I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 330Book 2: : Way Out of Line, Stealing My Credit

Vol 2 Chapter 330 – Way Out of Line, Stealing My Credit

If the Shenxiao Mining Ship had already left Han Lao and Xie Qingxue speechless,

then the Spirit Material Conversion Factory on Tiangong Island completely revealed the depth of Jiushan Realm’s foundation to them.

“According to the plan, the current spirit material supply first prioritizes the needs of the Golden Core disciples…”

Senior Sister Zhang didn’t even need to look at the ledger as she reported to Zheng Fa.

“Next is the construction of Tiangong Island and the manufacturing of the Shenxiao Airship.”

“Although there are still some shortfalls now, with the Shenxiao Mining Ship going into service, it should ease things.”

Zheng Fa nodded slowly as he listened, then asked, “What about the cost?”

“The Shenxiao Mining Ship has greatly reduced our spirit material collection cost compared to the outside world.”

“But the conversion process—synthesizing spirit materials requires spiritual energy and cultivators. Compared to natural spirit materials, we only have an advantage in certain high-grade ones. Overall, the cost is still a bit higher.”

Zheng Fa could hear the helplessness in Senior Sister Zhang’s tone.

He wasn’t as optimistic as Han Lao. Haori Mountain’s methods still had a significant impact on Jiushan Sect.

In fact, at the start of the first Fifty-Year Plan, the original vision for Jiushan Sect’s spirit material supply mainly relied on natural materials. The spirit material conversion technique was only meant for producing rare materials.

The reason was simple—cost.

Some materials abundant in the Xuanyi Realm weren’t expensive, and converting them synthetically wasn’t cost-effective.

But at this point, there was no other choice.

Due to Haori Mountain’s blockade, Zheng Fa and his team had to quickly adjust the plan, striving to ensure Jiushan Sect’s development wouldn’t be hindered despite trade restrictions.

Seeing both of them frowning, Han Lao, puzzled, couldn’t help but ask,

“Forget about the cost—Haori Mountain paid such a hefty price to deal with you guys, and yet you still managed to keep the material supply going... Their schemes turned into a joke…”

“I think they’re the ones who should be sulking, no?”

Hearing this, Zheng Fa looked up and noticed that Xie Qingxue also seemed puzzled.

He chuckled and said, “But Han Lao, just barely managing to supply spirit materials isn’t enough for Jiushan Sect.”

According to the First Fifty-Year Plan, if Jiushan Sect were to complete its initial industrialization, the consumption of spirit materials would be far beyond that of any ordinary sect.

Building an industrial system in itself requires extremely high capital input.

An educated population, cheap raw materials, mature technologies, manufacturing plants, and machinery—every single item demands large quantities and long-term investment.

That’s why Zheng Fa wanted to consolidate the Hundred Immortals Alliance and gain control over its resources.

To put it bluntly, those smaller sects in the alliance were all part of Jiushan Realm’s industrialization costs—and he had already anticipated opposition from some cultivators within the alliance.

If not for the urgency of strengthening the alliance quickly, he wouldn’t even have acted this aggressively.

To be honest, Zhongxuan Sect’s interference affected their plan far more than Han Lao could see.

Han Lao was stunned and remained speechless for quite a while.

It wasn’t until they returned to the guest quarters that he finally said to Xie Qingxue,

“Zheng Fa… his ambition is far bigger than we imagined.”

“Hm?”

Xie Qingxue looked at the old man. She knew the Setting Sun Sword Immortal well—despite his foul mouth, he had sharp insight, having heard many secrets.

So she didn’t know why he suddenly said that.

“Honestly, if I had inadvertently thwarted Haori Mountain’s scheme… I wouldn’t be as calm as Zheng Fa.”

“But not only is he not content, he thinks it’s not enough!”

“No, it’s not that it’s not enough—he doesn’t care about Haori Mountain at all… What he cares about is whether Jiushan Sect’s development has been restricted.”

Han Lao said quietly.

Xie Qingxue nodded slowly, clearly understanding the implication—this meant Zheng Fa had immense confidence in Jiushan Sect’s future. He believed that as long as Jiushan Sect had time to develop, Haori Mountain was nothing to fear.

“You know what I heard the disciples on Tiangong Island saying?”

“What?”

“They said that one day, they’d pilot Shenxiao Warships and attack Haori Mountain… and those saying this were a few Foundation Establishment disciples.”

Xie Qingxue was a bit stunned.

Of course, she felt those Foundation Establishment disciples were talking big…

Haori Mountain’s strength? How could mere Foundation Establishment disciples underestimate it?

But on the other hand, she and Han Lao exchanged glances and shared the same doubt:

Would Foundation Establishment disciples from Tianhe Sect even have this kind of ambition?

Thinking of the now somewhat lifeless Tianhe Sect, both fell silent. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

But was this really a problem with Tianhe Sect?

Forget Foundation Establishment—had any cultivator outside the Five Great Sects ever had such grand ambition?

These were disciples of Jiushan Realm… it defied all logic!

Han Lao was the one who finally broke the silence:

“Not to mention the mining ship, the Shenxiao Warship, and even that spirit material conversion factory… they’re probably not just blindly arrogant after all.”

Then Han Lao suddenly said, “I’m planning to request to join Tiangong Pavilion.”

Xie Qingxue nodded lightly.

She knew Han Lao still held the same idea—returning favor with favor.

Now that Wushuang Society was no longer that important in terms of materials,

he had to look for ways in artifact forging to rack up more “favor.”

“I figure, if nothing else, I’ve got to do more for Jiushan Sect. Otherwise, forget asking Zheng Fa to help the sect leader—Yanwushuang, that kid, still needs Jiushan Sect’s protection.”

Han Lao said softly.

Xie Qingxue paused, understanding the unspoken meaning in his words.

Though it was wishful thinking, Han Lao knew it was unlikely Zheng Fa would risk his life for Tianhe Sect—even if he was grateful, Zheng Fa still bore the weight of Jiushan Realm behind him. There’s no way he’d risk everything for Tianhe Sect.

But if Tianhe Sect truly encountered a powerful enemy they couldn’t handle… wouldn’t others want to finish the job completely?

By then, they might even need to beg Zheng Fa to take a clear stance—to protect them… no, to protect Yan Wushuang.

Xie Qingxue suddenly looked up at Han Lao, realizing he was hinting at his decision:

Regardless of whether Zheng Fa would step in or not, Han Lao was probably… prepared to live and die with the sect. But for now, he still wanted to struggle a bit—to carve a path of retreat for his junior.

“I am this kid’s protector after all,” Han Lao shook his head.

“Besides, if Tianhe Sect really falls into trouble, its legacy must not be broken.”

“The sect’s new hope… might just lie with Yan Wushuang.”

Xie Qingxue was a bit dazed.

Yan Wushuang?

Him?

You’ve got to be kidding!

“He’s got decent aptitude, and now he’s learned the Jiushan Golden Core Method. He’s also on good terms with Zheng Fa…” Han Lao listed out Yan Wushuang’s strengths one by one.

“Most importantly, the kid has a likeable personality.”

“He may be simple-minded, but he’s upright. Maybe under his lead, Tianhe Sect can truly live up to the Ancestor’s legacy…”

To be fair, Yan Wushuang really did have all these strengths.

Especially that part about being likeable.

As the senior sister of Tianhe Sect, even Xie Qingxue wasn’t sure she had better rapport within the sect than him—that was partially due to her own secrets and reluctance to open up to others.

But Yan Wushuang’s good reputation was well known in the sect.

Still… thinking about the Yan Wushuang she watched grow up suddenly becoming the hope of Tianhe Sect,

she scrunched her nose, showing a look of disdain.

…

As for Han Lao wanting to join Tiangong Pavilion, Zheng Fa approved it very quickly.

After all, Tiangong Pavilion was currently overwhelmed with work, and other than Madam Xuanhua, they didn’t have many capable people. Han Lao was a Nascent Soul cultivator and had some talent in artifact forging.

After signing some selling-the-body—er, confidentiality agreements, Han Lao finally got to see what Tiangong Pavilion was working on.

“Shenxiao Warship fleet?”

He stared dumbfounded at the blueprint in his hands, eyes nearly popping out.

“Forming an Immortal Formation with Shenxiao Warships?”

“And targeting Nascent Soul level attacks?”

Madam Xuanhua’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him with anticipation:

“This idea was proposed by a disciple from Tiangong Pavilion. I think it makes sense… I want to surprise the Sect Master.”

Makes sense?

What the h*ll is this nonsense?!

Your Jiushan Sect has completely lost its mind!

Shenxiao Warships were fundamentally powered by Shenxiao External Pills…

From what Han Lao knew, even the warship operators didn’t need to be Golden Core cultivators—just enough Foundation Establishment ones would do.

Being able to fight against Golden Core cultivators was already surprising.

But you’re actually planning to use these warships to fight Nascent Soul cultivators?!

In other words, a bunch of Foundation Establishment disciples could use these ships to challenge Nascent Soul-level power?!

He didn’t mind those Foundation Establishment disciples boasting earlier, but he hadn’t really believed them. He just thought they had guts, which was admirable…

Who would’ve guessed—they were serious!

Zheng Fa might or might not be surprised by this, but Han Lao was definitely scared sh*tless.

But to be honest, in theory, he couldn’t find any major flaws in the design.

A Shenxiao Warship equaled an External Pill cultivator.

Using basic Immortal Formation Technique, a fleet of twenty-four Shenxiao Warships could form a formation capable of unleashing Nascent Soul-level power.

Now he understood why Zheng Fa, even with the mining ship and the conversion factory, still thought spirit materials were lacking—the materials needed for a Shenxiao Warship fleet were astronomical.

“What’s the current issue?”

“We don’t know…” Madam Xuanhua sighed helplessly.

“Maybe because External Pills are still different from a cultivator’s Golden Core, it’s affecting the formation.”

“Or perhaps the formation itself isn’t refined enough…”

“Or maybe… our artifact forging skills still aren’t up to par.”

“Our Jiushan Sect… really is lacking in heritage.”

Then Madam Xuanhua looked hopefully at Han Lao, full of flattery:

“But Tianhe Sect, being one of the Five Great Sects, surely has deeper heritage than we do…”

Beads of cold sweat formed on Han Lao’s forehead.

He came from one of the Five Sects, sure—but even they didn’t have anything as outrageous as this.

“Uh... I’ll need to go back and do some research, some serious research.”

Han Lao didn’t want to admit that he still hadn’t figured out how the Shenxiao Warship worked—that’d be way too embarrassing—so he just brushed it off.

Back at the guest quarters, after talking with Xie Qingxue, he managed to adjust his mindset:

“Come to think of it, that Madam Xuanhua seemed really invested in this project. If we actually manage to improve it, it’ll definitely be useful for Jiushan Realm…”

Xie Qingxue’s face also showed some agreement.

Not just for Jiushan Sect—even for Tianhe Sect, this thing could be really valuable.

“And Madam Xuanhua’s right, we are one of the Five Great Sects. We’ve got way deeper roots than Jiushan Sect…”

“This credit... might actually end up being ours.”

Senior Sister Zhang knew Han Lao’s confidence wasn’t baseless—

As one of the Five Sects, even if they weren’t as skilled in artifact crafting as Haori Mountain,

Jiushan Sect’s few years of hard work couldn’t possibly compare to Tianhe Sect’s hundreds of thousands of years of accumulated experience.

…

In Zhongxuan Sect, atop Divine Fire Mountain, Zheng Fa stood gazing at the mist at the summit, feeling slightly agitated.

Coming to Zhongxuan Sect had really delayed a lot of things—there were so many matters in Jiushan Realm, and he still had to train and perfect Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Transformation…

But Haori Mountain wasn’t stupid. If they were investing this much, they definitely had ways that could truly threaten him or Jiushan Realm.

Turning a blind eye was not an option.

Having someone else from Jiushan Sect come wasn’t viable either:

Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Transformation wasn’t something others were skilled in,

and his life-saving Rainbow Transformation technique couldn’t be replicated.

Most importantly—there was the Canghai Pearl in his chest…

Xiao Yuying had already been generous enough by giving it to him—he couldn’t ask her to lend it to someone else.

So in the end, he had no choice but to come himself.

For now, the only solution was to find a chance to investigate what was at the summit of Divine Fire Mountain and settle this matter… and his ties with Zhongxuan Sect.

Just as Zheng Fa was considering how to find such an opportunity, a transmission suddenly sounded in his ear—it was the Ninth Elder of Zhongxuan Sect:

“Come to my cave residence.”

Zheng Fa was momentarily surprised, then immediately made his way over.

He didn’t know why this cheap master was looking for him, but thinking it through,

the safest breakthrough point was indeed this Ninth Elder of Zhongxuan Sect.

Upon entering the cave, Zheng Fa was even more surprised.

Unlike last time, this time he had been summoned alone.

“Raise your hand.”

The Ninth Elder clearly wasn’t one for small talk.

The moment she saw Zheng Fa, she skipped the pleasantries and gave a direct order.

Zheng Fa had nothing to fear—he was highly skilled, and this was just a Nascent Soul cultivator.

So he lifted his hand without hesitation.

The elder tapped his wrist with her finger, sending a surge of spiritual energy through his meridians.

It traveled through his organs and dantian, then flowed back through his wrist to her fingertip.

“As expected… your Burning Heaven Technique is extremely pure.”

Apparently, Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Transformation was something she couldn’t fully comprehend.

But the Ninth Elder nodded with satisfaction, a hint of approval in her eyes.

“I didn’t expect you to surpass your peers… Your Li clan ancestors would be proud.”

Zheng Fa understood what she meant—this had to do with a past relationship between the Ninth Elder and the Li family.

To keep it simple:

Li Hao’s ancestors were once influential. Back when the Ninth Elder had not yet risen to power, they had helped her.

Later, the Li family fell into decline, and their legacy was nearly lost.

When Li Hao, who had decent aptitude, finally emerged, he was sent with an old token to seek her as his master.

The Ninth Elder wasn’t someone who forgot past kindnesses, so she took Li Hao in as a disciple.

But Li Hao was introverted and not particularly gifted. The favor was too old, and the elder probably didn’t think much of it anymore.

Her attitude toward this fourth disciple was distant at best.

As a result, Li Hao became increasingly self-conscious and fearful, and stayed away from her. Their master-disciple bond grew colder over time.

Zheng Fa smiled slightly and didn’t say anything, actually feeling grateful—Li Hao was practically mute, which made impersonating him way easier.

“You didn’t want to go to Haori Mountain—was it because you resent me for neglecting you all these years?”

Suddenly, the Ninth Elder’s sharp gaze fixed on him. Her words hit like thunder.

If he were truly a Golden Core cultivator, his mind would’ve shattered from the pressure and he’d be spilling the truth already.

But Zheng Fa…

“Not at all!”

His reply was firm and clear—a textbook sincere response.

Resent her? Not a chance—they barely even knew each other!

“Then are you saying you refused to go to Haori Mountain because of me, your master?”

She let out a cold laugh. “You think I’m buying that?”

Apparently, the Ninth Elder was suspicious and had come to probe him directly.

Zheng Fa’s mind raced, quickly preparing a solid explanation:

“Actually… it’s true that I didn’t want to go to Haori Mountain!” His tone was full of disdain for the place.

“I already don’t feel great having a master in the sect.

Going to Haori Mountain, a place where I don’t know anyone—what good life could an outsider like me expect to have?”

The Ninth Elder studied him carefully.

His face was full of disdain toward Haori Mountain—clear, sincere disgust.

“You actually look down on the Five Sects?” she asked, clearly surprised.

“I’d rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix!”

Now that was a believable reason.

What really convinced her was the look of genuine disdain and even repulsion on his face when Haori Mountain was mentioned.

And that disgust was real—

If not for Haori Mountain, he’d probably still be experimenting with the Demon Ancestor’s secret techniques alongside his senior sister right now…

At this moment, Zheng Fa was fully in character!

The Ninth Elder stared at him for a moment, then seemed to recall something. A smile gradually appeared on her face.

“Well then, I guess I won’t be passing on Haori Mountain’s artifact crafting secrets to you.”

“Huh?”

Zheng Fa was genuinely shocked. He couldn’t help but widen his eyes at his cheap master.

“Haori Mountain… has been very generous.

They not only provided our Zhongxuan Sect with a lot of resources,

but also opened up some of their secret techniques to talented disciples in our sect…”

“In the past, you probably weren’t qualified,

but now that your Burning Heaven Technique has reached a sufficient level, you meet the criteria.

You’re eligible to learn some of those secret techniques too.”

Zheng Fa understood now.

The founder of Zhongxuan Sect was, in fact, a side disciple from Haori Mountain.

The sect’s cultivation methods were deeply tied to Haori Mountain’s,

and even their artifact crafting techniques were just a shallow imitation of Haori Mountain’s.

“Haori Mountain… is that generous?”

The Ninth Elder sighed. “I don’t know why either.

But the secret techniques are real. I even got a genuine Soul Formation cultivation method from Haori Mountain’s inner sect.”

The Soul Formation method made sense to Zheng Fa.

After all, a cultivator’s strength at the Dao Fruit level depended heavily on how many people practiced the core technique and their cultivation levels.

Put simply, Haori Mountain was trying to poach the Hundred Immortals Alliance’s cultivators.

Once someone like the Ninth Elder learned Haori Mountain’s techniques, betrayal later would be nearly impossible.

As for the artifact crafting secrets…

He still didn’t understand their motive.

But no matter what, as detestable as Haori Mountain was,

the artifact crafting techniques themselves were innocent!

…

More than half a month later, Han Lao rushed over to Madam Xuanhua, looking quite pleased as he held a jade slip.

“Xuanhua, I found something in my own artifact crafting techniques—something that might be useful for the Shenxiao Warship!”

Madam Xuanhua also held a jade slip.

She didn’t even look up, completely absorbed in her own slip.

“Xuanhua?”

“Ah? Ah… Secret technique, right?” Madam Xuanhua seemed to just realize what he’d said.

“Wait a bit. I want to finish testing this artifact crafting technique we got from the Sect Master—he brought it back from Haori Mountain via Zhongxuan Sect.”

“Who? From where? What secret technique?”

Han Lao couldn’t help digging at his ear.

He’d trusted his spiritual hearing all his life—it had never failed him.

Until today, when he felt like he’d gone mad and misheard Madam Xuanhua.

But seeing the certainty on her face, Han Lao nearly exploded—

Those b*stards from Haori Mountain—

trying to steal his credit?!