[{"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-63":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},2263789,4418,"Chapter 63: Mock Exam","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-63",63,"\u003Cp>At this moment, Zheng Fa’s view of the world reminded him of a small pond outside the Zhao family village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every spring and summer, the pond would be packed with countless tiny fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those fish were truly small—if you tried to scoop them up, their slender bodies could slip through the tiniest gaps between your fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a child, Zheng Fa had been mischievous and sometimes liked to throw a stone into the pond, watching the little fish scatter in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he felt he was being punished—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>because there were so many fish before him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked around the courtyard, feeling as if he had fallen into that small pond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his eyes, countless tiny fish swam about, their paths forming strange, intricate patterns resembling talisman diagrams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, they must be the origin of those diagrams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world before him, because of these patterns, seemed draped in layers of spiderwebs, splitting it into fragmented pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These little fish swam through every corner—in the sky, on the walls, on the ground, even on the small grasses in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the young mistress and the seventh young master, on their heads, even in the air flowing in and out of their nostrils, there were traces of tiny fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With this Spirit Eye Talisman, what you see is the world a Talisman Master sees when drawing talismans,” Zhang Shijie’s voice came: “Talisman diagrams—some call them talisman scripts. What exactly they are, every Talisman Master understands differently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some say they are manifestations of the Dao, a form of writing,” Zhang Shijie continued. “But I believe talisman diagrams are the trajectories of spiritual energy. Heaven and earth are born of spiritual energy, so talisman diagrams *are* heaven and earth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa froze—were these little fish what they called spiritual energy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Regardless of what talisman diagrams truly are, one thing is universally accepted: when we trace these trajectories with spiritual power or spirit ink, we trigger a response from heaven and earth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Zhang Shijie drew another complex talisman diagram with her finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa saw part of the “little fish” accelerate, gathering around Zhang Shijie’s fingertip, gradually converging into a golden talisman diagram at her tip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, the diagram rose into the sky and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pale green cloud appeared above the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground within the courtyard was dampened by a light drizzle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grass and plants in the corner began to grow wildly, as if they had swallowed a potent tonic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is the Cloud Rain Talisman,” Zhang Shijie told the seventh young master. “Did you see clearly? What were the trajectories of the spiritual energy drawn toward it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They all corresponded to the fundamental diagram of the Cloud Rain Talisman!” the seventh young master suddenly understood. “So that’s what ‘corresponding diagram’ means?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie nodded. “Yes. When you draw one talisman diagram, you attract the spiritual energy matching that diagram.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So,” she drew another pattern, slightly more complex than the last, “this is also the Minor Cloud Rain Talisman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And this one too.” This time, even Zheng Fa couldn’t follow the motion of her finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time she finished drawing, the little fish in the air would converge once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A green cloud would appear in the sky, a fine rain would fall, and the grass in the corner would surge with growth—so violently it nearly tore down Zheng Fa’s courtyard wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They all serve the same purpose, but only this!” Zhang Shijie drew two overlapping circles simply: “is the fundamental diagram of the Minor Cloud Rain Talisman. We Talisman Masters draw only this one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the effect is the same, why not draw any of them?” the seventh young master asked, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The fundamental diagram is the source of the talisman. The Dao is simplest—how could it be the same as other diagrams?” Zhang Shijie frowned at the seventh young master’s lingering confusion. “Don’t understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh young master shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, the young mistress whispered: “My brother is a bit slow—please be patient with him, Zhang Shijie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because the fundamental diagram has the fewest strokes—it’s cheaper,” Zhang Shijie said after a pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Drawing talismans requires talisman paper and spirit ink. Even if you can draw in the air like me, don’t you still need spiritual power? Drawing complex patterns wastes paper, consumes ink, and if your spiritual power is low, you risk qi deviation. So everyone draws only the fundamental diagram. Now do you understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh young master nodded vigorously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa nodded inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they’d just said it plainly, who wouldn’t get it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten thousand years ago, you could draw any talisman you wanted. But now, spiritual energy is declining, and spirit materials are hard to come by…” Zhang Shijie’s expression suddenly turned dangerous: “If you dare not draw the fundamental diagram and waste spirit materials, the Talisman Masters of the Hundred Immortal Alliance will rise up against you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa: “?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spiritual energy is declining?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they’re afraid to use even a drop of ink?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a tragic downgrade in consumption…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly felt that being a cultivator’s disciple wasn’t easy at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I can just draw the fundamental diagram, why do I need to memorize all these corresponding diagrams?” the seventh young master asked, almost growling the words “talisman diagrams.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa understood his frustration—he’d been worn down by the diagram onslaught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you only needed the fundamental diagram, why bother remembering the others?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because to gather spiritual energy into your fundamental diagram, you must recognize it… you recognize it, and only then will it recognize you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was spiritual energy some kind of conscious thing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Shijie didn’t seem to care much about that—or perhaps no one in this world thought about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She simply said: “The more corresponding diagrams you can recognize while drawing, the more spiritual power you can attract—that determines the power of your talisman. Of course, it also depends on your cultivation base; what you can see is limited to the diagrams within your spiritual sense range.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you now understand why I said the foundation of the Talisman Dao is the fundamental diagram?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh young master nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie lightly tapped her finger, and Zheng Fa’s vision returned to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, the Immortal Talent Society’s Talisman Aptitude Test is simple,” Zhang Shijie waved her hand, and the scroll lying on the table flew to the seventh young master’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It tests your ability to find a specific fundamental diagram among a sea of talisman diagrams.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh young master widened his eyes. “Diagram sea?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What sea?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie paid no mind. She drew a basic fundamental diagram in the air: “This is the fundamental diagram of the Breeze Talisman. Now, among the diagrams appearing on the scroll, find its matching fundamental diagram. When you think you’ve found it, point to it with your finger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa nodded inwardly—the mock test was indeed a powerful tool for assessing a student’s ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh young master took a deep breath, his face stern as he stared at the floating scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa noticed the young mistress clenching her fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talisman diagrams appeared and vanished rapidly on the scroll—one blink, several had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh young master floundered for a moment, took several deep breaths, then extended his finger and began tapping the scroll frantically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The diagrams on the scroll slowly faded, leaving it blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shijie looked at the seventh young master, frowned, her expression puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh young master breathed heavily, staring at her, his eyes filled with unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Try the Diamond Talisman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Try this one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time she tested a fundamental diagram, Zhang Shijie’s frown deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression made the seventh young master’s forehead sweat more, his face growing more despondent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It also made the young mistress’s fist tighten further—Zheng Fa could see the tendons standing out on her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, no more diagrams appeared on the scroll, and Zhang Shijie fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She merely frowned, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Shijie?” the young mistress asked nervously: “If my brother is beyond teaching and hopeless, I’ll send you back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I really shouldn’t have come,” Zhang Shijie said slowly, nodding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh young master lowered his head, not daring to look at his sister, let alone Zheng Fa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His accuracy on each of these fundamental diagrams exceeds thirty percent. If his accuracy across all thirty-six basic fundamental diagrams exceeds thirty percent, he qualifies as having an Upper-Tier Talisman Aptitude—he doesn’t need me to teach him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has the Immortal Talent Society raised its standards these two sessions?” Zhang Shijie looked puzzled at the young mistress. “I haven’t heard anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...” The seventh young master shot his head up: “I knew it—I’m a Talisman Genius!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty percent accuracy qualifies as Upper-Tier Talisman Aptitude?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is Upper-Tier really that cheap?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Fa remembered that notebook claiming eighty to ninety percent accuracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>… Better treat Bai Yuan Ying better from now on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Shijie, why don’t you test him again?” the young mistress looked at her grinning, idiotic brother: “Does he look like a Talisman Genius to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zheng Fa hadn’t seen her narrowed, smiling eyes, he’d have believed her tone of disdain.\u003C\u002Fp>",1535,"2026-06-19T19:16:02.864Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","29f81848d7ab42dd6e8ad5caccdb8d2d2eb03351663dfdca89fe65a44348ef71","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-64","cultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-chapter-62",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcultivation-i-studied-abroad-in-the-modern-world-cover.jpg"]