Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 165 - 65 Mutation

Chapter 165: Chapter 65 Mutation

Old Man Bai sat on a chair, wearing a pair of black gloves, with two conductive wires connecting the gloves to a transformer beside him.

He seemed a bit restless, twisting and turning, and from time to time he lifted his hands to check the metallic conductive plates on the gloves.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

He couldn’t help but mutter to Zheng Fa.

"Please rest assured, Sir." Zheng Fa replied: "This magic artifact is my secret, and you’re the second person in the world to enjoy its benefits!"

"...I’ve checked, there are fewer than two hundred."

"..."

"And there’s a ten yuan rebate for a good review."

"...Are you scared?"

Zheng Fa asked with an askance glance.

"Who’s scared?" Old Man Bai retorted with a twist of his mouth: "I’m just asking."

"The voltage starts low, it’s quite safe, and besides, haven’t I taught you the first layer of the Five Thunders Body, Sir?"

Zheng Fa consoled.

Old Man Bai pursed his lips, then fell silent.

Zheng Fa connected the transformer to the power source.

"What do you think, if anything happens to me, would it count as an accident? Would insurance compensate me?"

Old Man Bai suddenly asked.

"..."

"How about I think it over again? I suddenly realized that I’m not that interested in electromagnetic induction..."

Zheng Fa turned the knob on the transformer.

Old Man Bai’s lips trembled slightly, his tongue stiffened, and he couldn’t speak anymore.

"Run the Spiritual Power in your body according to the Five Thunders Body!"

Zheng Fa reminded him from the side, staring intently at the old man, his hand ready on the knob of the transformer to cut the power at any moment.

He was also a bit worried.

On one hand, he feared the old man was getting on in years, and even though he had practiced the Spiritual Crane Body, his physique was ultimately not as good as his own.

On the other hand, it was Old Man Bai’s first time practicing the Five Thunders Body, and Zheng Fa was afraid he was not accustomed to it.

What reassured Zheng Fa was that the old man indeed seemed very interested in the Five Thunders Body. Though he had been a bit fearful earlier, he had quickly entered the state of cultivation.

After watching for a while, Zheng Fa quietly left the room, leaving the old man to cultivate alone.

...

"Eh? Where’s Zheng Fa?"

Old Man Bai walked out of the room with a straddle step, with somewhat of a triumphant air.

He looked around for Zheng Fa for a long time but only saw Tang Lingwu.

"Have you finished cultivating, Sir?"

"Yes! Although it was my first time, I feel I’m quite suited to this cultivation technique!"

"I heard from Zheng Fa that you were a bit scared..."

"Who’s scared? That was just unfamiliarity! Fear of the unknown!" Old Man Bai immediately interrupted her: "Let me tell you, after I finished cultivating I felt so thoroughly unblocked, I even thought the voltage was too low!"

"..."

"The voltage was low?" Zheng Fa came over holding a large cardboard box: "Just in time, the high-voltage direct current power supply I bought has arrived. Would you like to try it?"

"..."

Seeing Old Man Bai close his mouth and remain silent, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but shake his head, putting the box down and opening it.

Upon opening it, there was a white metallic box.

With several small displays and buttons on top.

"How high is the maximum voltage of this high-voltage direct current power supply?"

"Up to 30KV." Zheng Fa took out the manual and read it carefully.

"That voltage is too high... Are you really going to use this?"

A trace of worry appeared on Old Man Bai’s face.

"Start from the low voltage and go up, I’ll stop if it’s too high; I’ll need your help to adjust it later."

The maximum output voltage of the previous transformer was only 300V, which could no longer meet the needs of Zheng Fa’s cultivation of the Five Thunders Dharma Body.

Now this high-voltage direct current power supply was, for Zheng Fa, like upgrading to a Spiritual Treasure—mainly because the adjustable high-voltage transformers are hard to purchase, not because they can’t be made, but because there isn’t a great demand for such items.

Zheng Fa had asked several stores, and if they didn’t say they didn’t have any, they said it needed to be custom-ordered.

He originally thought about custom ordering one, but then he discovered this type of high-voltage direct current power supply.

So, he simply decided to buy one and give it a try.

Zheng Fa put on the gloves, sat cross-legged on the chair, and turned to look at Old Man Bai.

Old Man Bai nodded, turned on the power switch, and began to adjust the output voltage.

Soon, the voltage displayed on the screen exceeded 400V.

Old Man Bai turned to look at Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa shook his head.

800V.

Zheng Fa’s hands trembled slightly, but he still shook his head.

At 1500V,

Both could hear the chattering of Zheng Fa’s teeth.

"A bit... higher."

Zheng Fa said somewhat unclearly.

Only when the voltage reached 2100V did they see Zheng Fa nod slightly and immerse himself in the cultivation of the Five Thunders Body.

"Sir Bai, why do I feel that Zheng Fa has been a bit off these past couple of days?"

Watching Zheng Fa, Tang Lingwu suddenly said.

"...You noticed it, too?"

"What’s wrong with him?"

"He might have encountered some trouble and is a bit anxious."

Old Man Bai stroked his chin, speculating.

"Trouble?" Tang Lingwu looked puzzled: "What trouble could there be?"

Old Man Bai glanced at the numbers on the screen, his brow furrowed, and suddenly said:

"When a man is this harsh on himself, usually there’s only one situation..."

"What situation?"

"Heartbroken!"

"?"

...

In Zheng Fa’s internal view.

His bones were trembling violently, undergoing some miraculous changes.

As the strong current flowed through, Zheng Fa could see the inevitable layer of char on the surface of his bones, as if they had been carbonized in an instant from the high temperature.

The next moment, the Spiritual Power in Zheng Fa’s body operated according to the Five Thunders Body, slowly nourishing these charred spots.

Gradually, specks of gold began to shimmer amidst the black.

At first, the gold was faint, appearing as inconspicuous cracks in the pitch black.

Later, the gold slowly expanded, forming a dense web.

Until finally, the black was completely covered by gold—Zheng Fa’s bones seemed to be enveloped in a thin layer of gold.

He slowly opened his eyes.

In front of him, Old Man Bai and Tang Lingwu watched him intently.

"How is it?"

"It worked!"

With the appearance of that golden membrane, Zheng Fa knew he had attained the third level of the Five Thunders Body—Bone Forging.

Old Man Bai and the other exchanged glances, their faces also revealing joy.

Zheng Fa stood up from the chair, carefully feeling the changes in his body.

It seemed like something had changed, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

"Eh? Did you grow taller?"

Old Man Bai said as he spread his palm open, leveled it with his forehead, and then compared it to Zheng Fa, seeming to confirm something before nodding:

"You did grow taller."

Zheng Fa was taken aback and walked into the bathroom to stand in front of the mirror.

His transformation was remarkable.

Before practicing the Spiritual Crane Body technique, Zheng Fa was not short, but he was very thin, looking like he was malnourished during childhood.

After practicing martial arts and cultivation, his appearance gradually changed.

His skin got better.

He also became more robust.

But a person’s body proportions, such as the ratio between the head and shoulders, or the legs and the upper body, were very hard to change intrinsically.

Zheng Fa’s body proportions used to be just that of an average person.

But now...

Looking at himself in the mirror.

His legs seemed longer than before, and his shoulders wider.

His entire figure had an extraordinarily harmonious beauty.

"Come here, let me measure you!"

Old Man Bai came in with a tape measure in hand, seemingly also having noticed this issue, curious as he measured Zheng Fa up and down.

Tang Lingwu’s eyes sparkled nearby.

After measuring, Old Man Bai calculated something in silence, then suddenly said, "This cultivation technique... has it really trained you into the golden ratio?"

"..."

"Any other changes?"

Old Man Bai asked eagerly.

"What are you so curious about this for?"

"Don’t I also practice the Five Thunders Dharma Body?"

"..."

"How about you take your clothes off and let me measure!"

"I’ve still got things to do..."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Watching Zheng Fa flee in a hurry, Old Man Bai’s face seemed to hold some regret. He turned his head to see Tang Lingwu still staring at the back of Zheng Fa.

"What are you looking at?"

"The legs... no, nothing."

"..." Old Man Bai glanced at her with a clicking of his tongue.

"Why are you doing that, Sir Bai?"

"I’m thinking, with this kid trained like this, even wanting to experience heartbreak in the future will be difficult."

...

"Cultivation is like a controllable evolution of life."

Once they had confirmed the changes in his body, Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai discussed.

"Life evolution..." Listening on the side, Tang Lingwu suddenly slapped her forehead as if she had remembered something, "I found something earlier!"

"What?"

"Follow me!"

Tang Lingwu dashed out of the room.

Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai exchanged glances and followed her outside.

This was an open space.

Tang Lingwu had said before that they were storing garden plants that had been purchased and had fenced this place off to also conceal their whereabouts.

Therefore, the area had been tidied up quite neatly.

Zheng Fa had been practicing the Spirit Mountain Technique here before.

"Look!"

Tang Lingwu pointed to a corner and said.

Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai looked over, only to see a few strands of weeds there, seemingly left by the workers who had lazily failed to clean up properly.

"What about it?"

Old Man Bai inquired.

"These grasses are a bit different!" Tang Lingwu said confidently: "I carefully checked around, and these same type of grasses, these few grew taller and bigger."

"..."

Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai exchanged looks and immediately understood Tang Lingwu’s point.

The two of them bent down and closely inspected these few nondescript little plants.

Then they found a few that looked like the same species to compare.

There was a difference.

Overall, the ones growing here were more robust, with larger and greener leaves, and slightly deeper roots.

"Is this... a mutation under a spiritual energy environment?"

Old Man Bai voiced Zheng Fa’s guess.

Zheng Fa nodded lightly.

The same hill, almost the same environment, and the same species.

The only difference might be that he had been cultivating the Spirit Mountain Technique here, hence this place should have been shrouded in the spiritual energy that Zheng Fa emitted.

"Such a short time... and there’s such an evident change?"

Old Man Bai frowned and said: "I’m not sure if this change is good or bad, you still have to be careful when you practice the Spirit Mountain Technique in the future."

"...Yeah."

"We could use an agricultural expert around here!"

Old Man Bai muttered as if talking to himself.

"..."

"What about people we know in this area?"

Old Man Bai spoke again as they remained silent.

"...You’re really thinking about Mrs. Tian," Zheng Fa shook his head and said.

"That’s right, Mrs. Tian messaged me a few days ago..." Tang Lingwu suddenly took out her phone and said: "I told her I was in Beijing, and she invited me over for a meal."

"I also said I was in Beijing," Old Man Bai paused, seemingly incredulous: "Why didn’t she invite me?"

"..."

"...How come we don’t know any agriculture experts?"

Old Man Bai fell silent for a while, then asked again.

As if he had forgotten about a certain Mrs. Tian entirely.