[{"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-113":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},2263839,4418,"Chapter 113","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-113",113,"\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie’s home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie sat seated beside her study desk, a pen in her right hand, swiftly writing something on paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her left hand was the practice problem booklet Zheng Fa had previously submitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The study was not empty—Yuan Shijie stood beside her, talking nonstop, brimming with boundless energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both looked relaxed, as if this were their usual way of passing leisure time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie showed no sign of annoyance at Yuan Shijie’s chatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shijie didn’t seem to need any reply—her lips kept moving, spouting random, meandering remarks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Yuan Shijie’s question pulled Zhang Shijie back from her sea of problems: “I heard you and Master Pang are still haggling?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why not lower your requirements, Sister?\" Yuan Shijie frowned. \"I heard there are hardly any thousand-year purple bamboo tears left—even Master Pang’s disciples might not get any.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if Master Pang refuses?” Yuan Shijie pouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He won’t refuse.” Zhang Shijie sounded confident: “The longer we wait, the more likely they’ll agree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because of Zheng Fa.” Zhang Shijie glanced at the handwriting in the booklet, as if recalling Zheng Fa’s face: “He’s perfectly suited for the Symbolic Foundation Establishment Method—more so than I am.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shijie nodded, as if understanding Zhang Shijie’s meaning: “You mean, once they see Zheng Fa’s progress, they’ll be tempted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Zhang, how long do you think it’ll take before they agree?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shijie asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Pang’s lineage…” Zhang Shijie’s tone was complex: “They love using the Void-Sight to spy everywhere—probably that Sun disciple is still lurking near Zheng Fa’s house.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, they don’t know all this escapes Sister’s notice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch too long, you get good at it. If the top beam’s crooked, the bottom ones will be too.” Zhang Shijie muttered coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, aren’t you planning to fleece Master Pang? How long will they watch?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At most ten days to half a month—Zheng Fa’s cultivation speed isn’t fake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Sister really trusts Zheng Fa.\" Yuan Shijie shook her head, doubtful that such a short time could convince Master Pang: \"But I heard Master Pang values the thousand-year purple bamboo tears more than ever.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Zhang Shijie opened her mouth to reply, a golden talisman shot through the study window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She reached out and caught it; a voice filled with resignation and reluctance emerged from the talisman: \"Zhang niece, two portions of thousand-year purple bamboo tears are ready.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Zhang was right after all!” Yuan Shijie exclaimed in surprise: “Master Pang actually agreed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie’s tone was complex: “I didn’t predict it. Zheng Fa did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The goods are too good—the price had to drop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mixed expression flickered across Zhang Shijie’s face—uncertain whether to be pleased or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zheng Fa entered the study, both Zhang Shijie and Yuan Shijie fixed their gazes on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their probing stares made him uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zheng Fa, have you gained any insights from the Symbolic Foundation Establishment Method?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve had some realizations,” Zheng Fa nodded, a hint of hesitation on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had indeed been looking for a chance to discuss with Zhang Shijie the so-called First Law of Bai’s Symbolic Dao—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to discuss it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was purely derived through topology and computational modeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it truly aligned with the Symbolic Dao system of Xuanwei Realm still needed experimental verification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for how to experiment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t there a better human lab than Zhang Shijie?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t know how to bring it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he’d only received the Symbolic Foundation Establishment Method for one or two months—how could he say, “I have some ideas, may I borrow your body for an experiment”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only would Zhang Shijie doubt he’d developed any insights in such a short time,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But using her as a test subject was outright disrespectful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much trust or kindness Zhang Shijie showed him, she was still a Jin Dan True Person—he was merely a new disciple. Between major realms in Xuanwei Realm lay a chasm; Zheng Fa didn’t believe Zhang Shijie had such tolerance for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet today, Zhang Shijie had come to him first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his hesitation, Zhang Shijie asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have any difficulties?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Zhang, I have some ideas—I need you to verify them,” Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this had to be done sooner or later; since she asked now, it was a good opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May I borrow your Yuanling Dao Body?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shijie glanced at Zheng Fa slowly, her face clearly saying: You’ve got guts, kid!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie stared at Zheng Fa for a long while, seeming hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, as if remembering something, she gave a slight nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa froze—did Zhang Shijie trust his discovery this much?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you want to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d like you to help verify the elemental attributes of some talisman diagrams.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To test the accuracy of the Five Phases Sub-Symbol classification was simple:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take talisman diagrams sorted by sub-symbols, and have Zhang Shijie verify them—check whether the classification was correct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie rose, a pale blue light flashing over her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A delicate, transparent human form appeared before Zheng Fa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please check the elemental attribute of the Qingyun Talisman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw a pair of lotus platforms, their stems joined, slowly forming in her dantian; then one petal’s talisman faded, replaced by the Qingyun Talisman’s diagram.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t seem to match the lotus—both platforms trembled slightly and vanished within her dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie showed no ill effects, and formed another pair of lotus platforms...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally understood how she determined elemental attributes of talismans—the replacement method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like having a circuit board and an unknown component.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To find out what the component did,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’d remove a part from the board and install the unknown one—if the board worked, you knew its function.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not, you’d swap in another part and try again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only difference: doing this could break the circuit board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Shijie—couldn’t be broken!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa nodded—this matched the Five Phases Sub-Symbol judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jinguang Talisman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Earth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiamǎ Talisman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Earth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finally found a human lab, Zheng Fa was excited and tested hundreds of talisman diagrams in one go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All results matched the Five Phases Sub-Symbol classification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he prepared to continue, he felt his sleeve tugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” He turned to Yuan Shijie, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shijie said nothing, only pointed upward, signaling him to look at Zhang Shijie’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa turned back—and saw that though Zhang Shijie’s face was transparent, her lips were pressed flat, as if she were angrily holding back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced outside—the sun had been high when he arrived; now it was nearly set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie was too convenient a tool—he’d gotten too carried away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d lost some of his reverence for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even experimental instruments need cooling breaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could Zhang Shijie not have complaints after being ordered around like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially given their vast status gap—and she was a peerless genius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d probably never been commanded like this before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa looked at Zhang Shijie, then back at Yuan Shijie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shijie stepped back two paces, putting distance between them, her face clearly saying: I don’t want any blood on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shijie stepped back two paces, putting more distance between herself and him, her expression as if afraid of getting splattered with blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sense of loyalty!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Any more?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie’s tone revealed no emotion, but Zheng Fa dared not push further and immediately replied: “No more!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me what you were just doing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa sensed anger in Zhang Shijie’s voice, though she was holding it back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother is testing a hypothesis,” he said, head bowed, voice low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What hypothesis?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The five-element attributes of talisman diagrams are determined by the five-element sub-talismans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa picked up the brush on the desk and drew the shape of the five-element sub-talismans on paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five-element sub-talismans?” Zhang Shijie slowly furrowed her brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa drew a Water-element primordial talisman: “Sister, look—doesn’t this part resemble the Water-element sub-talisman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drew a Metal-element primordial talisman: “Here—this is the Metal-element sub-talisman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wood-element sub-talisman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa analyzed each primordial talisman one by one, circling the presence of the five-element sub-talismans on each.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie gradually understood Zheng Fa’s meaning; the anger on her face faded, replaced by eyes that lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was testing this classification method.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was the result?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All correct!” Zheng Fa put down the brush, rubbed his head, and added: “Brother was merely absorbed in verification—not disrespecting Sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie nodded slightly, still saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, Sister, the five-element sub-talismans are originally one whole, but when I condensed the primordial talismans using the Foundation Establishment Talisman Method, I found the Earth-element and Metal-element sub-talismans didn’t fully align.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One whole?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhang Shijie seemed to realize something and suddenly fixed her gaze on Zheng Fa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa drew on paper the combined form of the five-element sub-talismans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie stared at the pattern in silence for a long while, then softly said: “Disrespect is allowed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you make more such discoveries—disrespect me however you like.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped his head up, staring at Zhang Shijie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never seen such a smile on Zhang Shijie’s face before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A free, unguarded smile, shedding all pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather—a smile no longer aloof, no longer holding herself above others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa’s heart surged with joy—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Think of it: a genius of the Hundred Immortal Alliance, a Primordial Spirit Body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A world-class, top-tier experimental lab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me tinker freely!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the dream of a researcher!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Yuan Shijie blinked and suddenly said: “I want to play with Sister’s body too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa felt Zhang Shijie’s smile freeze; her expression turned hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a stupid mouth!\u003C\u002Fp>",1635,"2026-06-19T19:16:02.864Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","07c03e2fbfb0b1d1b0b6f9a3f3d058281d742159999ec093f967fb4a00ab46d5","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-114","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-112",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]