[{"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-229":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},2263955,4418,"Chapter 229: Steal a Man","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-229",229,"\u003Cp>“The Thunder God said! Don’t build temples for him!” Xiao Qing walked through the crowd, shouting to everyone, “Disperse now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon hearing Xiao Qing’s words, the people didn’t move at all—they just stared at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You… aren’t even listening to the Thunder God?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that we won’t listen…” The lead man turned to glance at the crowd, then spoke to Xiao Qing, “It’s just that we’re uneasy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Qing froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued, “We can’t just take the Thunder God’s mountain mushrooms for free.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if… the Thunder God thinks we’re ungrateful and leaves?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Qing’s face turned pale, and she slowly nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you betrayed him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Xiao Qing beneath the statue, Zheng Fa was speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are you really that afraid I’ll run off?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Qing muttered awkwardly, “Well… they do have a point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa still didn’t want to build a temple. These people had only just had two days of good fortune—building a temple would be too massive an undertaking, draining their labor and resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it truly benefited him, that’d be different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all he wanted was Heavenly Merit. For him, it mattered more that these people lived well…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here’s what you do—go tell them to level the land in the river valley.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Level the land?” Xiao Qing stared blankly. “What’s leveling the land?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa intended to make the Heavenly Tablet Realm the base of the Nine Mountains Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He always prepared for the worst-case scenario—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, his research into new methods might make the Nine Mountains Sect enemies of both Immortal and Demon sects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the Heavenly Tablet Realm would need higher productivity—able to produce spiritual plants and materials, sustain the Nine Mountains Sect, and even supply it with a constant stream of new disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Developing agriculture was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa didn’t know if the people of Banshan City had ever farmed before, but they certainly didn’t now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They lived a hunter-gatherer-fisher lifestyle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why Xiao Qing didn’t even know what “leveling the land” meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Zheng Fa hadn’t let them till fields—first, because his Thunder Law control was insufficient to provide stable climate conditions for crops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, he’d considered the villagers’ physical condition—their bodies were too weak; farming might kill them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, after two months of proper care, he felt somewhat reassured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, even without mastering the Spirit Tree Thunder, Zheng Fa had developed a method to cultivate spiritual plants using the Fusang Tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time to begin preparing for farming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>River Valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people of Banshan City split into two groups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One group cast nets into the river to fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other, led by Xiao Qing, was clearing land beside the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of those clearing land were women and children—the work was light—the soil in the valley was soft, formed from silt deposits, and extremely fertile; turning it was relatively easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their main task was pulling weeds and removing stones from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Xiao Qing was a little boy, who pulled weeds while staring at the boats in the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, at the fish leaping wildly on the boats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching, the boy’s mouth watered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Want to go fishing?” Xiao Qing chuckled at his expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No!” The boy wiped his mouth and shook his head vigorously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to work for the Thunder God!” The boy looked up, grinning. “My dad’s even jealous of me and my mom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He wants to work for the Thunder God too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa crept stealthily into the Hundred Treasures Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time he exchanged so many spiritual materials there, Xiao Yuying’s face had been sour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d felt he’d been too showy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he’d promoted edible mushroom cultivation across the fief, and used the Rain-Stop Thunder to regulate rainfall several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heavenly Merit on the Divine Sealing Scroll had increased even more—over seven thousand points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exchanging them openly again would be too conspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this time, he waited until everyone had left before slipping into the Hundred Treasures Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After searching the jade tablet for a while, Zheng Fa exchanged for another spiritual material needed to cultivate the Divine Thunder Sublime Law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spent all remaining Heavenly Merit on cheap, abundant spiritual materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After exchanging the materials, Zheng Fa didn’t leave the Hundred Treasures Hall—he summoned the Divine Sealing Scroll and began cultivating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Thunder Field, the Fusang Tree swayed gently, as if boasting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeding this thing was indeed expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it had worked hard… it deserved a reward!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa swallowed the newly acquired spiritual materials, and pure spiritual energy surged toward the Thunder Field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa watched the Fusang Tree with great anticipation…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The total spiritual materials he’d consumed could have already brought the Divine Thunder Sublime Law to Foundation Establishment completion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely this Fusang Tree, no matter how hard to raise, would at least sprout something?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, after absorbing so much spiritual energy, the Fusang Tree began growing violently—its trunk thickened, and intricate, mysterious patterns emerged on its bark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa felt his dantian grow warm. His entire meridian system tingled, as if rejoicing and growing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t bloom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fusang Tree still had nothing but a trunk—not a single branch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa twitched his lips—it seemed this thing really did have some use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But its appetite was enormous!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Fusang Tree hadn’t bloomed, Zheng Fa’s Divine Thunder Sublime Law remained stuck at the Thunder Seed stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, his cultivation base was still at Foundation Establishment early stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa could only take out three other spiritual materials—Purple Thunder, Wind-Thunder Fruit, and Five-Thunder Grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d exchanged for some spiritual materials to cultivate the Divine Thunder Sublime Law twice before, and now with the Wind-Thunder Fruit he’d just acquired, he could finally begin cultivating his master’s second secret technique—Wind-Thunder Body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the first technique, Heavenly Thunder Net, he valued Wind-Thunder Body more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because it was a movement technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Zheng Fa didn’t value Wind-Thunder Body because he was a coward always thinking of escape—he valued it for its underlying principle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavenly Thunder Net merely controlled electric currents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wind-Thunder Body, in Zheng Fa’s view, seemed to have begun touching the control of electromagnetic forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The principle of Wind-Thunder Body resembled a maglev train—except maglev trains use magnetism mostly for levitation, while Wind-Thunder Body generates magnetic fields within and around the body, enabling not just levitation but also thrust behind the cultivator for rapid flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Zheng Fa’s view, cultivating Wind-Thunder Body would not only improve his survival ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, it would help him further explore the relationship between Thunder Law and electromagnetic forces—thus better aiding his control of Spirit Tree Thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultivation of Wind-Thunder Body went extremely smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After exiting the Divine Sealing Scroll, electric light flickered around him—he shot outside the hall in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speed caught Zheng Fa off guard—he slammed headfirst into the closed main hall door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shut his eyes, but the door opened without wind—he flew straight into the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once steady, Zheng Fa’s mind was full of questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others had tried entering the main hall before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yuying had tried—and been blocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be… that the door required head-on impact to open?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the main hall, darkness swallowed everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa activated the Void-Sight Divine Eye—still only blackness before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yuying had mentioned this before—when the Qingyang Dao Body had acted up and the Fusang Tree emerged, the main hall door had opened, yet she’d seen only darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Fusang Tree hadn’t evolved this time either?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, the Divine Sealing Scroll gave him the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It flew out of his robe, hovering midair, emitting blinding light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thunder God Zheng Fa, accumulated one thousand merits; specially granted the Divine Seal…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loud, solemn voice echoed through the main hall—Zheng Fa finally understood: his Heavenly Merit points must have reached the threshold, and the Divine Register had upgraded again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, within the light, the Divine Register slowly shrank into a bundle, revealing a square bronze seal within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zheng Fa did not look at the bronze seal; he stared blankly at the hall, faintly illuminated by its glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within the hall, there appeared to be a raised platform, upon which stood a rectangular shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a tombstone…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the boundary of the Heavenly Stele Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Xiao, aren’t you leaving yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Wushuang looked at Xiao Yuying, who remained here, and asked tentatively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you staying too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yuying glanced at him coolly, her eyes tinged with mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Wushuang clenched his teeth—he had thought it over and over, but still could not bring himself to abandon persuading Zheng Fa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa’s talent was one reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was that he had not told Zheng Fa Han Lao’s exact words: if he could persuade Zheng Fa, Han Lao would consider helping him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Setting Sun Sword Immortal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man who had come and gone at the threshold of Soul Transformation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, after leaving the Heavenly Stele Realm, he waited here, hoping to speak with Zheng Fa again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But… someone else was after the man!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yuying was waiting here too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew well that Xiao Yuying also intended to win Zheng Fa over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yuying’s lips curled slightly, as if brimming with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Wushuang felt a pang of defeat—he and Xiao Yuying were of course at different cultivation levels; Nascent Soul was superior to Golden Core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was forgivable, since he still had the status of the Grand Void Gate Sect Master’s son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was, his actions were against the Grand Void Gate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That title was useless!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, if he were Zheng Fa, and had to choose a partner, he’d likely pick Xiao Yuying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Xiao, our goals don’t conflict…” Yan Wushuang’s eyes lit up, realizing he had been misled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They do,” Xiao Yuying shook her head: “I don’t know what you want Zheng Fa to do, but if he follows me, I won’t let him walk to his death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yan Wushuang fell silent, the Heavenly Stele before them suddenly trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both felt surprise and suspicion; they looked up to see Zheng Fa’s name glowing gold, and it was this glow that caused the stele to shake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…” Yan Wushuang blinked, then said: “On the Grand Void Gate’s Heavenly Stele, the name of our Ancestral Master is also golden…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I absolutely will not let him walk to his death,” Xiao Yuying paused, then repeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Xiao…” Yan Wushuang suddenly said, “then I truly must compete with you for him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yuying frowned at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Han Lao was right!” Yan Wushuang’s face was filled with resolve. “Brother Zheng is the next Ancestral Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1792,"2026-06-19T19:16:07.172Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0087c0134daab22133b1af5ffed440b5a3124a0a5c1e9b3d4fe2786a54e53f2f","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-230","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-228",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]