I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 143Book 2: : The Law Is Not Lightly Taught, Like-Minded Companions

Vol 2 Chapter 143: The Law Is Not Lightly Taught, Like-Minded Companions

"Zheng Fa, what do you say? Keep him or not?"

Old Man Bai turned to Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment. He had certainly gained a better understanding of Tang Mu Dao… but it wasn’t enough for him to fully trust him.

"Professor Bai, I have an idea…"

"Hmm?"

"We need to establish a proper system for passing down immortal techniques at the nursing home."

Hearing this, the three of them nodded slowly. It seemed they had been thinking along the same lines.

When Old Man Bai mentioned the concept of ‘inner and outer disciples,’ it had sparked this idea in Zheng Fa’s mind.

Previously, there had been no need for such a system—the four of them got along well, and there was no pressing reason to formalize anything.

But since the nursing home was gradually opening up, they would inevitably encounter more complex personalities like Tang Mu Dao.

Zheng Fa couldn’t possibly form a deep bond with every single person, and emotional ties alone weren’t enough to sustain an organization.

"A system…" Old Man Bai mused. "It’s a good idea, but which direction should we take?"

Teacher Tian and Tang Lingwu also looked at him curiously.

"My current thought is an academic achievement points system."

"...It really is a research-based nursing home, huh!"

Zheng Fa nodded and continued,

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"Techniques, spiritual materials we develop in the future, spells—I want them all to have a corresponding point value…"

"As for how academic achievements are evaluated, I propose the four of us decide together."

The three of them quickly understood—Zheng Fa had clearly thought this through for a while.

"I think it sounds good, no issues here." Tang Lingwu nodded slightly.

"And even if there are issues, we can just adjust as we go," Old Man Bai added. "We’re just starting out—nothing is set in stone."

...

Nursing Home, First Floor

Tang Mu Dao sat anxiously, waiting for Zheng Fa and the others to reach a decision.

The moment Zheng Fa stepped out, Tang Mu Dao stared at him expectantly.

"Immortal Elder…"

"Professor Tang, just call me Zheng Fa." Zheng Fa cut him off before he could say anything else. "About your request—"

Tang Mu Dao’s eyes burned with anticipation.

"We’ve decided to let you stay at the nursing home."

"Thank you, Immort—No, thank you, Zheng Fa!"

Tang Mu Dao looked overjoyed. His knees bent, as if he was about to kneel again.

This time, Zheng Fa was quick and stopped him.

"However… as for learning Daoist techniques, for now, that won’t be happening."

Tang Mu Dao’s excitement faltered for a brief moment, but he quickly nodded firmly. "I understand! I understand! The Dao is not lightly passed down, one must be tested first!"

"Even in cross talk performances, you have to serve tea and run errands for years first!"

His slightly round face was full of eager obedience.

"As long as you understand…"

"Of course, I understand!" Tang Mu Dao thumped his chest confidently.

"Just tell me what you need me to do!"

"I’ll work like an ox, serve like a horse, be your humble servant—whatever it takes!"

Zheng Fa was silent for a moment, then said,

"…I order you to study properly."

"…Huh?"

"What he means is," Old Man Bai stepped in to explain, "You need to learn the preparatory knowledge for immortal techniques first. Then, once you produce some research results, you’ll earn the right to inherit Daoist techniques and cultivate to become an immortal."

Tang Mu Dao’s expression grew increasingly odd as he listened. Finally, he summarized,

"So… cultivating immortality requires writing papers? I’m almost sixty—you’re telling me I have to get a PhD now?"

"Well, you won’t die from old age while cultivating, so why not keep learning?"

Old Man Bai reasoned.

Tang Mu Dao glanced toward the entrance of the nursing home, as if looking for something.

"What are you looking for?"

"Checking if we have a sign that says Jingcheng University, Department of Immortal Studies."

"…That’s not technically correct," Zheng Fa replied. "But it’s also not wrong."

...

Some Time Later

"What’s Professor Tang been up to lately?"

"What else?" Old Man Bai shrugged. "He had the medical equipment installed, then went back to resign from his job—said he wants to focus on cultivating immortality full-time."

Teacher Tian asked, "Zheng Fa, you’re just letting him wander around outside?"

It was clear she didn’t fully trust the man.

"Even if he had learned some techniques—which he hasn’t—he still wouldn’t have access to spiritual energy."

Zheng Fa shook his head.

The reason he had been able to progress step by step was precisely because he could control the source of spiritual energy.

Teacher Tian nodded in understanding. "Still, I have to admit, he’s quite eager to learn. He asked me for a lot of materials on cultivating spiritual plants."

"He asked me for talisman diagrams too," Old Man Bai added, rubbing his chin. "And even consulted me on some topology problems."

Zheng Fa nodded.

The academic points system seemed to have greatly motivated Tang Mu Dao’s enthusiasm for research.

Suddenly, the sound of screeching brakes came from outside.

They turned to see a familiar SUV pulling up at the entrance.

Tang Mu Dao rushed out of the car in a hurry, nearly stumbling as he ran toward them.

"I figured it out! I figured it out!"

Seeing that he was about to trip, Zheng Fa waved a hand, using his spiritual power to steady him.

"Take your time. What did you figure out?"

"I figured out how to measure the magnetic field during pea sprout germination!"

Zheng Fa’s eyes lit up. "Tell me!"

"I looked through your previous records. You guys started your approach from spellwork, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why don’t we start from the pea sprout itself instead?"

Zheng Fa immediately understood.

"You mean measuring the magnetic field before and after the pea sprout becomes a spiritual plant?"

"Exactly!"

"We actually considered that before," Zheng Fa shook his head slightly. "But it’s not very feasible… The presence of spiritual energy causes interference, making real-time magnetic field measurement impossible."

"I’ve thought about that!" Tang Mu Dao said excitedly. "We just need to place the electromagnetic sensors further away!"

Zheng Fa felt an idea beginning to form in his mind.

"Professor Tang, explain in detail."

"You should know, one of the main tasks in astronomy is receiving electromagnetic signals from space, analyzing their energy levels and distances through algorithms, and filtering out unrelated noise."

Tang Mu Dao pulled up a diagram on his laptop.

"Look, using this array—placing five magnetic field sensors at specific angles and distances—even if they’re not directly next to the pea sprouts, we can still calculate the magnetic field around them based on the received signals."

"If we use more sensors, the accuracy will improve even further."

Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai exchanged a glance.

They both had the same thought—

This might actually work!

...

"We got it!"

Tang Lingwu cheered and turned to Zheng Fa. "At the moment the pea sprout generates spiritual energy, there’s a slight shift in the electromagnetic field—look!"

Zheng Fa looked at the computer screen.

Sure enough, the magnetic field had always been weak, and the fluctuation was tiny.

Without such precise measuring methods, they probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

Now that they had data on the electromagnetic changes, the next steps were straightforward.

"The first form of Spirit Wood Thunder…" Zheng Fa stared at the talisman diagram in front of him, though his expression remained serious. "But I don’t know if this thunder technique will only work on growing peas…"

"Pea Thunder Technique?" Old Man Bai smirked. "That does sound pretty bad."

Off to the side, Tang Mu Dao nervously asked, "So… does this count as an academic achievement worth points?"

"Of course!" Zheng Fa smiled and motioned for Tang Lingwu to open the academic points exchange list they had just drafted.

"Developing Spirit Wood Thunder… Right, we originally set it at 100 points."

Zheng Fa thought for a moment. "Even though we’ve only taken the first step with Spirit Wood Thunder, this is a groundbreaking idea. I think we should award extra points—what do you all think?"

Old Man Bai agreed. "That sounds fair."

They all knew Tang Mu Dao’s real contribution wasn’t the invention of Spirit Wood Thunder itself, but rather the method he had developed to measure electromagnetic fluctuations.

"So, we keep it at 100?"

Zheng Fa glanced around. The other three had no objections.

"100 points… What do you want to redeem?"

Zheng Fa turned to Tang Mu Dao.

Tang Mu Dao looked over the list. It contained some foundational Qi Refining techniques, a few lightning-based body refinement methods, and entry-level martial arts like Ling He Shen.

He rubbed his hands together and suddenly asked, "What is Professor Bai studying?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Whatever he’s learning, I’ll learn. That’s the safest option."

Zheng Fa frowned in confusion.

Why did he say that?

Tang Mu Dao chuckled. "Back in the day, when our professor got arrested, he was the fastest to run away."

"Professor Bai isn’t afraid of death—no, he’s just… naturally cautious. He’s my role model!"

"…"

Xuanyi Realm

Zheng Fa, Senior Sister Zhang, and Senior Sister Yuan were heading toward the Heavenly Monument while discussing their plans for entering the monument world.

"Junior Brother, you’re saying… you want to open a school inside the Heavenly Monument world?"

Senior Sister Zhang frowned, clearly not understanding his idea.

Zheng Fa nodded.

This was something he had been thinking about ever since establishing the academic points system at the nursing home.

"Is that really necessary?"

Even Senior Sister Zhang was skeptical—like many others, she viewed the Heavenly Monument world as nothing more than a resource-gathering site. Even when Zheng Fa suggested making it a base for the Jiushan Sect, she hadn’t thought much of it.

Jiushan Sect had never set up schools within its own territory before.

"Senior Sister, I’ve been wondering why Tianhe Venerable failed."

"You’ve mentioned this before. That’s why you’re trying to gather collective wisdom."

"Exactly! But talent doesn’t just pop out of nowhere. Only through education can we cultivate the kind of people we need."

Senior Sister Zhang slowly shook her head. "There are plenty of geniuses in Xuanyi Realm…"

"No. They may be our potential allies, but in the end… they’re still different."

"Different?"

"Senior Sister, I just asked you why Tianhe Venerable failed. But I believe there’s another reason…"

"Hmm?"

"The people around him were all practitioners of the old methods… and in the critical moment, they betrayed him."

"What do you plan to do?"

Senior Sister Zhang asked.

"Changing the minds of the cultivators in Xuanyi Realm would be difficult. But the people in the Heavenly Monument world? They’re a blank slate."

Zheng Fa explained his vision.

"I want to educate them—to make them loyal to Jiushan, dedicated to the new methods, and committed to research."

"Comrades!"