeded in pulling a prank and smiled at Zheng Fa:

“I haven’t even finished learning Electromagnetism yet…”

Well, now I’m truly at ease. That’s something you can never finish learning…

On the screen behind them, the little jade-colored deer silently turned its head, gazing at Zheng Fa with gentle eyes, as if walking toward him.

In its mouth, it held a five-colored spiritual flower, glistening with dewdrops, as if offering it to Zheng Fa.