I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 362Book 2: : Half a Thesis, One Dead End

Vol 2 Chapter 362: Half a Thesis, One Dead End

The interviews proceeded quickly.

In the classroom, a rectangular wooden table was set up. Zheng Fa, Senior Sister Zhang, and Xiao Yuying sat behind it, organizing the interview materials of previous disciples.

"Junior Brother, do you have any preferred candidates?" Senior Sister Zhang suddenly asked.

Xiao Yuying beside her also looked over, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Zheng Fa flipped through the dozen or so disciple resumes in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then frankly replied, "Mu Qingyan."

"Why?"

"Her foundation is the most solid, and her temperament is mature," Zheng Fa explained to the two. "In the next ten years at least, I won't be spending much time in the Jiushan Realm, and even less time with my disciples. I'm afraid other disciples might be held back in their development."

"Mu Qingyan would be better suited."

Xiao Yuying's expression immediately changed—before the disciple even officially joins, you're already thinking about slacking off?

It was indeed slacking off.

Mu Qingyan was, after all, a "reincarnator." Her life experience might even surpass Zheng Fa's, and her self-management skills were exceptional.

In fact, due to her strong sense of crisis about the future, Mu Qingyan worked harder than most.

Her desire to become his disciple was ultimately just for peace of mind.

In the entire Jiushan Realm, aside from Zheng Fa, there was probably no one else who could provide her with a sense of security she could trust.

Conversely, every Nascent Soul cultivator had their own beliefs. Zheng Fa believed he could offer guidance and advice, but when it came to learning attitude, self-planning, and development direction, Mu Qingyan likely didn’t need his supervision.

For Zheng Fa, choosing Mu Qingyan was not only simple but also a "safe" choice:

This disciple was guaranteed to reach Nascent Soul at the very least, with no upper limit.

"Mu Qingyan is indeed an excellent choice," Xiao Yuying said after some thought, bringing up another matter. "Setting aside her innate talent, she learns very quickly in my archaeology team. Even when I'm not around, she manages the team exceptionally well."

"I even asked her if she wanted me as her mentor, but she was determined to join your sect."

As she spoke, she looked at Zheng Fa with a hint of jealousy. "It wasn’t just me. Master Song of the Qingmu Sect also privately approached her. After all, she originally came from the Qingmu Sect."

A trace of pride appeared on Zheng Fa’s face.

Mu Qingyan was truly outstanding.

Her talent spoke for itself—achieving Nascent Soul as a rogue cultivator in troubled times was proof enough.

But that alone wasn’t enough to impress Zheng Fa. After all, forming a Nascent Soul was far less difficult for Jiushan Sect disciples compared to other sects in the Xuanyi Realm, so its value wasn’t as high.

What truly moved Zheng Fa was Mu Qingyan's self-awareness and learning ability:

Many cultivators, especially those at higher cultivation levels, often had rigid thinking. It wasn’t necessarily arrogance—they simply struggled to shift their mindset, particularly when their previous way of thinking had been very successful.

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Mu Qingyan was different. Perhaps because her cultivation had only existed "in a dream," despite having memories of the Nascent Soul stage, she absorbed the Jiushan Sect’s curriculum exceptionally quickly.

She performed well in archaeology, alchemy, talisman studies, and other subjects.

She even excelled in some modern disciplines.

She had been involved in the Golden Core Engineering project, the archaeology team, and later even water-based alchemy research.

She was the kind of all-rounder—academically, morally, and practically outstanding.

Even disregarding her "reincarnator" identity, she was the most well-rounded and contributed the most among all the disciples.

The three of them chatted briefly during the interview break when they heard a soft knock on the classroom door.

"Come in!"

A hand pushed the door open, and Gu Chang entered the classroom.

His shoulders were hunched, his footsteps light. He glanced quickly at Zheng Fa and the others before fixing his gaze firmly on the ground, never looking up again.

Recognizing him, Zheng Fa was momentarily surprised before breaking into a smile. "Gu Chang, right?"

"Y-yes?"

Hearing the amusement in Zheng Fa’s voice, Gu Chang couldn’t help but raise his head, gathering his courage to look at Zheng Fa, clearly puzzled as to why he was laughing.

"Senior Sister, do you remember this disciple? He’s the top scorer in this year’s talisman exam—the only perfect score!" Zheng Fa pointed at Gu Chang, his praise practically overflowing.

Senior Sister Zhang and Xiao Yuying first glanced at Zheng Fa, then turned to Gu Chang, nodding slightly.

Seeing this, Gu Chang relaxed his shoulders slightly and straightened his posture a little.

Zheng Fa flipped through Gu Chang’s resume and asked, "You’re currently teaching on Letu Island?"

"Yes."

"That’s good." Zheng Fa set down the resume and looked directly at Gu Chang. "Gu Chang, do you know what Elder Zhang thinks of you?"

Gu Chang shook his head.

"She said your talent in topology surpasses hers by thirty percent."

"This disciple doesn’t dare claim such a thing."

"There’s no need for humility. Facts are facts." Senior Sister Zhang frowned slightly and spoke earnestly. "I took that exam too, and I didn’t get a perfect score. I can’t compare to you."

Hearing this, Gu Chang’s expression brightened further. He looked at Zheng Fa with barely concealed anticipation in his eyes.

Under that gaze, however, Zheng Fa fell silent.

He stared at Gu Chang for a long time before finally sighing. "But if you become my disciple, that talent would be wasted."

Gu Chang’s expression froze, his eyes dimming instantly.

"I truly don’t have much time..."

Zheng Fa also felt helpless.

Gu Chang was practically the opposite of Mu Qingyan.

His cultivation talent was arguably the worst among this batch of disciples.

Zheng Fa wasn’t rejecting him for that reason, but rather because nurturing such an extremely specialized genius required significant effort.

He was willing to teach, but truthfully, given Gu Chang’s limited aptitude, every moment of cultivation and study would need to be seized. Zheng Fa’s hands-off approach would be a waste of this disciple’s time.

Simply put, the same progress that a single-spirit-root disciple could achieve in a year would take Gu Chang at least ten or twenty years. There was no time to waste.

What made it even more unfair was that... geniuses often lived longer.

Gu Chang’s time was all the more precious.

Zheng Fa looked at Gu Chang, his expression conflicted. After a long moment of thought, he suddenly spoke. "Gu Chang, if you’re willing to switch mentors, I can arrange it for you—either Elder Pang or Elder Huang would be suitable."

This was already an exception, but he truly valued this disciple’s talent and was genuinely considering Gu Chang’s future.

Elder Pang was always dedicated to his disciples, and Elder Huang, being a recluse, would also be a good choice for Gu Chang.

The best candidate would actually be Senior Sister Zhang... but she was preparing to go into seclusion to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. No one knew when she would emerge, so she wouldn’t have much time either.

Especially given Gu Chang’s spiritual root level, waiting another five years to enter the inner sect would only hold him back.

Gu Chang remained silent for a long time before whispering, "Actually... I didn’t come here hoping to join the inner sect."

"Oh?"

"This disciple... has a thesis. I wrote half of it, but I can’t finish it."

"A thesis?"

Zheng Fa was taken aback. He turned to Senior Sister Zhang and Xiao Yuying, seeing the same surprise on their faces—they clearly hadn’t expected this either.

Gu Chang nodded nervously.

"So you came here for this thesis?"

"Yes. I wanted to ask for your guidance, Sect Leader, but I could never get the chance... I thought, given my cultivation level, hoping to enter the inner sect was just a pipe dream. So why not take this opportunity to show you my thesis?"

"That way, this disciple would have no regrets."

He looked at Zheng Fa anxiously. Seeing Zheng Fa nod, he hurriedly took out a thick stack of manuscript papers from his storage pouch.

The papers varied in age and even had slight differences in size, clearly indicating this thesis wasn’t written in a single day.

Zheng Fa took the thesis and frowned. "If you have a thesis, why not upload it to the Debate platform?"

Gu Chang’s voice grew even weaker. "This disciple... can’t afford a new Tongjian."

"..."

"And... I was afraid others would laugh at me for being delusional."

Zheng Fa turned his gaze to the thesis on the table. Before he could open it, Gu Chang spoke again. "My wish is fulfilled. This disciple takes his leave."

"What about changing mentors?"

Gu Chang paused mid-step and said softly, "Thank you for your regard, Sect Leader. But aside from you, who else would value a four-spirit-root disciple?"

Zheng Fa frowned. "I can ensure you won’t be neglected."

Gu Chang lowered his head again. Looking at Zheng Fa, he actually smiled. "Sect Leader, this disciple has no other desires."

"..."

Zheng Fa wanted to say more, but Gu Chang had already walked out quickly, his back exuding a quiet finality.

...

After the interviews ended, Zheng Fa stood in his courtyard, his expression conflicted.

"Junior Brother?" Senior Sister Zhang stood at the doorway, watching him with curiosity. "I’ve never seen you like this before."

Zheng Fa pointed at the manuscript papers on the stone table in the courtyard, his brow furrowed as if tied in a knot. "This thesis..."

"Hmm?"

"Gu Chang is a genius."

Senior Sister Zhang grew even more curious. She picked up the manuscript and began reading. The title alone shocked her: "An Examination of the Relationship Between Spiritual Roots and Nerves? No wonder he was afraid others would call him delusional."

Research on spiritual roots wasn’t a new topic in the Xuanyi Realm.

Spiritual roots were almost one of the most important innate qualities for cultivators in their early stages. Countless experts had explored their nature.

Yet, cultivators still understood spiritual roots as if looking at flowers through fog—never truly grasping their essence.

Even in the Jiushan Realm, Zheng Fa and the other higher-ups were at a loss.

And now, a Qi Refining fifth-stage disciple had written a thesis on the subject!

How could anyone take it seriously?

"Senior Sister, take a look first."

Senior Sister Zhang lowered her head and began reading the half-finished thesis carefully. At times she frowned, at others she seemed enlightened. After a full half-hour, she let out a sigh:

"So that’s how it is..."

"Senior Sister also finds it reasonable?"

"At the very least, I can’t find any flaws." Senior Sister Zhang raised her head, her gaze at Zheng Fa complicated. "This Gu Chang... is truly a genius. What a pity."

Zheng Fa remained silent. He took a few steps and sat on a stone stool, his eyes fixed on the manuscript in Senior Sister Zhang’s hands, his heart aching with regret.

The main argument in Gu Chang’s half-finished thesis was simple:

Spiritual roots are determined by the structure of human nerves.

To delve deeper, Gu Chang had studied every nerve in the human body, breaking them down into small structures and identifying Five-Element talismanic diagrams within them!

His theory was straightforward:

The proportion of spiritual roots depends on the quantity of these Five-Element talismanic diagrams within the nerve structures.

At first glance, Zheng Fa felt the leap was too great—he had never even considered connecting the two concepts before.

But Gu Chang made an interesting point:

"When meditating, the flow of consciousness within the body is actually the movement of neural electricity. Doesn’t the path it takes resemble talismanic principles?"

This statement reminded Zheng Fa of a question he had when first learning the Crane Stance:

Why does visualization work?

At the time, he didn’t have a shred of divine sense, yet visualizing the crane attracted spiritual energy, allowing him to master foundational martial arts.

Gu Chang’s theory provided an explanation:

He had read a modern study suggesting that when humans observe movement, the corresponding nerves activate, simulating that movement and even forming neural synapses.

Visualization, then, might simply be a form of observation.

And the autonomous firing of nerves could be an unconscious form of meditation.

This also explained why everyone in both the Xuanyi Realm and the modern world had spiritual roots.

If this hypothesis were true, Gu Chang could be considered the first person in Xuanyi’s history to unravel the true nature of spiritual roots!

The difficulty of the spiritual root problem lay precisely in its elusive, intangible nature—hard to comprehend, let alone experiment on or improve.

Gu Chang’s half-finished thesis was nothing short of groundbreaking in the field of spiritual root research!

Moreover, for Zheng Fa, the spiritual root problem was of utmost importance:

His strength was insufficient, and if he wanted to spread the Dao in the modern world, the first obstacle he would face was spiritual roots.

Even for the Jiushan Sect, without solving the spiritual root issue, the current reforms would be like floating weeds—without any real foundation. Things might seem fine while Zheng Fa was around, but without him, everything would likely collapse.

As the saying goes, the material base determines the superstructure.

Spiritual roots were the most fundamental material basis for cultivators.

The significance of Gu Chang’s thesis for Zheng Fa couldn’t be overstated.

"According to his analysis, nerves with the same structure as the Metal-Elemental Sub-Talisman are mostly concentrated in the lungs, while Water-Elemental Sub-Talismans are eighty percent in the kidneys... Five Elements and Five Organs?" Senior Sister Zhang said in surprise. "That’s actually excellent supporting evidence."

The Five Elements and Five Organs theory was relatively simple.

Xuanyi cultivators had long noticed that people with strong lungs usually had Metal spiritual roots, kidneys were closely related to Water, the heart corresponded to Fire, the liver to Wood, and so on.

In the past, people only knew of this phenomenon but couldn’t explain why it existed.

Now, Gu Chang’s theory provided a comprehensive explanation.

Hence, Senior Sister Zhang called it supporting evidence.

The thesis even included some highly plausible arguments:

Why does everyone have Five-Element spiritual roots? Because some nerves are essential to the human body, and the Five-Element talismanic diagrams corresponding to these nerves are relatively balanced.

But some people have denser or more numerous nerves in certain areas, far exceeding the norm—manifesting as dual- or even single-spirit roots.

There were many more deductions, forming a relatively complete theoretical framework.

Senior Sister Zhang gently set down the thesis, her tone filled with emotion:

"Gu Chang’s thesis incorporates much of the Xuanyi Realm’s newest knowledge. That’s not easy."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly.

Setting aside everything else, the knowledge about the nervous system had only been introduced to the Jiushan Realm on a large scale after Zheng Fa understood the essence of the Vermilion Heaven Jade Manual and the Yang Spirit stage.

Some theories hadn’t even made it into textbooks yet and were only mentioned in "Immortal Path."

Yet Gu Chang had already mastered them and was innovating further.

It truly wasn’t easy.

Senior Sister Zhang repeated:

"...What a pity."

Hearing this, Zheng Fa also gazed at the night sky without speaking.

"Such a good disciple... ruined."

By now, they both understood why Gu Chang had refused to become another elder’s disciple and why he said he couldn’t finish the thesis.

What they had just discussed was purely theoretical, with no experimental data.

Or, it could only be called a hypothesis.

For others, this might have been the end.

But no one could have expected Gu Chang to be so obsessive—to verify his theory, he needed experiments. Human experiments.

Given his cultivation level, abilities, and resources, finding test subjects was practically impossible.

But Gu Chang had one last option: himself!

"Damaging specific nerves in his own body, then measuring changes in spiritual roots..." Zheng Fa’s voice carried a tinge of melancholy. "How stubborn. How resolute."

Senior Sister Zhang nodded softly. "Even with spiritual medicine for recovery, Gu Chang’s Dao body is already damaged. There’s only a dead end ahead."

"Forget about his future cultivation—even his lifespan..."

Zheng Fa had no response. He simply stared at the thesis in his hands, his expression somber.

...

On Letu Island, Gu Chang’s mother watched him eat dinner, hesitating to speak.

After a long while, she finally couldn’t hold back:

"The exam..."

"My cultivation level is too low. There’s no hope."

Gu Chang’s mother was filled with disappointment, tears welling in her eyes as if she might cry.

"When you first joined the sect, your father and I were so happy we couldn’t sleep all night... Later, we realized our spiritual roots weren’t as good as other disciples’, but we thought, at least you were cultivating. Surely that was better than before."

"Then that girl came to propose marriage—such a good girl!" Gu Chang’s mother seemed to have been holding this in for a long time. Now, hearing her son had failed, it all spilled out. "But you refused. Fine, you’re grown up, and I’m just an ignorant woman. I can’t control you."

"But then you wanted to do some research!"

"I don’t understand research, but I heard people say it’s not something ordinary disciples can accomplish. With your cultivation level, it’s just a pipe dream."

"As soon as that journal came out, you’d buy it! How many Merit Points does a teacher even earn?"

"The Merit Points are one thing! But why are you always injured? I wash your sheets and towels every day, terrified of seeing blood!"

"Every month, the Merit Points you receive turn into medicine and journals, and now your body’s in such a state!"

"Now, I don’t ask you to marry, I don’t ask you to support the family, I don’t even ask you to become an immortal ancestor... Can’t I at least hope you live a long life?"

Gu Chang slowly set down his chopsticks and looked at his mother, guilt flashing in his eyes.

"Mother."

"Find me a wife."

Gu Chang’s mother widened her eyes in disbelief. "Given our family’s situation now, and after offending people last time, it won’t be easy to find a girl with decent talent..."

"No need. Just find someone without cultivation, without any background." Gu Chang smiled.

His mother looked at him suspiciously.

Then Gu Chang continued, smiling, "Before, I was mistaken, always dreaming. Now it’s time to settle down, marry, have children, and let you enjoy some happiness in your old age... With grandchildren, you’ll have company."

Hearing this, his mother beamed with joy, nodding repeatedly. "Good! Good! I’ll ask around for you!"

Now she suddenly felt dissatisfied. "I’ve heard that if the mother’s talent is poor, the children’s spiritual roots will be weak too. Shouldn’t we find someone with better talent? After all, you made it to the inner sect interviews—you have some reputation in the sect!"

"No need. Don’t worry about spiritual roots."

His mother grew even more confused. Then Gu Chang said softly, "I’ve left a gift for the child."

"Where is it?"

"With the Sect Leader."