I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 87 – Experiment

Modern times, at the nursing home.

A long table was set up in front of Zheng Fa and the others.

On the table were a few simple objects:

A strong magnet

Several wires

A galvanometer

A movable track

Zheng Fa connected the wires to the galvanometer. He then placed the magnet on the track beneath the wires.

Why this experiment? Simple—cheap and easy to source materials. He had gotten everything from a random hardware store.

Back when he first practiced Lingshan Method, they had noticed that their phones stopped working.

That led to a hypothesis—spiritual energy might interfere with electrical circuits.

But was the hypothesis correct? And if so, what kind of interference was it?

They had no idea.

Now, it was time to test it.

Zheng Fa nodded at Tang Lingwu.

Tang Lingwu grasped the strong magnet and moved it quickly along the track. The needle on the galvanometer swung wildly—confirming that a changing magnetic field had induced an electric current in the wire.

This result didn’t surprise anyone.

“First experiment: No spiritual energy present, weak current generated.”

Off to the side, Old Man Bai mumbled to himself as he jotted down notes in a small notebook.

“Now, I’ll activate Lingshan Method,” Zheng Fa said softly.

The others nodded in understanding.

Two golden Activation Talismans shot into the air, and a faint spiritual energy field formed around him, enveloping the equipment on the table.

He gestured to Tang Lingwu.

Just like before, she moved the magnet quickly along the track.

This time, the galvanometer’s needle didn’t move at all.

“Second experiment: With spiritual energy present, no current generated.”

Old Man Bai recorded the results and muttered, “So spiritual energy disrupts electromagnetic induction.”

“Disrupts… or suppresses?” Zheng Fa murmured.

This meant that in a spiritual energy environment, modern electromagnetic theory was effectively useless.

“No—wait!”

Suddenly, Tang Lingwu gasped.

“Hm?”

Everyone turned to her. She was pointing at the galvanometer.

“I wasn’t moving the magnet just now, but the needle suddenly moved!”

Zheng Fa and the others froze, then immediately focused on the instrument.

For a long while, the needle didn’t budge. Even Tang Lingwu started to doubt herself.

“Did I imagine it?”

Old Man Bai shook his head. “Not necessarily. Could be this galvanometer is just a cheap piece of junk—unstable readings.”

Just as he finished speaking, the needle suddenly jerked wildly several times, as if possessed.

The movement was so extreme that instability alone couldn’t explain it.

“This…”

Old Man Bai opened his mouth, looking completely lost.

“Spiritual energy… can generate electricity out of nowhere?” Zheng Fa speculated. “Or—does it control the directional flow of electrons?”

Another thought flashed through his mind—

Could this be the true nature of Thunder Techniques?

Unfortunately, the erratic movements soon stopped.

After that, the needle only twitched every so often, with inconsistent duration and intensity.

There was no discernible pattern.

Pure randomness.

The four of them discussed for a while but could only reach a vague conclusion—

Spiritual energy disrupts electromagnetic induction but also seems capable of generating electricity from nothing.

This led them to a hypothesis:

Modern electromagnetic theory might still be valid in a spiritual energy environment. The difference was that an additional variable—spiritual energy—needed to be accounted for.

Once they finished packing up the table, they set out four lounge chairs in front of the house and lay down in a row, gazing up at the starry sky above the mountains.

The image of that twitching galvanometer needle lingered in their minds, leaving them momentarily speechless.

After a long silence, Old Man Bai sighed.

“If spiritual energy really can control electricity… If we figure this out, we’ll basically become Immortals.”

Zheng Fa nodded in agreement.

The experiment was simple, but electromagnetic force was not.

As one of the four fundamental forces, if spiritual energy could truly manipulate it—

Then, in modern society, one would indeed be considered an Immortal.

But Zheng Fa also knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

Right now, their experiment wasn’t even properly qualitative, let alone quantitative.

There were still too many unanswered questions.

Still, this single experiment was enough to ignite their imaginations.

“Zheng Fa,” Old Man Bai suddenly recalled something. “Didn’t you say the Five-Element Sub-Talismans form the material foundation of talisman theory? And that the other two types of sub-talismans might represent the interactions between spiritual energy and matter? Could this be one of those interactions?”

“Yes.” Zheng Fa nodded. “The Five-Element Sub-Talismans are essentially spiritual energy in material form. If spiritual energy can generate electricity, then the combination of the Five-Element Sub-Talismans with the other two could do the same. In fact—I think this might be the core principle behind Thunder Techniques.”

This was one of the reasons he had wanted to conduct this experiment.

If two of the three sub-talisman types represented interactions between spiritual energy and matter—

Then he needed to identify those interactions.

And from what he had seen today, at the very least, spiritual energy had some effect on electrons.

Old Man Bai pondered for a moment before asking, “If the Five-Element Sub-Talismans form the material foundation… then what structure do they exist in?”

“Structure?”

Zheng Fa hesitated, then suddenly recalled Senior Sister Zhang’s Nascent Soul—

Above which floated a five-colored hair ribbon.

“A ring?”

The Five-Element Sub-Talismans were connected end-to-end. A ring structure would be the most natural possibility.

“But then,” Old Man Bai mused, “how does that explain the interdependent nature of Yin and Yang?”

“Mirror image…”

“Where’s the mirror?”

Old Man Bai’s string of questions left Zheng Fa momentarily stunned.

He had to admit—he had never seriously thought about this before.

How exactly did the Five-Element Sub-Talismans generate their mirror images? His understanding of this process had always been vague.

Old Man Bai turned to look at him and said, “Zheng Fa, I’m very proud to have a student like you.”

“White Teacher?”

“You’re excellent. You know how to learn, how to use experiments for research. But—there’s one more fundamental principle in academic inquiry.”

Zheng Fa’s expression turned serious.

“Ask. Keep asking,” Old Man Bai said, gazing at the starry sky as if lost in thought. “Sometimes, questions are more important than hard work. Sometimes, they’re even more important than answers.”

“Yes,” Zheng Fa responded sincerely.

Smack!

A loud slap rang out.

“Ah! Xiao Tian, what the hell?!” Old Man Bai yelped.

“Talk to the kid properly! Speak human language!” Teacher Tian scolded him impatiently. “You’re making it all about yourself again!”

“It was just a moment of inspiration!” Old Man Bai sounded a little aggrieved.

Xuanyi Realm.

Above the Thunder Pool, five-colored clouds grew denser, thickening into what looked like a vast expanse of colored glass.

Everyone knew—Senior Sister Zhang was at the critical juncture of forming her Nascent Soul.

The market district was noticeably quieter. Fewer customers walked the streets.

Most disciples of the Jiushan Sect had withdrawn back into Five Dragons Palace, no longer venturing outside.

“Junior Brother Zheng.”

As Zheng Fa walked back to his quarters, several senior brothers greeted him along the way. Though they smiled, their faces betrayed a barely concealed anxiety.

Just as he reached his door, he spotted a familiar figure waiting for him.

“Senior Brother Sun?”

Zheng Fa looked at him in surprise.

Sun Daoyu was Martial Uncle Pang’s disciple, at the Foundation Establishment stage, and had always been highly valued by Pang.

What matter had brought him here today?

“Junior Brother Zheng.” Sun Daoyu cupped his hands in greeting before speaking bluntly. “I have a request.”

“There’s no need to be so formal, Senior Brother,” Zheng Fa said, puzzled. “What could I possibly help with?”

Sun Daoyu pulled a storage bag from his sleeve.

“This is…”

Zheng Fa had a hunch.

“These are my personal savings,” Sun Daoyu said. “If… if I don’t make it through this, please give this to Junior Brother Zhou and have him deliver it to my family. I trust his character the most.”

Zheng Fa was silent for a long time before finally speaking.

“Why me?”

Sun Daoyu chuckled.

“My master has always prioritized the Jiushan Sect above all else.”

“In his eyes, compared to us disciples, you are the one who absolutely cannot die.”

“If any of us have the best chance of surviving… it’s you.”

Zheng Fa remained quiet but didn’t deny it. He simply took the storage bag.

As he watched Sun Daoyu’s departing figure, he slowly walked into his room, took out three Condensing Yuan Pills, and swallowed them before beginning the refinement of his final Yuan Talisman.

He had long struggled with choosing the tenth Yang-aligned Fire Element talisman.

But now, he had made up his mind—

The Mirage Talisman.

As the name suggested, it was an illusionary talisman.

If his theory about talismans was correct, this illusion talisman likely functioned by manipulating light to create mirages.

He had considered it before, primarily as a way to better conceal the nursing home’s secrets.

But at the time, it had felt unnecessary.

Now, he had decided—it could be of great use in the upcoming battle.

Before long, the Yuan Talisman for the Mirage Talisman appeared on the lotus platform within his body. He gazed at all ten Yuan Talismans:

For the Yin-aligned Five Elements, he had:

True Form Shadowless Talisman

Frost Blade Talisman

Nurturing Spirit Talisman

Evergreen Talisman

Ascension Light Talisman

For the Yang-aligned Five Elements, he had:

Activation Talisman

Great Dream Talisman

Thunder Chain Talisman

Taiyi Talisman

Mirage Talisman

The ten Yuan Talismans were imprinted on the lotus petals, with the Five-Element Sub-Talismans linked together.

Senior Sister Zhang had separated the Five-Element Sub-Talismans from the other two types and seemed to have found a path forward.

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but recall Old Man Bai’s question—

Why did the Five-Element Sub-Talismans exhibit Yin-Yang mutual generation?

Or rather—what was the mirror?

Zheng Fa had a feeling—this was the final step to perfecting the Talisman Foundation Establishment Method.

In three-dimensional space, a chiral object cannot be transformed into its mirror image through rigid motion.

It would require higher dimensions.

The problem was—higher dimensions were far too complex for Zheng Fa right now.

In fact, even for the world’s greatest scientists, the concept only existed as a mathematical model.

That was why Old Man Bai could pose the question but not find the answer.

After pondering for a while with no clear direction, Zheng Fa set the matter aside and made his way toward Martial Uncle Pang’s hall.

The battle was approaching. He had questions to ask.

Yet, before he even reached the hall, he heard the sounds of a lively banquet.

Zheng Fa was momentarily stunned.

At a time like this… Martial Uncle Pang was hosting a feast?

Peering inside from the doorway, he quickly saw that Pang’s guests weren’t just anyone—

They were none other than the Nascent Soul cultivators he had encountered on his way to the Thunder Pool Market.

Among them sat Xuangui Shangren of the Yuling Sect.

Though Zheng Fa didn’t recognize the others, their ease among the Nascent Soul cultivators suggested they were also at that level.

Just as he stood there in confusion, he heard Martial Uncle Pang’s voice ring out.

“The Great Freedom Demonic Sect is eyeing us hungrily. I’m truly grateful to all of you for coming to our aid! Allow me to offer a toast!”

With that, Martial Uncle Pang downed his drink in one gulp. His face was already flushed—he had clearly had more than a few.

The guests responded enthusiastically, some even throwing in remarks about how the disciples of the Great Freedom Demonic Sect deserved to be slaughtered.

The atmosphere was lively.

Zheng Fa finally understood—

These were all Nascent Soul cultivators whom Martial Uncle Pang had gathered to reinforce them.

A quick count revealed at least seven or eight of them.

He was shocked.

Martial Uncle Pang’s reputation as the Jiushan Sect’s social butterfly was well-earned.

In such a crisis, he had managed to call in so many powerful reinforcements.

Seeing that Martial Uncle Pang was busy, Zheng Fa chose to return to his own room.

The banquet seemed to last the entire night.

When Zheng Fa checked in the morning, he found Martial Uncle Pang seated in the hall, looking somewhat fatigued.

Of course, a Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn’t get exhausted from a single night of drinking.

It was the situation itself that was wearing him down.

“Martial Uncle?”

Pang’s gaze was sharp, much clearer than it had been during the banquet.

He looked at Zheng Fa and shook his head.

“You can’t stay here.”

“…What?”

“Last night, as I entertained them, I saw a few with shifty expressions. I suspect they have ulterior motives,” Pang said grimly. “You need to leave.”

“But… aren’t they here to help us fight?”

“Hah… You think my so-called friends are the type to lend a hand out of pure goodwill?” Pang chuckled. “I know exactly what kind of people they are.”