Chapter 164: The Great Dream

Zheng Fa's college entrance exam score was the highest in the city.

On the phone, Old Chen's voice still carried a hint of regret: "I heard you were just a few points behind the provincial top scorer… you just lacked luck."

"It's good enough," Zheng Fa chuckled through the phone. "As long as I can get into the school I want, that's fine."

"Speaking of which, do you have a target school yet? Several schools have already called me saying they couldn't reach your phone."

Hearing Old Chen's words, Zheng Fa felt a little embarrassed.

When he cultivated the Lingshan Method, if his phone was too close, anomalies would occur—like shutdowns or crashes.

He hadn't cared before—truthfully, few people called or messaged him.

It was only tonight, because Tang Lingwu had reminded him, that he had placed his phone far away.

"Wouldn't that disturb Teacher Chen?"

Zheng Fa said.

"Disturb? What disturbance? If the director of Tsinghua's admissions office flatters me by calling, I'd wish to be disturbed every day!" Old Chen muttered. "Just don't forget to fill out your application forms, even if you forget the exact time your scores came out."

"Mm."

"Where are you planning to go?"

Old Chen's question implied this: with Zheng Fa's score, most universities or majors in China were open to him.

It depended entirely on Zheng Fa's choice.

Zheng Fa turned his head and looked at the old man beside him and Tang Lingwu.

The old man—retired professor of Tsinghua University.

Tang Lingwu—future student of Tsinghua University.

The old man mumbled something under his breath.

Tang Lingwu stared at him with wide, expectant eyes.

"Tsinghua University."

"So determined?"

"Mm."

"Alright then, I'll have someone from Tsinghua's admissions office call you later—remember to answer."

"Okay."

"By the way, a few reporters from local newspapers want to interview you—where are you now?"

"I'm not really available right now—I'm in Jingcheng."

"This… indeed isn't convenient."

"And I don't want to be interviewed."

Zheng Fa said sincerely.

Fame, in his view, brought more harm than benefit—especially fame from college entrance exam scores.

To true elites or academic giants, college entrance exam scores meant nothing—they wouldn't look at him any differently.

"Well, that's fine," Old Chen mused after a pause. "Actually, they were hesitant too, since publicity isn't allowed. I'll hang up now—remember to answer Tsinghua's call."

After a while, Zheng Fa saw another message from Old Chen.

"By the way, your school, district, and city have some cash rewards—send me your bank account number."

After a while, Zheng Fa saw another photo from Old Chen.

It showed several newly printed banners.

The first one read: "Celebrating Our Student Zheng Fa's Admission to Tsinghua University."

Behind it was another banner: "Celebrating Our Student Tang Lingwu's Early Admission to Tsinghua University."

The two banners were intertwined, as if leaning on each other.

The old man glanced at the photo, stunned: "Your teacher… is he a fan of you and Tang Lingwu as a couple?"

"…."

"What major are you planning to apply for at Tsinghua?" the old man asked, picking up where Old Chen had left off.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then said: "My initial preference is still physics."

Physics was the choice he had first told Old Chen about—he'd simply thought his physics score was the best, maybe he had some talent.

Put plainly, he'd picked it randomly—whatever seemed easiest to learn.

But now he was considering whether this subject would be useful to him.

Without the old man, or if the old man hadn't cultivated, he might have chosen mathematics, because its connection to spirit talismans was very direct.

Now that the old man was here, studying mathematics would be a waste of Tsinghua's teaching resources.

On one hand, he could learn mathematics from the old man.

On the other, if he couldn't learn it, he could just use the old man's mind directly.

The same applied to computer science, because of Tang Lingwu.

"Physics…" the old man asked. "What's your reasoning?"

"I want to understand how Qi influences the world—for example, how it disrupts electrical circuits," Zheng Fa said slowly, voicing his thoughts. "In this regard, physics might help me more."

Zheng Fa concealed his truest thoughts from the old man.

In truth, as he crossed between the two worlds more frequently, he grew increasingly puzzled—

Both the old man and Tang Lingwu could practice the Ling He Body Technique and even cultivate, proving that human bodies themselves had no inherent difference.

On the other hand, modern electricity truly affected his cultivation.

Added to that were the changes in those few weeds.

Even the fact that the Lingshan Method could actually be cultivated led Zheng Fa to a simple, extreme hypothesis—the only difference between the two worlds was the variable of Qi.

Whether from the perspective of species or fundamental physical laws.

There seems to be a close connection between the two worlds.

To study the effect of Qi on the material world, physics is probably the most suitable discipline.

He told Bai Lao his own idea, when suddenly he noticed—Tang Lingwu was gone.

"Where's Tang Lingwu?"

Zheng Fa turned to ask Bai Lao beside him.

Bai Lao chuckled, as if he knew something but wouldn't say.

Zheng Fa gave him a suspicious glance, then suddenly heard the roar of fireworks.

He turned his head—and thousands of fireworks erupted from the village below the mountain, blooming in the sky.

From atop the mountain, it truly looked like a sea of flowers.

"This is…"

"Congratulations on your great score."

Zheng Fa's eyes widened slightly: "You've been ready all along?"

"Do you think that little thing suddenly reminded you to keep your phone away for no reason? You don't remember the day results come out, but she remembers every single day." Bai Lao nodded toward the phone; Zheng Fa looked down and saw Tang Lingwu's call flashing on the screen.

"Hello?"

"I planned to set them off at the nursing home, but they said fireworks aren't allowed on the mountain, so I did it here instead." Tang Lingwu's voice carried a hint of regret: "But I thought you'd see it better from up here… Is it pretty?"

"It's beautiful." Zheng Fa looked at the colorful fireworks and said sincerely: "Why did you think of setting off fireworks for me?"

"The day I got recommended to Jingcheng University, my dad gave bonuses to everyone in the company." Tang Lingwu said over the phone: "When others get good results, their parents celebrate too."

"… "

"Bai Lao was right—what others have, you should have too."

"Tang Lingwu."

"Hmm?"

"Stop watching so many tyrant boss dramas with this old man." Zheng Fa paused, then added: "Even if you do watch, isn't your perspective a bit strange?"

"… "

"Also, thank you. I'm very happy."

"… Mm!"

…

"Is this the talisman diagram?"

Bai Lao's third eye faintly glowed golden as he turned his head, scanning the surroundings.

Under the effect of the Spirit Mountain Method, the surrounding space held a faint amount of Qi.

Although this Qi had been converted from Zheng Fa's own spiritual power.

But Zheng Fa found it hard to control them—they instead spontaneously manifested as various talisman diagrams in the void.

"No good, my head's spinning!"

After watching for a while, Bai Lao shook his head, and the golden eye on his forehead slowly faded.

Tang Lingwu beside him also looked like her head was pounding.

This was their first time using the Spirit Eye Technique to observe talisman diagrams—and they seemed to have gained nothing.

Zheng Fa wasn't disappointed—it was only a preliminary attempt.

Bai Lao rubbed his temples, then suddenly remembered something: "You said earlier you condensed that… Great Dream Talisman?"

"Yes."

"You're going to use that thing to test Xiao Tian? What does the Great Dream Talisman do? Any side effects?"

"It's like having a dream—what side effects could there be?" Zheng Fa explained: "I can only create her dream environment."

"Then how do you plan to test her?"

"Simple—like making her get captured and interrogated…"

"… Isn't that a bit cruel?"

"Or make her enter some strange world with you and see if she protects you?"

"… That's a bit heartless."

"Or even simpler—let her fulfill her deepest desire and see what her true nature is."

…

"That's perfect! I want to try this one!" Bai Lao suddenly slapped his thigh, excitedly exclaiming.

"… "

Seeing Bai Lao's curious expression, Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu exchanged a glance.

This old man's curiosity was so intense even the two young people couldn't understand it.

"Besides… I could test it for Xiao Tian too."

Bai Lao muttered softly.

"You're…"

"People who are already sick are suffering enough—if something else happens… and it was my recommendation… then…"

This old man was just too soft-hearted…

Zheng Fa shook his head helplessly: "You've cultivated, so the Great Dream Talisman might not work well—don't resist mentally."

Bai Lao nodded eagerly.

Zheng Fa summoned a golden talisman in his hand, shooting it into Bai Lao's forehead.

The old man soon fell asleep, and a small black qi cluster rose from his head, slowly rotating, revealing images at its center.

The image showed a modest auditorium.

A podium stood to one side, with hundreds seated below.

Most appeared to be foreigners.

Several cameras pointed at the podium, as if waiting for some great figure.

"Is this Grandpa Bai's deepest desire?"

Tang Lingwu stared intently, asking with some confusion.

Zheng Fa also shook his head.

Soon, a foreign middle-aged woman walked out with a smile, standing behind the podium and speaking into the microphone:

"This year's Fields Medal goes to…"

Old Bai, dressed in a suit, walked out smiling from behind the curtain.

He joyfully accepted the award.

"Grandpa Bai… still has an academic dream…"

Tang Lingwu sighed.

Zheng Fa could not help but admire.

At that moment, the old man on the podium finished his acceptance speech, his face suddenly turning serious, saying:

"With mundane affairs concluded, it is time for me to return!"

Saying this, before the cameras and hundreds of spectators, he summoned a flying sword, still in his suit, and stepped onto it, shooting out of the auditorium…

"…"

"I don't know about an academic dream, but I definitely see a show-off dream," Zheng Fa shook his head.

The dream ended quickly.

But the black qi cluster above Old Bai's head did not dissipate.

"Grandpa Bai really has many things he wants to do…"

Tang Lingwu muttered under her breath.

In the image, Old Bai stood in the courtyard of the nursing home, his third eye glowing golden, surrounded by talisman diagrams, and he reached out to handle them as if playing.

Was this… deciphering talismans?

Seeing this, Zheng Fa felt a touch of emotion: the old man placed his show-off and deciphering talismans on equal footing…

Suddenly, the dream's Old Bai shouted loudly: "I've awakened! I've awakened!"

In reality, the Old Bai on the chair leapt up, raising both hands: "I've awakened!"

"You were just dreaming…"

"No!" Old Bai's face beamed with joy: "I've awakened! I understand the difference between yin-yang talisman diagrams!"

"Huh?"