I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 325Book 2: : Who’s Facing the Tribulation—Where Are My Divine Abilities?
Vol 2 Chapter 325: Who’s Facing the Tribulation—Where Are My Divine Abilities?
Day after day passed.
A full half-month later, Zheng Fa still hadn’t woken up from the Heart Demon Tribulation.
A crowd had gathered outside Contending Immortals Island, staring at the image of Zheng Fa within the light screen, all of them confused.
“The Yinfire Tribulation passed so quickly…” Ancestor of the Blood River frowned. “Why is this Heart Demon Tribulation taking so long?”
Senior Sister Zhang didn’t look too good either.
Normally, a Heart Demon Tribulation ended in three to five days at most. Now that Zheng Fa’s tribulation was lasting several times that, all of Jiushan Sect was growing anxious.
It wasn’t just Senior Sister Zhang and her group—Zheng Fa’s mother, younger sister, and even Zhao Jingfan had come too.
Since the Heart Demon Tribulation was an internal tribulation that didn’t involve outsiders, Senior Sister Zhang, worried they would be too concerned, hadn’t stopped them from coming.
Uncle Huang was pacing back and forth, visibly agitated.
“Zheng Fa’s cultivation time is too short… Could his temperament be lacking, making it hard for him to resist the heart demon?”
Her guess made everyone else fall into thoughtful silence.
Senior Sister Zhang had initially been confident in Zheng Fa, but even she now looked a little uncertain. However, after a while, she firmly said,
“I know my Junior Brother’s temperament. It wouldn’t come to this.”
Ancestor of the Blood River also glanced at Zheng Fa’s complexion and agreed, “Judging from the Sect Master’s expression, he doesn’t look like someone who’s lost to a heart demon.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
That was exactly why they still had the mood to analyze the situation.
Even though Zheng Fa hadn’t emerged from the tribulation, his aura and soul felt remarkably calm—honestly, they would’ve believed it if someone said he was just sleeping.
Seeing that both Senior Sister Zhang and Ancestor of the Blood River disagreed with her theory, Uncle Huang looked visibly relieved.
After all, one of them understood Zheng Fa best, and the other was an expert in soul matters. Their judgment was surely more accurate than hers.
But in the next moment, another guess crossed her mind:
“So that means… even if the heart demon hasn’t gained the upper hand, it’s still extremely tenacious?”
“Where did he even get such a powerful heart demon?”
Everyone was momentarily stunned—this explanation made perfect sense.
Ancestor of the Blood River nodded in agreement:
“Heart demons are adept at exploiting one’s weaknesses, especially traumatic past events. That’s why our Demonic Sect cultivators fear heart demons most…”
“The Sect Master…” Ancestor of the Blood River lowered his voice. “Did he suffer some deep grievance in the past?”
The moment Senior Sister Zhang heard that, a cold light flashed in her eyes.
She turned sharply to look behind her—staring directly at Zhao Jingfan.
Zhao Jingfan’s mouth slowly fell open.
Just one thought filled his heart—It’s aimed at me?!
He knew exactly what this Zhenren Zhang meant. Zheng Fa’s time in Jiushan Sect had been relatively smooth—some ups and downs, but no major humiliation…
But as for things involving the Zhao family—Zhenren Zhang didn’t know about those.
Zhao Jingfan did. In Jiushan Sect, Zheng Fa’s temper was relatively mild. As for Senior Sister Zhang’s temper… well, only Zheng Fa could keep it in check.
Zhao Jingfan quickly racked his brain, trying to recall:
“Zheng Fa… um…”
“The Wang Gui family bullied him once.”
Zheng Fa’s sister, Zheng Shan, was even stunned for a moment. She seemed to have forgotten that name—the one that used to make her grind her teeth in rage just a few years ago.
“Wang Gui? Where is he now?”
Senior Sister Zhang was already in a foul mood, so her voice came out even colder, and the pressure in her tone made Zhao Jingfan—just a Foundation Establishment cultivator—break into a cold sweat.
“Wang Gui…” Zhao Jingfan seemed to think for a bit before slapping his forehead. “During the Great Freedom Demonic Calamity, I think he died!”
He muttered, “Honestly, I don’t think Zheng Fa ever really cared about his family.”
Senior Sister Zhang nodded slightly, turned back to look at Zheng Fa who still had his eyes closed, and said coldly to Zhao Jingfan,
“What else?”
“What else… what else…”
Zhao Jingfan suddenly remembered something, and cold sweat immediately began to bead on his forehead.
“……”
Senior Sister Zhang just stared at him. Zhao Jingfan swallowed hard and muttered dryly,
“…Me.”
He had bullied Zheng Fa back in the day, hadn’t he?
“And… my mother…”
His mother had probably been worse…
Senior Sister Zhang furrowed her brow and gave him a full up-and-down scan.
To the side, Jiushan Sect’s Elder Huang and Ancestor of the Blood River also looked at Zhao Jingfan, deep in thought.
It was Zheng Shan who finally spoke:
“My brother never took it to heart… He used to write letters to Lady Zhao often. And Seventh Young Master was close with my brother too. Every time he visited, he brought me spirit pills!”
Senior Sister Zhang, of course, also knew how close Zheng Fa was with Zhao Jingfan. Hearing Zheng Shan say that, she withdrew her gaze and looked back at Zheng Fa.
Seeing this, Zhao Jingfan couldn’t help but glance at Zheng Shan with deep gratitude.
He suddenly felt like all those spirit pills he’d brought over—despite being essentially a traitor to his own household—had finally earned him some merit for the sect.
Judging by the expressions on Senior Sister Zhang and the others just now, he had no doubt they’d been ready to destroy the Zhao family, maybe even wipe out Qingmu Sect altogether.
He’d always known Zheng Fa did well in Jiushan Sect.
But only now did he realize—seeing how the entire Jiushan Sect was reacting—if Zheng Fa failed this tribulation, the Nascent Soul elders might lose their minds…
Wait, even the Golden Core disciples looked like they were ready to kill just now…
He looked at Zheng Fa’s closed eyes and tranquil face and silently thought—
Seriously? If anything happens to this guy, the Hundred Immortals Alliance is going to bleed.
Who’s the one undergoing a tribulation here—Zheng Fa, or me?
…
Heart Demon Zheng Fa was thinking the same thing.
He looked at Zheng Fa, face filled with despair.
“So… you’re really an infinite number of ‘me’s?”
Zheng Fa’s eyes lit up, clearly having realized many things.
He was genuinely curious about heart demons—not just to test the strength of Heart Demon Oaths, but also for two major reasons:
One, how Jiushan Sect disciples could survive the Heart Demon Tribulation.
To be fair, this heart demon version of himself was so harmless mainly thanks to the Yin-Yang Fish Jade Pendant from the Tianhe Venerable.
But Jiushan Sect disciples didn’t have that kind of treasure.
Studying heart demons more could greatly benefit Jiushan Sect and The First Fifty-Year Plan.
The second reason was actually more important— 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Who was he, really?
Crossing over to the modern world had definitely been a blessing. But with Zheng Fa’s personality, a knot had always remained in his heart.
What exactly was the relationship between this world’s Zheng Fa and the modern one?
He saw a hint of an answer in this heart demon.
“So basically, you’re not just a heart demon—you’re… another possible version of me?”
Heart Demon Zheng Fa looked confused. Clearly, he didn’t understand what Zheng Fa was getting at.
But Zheng Fa’s thoughts had drifted far.
Back then, Tang Mu Dao had shared his thoughts on the essence of spiritual energy. One theory he mentioned—parallel worlds.
Now, this heart demon seemed to be a collection of versions of himself from parallel worlds?
Parallel worlds…
“So, do you remember anything? Secret techniques? Ancient knowledge?”
Zheng Fa pressed further.
“No,” Heart Demon Zheng Fa shook his head and replied, “What I know is the same as what you know—your techniques, your abilities.”
“……”
Got it.
It’s not that the other versions of me are dumb.
I’m dumb.
That… didn’t feel very comforting.
Zheng Fa fell silent, deep in thought.
Though this heart demon was kind of useless, it had still given him many new ideas.
He’d clearly seen that the souls from those stars came in all ages and genders.
But now, this heart demon looked exactly like him.
If it hadn’t lied earlier, then during this process…
Other “versions” of Zheng Fa had disappeared?
Or in other words, some of Zheng Fa’s “fates” had vanished?
After so long cultivating, Zheng Fa’s biggest question at the start had been—why was spiritual energy declining?
Now, that question had evolved into something deeper:
What is the essence of spiritual energy?
At this point, Zheng Fa had formed a rudimentary answer:
Physical laws.
For example, a Dao Fruit is essentially a combination of physical laws.
When a cultivator practices the Dao Fruit method, they’re reshaping their life form according to those laws.
Zheng Fa couldn’t say for sure when it came to Taishang Dao techniques.
But he was familiar enough with those of the Tianhe Sect, the Heavenly Venerate, and the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor.
At the core, it was all a targeted form of biological evolution. The endpoint of that evolution—was the Dao Fruit.
But from another perspective, a Dao Fruit cultivator stood at the peak of that path, feeding on all living beings to further their own evolution.
To draw an analogy, a Dao Fruit cultivator was like a genetic ancestor. Later generations inherited fragments of their genes and, through recombination, developed new traits.
Those beneficial traits—or abilities—were then reabsorbed by the ancestor to refine their own genome.
In Zheng Fa’s view, demonic techniques were the closest to this essence.
But divine paths and immortal paths subtly pointed in the same direction too.
Now, combined with what he had observed—that the heart demon had come from the stars—or if his guess was right, from parallel worlds…
One idea suddenly popped into his mind:
Could these parallel worlds be, like the Jiushan Realm, a Dao field created by some Dao Fruit cultivator?
And the physical laws of that field, just like the Jiushan Realm’s in the past, were shaped by that cultivator’s Dao Fruit.
These stars might be even more unique than the Jiushan Realm:
The Jiushan Realm didn’t have another him.
But the stars did.
Even the modern world did.
If the modern world was considered the Dao field of the Tianhe Venerable, then this difference might imply:
The Heavenly Venerate was weaker than the masters of those stars—perhaps even weaker than the Tianhe Venerable.
As for who was stronger between the stars’ master and the Tianhe Venerable…
Zheng Fa had no way to judge.
Even back then, when the Tianhe Venerable raised his sword to the heavens, his target might have been those very stars in the sky.
If Dao Fruit cultivators had tiers of strength, then ancient immortals… might be far stronger than he ever imagined?
…
All these speculations were making Zheng Fa’s mind increasingly muddled.
At this point, he could only be sure of two things:
First: Even though he had no idea what kind of beings the Five Sects referred to as "Ancient Immortals," the stars in the sky clearly surpassed ordinary Dao Fruits. They were another class entirely, not to be taken lightly—but they were also far beyond his current reach.
Second: Those stars housed endless versions of himself. That was the part Zheng Fa cared about even more.
Heart Demon Zheng Fa looked at him, not quite understanding what he was thinking.
“How about you split off some of your soul power and let me study it?”
Zheng Fa suddenly asked.
Heart Demon Zheng Fa stared blankly at him, with a look of indignant disbelief—like he couldn’t believe how inhuman Zheng Fa was being.
Zheng Fa just chuckled.
“Nope!”
“……”
Very soon, Heart Demon Zheng Fa realized that wasn’t a question—it was a command!
“You really are exactly the same…”
Muttering to himself, Zheng Fa took the piece of soul reluctantly torn from Heart Demon Zheng Fa.
Though not as deeply versed in soul research as Ancestor of the Blood River, he still knew his own soul well.
The soul fluctuations of this heart demon were truly identical to his own.
“...Too strange.”
“What’s strange about it?”
Heart Demon Zheng Fa clearly had given up resistance and asked the question out of pure resignation.
Couldn’t beat him, couldn’t leave, and, well… he was already here.
“Have you ever heard of wave function collapse?”
“?”
Why’d I even ask?
But since he had Zheng Fa’s memories, he understood instantly: “You mean I… uh, collapsed?”
“When you first appeared, your soul could’ve taken many forms. But the moment you approached my Nascent Soul, you collapsed into a version identical to me.”
Zheng Fa nodded lightly.
Heart Demon Zheng Fa clearly wasn’t stupid:
“The Nascent Soul has… an observer effect?”
He looked visibly irritated, clearly feeling the theory was too convoluted. He even muttered, “Why don’t you figure it out yourself?”
“……”
“I’m dumb! I don’t get this stuff.”
“…I won’t allow you to call yourself dumb.”
“...I really don’t know, and there’s just not enough data.”
That was true. This theory involved too much speculation—mostly because his cultivation level was too low. It was all like looking at flowers through fog.
On top of that, the heart demon really was kind of useless.
No knowledge beyond his own.
Cries all the time.
Honestly, it made Zheng Fa look down on him.
“…Should I go now?”
Under Zheng Fa’s scornful gaze, the heart demon asked tentatively.
“Hold on!”
“……”
“You know all my techniques and remember all my memories, right?”
“…Yeah…”
“Then help me refine this Primordial Qi and Earthly Fiend Transformation.”
Heart Demon Zheng Fa jerked his head up, lips trembling.
I’m a heart demon, and you want me to do labor?
Under that desperate gaze, Zheng Fa slowly nodded.
“I think this is something you can do.”
Even if the heart demon had no new ideas, he still had all of Zheng Fa’s knowledge in his head—wasn’t that just top-tier artificial intelligence?
Zheng Fa was trying to craft a foundational grand technique stretching from Talisman Foundation Establishment Technique to Primordial Qi and Earthly Fiend Transformation.
There were still many details left unfinished, especially in the complex Primordial Qi and Earthly Fiend Transformation.
Even Senior Sister Zhang found it tricky.
The heart demon was perfect for this job.
Judging by his expression… he clearly just wanted to die.
…
“He’s awake!”
Another half month later, the crowd finally saw Zheng Fa slowly open his eyes.
A wave of joy surged through them.
No one was more relieved than Zhao Jingfan.
During that half month of silence, Zhenren Zhang kept giving him sharp glances.
He’d felt like he was sitting on pins and needles!
Now, seeing Zheng Fa awaken, Zhao Jingfan’s eyes were literally filled with tears…
But why did Zheng Fa’s expression look a little… regretful?
Zheng Fa truly was regretful.
A month wasn’t his own limit—but it was the heart demon’s.
As soon as he opened his eyes,
His soul surged from the Niwan Palace and flew into the newly formed Nascent Soul. The two fused rapidly, and that once-sleeping Nascent Soul… opened its eyes!
“He did it!”
Even the usually cold Uncle Huang shouted with excitement.
Clearly, Zheng Fa’s tribulation had worn her out emotionally.
He’d succeeded.
With the awakening of Zheng Fa’s Nascent Soul, the entire Jiushan Realm underwent a massive transformation:
Spiritual energy outside the realm churned violently, flooding inward and triggering tremors in earth, fire, water, and wind.
The Sun and Moon Bell floated in the sky, suppressing the chaos.
Zheng Fa’s Nascent Soul was already larger than most. Now, with its mouth open, it swallowed the surrounding spiritual energy and rays of light, its form becoming increasingly solid, its aura making even Uncle Huang and the others look stunned.
“This is early-stage Nascent Soul?”
Uncle Huang and Senior Sister Zhang exchanged looks, both astonished—Zheng Fa’s Nascent Soul may have just formed, but the density of spiritual power already surpassed theirs, at least ten times that of an average early-stage Nascent Soul.
Senior Sister Zhang’s expression turned a bit complicated as she added,
“Actually, with how deep his Golden Core was, it makes sense that his Nascent Soul is powerful too…”
Uncle Huang forced a grin.
Before, Zheng Fa’s strength was mostly due to the Fusang Wood.
But now, purely in terms of cultivation, Zheng Fa was among the most profound Nascent Souls in Jiushan Realm.
By her estimation, only Senior Brother Yuan might still be ahead in terms of spiritual power density.
But then again—Senior Brother Yuan was in seclusion preparing for Soul Formation.
And Zheng Fa had just become a Nascent Soul!
How could the comparison even be made?
Even Ancestor of the Blood River and Jiao Wuji were exchanging glances filled with surprise—and even a bit more respect than usual.
Zheng Fa, however, had no idea how shocked they were.
The feeling of having a Nascent Soul was totally different from a Golden Core—
His soul felt like a long-lost traveler returning home, merging seamlessly with the Nascent Soul into one.
As the Nascent Soul solidified, Zheng Fa also sensed his spiritual awareness expanding.
While he was still immersed in this sensation, an inexplicable force began tugging at him from above.
It’s here!
Zheng Fa had long anticipated this—he’d received innate divine abilities upon reaching Foundation Establishment and again at the Golden Core stage.
Surely, the Nascent Soul would bring another!
Just like before, his soul began rising with the pull—but this time, Zheng Fa’s Nascent Soul itself flew toward the edge of the Jiushan Realm.
As the glow of celestial light dragged his Nascent Soul out of the Jiushan Realm,
Uncle Huang’s eyes widened even further.
“Ascension by radiance…? The kind they write about in stories—is it real?”
Even Senior Sister Zhang wasn’t sure. Looking again toward Ledu Island, they saw countless mortals kneeling in reverent worship as Zheng Fa’s Nascent Soul soared into the sky, clearly shaken by the legendary scene.
Let alone mortals—
Even Elder Xiong of Qingmu Sect and Sect Master Song, along with several sect leaders attending the preparation summit, were all staring open-mouthed at Zheng Fa’s departing figure, clearly suspecting—
That Zheng Fa’s cultivation style was… very different from theirs.
…
Zheng Fa’s own face was full of doubt.
Following the tug, he arrived again at the membrane separating the Xuanyi Realm from the beyond. At first, he was still thinking about those stars.
After all, if those stars represented parallel worlds—or even Dao Fruit cultivators…
Then the implications were huge.
Who knew how many powerful cultivators existed beyond the heavens?
He couldn’t ignore it.
But after a while, he began to feel something wasn’t right…
Wasn’t he supposed to be claiming his reward now? Why did it feel like… everything was stuck?
He could sense his Nascent Soul was resonating with some distant presence beyond the sky.
But no divine ability had descended.
The sense of connection was even beginning to fade.
Wait—where’s my divine ability?!
Suddenly, the sky burst into light. Zheng Fa looked up—only to see a radiant beam, like a meteor, shooting toward him from the depths of the stars.
That brilliance drowned out the glow of every other star.
