I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 225: A Cup of Wine Between Friends, Wait for Spring in a Hundred Years

Zhenren Tongming truly couldn’t figure it out.

Madam Xuanhua was understandable—after all, with all the chaos in the Xuanyi Realm, her seeking refuge in the Jiushan Sect made sense.

But that Qian Qi…

A Foundation Establishment cultivator he had never even heard of, someone he wouldn't have given a second glance.

How did he suddenly have such ability after entering the Jiushan Realm?

Even if he wasn’t skilled in spiritual agriculture, he could still understand the value of cultivating a new spiritual plant… there were quite a few sects in the Hundred Immortals Alliance that specialized in this, but in the past twenty thousand years, few new varieties had been developed.

Or rather—every successfully cultivated new spiritual plant could support an entire small sect.

If he had to translate his confusion into words, it’d be—is someone pulling my leg?

He looked at the bowl and plate in front of him, then looked around at the others. Master Yu still seemed skeptical and couldn’t wait to pick up his chopsticks, already tasting the dish.

Even Zhenren Chengkong was eating with interest, nodding as he chewed, who knew what he was thinking.

Zhenren Tongming also tried a few bites.

Master Yu was the first to speak: “Spiritual energy is thin, but it’s novel. Quite a few disciples will probably like it.”

Zhenren Chengkong pointed at a plate—it was a dish of stir-fried greens, but he pointed specifically at the green peppers. He smiled and said, “I find this one the most interesting. Spicy, sure—but also a bit numbing.”

Zhenren Tongming nodded as well.

The other dishes were just okay—edible, but not particularly delicious. At least to them Nascent Soul cultivators, they were nothing special.

Only this green pepper was quite intriguing—spicy and numbing, with an oddly satisfying kick.

Sun Daoyu also laughed and said, “This one was only recently cultivated. We call it Thunder Pepper. It's not just spicy—it contains lightning energy. People who eat it feel numb. The disciples can’t get used to it, but many of the senior brothers are now hooked.” ŗ𝘢ꞐòBÊŠ

Zhenren Tongming could tell the lightning energy was just the right intensity, adding a unique flavor.

Many people would love it—especially as a side dish. Huge market potential.

Master Yu gently shook his head and sighed, “Just from the Qianhe Grain and Thunder Pepper, it’s clear Jiushan’s level in spiritual agriculture is extraordinary.”

His face was full of praise.

Sun Daoyu gave a soft chuckle, clearly proud.

“That was also cultivated by Qian Qi?” Master Yu asked curiously.

“Likely due to Sect Master’s guidance,” Sun Daoyu thought for a moment and said, “but Zhenren Qian worked very hard.” Follow current novels on nοvelfire.net

Master Yu nodded slightly, then suddenly sighed, “Zheng Fa… he should’ve joined my Hundred Herbs Sect.”

Sun Daoyu’s smile froze—what, you’re trying to poach Zheng Fa now that he’s already a Sect Master?

Master Yu continued, “Jiushan didn’t seem to have any prior foundation in spiritual agriculture, and Qianhe Sect wasn’t much either… but you’ve only been in the Jiushan Realm a short while…”

“To see so much from just a glimpse.” Master Yu sighed, “Sect Master Zheng must possess amazing skill in spiritual agriculture.”

Zhenren Chengkong set down his chopsticks slowly, deep in thought.

…

The next day, Zheng Fa didn’t show up to receive them. Instead, Martial Uncle Pang came.

Zhenren Chengkong didn’t see Zheng Fa and directly asked, “Where’s Zheng Fa?”

Martial Uncle Pang answered cheerfully, “I beg Zhenren’s forgiveness, Zheng Fa is a bit busy these days.”

“Busy?”

“Indeed, he’s busy sending students to take the entrance exams.”

Everyone looked even more puzzled.

“You may not know, but the students from Letu Island in the Jiushan Realm are currently taking their entry exams. Zheng Fa’s younger sister is one of them.”

These were the very exams Zheng Shan had been nervously anticipating.

The date had been set for three main reasons:

First, Zheng Shan and the others had been attending school for almost a year. A year was short, but many on Letu Island had previously studied in the Xuanyi Realm. Some of them now met the Jiushan Sect's entry requirements.

Second, the timing coincided with the Hundred Immortals Gathering, which would include duels and trade opening on Economic Development Zone Island—likely a lively time. Zheng Fa hoped the students could relax and enjoy it.

Third—and most important: the rice on Letu Island was ripe for harvest, and these students had trained in martial arts, so they could help their families.

Zheng Fa didn’t want them to grow up idle and ignorant of grains…

So he gave them a long vacation, with a major exam right before. He planned to make this a regular practice.

…

Martial Uncle Pang didn’t explain all that. He only gave a basic explanation of what the entrance exams were.

Unexpectedly, Zhenren Tongming and the others were quite interested.

“Then may we go have a look?” Zhenren Tongming asked.

“This…” Martial Uncle Pang was confused, “but they’re just mortals.”

“We’re free anyway. Before the Hundred Immortals Gathering begins, we’d like to admire your sect’s outstanding talents…” Zhenren Tongming chuckled.

Jiushan Sect wasn’t participating in the gathering this time—after all, they weren’t part of the Hundred Immortals Alliance anymore.

“That’s hardly a fair comparison,” Martial Uncle Pang waved it off, “the Hundred Immortals Gathering draws each sect’s finest disciples.”

Indeed, they weren’t on the same level:

The Hundred Immortals Alliance was already far bigger than Jiushan Sect.

Not to mention the gathering was a grand event for elite disciples. Compared to entrance exams, the quality gap was vast.

It’d be like picking on the weak.

“No comparison, no competition, just observation.”

Zhenren Tongming insisted.

Martial Uncle Pang had no choice. After discussing with Zheng Fa, he could only agree.

…

Zheng Fa didn’t mind them watching the entrance exams. He was at home, hosting the Seventh Young Master Zhao Jingfan and his sister Zhao Jinglan.

The Seventh Young Master’s demeanor had changed—he was more subdued.

Zheng Shan was bouncing around in her room, digging through drawers until she found a pouch of crushed candy and offered it to the two guests.

Seeing her bright eyes fixed on him, the Seventh Young Master couldn’t help but smile. He patted Zheng Shan’s little head and asked, “You’ve got an exam coming up—are you scared?”

Zheng Shan scrunched her face and said nothing. Clearly, the question hit a sore spot.

“Hahaha, I was terrified as a kid!” the Seventh Young Master laughed aloud, “Every time the teacher gave us a test, it felt like the sky was falling.”

“But hey, I was a young master—bombing a test didn’t matter.”

“Your brother is the Sect Master… so you really don’t need to worry!”

Zheng Shan wrinkled her nose and finally said, “Exactly because he’s the Sect Master—I am worried!”

“Huh?”

The three at the table all stared at her, then heard her say seriously, “If I do badly, my brother will lose face.”

The Seventh Young Master was stunned, then burst into laughter again, repeating:

“Wonderful… wonderful!”

He looked at Zheng Fa, suddenly let out a sigh, and said, “Your sister is great. Things used to be… really good.”

Zheng Fa looked at him deeply, sensing the heavy thoughts in his heart.

…

Zheng’s mother was still a mortal. In her view, guests meant meals.

They ate the same spiritual plants, including Thunder Peppers.

As the meal neared its end, the Seventh Young Master suddenly asked, “Got any wine?”

Zheng Fa glanced at him, then at his mother.

Zheng’s mother said, “We don’t have any at home, I’ll borrow some from the neighbors.”

She stepped out, and Zheng Fa kept watching the Seventh Young Master—he remembered he was never fond of alcohol.

But today, for some reason, he asked for it on his own.

When Zheng’s mother returned, she had a wine jug in hand and looked slightly apologetic: “It’s home-brewed—I don’t know if it suits your taste.”

“It’s great!”

The Seventh Young Master nodded, smiling as he asked, “Do you have cups?”

“Yes, yes, how many?”

Zheng’s mother’s expression looked slightly concerned.

“Three.”

Zhao Jinglan seemed to understand something and gently pulled Zheng’s mother and Zheng Shan out of the room.

Only the Seventh Young Master and Zheng Fa remained inside.

The Seventh Young Master said nothing. He simply lowered his head, placed three cups on the table, and filled them.

Zheng Fa sensed something:

“Gao Yuan…”

“Dead.”

The Seventh Young Master downed his cup in one go.

Zheng Fa was silent for a moment, then also raised his cup and drank it all.

The wine was murky and slightly bitter.

The Seventh Young Master poured the second cup onto the floor, then filled three more.

The two of them drank three cups each and poured out three.

Only then did the Seventh Young Master slowly speak:

“He was just a clerk… why the h*ll did he risk his life?”

“Was he an idiot?”

“I told him to come to Tongming Mountain earlier, but he insisted on waiting… waiting for what, to die?”

Zheng Fa listened to the Seventh Young Master rant.

This man—he used to look down on Gao Yuan, always cursing him.

Now Gao Yuan was dead, and he was still cursing…

But perhaps Gao Yuan wouldn’t mind anymore.

After a while, he asked, “What about Steward Gao?”

“…Got the letter. Fell ill. He’s bedridden now.”

“Who killed him?”

Zheng Fa asked again.

“No idea, it was chaos. Can’t find the truth. Just know he died in Chen Prefecture—that place is now completely under the Great Freedom Demonic Sect.”

Zheng Fa nodded, memorizing the location.

“I used to think I could do anything, everything…” the Seventh Young Master said again, “But after becoming Family Head, I realized—it’s so damn hard.”

“When I came to Qingmu Sect with my mother, we had over four hundred Zhao family members, and more than a thousand servants.”

“Now, those who died or scattered along the way… and those abducted or killed by the Great Freedom Demonic Sect these days… more than four hundred.”

Zheng Fa said nothing. He knew the Seventh Young Master didn’t need a response.

“If it weren’t for you… I probably couldn’t have even protected the rest.”

…The Seventh Young Master was someone with a mind like a clear mirror.

“When I was a kid, I thought getting tested by the teacher was like the sky was falling,” the Seventh Young Master seemed to have so much to say that his words tumbled out incoherently, “but now the sky really has fallen, and I have to hold it up myself… only then do I realize how good things were back then…”

“Back then, there was you, and there was Gao Yuan…”

At this point, he stopped speaking and just kept his head down.

After a long while, the Seventh Young Master looked up at Zheng Fa, sniffled, his eyes red, and pointed at the nearly finished Thunder Pepper.

“This stuff sucks…”

“Too spicy!”

…

After sending the Seventh Young Master off, Zheng Fa returned to his own room.

He took out a storage pouch. Inside was a letter. He opened it—it was the letter Gao Yuan had left for him before he departed.

He stroked the paper, and couldn’t help recalling the figure standing at the gates of the Zhao Estate, backpack slung over his shoulder, flashing him a big grin.

Zheng Fa didn’t even need to look to know the last two lines Gao Yuan had written in that letter—

“So I want to go to the academy, I want to keep studying, I want to work as a low-level clerk, see what I can do for this world.”

“If you really become a big shot in the Immortal Sect but haven’t changed the world one bit, then when I see you again, I’ll have to laugh at you.”

He read the letter again and again, over and over, until dawn.

…

The next day was the Jiushan Sect’s entrance exam.

Not only Zhenren Tongming, but even many disciples attending the Hundred Immortals Gathering came over to check it out.

“Written test and arithmetic in the morning, martial arts and spiritual roots in the afternoon?”

Zhenren Tongming asked Zheng Fa. It was clear he was genuinely curious—what Zheng Fa didn’t know was that Zhenren Tongming had a lot of questions in his heart. He wanted to understand why Qian Qi had changed so much.

He had come here to see what Zheng Fa was actually doing, and how he was recruiting disciples.

“How many people are taking the exam altogether?”

“Forty thousand—just under fifty thousand.”

The exam candidates on Letu Island ranged from young to older. The youngest were three years younger than Zheng Shan, and the oldest were already fifteen or sixteen. Since this was the first time, there were many overage examinees, making this batch unusually large.

With so many people, one exam site wasn’t enough, so Zheng Fa set up more than ten exam points across Letu Island.

Zheng Fa stood outside the one where his little sister was taking hers.

Zhenren Tongming and the others were here too.

“So what’s the standard?”

“We calculate a total score. Spiritual roots and arithmetic carry the most weight, martial arts and writing less so,” Zheng Fa explained.

No matter how much he valued knowledge, spiritual roots were something that couldn’t be ignored.

Arithmetic was the foundation of all science, so naturally it was important.

Martial arts and literature… those were more like bonus points. Zheng Fa tested these two mainly to help identify future teachers for the mortal world in the Jiushan Realm.

Zhenren Tongming tried to understand it his own way—this arithmetic, was it the equivalent of miscellaneous disciplines like pill-making, talismans, formations, and tools at the Ascension Gathering?

He just didn’t get why Zheng Fa placed such importance on arithmetic.

By modern standards, the method wasn’t exactly fair, but compared to the Xuanyi Realm, it offered a real path for those with talent in research.

Another opening was that the Merit System didn’t restrict based on whether someone belonged to the Jiushan Sect:

Which meant even if one didn’t join the sect, they could still accumulate merit, gather resources and even cultivation methods for self-study or to train the next generation—they just wouldn’t be able to attend University Island or join experiments.

Cultivating all people… was unrealistic for now, and maybe would be for a long time.

Zheng Fa still felt that wasn’t enough, but Zhenren Tongming was already shocked—

There were too many people!

The Ascension Gathering only took in a few thousand disciples at most!

Yet here on tiny Letu Island in the Jiushan Realm, there were this many people taking the exam?

Could the Jiushan Realm even support them?

He couldn’t help but have doubts.

Looking back at the test site, he was even more shocked—

Not even mentioning the other sites, just this one alone had candidates who all knew how to read and write.

The arithmetic test had questions of wildly varying difficulty. Some he himself couldn’t even solve, yet many candidates tackled them with ease.

By the afternoon, it wasn’t just Zhenren Tongming—disciples from the Hundred Immortals Alliance who had come to observe were all buzzing—

The entire exam site—every single person knew at least one entry-level Dao-infused martial art!

That… wasn’t even something many Foundation Establishment or even Golden Core cultivators had access to.

Entry-level martial arts were usually exclusive to disciples from major families.

Who would’ve thought that in the Jiushan Realm, everyone could learn and practice?

As for spiritual root testing, there wasn’t much to say.

…

The entrance exams ended, and results came out quickly:

Only about three hundred made it into the Jiushan Sect—not even a 1% acceptance rate.

The entry requirements were roughly as follows:

If you had a single spiritual root, you could enter easily.

If you had dual roots, you needed to be at least decent in arithmetic.

Three roots required excellence—at least solving eight out of ten problems.

Below three roots—you basically had to score full marks…

There weren’t many single-root candidates. Including Zheng Shan, only two. Even adding the dual roots, there were just a few dozen.

But those excellent in arithmetic—there were actually quite a lot, even more than Zheng Fa had expected. Then again, it made sense:

These people in the Jiushan Realm didn’t have much else, but after living through chaos, they worked harder.

That’s how they managed to get over two hundred.

Zheng Shan, of course, passed easily and entered the Jiushan Sect.

After the exam ended, Zhenren Tongming turned to Zheng Fa with a puzzled expression and asked, “Aren’t you taking in too many disciples?”

After all, the Jiushan Sect had only a thousand disciples over twenty thousand years, and now they were taking in three hundred at once…

And they’d be recruiting every year?

Zheng Fa thought for a bit and smiled, “Zhenren Tongming, I’m afraid our Jiushan cultivators aren’t the same as cultivators in the Xuanyi Realm…”

“Not the same?”

Zhenren Tongming was stunned, not quite understanding.

Zheng Fa didn’t explain. There were some things that even his own Master and Martial Uncle Pang hadn’t understood at first:

From the perspective of traditional Xuanyi Realm cultivators, fewer was always better…

Because those cultivators were fighters above all—they got stronger and consumed more resources, becoming ever more elite and untouchable.

To put it less precisely, they were end-consumers: devouring resources to feed themselves, giving little back to the world.

In battle, ten thousand low-tier cultivators couldn’t match a single high-tier one.

That’s why the Xuanyi Realm so desperately needed “geniuses.”

But that’s not what the Jiushan Realm needed:

From the Golden Core Project, Zheng Fa had already seen—if cultivators acted as producers, the equation changed.

Through cooperation, simplified techniques, and exploration of principles, dozens of sub-Golden Core cultivators could create an external pill that normally only a Nascent Soul cultivator could make!

And raising a few dozen Foundation Establishment disciples cost far fewer resources than a single Nascent Soul—and took much less time.

It was extremely cost-effective…

Not to mention Zheng Fa’s “borrow-a-brain” initiative—more people meant more brains, and that was a good thing.

For Zheng Fa, the only real issue was the spiritual energy decline—but even that worked in his favor:

Less energy made it harder for high-level cultivators to emerge, but low-level cultivators weren’t affected as much.

In fact, all kinds of simplification projects and theoretical explorations would, in the end, save resources and yield more efficient output.

That’s why even his Master and Martial Uncle Pang had been convinced—and the gates of the sect had nearly been thrown wide open.

Seeing this, Zhenren Tongming didn’t press further, but his eyes were still full of deep confusion.

He simply didn’t get it.

As Zheng Fa looked at those newly admitted disciples, he again thought of Gao Yuan’s letter, and silently said to himself:

The world I want is one where cultivators aren’t just feared—they’re appreciated.

It’s right ahead. It’s in the future.

…