Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 171 - 71 Departure

Chapter 171: Chapter 71 Departure

"Yin Yang Talisman Diagram?"

Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu looked at each other, both seeing confusion on the other’s face.

Isn’t it so that his Dream Charm should have exhausted its effects already?

Old Man Bai saw their expressions, pursed his lips, sat on a chair, kicked his legs out, tilting the chair backwards so it rested on just two legs. Leaning back, he looked up at the sky—

Without uttering a word, yet as if he had said everything that was boastful.

"In the future, the books of our sect should clearly state, that I, in truth, have comprehended the dao in a dream, and have come to an epiphany about the origins of Yin and Yang."

"... Sir Bai!"

Tang Lingwu looked at him with an expression that seemed to tease their curiosity, and she softly chided.

Old Man Bai glanced at her and waved them closer.

"Want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Give me your hand."

Tang Lingwu looked a bit puzzled but obediently reached out with her right hand.

Old Man Bai turned to Zheng Fa, saying, "Yours."

Zheng Fa was also slightly confused, extending his right hand as well.

"Switch to the left hand."

Old Man Bai placed Zheng Fa’s left hand against Tang Lingwu’s right hand, palm to palm, finger to finger, leaving no gap.

Tang Lingwu’s face suddenly turned red, her earlobes seemingly burning hot.

But Zheng Fa seemed to have a moment of realization.

"This, is Yin and Yang."

Old Man Bai spoke in a tone as if he was giving a speech on an award podium.

"...Chirality?"

"Correct!"

Old Man Bai released their hands, looking at Zheng Fa: "The most distinct difference of the Yin Yang Talisman Diagram, is chirality."

Zheng Fa recalled the Yin Yang Talisman Diagram in his mind.

It seemed to be true!

Old Man Bai continued mumbling: "Although I knew about this, I wasn’t focused on studying it previously... If it wasn’t for those talismanic diagrams I kept looking at in my dream until I saw my own hands, I wouldn’t have thought of this."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly.

Chirality isn’t a particularly important concept in topology—Or to say, Zheng Fa hasn’t seen it mentioned often, only in knot theory.

"Is the Yin Yang Talisman Diagram really so simple?"

It was Tang Lingwu who voiced her doubts from the side.

Zheng Fa understood why she found it simple—chirality is a very intuitive concept.

Simply put, your left and right hands seem indistinguishable, but in three-dimensional space, no matter how you translate or rotate your left hand, it can never become your right hand.

This type of spatial configuration that exhibits such properties is chirality.

Naturally, chirality can be divided into left-handedness and right-handedness.

Zheng Fa recalled, and it seemed that the Yang Talisman corresponded to left-handedness, while the Yin Talisman matched right-handedness.

"It’s not simple." Zheng Fa shook his head: "This is just the spatial relationship of the talisman..."

Old Man Bai revealed a smile, nodding lightly: "Right, that’s the superficial aspect—chirality is not often studied in our mathematics, what I know is, the fields that study it most are biology and chemistry."

"Chiral molecules exhibit different properties."

"I don’t know if they have explained this, but what I do know is... why the Yin Yang Talisman Diagram would exhibit different actions and properties due to chirality is something we have yet to understand."

Zheng Fa agreed: "Furthermore, there is another issue..."

He and Old Man Bai looked at each other, saying in unison: "Yin Yang Mutual Generation."

At this point, Old Man Bai gave a wry smile, seeming somewhat vexed: "Keep in mind, chiral objects cannot overlap in three-dimensional space, so you might say they are completely different from each other, but Yin Yang Mutual Generation... this suggests that they are connected..."

...

In the Xuanwei Realm.

Zheng Fa sat on his bed, his Divine Sense observing the Primordial Talisman foundation within.

This Primordial Talisman foundation still took the shape of two lotus flowers connected at their bases.

Chiral configuration.

Yin Yang Mutual Generation.

With a thought from Zheng Fa, the lotus platform with its stamen facing downwards gently shattered, disappearing from sight.

But the next moment, the base of the remaining lotus platform began to sprout golden threads, and eventually, the lotus platform began to reappear.

This was what Zhang had called Yin Yang Mutual Generation.

However, Zheng Fa widened his eyes, looking at the re-emerging lotus platform.

Previously, he had thought the golden threads were the roots of the lotus platform.

But this time he saw clearly, these golden threads were actually fine arcs—more like ripples emanating from the base of the lotus platform!

"A mirror image?"

An idea emerged in Zheng Fa’s heart.

The mirror image of the right hand in a mirror is actually the left hand.

Thus, the mirror image of a Yang Talisman is a Yin Talisman.

The essence of Yin Yang Mutual Generation—could it actually be a mirror image of each other?

Or to say, is the lotus platform below actually the reflection of the lotus platform above?

...

At the moment, Zheng Fa was still not capable of verifying this hypothesis—Without Zhang, he truly didn’t have many ways to confirm it.

Thinking of Zhang, he picked up the Xuanlei Stone again and began practicing the Five Thunders Body technique.

His bones were now covered in a thin golden film, a marker of his great success in the Bone Forging of the Five Thunders Body.

Currently, he was practicing the fourth level of the Five Thunders Body—Blood Exchange.

This was the final level before Heavenly Thunder Body Refining.

It was also his last preparation before entering the Thunder Pool.

From the Xuanlei Stone, Thunder Light flowed like water, slowly entering his body, permeating his skin, penetrating his muscles, and finally drilling into his bones, causing turmoil in his bone marrow.

Excruciating pain!

Zheng Fa had suffered a lot when he was a child.

He had fought with other youths in the fields.

He had been wounded by sickles and hoes.

Even the experience of being on the brink of death——

But never once had he experienced such intense pain!

It probably was because there were numerous nerves within the bone marrow, making the agony incredibly acute.

He curled up into a ball, lying prone on the bed, his forehead covered with beads of sweat falling with his tremors.

This sensation was not new to him, as he had tried it before, and each time he would believe he had grown accustomed.

Yet, each time, he felt a sense of despair as if he were facing a profound abyss.

In his hand, the half piece of Jade Pendant was gripped so tightly it seemed it would shatter.

...

Two or three zhang away from Master Pang’s grand hall, the shouting and calling from inside pierced Zheng Fa’s ears.

"Master! Don’t be rash!"

"Save me, save me!" That was Master Pang’s voice: "Who has a blood-stopping talisman for me?"

"Master, surrender! You’re surrounded by our people!"

"..."

Zheng Fa shook his head.

There goes Master Pang, leading the disciples through another round of virtual gaming.

He had never anticipated that Jiushan Sect’s number one internet-addicted youth—heh, senior—would actually be Master Pang.

As far as Zheng Fa knew, Master Pang had even specifically asked the Sect Leader for a number of ’Great Dao Competition’ talisman formations for his visit to the Thunder Pool.

However, Master Pang played the game without bullying anyone.

He always sealed his Divine Sense and Spiritual Power, using only the Qi Refinement Realm’s cultivation level to play with the disciples.

And when he lost, he didn’t scold anyone.

His temperament was indeed good.

But there was an issue—he was too reckless.

Zheng Fa now strongly suspected that the script ’Rescue Little Cultivator Pang Qian’ written by his own master truly had a real-life counterpart.

Thinking of Master Pang’s current guidance—

Zheng Fa always felt that Master Pang was in the game seeking the youth he once was...

Putting aside these various thoughts, Zheng Fa gently knocked on the doors of the hall.

"Come in!"

As soon as Zheng Fa entered, Master Pang waved his hand, and the ’Great Dao Competition’ illusion in the center of the hall immediately dissipated.

A few senior brothers exchanged looks, seemingly smirking.

Was this... a fit of rage after a defeat in the game?

"Cough." Noting Zheng Fa’s meaningful gaze, Master Pang coughed lightly and asked, "What brings you here?"

"I would like to request some information on the Thunder Pool from Master Uncle," Zheng Fa replied.

"Are you prepared to enter the Thunder Pool? Have you reached the fourth level of ’Five Thunders Body’?"

Master Pang appeared stunned for a moment, then slowly sat up with a serious look.

"Yes!"

"..." Master Pang eyed him for a long while without speaking, seemingly deep in thought.

"Master Uncle?"

"Before your master came here, he spoke to me," Master Pang suddenly renavigated the conversation: "He said that your biggest issue with achieving the fourth level of the ’Five Thunders Body’ isn’t resources... but endurance."

"..."

"He told me, every blood exchange made him rest for ten days to half a month before undertaking the next exchange."

As Master Pang spoke, the senior brothers in the hall all turned their gaze towards Zheng Fa.

Their looks varied.

"He said it was agonizingly painful, terribly bitter, each time it felt like being dismembered bit by bit from the inside out," Master Pang said, shaking his head: "Thus, although he did not lack Xuanlei Stones back in his day, it took him a full half a year to complete the blood exchange for the fourth level of the ’Five Thunders Body’..."

"And you... achieved it in half a month. Why such haste?"

Zheng Fa said with his head lowered, "Although Sister Zhang is no longer in life-threatening danger, her continuous disappearance is worrying, and her situation is likely not too good."

Master Pang fell silent again.

"... Nephew Zhang did not misjudge you," Master Pang asserted, shaking his head as he waved, and several jade tubes flew towards Zheng Fa: "These are records on the Thunder Pool from the workshops, along with some experiences of Jiushan Sect disciples. Take them."

Zheng Fa collected the jade tubes, gave a salute to Master Pang, and turned to leave the grand hall.

Observing his slowly departing figure, Master Pang had a distant look in his eyes, lost in thought.

"Master, shall we continue the game?"

Seeing him silent for a while, a disciple asked tentatively.

"Game! Game! Game! All you know is gaming!" Unexpectedly, Master Pang exploded: "Look at Zheng Fa, so diligent in his practice; why can you only think of playing?"

"..."

"He’s enduring excruciating pain, striving to practice for Nephew Zhang’s sake; what about you? If I went missing, would you be able to do the same?"

"...Disciples will brave any danger..."

The disciples replied one after another.

"Scram! Do I not know you?" Master Pang snorted and with a light flap of his hand, the disciples all found themselves tossed out of the hall.

Looking up again, the doors of the hall were firmly shut.

The disciples looked at each other, none daring to speak, and left together.

Once far enough, a disciple voiced their confusion:

"Playing ’Great Dao Competition’... wasn’t it the plot set up by Master himself? We can’t just not play!"

"Master is jealous of Sister Zhang."

Another disciple’s comment made them all nod in agreement.

"That’s true, we can’t compare to Disciple Zheng," admitted one disciple a bit dejectedly.

"We may not be a match for Zheng Fa, but isn’t Master also not a match for Sister Zhang?"

"Ah?"

This claim raised doubts among others.

Powerful as Sister Zhang was, their Master was a true Nascent Soul Immortal.

"Just think, if Sister Zhang had our Master’s face, would Zheng Fa be so eager to rescue her?"

"..."

"Would you?"

"... Although it’s our Master, Sister Zhang wasn’t exactly on good terms with us before..." a senior brother spoke up: "But that doesn’t mean we should disrespect Sister Zhang like that."