I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 279Book 2: : From Hater to Fan, Auto Buff

Vol 2 Chapter 279: From Hater to Fan, Auto Buff

"Senior Sister?"

Yan Wushuang stepped out from his secluded cultivation chamber and saw the courtyard completely silent with no one around. He noticed that Xie Qingxue's door was open, and recalling the strange atmosphere between Zheng Fa and Xie Qingxue earlier, he felt a bit uneasy.

He could also tell that Xie Qingxue's attitude toward Zheng Fa these past few days had been hard to pin down—

On one hand, she seemed to care a great deal about Zheng Fa, constantly reminding him to keep things secret.

On the other, when she mentioned Zheng Fa, her tone was full of anger—it was obvious something unpleasant had happened between them.

Thinking back to how Senior Sister had been attacked on the forum before, Yan Wushuang was even more certain now—Senior Sister had been wronged more than once in the Jiushan Realm, and now she likely held a grudge against Zheng Fa. Judging by the current situation, perhaps Zheng Fa had some secret of hers in his grasp...

He’d been taught by Senior Sister since young, but he also shared a deep bond with Zheng Fa. Now, he felt it was only right for him to help mediate between the two of them, lest their relationship sour permanently.

With that in mind, Yan Wushuang walked up to Xie Qingxue's door and peeked in. The room was even quieter inside, as if no one were there, but Xie Qingxue was sitting on the couch, a thin book spread open in her hands.

She was engrossed in the book, her expression constantly shifting:

At times she looked enlightened, as if moved by a line in the book.

Then she’d frown, like she’d hit a mental wall.

More often, she was simply lost in thought, her mind clearly drifting far away.

"Senior Sister!"

Yan Wushuang called again. Xie Qingxue’s head twitched slightly, but she didn’t look up at him. Instead, her entire body trembled, and a wild vortex seemed to form around her, hungrily absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.

Senior Sister's cultivation had improved?

Yan Wushuang didn’t dare disturb her. He stepped back two paces, but felt a deep joy in his heart. At her level of cultivation, even a tiny step forward could take countless years. For her to suddenly gain new insight—he was naturally happy for her.

That only made him more curious about the book she was reading.

When the surge of spiritual energy around her vanished and her aura stabilized, he crept quietly over to her side and glanced at the book. On the top of the cover were two bold characters: Xiandao (The Dao of Immortality). At first glance, the font seemed ordinary, but a closer look revealed the characters weren’t a single whole—they were made up of tiny, densely packed diagrams.

Yan Wushuang activated his spiritual vision technique, and the hidden patterns within the characters revealed themselves. Each stroke of each character was actually composed of dozens, even hundreds, of basic talisman diagrams. The gaps between them were so minuscule that they looked seamless at first.

Next to the characters Xiandao, there was a line of smaller text, the handwriting of which Yan Wushuang instantly recognized—it was written by Zheng Fa.

The line read:

"When collective strength is gathered, there is nothing that cannot be overcome;when collective wisdom is employed, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished."

Yan Wushuang blinked and suddenly felt something stir inside him, though he couldn’t quite explain what it was.

"What are you doing here?"

He’d gotten too close, and suddenly heard Xie Qingxue ask in slight surprise.

"..." Yan Wushuang was silent for a moment, wanting to say something, but Xie Qingxue waved him off, as if to say it didn’t matter why he was there. Instead, she flipped a page and laid it flat on the small wooden table in front of her. 𝘳𝐚ＮȰ𝐛Ęş

It was the table of contents.

This issue contained twelve articles. The first was written by Zheng Fa, titled Preliminary Exploration of Spirit Material Cycle Theory.

This was practically the foundational knowledge of spirit material studies today—definitely appropriate as the lead article.

The second was by Madam Xuanhua, titled Alchemy Furnace and Body Techniques: Key Points for Alchemical Furnace Modification.

This piece also dealt with knowledge unique to the Jiushan Realm, and just the title piqued Yan Wushuang’s interest.

The next ten were by other disciples, most of whom Yan Wushuang recognized. Their cultivation levels weren’t high—only one was at the Golden Core stage, the rest were at most Foundation Establishment.

"Sigh..."

As he kept reading, he heard a long, drawn-out sigh beside him. Turning his head, he saw Xie Qingxue staring blankly at the table of contents, unconsciously sighing.

"Senior Sister?"

This time, Xie Qingxue heard him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Zheng Fa sent this." She pointed at Xiandao, then pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Yan Wushuang.

He read the line on the note and didn’t fully understand: "What does it mean, the path Zheng Fa wants to take?"

"This."

Xie Qingxue stood up from the couch and walked to the window, gazing toward Zheng Fa’s courtyard, speaking toward him:

"Take a look first."

Yan Wushuang picked up Xiandao and flipped through it.

Just the first two pages told him what the book was about—

Zheng Fa had written a very plain preface at the beginning, serving as an introduction. It explained what the book was, and included some guidelines and future goals.

According to the preface, this book was a journal, tentatively set to publish every two months, and submissions weren’t restricted by cultivation level or background—only the content mattered.

As for how the articles would be evaluated, Zheng Fa proposed four main dimensions: innovation, academic value, impact, and logical reasoning, each with its own evaluation system.

Yan Wushuang didn’t completely understand it all at once.

After the preface came a summary of this issue’s theme: a special edition on the Golden Core Project.

According to Zheng Fa, the Golden Core Project was the most heavily invested, most fruitful, and most talent-generating endeavor since the Jiushan Realm had stabilized. The inaugural issue of Xiandao featured articles written by outstanding disciples from the project team.

Reading further, Yan Wushuang understood why Senior Sister hadn’t used her divine sense to scan it, and was instead reading word by word.

Because it was dry.

The cultivation methods they’d seen before were often cryptic, full of profound phrases or spontaneous inspiration.

But the articles in Xiandao were in a completely different style—rigid, formulaic, seemingly boring by design.

Structurally, they were all the same: abstract, keywords, introduction, main text, conclusion—stiff and formulaic.

Yet after reading one, looking back, every sentence was remarkably concise and unambiguous. If he had to pick one word to describe them, it would be: precise.

Each article’s thesis was immediately clear, even persuasive, though the logical argumentation was so detailed it required intense focus—sometimes a single sentence had to be read several times.

It wasn’t just Zheng Fa’s article—even two pieces written by Qi Refining stage disciples left him pausing in deep thought, revisiting the ideas again and again.

Now he understood why Senior Sister wanted him to read it first. Looking again at the small characters beside Xiandao, he had a deeper understanding of what Zheng Fa meant by his path.

Xie Qingxue spoke again, though it wasn’t clear whether she was talking to him or to herself.

"At first glance, I found every article in Xiandao insightful. Some ideas even solved problems I’ve had for years."

Yan Wushuang didn’t respond. His Senior Sister continued on her own, clearly not expecting a reply.

"That one article on the properties of spirit materials—I read it for half an hour, four or five times over, and it actually improved my Dao cultivation."

"The principles in it... I was completely absorbed."

"It even boosted my cultivation slightly."

He knew which article she was talking about—it was based on the spirit material cycle theory and explored the properties of spirit materials at each phase.

The author was a Foundation Establishment disciple from Jiushan Sect.

This disciple had a sharp mind—after learning the cycle theory, he meticulously studied each spirit material recorded in Jiushan’s texts, categorizing them by metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, then comparing their traits. In doing so, he found many shared characteristics and added numerous new examples to support the theory.

The work required no great cultivation, only creativity and care—yet it proved incredibly valuable, which is why Zheng Fa included it in Xiandao.

"Then I noticed the author’s name," Xie Qingxue added. "If I’m not mistaken, he’s a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

Yan Wushuang nodded and thought privately, You’re a Soul Formation cultivator—how could you possibly be mistaken?

"I wish I had been wrong..." Xie Qingxue suddenly said. "I really can’t believe that something written by a Foundation Establishment cultivator could actually benefit me."

That... was true.

At this moment, he could hear the shock, disbelief, and even frustration in Senior Sister’s tone.

Who is Senior Sister?

The most talented disciple of this generation in the Tianhe Sect, renowned even among the Five Sects of Xuanyi.

And her cultivation—Soul Formation.

Now, reading an article written by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she not only had insight but even comprehended the Dao!

That was terrifying.

Yan Wushuang was momentarily lost in thought:

Was the Tianhe Sect just too weak, or was Jiushan Sect simply too strong?

Who really was part of the Five Sects of Xuanyi?!

Xie Qingxue’s voice reached his ears again:

"Is it that the talents of our Tianhe Sect are inferior to those of Jiushan Realm?"

"Or that the Tianhe Sect’s texts are fewer than those of Jiushan Sect?"

"Or is it that we of Tianhe... don’t know how to educate our disciples?"

Yan Wushuang remained silent. He could sense the unwillingness in Senior Sister’s tone. He actually felt the same. No matter how much he acknowledged Zheng Fa, he had grown up being praised just for bearing the name Tianhe Sect—those three words alone commanded respect.

Up to now, he could accept that the Tianhe Ancestor was surpassed by Zheng Fa.

At least, according to Zheng Fa’s own words, the Tianhe Ancestor came before him, and he came after—naturally, he would know more and progress more smoothly.

But if the Tianhe Sect as a whole was inferior to Jiushan Sect—that was something else entirely.

They were sects of the same era, and the Tianhe Sect had a deeper foundation. Yet now, the foremost figure of the Tianhe Sect’s new generation was astonished by a Foundation Establishment disciple’s article from Jiushan Sect.

His gaze fell again on Xiandao. There were ten such disciples in this issue alone.

In the future, there could be a hundred, ten thousand, even billions…

He could see what that meant—and he believed his Senior Sister saw it even more clearly.

Xie Qingxue was still staring at Zheng Fa’s courtyard, murmuring:

"He really has forged a different path... when collective wisdom is employed, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished."

She paused slightly.

"Maybe in the future, every person in the Jiushan Realm—regardless of cultivation, even street vendors and laborers—will be able to study the Dao and contribute to it?" She seemed to recall the airship she had seen earlier and added, "And they’ll be able to benefit from the Dao, too."

Yan Wushuang understood what his Senior Sister meant.

The path Zheng Fa was taking was essentially a new system:

To popularize Daoist education so that ordinary people could enjoy its benefits—and to harness the wisdom of the masses to further research the Dao.

This formed a complete cycle—the Dao would not abandon the mundane world, and would even seek to make use of its intelligence.

As for the results… just look at the articles in Xiandao, and look at how Senior Sister was reacting.

"I once saw a kind of acrobatic act in the mortal world," Xie Qingxue murmured. "A group of people, some standing on the ground, others standing on their shoulders, layer upon layer—until the one at the top soared higher than most martial artists could fly."

"The more people at the bottom, the higher those on top. When the trick succeeded, everyone got paid."

"That is the Jiushan Realm."

Yan Wushuang pressed his lips together, recalling something Zheng Fa had once said: "Zheng Fa once told me—he said he was standing on the shoulders of giants..."

Xie Qingxue laughed upon hearing that and said, "So now that there are no more giants, he plans to build a towering mountain out of ordinary people?"

She laughed for a moment, then suddenly sighed: "He might actually pull it off."

Right then, in the direction of Zheng Fa’s courtyard, a golden sun suddenly rose. To the two of them, it looked like a newly risen morning sun—brimming with immense, surging energy.

They both knew—that was Zheng Fa’s Golden Core. But it was stronger than usual, more vibrant, and even more... intense!

"Zheng Fa is about to break through?"

Yan Wushuang said in surprise.

Xie Qingxue didn’t respond—she just stared at Zheng Fa’s Golden Core, lips pressed together.

...

Zheng Fa was indeed advancing.

He had already condensed his Golden Core some time ago, and though he hadn’t slacked in cultivation, his progress had naturally slowed compared to his earlier leaps.

But today’s breakthrough didn’t follow conventional principles:

With Xie Qingxue’s help, they had just gained a clear understanding of the first four turns of the Nine-Turn Golden Core Method—that is, achieving completion in the positive Five Elements.

Just earlier, he had reforged the spirit material particles in the Jade Slip of Creation, forming his first Five-Element Ring.

The moment the ring formed, the Jade Slip of Creation underwent a total transformation—its spiritual energy content increased fivefold, and it began to shift and fluctuate constantly, full of change.

And that was just the beginning.

The flow of spiritual energy inside the Jade Slip became smoother and more fluid than ever before.

This richer energy meant larger storage capacity.

The smoother circulation meant faster processing speeds—like upgrading a CPU.

What surprised Zheng Fa most was that the Nascent Soul figure inside his Golden Core began to move. It reached out and pulled the Jade Slip of Creation into its arms. Spiritual energy flowed between the slip and the figure continuously.

Zheng Fa could feel it—this little Nascent Soul was forming five times faster than before!

Previously, he estimated it would take him at least ten more years to achieve complete Golden Core formation. That wasn't considered slow, given his heavy Qi of Gangsha had been slowing the process.

That was normal—cultivation required deep accumulation and steady progress.

But now, after reforging the Jade Slip of Creation, it was acting like a speed booster!

He looked at the slip in the little figure’s hands, and immediately spotted the key—or rather, the reason: the Wood-Elemental Sub-Talisman!

In Zheng Fa’s theory, the Wood-Elemental Sub-Talisman could form a structure similar to DNA. Now that the spirit material particles within the Jade Slip contained all five elements and each had the Wood Sub-Talisman, they began to show a DNA-like ability to replicate themselves!

It didn’t even need his divine sense to guide them—the Jade Slip was autonomously regulating the Golden Core’s operations, refining Gangsha Qi, condensing spiritual particles, and growing by itself.

Naturally, the Nascent Soul figure benefited from this.

This thing was starting to feel like… an auto-cultivation plugin?

Zheng Fa was excited. If he could complete all nine turns and make the Jade Slip even stronger, would it be even more efficient?

At this rate, he might not need two years to condense his Nascent Soul—maybe not even one!

...

The Jade Slip of Creation’s inner changes weren’t visible to outsiders.

But the change in Zheng Fa’s cultivation speed—his Golden Core—was sensed by both Xie Qingxue and Yan Wushuang.

"This..." Yan Wushuang felt the rapidly strengthening Nascent Soul within the Golden Core and twitched. Then he suddenly realized something. "At this pace, how long until Zheng Fa surpasses me in cultivation?"

Xie Qingxue turned back, looking at her junior brother with a pitiful gaze.

"Three months..." she paused, then added another blow, "assuming his techniques don’t improve any further."

Yan Wushuang’s eyes slowly widened.

When he’d first met Zheng Fa, they were both at the Golden Core stage—Zheng Fa was barely Foundation Establishment.

Now, he was still Golden Core.

And Zheng Fa was about to surpass him.

He suddenly realized—he might just be kind of useless!

"It’s fine."

Yan Wushuang looked up at Senior Sister, feeling grateful—she was never the comforting type.

Xie Qingxue said sincerely, "Even if the Ancestor came back, he couldn’t do anything. It’s not your fault."

Yan Wushuang looked at her and couldn’t understand:

Weren’t you scolding Zheng Fa on the Jiushan forums before?

Didn’t you used to curse every time you mentioned him?

How are you this quick to change sides?!

"The Ancestor..." Xie Qingxue gripped the hilt of the Qingping Sword and looked down. "He’d probably be glad someone was stronger than him."

...

Out at sea, in the Boundless Ocean, Wuzhi from Leiyin Temple brushed his sleeve, full of anticipation.

When word of Tranquility Bamboo reached the Jiushan Realm, all of Leiyin Temple was stirred. Even the Buddha considered making a personal appearance—but in the end, Wuzhi was sent, bearing the sect’s greatest treasure.

He was excited. Using his Divine Foot Travel, he crossed thousands of miles in an instant, but cautious by nature, he kept his Divine Eye and Divine Ear techniques active the entire way.

Yet the ocean was unnaturally calm—not even a trace of major beast auras. It felt far too safe.

He grew even more suspicious and activated his Divine Ear again.

Suddenly, Wuzhi paused, as if he had discovered something. He looked off into the distance, Buddhist light flashing in his eyes. After a long moment, he murmured:

"Coronation ceremony?"

"That Great Freedom Demon Ancestor... is ascending to the Demon Emperor’s throne now? Seems a bit rushed..."

He hesitated, changed direction, and began walking toward a different area. As he walked, more and more members of the demon race appeared—bustling and busy.

The Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s cultivation was extremely high. Wuzhi didn’t dare get too close, so he opened his sleeve, from which flew a golden alms bowl that hovered over his head.

Drawing nearer, he saw an enormous palace complex.

Its foundation extended deep beneath the ocean floor, but half the structure rose above the sea. From above, it looked like a collection of small islands.

Its height alone was impressive—but its scale was even more so.

Wuzhi tried to get a better look, but suddenly heard laughter from the palace:

"From Leiyin Temple?"

"Why not enter and witness the ceremony?"