Cultivation Nerd-Chapter 339 - A Place Out Of Date

Apparently, the kid whose idea Jiang Yeming found interesting was one of the quieter students in class. He rarely spoke and came off as a bit shy.

I read his paper and the thoughts he’d written during the lesson, and a smile tugged at my lips.

He’d suggested that since Qi Gathering beasts were still guided by instinct, maybe it was possible to tame them, like pets.

It was something I planned to cover in the next lesson: the merits and the downsides of such an idea.

My heart began beating a bit faster, as a feeling of euphoria filled my soul.

This was it, the reason why I had even undertaken such a tedious thing under my wing. Opening people's minds to new ideas and providing them with the necessary foundation in knowledge to build upon it.

For now, my job as his teacher was to give him the necessary warnings and also to point him in the right direction.

If they wanted a beast companion, treating it as a pet would be a terrible idea. Especially since, after gaining consciousness, such creatures would hardly appreciate being treated that way.

Contrary to common belief, many monstrous beasts weren’t inherently aggressive; they simply avoided humans. Though over time, most had learned that if humans were nearby, it was safer to strike first. Humans, in turn, had their own misconceptions, especially after the central continent was overtaken.

“Interesting, right?” Jiang Yeming smiled. “I knew you’d like it.”

I nodded and glanced at my other disciple from the corner of my eye.

Tingfeng swept the classroom with a hollow look in his eyes. Every now and then, he’d grab the broom and swing it like a sword.

Weird guy. But he needed to learn patience. Despite his devotion to the sword, he must not become the kind of person who would challenge others to sword duels without regard for his safety.

“You seem to enjoy teaching,” Jiang Yeming remarked as she handed me the last of the papers after checking them.

“Well, it is fun,” I admitted.

But deep down, I was waiting for the next Tesla or Einstein of the cultivation world, someone who would one day come and surpass me.

Jiang Yeming gave me a look, a glint in her eyes that made it feel like she could read my thoughts. But she didn’t hold my gaze for long and looked down at the ground instead.

“What if the kind of people you’re hoping to create through these lessons never come to be?” she asked.

It seemed she was in a curious mood today.

I stayed quiet for a bit, thinking about how to answer.

The short answer was that it would be sad, but I wanted to give her a more detailed explanation. She was my disciple, after all, and this was a good learning opportunity.

But she didn’t wait and added, “What if you have to be the one to push your knowledge forward and bring cultivation into a new golden age with your own hands?”

“It seems like you have quite a high opinion of me,” I chuckled.

“The way I see it, sects are an outdated concept that’s existed since recorded history began, and it’s never changed,” she said.

“You make it sound like I’m here to change the world,” I replied, smiling faintly. “Take it one step at a time. Even if you think sects are outdated, they’ve worked so far and kept humanity alive... Either way, when it comes to things like this, we move one step at a time.”

What did she see in the future that she had such a high opinion of me? Did I become the Thomas Edison of this world?

Jiang Yeming was an intelligent girl, but she sometimes let her ideas about the future cloud her thoughts in the present.

“You still will,” she said, confidence radiating from her.

Whatever she believed about me clearly wasn’t grounded in reality. What if I died because of her interference, rushing things I shouldn’t? It was all just baseless confidence on her part. The future was the future, and whatever I might do there, I doubted much would stay the same. Jiang Yeming’s presence alone had already changed many things in my life.

“It might take a while for the results to show, since most of your students come from common backgrounds,” she continued, her eyes bright with ambition. “But you’ve already changed the trajectory of their lives with these lessons. If they can outlive the so-called geniuses, they’ll be the ones to spread your mentality. A new kind of genius could be born under your influence.”

“You make it sound like my ideals are some kind of sickness that’ll spread through the world like a plague,” I said.

And she probably didn’t even realize how careless her words sounded. It wouldn’t take a genius to guess she had regressed.

I guess to the average guy she could also come off as a cult follower who believed in me to an unreasonable degree, like a brainwashed fool.

“Sometimes the obvious is the hardest thing to say aloud,” she sighed, leaning back and gazing at the ceiling instead of meeting my eyes. “People think it’s too obvious to mention, but once it’s said, everyone finds it easier to stand behind something they already agreed with.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Whatever. She could keep doing her thing, and I’d keep doing mine.

********

After the lesson, Jiang Yeming stepped out of the teaching building and gazed at the sky just in time to see her teacher streak off at blistering speed.

Those core values that would one day help Liu Feng change the world clearly hadn’t developed yet.

She looked down at the stack of papers in her hand, sighed softly, and slipped them into her storage ring. With Tingfeng beside her, she started down the stone path toward the gate leading to the inner sect. Dry leaves crunched beneath their feet, and the trees around them rustled gently, their greenery preserved by small vitality arrays.

Sometimes, it was hard for her to reconcile the past she’d stumbled into. Even the people she’d once thought of as unchanging as stone… they felt different here, raw, imperfect, and very much human.

Her gaze drifted to the road, her thoughts spiraling toward the future-past.

Even when she was a Nascent Soul Cultivator and part of the upper echelon of the organization he had created, Liu Feng always felt a cold and logical. He was known to be a kind guy, but never let kindness cloud his judgment.

Here she had seen a different part of him, someone who genuinely loved teaching others and held nothing back. Perhaps if he had been like this in his younger days, she could understand why some peak Nascent Soul Cultivators were so loyal to him and never tried something like taking over the Wisdom Hall.

“Do you think Teacher will let us join the arena fights?” Tingfeng asked suddenly. “Some of my friends said it’s a great place to sharpen swordsmanship through real combat.”

“You have friends?” Jiang Yeming blurted, genuinely surprised.

“Of course I do,” Tingfeng replied, frowning. “Don’t you?”

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Wait.

Jiang Yeming’s expression soured.

This weirdo had friends… but she didn’t?

She sighed inwardly. It wasn’t that she couldn’t make friends; it was that she struggled to relate to these people. They were primitive in thought, guided by traditions that belonged to an age long dead.

Sure, Liu Feng said that these traditions had helped humanity survive after the central continent was taken over. But if Wisdom Hall existed at that time, then Jiang Yeming could confidently say that the central continent would have never been taken over by monstrous beasts.

She was used to the systems of the Wisdom Hall; they were refined, structured, and logical. Here, she was surrounded by what she privately considered mediocrity wearing the robes of promise.

The sect still clung to outdated practices. Only those with means could have their talents tested, shutting out countless hidden geniuses. They had no idea how much potential they were wasting.

That was why Wisdom Hall had risen so powerfully in her time. They had tested everyone, even beggars. It had revolutionized cultivation across the continent. Some of their members even grew to become Vice Sect Masters of great sects, all while still abiding by the Hall’s impartial philosophy. Rumor had it that a few immortals backed the organization from the shadows.

By then, Nascent Soul cultivators had become common among the great sects. Most even had one as a Vice Sect Leader, that was a position created precisely for those powerful enough to rival the leaders themselves.

“I’m going to train,” Tingfeng said suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Maybe Teacher’s left out some sword manuals for me.”

He dashed off with a starry look in his eyes, like a lovesick fool chasing a dream.

At least he’d had the grace not to bring up their earlier conversation about her lack of friends.

“Damn this place,” she muttered under her breath.

Jiang Yeming couldn’t wait to visit the Misty Mountain Range, where the Wisdom Hall would one day stand. The more time she spent here, the more she realized how deeply she missed her old world.

Perhaps that was what people meant when they talked about missing home.

She never thought she’d feel it so keenly. But surrounded by people who approached cultivation so illogically, she couldn’t help but feel constantly out of place.

…

Autumn had come into full swing, and nothing major had happened as far as Jiang Yeming was concerned. She advanced steadily in her cultivation, as expected, but it was nothing special.

The end of the season approached, and she walked along the newly built stone paths of the inner sect. The sky was overcast, clouds smothering the sun and casting a shadow over the mountains.

She liked autumn, especially the stormy days. They meant she could stay indoors and read all day. But it wasn’t as enjoyable anymore. She was no longer a Nascent Soul Cultivator who could afford to lounge around without a care.

The Blazing Sun Sect had a rule that only elders could freely fly within the inner sect. Another pointless restriction, in her opinion, one that only made things slower and less efficient.

Everything here was so inefficient.

Even the Wisdom Hall in the future had its problems, mainly Liu Feng’s fanatics. But compared to this, that place was paradise.

She eventually reached Liu Feng’s home: two modest houses standing alone in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t even a proper road, just a carpet of dry grass and brown leaves. She had to walk through them carefully, half-worried that Liu Feng might have set traps around the place out of paranoia.

When the stone and wooden houses came into view, she let out a sigh of relief.

At least she wasn’t dead yet, which meant the Faceless Immortal hadn’t turned into the monster he would become in the future. That was… something. Encouraged by that thought, she decided to take her chances and see if she could get closer to him.

Still, it struck her how absurdly talented his lineup of disciples was: Tingfeng, Wu Yan, and herself. Two future immortals and a regressor. Fate really did have a sense of humor.

She tucked that thought away and knocked on the door of the stone house, noticing a violent, unstable aura coming from the wooden one nearby. Probably some dangerous beast locked inside.

Honestly, it wasn’t surprising. Liu Feng keeping a murderous creature in a shed beside his home sounded exactly like something he’d do. She sometimes missed the older, calmer version of him, the one who had already outgrown such eccentricities.

The door opened, and Fu Yating blinked when she saw Jiang Yeming standing there.

“Oh, you’re Liu Feng’s disciple. How can I help you?” the woman asked with a warm smile, stepping aside to invite her in.

Jiang Yeming entered quietly.

"Thank you for having me," she murmured under her breath, not knowing how to act around someone like Fu Yating.

The last time she had come here, she’d been too panicked to notice her surroundings. Now, with a clearer head, she found the place surprisingly… normal.

The house looked newly built, like most structures in the Blazing Sun Sect, yet it was humble, far more modest than what one would expect from someone of Liu Feng’s rank as an inner elder.

Everything was well-kept, neat, and subtly cared for. It was obvious that Fu Yating was the same loving woman she would be in the future.

And though Liu Feng wasn’t one to flaunt his affections, Jiang Yeming had no doubt he loved her deeply. After all, he had never taken another lover even long after her death.

“Are you hungry? I can cook you something fast,” Fu Yating offered.

“No need,” Jiang Yeming shook her head as they stepped into the small kitchen. She took a seat at the dining table.

“Then I’ll bring you some tea. This time you can’t refuse, it’d be impolite,” Fu Yating said with a sweet smile.

Jiang Yeming scratched her cheek awkwardly. It felt uncomfortable being around someone so sincere and kind.

Fu Yating soon returned with three cups of tea and set them on the table before taking a seat.

Wait… three?

“Were you expecting other visitors?” Jiang Yeming asked.

Fu Yating tilted her head, confused, and looked at the third empty chair. But when Jiang Yeming’s gaze followed hers, and there she was.

Wu Yan sat in the previously vacant seat, lifting her cup and blowing gently across its surface.

What?!

A chill ran down Jiang Yeming’s spine. Even if Wu Yan was already a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Jiang Yeming should’ve sensed her. But somehow, it was as though her mind simply couldn’t comprehend her presence.

What in the world was that? She had never encountered anything like it.

Her advanced senses flared in alarm, and what she detected made her stomach drop. Wu Yan was a nine-star Foundation Establishment Cultivator, gathering Qi for her Core Formation breakthrough.

Before panic could take root, the door opened and Liu Feng walked into the kitchen, a book in hand, looking half-asleep.

“Hey, Jiang Yeming,” he greeted casually, sitting down without even glancing up. “And Wu Yan, congrats on breaking through again. Remember what I said about never using those last two Foundation Techniques.”

“I understand, teacher,” Wu Yan replied calmly. “Now, only the Core Formation breakthrough is left.”

“Take it slowly,” Liu Feng said, still reading as Fu Yating placed a cup before him. Only then did he look up, flashing her a soft, appreciative smile.

Fu Yating’s face brightened instantly and the two shared a small laugh, an inside joke, perhaps.

“Everything you make is so damn delicious,” Liu Feng hummed, leaning back and setting the book down.

Jiang Yeming’s eyes flicked to the cover, reading the title.

Recordings of the Rabbit Through the Ages.

Wait, people knew about the Time-Traveling Rabbit in this era?

Confusion tugged at her thoughts. She’d always assumed the only detailed record was written by the Bookworm Immortal, long after this time. The author of this book shouldn’t even exist yet.

She’d come here hoping to get closer to Wu Yan, but her mind was once again tangled in a mess of questions.

“How long do you plan to gather Qi before attempting your breakthrough?” Liu Feng asked, his tone calm and matter-of-fact.

“I’ll keep gathering until I reach the peak of nine-star Foundation Establishment, then start working on merging a Core Formation Technique,” Wu Yan said.

“There’s no rush,” he reminded her with an unreadable look. “Breaking through is inevitable. What matters is fitting every technique you’ve created together like pieces of a puzzle.”

“Yes,” Wu Yan nodded thoughtfully. “That’s exactly what I’ve been working on.”

It was strange to see someone so strong listening so earnestly to someone technically weaker than them.

What did Liu Feng even know about becoming a Core Formation Cultivator? It was like a cripple lecturing an athlete about running.

And yet, he spoke with quiet certainty, as though he really did understand.

“With your element being so broad in scope, I always assumed it would slow your progress,” he continued. “But it seems the opposite, it’s speeding it up. If we hadn’t been forced to slow things down…” He smiled faintly. “You’d probably have already broken through all the levels of Foundation Establishment a long time ago. That’s impressive.”

Jiang Yeming wasn’t sure how to feel. She knew the future, knew what kind of monster Wu Yan would one day become, but the girl sitting before her didn’t feel like that person. Surrounded by Liu Feng, Fu Yating, and the others, she seemed almost… normal.

Still, Jiang Yeming couldn’t ignore the other possibility.

If this version of Wu Yan ever did decide to follow the same dark path as before… then the world was in even greater danger than last time.

Perhaps befriending her wasn’t the brightest idea after all.