I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 9: Accepting a Disciple

Zhou Qianyuan was on his way to Zheng Fa’s house. Over the past month, he had been visiting Zheng Fa frequently to discuss talisman arts.

Admittedly, he hadn’t learned much.

He knew this was due to his own lack of expertise. Having only just begun studying his master’s talisman arts, he had little to bring to the table during their discussions.

Yet even with Zheng Fa holding back, Zhou found his insights invaluable. Many of Zheng Fa’s remarks left Zhou feeling enlightened, as though a curtain had been lifted from his understanding.

Were it not impolite, Zhou might have visited every day.

Today, however, he wasn’t alone.

“Junior Brother Zhou, if you have questions, you can always come to us. Why run to Zheng Fa all the time?” Sun Daoyu, walking beside him, sounded exasperated.

“Senior Brother, our master approved it,” Zhou replied.

“Yes, our master has an open mind,” Sun Daoyu admitted, “but not everyone is so broad-hearted. Your actions risk alienating your fellow disciples.”

“…”

Zhou remained silent.

Sun Daoyu sighed. “You know, our master might view the rivalry between the two lineages as mere sparring, but decades of animosity don’t just vanish with a shrug.”

“I don’t want to get involved in such things,” Zhou said, his tone weary.

“I understand. Your focus is on cultivation, and I hope you’ll become the pillar of our lineage one day,” Sun said with a wry smile. “But not everyone gets you. Do you know some of our senior brothers are starting to resent you?”

“What are they saying?”

“They say you’re a traitor, using our master’s talisman arts to ingratiate yourself with Senior Sister Zhang’s followers. If our master didn’t favor you, they might already have confronted you.”

“And what about you, Senior Brother?”

“I’ve known you since you entered the sect. Of course, I understand you,” Sun said, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder. “But, Junior Brother, you can’t act entirely on your own whims. If you don’t want to be ostracized, you need to think carefully.”

“I’ve already made up my mind,” Zhou said, meeting his gaze. “Our master brought me into the sect, and you’ve guided me all this way. As long as the two of you don’t stop me, I don’t care what others think.”

“Junior Brother…”

“I’m not cultivating for power or their approval.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Sun finally said, “I’ll smooth things over with the others. But mark my words—no matter how impressive Zheng Fa’s talisman arts might be, don’t ever share our master’s secrets. If you do, I can’t shield you.”

“I’ve already consulted our master,” Zhou said. “He approved sharing the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes with him.”

“What?” Sun looked stunned. “Our master compares him to Senior Sister Zhang? Zheng Fa might be talented, but he’s only 20, has been here less than two months, and has dual spiritual roots. Master actually sees him as worthy?”

Zhou could tell Sun’s real thoughts—he didn’t believe Zheng Fa’s qualifications justified such regard but wouldn’t say so directly.

---

At Zheng Fa’s house.

The Condensing Yuan Pill melted into a warm current as it traveled down Zheng Fa’s throat, settling in his dantian.

Focusing his divine sense, Zheng Fa began directing his spiritual energy to form the True Form Shadowless Talisman.

This step was notoriously difficult in the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Technique.

For Qi Refining cultivators with limited divine sense, controlling spiritual energy to create a talisman within the dantian was a daunting task.

Even a prodigy like Senior Sister Zhang had written of her frustrations—her divine sense would often deplete, the talisman would fail, and the energy would collapse entirely.

A failure would mean wasting the pill—an expense of 20 spirit stones.

As Zheng Fa focused, he braced for difficulty. But…

…Huh? That’s it?

He stared at the perfectly formed True Form Shadowless Talisman in his dantian, his divine sense still brimming with energy.

For a moment, he felt smug. See? I’m a genius after all.

The talisman settled into his dantian.

Now, his dantian was lively indeed:

• Spiritual energy swirled.
• A cluster of Qingyang Qi hovered coldly in the corner.
• And now, the talisman sat snugly next to the spiritual energy, like old friends.

According to the technique, the talisman wasn’t yet stable. If he used it to cast spells without talisman paper, it would consume both his spiritual energy and the talisman itself. After three uses, it would dissipate.

However, as long as he didn’t exceed three uses, he could repair the talisman by nourishing it with spiritual energy during cultivation.

To cast unlimited spells without talisman paper, he would need to complete the Yuan Talisman Foundation.

Despite this limitation, the Talisman Dao Foundation Establishment Technique was already proving its worth.

During cultivation, his soul naturally extended outward. The talisman now absorbed compatible talisman patterns from his spiritual field, converting them into spiritual energy within his dantian.

Zheng Fa calculated that his cultivation speed had increased by nearly 10%.

If he completed the Yuan Talisman Foundation, wouldn’t his speed double?

No wonder Senior Sister Zhang was hailed as the fastest cultivator in the Hundred Immortals Alliance—she was practically cheating!

As his spiritual energy trembled, the room filled with a subtle vortex of qi.

---

Outside the courtyard.

Zhou Qianyuan and Sun Daoyu paused, glancing at the brief whirlpool of spiritual energy above the house.

“Senior Brother, was that…?” Zhou asked hesitantly.

“He broke through,” Sun replied after a moment. “He was at the first level of Qi Refining before?”

“Yes.”

“And he’s been here less than two months?” Sun mused. “Dual spiritual roots, yet his progress is almost as fast as some single-root cultivators.”

Zhou noted his senior brother’s shifting expression, as if reevaluating Zheng Fa.

When the spiritual energy settled, Zhou approached the courtyard gate and knocked.

“Junior Brother Zhou, come in,” Zheng Fa said, unsurprised to see him. However, Sun Daoyu’s presence made him raise an eyebrow. “Senior Brother Sun?”

“We noticed your breakthrough and came to offer congratulations,” Sun said warmly, his smile much more genuine than during their last meeting.

“Thank you, Senior Brother.” Zheng Fa invited them inside, his gaze turning to Zhou.

Zhou hesitated, glancing at Sun Daoyu. He had wanted to discuss the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes, but with his senior brother present, he didn’t know how to start.

“Junior Brother Zhou?” Zheng Fa prompted gently.

“Ahem!” Sun coughed, stepping in. “Junior Brother Zhou isn’t great with words. Allow me: our master wishes to accept you as a disciple.”

Zhou turned slowly to stare at Sun.

What happened to his earlier opposition?

“Master Pang?” Zheng Fa was startled.

“Yes,” Zhou confirmed. “After hearing about your insights during our discussions, my master was deeply impressed by your understanding of talisman arts. He wishes to take you as his student.”

Sun added, “Master Pang has already bestowed the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes upon you—a secret technique of our lineage.”

Zheng Fa remained silent for a moment before asking, “Master Pang wants to accept me as a disciple?”

“Yes!”

“Then tell me, Senior Brother Sun—if Senior Sister Zhang were furious, would you be able to protect me?”

“Senior Sister Zhang… has a sense of propriety,” Sun stammered.

“And do all of Master Pang’s disciples receive the same level of favor as Junior Brother Zhou?”

“…Well, Zhou is exceptionally gifted…”

“Then it seems I’m not destined for the Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes.”

---

Outside the courtyard.

Zhou frowned as they walked away. “Senior Brother, why did you change your tune so quickly?”

“Zheng Fa progressed to the second level of Qi Refining in under two months,” Sun said simply.

“Are you saying you value talent?” Zhou asked skeptically.

“Talent?” Sun smirked. “No, Junior Brother. I just don’t want Senior Sister Zhang to gain another strong ally. And as for how much our master values Zheng Fa… I’m not so sure yet.”

“…”

“What a shame. He’s a clever one,” Sun muttered.

---

At Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard.

“You refused Master Pang?” Senior Sister Zhang asked.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Betrayal isn’t so easy.” Zheng Fa answered earnestly.

The rivalries between the lineages were no joke. If he joined Master Pang, he’d face resentment from Senior Sister Zhang’s side and mistrust from Master Pang’s.

“Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes is a famous technique in the Hundred Immortals Alliance,” she noted.

“…”

“Not interested?”

“No.”

“Good. I won’t give it to you, then.”

Startled, Zheng Fa looked up to see her holding a jade tube, a playful smile on her face.

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