Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 182 - 82 Birth

Chapter 182: Chapter 82 Birth

"Found Sister Zhang!"

Sister Yuan rushed in excitedly and shouted towards Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa’s spirits lifted as well, and he quickly asked, "How is Sister Zhang?"

"No serious issues, she can still communicate with those disciples, but she has self-sealed inside the Thunder Pool, which makes her impossible to rescue."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly, as he had anticipated this situation.

If that weren’t the case, the Great Freedom Demon Sect would probably have been able to abduct Sister Zhang by now.

He thought for a moment and walked towards the door.

"Junior Brother, where are you going?"

"I’m going to check on Sister Zhang." He wanted to confirm Sister Zhang’s condition personally.

"I’ll come too!"

Sister Yuan followed him out of the Five Dragons Heavenly Palace.

As they entered the workshop, both of them noticed something amiss — many people in the market were heading towards the Thunder Pool.

They were in a hurry, their expressions containing an unrestrainable eagerness, like hunting dogs who have caught the scent of their prey.

But when others asked them, they kept their mouths tightly shut, refusing to talk, even looking wary in their eyes.

An idea suddenly rose in Zheng Fa’s mind —

In this locale, the only thing that could excite these people so much was one thing: the Heavenly Stele!

With the establishment of the Thunder Pool workshop,

the news of the Heavenly Stele spread farther and farther.

No one knew what the Heavenly Stele was, but everyone had heard the tales related to Tianhe Venerable and the Heavenly Stele.

In many people’s minds, the Heavenly Stele was synonymous with domination in Xuanwei.

But Zheng Fa had his doubts —

It’s not like there was only one Heavenly Stele.

Tianhe Sect had always had one, yet there was no new Tianhe Venerable.

This remained his inner suspicion; to know the real situation, he would have to encounter the Heavenly Stele in the future.

He was just a bit calmer than those Loose Cultivators rushing towards the Thunder Pool.

...

He wasn’t the only one staying calm.

As he and Sister Yuan walked towards the exterior of the workshop, a greeting suddenly came from a restaurant on the side of the street:

"Mr. Zheng?"

Zheng Fa looked up and saw Yan Wushuang sitting beside the railing on the second floor, speaking to him.

"Brother Yan."

He greeted Yan Wushuang, and the two had become quite familiar with each other over time —

This Yan Wushuang was very invested in the trade of Demon Blood.

He had lately become a major client of the workshop.

Having encountered each other several times in trade, they grew three parts more familiar than in days past.

Seeing Zheng Fa, Yan Wushuang gestured excitedly and said, "Come up and sit!"

After exchanging a glance with Sister Yuan, Zheng Fa walked up to the restaurant with her.

There weren’t many people on the second floor of the restaurant; most Cultivators seemed to have gone to the Thunder Pool.

There was only one table of guests, who were still leisurely drinking without hurry.

Saying one table was actually just three people.

Yan Wushuang was one.

There was also a young man and woman.

"Come, come, come, Mr. Zheng, let me introduce you," Yan Wushuang said enthusiastically: "This is Brother Chu Tianque from Haori Mountain, a True Disciple, and this is Sister Xue, a True Disciple of the Supreme Dao."

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but be inwardly startled.

Even the usually carefree Sister Yuan’s expression took on a rare solemnity.

Not for any other reason but because Haori Mountain and Supreme Dao, just like Tianhe Sect, were among the famed Xuanwei Five Sects.

These sects’ True Disciples had come to the Thunder Pool market, and they hadn’t heard a whiff of it.

"Brother Chu, Sister Xue," Yan Wushuang introduced them to the two: "This is the local landowner, Jiushan Sect’s disciple, Zheng Fa, Mr. Zheng. And this lady... I do not recognize."

He looked at Sister Yuan and offered an apologetic smile.

The two glanced at Zheng Fa first, as if they noticed his Qi Refinement cultivation, then turned to look at Sister Yuan next to him.

In Chu Tianque’s eyes, there was a faint flash of five colors, as if he had found something intriguing, and his brows slightly furrowed.

It was only Sister Xue of the Supreme Dao whose expression remained unchanged.

After the two parties exchanged greetings, the room fell silent for a moment.

Zheng Fa could tell that these three had probably been having a good chat in the restaurant before; the joy on Yan Wushuang’s face was a testament to that — it was just that, once he and Sister Yuan arrived, the other two seemed to run out of things to say.

This was normal.

On one hand, he and Sister Yuan were strangers to these two.

It’s no surprise for the atmosphere to turn cold suddenly when two strangers barge in on a good conversation.

On the other hand, there were differences in sect influence and cultivation level.

In terms of sects, even the Hundred Immortals Alliance was no match for Haori Mountain or Supreme Dao.

And that was to say nothing of Jiushan Sect, which was merely a part of the Alliance.

And Zheng Fa was only a disciple in the Qi Cultivation realm.

Even though he had the title of Junior Sect Leader within the Jiushan Sect, outside — who would care about that?

He wasn’t a Junior Sect Leader of Haori Mountain.

Although Sister Yuan’s cultivation was sufficient, it seemed that Chu Tianque was somewhat concerned about her Demon Race heritage.

Not everyone has the same peculiar preferences as Yan Wushuang.

His heart held no anger, but he didn’t wish to awkwardly impose on their company, so he simply clasped his hands towards the three and said, "Junior Brother has some business at the Thunder Pool..."

"Just right! We are also heading to the Thunder Pool!" Yan Wushuang interrupted him, and without hesitation, said, "Let’s go together."

Zheng Fa glanced at the two of them.

Regardless of what the two were thinking, their faces were both nodding in agreement.

The five people traveled together, and Yan Wushuang, noticing the awkward atmosphere, began to speak:

"Who would have thought that the Heavenly Stele would be so close to the Great Freedom Demon Sect? It’s quite a coincidence... If the Jiushan Sect hadn’t issued that bounty, the area would be swarming with people. Who would know where that thing was hidden?"

Yan Wushuang’s words made Zheng Fa understand that his guess was correct—the Heavenly Stele had indeed appeared.

And it was somewhat related to him...

"Originally, that area was crowded. As soon as the Heavenly Stele was discovered, everyone from the workshop rushed there," Yan Wushuang continued, "It was so crowded that not even a thief from the Great Freedom Demon Sect could be found."

There was a tone of regret in his voice.

"What’s the use of those people going there?" Chu Tianque joined the conversation, "How could they covet the Heavenly Stele? They’re just fools blinded by greed."

This statement... had a bit of arrogance and looked down on the group of cultivators who blindly went there.

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but be curious about the actions of these three.

With the Heavenly Stele’s emergence, these three remained in the tavern unhurried, seemingly not anxious in the slightest.

Noticing his confusion, Yan Wushuang explained, "You might not know, Mr. Zheng, but the vicinity of the Heavenly Stele is often extremely dangerous... Even if we rushed there recklessly, we would suffer a great loss."

Given that the Tianhe Sect possessed a piece of the Heavenly Stele.

And considering the behavior of these people—Zheng Fa believed this statement was quite credible.

It probably wasn’t a secret among the Xuanwei Five Sects, otherwise Yan Wushuang wouldn’t have blurted it out so causally in public.

Thinking of those Loose Cultivators who knew nothing of the facts.

This piece of information, which held little value for these three, could likely cost many lower-tier cultivators their lives.

It even seemed like these three were willing to use that group as cannon fodder to scout the way.

"Those people lack insight, but you, Mr. Zheng, have profound accomplishments in Thunder Skill. With the emergence of the Heavenly Stele this time, you may also encounter a stroke of fate," Yan Wushuang said with a smile, looking at him with newfound respect.

Upon hearing this, the other two couldn’t help but look at him with a mix of surprise and skepticism.

They seemed to trust Yan Wushuang’s judgment on Thunder Skill and thus started to regard Zheng Fa more highly.

On the other hand, Zheng Fa also subtly felt a bit of wariness—as if they were afraid he would compete with them for the opportunity.

No, are all you disciples from the great sects so cautious?

Me, from Jiushan Sect, at the Qi Refinement Realm!

What are you being cautious about!

"On this trip to the Thunder Pool, my senior sister and I are not going for the Heavenly Stele," Zheng Fa thought about it and decided to tell the truth.

Upon hearing this, Yan Wushuang appeared somewhat stunned.

Chu Tianque glanced at him, his eyes holding a trace of disdain—probably not believing him and thinking he was lying.

"Then why are you going?"

"A senior sister of mine fell into the Thunder Pool some time ago. It took a lot of effort to find traces of her."

Zheng Fa explained.

Yan Wushuang nodded, without stating whether he believed it or not.

However, as they traveled, the group fell into silence again, seemingly running out of topics to discuss.

...

In the Thunder Pool, the group jointly headed towards the location of the Great Freedom Demon Sect.

The dangers of the Thunder Pool were imminent, prompting each to display their Divine Skills.

Yan Wushuang remained true to his style, treating the thunderbolts as nothing, growing happier the more he was struck.

As for Xue of the Supreme Dao, she didn’t show anything extraordinary, simply moving gracefully as the furious thunder managed somehow to swerve around her, avoiding contact.

As for Chu Tianque, he had a transparent Treasure Bead above his head which absorbed the lightning from the sky, seemingly using the Thunder Pool to refine his treasure.

Each had their own methods, but in the fearful Thunder Pool, they all seemed very relaxed.

When they reached a certain point, Zheng Fa saw that the others seemed to be continuing forward and spoke up, "My friends, I’m afraid we need to take a different path now, so this is where we part ways."

Upon hearing his words, the three were startled.

Yan Wushuang couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you going to take a look at the Heavenly Stele?"

"No, I’m not," Zheng Fa said with a smile, bowing with his hands clasped, "I’d better go look for my senior sister first."

Watching him turn to leave with Yuan, the three were somewhat silent.

"Do you believe anyone who comes across the Heavenly Stele would leave without even glancing at it for the sake of rescuing a senior sister?"

After a long while, Chu Tianque suddenly asked.

"...Not really," Xue responded after some time.

"This Zheng Fa has such great accomplishments in refining his body through the Thunder Dao, he is likely a Thunder Dao cultivator. For him, the Thunder Dao Heavenly Stele is an ultimate treasure," Chu Tianque continued, "I suspect by not traveling with us, he wants to lurk in the shadows, aiming to reap the benefits like a fisherman waiting for the opportune moment."

"When it comes to the Heavenly Stele, let alone a senior sister, what do one’s own parents even matter?"

Although it was speculation, Yan Wushuang opened his mouth as if he wanted to retort.

But he didn’t know how to refute.

...

When Zheng Fa met Zhang, she was sitting cross-legged at the bottom of Thunder Pool valley, a small mountain-sized Mystical Gate Mirror pressing above her head, shielding her from the rolling thunders of the pool.

Zheng Fa moved towards her.

Once he was within three meters, the Treasure Mirror emitted a ray of light that landed at his feet, blocking his path.

"Master Zheng? Yuan?"

The light seemed to wake Zhang, who looked up.

Seeing Zheng Fa, she seemed to remember something and hastily said, "I saw the Heavenly Stele earlier, it’s over at... "

"I know, senior sister, the Heavenly Stele has emerged."

"Then you..."

"I came to see you, to see if I could rescue you," Zheng Fa said with a smile.

Zhang’s eyes were fixed on Zheng Fa, as if Yuan wasn’t even there.

Yuan looked at the Treasure Mirror above and thought:

Luckily, there’s the Mystical Gate Mirror, keeping this pair of dogs at bay...