I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 327Book 2: : Refining a Hundred Scriptures, and Finding It Worthwhile

Book 2: Chapter 327: Refining a Hundred Scriptures, and Finding It Worthwhile

Vol 2 Chapter 327: Refining a Hundred Scriptures, and Finding It Worthwhile

Right now, there were quite a few people in the Jiushan Sect lining up, all hoping to get burned by the Great Sun True Fire.

Not only did the Little Golden Crow and Senior Sister Yuan need the Great Sun True Fire to purify their bloodlines, but even Uncle Huang and other Nascent Soul cultivators needed it to rebuild their foundations.

And even...

"Ancestor?"

Inside the main hall on Celestial Palace Island, looking at the Jiushan Ancestor in front of him, Zheng Fa smacked his forehead as he finally remembered this guy:

The Jiushan Ancestor was now basically the merit-point server of the Jiushan Sect. He used to double as Senior Sister Zhang’s artifact—but ever since the arrival of the Tranquility Bamboo, he had stepped back.

Zheng Fa hadn’t seen the old man in quite some time.

He glanced at Senior Sister Zhang beside the ancestor and instantly understood her intention:

"Senior Sister, you want me... to help the Ancestor rebuild his foundation?"

Senior Sister Zhang nodded, then looked at the excited Jiushan Ancestor and said with a smile:

"The Ancestor has abundant spiritual power, but he perished back then due to limitations in his Soul Formation technique."

"Although I can borrow the Yuan Spirit Dao Body and use the Jiushan Seal, it's still incomplete."

"If we can reforge the Mountain-River True Form Talisman with the Great Sun True Fire and mend the Ancestor’s flaws, our Jiushan Sect would instantly gain another Soul Formation cultivator."

Hearing this, the Jiushan Ancestor grew even more eager, his eyes fixed pitifully on Zheng Fa.

"It’s doable, the Ancestor’s original body could be considered a type of magical artifact, and the Great Sun True Fire might really have some miraculous effects." Zheng Fa pondered for a moment before nodding. "But I haven’t fully mastered any Soul Formation methods yet, and I’m still unfamiliar with the Great Sun True Fire. The Ancestor might have to wait a bit longer."

Rebuilding Uncle Huang’s foundation was manageable.

The Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Transformations was his own creation—he knew it inside and out.

But Soul Formation methods? That was another story.

To perfect the Mountain-River True Form Talisman, he currently lacked the knowledge.

"I can wait! I can wait as long as needed!" The Jiushan Ancestor jumped three feet high, shouting excitedly, "I’ll wait however long it takes!"

Seeing him this worked up, everyone in the hall couldn’t help but laugh while understanding his excitement.

They were all aware of the Jiushan Ancestor’s condition—his spiritual power was overwhelming, enough to support the cultivation of the entire Jiushan Sect. ℝ𝘢𝐍օ𝔟ΕŜ

But his combat power? Pathetically weak. If he weren't in Senior Sister Zhang’s hands, he might not even beat a regular Nascent Soul cultivator.

The root cause was that the Jiushan Ancestor was originally a divine soul, inherently flawed.

Now, with Zheng Fa’s Great Sun True Fire, this pseudo-Nascent Soul cultivator had a shot at stepping into the Soul Formation stage.

Ancestor of the Blood River and Jiao Wuji, both of whom had painstakingly clawed their way to Soul Formation, looked at the old man and felt... damn, this guy’s luck was straight-up unfair.

The Jiushan Ancestor looked at Zheng Fa, sighing emotionally:

"When I gave you that strand of Qingyang Qi back then... who would've thought it would lead to today?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Zheng Fa felt a bit dazed hearing that.

The Great Sun True Fire originated from the Fusang Tree, which itself came from the Qingyang Dao Body. And the Qingyang Dao Body? It could only be achieved through Qingyang Qi.

Now this Great Sun True Fire had, in turn, given the Jiushan Ancestor a shot at enlightenment.

There really was a feeling of karmic cycle and heavenly law at play.

Uncle Huang suddenly sighed and said:

"I used to say this Great Sun True Fire wasn’t that useful... Who would’ve thought it’d be so vital to our Jiushan Sect?"

"Other techniques and divine powers at best just let you match a Soul Formation cultivator."

"But this Great Sun True Fire... it can create a Soul Formation cultivator!"

Hearing that, Senior Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa with a hint of amusement in her eyes—

She had always known that, compared to powerful offensive spells, what her junior brother truly loved were techniques that nurtured cultivators.

Just like the name of his life-bound artifact implied, the word “Creation” was Zheng Fa’s true pursuit.

...

But the Great Sun True Fire’s use didn’t stop there.

Zheng Fa brought Jiao Wuji and Ancestor of the Blood River back to his little courtyard for cultivation.

He didn’t say a word upon return. Just sat cross-legged on a cushion and closed his eyes to cultivate.

The two exchanged glances, having no idea what Zheng Fa wanted from them.

But since their soul imprints were in his hands, they dared not act out—quietly waiting in the chamber.

Half a month passed.

"Great Freedom True Technique?"

Ancestor of the Blood River blurted out, eyes glued to Zheng Fa, a probing look on his face.

Even Jiao Wuji was visibly surprised.

They both felt the strange and wicked aura emanating from Zheng Fa and couldn’t speak for a moment.

"This... this is the purest Great Freedom True Technique!"

Ancestor of the Blood River affirmed, then speculated, "Could it be... the Sect Master plans to use the Great Freedom True Technique to reach Soul Formation?"

The fact that Zheng Fa could cultivate the Great Freedom True Technique wasn’t shocking to them.

After all, Zheng Fa had already used Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Transformations to simulate several secret arts from the Great Freedom Demonic Sect.

But this was different.

From Ancestor of the Blood River’s perspective, Zheng Fa had directly started from the core method of the Great Freedom True Technique, and his demonic aura was even purer than his own!

"That’s possible..." Jiao Wuji murmured, "After all, Jiushan Sect doesn’t have a complete Soul Formation technique... and the Great Freedom True Technique directly leads to Dao Fruit."

"Choosing to cultivate this after forming a Nascent Soul is quite reasonable."

It made sense.

But Ancestor of the Blood River still didn’t think Zheng Fa would go for it:

Mainly because the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor had already been killed twice by Zheng Fa...

If he were the Sect Master, he wouldn’t touch the Great Freedom True Technique.

Yet Zheng Fa’s aura only grew more saturated with that demonic flavor, to the point he looked like a pure-blooded demonic sect Nascent Soul cultivator.

Then suddenly, a golden flame sprouted from Zheng Fa’s body.

It rose from his dantian, wrapping around his Nascent Soul, burning fiercely.

Black smoke billowed from his Nascent Soul—it seemed like countless wailing souls were screaming.

"...Great Sun True Fire?"

Ancestor of the Blood River had a guess in his heart.

Sure enough, after a while, Zheng Fa’s aura turned gentle and clear again, with no trace of that earlier wickedness.

"The Sect Master is... experimenting?"

Even Jiao Wuji figured it out this time and asked softly.

Just as Ancestor of the Blood River was about to nod, Zheng Fa opened his eyes.

"What did you two think of my Great Freedom True Technique just now? Anything off?"

Ancestor of the Blood River understood. Zheng Fa had brought them here to consult on how to cultivate the Great Freedom True Technique.

Knowing Zheng Fa’s character, he gave honest feedback without flattery—pointing out several issues he observed.

As a Soul Formation cultivator, his insight was sharp. Zheng Fa nodded repeatedly, impressed by his advice.

Afterward, seeing Zheng Fa in a good mood, Ancestor of the Blood River asked, "Sect Master, what are you planning here?"

"I figured, if the Great Sun True Fire can reshape others’ foundations, why can’t it reshape mine? Wouldn’t that let me test out different cultivation techniques?"

That much Ancestor of the Blood River could understand.

Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Transformations let Zheng Fa cultivate various techniques seamlessly.

And the Great Sun True Fire could burn away any lingering risks.

Like the Great Freedom True Technique—a demonic method filled with trickery.

Zheng Fa had always avoided truly cultivating it due to potential risks.

But now with the Great Sun True Fire, he could burn away all hidden dangers. Combined with his transformation technique, he could try anything he wanted.

"The Jiushan Golden Core Method was the crowning achievement of the Golden Core Project, but after reaching Nascent Soul, it's hard to replicate the same model."

The essence of the Golden Core Project was experimentation to find the perfect Golden Core formula.

But Nascent Souls were different—

They were life itself. Zheng Fa had never heard of anyone refining a Nascent Soul outside the body.

So creating a foundational technique unique to Jiushan Sect through external experimentation became extremely difficult.

"So the Sect Master wants to use Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Transformations and the Great Sun True Fire... to test out various techniques and deduce a post-Nascent Soul cultivation path?"

Zheng Fa nodded lightly.

He had thought it through—

Jiushan Sect’s strength lay in experimentation and research.

If the Golden Core Project no longer worked—

Then he himself would become the Nascent Soul Project’s candied hawthorn... uh, laboratory!

Ancestor of the Blood River looked at Zheng Fa and suddenly felt that his face had eight characters written on it—

Refining a Hundred Scriptures to Forge My Own Dao!

He didn’t even dare imagine what would happen once Zheng Fa cultivated every demonic secret art, and even some immortal sect techniques—extracting the best parts and discarding the flaws.

The Great Freedom True Technique might lead to Dao Fruit?

To the Sect Master, it was just fertilizer!

At that thought, even without a physical body, Ancestor of the Blood River felt like he was hyperventilating.

"I’ll give the Great Freedom True Technique another go."

Zheng Fa had no idea why he was so worked up. After a couple days of rest, he resumed cultivating the Great Freedom True Technique.

Time passed, day after day.

Zheng Fa practiced the Great Freedom True Technique back and forth eight or nine times.

Due to his current realm, he could only practice up to the Nascent Soul stage each time.

That kept things quick—and with each repetition, his speed improved.

In the end, Ancestor of the Blood River looked at the wickedly refined Zheng Fa, opened his mouth—but couldn’t find a single flaw:

"Sect Master... if the Great Freedom Demonic Sect still existed, your face alone would earn you the title of Holy Son."

Zheng Fa smiled, knowing Ancestor of the Blood River was thoroughly drained of ideas.

According to him, aside from the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor himself, no one in history had cultivated this technique to such mastery—except Zheng Fa.

As for Jiao Wuji on the side, even though he was from the same sect, he practiced the Ten-Thousand-Beast True Solution, so his insights into the Great Freedom True Technique didn’t come close.

"You two can leave for now."

Zheng Fa said. After so much back-and-forth with the Great Freedom True Technique, he wasn’t just mentally tired—his Nascent Soul also needed rest...

He watched the two take their leave.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment, stepped out the door, and turned into Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard.

"How was it?"

"The Great Freedom True Technique is indeed quite mysterious... Compared to the techniques of our Jiushan Sect, it really is a cut above."

"Is it useful for the Ancestor?"

Zheng Fa shook his head, already understanding what Senior Sister Zhang meant:

The Great Freedom True Technique was, after all, a Dao Fruit-level method. Its Soul Formation segment might be able to heal the Jiushan Ancestor.

"But the Ancestor became enlightened through unorthodox means. I fear he might not even be able to cultivate Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Transformations."

Currently, Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Transformations was still a Nascent Soul-level technique, while the Jiushan Ancestor was, in essence, a deceased Soul Formation cultivator...

Switching cultivation methods wasn’t that simple.

Senior Sister Zhang nodded and offered comfort: "No need to rush this matter..."

"But Senior Sister, I had... some other realizations about The Great Freedom True Technique."

"Other realizations?"

Senior Sister Zhang was briefly stunned, then looked up—only to see Zheng Fa’s aura shift into something a bit... seductive.

He had a very special way of cultivating.

…

The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s technique really was something.

Several days later, Senior Sister Zhang put on a snow-white dress and looked helplessly at her junior brother:

"I have things to do today. I can’t let pleasure get in the way of ambition."

Pleasure get in the way of ambition?

Who’s the pleasure?!

Lying on the bed, Zheng Fa’s clothes were messy, and he leisurely pondered this rather dignity-related question.

Propping up his head, he looked at his Senior Sister’s graceful figure and asked, "What are you going to do today, Senior Sister?"

"Xuanhua said the Shenxiao mining ship has been built. We’re testing it today."

That was indeed a big deal.

Zheng Fa had nearly forgotten about it while focusing on breaking through, so he immediately stood up and said, "I’ll go with you then, Senior Sister."

He stood in front of Senior Sister Zhang, spread his arms, and didn’t move—just tilted his head and looked at her.

She glanced at him, wrinkled her nose in mock annoyance, but still reached out gently and slowly helped him get dressed.

Zheng Fa lowered his head, watching his Senior Sister carefully tie his belt, and finally, his excitement and tension from the Nascent Soul breakthrough began to fade.

In that moment, the two of them seemed to forget they even knew magic.

Senior Sister Zhang dressed him by hand like an ordinary wife, smoothing out his robe and looking up at him with a bright and tender smile.

"Senior Sister!" Yuan Xiaoniao’s voice called from outside. "Why haven’t you come out yet? Weren’t we going to see the big ship?"

Clearly, Yuan Xiaoniao had no sense of privacy. She pushed the door right open and saw Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang exchanging smiles.

"..." She stared at Senior Sister Zhang’s hand tidying Zheng Fa’s robe and opened her mouth wide, clearly not expecting to walk in on this scene.

"Senior Sister..."

"Hmm?"

Yuan Xiaoniao seemed unable to find the words for her emotions. All she could blurt out was, "You’re so beautiful."

Zheng Fa frowned. Hey, that was his line!

He looked toward the doorway and saw Zhao Jingfan following behind Yuan Xiaoniao, his gaze also fixed on the hand adjusting Zheng Fa’s robes.

Zhao Jingfan’s expression was complicated, as though he had many things to say, but if you had to translate it, it would just be three words—this ain’t fair.

What could he say?

Even when Zheng Fa had broken through to Nascent Soul, Zhao Jingfan hadn’t looked at him like that.

Yeah, that moment just now... honestly, it did make him happier than forming a Nascent Soul.

With the curious Zhao Jingfan and Yuan Xiaoniao in tow, Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang arrived at one of Jiushan’s mortal-world thunder-attribute spirit stone mines.

This mine had quite a bit of reserve, spread across ten or so peaks of various sizes.

From the sky, the soil of those mountains appeared bluish-purple, giving off an oddly dangerous vibe.

Madam Xuanhua had already brought over a dozen disciples and was waiting there. Behind them stood a newly completed Shenxiao mining ship.

Zheng Fa clasped hands respectfully toward Madam Xuanhua.

"Didn’t expect you to finish the prototype so soon, Xuanhua."

Madam Xuanhua didn’t take the credit: "The folks from the Artifact Master Guild—though not high in cultivation—there are plenty of them, which helped fill the gap left by our own Heavenly Craft Pavilion."

It was clear she was quite satisfied with the Artifact Master Guild.

"Too bad the Zhongxuan Sect managed to rope in a bunch of small sects... For now, it looks like you’ll have to hold the fort alone."

Unexpectedly, Xuanhua waved her hand with a bright look in her eyes: "Let them stay away... they’ll only regret it later!"

"?"

She pointed at the Shenxiao mining ship with pride in her gaze:

"This Shenxiao ship incorporates those mechanical principles you gave me..."

"If those fools from the Zhongxuan Sect got their hands on this, I’d never forgive myself!"

Clearly, Madam Xuanhua had full confidence in the Shenxiao mining ship—and even seemed to look down on the Zhongxuan Sect.

Huh? Zhongxuan Sect?

Xiao Yuying had been investigating them—why hadn’t there been any updates lately?

…

Outside the Zhongxuan Sect, Xiao Yuying was a bit panicked.

She now found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Concealed under a treasure veil, she’d been confident she could hide from any Soul Formation cultivator’s divine sense. But over the past few days, she had a bad feeling—like making a move would immediately bring danger.

Possessing the Primordial Magnetic Dao Body, her instincts were always sharp, so she didn’t dare act rashly. She didn’t even dare use the Tongjian, for fear of exposure.

Meanwhile, the Zhongxuan Sect seemed to have caught on, with Soul Formation cultivators patrolling the mountain gate every day.

If she stayed much longer, it was only a matter of time before she got caught.

She briefly considered asking her Master for help—but hesitated due to her Master’s current state.

Just as she was hesitating, a surprised voice came from the Zhongxuan mountain gate: "Which Zhenren visits our sect?"

Xiao Yuying’s head snapped up.

A white tiger descended from the sky, and atop it stood a woman, with an older and a younger person behind her.

Of course, Xiao Yuying recognized her—Xie Qingxue!

"Tianhe Sect, Xie Qingxue,"

Xie Qingxue announced loudly from atop the white tiger.

"Fairy Xie of Tianhe Sect?"

The Zhongxuan Sect broke out in a commotion, and a moment later, a Soul Formation elder descended from the mountain, approaching Xie Qingxue with a smiling bow: "We didn’t know Fairy Xie was visiting. How may we serve?"

Clearly, the elder was nervous in front of her.

"You’re with the Zhongxuan Sect?"

Xie Qingxue frowned at the Soul Formation cultivator.

"Fairy doesn’t know—I just recently joined. I’m now serving as an elder here."

Xie Qingxue narrowed her eyes thoughtfully but seemed uninterested in his explanation. She simply nodded: "I’m not here for anything else. I came to retrieve someone."

"Retrieve someone?"

"A friend of mine—surname Xiao, given name Yuying—went missing in your territory. Any idea where she is?"

"Who?"

The elder looked baffled.

"Me!"

Xiao Yuying suddenly pulled off her treasure veil, revealing herself and calling out loudly.

The Soul Formation elder’s face instantly darkened. It was clear she’d been spying on them.

But Xie Qingxue simply stretched out a hand, brought Xiao Yuying onto the white tiger, and rested her hand on the Qingping Sword, looking at the elder with calm but overbearing authority—the presence of Tianhe’s top disciple.

"Fairy Xie..."

"What, are you trying to stop me? Or is Haori Mountain trying to stop me?"

"..."

The elder froze. Clearly, he hadn’t expected Fairy Xie to be so hard to handle. For a moment, all he could do was watch her take Xiao Yuying away.

Standing atop the white tiger, Xiao Yuying clasped hands in gratitude. "Many thanks for the rescue, Zhenren."

"Not me."

"Hmm?"

"You didn’t message Zheng Fa these past few days, so he figured something was wrong. I happened to be passing by, so he asked me to check on you."

"...Still, I’m grateful for your help."

"Zheng Fa’s here too. Oh—and so is Zhang Wuyi."

Xiao Yuying’s mouth opened in shock. "But I told him the Zhongxuan Sect might be a trap!"

"That’s why he sent me..." Xie Qingxue gave her a glance and said, "Whatever’s hiding in the Zhongxuan Sect—can it be worse than the Great Freedom Demon Emperor?"

"..."

Xiao Yuying didn’t know what to say.

Zheng Fa had been deliberately ignoring the Zhongxuan Sect—likely because he’d already sensed something strange and had his own plans.

Now, though, he had brought Xie Qingxue and Zhang Wuyi—pulling out all the stops to retrieve her.

After thinking it through, there was only one explanation…

It was for her.

Almost as if she had guessed what Xiao Yuying was thinking, Xie Qingxue smiled softly:

"He thinks it’s worth it."