I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 308Book 2: : Envoy from the Upper Sect, Truth Puzzle

Book 2: Chapter 308: Envoy from the Upper Sect, Truth Puzzle

Vol 2 Chapter 308: Envoy from the Upper Sect, Truth Puzzle

In that new forum thread, yet another undercover informant joined.

Seventh Young Master Zhao Jingfan rarely got involved in such big matters and was visibly excited:

“I’ve heard of the Clear Spirit Pill!” he replied in the thread. “Hang on, I’ll go ask around in the sect.”

“…Wait for me!”

Zheng Fa looked at Zhao Jingfan’s message and could almost picture the guy bouncing out the door in a rush, the corners of his mouth curving into a faint smile.

He didn’t bother giving Zhao Jingfan any additional instructions.

As for Tianhe Sect’s Xie Qingxue and Yan Wushuang, he couldn’t intervene directly—he could only hope they’d be cautious.

But Zhao Jingfan of Qingmu Sect was a different matter—after all, the current leader of the Hundred Immortals Alliance was Zheng Fa himself!

He simply didn’t have the time to manage all those sects right now.

Whether or not Zhao Jingfan found anything, it likely wouldn’t be dangerous.

Sure enough, a while later, Zhao Jingfan sent back an update:

“I went to the Scripture Tower and asked a few senior brothers to help check. There are quite a few records on the Clear Spirit Pill.”

As he said that, Zhao Jingfan posted one document after another—pill recipes, travel notes, alchemy manuals—directly into the thread.

He was much bolder than Yan Wushuang and Xie Qingxue.

The two from Tianhe Sect had been selective with what they shared—after all, they still belonged to the sect and retained a sense of loyalty. There were limits to what they were willing to show Zheng Fa.

Put simply, those two spies had some basic sense of confidentiality.

Alchemy formulas, pill techniques—those things were rarely posted.

Zheng Fa understood and even deliberately only asked for travel notes.

But Zhao Jingfan was different…

Sect? What sect? Pill recipes? Who cares?

We’re all part of the Hundred Immortals Alliance—what’s mine is yours!

Post!

Swipe swipe swipe—post after post filled the thread with information on the Clear Spirit Pill.

Zhao Jingfan didn’t study alchemy, so he had no idea what data was useful and what wasn’t, so he just dumped it all in.

Zheng Fa knew he’d done his best, so he and Xiao Yuying began sorting through the material.

They set aside the pill recipes and techniques for now and focused on apocrypha and travel notes.

By late afternoon, Zhao Jingfan had stopped uploading—after all, the Clear Spirit Pill was just one type of pill, and there were only so many documents about it in Qingmu Sect. ⱤÂℕỗ฿Èʂ

He’d basically turned the entire sect upside down.

Zheng Fa carefully finished reading the thread, then looked up at Xiao Yuying—who shook her head and said quietly, “Qingmu Sect probably doesn’t have that long of a history. Based on the wording, these records go back maybe thirty thousand years at most…”

Zheng Fa fell silent.

That was the problem—they weren’t looking for the Clear Spirit Pill itself, but trying to find more clues about the Five-Element Orchid through it.

In Zheng Fa’s opinion, the Clear Spirit Pill was probably irrelevant to the Jiushan Golden Core Method—

After all, if even the Five-Element Orchid had been erased from history, then the pill paired with Tianhe Venerable’s Nine-Turn Golden Core Method would never have survived.

Especially since the Clear Spirit Pill was well known in the Xuanyi Realm.

“Well?” Seeing no response, Zhao Jingfan asked in the thread, “Did you find anything?”

Zheng Fa posted his and Xiao Yuying’s assessment.

Zhao Jingfan’s reply was tinged with disappointment: “I see… But I’ve already gone through all the sect’s records and asked a bunch of brothers. Everything we’ve got on the Clear Spirit Pill is here.”

Now even Yan Wushuang couldn’t hold back and asked, “Uh… Zhao brother? You seem to carry quite a bit of weight in your sect?”

“I’ve got decent connections…”

“Your father… is he the Sect Master?”

“Nope.”

“May I ask about your spiritual roots?”

“Spiritual roots? Same as Zheng Fa—dual roots.”

Yan Wushuang seemed to ignore the “same as Zheng Fa” part and honed in on the key detail:

“Dual roots? And you… dare this much?”

Zheng Fa finally understood Yan Wushuang’s confusion—

Not all dual spiritual roots are created equal! Zheng Fa didn’t count as a normal dual-root cultivator!

They were both informants, but Zhao Jingfan had no background, no outstanding aptitude…

How was he this fearless?

“Daring? I’m working for the Alliance Leader. I’m righteously upright!”

“……”

Zhao Jingfan’s reply left Yan Wushuang speechless.

Zheng Fa could relate:

In terms of status, background, and talent, Yan Wushuang and Xie Qingxue were far above Zhao Jingfan.

Yan Wushuang must’ve met Zhao Jingfan before but clearly hadn’t paid much attention—showing just how vast the gap had been.

But now…

Yan Wushuang and Xie Qingxue were playing spy games in Tianhe Sect, always on edge, anxious and exhausted.

And Zhao Jingfan?

“Hang on, I’ll go ask the Sect Master!”

He just dropped that and dashed off.

He might’ve left, but that message alone left Yan Wushuang stunned—questioning his entire spy life.

Even Xie Qingxue couldn’t help chiming in:

“Fellow Daoist Zhao… really makes one envious.”

Just from the way Zhao Jingfan casually decided to consult his sect leader, it was clear how cushy his life in Qingmu Sect was.

Yan Wushuang was rattled, but he’d just been a little stifled lately.

Xie Qingxue had it worse—a chatterbox forced to play the role of an aloof beauty.

Zheng Fa thought that the way Xie Qingxue looked at Zhao Jingfan now was like a crushed forty-year-old seeing a bright, carefree twenty-year-old—

The guy had no money, no achievements, and yet… you still couldn’t help but envy him.

The charm of youthful bravado lay in the simple fact that he hadn’t yet been battered by the world.

Zhao Jingfan, of course, had no idea that he’d earned the deep admiration of the Tianhe Sect’s Senior Sister.

He had suffered some setbacks before. At one point, he’d resolved to manage the Zhao Family and take on the role of clan head.

But fate is unpredictable…

The Hundred Immortals Alliance now belonged to Zheng!

Not only that—Zheng Fa now stood equal to the Five Sects!

Everyone knew Zhao Jingfan had ties with Zheng Fa.

So now, his status in the sect was visibly rising.

He didn’t quite understand it himself—he’d meant to rely on his own efforts…

But the pace of his own cultivation just couldn’t keep up with the speed of his benefactor’s ascent…

Zhao Jingfan rushed to find Qingmu Sect’s Master Song.

Master Song was dealing with official matters—Qingmu Sect was in a pitiful state, again. Thanks to the Great Freedom Demon Emperor, they were once more in ruins…

Master Song was overwhelmed.

When Zhao Jingfan arrived, Master Song was berating an unlucky Golden Core disciple:

“What’s wrong with you people? The herb garden still isn’t fixed?”

“Master… it’s easy to repair the structure, but the spiritual herbs…” The disciple hung his head, stammering, “We can’t gather enough.”

Zhao Jingfan immediately understood—

Qingmu Sect was broke!

When the Great Freedom Demonic Cult had emerged, they’d taken a hit—but they had time to evacuate and salvage their assets.

But the Demon Emperor’s second arrival was a different story.

They had just spent a fortune rebuilding the sect gates and restoring the herb garden.

And then—boom—everything was ruined.

Master Song had been staring at those horrifying expense reports for days—no wonder his mood was foul.

The senior brother inside got chewed out thoroughly. Master Song barked as he waved, “Why are you still standing here? Get moving!”

Zhao Jingfan paused—he could read the room.

The sect master was clearly busy and irritated—not the best time to raise questions.

But then, Master Song already sensed Zhao Jingfan’s arrival.

“Jingfan? You need something?”

Before Zhao Jingfan could speak, Master Song smiled and asked.

That poor senior brother hadn’t even left yet, and seeing the Sect Master’s expression shift from winter to spring in an instant left him dumbfounded—almost more hurt than before.

Zhao Jingfan didn’t answer right away. He stood straight and bowed respectfully. He was now practically a public double agent—or rather, almost like an official envoy…

Which made him even more careful about maintaining proper decorum in front of others.

After his bow, he explained his purpose clearly.

“Clear Spirit Pill…” Master Song stroked his chin and frowned, “What exactly do you want to know?”

“……”

…

“The Sect Master checked his private collection and found something!”

“What did he find?”

Zheng Fa and Xiao Yuying were instantly alert.

Though Qingmu Sect wasn’t deep-rooted, Master Song was a Nascent Soul cultivator—a pillar of the Xuanyi Realm—well-informed and highly skilled in alchemy.

His understanding of alchemy likely surpassed the entire current research team combined.

“The Clear Spirit Pill formula was indeed modified.”

“The Sect Master said he’d heard that the original recipe included a spiritual plant called Fusion Spirit Flower, which was later replaced.”

Zhao Jingfan’s words made Zheng Fa frown.

Fusion Spirit Flower?

Wasn’t it supposed to be the Five-Element Orchid?

“Does your Sect Master know when the pill formula was changed?”

“He’s not sure either…”

“Fusion Spirit Flower…” Xiao Yuying murmured, then waved her hand.

Dozens of jade slips appeared in the hall.

“I remember seeing records about this spiritual plant before, but didn’t pay much attention,” Xiao Yuying said while searching through the slips. After a while, she said, “Found it!”

“This one mentions the Fusion Spirit Flower!”

“This one too!”

She quickly pulled out four or five jade slips containing references to the Fusion Spirit Flower.

But even among these, there wasn’t much of note—nothing seemed related to the Five-Element Orchid.

Frowning at the jade slips, Xiao Yuying seemed to be thinking hard. After a while, she finally spoke: “The original records in these slips should all date to the beginning of this era.”

“Hmm?”

Zheng Fa didn’t quite follow.

“That is to say, this spiritual plant called the Fusion Spirit Flower only appears at the start of this current era. There’s no mention of it in the previous era, and I haven’t heard of it now either.”

Xiao Yuying explained, her tone carrying deeper meaning.

Zheng Fa heard this and felt a jolt of inspiration. He said,

“They changed the name?”

“The Fusion Spirit Flower… is the Five-Element Orchid?”

Xiao Yuying nodded slowly: “It’s highly possible.”

Zheng Fa waved his hand, and a blank light screen appeared in the hall.

On the screen appeared the name “Five-Element Orchid,” followed by an arrow pointing to “Clear Spirit Pill,” which in turn led to “Fusion Spirit Flower.”

Next to “Fusion Spirit Flower” was a blank space, reflecting Zheng Fa’s hesitation.

He was piecing the clues together.

The Five-Element Orchid had been deliberately erased from history.

Yet some pills—like the Clear Spirit Pill—really did require it.

This pill had a large market and was widely needed by cultivators, and modifying a formula wasn’t something that could be done overnight.

Some alchemists might have made a living off just a few key recipes.

So, in order to avoid the taboo surrounding the Five-Element Orchid, did someone rename it as Fusion Spirit Flower and record it in the texts?

But as the Orchid itself became rarer and the Clear Spirit Pill formula was improved, this alternate name gradually lost its use—and perhaps became risky—so the name “Fusion Spirit Flower” also faded away.

From a timeline and logic standpoint, this theory made sense.

But it lacked a complete chain of evidence—solid proof.

That proof came quickly.

Starting again from the Fusion Spirit Flower, they re-scanned the earlier data—and made a new discovery.

Xie Qingxue sent over a message, which was a fragment of a record:

“With Fusion Spirit Flower as the main ingredient, assisted by Frostleaf and Spirit-Converting Grass, and with… a great pill may be made, extremely beneficial for our cultivation. Alas, the Fusion Spirit Flower is also rare.”

“Fairy Xie? Where’s this record from?”

“A senior of Tianhe Sect!” Xie Qingxue replied, slightly excited. “It’s a damaged passage, almost like delirious muttering. No one’s ever paid attention to it.”

“Who’d have thought… it’d be so simple?”

Zheng Fa asked in confusion, “Simple?”

“Of course it’s simple—just a few travel notes, a few words, and a lost history can be reconstructed…”

“You all might not understand, but I know the strength of the Five Sects better than you do. If they want to hide something… others really have no way to find it.”

“But you… managed so quickly.”

Clearly, Xie Qingxue’s words were full of amazement.

And she wasn’t wrong.

Just look at the Nine-Turn Golden Core Method and the history of Tianhe Venerable—who could make sense of it now?

Think about her own lineage…

They’d been grinding away for years and still didn’t understand what the Nine-Turn Golden Core Method really was.

Presumably, Shouzhong Patriarch had known the truth about it, but whether out of caution, other reasons, or various constraints, he never passed it down.

Now, only scattered fragments remained.

And yet Zheng Fa, with his team, had swiftly reconstructed a buried history from scattered and disjointed records.

The contrast was enough to make Xie Qingxue’s whole lineage look incompetent.

Naturally, it was enough to shake her emotionally…

Zheng Fa glanced at Xiao Yuying, who also seemed to notice Xie Qingxue’s surprise and curled her lips slightly with a hint of pride.

The benefit of keeping Xiao Yuying around was now on full display.

Unlike others who admired her Primordial Magnetic Dao Body or her remarkable luck, Zheng Fa valued the knowledge in her mind more.

He had even given her the title of archaeology professor!

In his view, she at least had the rudimentary skills of a historian—especially her analysis of texts and architectural styles, which had contributed significantly to this research.

This wasn’t necessarily a modern concept. From ancient times, every era had its great textual scholars.

But the problem was…

The Xuanyi Realm didn’t value this kind of skill at all.

This method—gathering knowledge through document collection, textual analysis, or field archaeology—was almost unheard of in the Xuanyi Realm.

As far as Zheng Fa knew, only Xiao Yuying had even dabbled in it.

Perhaps some cultivators had developed this awareness through practice.

But as a discipline, the Xuanyi Realm still had a long way to go.

Xiao Yuying, however, looked a bit dazed—not joyful, but rather fixated on Zheng Fa.

“Fairy Xiao?”

“I’m starting to believe what you said.”

“Hmm?”

“That it’s possible to make discoveries—not through cultivation or combat, but purely through knowledge and analysis. Mortals could do this too. Your idea… might actually have some chance of success.”

“Fairy Xiao… isn’t this your own achievement?”

Xiao Yuying paused for a moment, then said in a tone like she was discovering her own abilities for the first time, “I didn’t know I could do this.”

“……”

Zheng Fa understood now—her Primordial Magnetic Dao Body was just too powerful. Xiao Yuying had never needed these “fancy” skills!

Which made sense. In a cultivator’s eyes, what were scholarly skills compared to spiritual sense or raw power?

That might be the core reason this field had never developed in the Xuanyi Realm.

Still…

“Fairy Xiao, you didn’t believe me before?”

“……” Xiao Yuying blinked, then suddenly smiled and said, “I just wanted to see if you could actually pull it off.”

“…And if I couldn’t?”

“If not, I could always leave later. I have my master… I’d probably be fine.”

…

Zheng Fa nearly snapped.

This was like going into business together, you’re constantly anxious, thinking everyone’s in the same boat and terrified of going bankrupt—

Only to have your partner tell you, “Oh, if it fails, I’ll just go back and inherit the family fortune.”

Zheng Fa didn’t want to talk about this anymore.

He looked at the pill formula and posted in the thread:

“Didn’t you just say, Zhao Jingfan, that your Qingmu Sect is broke right now?”