I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 117Book 2: : The Secret of Soul Formation

Vol 2 Chapter 117: The Secret of Soul Formation

Inside the Five Dragons Heavenly Palace, Martial Uncle Pang and Sect Master Yuan sat opposite each other, seemingly engaged in casual conversation.

"Senior Brother, it has been quite some time since you left Jiushan Sect, hasn’t it?"

Martial Uncle Pang asked, sounding casual, though there was an undercurrent of intent.

"Why?"

"Jiushan Sect cannot go a single day without a sect master… Senior Brother, it’s time for you to return."

"The Thunder Pool suits me better."

"But as the sect master, going to the Thunder Pool is far too dangerous."

"I’m not afraid."

"It’s still best for you to return."

"I still need to go to the Heavenly Monument Realm!" Sect Master Yuan shook his head.

Martial Uncle Pang grew anxious. "Senior Brother, weren’t you the type to stay on the Ninth Peak for thousands of years without coming down?"

"I don’t understand it either. In all these thousands of years, I’ve only ever taken in one disciple… Why are you suddenly so fixated on him?"

"……"

An awkward silence filled the great hall, and Martial Uncle Pang looked embarrassed, as if his intentions had been exposed.

At that moment, Zheng Fa strode in and spoke up.

"Master, Martial Uncle… I have something I need to ask!"

The increasingly predatory look in Senior Sister Yuan’s eyes had made Zheng Fa genuinely worried that she might lose control.

As soon as he got back to the market district, he rushed straight here to consult his two Nascent Soul seniors.

"Oh? Speak, let’s hear it!"

Before Sect Master Yuan could even respond, Martial Uncle Pang beat him to it.

Sect Master Yuan let out a soft snort.

"Martial Uncle, my Divine Thunder of Shenxiao True Law seems to have gone wrong."

"What kind of problem?"

Martial Uncle Pang looked a little tense—this was no minor issue.

At this point, the Divine Thunder of Shenxiao True Law was already Zheng Fa’s core cultivation method.

If there was an issue with his core method, it would greatly affect his future progress.

"Actually, your master is more familiar with this technique than I am." Martial Uncle Pang thought for a moment before ultimately deciding not to delay things. He pointed at Sect Master Yuan.

Sect Master Yuan gave Martial Uncle Pang a smug smile.

"Disciple, whatever doubts you have, just ask!"

He deliberately emphasized the word disciple, as if trying to prove a point.

But Zheng Fa didn’t catch the subtle exchange between the two elders.

Right now, he was completely preoccupied with the strange mutations in his dantian.

So, he explained everything—how he opened the Thunder Field, how the Qingyang Dao Body had started acting up, and how a sprout had mysteriously grown inside him.

"Hmm…"

Sect Master Yuan fell into deep thought.

"Master, is this normal?"

Zheng Fa asked with some hope.

After all, the Divine Thunder of Shenxiao True Law was something his master had passed down.

More importantly, this strange mutation had occurred while practicing a secret technique.

And according to Sect Master Yuan, he was the only one in all of Jiushan Sect who had ever practiced this technique.

Maybe growing a sprout in his dantian was part of the process?

"Junior Brother, what do you think?" Sect Master Yuan suddenly turned to Martial Uncle Pang.

"……"

Martial Uncle Pang froze. "I’ve never practiced the Divine Thunder of Shenxiao True Law! How would I know?"

"I have practiced it, but… I’ve never encountered something like this."

"Hold on." Martial Uncle Pang suddenly furrowed his brows and summarized,

"So, you taught your disciple a secret technique. Your disciple practiced it. Then he grew something unknown in his dantian.

And now, you have no idea what’s going on?"

"Junior Brother, I just remembered—I have urgent matters to attend to at Jiushan Sect. I should hurry back…"

"Back my ass!" Martial Uncle Pang exploded in anger.

"If you’ve messed up Zheng Junior Nephew’s cultivation, you’ll have to answer to the ancestors of Jiushan Sect!"

"……"

"Wait! The ancestor!" Sect Master Yuan suddenly thought of something.

"Zheng Fa’s Qingyang Dao Body—wasn’t it a reward from the ancestor?

Why don’t we just ask the ancestor?"

Hearing this, Martial Uncle Pang nodded.

Even Zheng Fa felt this made sense.

After all, the Qingyang Qi was something the ancestor had gifted him.

Soon, they decided—Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang would return to Jiushan Sect, while Sect Master Yuan and Martial Uncle Pang would remain in the Thunder Pool Market.

Just as Sect Master Yuan had said himself, as Jiushan Sect’s strongest thunder cultivator, the Thunder Pool suited him best.

Meanwhile, Senior Sister Zhang, having just entered Nascent Soul, also needed to return to a spiritually rich environment to stabilize her realm.

She had been staying in the Thunder Pool Market primarily to watch over Zheng Fa.

But since both Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang were leaving, the market affairs needed to be settled first, so they would stay for a few more days.

……

A few days later.

Zheng Fa sat in his room, brows tightly furrowed.

His divine sense focused on the sprout in his dantian, feeling even heavier than before…

He was still cultivating the Divine Thunder of Shenxiao True Law, and Martial Uncle Pang’s spirit materials remained abundant.

But his progress had slowed drastically.

The slowness itself wasn’t the issue—after all, he had broken into the Foundation Establishment mid-stage, and it was natural for progress to slow.

But this was too slow.

After days of cultivation, the sprout had not grown at all.

According to the Divine Thunder of Shenxiao True Law, a Thunder Seed should gradually mature until it bears fruit…

But this thing had devoured so much spiritual energy without changing in the slightest.

Opening his eyes, Zheng Fa’s expression was troubled.

This thing—

Either it was incompatible with the Divine Thunder of Shenxiao True Law,

Or it was just way too hungry…

Both possibilities gave him a headache.

"Zheng Fa! Fairy Lingye is here to see you!"

Senior Sister Yuan suddenly called out from outside.

She didn’t enter—she just spoke through the door.

"Senior Sister?"

"Senior Sister Zhang is too stingy!" Senior Sister Yuan had already run off.

"She won’t let me near you! Oh, right—Fairy Lingye is waiting for you at Senior Sister Zhang’s place!"

When Zheng Fa arrived at Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard, he found that it wasn’t just Senior Sister Zhang waiting—

His master was there too, hosting Fairy Lingye, Xiao Yuying.

The three of them were drinking tea and conversing.

But from the moment Zheng Fa approached, Xiao Yuying’s gaze had been fixed on him.

The moment he stepped inside, she smiled and greeted him—

"Zheng Daoist, we meet again."

Zheng Fa felt oddly uneasy.

Why did this person act like they were already very familiar?

Even Senior Sister Zhang glanced at him—

For some reason, Zheng Fa suddenly felt guilty.

Wait.

Why do I feel guilty?!

"Fairy Lingye."

"Just call me Xiao Yuying."

…

Senior Sister Zhang’s expression sharpened.

Zheng Fa felt even more guilty for some reason.

"You came to Jiushan Sect today…"

"Oh, I’m not interested in Jiushan Sect. I’m here for you."

…Daoist Xiao, you can’t just say things like that! It’s too easy to be misunderstood!

"For me?"

Zheng Fa looked at Xiao Yuying in confusion.

"This matter might concern a great secret about you…" Xiao Yuying glanced at Senior Sister Zhang and Sect Master Yuan.

"Senior Sister… oh, and Master—both of them are people I trust with my life! Fairy Xiao, you may speak freely!" Zheng Fa declared immediately.

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Sure enough, Senior Sister Zhang’s expression softened considerably…

Xiao Yuying paused, then looked at Senior Sister Zhang, suddenly clasping her hands together in respect.

"Zhang Wuyi… truly lives up to her name."

Her tone carried a hint of admiration.

Zheng Fa looked at her, completely unsure what she was thinking.

Xiao Yuying seemed to notice his confusion and smiled.

"You’re probably wondering why I, who am usually so blunt, am acting differently today."

Zheng Fa smiled awkwardly.

She continued, "I only show respect to those whose talent is not inferior to mine."

"…Huh?"

That was… shockingly straightforward and elitist.

"Because only those with talent equal to or greater than mine won’t be jealous of me."

"……"

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions became even more complicated.

"You all know my Dao Body is unique," Xiao Yuying explained.

"When I first reached Foundation Establishment, I traveled the world, eager to make friends… and I had many Daoist companions."

"Until one day, I witnessed the birth of an Immortal Sword."

"……"

She didn’t elaborate—she simply smiled and continued,

"From that moment on, I understood—if I obtain treasures, no matter how kind or polite I am, people will always be envious."

"But if I give away those treasures, I could curse someone for three days straight, and they’d still smile and thank me."

"To not be envied is to be mediocre."

"So," Xiao Yuying concluded matter-of-factly, "why should I be polite?"

Zheng Fa shook his head but didn’t say anything.

Whatever kind of person she was, she seemed to be doing just fine.

"That’s why I say, your trust in your Senior Sister is remarkable." Xiao Yuying continued.

"It must mean she has never been jealous of you."

"That’s not it," Zheng Fa suddenly said.

"Senior Sister isn’t without jealousy—she just treats me extraordinarily well."

"Extremely well."

He could feel Senior Sister Zhang’s gaze soften again.

Zheng Fa quietly exhaled in relief.

"Then I’ll get straight to the point. Your Dao Body is rather unique, isn’t it?"

"…Hmm?"

Zheng Fa froze.

His mind immediately went to the red sprout in his dantian, and his expression turned serious.

"As I thought." Seeing his reaction, Xiao Yuying’s face filled with understanding.

"Otherwise, the Heavenly Palace wouldn’t have displayed that scene where the gods bowed their heads."

Zheng Fa was baffled.

After pressing for details, he finally learned that when he condensed the sprout in his dantian, the external world had witnessed such an extraordinary phenomenon.

"Fairy Xiao, are you saying this is related to my Dao Body?"

"What do you think a Dao Body is?" Xiao Yuying asked.

"A special constitution for cultivation?"

"Not exactly. Not all Dao Bodies are the same."

"Each Dao Body actually corresponds to a Dao Path."

Xiao Yuying continued, "And some Dao Paths are above others."

"For example—you."

"And me."

"……"

Xiao Yuying went on,

"You may not realize it now, but once you reach Nascent Soul, you’ll understand—some Dao Bodies are the tickets to the Soul Formation stage."

"Wait a moment…"

At this point, Sect Master Yuan could no longer stay silent.

"Why have I never heard of this before?"

"You…"

Xiao Yuying started to say something but suddenly stopped.

She glanced at Zheng Fa, then closed her mouth.

Sect Master Yuan was momentarily stunned.

Then, he understood the meaning behind her silence.

—His talent wasn’t high enough to be qualified to know.

Damn.

She didn’t even say anything, and she still managed to hurt his pride!

……

The room fell into a heavy silence.

But then, Zheng Fa suddenly looked serious.

"Fairy Xiao, there’s something I’d like to ask."

"Go ahead."

"What’s at the end of these Dao Paths?"

Xiao Yuying gazed at Zheng Fa, her eyes burning with intensity.

"Zheng Fa, you really are extraordinary…"

"Perhaps there were people at the end of those paths once, but at least in today’s Xuanyi Realm, they no longer exist."

Zheng Fa nodded, as if processing her words.

"From Soul Formation onward…" Xiao Yuying suddenly sighed.

"That’s when the struggle for the Dao truly begins—some Dao Paths are so narrow that they can only accommodate a handful of cultivators.

"Those who walk these paths must fight to the death.

"But other Dao Paths are vast and can hold many cultivators."

"Even so, in the end, there is always a struggle."

"What about the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor?"

"Them?" Xiao Yuying chuckled.

"A Demon Ancestor’s greatest enemy… is another Demon Ancestor."

"Oh, right—there’s something you all might not know."

Xiao Yuying’s smile faded slightly.

"The Great Freedom Demonic Sect seems to have made contact with the Demon Race."

"Demon Race?"

The term sounded unfamiliar.

After all, the Xuanyi Realm was ruled by Immortal Sects, and the Demon Race had never gained a foothold.

They were either hiding in deep mountains or reduced to spirit beasts under Immortal Sect control.

Spirit Beast Sect…

Suddenly, Zheng Fa recalled something—

Back then, Spirit Beast Sect’s Profound Tortoise Elder had been an undercover agent for the Great Freedom Demonic Sect.

At the time, he had assumed it was merely that individual’s personal choice.

But if this was connected to the Demon Race…

Then what about spirit beasts?

Wait.

What about Senior Sister Yuan—who wanted to eat him?!