[{"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-218":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},2263944,4418,"Chapter 218","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-218",218,"\u003Cp>In the Heaven Stele Realm, Banshan City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa flipped through the divine registry in his hands, examining the heavenly merit points within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the divine registry turned golden and his fief expanded fourfold, the heavenly tribulation lightning had harvested over a thousand more heavenly merit points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adding those to the points he had saved earlier, his divine registry now held nearly two thousand heavenly merit points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa was confident that, aside from Xiao Yuying, no one else in the Heaven Stele Realm could catch up to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now he faced a problem— as evildoers turned to ash one by one, the heavenly tribulation lightning was yielding fewer heavenly merit points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To gain large amounts of heavenly merit points for exchanging spirit materials, he would likely need to rely on the Cloud Rain Thunder or the Spirit Wood Thunder, or grow the population of his fief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Spirit Wood Thunder held no immediate clues, but he had already developed the Cloud Rain Thunder in the modern world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three thunder techniques—Cloud Movement, Rain Dispersion, and Rain Stopping—each had their own difficulties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cloud Movement and Rain Dispersion demanded extreme control over thunder manipulation; only by advancing further beyond the Divine Thunder Xiaoyuleizhenfa  could he truly regulate rainfall down to the finest detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Rain Stopping Thunder was different—it relied purely on a high-energy laser, relying solely on brute force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as his spiritual power was sufficient, he could restore this world to a clear, blue sky!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa opened his divine registry and reviewed its tasks—only to find that since the registry had turned golden, this page had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The task page of the divine registry had become a map—exactly matching the shape of his fief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he tapped a finger on it, the region’s cloud, rain, and lightning conditions for the next month appeared—just like a weather forecast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his weather forecast had to be realized by his own hands…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The divine registry could still evolve—Zheng Fa now deeply suspected it was mocking those beneath the Golden Registry, implying they could never master Cloud Rain Thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he studied the divine registry, Xiao Qing suddenly walked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had eaten well over the past two months; her stature had grown two inches, and her face had become noticeably fuller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She now looked like a graceful fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far more beautiful than when Zheng Fa first met her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now she frowned, slowly walking beneath Zheng Fa’s divine statue, kneeling reverently on the mat before bowing, then softly asking: “Lord Thunder God?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa’s voice echoed. Xiao Qing’s face brightened. “Lord Thunder God, may I ask when the thunder over the river below will stop?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa’s spiritual sense swept out, and he immediately understood what Xiao Qing was asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below Banshan City lay a river valley, rich in fish and shrimp, which sustained the city’s tens of thousands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for the past half-month, the valley had been drenched in torrential rain, with lightning snakes writhing wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Several people have already been struck dead. No one dares go fishing anymore,” Xiao Qing said, frowning. “We’ve had to gather more mushrooms and bamboo shoots from the mountains, but it’s simply not enough…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing Xiao Qing’s words, Zheng Fa tapped his finger on the river valley and discovered that, according to the divine registry’s plan, this region should have seen mostly clear skies over the past half-month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then told Xiao Qing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell everyone in the city: go fishing in the valley three days from now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three days from now?” Xiao Qing asked, puzzled. But Zheng Fa offered no further explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Hong, here’s your share for today—take it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Qing handed a small sack of mountain goods to a woman. Sister Hong took the cloth sack, peeked inside, nodded gratefully at Xiao Qing, and hurried home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she opened the door, a fit of coughing came from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bao’er’s mother, you’re back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A frail, older woman’s voice, accompanied by coughing, spoke to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman speaking was an elderly lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though only thirty years old, in Banshan City she was already considered “old.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman sat before a simple loom, coughing as she wove cloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, you’re sick—why aren’t you resting?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m making clothes for Bao’er.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman gazed fondly into the room, where a one- or two-year-old boy was stumbling along the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll make them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Hong set down the sack, took out a clay pot, added water, and dumped all the mountain goods inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No fish today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman helped light the fire. Seeing only mushrooms and the like, she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—the river’s too stormy. No one dares go. Mother, bring down that dried fish hanging under the eaves. If we leave it out any longer, it’ll spoil.” Sister Hong thought a moment: “It’ll help you recover.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m past the age for nourishment—give it to Bao’er!” The old woman shuffled over, brought the fish, and muttered: “I told you I’d go into the mountains—why did you even call me back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch over my son, raise Bao’er well, and when I die, I’ll bow to you in the afterlife,” the old woman kept going. “Why did you even call me back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, Lord Thunder God says the elderly get more food. If you stay home, Bao’er and I can benefit from your presence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Thunder God meddles in too many affairs…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Hong stared at the pot and whispered: “After you left that day, I felt the house was empty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bao’er keeps looking for his grandmother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman glanced at the boy, then fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Hong put the dried fish into the pot to boil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fish was small. She offered it to her mother-in-law, but the old woman refused, so it went to the boy, Bao’er.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bao’er seemed reluctant to eat it either—he left the fish in his bowl untouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Hong let him be. After eating, she sat before the loom and began weaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought how Bao’er had grown a little taller—he needed new clothes, and they should be made larger so he could wear them longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked over at him and saw him and his grandmother huddled together, the grandmother carefully picking out fish bones for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Hong smiled, turned away, and felt hunger gnawing at her stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no fishing, more people gathered mountain goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the mountains held only so much—after half a month, each person’s share had shrunk considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bao’er needed more to grow, his grandmother needed more to recover, so she got only two mouthfuls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Bao’er’s uneven footsteps sounded beside her. Before she turned, a piece of fish was shoved into her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mama… Mama, eat fish!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bao’er’s childish voice rang in her ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Hong froze, turned, and saw Bao’er grinning foolishly at her, as if he’d just learned something, saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mama gives to Grandma, Grandma gives to Bao’er, Bao’er gives to Mama.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Hong slowly chewed the fish in her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creaking of the loom beside her seemed to be laughing at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We still have some cloth left. After making clothes for Bao’er, I’ll make one for Lord Thunder God too,” her mother-in-law suddenly said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know what size Lord Thunder God wears,” the old woman murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Hong was about to step out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mother-in-law stood at the door, blocking her way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going today,” the old woman insisted. “If something happens to me, it’s fine—but Bao’er can’t lose his mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But your health—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman shoved her back inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Qing stepped out of the temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of Banshan City’s ten thousand households, at least one person from each had gathered before the temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stared at Xiao Qing, their gazes varied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some doubted. Some disbelieved. Some trembled with anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Qing, can we really go fishing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly did Lord Thunder God say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will we get struck by lightning?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Hong’s mother-in-law stood among the crowd, equally uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew what everyone thought—previously, the Thunder Cult had even seized the fishing grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Lord Thunder God was far better than that cult’s leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t take their food—and even gave extra portions to the elderly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, lightning in that river valley has killed many people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this little girl Xiao Qing says the Thunder God ordered them to fish in the valley—this is unheard of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their minds, the last god used to eat people!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced around; everyone nearby was an elder like herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seems everyone is still a little afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You say the Thunder God told us to go—could he be making us offerings?” she heard two people whispering beside her: “Maybe the Thunder God doesn’t like offerings—he likes people instead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s to fear? Without the Thunder God, we’d all be dead already.” The man beside her chuckled happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just worry this god prefers plump offerings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Hong paused, thinking there was actually some sense to that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’m not afraid,” another said. “Just look—he struck down the entire Thunderbolt Cult and avenged my daughter. Being an offering? What’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Hong smiled suddenly, and her fear vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Qing nodded to the group, said nothing, and walked ahead with her fishing net.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She now had some authority; seeing her lead the way, everyone naturally followed her down the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking a stretch, they had not yet reached the river valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rumbling thunder reached their ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After another half-mile, they saw lightning bolts striking wildly along the riverbank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The river surface floated many fish, as if electrocuted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the valley hung a dark, heavy cloud layer, so low it nearly touched the mountain’s mid-slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone stopped in their tracks, all eyes on Xiao Qing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Qing set down her net, turned, bowed three times toward the shrine, then rose and clasped her hands together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the order of the Thunder God: within three days, these clouds shall vanish, rain cease, wind still, thunder disperse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she finished speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thick beam of light erupted from the shrine, illuminating the entire river valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Hong felt a sudden blaze of brightness; when her vision cleared, the sky above the valley was perfectly clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunlight spilled across the river, casting golden glimmers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the others, she stared dumbfounded at Xiao Qing, unaware she had knelt on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You may fish safely for three days—this is the Thunder God’s grace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Thunder God, for your grace!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sparse voices swelled into a flood, carrying to Half-Mountain City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, everyone rose, looked at each other, then sprinted toward the valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Hong paused, then quietly turned and ran up the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I must bring Bao’er’s mother!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She panted as she climbed, glancing back at the golden river, her eyes reflecting the same light.\u003C\u002Fp>",1825,"2026-06-19T19:16:07.172Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","40c7423604ebd00691c7b3e5e41b356367212714dfa25f23aa835fc8711fdc0a","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-219","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-217",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]