Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 183 - 83: Moved by Emotions

Chapter 183: Chapter 83: Moved by Emotions

Zhang Senior Sister is ultimately a self-reliant person, and her emotions flash across her face momentarily before disappearing, as she shakes her head and says to Zheng Fa:

"This Mystical Gate Mirror is an old possession of my Master, and it cannot be taken out unless one has a Nascent Soul."

"Nascent Soul..." Yuan Senior Sister blurted out, "How difficult it is to achieve Nascent Soul..."

Seeing Zhang Senior Sister’s silence, she seemed to think she had said something wrong, and quickly added:

"Fortunately, Senior Sister Zhang, your talent is exceptional! What is difficult for others, will surely not be difficult for you!"

"No, it’s a little bit more difficult for me than for others." Zhang Senior Sister quietly said, "In my early years, I cultivated too quickly, and now I have to pay the price for it."

Even Zheng Fa couldn’t help but nod at these words.

He had heard of Zhang Senior Sister’s experiences:

It would take at least two to three years for someone with a Single Spirit Root to reach Foundation Establishment, but Zhang Senior Sister did it in less than a year and went straight into Foundation Establishment.

By the time she achieved Golden Core, she had been on the Dao for no more than ten years.

From then on, her reputation soared, and she was regarded as the foremost person beneath the Nascent Souls of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

But for the next eighty or ninety years, she remained stuck at the Golden Core Stage, unable to advance an inch further.

She hid herself in the Mystical Gate Mirror, avoiding the assassination attempts of the Nascent Souls from the Great Freedom Demon Sect, but also forced herself into a desperate situation where she could not emerge without achieving Nascent Soul.

"Zheng Fa, remember... Foundation Establishment must be approached with caution." Despite her predicament, Zhang Senior Sister gave warning to Zheng Fa: "I had no experience back then, and I was walking a path no one before me had taken. I didn’t understand many things clearly, and I was young and got carried away by the title of the number one genius of the Hundred Immortals Alliance."

"Later, when I realized that the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method was not perfected, I learned from ancient texts that if someone really creates a complete cultivation method, there will be anomalies in the heavens and the earth."

"...Anomalies?"

Zheng Fa was a bit puzzled when he heard this.

"Not many people know about this." Zhang Senior Sister explained: "The decline of Spiritual Energy has happened at least five times, and the origins of cultivation methods are unknown to anyone. They might have been perfected before the previous eons, so those who create new cultivation methods are extremely rare. For the past two eons, there has been only one person who has truly created a new cultivation method—"

Zheng Fa’s mouth twitched.

He had guessed who it was.

"The ancient texts record that after he formed his Core, Tianhe Venerable created the Lifebound Spirit Treasure Skills, which has now become the foremost Nascent Soul cultivation method in the Xuanwei Realm. At that time, the Heavenly Dao responded, and the entire Xuanwei Realm witnessed anomalies, and Tianhe Venerable uttered ’where the Dao emerges, anomalies appear.’"

Of course, it’s you, Tianhe Venerable, everywhere!

"When I used the ’Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method’ to solidify the foundation, there were no anomalies—perhaps because the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method is just a Foundation Establishment method."

"But it’s also possible that the Primordial Talisman foundation I solidified itself is flawed and cannot be considered a complete cultivation method." Zhang Senior Sister sighed softly, "It’s a pity I only understand this now."

"Cultivation is always a case of one mistake leading to a cascade of errors." Zhang Senior Sister continued to admonish Zheng Fa: "I have not yet seen the path to forming a Nascent Soul, even if I do form it, there will probably still be difficulties later on—Zheng Fa, if you don’t want to end up like me, be three times more careful during Foundation Establishment."

Seeing her giving advice to this extent even now,

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but interrupt her: "Senior Sister, are you confident about forming a Nascent Soul?"

"..." Zhang Senior Sister was silent for a while before saying, "Golden Core lives a thousand years, I still have nine hundred years left, there’s no rush."

"..."

This seemed confident.

But it was really anything but.

In the Xuanwei Realm, the lifespans of Qi Cultivation people aren’t much different from normal people, just over a hundred years.

After Foundation Establishment, one can live up to three hundred years.

Golden Core for a thousand years.

Nascent Soul represents a significant leap, it is said that the Sect Leader is already about ten thousand years old.

But... these are all ideal lifespans.

To Zheng Fa’s knowledge, there are too few cultivators who die of old age.

Zhang Senior Sister is now relying on the Thunder Pool to stay alive. Now that the Heavenly Stele has appeared, the Thunder Pool might also undergo some changes, and with the Great Freedom Demon Sect close by, if the Thunder Pool can no longer protect Zhang Senior Sister, it’s questionable whether she can live another nine hundred years.

Even if she could live—issues with her Golden Core cannot be resolved simply with time.

With Zhang Senior Sister’s personality, if she really had confidence, she would not have answered so evasively.

"Senior Sister Zhang, I have a conjecture about the Yin Yang Talisman..."

At this point, all he could hope for was that the Yin Yang Talisman might bring some inspiration to Senior Sister Zhang.

Senior Sister Zhang couldn’t help but look enlivened and expectant, listening attentively to Zheng Fa’s explanation.

"Chirality?"

"Mirror image?"

After Zheng Fa finished speaking, Zhang Senior Sister closed her eyes to think for a while, as if simulating within herself.

After a long time, she gently nodded and then shook her head, her face showing calm with a hint of disappointment.

"I understand chirality." Zhang Senior Sister said to Zheng Fa: "The Yin Yang Talisman Diagram indeed corresponds to the right and left hands."

"But the mirror image... isn’t quite accurate."

Zheng Fa gently nodded, he himself had realized this:

"The Five Elements Child Talisman alone, the Yin Yang Talisman Diagrams are mirror images of each other, but the talismanic diagram is divided into Three Child Talismans."

"The other two types of Sub-talismans in the Yin Yang Talisman Diagram are not the same, and cannot be regarded as mirror images."

For example, the Earth Element Spirit Talisman in the Primordial Talisman Zheng Fa solidified is the Right Stand No Shadow Talisman for the Yin Earth, and the Enlightenment Talisman for the Yang Earth.

The only identical structure between the two is the Earth Element Sub-talisman.

The other two types of Sub-talismans are completely different.

Considering them as mirror images is quite forced.

Zhang Senior Sister nodded slightly, seeing the somewhat downcast expression on Zheng Fa’s face, she suddenly smiled and said: "The theory of mirror images may not be incorrect."

"Yes, but it didn’t help Senior Sister much."

Zheng Fa said softly.

The last time the Five Elements Child Talisman theory had just been proposed, Zhang Senior Sister had already made progress.

Now, however, she doesn’t seem to have received any inspiration.

"No, you did well." Zhang Senior Sister suddenly said, "Zheng Fa, do you know what I thought of when I sealed myself into the Mystical Gate Mirror?"

"What?"

"I’m grateful," Zhang murmured softly: "Grateful that I went to Zhao Mansion that time."

"Grateful that I brought you into Jiushan Sect."

"Grateful that I passed on the ’Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method’ to you."

Zheng Fa was startled, but listened as Zhang continued:

"So it’s because I met you, so Jiushan Sect found its most suitable future Sect Leader, so the ’Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method’ found its best successor."

Zhang was particularly talkative today.

Zheng Fa felt somewhat stifled in his heart, yet he didn’t know what to say.

"Zheng Fa, even the Tianhe Venerable has perished both body and spirit, how could I possibly escape? But if one day you truly perfect the ’Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Method,’ the world will know—that there was once a Zhang Wuyi in the Xuanwei Realm," Zhang said quietly.

"The Thunder Pool is dangerous, you two should go back first," Zhang, seeing the two’s silence, gently sighed and said: "I’m safe for the moment within the Mystical Gate Mirror. Zheng Fa, you might as well go take a look at the Heavenly Stele instead of coming here every day."

"Besides, I must cultivate."

As she spoke, her face was unusually calm.

Hearing her words, Zheng Fa could only exchange a glance with the other, bid farewell, and leave.

...

The next day.

Zhang was sitting beneath the Mystical Gate Mirror, meditating when from afar, she saw Zheng Fa and Yuan once again.

"Didn’t I tell you both to come less often?"

Zhang’s lips faintly curved into a smile as she asked.

"I came to keep you company!" Yuan’s voice was thick with stickiness, she added: "Besides, I don’t practice the Thunder Skill, so what does the Heavenly Stele have to do with me!"

Yuan has always been simple-minded, perhaps that’s why her cultivation progress isn’t slow.

Zhang shook her head, turning towards Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa, however, took a few thick books out of his storage bag.

On the cover of the books were some titles that even Zhang couldn’t understand.

"High School Mathematics Volume," "Mathematical Analysis," "Topology"...

Seeing her puzzled look, Zheng Fa said, "Sister, these are some research methods related to talismanic diagrams, I thought they might be of some help to you."

Topology would surely be of the greatest help in studying talismanic diagrams.

But learning topology itself required some prerequisite knowledge.

For instance, the most basic point-set topology required the foundation of mathematical analysis—even though that seems to be an entry-level course for university mathematics departments, without needing much background.

In reality, one needs to understand some basic knowledge about functions and set theory.

This "High School Mathematics Volume" written by Zheng Fa contained such prerequisite information.

Zhang’s eyes brightened, her face involuntarily revealing a smile.

"Is this similar to those secret techniques you mentioned before?"

"These are more fundamental," Zheng Fa said as he opened the book: "Those before could only be called methods, these are the foundation that produces those methods."

Zhang nodded gently, her face brimming with eagerness.

Even Yuan came over, her face showing curiosity.

"First, we need to understand the classification of numbers..."

Zheng Fa opened the book, starting to explain slowly.

...

Two hours later, Zheng Fa had just started on the function part of high school mathematics—Yuan could no longer bear it.

Her gaze was bewildered as she watched Zheng Fa’s lips moving, her face slowly filling with resistance, as though her brain had initiated an instinct for self-preservation.

"I..." she suddenly said: "I’ll go take a look at the Heavenly Stele!"

"..."

Zheng Fa and Yuan turned their heads to look at her. She said softly, "I suddenly feel a sense—I’m fated with the Heavenly Stele!"

"You said you don’t practice Thunder Skill, right?" Zheng Fa asked.

"Who can be certain of a Heavenly encounter?" Yuan shouted as she ran, "Zhang, I’ll come to keep you company after Zheng finishes talking!"

Watching her fleeting figure, Zheng Fa and Zhang exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but shake their heads with a light laugh.

"Yuan is indeed somewhat lacking in aptitude for this field, continue speaking!"

Zhang said spiritedly, as if the content Zheng Fa was talking about was not only comprehensible to her but also incredibly interesting.

"Okay, let’s look at several basic functions..."

One spoke, the other listened.

Both being cultivators, once immersed, they would forget about time.

Zheng Fa finished the "High School Mathematics," and even went through half of "Mathematical Analysis."

He was somewhat captivated as he had previously learned this with Old Man Bai, but it was the first time he tried explaining this knowledge himself.

He was having a different realization.

"Sister Zhang?" Zheng suddenly said.

"Hmm?"

"Would you like to take a look at the Heavenly Stele too?"

"... Ah?"

"Suddenly, I feel a sense—that you are fated with the Heavenly Stele," Zhang pinched her forehead, seemingly with a bit of a headache, but her face was full of earnestness.

Me and that thing are fated, and you have a premonition?

This excuse sounded even more far-fetched than Yuan’s reason for running away.

Seeing the look of terror in Zhang’s eyes as she gazed at the books in his hands, Zheng understood:

When it comes to sharing knowledge, one should not to do so excessively all at once. Moderation is necessary.

Take Zhang, for instance, she’s been filled to the brim...