I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 259: False Unity, Long and Short Tranquility Bamboo

Zheng Fa strolled toward the medicine garden with a few others, continuing their discussion about the Nine-Turn Golden Core Method.

He said to them, “Of course, this theory is still just a hypothesis. After all, there's no solid proof yet.”

His tone wasn’t as firm as before.

But it wasn’t self-doubt or pre-emptively making excuses for failure. After the forum incident, he realized something—the people of the Jiushan Realm might have a tendency to blindly follow him.

Too few dared to question him.

If things continued this way, wouldn’t all these disciples just wait for him to spoon-feed them?

Then what use were they to him?

Actually, he had taken precautions against this. That was why he toppled those statues—to reduce the mortals’ blind worship in Jiushan.

But even Jiushan Sect disciples were like this. He said that line mostly hoping those beside him would offer some different perspectives.

Senior Sister Zhang was the first to speak, and she really did argue back:

“No, I think your theory makes a lot of sense.”

Zheng Fa turned to look at her. She seemed to be recalling something, then said, “Didn’t you tell me before about something called… First Principles?”

“Huh?”

That phrase coming out of her mouth nearly made Zheng Fa’s face cramp…

“We’re not talking about what the Tianhe Sword Dao is, or that whole 'one sword births ten thousand methods' thing—those are too vague. Let’s just talk about the three realms of Sword Cultivation in the rumors: Sword Qi Thunder Sound, Sword Qi into Rainbow, and Sword Refined into Silk. Oh, and I’ve also heard of Sword into Myriad Forms…”

Her way of thinking was clearly different from Zheng Fa’s.

“If you break them down, they’re actually four phenomena caused by using the sword as a magical tool:”

“Thunder Sound, at its core, is a kind of special sound.”

“Into Rainbow, you could say is a special kind of thunder technique—or say, it produces light.”

“Both can be seen as energy transformations during a change of state.”

“Refined into Silk is the splitting of the magical tool.”

“And Sword into Myriad Forms is the self-replication of the magical tool.”

Senior Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa and said, “From a theoretical perspective, isn’t that just a phase change of a magical tool? And a magical tool’s phase change, at its core, is a phase change of spiritual material. Which brings us right back to our spiritual materials course.” ȐÅΝꝋꞖÈŠ

“If you ignore the Tianhe Sword Dao and just start from principles and observable phenomena, your ideas are all fine—and quite feasible.”

Zheng Fa nodded as he listened. It was true—those four realms could actually be achieved using Five Element spells, or you could say, they were manifestations of phase changes in spiritual materials.

Martial Uncle Pang and Madam Xuanhua exchanged a look, both with some admiration on their faces.

They were still digesting Zheng Fa’s theory, struggling to keep up with their sect leader’s thinking.

But Zhang Wuyi had already fully understood what Zheng Fa was saying. She had even started thinking from another angle and had proposed a more convincing argument.

Earlier, both Martial Uncle Pang and Madam Xuanhua had harbored doubts. Zheng Fa’s ideas were too fanciful, coming at them out of nowhere.

But with Zhang Wuyi’s additions, the whole system began to feel more and more complete.

“Junior Niece Zhang, you…” Martial Uncle Pang suddenly sighed. “Heavens above and earth below, I think only you can understand what Zheng Fa’s saying so quickly…”

Zheng Fa looked at Senior Sister Zhang. Her face was calm, like she had only done a simple feasibility analysis for him.

But that slight curve of her lips… was downright adorable.

He smiled too.

To say something and have someone immediately get it—even understand it better than you do—was rare and wonderful.

And hearing “First Principles” come out of her mouth made him realize her understanding of him might not come from innate brilliance, but from memories of the little things he'd said and done…

Even her way of speaking—always mentioning phenomena and principles—was a little like him.

Zheng Fa even felt a kind of joy from having “raised” her himself…

Yin-yang union, carnal love—that was tempting, sure. But to have such a confidant—better than Chang’e herself.

As they continued walking, they ran into Xiao Yuying, then Old Yuan joined in too. With a legendary method like the Tianhe Sword Dao, of course they were interested.

The six of them followed Senior Sister Zhang’s line of thought, completing the theory bit by bit, each adding their piece.

The main discussion was about how to verify the theory.

Zheng Fa summed it up: “To test it, we still have to start from spiritual materials. We need to find similar materials and simulate the various effects.”

“Thunder Sound and Into Rainbow—those are easier,” said Xiao Yuying first. “I have a spiritual material called Thundercry Stone that produces a sound similar to thunder.”

“And I’ve seen Tianhe Sect people use Sword Qi into Rainbow before. It really does feel like a thunder technique.”

“Refined into Silk…” Madam Xuanhua gradually got into the flow and added, “If we’re talking about silk… there are indeed some extremely sharp and flexible silk-type spiritual treasures. If refining into silk means making a sword into that form, we could reverse-engineer it using those materials. I’ll see if I can buy some.”

Old Yuan slowly nodded. “As for Sword into Myriad Forms, that’s actually the simplest… doesn’t the Wood-Elemental Sub-Talisman already self-replicate?”

The discussion paused. Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Martial Uncle Pang muttered, “So… the Tianhe Sword Dao, and we figured it out just by chatting like this?”

“Not quite that easy,” Zheng Fa remained clear-headed. He shook his head. “Even if the theory is correct, implementing these methods is another matter entirely.”

“We’re just gathering evidence and confirming the direction of research. The real challenge is simulating the materials—especially making the particles inside the body undergo the necessary phase changes. That’s the key.”

That statement wiped the smile off Martial Uncle Pang and the others.

Madam Xuanhua rubbed her head, feeling something was off—like some amazing idea had just slipped into her brain?

She looked at Xiao Yuying, who had an even more complicated expression. Suddenly she realized where that strange feeling came from:

In the Xuanyi Realm, such secret methods or insights were always passed by word of mouth—not even from master to disciple, or father to son.

But here, the Jiushan people casually discussed it, openly and sincerely.

Even she and Xiao Yuying, as outsiders, couldn’t help but get drawn in—wanting to contribute.

They reached the medicine garden. At its center stood the Tranquility Bamboo.

The bamboo had just grown—two fingers wide, one person tall, swaying in the wind.

Zhenren Qian, who was in the garden, wasn’t fazed at all seeing all these bigshots arrive. He casually greeted Martial Uncle Pang, “Zhenren Pang, here again today?”

Zheng Fa looked at Martial Uncle Pang, who blushed and said softly, “I come daily to look at the Tranquility Bamboo. Puts my mind at ease.”

Old Yuan patted his junior brother on the shoulder, as if he understood.

Though small, the Tranquility Bamboo was of great importance to the Jiushan Realm. The realm had already shown significant changes because of it. Even if the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor were to revive, they wouldn’t be too worried.

Part of it was Martial Uncle Pang’s sense of safety. But from what Zheng Fa knew of him, it was also because this thing could protect the Jiushan Sect.

Martial Uncle Pang… was probably the one who cared most about Jiushan in the older generation. For origınal chapters go to NoveI★Fire.net

Senior Sister Zhang murmured, “Too bad we can’t grow a second one.”

Zheng Fa’s face turned serious too. That was exactly why they had come to the medicine garden.

Zhenren Qian seemed prepared. He pointed to several mounds nearby. Each had been dug up, showing a few newly rooted bamboo shoots, all dried up—completely lifeless.

“All like this?”

Zhenren Qian replied with concern, “We’ve tried seven times. Each time they died during rooting. A few days ago, I asked Zhenren Pang to take a look.”

“It’s because of this Tranquility Bamboo.” Martial Uncle Pang pointed to the sole surviving one. “I used the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes. The moment another Tranquility Bamboo starts rooting, this one devours its vitality and spiritual energy. Leaves nothing behind.”

Zhenren Qian added, “I thought the garden was too close. Tried other islands—same result. I suspect the Jiushan Realm can only support one Tranquility Bamboo.”

“Only one?”

“Yes, I plan to test it in the mortal world. If it’s the same there, then this bamboo might have an instinct to reject its own kind.”

Zheng Fa frowned and looked at the Tranquility Bamboo. A thought came to him. “You think it’s just the Jiushan Realm? Or does the Xuanyi Realm also allow only one?”

“Didn’t Xuanyi already have…” Old Yuan started, then realized, “The Taishang Dao’s bamboo has no roots!”

“I remember Wuzhi from Leiyin Temple saying this Tranquility Bamboo was some kind of Buddha’s Dao Fruit…” Zheng Fa added. “When we talked about Soul Formation, didn’t we say something similar? That some Daos can only hold a certain number of mighty ones.”

After he said that, all eyes turned to the Ancestor of the Blood River.

The only living—well, not-quite-dead—Soul Formation cultivator here.

The Blood River Ancestor blinked, then admitted, “I haven’t reached the Dao Fruit level. But in the Holy Sect, all Soul Formation cultivators train in the Holy Ancestor’s method—there’s no internal conflict. Though the Holy Sect and other demonic sects don’t get along… maybe that’s related.”

Old Yuan frowned. “A unique Dao Fruit?”

“Makes sense. If they could grow more, why didn’t Taishang Dao cultivate another? Why did they fight with Leiyin Temple instead of just giving them a branch?”

“Wait, if Taishang Dao’s bamboo is gone, won’t Leiyin Temple come to us? Ours has roots.”

“Like h*ll they will! This bamboo belongs to the Jiushan Sect!” Martial Uncle Pang snapped, then muttered worriedly, “Which means we need to keep this secret.”

That made sense. Wuzhi from Leiyin Temple wasn’t exactly reasonable. If they drew his attention, things could get messy.

Zheng Fa reached out to touch the Tranquility Bamboo, but suddenly frowned and pulled his hand back.

“What’s wrong?”

Senior Sister Zhang asked immediately.

“When you touched the Tranquility Bamboo, did you feel any repulsion or even like being whipped?”

Martial Uncle Pang looked confused. “I touch it every day—never felt that.”

Senior Sister Zhang laid her hand on the bamboo—nothing.

Everyone else tried—same. It was like the bamboo simply didn’t like Zheng Fa.

“You… got anything unusual about you?”

Zheng Fa didn’t get it. Of course he was special—the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant in his mind was a relic of the Tianhe Venerable.

Could it be that the Buddha had been killed by the Tianhe Venerable too?

He tried touching the bamboo again while observing with his divine sense. This time, he noticed something—the moment his hand touched the bamboo, the Fusang Tree inside his body stirred.

It was restless.

“Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots… mutually repelling?”

After hearing that, everyone was surprised and confused.

They hadn’t even heard of such things in Jiushan Sect before, let alone understood their properties.

Old Yuan said worriedly, “That won’t be good if you plan to manage the Tranquility Bamboo in the future.”

The Tranquility Bamboo isn’t just a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root—it’s also a supreme treasure for dealing with the Great Freedom Demonic Sect.

The mutual repulsion between Zheng Fa and the bamboo was indeed a problem, especially when it came to using it in combat. It posed a hidden danger.

If he used the Tranquility Bamboo in battle, whether or not it could kill the enemy was uncertain—but it constantly lashing out at him? That was definitely bad.

He wasn’t Yan Wushuang;

he didn’t have that kind of kink!

After thinking for a moment, he looked toward Senior Sister Zhang, the meaning in his eyes clear.

Not just her—everyone else could tell what Zheng Fa was thinking.

Madam Xuanhua lowered her eyes, suddenly understanding where the Jiushan Sect’s strange customs came from—Heaven and Earth Spiritual Roots were unimaginably precious. Even if Zheng Fa didn’t mesh with the Tranquility Bamboo, most cultivators in the Xuanyi Realm would still want to claim it for themselves and make plans for the future.

Even generous people would probably find some other workaround.

But someone as decisive as Zheng Fa…

She had never seen one.

With a sect leader like that, it was no wonder others behaved the same.

She heard Zheng Fa say, “Senior Sister Zhang handling the Tranquility Bamboo is the same as if I held it myself.”

Madam Xuanhua saw Zhang Wuyi show no reluctance. She just smiled and placed her fingers on the Tranquility Bamboo. It was hard to say whether she was smiling because she now held the bamboo, or because of that line—“the same as if I held it.”

…

Inside the Jiushan Realm, everyone was of one heart. Outside, on Mount Tongming, the atmosphere was even more united and amicable.

In the great hall of Mount Tongming.

All the Nascent Souls from various sects were gathered, looking at Head Seat Mingde.

With his arrival, not only did Zhenren Chengkong step aside and relinquish control, even people like Xie Qingxue from the Tianhe Sect treated him like a junior—clearly showing great respect.

Disciples of the Five Sects of Xuanyi were all like that;

naturally, the other Soul Formation or Nascent Soul cultivators were even more obedient.

Even though the man had always acted as if he disdained them and couldn’t be bothered to speak much, none dared to step out of line.

Today, the usually silent Head Seat Mingde hadn’t stopped smiling.

Zheng Fa sat lower down with a few Jiushan Sect Nascent Souls, listening to Head Seat Mingde share his thoughts.

“Although most of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect has been wiped out, remnants still linger—we cannot lower our guard.” Head Seat Mingde glanced around and actually gave them a chance to speak, asking, “What do you all think?”

“Eradicate them completely!”

“Right! That Great Freedom Demonic Sect committed unforgivable crimes. We must not let them go!”

“We follow the Head Seat’s lead without question!”

Zheng Fa listened to all the Soul Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall chime in. The message boiled down to three lines—

Head Seat Mingde is absolutely right!

The Great Freedom Demonic Sect must die!

Even if they didn’t deserve death, if the Head Seat said they did, then they did!

Madam Xuanhua sat nearby, feeling the hall’s atmosphere of perfect unity—but somehow, she found it strange.

Head Seat Mingde nodded slightly, looking pleased with the crowd.

“In that case, it’s perfect. I’ve already located the Netherworld Immortal Qin Mu’s whereabouts—we’ll eliminate him soon.”

Everyone was even more delighted, calling out, “The Netherworld Immortal is guilty beyond redemption. Head Seat, your action brings honor to all of us!”

The flattery almost blew the roof off the hall.

Head Seat Mingde’s smile grew wider.

He continued, “That Netherworld Immortal Qin Mu is deeply cunning and may be up to something. I’d like to ask you all to help me make sure he has nowhere to run—what do you think?”

“……”

Silence.

The roof was saved…

Even Zheng Fa found the silence awkward.

He glanced around the hall. The same people who had been fired up moments ago now had faces full of reluctance.

Very different from when Zhenren Chengkong had previously gathered the sects.

After a moment’s thought, he understood:

These people had gotten their territory and were now content with small gains. Many of them probably felt that as long as the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor didn’t come back, everything else had nothing to do with them.

Not to mention, Qin Mu was a troublesome figure. They were likely afraid he’d go berserk when cornered.

But most of all—it was the Head Seat’s attitude. The man had always looked down on everyone, and now he was suddenly all smiles and respectful…

When a normally stone-faced boss starts smiling, who wouldn’t feel uneasy?

Who knew if this Head Seat was just sending them off to die?

He looked over at Head Seat Mingde, saw a flicker of anger on the man’s face—clearly irritated by the silence. Just as he was about to speak, the Soul Formation cultivator from Yaochi broke in: “Qin Mu, the Netherworld Immortal—that’s really your Taishang Dao’s business, isn’t it?”

With those words, everyone started nodding.

How did the Netherworld Immortal come to be?

Wasn’t it because your Taishang Dao couldn’t control its own disciples?

Plenty had thought this, but few dared say it. Only someone from the Five Sects of Xuanyi would have the guts to point it out.

Sure enough, seeing it was the Soul Formation cultivator from Yaochi who spoke, Head Seat Mingde seemed to suppress his anger and calmly explained:

“Yes, Qin Mu was indeed my disciple… He broke from the sect—that’s my failing. He’s exceptionally good at escaping. I’m asking your help to ensure he doesn’t slip away again.”

“I’m shamelessly asking you to help, only to make sure nothing goes wrong. I have no hidden motives.”

Though Mingde was likely speaking to the Yaochi cultivator, everyone else got the message—

He may look down on the cultivators of Xuanyi, but to kill his traitorous disciple, he would use every resource available.

His expression looked genuinely sincere.

That reassured many people.

“Also, I won’t let you help for nothing.” With a flash of his hand, a dozen jade bottles landed on the table. “These are secret pills of Taishang Dao. After the battle, I’ll reward everyone based on merit.”

Zheng Fa watched as many cultivators’ faces lit up with interest.

Clearly, the reputation of Taishang Dao’s secret pills was enormous.

Madam Xuanhua sighed inwardly. She finally understood why the earlier atmosphere had felt so strange:

In the Jiushan Realm, people didn’t talk much, but they could casually pass on secret methods in casual conversation. Even something like the Tranquility Bamboo could be handed over just like that—as if there were no boundaries—all for the good of Jiushan.

But the people of the Xuanyi Realm…

Every word sounded prettier than the last.

Every voice was louder than the next.

But their hearts—full of scheming and wariness.

As she sat there, she suddenly felt fed up.

She actually wanted to go back to the Jiushan Realm.

She froze.

She had… unconsciously used the word “back”?

…

Zheng Fa also watched Head Seat Mingde. The man explained, then offered rewards.

Given his past attitude, it clearly wasn’t for the sake of the cultivators of the Xuanyi Realm—it was for the Soul Formation cultivators of the Five Sects of Xuanyi.

After all, Qin Mu was a mess created by Taishang Dao.

So when Mingde spoke, he was always looking at the Yaochi cultivator.

That person thought for a moment, then gave a light nod and asked, “Then Head Seat, are you confident?”

Mingde smiled, and above his head, a Celebration Cloud slowly appeared.

Zheng Fa looked up and vaguely saw a god-like figure sitting on the cloud, gazing down at everyone in the hall.

Suddenly, a chill crept over his body—like he was facing something he could never resist.

Was this… a higher realm of Taishang Dao?

Zhenren Chengkong had never radiated such authority.

Head Seat Mingde seemed to be making a point. Seeing the crowd fall silent, he finally smiled in satisfaction. From the cloud, a segment of Tranquility Bamboo flew out.

Only forearm-length, and half of it was yellowed and withered—looked pitiful.

But the Yaochi cultivator’s eyes lit up. “This Tranquility Bamboo has gained vitality?”

“Exactly!” Head Seat Mingde said proudly. “This bamboo is the bane of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect. Qin Mu has schemed for years to destroy it, but all in vain. With this treasure, that traitor won’t escape!”

The Yaochi cultivator considered it a moment, then nodded—seemingly convinced.

The others saw her change sides, glanced at the pill bottles, then at the divine figure on the cloud, and then the Tranquility Bamboo—none said another word.

Head Seat Mingde looked at the bamboo in his hand. He knew the real turning point today—what convinced the Yaochi cultivator—was this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root that naturally suppressed the Great Freedom Demonic Sect and drastically increased their odds.

His gaze at the Tranquility Bamboo grew more satisfied.

He looked over the hall again. Seeing no more objections, he was even more pleased.

But then…

Were those people from the Jiushan Sect?

His eyes landed on Zheng Fa and the others, only to find their expressions strangely off-putting.

He frowned, feeling uneasy, but said nothing. He used the moment to assign the mission to hunt down the Netherworld Immortal.

“Qin Mu should now be hiding in Donghai County, Liang Prefecture. We set out tomorrow—don’t let him escape.”

Seeing how certain he sounded, the crowd nodded. After the assignments were given, he let everyone go.

Watching Zheng Fa’s back, he suddenly recalled those strange expressions from the Jiushan group. He turned to Zhenren Chengkong and asked, “Did you see the looks on those Jiushan Sect folks just now?”

Zhenren Chengkong paused, then nodded lightly. He, too, had been watching the Jiushan people.

“Why do I feel like I’ve seen that expression before?”

“You have,” Chengkong replied.

“You’ve seen it too?”

“…Yes,” Chengkong said slowly, hesitantly. “That’s the look you have when you’re staring at cultivators from the Xuanyi Realm, Head Seat.”

“Thinly veiled contempt—like you’re staring at a bunch of hicks.”

“……”