I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 365Book 2: : Voting with Your Feet, Integrity and Honor
Vol 2 Chapter 365: Voting with Your Feet, Integrity and Honor
In this world, timing is everything. When the timing is right, everything falls into place.
Whether it’s the girl sitting in the back of the classroom at sixteen, or the pig rising to fame in the media, it all boils down to those two words: timing.
So when Old Bai said that having a residence permit at the nursing home was becoming more valuable, it made a lot of sense.
To be fair, Old Bai’s academic ability wasn’t the very top among the nursing home’s scholars nowadays, but his status was definitely one of the highest. That was naturally because he was the first scholar Zheng Fa had contacted, and they had built up a solid trust.
The foreign scholars coming next were bound to be of a slightly higher caliber than the current batch in the nursing home:
The threshold kept rising each time.
For example, this time, the visa regulations issued by Team Leader Yang meant that only a handful of scholars from the top international research institutes and the leading experts in each discipline could meet the requirements.
The Neurological Repair Surgery Department at the Kezhou Medical Center in the Summit Country was one of these institutions.
The moment Song Cheng stepped into the medical center’s building, he was filled with ambition and felt as if he was treading on a broad, bright road.
Everyone knew that doctors, especially neurosurgeons, were among the highest earners in the Summit Country, and the competition was fierce.
For a foreigner like him, the price to pay was even higher.
He had graduated from a top medical university back home.
But coming here was basically like starting from scratch:
He had to make up for many certification courses, go through new internships, and pass the local medical license exams.
At thirty-five, while some of his classmates back home had already become heads of departments, he was only just officially beginning his career.
But to Song Cheng, it was all worth it!
He had joined an internationally top-tier research group!
Compared to research, income, and status in the medical field, he was confident he would catch up and eventually surpass, accumulating strength for a bright future.
Compared to staying in his home country, he was truly climbing the peak of medicine!
He entered the building, took the elevator, and walked with a spring in his step to an office door.
Song Cheng took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and gently knocked on the doorplate that read Professor Huntington’s name.
“Come in.”
A cold voice came from inside.
Song Cheng’s heart tightened further. Professor Huntington was known for his strict personality and never sugarcoated his words to his research assistants;he was infamous in the medical center.
Years ago, some assistants had even publicly complained about him.
But his technical skill was outstanding, and his connections ran deep, making him practically unchallengeable in the medical center, so those complaints went nowhere.
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No one dared to go against Professor Huntington after that, and he became more and more reckless. His team was chronically understaffed due to people quitting frequently.
Honestly, if it weren’t for that, it wouldn’t have been so easy for a foreigner like Song Cheng to get in.
When applying for this position before, he had met the professor twice. Each time, he had the feeling that the professor probably didn’t even remember his face and accepted him only as an extra pair of hands.
Recalling the decade-long struggle and effort, Song Cheng gritted his teeth, cheered himself on for three seconds, and pushed the door open. Inside, Professor Huntington sat behind the desk, eyes fixed on the computer screen, head not raised. His sunken eyes and thin lips made him look unapproachable.
Sensing Song Cheng’s unease, Professor Huntington furrowed his brow and said, “You’re wasting my time...”
“Song?”
Song Cheng felt as if he had returned to his homeland and witnessed a national treasure—the art of changing expressions.
He saw the displeasure on the professor’s face transform into delight within two seconds. The tightly pressed lips instantly parted into a broad smile.
“Sit!”
Professor Huntington jumped up from behind the desk, pointing to the black leather sofa in the office with enthusiasm.
“Professor?” Song Cheng was surprised and felt like he didn’t really know the professor standing before him.
This person was far from the rumored or remembered professor he had imagined.
“Song, are you having any difficulties adjusting here?”
The next question stunned him so much he thought his ears were malfunctioning.
Could this caring and considerate attitude really be from Professor Huntington?
“I... I’m getting used to it,” Song Cheng stammered. Seeing the professor’s anxious expression and seeming unsure where to start, he quickly responded, “Professor, is there anything I can do for you?”
Sure enough, at this question, admiration flashed in Professor Huntington’s eyes.
“Song, do you know your country’s... Immortal Zheng?”
The three words “Immortal Zheng” were said in Mandarin, which sounded awkward to Song Cheng, but he understood.
“Of course I know.”
When this first started circulating back home, he saw it but didn’t care much, thinking it was just a rumor.
Later, after the great changes in the world and the strange phenomena in the sun, he believed it six parts out of ten.
But he was busy studying and working;it felt far removed from him. The information was a mess, with all sorts of rumors online, and he couldn’t make sense of it, so he knew little.
“Song, that Immortal Zheng has a nursing home. Do you know about it?”
“I do.”
“Now that nursing home is recruiting.”
“Recruiting?”
Song Cheng grew more confused, not understanding why Professor Huntington brought this up.
“They’re recruiting scholars in medicine, pharmacy, and biology,” Professor Huntington said, his pale complexion tinged with fanatic red, “including our neurological repair!”
“...”
Song Cheng’s mind was a chaotic mess.
That Immortal Zheng was recruiting academics?
What kind of research institution was this nursing home?
And...
“Professor, do you mean...”
“I’ve already applied!”
Professor Huntington pointed at the computer and said quickly, “Fortunately, I meet their requirements.”
Song Cheng felt something was wrong. “Professor, you’re going to the nursing home? What about the research group...”
“Unfortunately, you don’t qualify, but quitting is my freedom, isn’t it?”
The sky fell.
On his very first day, the boss ran away.
“Professor, then I...”
“Don’t get excited.” Professor Huntington gestured for him to be patient. “Song, I can give you a letter of recommendation to study with other professors. No matter which research group, whether they’re in the medical center or not, if you’re interested, I’ll try to connect you with people I know.”
Song Cheng was even more surprised.
Those were very generous conditions, and he and Professor Huntington didn’t have a deep relationship.
After all, this was only their third meeting, and they had exchanged no more than ten sentences in total.
Seeing the puzzled look on Song Cheng’s face, Professor Huntington turned the computer screen toward him:
“The competition for recruitment at the nursing home is fierce. They have limited slots, and I know many qualified applicants... I’m not the strongest contender.”
Song Cheng still didn’t understand what the professor meant.
“If I give you a recommendation letter, could you also give me one?”
“Me?”
Song Cheng was even more shocked.
Professor Huntington clicked the mouse a few times and opened several web pages:
“Do you know these people?”
“...Yes.”
“They’re rumored to have already entered the nursing home. I want you to introduce me to them...” Professor Huntington’s smile was sly, “so I can find out Immortal Zheng’s preferences.”
“...”
Looking at three former classmates and professors on the screen, Song Cheng’s expression became even more blank.
“Deal?”
Professor Huntington grew impatient. “If you have any requests, just say.”
“None...” Song Cheng sat there, dazed and discouraged.
“Song?”
“Professor, I’m fine.”
There really was nothing major.
It was just that after being away from home for over ten years and striving to climb the peak of medicine... the medical peak had sprinted away and ended up back at home.
It didn’t matter.
...
Zheng Fa saw Professor Huntington holding a report and walking into the nursing home with others, silently nodding:
Little Huntington was quite sensible.
He was not only skilled in neurosurgery.
After entering the nursing home, he was also very sociable. On one hand, he diligently practiced Mandarin, always smiling and making three or five friends;on the other, he studied hard. Unconsciously, he had become the backbone among the new foreign scholars.
Zheng Fa didn’t care much about his little schemes.
He only cared about research progress.
“Director.” Huntington spoke in somewhat rough but fluent Mandarin, “The preliminary treatment plan has been proposed.”
“The biggest problem with this patient is the excessive scar tissue in his body, which suppresses synaptic growth.”
Treating Gu Chang was essentially recreating spiritual roots.
The two were one and the same, so there was no need for separation.
Therefore, this treatment plan was the result of a top-level joint consultation by the world’s leading experts, highly prestigious.
After much experimentation and research, they finally came up with a feasible plan.
Scar tissue referred to the overproliferation of cells after injury, which affected nerve regrowth.
Gu Chang’s situation was exactly like this:
He had abused his body for experiments, leaving it full of wounds. Although spiritual medicines helped, his nervous system couldn’t grow normally, making him a person without spiritual roots.
“Director, you said the main approach would be electrical stimulation,” Huntington explained, “We have tried using the Lei Fa to stimulate specific nerves and have achieved good results.”
“But the problem remains... how to maintain the patient’s vitality or, rather, cellular growth capacity.”
Old Bai nodded slightly and said, “According to the Examination of the Relationship Between Spiritual Roots and Nerves, we redesigned Gu Chang’s neural network. Rebuilding the spiritual root inside his body is a massive project.”
“With current scientific methods, we can’t guarantee the patient’s safety throughout the treatment.”
This project team was split into two parts.
One focused on spiritual root theory research, led by Old Bai, with mathematicians cracking the human nervous system to understand the relationship between nerves and spiritual roots, aiming to achieve spiritual root manufacturing.
With Gu Chang’s research as the foundation, it wasn’t difficult.
The other part, including Huntington and others working on medicine and pharmacy, was responsible for implementing spiritual root manufacturing.
This was much harder.
If it were a minor nerve disease, it wouldn’t be a big problem, but spiritual roots involved too many complex nerves, almost like recreating a human.
“Still relying on spiritual medicines?”
“We have a new idea about spiritual medicines.”
Teacher Tian suddenly said.
“Hm?”
“The spiritual medicines cultivated in the nursing home so far are all coincidences with very low success rates... We suspect it’s because the varieties are wrong.”
“Varieties?”
“If, according to your theory, without spiritual energy, spiritual material particles degenerate... then the vegetation here would have long ceased to adapt to environments with spiritual energy.”
Zheng Fa was slightly stunned but then understood.
Regardless of the relationship between the modern world and the Xuanyi Realm, the modern world hadn’t had spiritual energy for countless years.
Therefore, most plants suitable for growing in spiritual energy environments had likely long since gone extinct.
“Teacher Tian, you mean...”
“On one hand, we may have to find ancient plant seeds and try cultivating them;on the other, I’m thinking... why don’t you study the genomes of various spiritual plants?”
Because Huntington and others were here, Teacher Tian was vague, but Zheng Fa immediately understood.
Teacher Tian’s idea was: “I don’t know what can be cultivated into spiritual plants, so why not have Zheng Fa look for some in the Jiushan Realm?”
Zheng Fa hadn’t thought of this before.
The plants in the Xuanyi Realm were vastly different from those in the modern world, much more so than the difference between human body structures.
It was quite difficult and unrealistic to find corresponding plants in the modern world.
Therefore, Zheng Fa usually applied modern technology in the Jiushan Realm.
But Teacher Tian’s idea was simple:
Modernity might not have corresponding plants, but why not genetically engineer one?
Since the underlying principles are the same, this idea was not impossible!
If it succeeded and the Xuanyi Realm and the modern world really shared the same origin, then the genomes of those spiritual plants must have existed in the modern world.
Looking at Teacher Tian’s hopeful expression, Zheng Fa nodded slightly.
Modernity was related to Zheng Fa’s Dao Ancestor’s Dao Fruit. The importance of spiritual medicine was increasing. Moreover, the Jiushan Realm really had this technical accumulation—agronomy was the Xuanyi Realm’s unparalleled field.
Being optimistic, having spiritual plants similar to those in the Jiushan Realm, combined with modern pharmacological research experience, would bring immeasurable benefits to Jiushan’s alchemy.
Finding suitable medicines for spiritual root reconstruction would then be easy by comparison.
...
“You’re here?” Zheng Fa waved to Gu Chang and Mu Qingyan as they walked into the courtyard, smiling, “Come here.”
The two quickly walked over to Zheng Fa, standing straight.
Mu Qingyan’s face showed a little frustration.
Zheng Fa looked into her eyes and smiled, “Qingyan, how is your senior brother’s cultivation?”
Mu Qingyan glanced at Gu Chang, her eyes full of helplessness. “Senior brother works hard, but his ability to absorb spiritual energy is too poor...”
She couldn’t continue.
Gu Chang, however, spoke calmly, “Master, at my current speed, not to mention foundation establishment, even completing the Qi Refining stage would be a luxury.”
Mu Qingyan sighed inwardly.
Honestly, her master asking her to teach the eldest senior brother made her feel somewhat unfair.
In terms of strength, talent, and relationship with the master, Gu Chang should all be inferior to her.
But the master obviously cared more about that eldest disciple.
Besides, she had memories from her Nascent Soul stage, believing herself hardworking and talented, so how could she not be proud?
The master’s favoritism naturally hurt her pride. She even felt a bit despondent.
But after learning about Gu Chang’s deeds, she had to admit that this eldest senior brother was admirable.
How important spiritual root research was, she understood well.
Not to mention the cost Gu Chang paid for his research.
Now, she was willing to call him senior brother wholeheartedly.
Though still a bit downhearted, feeling that the master only accepted her because of senior brother was a blow to her self-esteem.
But for Gu Chang, she felt deep regret.
“Gu Chang, come here.”
She heard the master call senior brother and then saw the master hand him a book.
Curious, she didn’t peek but saw senior brother first look down and flip through the book, then exclaimed, “The Examination of the Relationship Between Spiritual Roots and Nerves is finished?”
Mu Qingyan was startled.
She had heard senior brother mention flaws in this paper before. According to him, it would be a blessing if he lived to see it perfected.
But how long had it been now?
“It’s finished. If you want to publish it, you’ll be the first author. I’ll arrange a special issue for you in Immortal Dao.”
Such research naturally deserved a special issue.
But Gu Chang just stared at the paper and after a long moment said, “Disciple is ashamed. Compared to my original half-paper, this is almost a complete rebirth, far beyond measure. How could I steal the title of first author?”
Mu Qingyan was even more surprised.
Senior brother continued, “Just reading this paper, I know I’m like a firefly compared to the bright moon that is Master. If it’s published, Master’s name should appear before mine.”
This was not senior brother’s false modesty.
This paper had been heavily revised by Old Bai and others. Although the core argument remained, the content was on another level.
Not to mention that it added the idea of spiritual root design, further advancing beyond Gu Chang’s original paper.
Mu Qingyan listened dumbfounded, looking at the master:
Senior brother had worked tirelessly for years on this paper, yet the master had only had it for a short time and transformed it completely.
Having spent these days with Gu Chang, she knew how talented he was in talisman studies and admitted she was far inferior...
Now it seemed the master surpassed senior brother even more.
Although Old Bai and the others’ names already appeared in the Hall of Virtuous Scholars, putting their names on this paper was absolutely forbidden:
The talisman classics in the Hall could be said to be works of predecessors.
But the spiritual root paper could only come from the present... Adding Old Bai and the others would immediately reveal their existence, which was far too dangerous for the modern world.
Zheng Fa decisively said, “The main ideas of this paper originally came from you. There is no need to argue.”
Hearing this, Gu Chang lowered his head, seemingly moved.
Even Mu Qingyan’s heart stirred—solving the spiritual root problem and passing it on in the future would secure a place in the Xuanyi Realm’s history.
This achievement was even more important than any cultivation technique. The author of the paper would be immortalized forever.
But the master said to give it to senior brother, so give it to senior brother. Such magnanimity...
She had blamed the master before, and now realized she was truly wrong!
