I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 31 – Invitation

"I want to find a mountain."

At Old Bai’s house, Zheng Fa spoke with a serious expression.

Old Bai and Tang Lingwu both stared at him, momentarily stunned by his solemn demeanor.

"A mountain? Why ask me about that?" Old Bai asked in confusion. "You should be asking a geography teacher!"

Beside him, Tang Lingwu also looked at Zheng Fa, clearly unsure what he was talking about.

These two were the people he trusted most in the modern world—the ones who understood him best and had helped him the most.

And his future plans… required their involvement.

"If I want you both to cultivate as well, I need to find the right mountain."

The Lingshan Method wasn’t something that could be explained in just a few words.

Old Bai slowly furrowed his brows and muttered, "A mountain… a spiritual land… a Daoist site?"

Zheng Fa nodded. "That’s one way to think about it."

Of course, in this case, the spiritual energy wouldn’t come from the land itself—it would come from him.

"So… is Jiushan Sect reopening its gates? No—are you establishing a new sect?"

Old Bai widened his eyes in excitement.

"…Not Jiushan Sect—this is my own endeavor."

After a brief pause, Zheng Fa explained his vision to the two of them.

"This isn’t a sect."

"Then what is it?"

"I want to find scholars like you, Professor Bai, to research cultivation—think of it as a cultivation research lab."

"..."

Old Bai smacked his lips.

"Those two words sound weird together, but I get what you mean."

Tang Lingwu nodded beside him.

"Then why are you telling us this now?"

Both of them could tell that Zheng Fa wouldn’t suddenly bring this up so seriously unless he had something important to say.

"I am officially inviting you both to join this laboratory."

"Come on, why so formal?"

Old Bai laughed.

"I thought I was already part of this. Aren’t we on the same team?"

Tang Lingwu also nodded.

"You misunderstand me." Zheng Fa said softly.

"I need to find a mountain with specific terrain. Wherever that mountain is, that’s where the lab will be. In other words, joining this lab means going there with me."

"You mean…"

Zheng Fa nodded.

"For example, Professor Bai, you might have to leave your family—it’s essentially like relocating for a job."

"And Tang Lingwu, if there’s no suitable mountain near Jingcheng, then you won’t be able to attend Jingcheng University."

Hearing this, Old Bai fell into silence.

Zheng Fa didn’t rush him—this was a major life decision.

Of course, he wanted them to come with him.

Old Bai was not only a brilliant mathematician but also someone who could help establish the foundation of the research facility.

Having spent his career at Jingcheng University, he might not be a trained administrator, but he understood how labs functioned far better than Zheng Fa did.

As for Tang Lingwu…

Well, her biggest contribution right now was her wealthy background.

But she was also hardworking, which was something Zheng Fa valued.

If she progressed well in computer science, she could become an invaluable asset in the future.

However, he wouldn’t force them.

Their friendship alone was enough for him to respect their choices.

After a long silence, Old Bai finally spoke.

"To be honest, if you had told me to join Jiushan Sect, I might have hesitated—it doesn’t sound very fun."

"..."

Zheng Fa looked at him blankly.

Old Bai grinned.

"But a cultivation research lab? Now that sounds fun!"

"Do you know what the greatest fortune in scientific research is?"

"What is it?" Zheng Fa asked.

"It’s discovering a completely unexplored field—where anything you find is groundbreaking."

Old Bai’s voice grew louder.

"Cultivation and mathematics—a field untouched by modern science… isn’t that limitless freedom?"

As he spoke, a wild smile appeared on his face.

"..."

Zheng Fa turned to Tang Lingwu.

She had been silent the entire time, her expression relaxed, as if this didn’t concern her.

After a moment, she looked at them and asked, "Do I need to say anything?"

"?"

"Wasn’t I obvious enough?"

She scrunched up her face in mild confusion.

"I never even considered a second option."

"Even if it means not going to university?"

"…This is cultivation we’re talking about!"

Tang Lingwu widened her eyes.

"I can just get an online degree… wait, no—I don’t even need a diploma, since I don’t need a job!"

…

Alright.

Rich people truly live differently.

"Besides," she added with a strange tone, "if I refused, my mom would probably disown me."

"Your mom?"

Tang Lingwu sighed.

"Remember that bowl of soup? It was finished before I even got a sip."

"..."

"Honestly, if you told her you were taking me away, she’d probably pack my bags for me herself."

"So… the test results came back?" Old Bai guessed.

Tang Lingwu nodded.

The three of them exchanged glances—then burst into laughter.

"By the way, since you’re setting up a lab… do you have criteria for recruitment?"

Old Bai asked.

Zheng Fa pondered for a moment before answering.

"Our biggest advantage is cultivation—in the future, I might even be able to cure illnesses."

"So the most attracted group would be… the sick? The elderly?"

Old Bai caught on quickly.

"Exactly. I need highly skilled professionals from various fields. Most of them won’t be young—because younger individuals often lack a strong academic foundation."

"And on the other hand, older experts, like you, Professor Bai, have experienced illness and physical decline. They also fear death more, so our project will be much more appealing to them."

After a brief pause, Zheng Fa added,

"And one more thing—time reveals a person’s character."

"Character?"

"If someone has maintained a good reputation for decades, they’re at least relatively trustworthy."

Of course, that wasn’t a guarantee.

At the very least, choosing people with a good reputation over time increased the likelihood of trustworthiness.

Old Bai and Tang Lingwu understood what Zheng Fa meant—when recruiting people, character mattered.

"Then shouldn’t our lab have a name?" Old Bai said excitedly.

"You already have an idea, don’t you?"

Zheng Fa could tell that the old man had something in mind.

"Of course! Twilight Hermetic Order!" Old Bai declared.

"Think about it—aging academic giants retreating into the mountains for seclusion… doesn’t that fit perfectly?"

"What kind of books do you even read…?"

"Not a fan? Hmm, yeah, maybe it sounds too Western. How about Great Dao Assembly? That has a more traditional ring to it!"

Before Zheng Fa could respond, Tang Lingwu suddenly spoke up, as if something had occurred to her.

"In my dad’s business… places where people like that gather are usually called retirement homes."

"..."

Both Zheng Fa and Old Bai turned to look at her.

Tang Lingwu blinked innocently and muttered,

"…Ecological Retirement Home? High-Intellect Senior Ecological Retreat?"

"..."

Old Bai let out a long sigh, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

"So, what exactly do you mean by ‘finding a mountain’?"

Zheng Fa pulled a notebook from his bag—it contained a hand-copied version of Treatise on Spiritual Veins.

In this book, the Sect Master had compiled various spiritual vein formations across the world, identifying key essential features for cultivating the Lingshan Method.

According to Lingshan Method, only mountains that met these criteria could serve as effective cultivation sites.

Old Bai flipped through the pages and muttered,

"This looks an awful lot like geomantic dragon-seeking theory…"

Zheng Fa really had to wonder—what kind of books was this old man reading on a daily basis?

"This seems like a real hassle. None of us know feng shui or how to read mountain formations."

Old Bai skimmed through Treatise on Spiritual Veins and sighed.

Zheng Fa also found himself at a loss.

Finding a suitable location was troublesome even in modern times—but in Xuanwei Realm, it was even worse.

The world was vast, and mountain ranges were often home to cultivators or beasts.

Mapping out an entire mountain’s spiritual structure was extremely dangerous—one wrong step, and you might offend someone powerful.

The only reason the Sect Master had managed to compile this knowledge was because Jiushan Sect had extensive Xuanwei Realm terrain maps.

Using those resources, he had extracted key patterns, allowing him to revise Lingshan Method accordingly.

In his own words—

"If Jiushan Sect weren’t built atop a spiritual vein, even I would have trouble finding a proper cultivation site for Lingshan Method."

"Why is this so difficult?" Tang Lingwu suddenly asked.

"Can’t you just use satellite maps?"

"..."

Zheng Fa and Old Bai both turned to look at her.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

Tang Lingwu looked at them blankly.

"Maybe… you shouldn’t come with us?"

Zheng Fa had a feeling that Old Bai’s brainwaves were corrupting his own way of thinking.

Even with satellite maps, finding the right location wasn’t easy.

However, it wasn’t exactly urgent either.

Zheng Fa was currently only at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

He still had a long way to go before reaching the seventh level, where he could actually begin cultivating Lingshan Method.

By his estimates, he wouldn’t reach the seventh level until after the college entrance exams.

For now, they focused on searching for locations around Jingcheng.

After hours of searching, they identified four or five potential sites that seemed to match the criteria described in Treatise on Spiritual Veins.

But to be sure, they would need to inspect them in person.

"I’ll have my mom send a survey team."

Zheng Fa looked at Tang Lingwu in surprise.

"Your mom has a request for you anyway." Tang Lingwu said lightly.

"Besides, even if you find the right mountain, how are you going to secure land rights or build facilities? My mom can help with that too."

"...Aren’t you a little too eager to sell out your family?"

Old Bai clicked his tongue.

"Professor, you don’t understand…"

Tang Lingwu sighed.

"It’s not me selling her out—my mom would sell herself if given the chance."

"This morning, when I left home, she wasn’t asking—she was inviting Zheng Fa to visit our house tomorrow."

"..."

When Zheng Fa arrived at Tang Lingwu’s house, he finally understood what she meant.

Same chauffeur in baggy pants.

Same black luxury sedan.

But this time—

As soon as he was about to step out, a hand eagerly opened the car door for him.

Zheng Fa looked up.

Aunt Ye was radiant.

She stood in front of him, beaming warmly, her eyes filled with enthusiasm.

Beside her, Tang Lingwu sighed and walked over, as if she had already anticipated this.

Standing next to each other, the two women looked more like sisters than mother and daughter.

It was clear—

Aunt Ye was in excellent condition this week.

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