I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 243: Duty and Honor, Arm in Arm with Joy

The sky over Jiushan Realm was always misty, with no sun in sight.

But the thunderlight from the Zhoutian Divine Thunder Immortal Formation lit up Struggle-for-Dao Island like daytime.

The twenty-four Foundation Establishment disciples chosen through selection stood in formation, cooperating with one another, some casting spells, others activating spiritual talismans, summoning thunderclouds overhead with rolling rumbles and booming thunder.

Their thunder techniques were dazzling and brilliant—really not inferior to those of ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

But this radiant thunderlight couldn’t brighten the faces of Zheng Fa and the others.

After passing around the summoning order sent by Zhenren Tongming, the smiles on the faces of Martial Uncle Pang and the others dimmed slightly.

The cultivators of the Xuanyi Realm were interesting people: they yearned for immortality, yet often risked their lives for seemingly enticing treasures or cultivation techniques, and some even liked chaotic environments.

But people of the Jiushan Realm were different: maybe someone in the world likes war, but certainly not them—Jiushan Realm was flourishing, who would want turmoil now?

But war was going to happen anyway. “Sect Master?”

Martial Uncle Pang and the others all looked toward Zheng Fa, their address making it clear just how important this decision was.

Zheng Fa stayed silent for a moment, then said calmly, “Let’s not even talk about the Demonic Sect. With the Five Sects of Xuanyi jointly issuing the summoning order, we can’t just fake our way through it.”

“Exactly. We can’t be wishy-washy,” Old Yuan also said with a frown. “What’s more, we’ve long had enmity with the Great Freedom Demonic Sect, and that Great Freedom Demon Ancestor covets Jiushan Realm—stopping him from descending serves our interests.”

They were speaking from two different angles, but there was only one conclusion:

They had to go.

“According to the summoning order, our main responsibility is to clean up disciples below the Nascent Soul level—not too dangerous.”

The Five Sects of Xuanyi still cared about face—or maybe they just thought that non-Soul Formation cultivators wouldn’t be of much use against the Demonic Sect’s Soul Formation level fighters.

At least, the task didn’t sound too overwhelming.

Zheng Fa turned his eyes back to the disciples practicing the Immortal Formation. He silently did a count in his mind and ordered, “Martial Uncle, select forty-eight Foundation Establishment disciples and twenty-four Golden Core disciples to train in the Immortal Formation. They’ll come with me to Chen Prefecture.”

That was pretty much Jiushan Realm’s elite—Jiushan Sect only had a little over twenty Golden Core disciples altogether.

To pick this many was obviously to let them form Immortal Formations and boost their self-protection.

Senior Sister Zhang frowned and spoke up, “You can’t go to Chen Prefecture.”

Zheng Fa was stunned, then saw Martial Uncle Pang and the others nodding one after another.

“The safety of Jiushan Realm rests on you. You can’t take the risk,” Old Yuan said sternly.

“Senior Sister…”

Zheng Fa had intended to lead the team himself—he figured he had the Rainbow Transformation technique, so staying alive wouldn’t be hard.

“I’ll go. Martial Uncle Pang and Senior Uncle Yuan will lead the team. Master and you will stay to guard Jiushan Realm.”

At that moment, Senior Sister Zhang looked cold and unyielding, blatantly ignoring Zheng Fa’s authority as sect master. She took matters into her own hands and arranged everything without consulting him.

The two elders beside her each nodded, acting as if this were completely normal.

Wait, who’s the Sect Master again?

“…There’s still the Ancestor of the Blood River in Jiushan.”

Seeing he said nothing, Senior Sister Zhang reminded him. Only then did Zheng Fa startle—

Their main advantage in suppressing the Ancestor of the Blood River was Jiushan Realm’s unique rules—this was, after all, the domain of the Sun and Moon Bell.

If something happened to the Sun and Moon Bell, the Ancestor of the Blood River wouldn’t be easy to control.

Senior Sister Zhang’s meaning was clear: the Sun and Moon Bell had Soul Formation-level power, but it was tied to Jiushan’s stability. Best not to move it unless necessary.

After thinking it through, Zheng Fa still insisted, “I’ll stay hidden with Jiushan Realm’s forces. That should be enough.”

Senior Sister Zhang and the others exchanged looks and, realizing Zheng Fa wasn’t leaving the realm, decided there was no real danger, so they didn’t argue further.

Seeing Zheng Fa still looking worried, Martial Uncle Pang smiled and said, “Zheng Fa, you’re just too inexperienced… Which one of us Xuanyi cultivators hasn’t fought in dozens of battles?”

“It’s just a bunch of demon punks—not as terrifying as you think.”

Zheng Fa shook his head. He knew Martial Uncle Pang was just trying to comfort him.

His uncle’s past enemies were nowhere near the level of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect.

He lowered his head and started calculating things in his mind.

…

The disciples selected for the expedition were finalized quickly. The twenty-four Golden Core disciples were naturally the sect’s finest, and even the forty-eight Foundation Establishment ones were among the most gifted.

They all gathered at the main hall on Heavenly Palace Island.

Zheng Fa stood before the seventy-two disciples, scanning their faces one by one:

Sun Daoyu, Senior Brother Yang, Zhou Qianyuan…

He knew them all.

“Do you know why Martial Uncle Pang picked you?”

Zheng Fa suddenly asked.

The disciples all shook their heads.

“Because you are the most elite of all Jiushan disciples. That’s why you have to go.” Zheng Fa said plainly.

“……”

“Think it’s unfair?”

Sun Daoyu and the others stayed silent.

In the Xuanyi Realm, things usually weren’t like this—lower-level disciples could die like flies, while geniuses were guarded like treasures.

To be honest, Zheng Fa understood.

That fit a cultivator’s mindset: one genius might be worth ten thousand ordinary disciples.

“To put it bluntly, I’m reluctant too. The sect values you the most, gives you the best resources, and we elders have poured the most effort into you—objectively speaking, losing even one of you hurts me and the others deeply.”

Sun Daoyu’s face showed doubt, and the others looked the same.

“But precisely because of that, you’re the ones who must go.” Zheng Fa’s tone shifted. “Jiushan Sect is different from sects in Xuanyi Realm.”

“Remember this: you are nurtured by the incense offerings of Jiushan’s mortal people.”

“When Jiushan faces danger, it must be Jiushan’s disciples who step up.”

“And among all disciples, you are the ones who received the most.”

Zheng Fa’s words were straightforward. This wasn’t Xuanyi Realm’s norm—it was modern reasoning: those in power must protect those they rule.

In his eyes, Jiushan disciples had to represent not only advanced productivity, but also the broad interests of Jiushan’s people…

The more elite they were, the more this was true.

This was rare in Xuanyi Realm:

Sects there took offerings from mortals, yes, but protection… was optional.

Still, Sun Daoyu and the others weren’t incapable of understanding it.

Even though Zheng Fa knew losing even one would slow Jiushan’s development…

If privilege and responsibility weren’t aligned, if the most resourced disciples sat back while ordinary ones went to die…

Forget the resentment from below—what kind of disciples would that create?

Put another way, would that still be the Jiushan Realm he dreamed of?

That was why, after discussing with Martial Uncle Pang, he chose these elite disciples to go.

Seeing the confusion fade from their faces, Zheng Fa waved his hand, and dozens of storage bags floated in front of them.

“One for each of you.”

Sun Daoyu picked one up, opened it, and found it packed with spiritual talismans, healing medicine, even a few books.

One of them turned out to be about the culture and geography of Chen Prefecture.

Everyone’s hearts were stirred.

Zheng Fa took out six Tongjian devices and handed them to Senior Sister Zhang, two other elders, and three disciples.

“These Tongjians were specially made by me and Madam Xuanhua. They require a unique spiritual trigger,” Zheng Fa explained. “There will be a new forum page accessible only through these six Tongjians. While you’re in Chen Prefecture, use them to share intel and coordinate. Senior Sister Zhang will also guide you through the forum.”

Forget the storage bags—the new Tongjian and its new page were Zheng Fa’s recent idea:

Basically, a wartime communication channel to share real-time intel—maybe even generate a mini-map marking the enemy’s positions.

Senior Sister Zhang could communicate through the Investiture List and receive help from the “Jiushan Staff Department.”

They might even run tactical coordination.

Whether Xuanyi Realm had something like this, he didn’t know. But Jiushan never did before.

After all this, Zheng Fa let Martial Uncle Pang lead the disciples away.

Martial Uncle Pang dismissed the rest and called Sun Daoyu and a few others to follow him to his residence.

“Still holding a grudge?”

Sun Daoyu and the others shook their heads. “No…”

“Didn’t think so. I agree with this selection…” Martial Uncle Pang said as he walked.

“Master?”

“The Sect Master wanted to lead personally. We stopped him and he’ll still watch over you in secret. Me, Senior Uncle Yuan, and Senior Sister Zhang are all going. Why wouldn’t you?”

Thinking it over, Sun Daoyu and the others had no argument.

“Don’t think the Sect Master doesn’t value you. He converted all the spirit stones earned from Economic Development Island into talismans and healing pills—for you.”

“…Yes.”

“And these six Tongjians—he made them day and night these past few days.”

Sun Daoyu lowered his head, staring at the device in his hand.

“Those books on Chen Prefecture—I don’t even know where he found them,” Martial Uncle Pang added, turning to look at Sun Daoyu. “I’m your master, and I didn’t think of all this… You’ve got a good Sect Master.”

“We understand.”

…

But Zheng Fa was then approached by an unexpected disciple.

“You want to go to Chen Prefecture?”

Zheng Fa looked at Lin Bufan standing before him.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“To avenge…”

Zheng Fa understood at once—he meant avenging his uncle, who was curse-killed by Lin Yangtian years ago.

Seeing Zheng Fa understood, Lin Bufan bowed deeply, knelt on the ground, and said:

“If the Immortal Sects win this war, I fear Lin Yangtian will be killed. If they lose, I fear I won’t even get the chance for revenge… Sect Master, I can’t wait any longer.”

Lin Bufan’s reasoning was solid—if the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor really resurrected, whether Lin Bufan, a traitor, could survive was already uncertain, let alone avenge his uncle.

Zheng Fa felt reluctant—many of the talismans in those storage bags were thanks to Lin Bufan’s blood donations.

Looking at Lin Bufan kneeling on the ground, he shook his head and said, “Then I’ll have Senior Sister take you. But remember this: you can take revenge, but not at the expense of Jiushan’s safety. And not a single word of Jiushan’s secrets can be revealed.”

Lin Bufan knocked his head hard against the floor and said gratefully, “Thank you, Sect Master.”

He was truly grateful—after all, because of his soul imprint, he was valuable to Jiushan Sect, and his very life was still held in Zheng Fa’s hands.

…

Mount Tongming had grown increasingly lively in recent days. The surrounding sects, big and small, all rushed there after receiving the summoning order, not daring to delay.

“So many people!”

A slightly childish voice called out at the foot of the mountain.

“Keep it down!”

Seeing her master wave anxiously at her, Fang Yuan stuck out her tongue but still looked up at the sky, eyes full of wonder.

Beams of escape light crisscrossed the sky, forming rainbow bridges. She couldn’t help feeling dazzled.

She was a disciple from a small nearby sect. Her master, also the sect leader, was merely at the Golden Core stage… not even qualified to receive the Five Sects’ summoning order.

Technically, they didn’t have to come.

But the Nascent Soul sect they relied on did receive the order, and, not wanting to risk their own disciples, had dragged them along, claiming them as their own.

Her master had been grumbling the whole way, feeling like cannon fodder and terrified their sect would be wiped out by the Demonic Sect, ending their ancestor’s lineage.

But Fang Yuan seemed a bit carefree—though she’d cried twice before leaving out of fear, once on the road she decided to just roll with it and adjusted pretty quickly.

All she wanted was to see more of the world before she died. So now, she was still curiously looking around.

Every beam of escape light in the sky represented a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Below the mountain, crowds of cultivators gathered, as dense as ants relocating a nest.

She counted quietly—there were probably over three thousand people, all at least Foundation Establishment.

In her tiny sect, a Foundation Establishment cultivator would already be a core disciple.

That made Fang Yuan click her tongue in awe. She felt like her eyes had been opened. She was glad she came—it was a real spectacle.

Seeing her acting so brazenly, her master tugged her sleeve and knocked her on the forehead. “Behave yourself!”

Fang Yuan looked at her master in grievance, only to see him point ahead at a figure. He didn’t speak, but she instantly understood—

That back belonged to a slightly chubby middle-aged man, a Nascent Soul cultivator. He was the sect master who forced them to come—his surname was Chen, and on the journey, he’d acted full of himself. The most update n0vels are published on n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

To be fair, Fang Yuan thought it was natural that a Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn’t pay attention to their master-disciple duo.

But now, that same person was standing in front of a Tongming Mountain reception disciple, smiling so kindly.

Fang Yuan never imagined that face, which had exuded pure authority the entire journey, could look so goofy and eager…

Even though that disciple’s cultivation didn’t seem high—on par with her master’s, just Golden Core—Sect Master Chen’s attitude was unbelievably humble.

“I wonder if I might pay a visit to Zhenren Chengkong?”

“……”

The disciple didn’t respond, just looked at him.

“Then… Zhenren Tongming perhaps?”

Sect Master Chen took out a storage bag and stuffed it into the disciple’s sleeve, continuing his flattery undeterred.

“The Sect Master is receiving a few senior cultivators right now. If he has time…”

The disciple paused.

Sect Master Chen slipped him another storage bag, quickly adding, “Please give me a heads-up if he becomes available… I’d very much like to pay my respects.”

The disciple touched the storage bag, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled brightly as he led them up the mountain.

As they walked, he explained warmly, “Zhenren Chengkong is the envoy from Taishang Dao. Aside from Soul Formation cultivators, who dares to expect a meeting with him?”

“Yes, of course…”

“There are three Soul Formation experts attending this alliance, and nearly a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators here on Mount Tongming. How could the Sect Master meet everyone?”

Sect Master Chen quickly flattered him, “Zhenren is a busy and noble figure—I’ve long admired him…”

“Plenty admire the Sect Master. If it weren’t for you…”

The disciple chuckled.

Sect Master Chen just grinned, pretending not to hear a thing.

Watching this shady transaction unfold behind him, Fang Yuan was stunned.

A sigh came from beside her. She turned to find her master looking down in frustration and a hint of self-pity. Suddenly, she understood—at her cultivation level, she wasn’t even qualified to offer bribes.

Thinking about her own helpless state, her expression turned heavy.

Just then, a bell rang out from the sky. They looked up to see the Sun and Moon Bell hanging high above. Zheng Fa descended with several dozen disciples, landing at the foot of Mount Tongming.

Fang Yuan glanced over curiously. Zheng Fa was only at the Golden Core stage, though a few around him gave off a terrifying aura. She couldn’t help wondering how this young man ended up in the lead.

While she was still puzzled, a loud laugh rang out from the top of Mount Tongming. In the blink of an eye, a man appeared in front of the young cultivator.

“Zhenren Tongming?”

She heard Sect Master Chen blurt out.

That was the head of Tongming Mountain? The leader of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, Zhenren Tongming?

Suddenly, the base of Mount Tongming fell into total silence. Thousands of cultivators stared at Zhenren Tongming, baffled as to why this Soul Formation elder, who had just been perched atop the mountain, overseeing everyone, had suddenly come out to greet someone.

Fang Yuan thought the smile on Zhenren Tongming’s face looked familiar… um, kind of like the one that disciple wore after receiving the storage bag earlier.

“Sect Master Zheng!” she heard Zhenren Tongming say to the young man. “All of Tongming Mountain has been awaiting your arrival!”

Zhenren Tongming took his arm with a joyful, brotherly expression.

He led Zheng Fa up the mountain, saying as they went, “I’ll first take you to see Zhenren Chengkong, then arrange accommodations for your disciples. Zhenren Chengkong’s asked me about you several times. Now that you’re here, you should meet him first.”

Seeing Zhenren Tongming treating himself like a mere reception disciple, trying to personally arrange accommodations for the newcomers—even the shrewd and worldly Sect Master Chen was dumbfounded.

He looked at the disciple in front of him, his face full of deep confusion. “Wasn’t Zhenren Tongming meeting with senior cultivators? Wasn’t he very busy?”

“……”

“Didn’t you say that Zhenren Chengkong wouldn’t meet anyone below Soul Formation?”

The Tongming disciple twitched his lips and gave him a look. “That’s Zheng Fa from Jiushan.”

Sect Master Chen froze, then suddenly his face lit up with realization, as if he’d heard of the name before, and all his questions vanished.

“Zheng Fa from Jiushan?”

Fang Yuan muttered the name to herself, then looked up to see Sect Master Chen wearing the same expression her master had earlier—

Resigned, but wholly convinced.