I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 290Book 2: : The Secret of the Law Body, and How to Deal with It

Book 2: Chapter 290: The Secret of the Law Body, and How to Deal with It

Vol 2 Chapter 290: The Secret of the Law Body, and How to Deal with It

"Are you there?"

"Be careful at the Five Sects Conference..."

"My master suspects you! I tried to explain a little, but I'm afraid it wasn't enough to dispel her doubts."

"Oh right, after using the Demon-Cleansing Technique, the Qingping Sword seems a bit closer to me! Next time, it might only listen to me and not you!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Let me tell you, Yan Wushuang, he..."

"..."

The Jade Slip of Creation buzzed with message after message from Xie Qingxue—more than a dozen in a row. At first they were about Zheng Fa, then she started talking about all sorts of things in the Tianhe Sect.

Like how Yan Wushuang got scolded by his dad again and is now deep in a “don’t bully the poor youth” arc.

Han Lao has been feeling guilty lately and doesn’t dare go back to the sect, wandering around outside.

Some junior sister seems to have been practicing some beauty technique lately, stirring up jealousy among a few junior brothers.

A Martial Uncle from another lineage has been having issues with sword practice and has been in a terrible mood, making his disciples live in fear.

She sounded just like an old auntie from the east end of the village, her writing resembling tabloid gossip.

Clearly, she had a lot of free time.

And she didn’t seem to expect Zheng Fa to reply—just sent whatever came to mind, basically treating him like a confession wall.

Zheng Fa read through the chaotic string of messages and couldn’t help but smile, replying, “Fairy Xie, you said your master suspects me… any advice for the Five Sects Conference?”

He was indeed a little uneasy about it. The main issue was the lack of intel on the Five Sects of Xuanyi. He had some ideas but didn’t know their background—couldn’t prescribe the right remedy and naturally felt a bit uncertain.

Seeing he finally mentioned something serious, Xie Qingxue switched out of gossip mode and instantly sold out her master:

“Judging from my master’s attitude, our Tianhe Sect probably won’t push too hard, but if it’s confirmed that you’re connected to the Tianhe Ancestor… then all bets are off...”

Xie Qingxue still spoke cautiously, only mentioning the Tianhe Sect’s stance.

That, indeed, matched what Zheng Fa had anticipated—

It wasn’t that he was blindly confident, but just looking at how the Five Sects treated the Great Freedom Demon Emperor: once he stopped stirring trouble among the human race, they actually let him be.

It’s well-known that the Immortal and Demonic sides hold deep grudges.

This showed that the Immortal Sects were clearly wary of something, doing all they could to avoid a Dao Fruit War.

From this angle, the Five Sects Conference was just another reflection of that mindset.

If they were that tolerant toward the Demon Emperor, perhaps they would think similarly about the one who killed him.

This was also one of the main reasons Zheng Fa was inclined to attend the conference.

Of course, just like Xie Qingxue only mentioned the Tianhe Sect’s stance, these assumptions were still just that—assumptions. Thinking that killing the Demon Emperor would make him completely safe would be far too optimistic. ɽ𝐚NỖＢĚṤ

Xie Qingxue added:

“You’d better look for some technique to hide or change your aura…”

“There are probably some special methods in the sect for detecting a connection to the Ancestor.”

“I’ll try to ask around for you.”

Reading that last line, Zheng Fa felt grateful. But really, now that they both knew each other’s secrets, their fates were intertwined—mutual success or mutual ruin. Saying thanks felt unnecessary.

He simply replied, “Thanks for the reminder, Fairy Xie. The sect has made some progress on the Jiushan Golden Core Method...”

“Really?”

Zheng Fa shared the latest experiment results from the Golden Core Project team with her in full. Xie Qingxue gleefully responded, “I have a feeling that if I manage to master the Jiushan Golden Core Method, I might be able to completely control the Qingping Sword.”

Zheng Fa actually found that pretty believable.

According to their research, the Qingping Sword was likely the Dao Fruit of the Nine-Turn Golden Core Method, which made it naturally responsive to the Jiushan Golden Core Method—hence why it grew close to Zheng Fa.

But Xie Qingxue was the “sword spirit” personally chosen by the Qingping Sword. If she completed the Jiushan Golden Core Method, it would be like going from adopted to blood kin.

This technique would benefit her immensely—so she didn’t feel at all like she was on the losing end of this collaboration.

After finishing that topic, Zheng Fa glanced at the time and said to Xie Qingxue, “I’ve got something to take care of…”

“Then can I still message you?”

Her reply sounded almost a little pitiful…

“Of course!” Zheng Fa thought for a moment and gave her a heads-up. “Soon, I’ll be upgrading the Jiushan Forum. The Tongjian will be even more fun to use then.”

“Even more fun?” Xie Qingxue sat cross-legged on her meditation cushion and excitedly replied, “Then I’ll be waiting!”

Zheng Fa didn’t reply again after that. She sent a few more messages, but seeing no response, she couldn’t help but pout.

Xie Qingxue looked at the Tongjian for a second, tapped it with a finger, and it shrank down to palm-size, looking like a quirky little ornament.

Still not quite reassured, she got out some silk thread, tied a knot around the Tongjian, and attached it to the hilt of her beloved Qingping Sword. After scrutinizing it up and down, she finally nodded in satisfaction.

Thinking about how she’d promised to find out more about the sect’s detection methods for Zheng Fa, Xie Qingxue stepped out of her quarters and headed toward the sect’s archive hall.

“Senior Sister!”

“Senior Sister!”

“Greetings, Senior Sister!”

Along the way, dozens of junior brothers and sisters bowed respectfully when they saw her, eyes full of admiration.

Xie Qingxue nodded at each one, but her face remained icy, her pace unwavering.

A junior brother seeing her for the first time watched her departing figure and softly murmured,

“The rumors are true. Senior Sister is cold and distant—hard to approach.”

The rest of the Tianhe Sect disciples nearby all nodded in agreement.

...

Zheng Fa wasn’t intentionally ignoring Xie Qingxue—he really did have something important going on: the Great Freedom Cultivation Technique Special Seminar.

Of course, that was just what he called it in his head.

But that was the main theme.

Inside a meeting room on University Island.

Old Yuan had already gathered with Martial Uncle Pang and others.

Besides Jiao Wuji and the Ancestor of the Blood River, Senior Sister Zhang and Madam Xuanhua were also present. Madam Xuanhua looked a little dazed—when she’d joined the Jiushan Sect, it was for the Golden Core Project, and she’d been pretty hesitant.

But now...

She looked at the two jade slips in front of her—they contained the two techniques left behind by the Great Freedom Demon Emperor: True Explanation of Ten Thousand Beasts and Great Freedom True Method.

These two techniques would probably be top secret in the Five Sects of Xuanyi.

Yet here they were, less than an arm’s length away!

Honestly, when she’d signed that contract, she didn’t realize she was worth this much!

Zheng Fa glanced at her. Seeing her spacing out, he lightly tapped the wooden table beside him.

Madam Xuanhua had contributed a lot to the Golden Core Project in the Jiushan Realm. She would be a major force in the sect’s future. Now, she was treated as one of their own— even Senior Sister Zhang didn’t object to her seeing the two techniques.

When she came back to her senses, Zheng Fa turned to the Ancestor of the Blood River and Jiao Wuji.

“The Great Freedom True Method and the True Explanation of Ten Thousand Beasts share the same origin,” the Ancestor of the Blood River said, knowing what Zheng Fa meant, and began to explain. “How the Dao Fruit is achieved, I don’t know.”

“But the key to the Great Freedom Soul Formation Method is the Law Body.”

Jiao Wuji seemed to agree and silently nodded.

Everyone leaned in to listen. This wasn’t new info—the Demonic Sect’s Soul Formation path was the Law Body;the Immortal Sect’s path was the Yang Spirit. The Tianhe Sect was the odd one out.

“Then what is a Law Body?” the Ancestor of the Blood River continued. “It means manifesting a body through the Dao itself!”

“Master, look at this section in the Great Freedom True Method...”

“...”

After the Ancestor of the Blood River finished, Jiao Wuji also gave his explanation of the True Explanation of Ten Thousand Beasts.

They didn’t exactly teach everyone the techniques, but Zheng Fa and the others understood the general concept—

Zheng Fa had already developed a crude interpretation of the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor’s cultivation method:

Human Body Simulation!

What the Great Freedom True Method did during the Soul Formation stage was essentially this—using various techniques to simulate a human-like structure.

Of course, whether it still counted as “human” was debatable. Its essence was different.

The atoms, cells, organs, even the bones and flesh of the Law Body were all built from spells.

Zheng Fa picked up the jade slip and reread the Great Freedom True Method, feeling a strange sense of admiration—

The concept sounded simple, but executing it was incredibly hard. Modern biology hasn’t even gotten to the point of building a body from particles step by step—the best they can do now is construct biomolecules.

This level of complexity was astronomical.

Yet the Demon Ancestor had done it.

Even the seductive techniques common to his disciples now made sense to Zheng Fa:

Hormone production is a natural human process—but the Great Freedom True Method simulates it.

And that simulation became the Demon Ancestor’s specialty, making his cultivation unique.

“So Demonic Soul Formation…” Senior Sister Zhang murmured, “is basically… a grown-up Nascent Soul?”

That was an oversimplification—but not untrue.

“I’d rather call it a form of construction—or even self-construction.”

“Or perhaps, a conscious life evolution.”

Again, if you view cultivation as life evolution—

Then the Demonic Soul Formation path is about becoming a more ‘advanced’ human?

Martial Uncle Pang chimed in:

“So the origin of the talisman imprints… we’ve figured it out too...”

“Maybe it’s because the descendants of the Demon Ancestor have spell-imbued blood.”

“The power of Soul Formation stems from many spells, which have become... innate?”

Everyone fell silent for a while. Finally, Old Yuan said, “The Great Freedom… was truly extraordinary.”

Truly extraordinary.

Most people would be proud to create one such complex technique. The Great Freedom Demon Emperor made two.

Even Jiao Wuji smacked his lips. “The True Explanation of Ten Thousand Beasts—the Holy Ancestor spent hundreds of thousands of years perfecting it...”

Hearing that, Zheng Fa actually felt a little guilty.

The Great Freedom Demon Emperor… really worked hard…

...

The analysis of the Great Freedom True Method and the True Explanation of Ten Thousand Beasts actually left Old Yuan in silence.

He thought for a while, then said hesitantly, “This Great Freedom True Method isn’t compatible with my cultivation. I’m afraid I won’t be able to practice it…”

Senior Sister Zhang nodded. “Immortal Sect techniques and Demonic Sect techniques really are different.”

As a sect of the Immortal path, Jiushan Sect practicing Demonic Sect methods was indeed wishful thinking.

“It's a pity we don’t know how the Immortal Sect achieves Soul Formation...”

Zheng Fa thought for a moment and said softly, “If the focus of the Law Body is on the body, then the Yang Spirit likely focuses on the spirit.”

“Spirit and soul?”

Even Senior Sister Zhang looked a bit lost—what exactly were the spirit and soul? It was something they had never truly grasped.

So in that sense, the two cultivation methods of the Great Freedom True Method were not of much immediate help to them.

Seeing everyone falling silent, Old Yuan suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, “Actually, I’m already very satisfied.”

Everyone looked up at him.

“A few years ago, before Zheng Fa even joined the sect, how could I have imagined I’d have a shot at Soul Formation?”

“Let alone have something like this Great Freedom True Method to refer to.”

“All these current ‘worries’—in the past, I wouldn’t even have dared dream of having such blessings!”

Old Yuan stroked the two jade slips in front of him, eyes full of joy. “We’ve only barely started studying these two techniques, and we’re already anxious to understand how to achieve Soul Formation—aren’t we dreaming too big?”

“Maybe after we study them for a while, we’ll have some insights down the line?”

His words calmed everyone’s anxious minds—after all, their urgency came mostly from the fact that Old Yuan didn’t have much lifespan left.

They discussed briefly and decided to go back and study the two techniques individually, then regroup in a few days to share insights.

As everyone left, Zheng Fa, as usual, walked back with Senior Sister Zhang. But Old Yuan followed them.

“Master?”

Old Yuan fished through his sleeve and pulled out a notebook.

“What’s this?”

“These are my insights into Soul Formation over the years.”

Zheng Fa took the notebook and flipped through it. He heard Old Yuan add, “If I try to break through to Soul Formation later, I’ll write down my thoughts and processes too.”

Zheng Fa stopped walking and looked at Old Yuan.

But Old Yuan didn’t look back—he stared into the distance.

“If I succeed one day, this will become Jiushan Sect’s very first Soul Formation method.”

“If I don’t…”

The old man’s voice dropped.

“Then this notebook can serve as a warning to help you avoid mistakes.”

Zheng Fa’s grip on the notebook slowly tightened. He opened his mouth as if to say something.

Old Yuan seemed to sense it, waving his hand, “Jiushan Sect is now a thousand times stronger than before, and you’re a thousand times stronger than me.”

“As your master, I can’t protect you or teach you much…”

“But I can at least blaze the trail for you.”

Zheng Fa couldn’t get a word out.

“To glimpse Soul Formation in this life… that’s enough!”

With that, Old Yuan ambled away. His steps were light, and his white-haired head turned left and right, as if trying to imprint every corner of the familiar yet unfamiliar Jiushan Sect in his memory.

Watching him gradually disappear, Zheng Fa stood still. Senior Sister Zhang came up beside him but said nothing.

Zheng Fa stayed silent for a long time, seemingly at a loss for words. Finally, he came to his senses and said to her:

“Senior Sister, I have an idea I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Hm?”

Zheng Fa led Senior Sister Zhang to his study. The desk was covered with books.

Most of them were modern texts he had copied into the Jade Slip of Creation.

Mainly chemistry, with some physics and biology books.

The books were stacked into a small mountain, half of them spread open—obviously books he was actively reading.

Looking closely, many pages were covered with annotations and notes.

Zheng Fa rummaged through the piles and pulled out a very thick stack of drafts.

Senior Sister Zhang looked on with some confusion.

“This was inspired by the Jiushan Golden Core Method,” Zheng Fa explained, holding up the drafts.

She nodded but didn’t say anything, clearly waiting for him to continue.

“Actually, the spirit material particles in our life-bound magic tools also make up our Nascent Souls.”

“So I was wondering, could the particles within the Nascent Soul also be a product of the Jiushan Golden Core Method?”

She blinked, then nodded.

It was a natural thought.

But the question was—why do it?

Unexpectedly, Zheng Fa changed the subject and started talking about the Five Sects Conference: “Fairy Xie said that the Five Sects of Xuanyi probably suspect me, especially suspecting that I’m connected to the Tianhe Ancestor.”

Senior Sister Zhang’s face immediately went cold.

“They’ll either question you openly or investigate you in secret.”

“If it’s openly, they might hesitate because of the Demon Emperor’s death.”

“But secret investigation is unavoidable.”

She listened quietly and then asked, “Do you have a plan?”

Clearly, even if Zheng Fa hadn’t said anything, she had already guessed part of it.

“Fairy Xie said I should learn some aura-changing or identity-hiding techniques just in case,” Zheng Fa said with a smile, “but I’m still worried—how deep is the foundation of the Five Sects of Xuanyi?”

“Any technique we can find—they surely can find it too.”

“If they see through me, wouldn’t I be giving myself away?”

Senior Sister Zhang’s gaze shifted to the stack of drafts.

“So I thought again of the idea—what if the Nascent Soul were composed of particles from the Jiushan Golden Core Method?”

Zheng Fa pointed to the many books on the table and said, “The Five-Elemental Sub-Talismans practically correspond to all forms of matter.”

“Life-bound magic tools made with them are infinitely variable.”

“So I figured, if the Nascent Soul is also made of these particles, wouldn’t it also have the power of transformation?”

Her eyes lit up as she listened, nodding repeatedly. “Concealing aura and altering cultivation methods—those are forms of transformation…”

“This technique is based on the Jiushan Golden Core Method—even more advanced than the Tianhe Ancestor…”

“If so, then your technique might be the most unique transformation method in the world! No need to worry about anyone tracing its origin!”

Zheng Fa smiled—though Senior Sister Zhang was excited, she hadn’t thought deeply enough. The Five Sects Conference might be the most urgent issue now, but this technique held far greater ambition.

The Five-Elemental Sub-Talismans practically covered all material structures above the atomic level.

So in Zheng Fa’s view, this transformation technique should, like the Tianhe Sword Dao, become the ancestor of all transformation techniques in the world!

He handed the drafts to her and said, “This is the method I haven’t completed yet—take a look.”

He hadn’t forgotten that Senior Sister Zhang had the Yuan Spirit Dao Body—a top-tier cultivation lab.

She accepted the drafts, glanced at the technique name on the cover, frowned slightly, and read aloud, “Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Transformation? Why this name?”

“This technique originates from the Qi of Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend, so I named it that…”

Senior Sister Zhang gave him a suspicious look—something about Zheng Fa’s expression seemed a bit sly, as if he were trying to con her.