[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world":3,"chapter-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-104":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Cultivation: I Studied Abroad in the Modern World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2263830,4418,"Chapter 104: Carrot","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-104",104,"\u003Cp>Zheng Fa felt he had been tricked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Zhang Shijie and couldn’t shake the feeling that her smile was malicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie seemed like she was waving a carrot in front of a donkey—she looked downright deserving of a punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This technique… does Sister Zhang also have it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won it from you in a bet,” Zhang Shijie said without hesitation. “Only after reading it did I understand why Master Pang says he never loses a bet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Practicing this technique requires a spiritual material called Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo Tear,” Zhang Shijie tossed the jade cylinder at Zheng Fa. “Of the entire Jiushan Sect, only Master Pang owns a single Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo. As for buying it at the marketplace—it’s not just expensive, it’s nearly impossible to find. I couldn’t get one either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa caught the jade cylinder and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jiushan Sect’s elite are all full of tricks!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I’d truly agreed to Master Pang and gotten the “Void-Sight Technique” without the material, wouldn’t it all be for nothing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve studied this technique for some time,” Zhang Shijie shook her head. “Even by my standards, this Spirit-Eye art is incredibly profound and perfectly suited for Talisman Masters. It should be immensely useful to you. But to master it, you absolutely cannot bypass the Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo Tear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa fell silent for a moment, but he wasn’t disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder Master Pang chose this technique as the bet,” Zhang Shijie shook her head. “He wanted me to trade him my ‘Talisman Foundation Establishment Method’ for his Hundred-Year Purple Bamboo Tear. He really cares for that younger brother, Zhou Gan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa was baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was originally hesitant,” Zhang Shijie glanced at him. “But if we could get enough for two people, I might consider it—as long as you diligently cultivate the ‘Talisman Foundation Establishment Method.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Pang needs to verify the results.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, I can’t ask for a high price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘Talisman Foundation Establishment Method’ doubles cultivation speed,” Zheng Fa asked, puzzled. “How could Master Pang not be tempted by such a powerful technique?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Doubles?” Zhang Shijie frowned, looking at Zheng Fa. “Who said the ‘Talisman Foundation Establishment Method’ doubles cultivation speed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After I formed the Upright Invisible Talisman, my cultivation speed increased by ten percent. Ten talismans would double it!” Zheng Fa exclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he been too optimistic?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“ Zhang Shijie stared at Zheng Fa for a long time, then sighed softly: “When I formed my first Yuan Fu, my cultivation speed only increased slightly—less than half of ten percent. Even after forging the Yuan Fu Dao Base, it only improved by thirty percent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression was complex. If Zheng Fa had to translate it, it would be:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is there someone even better at cheating than me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“ Zheng Fa thought for a moment and suddenly understood—it was his own overwhelming spiritual core. The stronger his spiritual core, the more talisman diagrams he attracted—even geniuses like Zhang Shijie couldn’t match him here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep cultivating!” Zhang Shijie clapped her hands. “I’ll go ask Master Pang for more Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo Tear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if Brother Zhou can’t improve as much as I did?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you lie? Doesn’t the ‘Talisman Foundation Establishment Method’ double your cultivation speed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, but Brother Zhou probably won’t get this effect,” Zheng Fa worried about Master Pang’s reaction if he discovered their false claims.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then he’s stupid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember: geniuses don’t explain. If they can’t do it, they’re just not talented enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie spoke with experience, patting Zheng Fa’s shoulder. “Keep cultivating—we’ll make a fortune off Master Pang’s spiritual materials!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa felt something was off—why am I cultivating so you can profit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t this carrot supposed to be grown by the donkey itself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then Sister Zhang, you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dare you haggle with Master Pang?” Zhang Shijie asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Modern era, Old White’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa and the two others sat around the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the desk lay Zheng Fa’s copied version of the “Talisman Foundation Establishment Method.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first group study session of the Immortal Learning Group began!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Old White’s eyes were dark circles, yet his face glowed with anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin’s beautiful eyes sparkled with a hint of excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa understood their emotions—after all, this was immortality!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after they finished reading the “Talisman Foundation Establishment Method,” Old White’s face fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s it,” Zheng Fa nodded lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too little. Can’t see anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old White placed the “Talisman Foundation Establishment Method” on the table, as if he’d wasted his hopes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa agreed with him—this technique was a half-baked idea from Jiushan’s founder, later slightly refined by Zhang Shijie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike other Jiushan Sect techniques, like the “Red Sky Scripture,” which had been passed down through generations with countless annotations and analyses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Talisman Foundation Establishment Method” was barely over a thousand characters total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s too little,” Zheng Fa slowly nodded. “Many questions aren’t explained at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do talismans exhibit yin-yang and five-element traits?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More importantly—why does using yin-yang and five-element theory to forge the Yuan Fu Dao Base even work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his most immediate confusion after reading the “Talisman Foundation Establishment Method.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie, being from the Xuanwei Realm, found the yin-yang and five-element explanation for talismans perfectly natural—no need to question it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zheng Fa wasn’t like that—modern education forced him to ask why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…We can’t tell yet,” Old White thought for a moment, frowning. “This sample size is too small. We need to examine more talisman diagrams.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie only needed to test with her own Yuan Ling Dao Body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these three had far more to consider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, is the yin-yang and five-element classification even valid? Can all talisman diagrams be categorized this way? Only then could they probe their essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A computer would be best,” Old White glanced at Zheng Fa, then fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa understood—he meant computers were ideal for processing such massive data, but that meant exposing the secret of immortality to another person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the person who wrote this ‘Talisman Foundation Establishment Method’ did confirm one of my earlier doubts,” Old White suddenly said. “The Yuan Fu you showed me—there were too many.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they can be classified by yin-yang and five elements, then Yuan Fu are probably not the most fundamental aspect of talismans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can Yuan Fu be subdivided?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, that’s the most direct explanation,” Old White nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was one of Zheng Fa’s own theories—but now the question was how to verify it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After discussion, the three agreed: to solve this, they needed topology.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, handling such massive data still required someone who understood computers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they talked, Zheng Fa noticed Old White’s head nodding slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you sleep last night?” he asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I stayed up late studying,” Old White wiped his face with both hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Embarrassed by dozing off while studying, he blamed it: “Also, this stuff—it’s boring! Just looking at it makes you sleepy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed at the “Talisman Foundation Establishment Method” on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boring?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your human electricity thing was way more exciting,” Old White sneered. “Bioelectricity, magnetic fields, one punch to explode a star!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait—what did you study last night?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa eyed the old man suspiciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahem—comics!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw you were charged with electricity and thought you were showing us those things, so I Googled it,” Old White said sheepishly. “To be honest, those comics were pretty good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re surprisingly trendy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course I am!” Old White tilted his head proudly, then added discontentedly: “But look at this book—all it shows are talisman diagrams, no flashy art at all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa glanced at Tang Lingwumin—she wasn’t dozing, but her expression wasn’t as excited as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading the “Talisman Foundation Establishment Method,” it was clear they’d both been let down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How about you shock me again?” Old White suddenly said hopefully. “Let me feel the wonder of immortality again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…I suspect you’re using immortality as an excuse to satisfy some embarrassing kinks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zheng Fa understood Old White’s meaning—they imagined something grander, more wondrous about immortality, not just a plain book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short: the carrot wasn’t fragrant enough, and the donkey was thinking of quitting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa’s mind stirred, and the Upright Invisible Talisman in his dantian trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lao Tou and Tang Lingwumin watched in stunned silence as Zheng Fa, who had just been sitting beside them, suddenly vanished, leaving only an empty chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zheng Fa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lao Tou shuddered all over, jolted fully awake by fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity; her fingers reached out toward Zheng Fa’s former seat, tapping the air repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t touch that!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa materialized, grabbing her fingers in alarm, helplessly staring at her flushed face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This girl’s curiosity feels a bit too intense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zheng Fa! This is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The boring thing you mentioned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s the boredom?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not as flashy as in the comics.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not flashy, but it’s useful!” Bai Lao Tou exclaimed excitedly: “When I was young, I dreamed of being invisible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How would that help?” Zheng Fa looked at Bai Lao Tou; the man seemed overly excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was poor back then! I thought, if I could vanish, I’d go overseas and become a grand thief!” Bai Lao Tou drifted into fantasy: “Bank vaults? I could come and go as I pleased!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Overseas?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course! I’d never steal in my own country!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa’s tone was complicated: “You may want to be a lawless rogue, but you’re still patriotic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually…” Bai Lao Tou blushed, suddenly sounding embarrassed: “I was young then, unmarried… you know how young men are—full of fire. I thought, if I could vanish, I’d sneak into women’s bathhouses…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin widened her eyes and instinctively shifted her chair farther away from Bai Lao Tou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was just imagining it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Women’s bathhouses overseas?” Zheng Fa asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In my own country! What’s there to see overseas?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa nodded, sincerely praising: “You truly are patriotic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin slapped her bank card down on the table again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to learn this!” Her eyes gleamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want to sneak into bathhouses too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa froze—didn’t she have plenty of money?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sometimes… I just wish my mother couldn’t see me…”\u003C\u002Fp>",1709,"2026-06-19T19:16:02.864Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7eeb225c3029eb2f039dde76c8e70b52ae2b0ab527dbb0eee972fa4e4f442ee6","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-105","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-103",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]