I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 293Book 2: : Rapid Progress, the Demon Ancestor’s Grand Plan!

Book 2: Chapter 293: Rapid Progress, the Demon Ancestor's Grand Plan!

Vol 2 Chapter 293: Rapid Progress, the Demon Ancestor's Grand Plan!

Afterward.

Zheng Fa felt Senior Sister Zhang’s hair brushing lightly against his neck. He lowered his head and saw her lying lazily in his arms—her name “Wuyi” truly fit her demeanor.

Only then did he notice that at some point, she had lit red candles in the room.

Her skin, usually like flawless white jade, was already lustrous and slightly translucent. Now, under the candlelight, it radiated a warm glow.

But at this moment, that jade-like skin had taken on the hue of sunset, as if dusted with rouge, a flush of cinnabar spreading wantonly from her earlobes to her toes—blush blooming across her body.

Maybe Zheng Fa’s gaze was too blatant—Zhang Wuyi leaned against his shoulder, glanced up at him with a glare, but in her eyes was a softness and playfulness rarely seen from her.

Even without words, both of them understood: their feelings, their relationship—had changed.

In the Xuanyi Realm, cultivators lived so long that they saw everything—including the twisted and the strange.

Their attitudes toward relationships were far more liberal than in the mortal world.

In the mortal world, people still clung to ideals of lifelong monogamy.

But cultivators... quite a few played around.

To be blunt, any cultivator’s status in the mortal realm could rival emperors and nobles. Keeping harems, enjoying indulgence—it was trivially easy.

As for female cultivators—there was no shortage of them keeping male companions.

Not to mention certain sects that specialized in dual cultivation techniques.

But Zhang Wuyi was different.

She had been raised by Martial Aunt Huang, and grew up hearing the stories of her master and grandmaster—

One had willingly died for the other.

The other chose to live on in pain for their sake.

Their love, enduring over tens of thousands of years, was unwavering to the very end.

That kind of story couldn’t help but leave a mark on her.

It made her afraid—of love. She was someone cold and restrained by nature. This kind of uncontrollable, life-altering passion that could destroy one’s Dao seemed incomprehensible to her. Even poisonous.

So her so-called "purity" had never been about moral virtue.

But stepping willingly into the fire—welcoming a new, all-in, irreversible emotion—that was what she resisted.

She had initiated the dual cultivation, yet now, she was the one feeling uneasy.

That playful glare she gave was really a silent confirmation—checking whether Zheng Fa understood her small, inexpressible fear.

Of course Zheng Fa understood—

He tightened his arm around her, their bodies close enough to feel the heat, yet neither pulled away.

He truly understood.

Just moments ago, their divine souls had intertwined.

He had seen her thoughts, her fears—even those fears she dared to face only by charging forward.

He understood everything.

He wasn’t mute—but right now, silence was enough.

Zhang Wuyi smiled faintly. That brief flash of anxiety was gone. She leaned close to him and softly asked, “According to my master, the first time you dual cultivate brings the biggest boost… how are you feeling?”

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but laugh.

“Senior Sister, I’m already at late-stage Golden Core now.”

The essence of dual cultivation was—get coached by someone more experienced!

Zheng Fa didn’t know about others, but during their session, he had practically shared Zhang Wuyi’s Golden Core insights. They had jointly absorbed spiritual energy from the void, jointly refined his Golden Core.

As the saying goes:

The Way of Heaven diminishes the excess and supplements the deficient.

Uh, okay, that’s a bit vague—more like communicating vessels...

Zheng Fa could feel it: because his cultivation was lower, most of the spiritual energy gathered during practice had gone to him. Even the spiritual power in Zhang Wuyi’s body had started to flow toward his Dantian.

It might have even set her back a little.

What truly advanced his cultivation, though, were her insights into the Golden Core stage—

Turns out, knowledge really can be passed through… uh, bodily fluids!

Of course, her insights would only be most effective the first time. After that, they’d be redundant.

That’s why she had said the first dual cultivation would be his biggest boost.

Now, the little person inside Zheng Fa’s Golden Core had grown to full size, able to stretch out arms and legs and touch the layer of Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Qi at the Core’s edge.

Next step—accumulate spiritual energy, shatter the core in one stroke, and form the Nascent Soul.

Based on his calculations and her insights, Zheng Fa estimated he could reach Golden Core Perfection within a year!

After hearing him, Zhang Wuyi did a quick count and laughed, “So it’ll have taken you only six years to go from Core Formation to perfection!”

“Junior Brother, in the entire Xuanyi Realm, I doubt there’s anyone faster at reaching Nascent Soul than you!”

It really was fast.

Even including his modern-world cultivation time, Zheng Fa would have taken less than ten years.

That was due to a few things:

First, he had abundant spiritual materials and elixirs—

He cultivated the Shenxiao Golden Core method, and Jiushan Sect had plenty of lightning-element resources. He was well supplied.

Second, the Jiushan Golden Core Method greatly increased his speed—at least five or six times faster.

Finally, of course, was Zhang Wuyi’s selfless contribution!

Zheng Fa did some rough math and actually felt he hadn’t advanced that quickly.

Take Zhang Wuyi, for example—she spent a hundred years at the Golden Core stage. If she had the same conditions, she might’ve progressed even faster than he had.

Maybe much faster.

“Senior Sister…” Zheng Fa lowered his voice.

She looked up and saw his face—full of pure Dao-seeking determination.

“Mm…”

...

Half a month later, Senior Sister Yuan stood on tiptoe, her round face peering curiously at Zhang Wuyi’s shut courtyard door.

On her shoulder, the Little Golden Crow flapped its wings, yawned, and asked lazily, “What’re you looking at?”

“Senior Sister Zhang and Junior Brother Zheng haven’t left that courtyard for days…” Senior Sister Yuan mumbled with a worried look. “I want to check on them, but Martial Aunt Huang won’t let me.”

“Something might’ve happened!”

“It’s driving me nuts!”

The Little Golden Crow rolled its eyes. “You really don’t know what they’re doing?”

“You do?”

“Uh…” seeing her genuinely clueless expression, it sighed. “It’s a good thing! Don’t worry, once the Sect Master comes out, his cultivation will probably skyrocket!”

Senior Sister Yuan seemed a bit relieved, nodding—then suddenly her eyes lit up.

The Little Golden Crow had a bad feeling.

“If it’s something good, why didn’t they include me?” Senior Sister Yuan marched toward Zhang Wuyi’s courtyard, muttering, “I want my cultivation to skyrocket too!”

The Little Golden Crow broke into a cold sweat.

“You’re still too young!” It used all three claws to hold her back. “When you grow up, they’ll bring you!”

“I’m young?” Senior Sister Yuan was even more confused. “Junior Brother Zheng’s younger than me!”

The commotion finally drew out Zheng Fa and Zhang Wuyi from within.

“Senior Sister!”

Seeing Zhang Wuyi safe and sound—and looking especially radiant—Senior Sister Yuan stood in place and waved cheerfully.

Zheng Fa gave the Little Golden Crow a look of praise, then turned to Senior Sister Yuan. Seeing her glance at Zhang Wuyi’s rosier-than-usual skin, then sniff curiously around him, she muttered, “Junior Brother, how come you smell like Senior Sister…”

Zheng Fa quietly nudged her head aside.

She tried to resist, but a powerful wave of spiritual energy flowed from Zheng Fa’s arm, firmly suppressing her.

“Junior Brother!”

Her eyes filled with disbelief—she knew he was stronger than her, but in terms of spiritual force, as an old-school Golden Core cultivator, she should still have the edge!

But now…

Zheng Fa had subdued her with just one hand!

She looked at Zhang Wuyi, then back at Zheng Fa, and her expression practically screamed:

"Senior Sister, this is so unfair!"

Zhang Wuyi gave Zheng Fa another glare—this time with genuine annoyance.

Zheng Fa felt a little guilty.

But could you really blame him?

If anyone was at fault, it was that cultivator who had merged enlightenment, cultivation, and intimacy into one seamless method...

With such an efficient technique, how could a progress-hungry Zheng Fa not test it out?

If not for the fact that Zhang Wuyi was responsible for managing merit points and heading the Administrative Hall—already nearing her limit from half a month of absence—

And if Zheng Fa, as Jiushan Sect Master and now Alliance Leader of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, could disappear forever—

They might have holed up even longer.

Senior Sister Yuan clung to Zhang Wuyi, grumbling endlessly, clearly upset that Zheng Fa had gotten exclusive access to a “private lesson” and wanting a taste herself—Zhang Wuyi, of course, refused.

Zheng Fa returned to his own courtyard, sat on his meditation cushion, and entered a deep internal state.

After half a month of intense cultivation,

His power had fully stabilized at late-stage Golden Core, solid without the slightest flaw.

For that, he owed much to Zhang Wuyi’s sacrifice—

During dual cultivation, she had given him nearly all the spiritual energy and even infused him with her own.

You could say—

She suffered the pain of cultivation, and he enjoyed the fruit of advancement.

All of this was for the Five Sects Conference.

Even if, by the time of the conference, the difference between Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or even Soul Formation wouldn’t matter much—

Zhang Wuyi still did everything she could to strengthen him—

Maybe it wouldn’t help, but it was the most she could do.

It wasn’t about whether it helped—it was about doing her utmost.

Thinking of the conference, Zheng Fa pulled out the Jade Slip of Creation. In the past few days, Xie Qingxue had sent over two hundred messages.

Most of them were just idle gossip.

Zheng Fa, being… rather busy, hadn’t replied much, but Xie Qingxue didn’t seem to mind.

Among the two hundred or so messages, about a dozen actually concerned the Five Sects Conference.

“My master seems to be suspecting me too… What I told you earlier might not be accurate.”

That message made Zheng Fa frown slightly.

Though, it wasn’t entirely unexpected—

When he “killed” the Great Freedom Demon Emperor, the weapon he used was the Qingping Sword.

Many cultivators from the Five Sects of Xuanyi had witnessed that.

There was no hiding it. That Xie Qingxue’s relationship with him had come under suspicion was… frankly, normal.

“I heard my master went to the Myriad Swords Realm and took something out… But I didn’t dare to ask.”

Zheng Fa glanced back in memory—

The Myriad Swords Realm was the same as the Heavenly Monument Realm left behind by the Tianhe Venerable. Elder Han had mentioned before that its internal treasures had been lost, making it uninhabitable.

Now that Xie Qingxue brought it up, she was likely thinking the same as he was—that what her master retrieved might have something to do with him.

Or more precisely—might be something that could verify his connection to the Tianhe Venerable.

That made Zheng Fa instinctively alert.

No matter what, Tianhe Sect was, after all, the Tianhe Venerable’s legacy. Their understanding of him far exceeded Zheng Fa’s.

Some unpredictable methods… might be more common to them than he’d imagined.

Xie Qingxue sent another message:

“But I looked into the sect archives. To verify a link to the Ancestor, it’s either through the Nine-Turn Golden Core Method—or through how you comprehended the Nine-Turn Golden Core Method.”

She was clearly pointing to the Yin-Yang Fish Jade Pendant!

Now that was a problem.

The Jiushan Golden Core Method could still be masked using Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Transformation.

But the Yin-Yang Fish Jade Pendant was different.

It lay deep in his Sea of Consciousness, practically his life-bound spiritual treasure. He had no idea how to control it.

If Tianhe Sect really had someone capable of detecting it…

Zheng Fa couldn’t think of any countermeasure yet.

Xie Qingxue, sensing the vagueness of her intel, apologized:

“Maybe our sect doesn’t have such methods after all. Otherwise, we wouldn’t still be searching all these years…”

Zheng Fa furrowed his brows slightly.

The biggest gamble of his life had been killing the Great Freedom Demon Emperor—and even that had been an act of desperation.

But now…

A Message Talisman suddenly arrived. Zheng Fa’s expression shifted, and a circular portal opened before him.

A familiar figure appeared in the Jiushan Realm—Chen Ting.

Zheng Fa hadn’t expected that, at this point, Chen Ting would suddenly pay him a visit.

“Daoist Chen…”

“Sect Master Zheng, do you have a place of absolute secrecy?”

Zheng Fa looked at him deeply, his mind turned slightly, and the two entered the void mist—no one could see their figures.

He had many suspicions about Chen Ting, and even more about the mysterious Nine Nether Demon Ancestor behind him.

And it was that very Demon Ancestor who had killed the Great Freedom Demon Emperor.

For Chen Ting to suddenly appear now—

Zheng Fa couldn’t immediately gauge his intent.

“Sect Master Zheng, are you troubled by the Five Sects Conference?”

Upon hearing that, Zheng Fa had a guess about why the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor was seeking him.

Chen Ting pulled out a black talisman edict from his chest, respectfully offered it with both hands, and handed it to Zheng Fa.

“This is…”

“Sect Master Zheng, place this within your Divine Soul—ordinary Dao Fruits won’t be able to detect your secrets.” Chen Ting added, “Both I and Zhenren Qin of the Netherworld used this to deceive the Great Freedom Demon Emperor.”

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but believe him.

He still wasn’t clear on the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s full strength, but when it came to concealment, he was incredibly capable.

The Great Freedom Demon Emperor might have had his flaws, but he wasn’t stupid—

Yet two traitors, Chen Ting and Qin Mu, were in plain sight and he hadn’t realized a thing.

In the end, it seemed he was even killed by them.

That alone was enough evidence of the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor’s ability.

The issue was—Zheng Fa didn’t know him at all!

Deep down, he was extremely wary.

Yes, the reason he’d survived the Great Freedom Demon Emperor at all was because of the Demon Ancestor’s Demon-Cleansing Technique and the trap he’d left behind.

But let’s not forget—the current chaotic situation in the Jiushan Realm, at least half of it was caused by that man!

Zheng Fa had fought the Five Sects bitterly to crush the Great Freedom Demonic Sect—

The Demon Emperor’s Dao Fruit, the tens of thousands of years of planning—were all about to collapse.

Then this man’s scheme resurrected the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor!

That was the true reason for the ensuing war and the Jiushan Realm’s crisis.

From Zheng Fa’s perspective—he, the Five Sects, even the Demon Emperor—had all been used.

How could he trust someone like that?

Especially when such “gifts” were handed over without reason.

Chen Ting held out the Nine Nether Edict for quite some time. Seeing that Zheng Fa wasn’t reaching for it, he didn’t seem surprised—just smiled and said:

“The Holy Ancestor said this was to… reward your merit.”

“Reward merit?”

Zheng Fa blinked.

“Truth is, the Holy Ancestor didn’t initially set his sights on the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor. But by chance, the Demonic Sect was heavily wounded by you, Sect Master. After the Demon Emperor formed his Dao Fruit, it was incomplete—creating an opening for the Holy Ancestor.”

“……”

That wasn’t wrong.

According to Mu Qingyan’s “memories,” the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor had already established his Underworld Court when the Great Freedom Demon Emperor was still alive and well.

If not for Zheng Fa being the unexpected variable, the Demon Ancestor wouldn’t have had a chance to kill him.

With such a big reward from slaying a Dao Fruit, it was no surprise.

Calling it a “reward for merit” though… was a bit of a stretch.

Dao Fruit cultivators weren’t saints—when did they ever repay favors?

Even the Immortal Sects were like that. What kind of upright figure could the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor possibly be?

Seeing that Zheng Fa still hadn’t accepted the edict, Chen Ting sighed, as if shaking his head, and said:

“Zhenren Qin was right. Sect Master Zheng—you’re not easy to fool.”

“……”

“But the Holy Ancestor insists he has experience. He said the Tianhe Venerable—he was easy to con!”

“……”

Zheng Fa felt like they were insulting him.

And yet… this hinted at something important—

That the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor and the Tianhe Venerable… might have had a close relationship.

From the Demon-Cleansing Technique he’d received, and the secrets he’d seen—this possibility wasn’t small.

Even with lingering doubts, Zheng Fa found himself slightly more inclined to trust the Demon Ancestor.

After all, it was thanks to the Tianhe Venerable’s jade pendant—and possibly the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor—that he’d ever traveled to the modern world.

There was a thread of connection.

He looked at Chen Ting, waiting for more.

Chen Ting smiled and said: “What the Holy Ancestor is doing now mustn’t be known by the Five Sects. But you, Sect Master… you know how the Great Freedom Demon Emperor died. If the Five Sects capture you, it’ll harm the Holy Ancestor’s plans.”

Zheng Fa suddenly understood. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

That explanation made a lot more sense.

The Nine Nether Demon Ancestor, operating from the shadows, clearly had secrets to protect.

And Zheng Fa—if captured and subjected to certain methods—might very well leak the truth, sabotaging the Demon Ancestor’s strategies.

Zheng Fa finally reached out and picked up the Nine Nether Edict.

Though still suspicious, he leaned toward accepting it.

He stared at the talisman for a long time, then looked up at Chen Ting and asked:

“You just said this talisman is a reward?”

Chen Ting nodded, “That’s what the Holy Ancestor said.”

“Then… what about the hush money?”

Chen Ting’s eyes slowly widened.

He looked at Zheng Fa—who was staring back with a clear expression:

“You little sh*t… you skimming off the top of what the Holy Ancestor owes me?”