[{"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-144":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},2263870,4418,"Chapter 144: Farewell (Couldn","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-144",144,"\u003Cp>\"Professor Bai, your Three-Character Rune Law is impressive!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days later, when Zheng Fa returned to Old Bai’s house, he couldn’t help complimenting Bai Yuan Ying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This old man had pulled off a big trick behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A little insight, just a little insight!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Bai waved his hand, speaking as if modest, but his face beamed with arrogance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa watched the smug Old Bai, then suddenly pulled out his notebook from his backpack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Professor Bai, I didn’t understand some aspects of the Three-Character Rune Law in my notes—could I ask you, its creator, for clarification?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa asked with sincere expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go ahead,\" Old Bai smirked, leaning back in his chair, radiating dominance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Besides the Five Elements sub-runes, how many of the other two types of sub-runes are there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\", Old Bai grimaced, fell silent for a long while, then said: \"Uncertain. More rune diagrams are needed for research.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are these sub-runes limited in number?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Also uncertain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about the functions of the other two types of sub-runes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Uncertain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa slowly set down his notebook, his gaze deep and fixed on Old Bai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Bai slowly sat upright; his earlier pride slowly turned to embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This... these are just results from the algorithm,\" Old Bai whispered, sounding like a child making a feeble excuse: \"I’ve had so little time, and I’ve never even touched real spiritual energy or spiritual runes—what could I possibly understand?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa flipped through the notebook and found Old Bai’s tone was mostly speculative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Bai hesitated, then spoke again: \"Actually, Lingwu had a hypothesis—I thought it was interesting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa turned to Tang Lingwumin; her cheeks were flushed, slightly embarrassed, murmuring: \"I was just guessing randomly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What hypothesis? Tell me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa was genuinely curious—what idea could make even Old Bai find it interesting?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lingwu studies computer science, so she thought—ultimately, spiritual runes are a process of humans communicating with heaven and earth, similar to how computers interact with hardware.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa felt a flash of understanding—he now grasped Tang Lingwumin’s hypothesis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Code?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa recalled how Zhang Shijie had once told him about the nature of runes—she believed runes were trajectories of spiritual energy flow, yet others called them Dao script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly!\" Old Bai clapped his hands. \"Lingwu, what did you say again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zheng Fa’s curious gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve been wondering—what actually makes spiritual runes work?\" Tang Lingwumin no longer hesitated, explaining to Zheng Fa: \"Based on your description, in my view, spiritual runes are fundamentally about using the soul or spiritual power to manipulate all things in the world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought—could the primary rune be seen as a function?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The three types of sub-runes might be three different kinds of statements—for example, the Five Elements sub-runes could be function calls—telling heaven and earth which type of spiritual energy I need.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The other two types might have different functions—one handling logical computation, the other serving as an output interface with heaven and earth...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin’s voice grew quieter, sounding unsure, ending with: \"I was just guessing randomly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa and Old Bai both laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s quite interesting—if it holds, this would be Tang’s Second Rune Law!\" Old Bai chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa nodded, his gaze encouraging toward Tang Lingwumin—the idea was certainly naive and needed much refinement and verification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And both Zheng Fa and Old Bai knew Tang Lingwumin was always lacking in confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This lack of confidence drove her to work harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, both Zheng Fa and Old Bai felt this girl had already helped immensely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Tang Lingwumin seemed unaware of the power of money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zheng Fa and Old Bai’s smiling gazes, Tang Lingwumin lowered her eyes, yet her expression sparkled with quiet joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang’s Second Rune Law still existed only as a hypothesis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Old Bai’s First Rune Law had now been revised into the Three-Character Rune Law (incomplete version)—honestly, this was a pleasant surprise, yet it also brought even more mysteries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after Old Bai’s explanation, Zheng Fa no longer felt rushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least they were slowly uncovering the essence of Rune Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, Professor Bai, how’s that person you said you were going to see in the capital—the one with little time left?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Bai had gone alone then—after all, Zheng Fa didn’t know the person, and a seriously ill person might not want visitors, so they hadn’t intruded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t meet her,\" Old Bai’s tone was odd: \"I even missed her funeral—she held it herself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...She held her own funeral?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa felt as if he didn’t understand Chinese characters anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, she said while she was still alive, she threw herself a funeral. Word is, everyone cried their eyes out...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Bai pulled out his phone, opened a video app, and selected one of his followed creators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwumin leaned in to see a screen showing an old woman in a military-green jacket, wearing sunglasses, hair flying, grinning wildly, riding a black motorcycle roaring across an open field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Traveling the world, obviously.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa now understood why Old Bai said he hadn’t met her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Professor Bai, who is this woman?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Lingwumin stared at the old woman on screen, eyes bright—perhaps she imagined herself as this woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Didn’t you say you needed an agricultural expert?\" Old Bai explained. \"She spent her whole life researching agriculture, never married, never had children—just tended the land.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...This aura? Doesn’t seem right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa looked again at the screen, skeptical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She said she spent her whole life being rustic, and now that she’s dying, she wanted to be fashionable,\" Old Bai sighed. \"Total rebel.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Professor Bai, what’s your relationship with her?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering their ages and the old woman’s striking presence on screen, Zheng Fa couldn’t help a suggestive thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Back in the capital, I joined a senior intellectual matchmaking group,\" Old Bai admitted, slightly embarrassed. \"I met her there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you like her?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did she turn you down?\" Zheng Fa asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\", Old Bai sighed. \"She wasn’t there to matchmake! She said she never wanted to marry—her mom forced her, saying no one would care for her when she got old.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How old was she then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fifty-eight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa fell silent. At fifty-eight, still pressured to marry—no wonder she turned rebellious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She even said, 'Good, now I’ll die early—Mom won’t have to worry anymore,'\" Old Bai sighed, as if still carrying lingering feelings for the woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You two...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can’t be life partners, can’t we still be old friends? I’ve been messaging her these past two days, but she’s on the road, replies slowly.\" Old Bai opened the chat list: \"Huh? She replied?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at the message, then looked up at Zheng Fa: \"She’s coming to the provincial capital next month.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t say more, but his pleading gaze was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at the notebook in his hand and said: \"If I can help, I’ll try.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Xuanwei Realm, today was the day Zhang Shijie left the sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t leaving alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, heading to Taiyang Commandery, she would take a group of her disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhang Shijie traveled alone, she’d go as fast as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with these disciples, for safety, she chose the sect’s flying shuttle—a common cultivator vessel, spindle-shaped, five to six times faster than a reception boat, yet carrying far fewer people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group stood on the dock; Zhang Shijie stood at the front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The departure time had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Zhang Shijie didn’t move, only slightly frowning—as if waiting for someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some disciples felt strange but dared not speak, exchanging glances with nearby companions:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who is Zhang Shijie waiting for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Zhang Shijie was decisive, always leaving immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could—no, who dared make her wait?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet here she stood on the dock for a long time, seemingly willing to wait hours longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One disciple’s gaze shifted, nudging toward the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust rose as Zheng Fa hurried toward them from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had spirit-speed talismans affixed to his legs, moving as swift as a galloping horse; upon reaching the dock and seeing Zhang Shijie’s group, he finally relaxed: “Sister Zhang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He called out to Zhang Shijie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind Zheng Fa followed the Seventh Young Master and his sister; they were acquainted with Zhang Shijie as well, and upon hearing Zheng Fa say she was heading to Taiyang County, they had come to see her off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie looked at his disheveled attire and couldn’t help smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disciples behind exchanged glances, their eyes filled with mutual understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m late…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa said awkwardly, opening his mouth as if to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie waved her hand, cutting him off: “I know you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa froze, then laughed, handing her a book from his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Three Masters’ Talisman Laws? For me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie glanced at the book’s title, then looked up at Zheng Fa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, though incomplete, it might help you, Sister,” Zheng Fa said. “I was copying this book and nearly missed seeing you off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them, the Seventh Young Master and his sister watched the exchange but dared not approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie had old ties with the Zhao family, but those were between the previous generation—she herself was not close to the Zhao household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They both saw Zhang Shijie’s brow soften slightly, her eyes brightening, making them almost feel this was not the Zhang Shijie they knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you also going to Taiyang County?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie suddenly asked Zhao Jinglan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you currently live at Zheng Fa’s home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come aboard,” Zhang Shijie nodded to Zhao Jinglan, who seemed not to understand, standing frozen for a long moment before finally saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that... appropriate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re old acquaintances. There’s nothing inappropriate about it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie cast a sidelong glance at Zheng Fa and spoke with solemn propriety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jinglan turned to look at Zheng Fa, his gaze thoughtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Traveling with Zhang Shijie was certainly better—there was guaranteed safety, and he could ride under her protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the flying shuttle grow distant, the Seventh Young Master stroked his chin and eyed Zheng Fa suspiciously: “Did Sister Zhang really take my sister along because of our families’ ties?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Sister Zhang is a kind-hearted person!” Zheng Fa said sternly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I saw it clearly—when you handed her that book, she smiled so happily!” the Seventh Young Master scoffed. “What’s in the book? Love poetry?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa realized the Seventh Young Master thought the book was a love letter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first author, Old White, couldn’t even win over a rebellious old lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That hardly fits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second author... was Tang Lingwumin...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a small boat beside the dock stood a young man in a scholar’s long robe; he watched the departing flying shuttle and whispered to the two beside him: “Zhang Wuyi has left. Let’s probe Zheng Fa’s background.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1805,"2026-06-19T19:16:02.864Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5c5641fdf6bc81c004d84e9f1f18dfcaa4054285377675b09e6106965a40eef4","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-145","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-143",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]