I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 155Book 2: : A Fleeting Radiance

Vol 2 Chapter 155 – A Fleeting Radiance

The current Jiushan Sect felt unfamiliar even to Senior Sister Zhang, who had grown up there.

The once bustling marketplace was now completely deserted, and the usually lively, chaotic streets were eerily quiet.

Even the plants and trees on the mountains carried a faint air of loneliness.

She exhaled softly and flew toward the Ninth Peak.

Sect Master Yuan was already waiting there. Hands clasped behind his back, he watched her approach, shaking his head without saying a word.

Martial Uncle Pang, however, couldn’t help but speak up: “Why did you come back?”

“Disciple wants to try awakening the Jiushan Ancestor.”

Senior Sister Zhang bowed as she spoke.

“Awaken me? I’m right here, aren’t I?”

The “Jiushan Ancestor” nearby looked surprised.

“I mean the original Ancestor.”

That statement left the three of them confused—they weren’t aware of the theories Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang had developed about Soul Formation.

After all, Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang had never sent any messages about it—the message talismans weren’t secure. And with Jiushan Sect in such a precarious state, neither of them wanted such knowledge to fall into the wrong hands.

So when Zhang Wuyi revealed the secrets of Soul Formation, the Tianhe New Method, and even the truth about life-bound treasures, the three elders were visibly shaken.

The Jiushan Ancestor himself was stunned. “I’m undergoing Soul Formation?” he blurted.

Zhang Wuyi shook her head. “The original Ancestor might not have intended to undergo Soul Formation… but accidentally stumbled onto the path.”

“And because of that, the method was incomplete… which is why he never awakened.”

“This theory… you and Zheng Fa came up with it? What makes you think it’s right?”

Zhang Wuyi lowered her head and explained, “When Junior Brother Zheng first said that spiritual energy circuits could develop intelligence, I honestly didn’t believe it…”

“But when I found those circuits could actually solve arithmetic problems…”

The Sect Master and Martial Uncle Pang exchanged glances. After a long silence, they both sighed.

“I know your talent in mathematics is exceptional… but this… this…”

Martial Uncle Pang picked up the thread,

“This is truly hard to believe. Since Jiushan Sect was founded, not a single cultivator has reached Soul Formation. Trying to forge a Soul Formation inheritance is like reaching for the heavens… and you two actually…”

Zhang Wuyi shook her head.

“It’s all thanks to Junior Brother Zheng’s brilliance.”

“Zheng Fa…”

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Martial Uncle Pang sighed. “I always said that boy was talented… but even so, I still underestimated him.”

Sect Master Yuan suddenly laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“These past few days, I kept thinking Jiushan Sect was about to perish under my watch…” the Sect Master said, “and I felt too ashamed to face the ancestors. But now, turns out I accepted a great disciple!”

“Dumb luck!”

“You’re just jealous!”

Martial Uncle Pang snorted.

Seeing the two elders banter, Zhang Wuyi couldn’t help but smile too.

...

As she flew to the upper part of the Ninth Peak, the Sect Master and Martial Uncle Pang exchanged glances. The smiles on their faces gradually faded, replaced by sighs.

“What’s wrong?”

The Jiushan Ancestor asked, still a little clueless.

“There’s not much chance this will work.”

Martial Uncle Pang said bleakly.

The Sect Master nodded and explained quietly,

“Cultivation methods have always been refined over generations, each detail honed with precision. These two might be right… but to complete the Ancestor’s Soul Formation method? That’s an impossible task.”

“It’s also because our Jiushan Sect’s foundation is too shallow. We don’t even have a single successful Soul Formation case…”

Hearing that, the Jiushan Ancestor began to understand.

“Then why are you…”

“Now that Zhang Wuyi has returned, what else can we say?”

The Sect Master sighed.

Martial Uncle Pang fell silent, then said, “These past few days, I tried testing the formation. Jiushan Sect seems sealed—no exit. Fortunately, you had the foresight to send the disciples away early.”

“Heh… That Blood River Ancestor would love nothing more than for Jiushan Sect to send a few more people to their deaths…”

The Sect Master gazed out beyond the mountain.

“What are you planning to do, Senior Brother?”

“I’ve only got a century left to live. If I die, it’s fine… but I still want to protect Zhang Wuyi.”

Martial Uncle Pang nodded slightly.

“She’s always had the best talent among us. And now she’s brushed against the threshold of Soul Formation…” the Sect Master continued, “But Ancestor of the Blood River… is a Soul Formation cultivator.”

Martial Uncle Pang was quiet for a while, then suddenly took out a jade slip.

“What’s this?”

“This was given to me by Junior Sister Huang before I came—her ‘Fleeting Radiance’ technique,” Martial Uncle Pang said softly. “You grasped the talisman array from the True Form Talisman of Mountains and Rivers, and I understood the technique of chaining talismans. But as it turns out, Junior Sister Huang may have unintentionally touched on the essence of the True Form Talisman…”

The Sect Master was stunned. He looked down at the jade slip, then raised his head after a long while. “This is… body-transformation into a talisman diagram?”

“Yes… I didn’t understand before why this technique had such immense power, yet guaranteed death. Now, after hearing what Zhang Wuyi said—it might be a method for forcefully achieving Soul Formation. Junior Sister Huang didn’t understand the nature of it, and she wasn’t strong enough. So she died upon using it.”

The Sect Master nodded and stored the jade slip away.

He understood the meaning of Martial Uncle Pang giving it to him—if all else failed, they would risk everything, even with this method, to keep Zhang Wuyi alive.

...

“Martial Uncle, your ‘Fleeting Radiance’… turns out it lines up exactly with what we’ve been theorizing.” Zheng Fa was also studying the technique, and when he looked back up, his gaze toward Martial Uncle Huang was filled with a new respect.

“I didn’t have any deep thoughts,” Martial Uncle Huang replied calmly. “Back then, I was full of grief and anger. I happened to gain a few insights while studying the True Form Talisman of Mountains and Rivers, and ended up creating this technique. It’s only now, after hearing you talk about Soul Formation, that I finally understand what it really is.”

Zheng Fa felt a wave of emotion.

Martial Uncle Huang had truly given them a massive surprise—this “Fleeting Radiance” method, at its core, used the practitioner’s own meridians to substitute for spiritual energy circuits, simulating the current state of the Jiushan Ancestor.

She had understood the method without understanding its essence. On top of that, she wasn’t nearly powerful enough—far from Soul Formation, and without a life-bound treasure.

Using the technique would mean certain death.

Only now did Zheng Fa recall how his master had once described Martial Uncle Huang with just three words—no regard for life.

Martial Uncle Huang nodded and said,

“You know… I didn’t even pass this method on to Wuyi.”

“……”

“I always thought she should be different from me… she should live carefree, proud, and joyful.” Martial Uncle Huang looked at Zheng Fa. “There should never come a day when she has to use a technique like this.”

“I didn’t expect… to lose my Dao partner, and now… to lose my disciple.”

Zheng Fa stayed silent.

Martial Uncle Huang looked into the distance and began,

“Back then, I was reckless. I thought the world was wide, that there was nowhere I couldn’t go. Until I was caught in a restriction and watched helplessly as my Dao partner died—too late to save him.”

“I told myself—I couldn’t be impulsive anymore. That’s why I trapped myself on the Seventh Peak, rarely leaving the sect. And I never passed this technique to Wuyi—because I was afraid it would harm her…”

“But just now I was thinking… if I’d given it to her earlier, would she have a better chance today?”

“Martial Uncle…”

“Tell me… no matter what I do, is it always the wrong choice?” Martial Uncle Huang looked at Zheng Fa and asked.