Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 163 - 63 Thunder Pool

Chapter 163: Chapter 63 Thunder Pool

On the ninth peak of Jiushan, the atmosphere was rarely so grave.

Such a major incident had occurred that even Master Pang had personally come up to the ninth peak, with Sun Daoyu and Zhou Qianyuan following by his side, both looking somewhat bewildered.

Zheng Fa and Sister Yuan were also present.

As soon as Master Pang arrived at the mountain, he called out, "Brother, what exactly happened?"

His face looked very anxious.

The Sect Leader, however, was somewhat composed: "Sister Huang has gotten back to us with a message; she was too late."

"What do you mean by ’too late’?"

"She first went to the Chang Chun Sect, intending to assess the situation, only to find the place completely deserted, even the spirit veins destroyed."

The others couldn’t help feeling a chill.

This wasn’t just about the annihilation of a sect—this was root and branch excavation, a reflection of ruthless determination.

The Sect Leader continued: "Having lost the trail, Sister Huang could only search around the Thunder Pool for several days without any findings... until later, when she discovered many traces of disciples from the Great Freedom Demon Sect."

"Many?"

Master Pang furrowed his brow.

"Yes, later by following these Demon Sect disciples, she figured out that the Chang Chun Sect had been destroyed by the Great Freedom Demon Sect... The Sect Leader of Chang Chun Sect discovered their tracks and was planning to send a communication to Nephew Zhang when they were discovered."

"The Great Freedom Demon Sect?" Master Pang’s face showed a look of utter bafflement: "Why would they send so many people to Taiyang County?"

That was precisely what Zheng Fa found puzzling.

He could understand if the Great Freedom Demon Sect targeted him for being a prodigy—that was learning a lesson from history.

But to annihilate Chang Chun Sect.

That action was excessively conspicuous.

After all, on the surface, the Xuanwei Realm was still the world of the Immortal Sects.

No matter how profound the Demon Sect was, it was at a disadvantage in this conflict.

"They didn’t come for Taiyang County." Unexpectedly, the Sect Leader shook his head, his face also showing a hint of gloom: "They were actually already in Taiyang County."

"Ah?"

"According to Sister Huang, this emergence of the spirit cave brought a Thunder Pool along with it, triggering subterranean upheaval—it seems it exposed a secret realm of the Great Freedom Demon Sect."

"..."

Zheng Fa was somewhat speechless.

This situation... somehow felt like the Great Freedom Demon Sect was the aggrieved party?

They were quietly developing, only for a spirit cave to descend from the heavens out of nowhere.

Master Pang was also speechless.

He pursed his lips, his face growing even more solemn.

Zheng Fa could grasp the implication.

This was an unexpected encounter, with nobody prepared for it.

On the other hand, the Great Freedom Demon Sect, cornered at their doorstep, was likely to fight desperately if pushed too hard.

"What about Nephew Zhang, and the rest of them?"

"Sister Huang followed those Demon Sect disciples and found the disciples taken by Nephew Zhang. They were ambushed by Demon Sect disciples upon reaching the Chang Chun Sect. Nephew Zhang could only lead them to flee all over the place."

"What about later?"

Hearing this, even Zheng Fa started to feel anxious.

"Being the old lair of the Great Freedom Demon Sect, Nephew Zhang, outnumbered by several Nascent Souls, was injured and could only lead them towards the Thunder Pool..." the Sect Leader shook his head: "Only by relying on the power of the Thunder Pool could they barely manage to hold on."

"What do you mean... ’relying on the power of the Thunder Pool’?"

Master Pang was confused once again.

"That Thunder Pool is extremely violent... According to Sister Huang, within that Thunder Pool, the higher one’s cultivation, the more cautious one must be; if anyone reveals cultivation above the Foundation Establishment, they’ll attract Heavenly Thunder."

"If it’s above the Golden Core, they’ll face thousands of thunders striking down. Nascent Souls... I heard one Demon Sect Nascent Soul got so arrogant that he was struck dead on the spot."

"..."

Zheng Fa twitched the corner of his mouth.

He knew why Sister Zhang would hide in the Thunder Pool.

Simply put, she was prepared to use her rich experience in lower-level combat to kill these shameless Nascent Souls.

"Did Sister Huang find Nephew Zhang?"

"No, she fought with several Demon Sect Nascent Souls and ventured into the depths of the Thunder Pool," said the Sect Leader, frowning: "The separation from those disciples she was with resulted in considerable losses."

Hearing this.

Everyone fell silent.

The situation was not as urgent as Sister Yuan made it out to be.

But it was not easy to handle either.

The missing Sister Zhang was important to the Jiushan Sect not just for her own sake.

The bigger issue was the Great Freedom Demon Sect’s secret realm—Taiyang County was considered Jiushan Sect territory. With this Demon Sect secret realm surfacing so brazenly, it was truly unnerving.

"I will seek assistance from the Hundred Immortals Alliance for this matter," the Sect Leader decisively stated: "With an issue as big as the Great Freedom Demon Sect, we cannot expect Jiushan Sect to shoulder it alone."

Zheng Fa nodded.

His master’s statement was crystal clear—forget about talking of chivalry with the Demon Sect; let’s shoulder it together, everyone!

Yet, Master Pang seemed somewhat reluctant: "About that spirit cave... the spirit stone mine within, and the Thunder Pool."

"The spirit stone mine would require our Nascent Souls to deliberate over it, but I deem the Thunder Pool to be more crucial... We should send some disciples below the Foundation Establishment Stage," the Sect Leader hesitated: "We must retrieve Nephew Zhang, and with the current conditions of the Thunder Pool, lower cultivation disciples are indeed better suited."

"On the other hand, the Thunder Pool offers considerable benefits to our most powerful true method, the ’Divine Sky Thunder Control True Method’. If we can secure the Thunder Pool, our Jiushan Sect might well witness a return to past glory."

"That makes sense."

Master Pang slowly nodded.

Zheng Fa could feel that everyone present was stealthily glancing at him.

He understood what they were thinking.

This Thunder Pool is extremely favorable for myself—

Although I am still in Qi Cultivation, my Divine Sense now rivals that of Foundation Establishment, and when I cast talismanic magic, I possess the power of Foundation Establishment.

On the other hand, I have practiced the "Five Thunders Dharma Body," excelling at enduring lightning.

If anyone in the Jiushan Sect could be like a fish in water within the Thunder Pool, it could only be me.

I even believe that everyone present knows this fact.

"Master, I will lead people..."

"You can’t!" The Sect Leader suddenly said; "I’m not prepared to let you go."

"Ah?"

Looking at his own Master, Zheng Fa was somewhat dumbfounded.

It was obvious that he was the most suitable one.

"Nephew Zhang is certainly important, but your talent is now no less than hers," the Sect Leader hesitated to say: "She has already gone missing, and I will not let you venture into danger."

"But..."

"You are my disciple!" The Sect Leader suddenly put on the air of a Master: "Listen to me."

Looking at the old man’s somewhat stern face, Zheng Fa didn’t know what to say.

It was Master Pang who nodded and said, "Indeed, we still haven’t clarified Nephew Zhang’s situation, at least wait until we find Nephew Zhang before discussing further; Zheng Fa, do not act rashly."

Seeing Master Pang also objected, Zheng Fa pursed his lips, no longer speaking.

Seeing him fall silent, both the Sect Leader and Master Pang nodded, seemingly quite satisfied.

"So who shall we send?" Master Pang frowned; "This person must not have high cultivation, preferably not beyond Foundation Establishment—yet must have some prestige within the sect, able to suppress the other disciples."

The choices were limited.

The Jiushan Sect only had two veins.

The vein led by Sister Zhang’s most suitable candidate was Zheng Fa, but the Sect Leader wouldn’t allow him to go.

So the choice had to be from Master Pang’s vein.

Master Pang scrutinized Zhou Qianyuan and Sun Daoyu standing beside him.

Among his disciples, only a few commanded respect, including these two before him.

These two were the most suitable.

"Qianyuan... your cultivation is merely at the Qi Refinement Realm, and you are a Single Spirit Root, Single Spirit Root..." Master Pang seemed a bit reluctant: "Not suitable."

He turned his head to look at Sun Daoyu standing beside.

"Daoyu, you have Dual Spirit Roots, no, you are exactly at the Foundation Establishment Stage, you go!"

Sun Daoyu: "?"

...

After the others had left, Zheng Fa followed his own Master into the thatched hut.

Neither of them spoke.

"What’s the matter, you have something to tell me?" The Sect Leader saw him not leaving and suddenly asked: "Do you want to find your Sister Zhang?"

"It’s not that..." Zheng Fa fell silent for a moment, yet still expressed his own thoughts: "Master, why won’t you let me go? Clearly, I am the most suitable."

"Suitable?" The Sect Leader muttered, turning up his lips: "You are my disciple."

"..."

"This life, I have only taken in three personal disciples."

"..."

"Two have died because they left the sect."

"..."

Zheng Fa finally understood why the old man was not willing to let him leave Jiushan Sect.

He was on the verge of developing a Heart Demon.

"Nephew Zhang certainly has outstanding talents and is extremely important to Jiushan Sect, the future of our sect, but she is Disciple Huang’s disciple," the Sect Leader suddenly said looking outside: "Now, I only have you as a disciple."

"..."

"Actually, it’s not that I won’t let you go, even without Nephew Zhang’s issue, when your ’Five Thunders Dharma Body’ is completed, you should still go to the Thunder Pool."

"Hmm?"

"The fifth step of the ’Five Thunders Body’ requires Guiding Heavenly Thunder for Body Refinement. Even if you’ve practiced the previous four steps, this will still be somewhat dangerous for you," the Sect Leader explained: "The benefit of the Thunder Pool is, that not only does it have many Thunder Spiritual Plants suitable for the ’Divine Sky Thunder Control True Method,’ but it also has many levels of Heavenly Thunder, allowing you to safely harness the Heavenly Thunder to temper your body."

"So..."

"Let your Master Pang’s disciple investigate clearly, you continue cultivating for a while, until you reach the tenth layer of Qi Refinement before you go," the Sect Leader said leisurely: "Right now that place is teeming with a mixture of good and evil, how many from the Great Freedom Demon Sect are there we also cannot ascertain."

"Thank you, Master, for looking out for me."

Zheng Fa was silent for a while before saying in a low voice.

It was only today that he was truly certain that his Master was considering his welfare.

"Actually, it’s not just my own thoughts, Nephew Zhang had come to see me before she left."

"Hmm?"

"She said if anything happened to her, to stop you first."

"Ah?"

Zheng Fa blinked, not expecting Sister Zhang to have left such instructions.

"She said, you would be a good Sect Leader, better than me, better than her," the Sect Leader seemed to reminisce Sister Zhang’s words: "To Jiushan Sect, you are more important than her."

Zheng Fa slowly descended from the Ninth Peak and arrived at Sister Zhang’s courtyard.

He paced slowly in the courtyard, walked from the study to the backyard, sitting in a pavilion, listening to the waterfall roaring behind.

After sitting for a long time, he stood up again, strolling leisurely towards the garden.

The path he walked mirrored exactly the same routes he used to take when he and Sister Zhang would discuss and debate.

At the end, Zheng Fa felt as if Sister Zhang was beside him.

He couldn’t help but turn his head, but he did not see the familiar figure.