I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times-Chapter 334Book 2: : Born to Teach? I Can Rebel Too

Vol 2 Chapter 334: Born to Teach? I Can Rebel Too

The Jiushan Military Academy welcomed a new teacher.

On the training field of Struggle-for-Dao Island, over a hundred disciples sat in a circle. Zheng Fa, along with Grandpa Han and others, sat at the front, all eyes on Xie Qingxue standing in the center.

Xie Qingxue looked a bit uneasy, her gaze flickering toward Zheng Fa from time to time.

Zheng Fa knew—though she was talkative, when facing strangers she naturally clammed up. Being reserved in front of others was deeply ingrained. This was her first time teaching such a large crowd, so a little awkwardness was completely normal.

He gave her a small nod, his smile carrying a hint of reassurance.

After all, Xie Qingxue was Tianhe Sect’s number one true disciple, a Soul Formation Zhenren, with an unshakable will. Her discomfort only lasted a moment before she composed herself, gave Zheng Fa a nod back, and began:

“I have no great talents in this life, only the Sword Dao is barely worth mentioning. So your sect master and I have designed this course together, called Introduction to Sword Cultivation…”

“Today is the first lesson.”

“Let me introduce myself first…”

She had long prepared her notes, and even sat in on one of Zheng Fa’s lectures. Now that she’d cast off her nerves, her teaching flowed more naturally.

Of course, what made the class go even smoother was the attitude of the students!

Zheng Shan, sitting behind her brother, perked up her ears and focused on every single word from Teacher Xie’s sword cultivation class—she didn’t want to miss a thing.

And it wasn’t just her. Every disciple present looked engrossed and mesmerized.

Leaving aside the legendary status of sword cultivators in Xuanyi Realm after the Tianhe Venerable…

Just look at who Xie Qingxue was—

True disciple of the Tianhe Sect. Senior Sister. The top sword talent of her generation in Xuanyi Realm!

Her head was surely packed with countless Tianhe sword techniques!

If she announced she was taking a disciple, the line of hopefuls would stretch from the Hundred Immortals Alliance all the way to the Tianhe Sect!

And now she was teaching Introduction to Sword Cultivation to these junior disciples?

Zheng Shan had lived in the Jiushan Realm for a few years and knew full well what it meant to receive sword instruction from someone like Xie Qingxue.

Who would dare take this opportunity lightly?

She stared at her brother’s back, filled with suspicion:

How the heck did he get Fairy Xie to agree to this? Did he… sell himself?

…

In contrast, Yan Wushuang was wondering the opposite—how did his senior sister end up selling herself?

In his memory, his senior sister had of course guided him in sword techniques before.

But never, ever had she taught sword cultivation publicly to the Tianhe Sect.

And now her first class was for Jiushan Sect?

Sitting next to him, Grandpa Han knew the answer:

He had heard Xie Qingxue explain the truth behind the Tianhe Rebellion and Zheng Fa’s vision. After that, both he and Xie Qingxue had been haunted by the same torment— 𝑅ÅΝỒʙĚṧ

Emotionally, they couldn’t agree with the choices made by the Four Patriarchs.

Rationally, they also couldn’t wholeheartedly commit to the Tianhe Ancestor’s ideals.

At this point, it wasn’t about being traitors to the Tianhe Sect anymore...

It was about realizing the path they had dedicated their lives to… had reached a dead end.

His own lifelong bitterness and resentment had culminated in his Soul Formation breakthrough—and even that was already beyond resolve.

As for Xie Qingxue… all her silent grit and obsession for half her life found no more direction in the face of such a dilemma.

When he first learned the cause of the Tianhe Rebellion, he had even felt as if he might go into Qi deviation.

An exit…

Grandpa Han glanced at Zheng Fa and sighed internally—

To Qingxue, Zheng Fa’s vision might already be her only way out.

...

Watching Xie Qingxue grow more confident as she lectured with poise, Zheng Fa felt deeply satisfied.

Having Xie Qingxue teach sword cultivation in the Jiushan Realm was basically like having a Nobel Prize winner come lecture at a third-rate university in the modern world...

Her presence basically filled the entire vacuum of sword cultivation studies in the Jiushan Realm—no, more accurately, her arrival created the study of sword cultivation there.

Not to mention, this fairy was practically a Dao Fruit… a supreme treasure.

With Haori Mountain pressing in from all sides, having Xie Qingxue at his side gave Zheng Fa a strong sense of reassurance.

He also understood her choice well—besides the fundamental rift with the Four Patriarchs of the Tianhe Sect, Xie Qingxue probably wanted to leave some legacy and goodwill behind for the Tianhe tradition.

Sect Master Yan’s strange behavior was still a mystery to Zheng Fa, but according to Mu Qingyan, the Tianhe Sect truly was on the verge of collapse.

Xie Qingxue likely made her decision with that in mind.

As he glanced at Yan Wushuang beside him, fully immersed in the lesson, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but sigh—this guy knows nothing, but man, he’s lucky.

Wait a sec…

From what he remembered, Yan Wushuang’s senior sister and even Grandpa Han had both been handpicked by Yan Wushuang’s father.

In that case, Sect Master Yan… really knew how to pick people.

...

Xie Qingxue’s insights into sword cultivation were anything but ordinary—even Zheng Fa found himself learning a lot as he listened, completely forgetting how much time had passed.

Sword Dao was, after all, an art of offense. As she lectured, Xie Qingxue occasionally demonstrated sword techniques to the students.

The Qingping Sword in her hand danced in infinite variations—at times fierce like a storm, other times drifting like red mist and green smoke. Her movement was like a celestial swan, graceful yet deadly, serenity cloaked in lethality.

Everyone watched, transfixed.

Zheng Fa could hear his younger sister behind him whispering in awe again and again—clearly full of envy.

Forget the junior disciples—even when class ended, Zheng Fa found himself wanting more.

Xie Qingxue pressed her lips together, looking at Zheng Fa, her gaze slightly anxious, as if asking, How did I do?

Zheng Fa didn’t say anything. He simply stood up.

Behind him, the disciples of Jiushan Sect also rose to their feet, joining him in a formal salute, and spoke in unison:

“Thank you, teacher, for your instruction.”

The voices weren’t loud, but sincere.

Seeing the admiration in the eyes of many Jiushan disciples, Xie Qingxue blinked and returned the gesture with a serious, composed bow.

Once the disciples had dispersed, Zheng Fa approached her with a smile. “How did it feel, Fairy Xie?”

From his perspective, she had done great.

But as the principal, he also had to check in on his staff’s mental well-being...

“I really liked it.”

Zheng Fa paused in surprise, then saw her eyes sparkle like morning stars—she looked genuinely happy.

Even Grandpa Han and Yan Wushuang beside them looked a little startled:

Because Xie Qingxue really did seem overjoyed—cheerful, even.

Such exuberance was completely unlike the aloof and proud senior sister of the Tianhe Sect.

But Zheng Fa quickly figured out why Xie Qingxue was so delighted—

She was a chatterbox!

Truth be told, teaching was probably one of the most suitable professions for someone like her.

In the Tianhe Sect, even if she only taught sword techniques, Xie Qingxue would still be cautious about accidentally revealing her branch’s secrets.

But here at Jiushan Sect, she had no such worries.

She could say whatever she wanted.

It was liberating.

As the four of them walked together toward Heavenly Palace Island, Xie Qingxue was still visibly excited and even asked Zheng Fa, “Do you think there’s anything I should improve in my lesson?”

Her expression showed just how invested she was in this teaching role.

Zheng Fa shook his head. “Fairy Xie, your Sword Dao borders on divine. Teaching a basic sword cultivation class to disciples—honestly, I wouldn’t even know how to critique it.”

Even Grandpa Han sighed upon hearing that:

“Having a Soul Formation Zhenren teach a class to Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples... even our Tianhe Sect wasn’t this extravagant.”

“Your Jiushan disciples are seriously lucky.”

Zheng Fa chuckled.

It was true—his approach did differ from that of most sects in Xuanyi Realm.

Most sects followed a strict hierarchy: Qi Refining disciples only learned from Foundation Establishment teachers, Foundation disciples from Golden Core ones... You wanted to hear a Soul Formation cultivator like Xie Qingxue lecture?

You’d better be a Golden Core at least.

But Zheng Fa’s model was to assign the best teachers for the introductory courses.

This came straight from modern education philosophy:

Some top-tier universities have their best professors teach freshman-level foundational courses.

The benefits were clear:

Build a strong foundation for students.

And in Xuanyi Realm, the same principle applied—

With Xie Qingxue teaching Introduction to Sword Cultivation, the foundational theories would be solid. A Golden Core teacher might mislead students as early as the Nascent Soul stage, but Xie Qingxue? She could guide them all the way to Soul Formation.

And she wasn’t the only one.

The Jiushan Sect’s talisman foundation course was taught by Zheng Fa himself alongside a group of Nascent Soul Zhenrens.

Artifact forging basics? Handled by Madam Xuanhua.

Upon hearing Zheng Fa’s philosophy, both Grandpa Han and Yan Wushuang frowned in thought. They saw the logic but found it unfamiliar.

Xie Qingxue, however, glanced at Zheng Fa. When he had explained the plan for her to teach Introduction to Sword Cultivation, he had gone into even more detail—

To break free from the traditional Xuanyi mold, Zheng Fa saw education as the most critical step.

The difference from traditional sects wasn’t a matter of better or worse—just different objectives.

Grandpa Han mused for a moment, then said with wry sarcasm, “Never thought I’d reach Nascent Soul stage and still feel a little jealous of those Qi Refining disciples from Jiushan…”

Xie Qingxue was stunned into silence.

She heard Yan Wushuang mutter, “These Jiushan disciples really are blessed…”

And she couldn’t help but wonder to herself—if the Tianhe Sect had been like the Jiushan Sect, would she have spent all these years so torn and pained?

It wasn’t just the disciples of Jiushan who were happy.

Back at Heavenly Palace Island, Senior Sister Zhang was also beaming with joy.

“Senior Sister?”

Seeing her so delighted, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but ask.

“Han Qi just sent over the financial report. I crunched the numbers—this month, our Jiushan Realm finally made a profit!”

Zheng Fa immediately understood why she looked so ecstatic.

As the Jiushan Sect’s financial controller and accounting boss, Senior Sister Zhang had been under serious stress recently due to their budget deficit.

Xie Qingxue and the others didn’t know anything about Jiushan Realm’s finances, but seeing the two of them visibly relieved, they couldn’t help listening in curiously.

“This month, talisman sales are up fifty percent from last month… Golden Light Talismans sold…”

Senior Sister Zhang ignored their stares and continued reporting the monthly ledger directly to Zheng Fa.

“Magical artifact sales are up over ten times!”

“Flying Cloud Swords sold—one hundred…”

“Pill sales also rose eightfold compared to usual!”

“Among them…”

“In total, we earned…”

Listening to the nonstop stream of numbers, Xie Qingxue and the other two felt their scalps go numb.

Senior Sister Zhang sounded like a relentless calculator, breaking down the Jiushan Sect’s monthly sales, costs, and profits with absolute precision.

The three of them were overwhelmed, their brains practically knotted from all the data pouring into their ears.

And then—

“Wait? This part Han Qi calculated wrong… Let me fix it.”

Zhang Zhenren was actually calculating as she spoke—and even correcting mistakes on the fly?!

Zheng Fa was listening seriously too, mostly because the economy of the Xuanyi Realm was incredibly primitive and messy—

Take the example of spirit stones in the cultivation world. They had some currency function…

But the problem was—they were in very short supply.

For large-scale trade, most still resorted to bartering.

So when Senior Sister Zhang calculated Jiushan Realm’s profits, she did so by tallying how much spiritual material they actually brought in.

If she weren’t such a number maniac, no one else could’ve made heads or tails of it.

Once she was done, Zheng Fa had his answer—

This month, Jiushan Sect made money!

And not just a small profit.

A big one!

“With our cost and technical advantages, we now control over 80% of the talisman market, 50% of the pill business, and 40% of the magical artifact trade in the Hundred Immortals Alliance,” Senior Sister Zhang said, before continuing, “But Han Qi also mentioned two problems:”

“...Many of the smaller sects are really poor. No matter how low we set our prices, they still can’t afford many Jiushan Sect products.”

“And the Hundred Immortals Alliance does have a ceiling. He’s thinking about exploring the overseas route.”

At that, Senior Sister Zhang furrowed her brow too. “Our Jiushan Sect’s output is only going to increase… Who knows how much the Alliance can absorb.”

But Zheng Fa actually smiled and even looked pleased:

“Told you—Han Qi’s a quick thinker.”

Seeing his confidence, Senior Sister Zhang realized Zheng Fa already had a solution in mind and looked at him.

“Senior Sister, do you remember Uncle Pang’s census report?”

She nodded.

“Tell me—would those sects be willing to trade mining rights for spiritual materials?”

Senior Sister Zhang’s brows furrowed. She understood immediately: “You mean using the Shenxiao Mining Ship?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. The Shenxiao Mining Ship is incredibly efficient. If we only use it within Jiushan Realm, it’s honestly a waste.”

“So you’re eyeing the spiritual mines within the Hundred Immortals Alliance?”

Zheng Fa nodded.

He’d asked Uncle Pang to investigate those mines with this exact idea in mind—

Ultimately, Zheng Fa saw the Alliance primarily as a raw material production zone, and what he valued most were those spiritual materials.

“You mean… have them pay in mining rights?”

Zheng Fa nodded slightly.

He smiled, “You know how efficient the Shenxiao Mining Ship is. There’s no way we’d lose money…”

Senior Sister Zhang’s expression twisted.

With her god-tier math skills, she instantly realized what he meant by “no way to lose.”

They could strip-mine the Alliance dry.

Put simply, Zheng Fa wanted to trade pills and artifacts for multi-year mining rights from major sects in the Alliance.

But the question was—

How much could a regular sect’s cultivators mine in a year?

How much could Jiushan Sect’s mining ship extract in the same time?

Just thinking about it gave Senior Sister Zhang a deep sense of foreboding—the future of those sects might be bleak indeed.

Even if some refused to sell mining rights…

The Shenxiao Mining Ship’s massive output would crash the prices of many spiritual materials across the Alliance.

At that point, a lot of sects that relied on mines to survive might not make it.

She looked at Zheng Fa, her eyes full of questions.

“Senior Sister, if a sect is willing to cooperate on mining, we can let them keep some dividend rights…” Zheng Fa paused. “If not, well, this is their last chance. I won’t ask a fourth time…”

Senior Sister Zhang understood exactly what he meant:

Realistically, compared to the domineering Haori Mountain, Zheng Fa was actually quite generous. He had already given the sects in the Alliance three chances:

The first was during the guild formation:

Back then, fewer than 40% of the sects responded. Most feared Jiushan Sect was after their heritage.

The second chance was during the Zhongxuan Sect incident:

Now that the sect’s betrayal was obvious, there were still quite a few sects maintaining ties with them.

Since Haori Mountain openly supported the Zhongxuan Sect, many still saw them as more “reliable” than Jiushan Realm.

The third chance was this mining cooperation.

After this, any sect that still hadn’t joined Jiushan’s cause— 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Would no longer be considered “one of us.”

“As for developing overseas trade routes, we definitely should.” Zheng Fa said, thinking aloud, “I still haven’t figured out what’s really going on with the Trapping Immortal Sword at the Zhongxuan Sect… But assuming the worst, let’s prepare as if our land trade routes are completely blocked.”

“The sea might be our only way out.”

Senior Sister Zhang also frowned at this and gritted her teeth: “That Zhongxuan Sect really is a problem.”

“Though the Alliance has plenty of spiritual materials, the variety is still limited…”

“Otherwise, we could’ve trained more disciples and run more experiments…”

Zheng Fa felt stuck too.

Jiushan’s income had increased, but so had its expenses.

In next month’s budget, 40% would go to education—after all, they aimed to cultivate 500 Nascent Souls in fifty years. That investment would only grow, and they still weren’t even close.

On top of that, the workshops in Heavenly Works Pavilion and the experiments by the Alchemists’ Guild hadn’t stopped—those would eat up another 30%.

Right now, all Zheng Fa could do was squeeze value internally. But even following the First Fifty-Year Plan, they were falling short.

He shook his head: “Even ignoring the conspiracy behind the Trapping Immortal Sword, Haori Mountain cutting off our land routes is enough to choke the Alliance’s development.”

Grandpa Han sat by, utterly confused, and exchanged a look with Xie Qingxue—they had the same thought:

Let’s be honest, Haori Mountain may be heavy-handed, but they’re kinda getting scapegoated here.

Sure, Jiushan’s money problems were affected by Haori Mountain’s tactics.

But the real issue…

Wasn’t it that they were trying to cultivate 500 Nascent Souls in fifty years?

They both knew—if Jiushan Sect were a traditional sect like Tianhe, their current income would be more than enough.

The problem was… Zheng Fa was burning spirit stones for progress!

Even Yan Wushuang, silent for a long while, suddenly spoke:

“Why do I feel like… a Qi Refining disciple in Jiushan lives better than me, the Tianhe Sect’s young master?”

“…”

Xie Qingxue glanced at her foolish junior brother. For once, he wasn’t wrong.

She’d just been thinking the same thing—if she’d joined a sect like Jiushan years ago…

That suffocating title of Tianhe Sect’s Senior Sister? Someone else could’ve had it!

...

And Zheng Fa wasn’t the only one burning spirit stones—Haori Mountain was burning them too.

At Shenhuo Mountain, Zheng Fa looked at the Ninth Elder of the Zhongxuan Sect, surprised. “You want our sect’s disciples to raid Jiushan Sect ships?”

The Ninth Elder nodded, then added, “Not just our disciples—Haori Mountain has already posted bounties. Even rogue cultivators within their borders are getting in on it.”

She thought for a moment, then explained, “These days, Jiushan’s business is booming. We can’t even sell our own magical artifacts anymore…”

Zheng Fa understood now.

Haori Mountain’s original plan to strangle Jiushan’s growth by cutting off trade had failed.

Now that Jiushan’s businesses were flourishing, they were panicking…

So they were turning rogue cultivators—and even their own disciples—into pirates?

“Who’s dumb enough to try that?”

Even in front of the Ninth Elder, Zheng Fa couldn’t help blurting it out.

What, did they think he and Senior Sister Zhang were just here for show?

The Ninth Elder didn’t respond. She just handed him a sheet of paper.

One glance, and Zheng Fa’s pupils shrank—Haori Mountain was really putting up blood money.

The bounties were sky-high.

For every artifact, pill, or even Jiushan disciple they killed—there was a matching reward.

The problem was… the rewards were worth more than the stolen goods themselves.

Hurting others at a loss to yourself...

“Forget my sect’s disciples. Even some of those rogue cultivators… they’ll risk death for that kind of cash.” The Ninth Elder sighed, “Even among our own, there are desperate ones willing to take the chance.”

Zheng Fa realized this was trouble.

Haori Mountain didn’t care about losing lives. But each of his disciples had cost a fortune to train!

He couldn’t afford to lose even one!

What the h**l was this, a low human-rights strategy?!

Wait—

Zheng Fa stared at the bounty list.

Senior Sister Zhang leaned over, did some mental math at lightning speed…

At these rates, if he turned in Jiushan’s own artifacts and pills to Haori Mountain for rewards…

He’d actually make more money than selling them!

He might’ve just discovered… a new trade route!

“Master… I want to try it!”

Zheng Fa declared boldly.

There’s a reward for betraying Jiushan Sect?

Then I can rebel too!