Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 94 - 1 Brawl

Chapter 94: Chapter 1 Brawl

Zheng Fa had never imagined that his very first lesson at Jiushan Sect would be about learning group combat.

This situation was hard for Zheng Fa to comprehend—it wildly exceeded his expectations of the intensity of competition between the two branches of Jiushan Sect, and he couldn’t understand why the sect’s upper echelons would allow such a scenario to occur.

He had heard about some discord between the two branches of Jiushan Sect, but he hadn’t expected it would escalate to physical conflict upon meeting.

Senior Brother Zhuang could get into a fight simply by stepping outside for a moment.

Han Qi, on the other hand, seemed quite accustomed to it.

He stood in front of the hall, his face flushed with excitement, swinging his right arm in the air as he loudly said to the others in the room: "We are all from the same lineage, can we stand by and watch Senior Brother Zhuang fight alone?"

"No!"

"Then good, brothers, follow me to support him!"

After saying this, he charged towards the battlefield where Senior Brother Zhuang was, full of vigor and valor.

As he bravely surged forward, half of the people in the room rushed out, especially some older disciples who seemed quite experienced, as they walked and simultaneously took out talismans, even wearing excited smiles on their faces.

It seemed that some disciples from the other side had also arrived, their expressions conveying a sense of contentment, as if they came to class just for this moment.

Zheng Fa didn’t move; he took a moment to survey the room, mainly to gauge the intensity of the fighting.

If things really turned serious and True Fire was unleashed, he would have no choice but to shake down Zhang for support.

But after watching for a while, Zheng Fa was certain that this was a fierce yet united sparring match.

How to describe it?

Great special effects, minimal casualties.

Loud noises, lackluster power.

The two senior brothers were fighting with all their might yet holding back just enough, ensuring the match was exciting while also not harming the competitors’ physical safety.

Now Zheng Fa understood, this group fight at the Talisman Magic Pavilion was probably a regular occurrence—they were practically fighting to establish standards and friendship.

Most importantly, they were not using any lethal talismans.

Those who didn’t join the fray outside were all new disciples; they never expected such an event to occur and were somewhat at a loss.

A more crucial reason was that these people were not foolish; they knew their limited cultivation meant they would only be a hindrance if they joined just to be part of the action.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then took out a piece of talisman paper and began talisman painting.

He drew a Water Margin Talisman, after which his spiritual power was completely exhausted.

After all, his spiritual power was feeble, and he had expended most of it practicing the Golden Armor Talisman beforehand.

He tucked the Water Margin Talisman into his sleeve and began to meditate in place to regain his strength.

Seeing his actions, the others exchanged glances and also took out talisman paper, hastily preparing for battle—no, creating weapons would be more accurate.

Once about ten percent of his mana had been restored, Zheng Fa finally stepped out of the room and headed towards the battlefield.

...

Above the Talisman Magic Pavilion, streaks of light from the passing talismans fluttered in the sky, while below, figures were in a flurry, the fight was intense.

Upon closer inspection, he saw Senior Brother Zhuang taking hits.

Really taking hits—Zheng Fa had observed clearly enough earlier that when it came to talismanic Dao, Brother Zhuang was not losing to the senior on the opposite side.

But Brother Zhuang had one major disadvantage—too many of his teammates were liabilities.

Mainly the new disciples who had charged out following Han Qi.

Zheng Fa had noticed earlier that about twenty new disciples were on Brother Zhuang’s side this talismanic magic day—about half of the new disciples of Jiushan Sect.

Naturally, with Zhang’s reputation, it was no wonder a large batch of new disciples was drawn to her.

In ordinary circumstances, having more people was a good thing, but not in this situation.

These disciples were so roused by Han Qi’s few words that they charged forward with loud cries.

Only to realize upon arrival at the frontline that aside from serving as targets, they were of no use.

Instead of being a support for Senior Brother Zhuang, these disciples became a burden to him.

As for the opponents, even though they seemed to be less in number, there were fewer new disciples, and two more seasoned disciples.

Between this increase and decrease, the disadvantage on their side was even more apparent.

Zheng Fa saw Senior Brother Zhuang, donning a Golden Armor Talisman, shielding a somewhat confused new disciple from a Withered Vine Talisman with his body.

Not only did he block with his body, but he also covered another panicking new disciple in Golden Armor.

Taking on both offensive and defensive roles, he looked extremely busy.

Upon witnessing this, Zheng Fa shouted loudly: "Those without talismans in hand, fall back!"

Upon hearing this, the new disciples, who had been floundering like headless flies, finally regained their senses and started running back.

At that moment, other new disciples who had finished drawing their talismans also emerged from the room. Although the talismans they had just drawn were few and their power weak,

they still acted as fresh reinforcements, quickly stabilizing the footing for Brother Zhuang’s side.

Zheng Fa did not rush forward impulsively; instead, he crouched behind the crowd, and then he saw a familiar yet sleazy figure crouched in front of him, repeatedly poking his head out to see the front.

"...Weren’t you charging really fast just now?"

He looked at Han Qi, filled with bewilderment.

Just a moment ago, your shouts were so loud and your charge so fierce, I thought you were going to lead by example.

But you’re crouching here?

"Cough..." Han Qi stood up straight, his complexion slightly red: "Well... you’re new and don’t understand, this is strategy! Clearly, we’re at a disadvantage, I just need to wait for the opportunity, when the other side shows a weakness, then I’ll break through as the surprise element and decide the battle!"

"Really?" Zheng Fa looked at him skeptically.

"Of course!" Han Qi said boldly: "No wait, Brother, why are you here too?"

"Looking for the right moment, waiting for the opponent to show a weakness, then making a surprise move!"

"..."

Zheng Fa wasn’t being sarcastic about Han Qi.

With only one talisman in hand, he certainly needed to wait for the right moment to throw it.

At this moment, Senior Zhuang managed to slightly recover his disadvantage, but he was still at a disadvantage.

Zheng Fa realized—Senior Zhuang was out of talismans.

Especially the Golden Armor Talisman, which is more defensive. To protect these new disciples, he had used several at once and was now probably running out.

Without the ability to defend, Senior Zhuang became tied hand and foot.

On the other hand, the opposing senior gradually gained the initiative in the competition and started to handle it with ease.

This scene made Zheng Fa deeply feel—having no money means having no confidence, which is an absolute truth in any world...

As the reserve of talismans dwindled, Zheng Fa saw that Senior Zhuang was beginning to show signs of defeat—the opposing senior released a Water Margin Talisman, and Senior Zhuang had no more talismans to block this strike.

Indeed, Senior Zhuang was wrapped in a huge column of water that seemed extremely viscous, entangling him and rendering him completely unable to move, only to lose energy in the struggle.

The opponent’s senior couldn’t help but reveal a smile on his face, gradually loosening his grip on the talisman, and the Golden Armor protecting him slowly disappeared—after all, a Golden Armor Talisman is quite expensive.

He asked Senior Zhuang, who collapsed on the ground, with a bit of smugness:

"Junior, how does the taste of the Water Margin Talisman feel?"

The same water column answered him.

When the water column disappeared, he lay on the ground, looking around in shock and shouting, "Which senior is hitting sneakily?"

Seeing no one answered, he gritted his teeth and said to Senior Zhuang, "Zhuang, are you ganging up because you’re in greater numbers?"

Senior Zhuang looked bewildered: "I... I didn’t..."

"You still claim you’re a gentleman, yet you resort to such despicable tactics! Bah!"

Presumably, the senior was furious and cursed as he caught him.

"I really didn’t!"

"Then who released that Xuan-grade Water Margin Talisman just now?"

"..."

"Junior, won’t you answer?" said Han Qi next to Zheng Fa, his expression odd, as he asked.

"He didn’t call me."

"?"

"He called out ’senior’. I’m a junior, don’t mess up the hierarchy."

"..."

Looking at Senior Zhuang, lying on the ground, unable to retort while being scolded, puzzled yet confused, and within the confusion, a hint of self-doubt.

Han Qi pursed his lips and said dryly, "Junior, I admit I was a bit presumptuous on the boat..."

...

"What are you guys waiting for?"

A streak of light flashed across the sky outside the Talisman Magic Pavilion, and a middle-aged Daoist in black robes landed in front of Zheng Fa and the others.

A few panting seniors also ran to the gate.

"It’s over! Master from the Discipline Hall!"

Han Qi murmured softly to the side.

"Discipline Hall?" Zheng Fa was stunned: "Could it be that our Jiushan Sect forbids private fights?"

That would be preposterous.

Everyone was fighting so comfortably, so was it illegal after all?

"It’s not that, as long as no one gets hurt, it doesn’t violate the disciplines," Han Qi explained: "It’s just that the head of the Discipline Hall is Master Pang, so we often suffer a bit."

Understood, the other side has connections.

"So, what about us?"

"Zhang’s master, Master Huang, is in charge of the Affairs Hall."

Zheng Fa remembered the middle-aged man who was very polite in the Affairs Hall.

Only then did he understand the reason—it turned out to be his own people.

The middle-aged Daoist landed and first checked whether there were injuries on the disciples on both sides.

There were: on their side, a disciple was too excited, rushed too fiercely, and sprained his ankle.

But due to the rich fighting experience of the older disciples, and the weak cultivation of talismanic Dao of the new disciples, overall, the result of the brawl was perfect—basically, it was equivalent to fighting for nothing.

"Someone tell me, why did you two start fighting?" The middle-aged Daoist didn’t let it slide easily but asked sternly, "These new disciples have just begun their practice, it should be the time to teach them properly. You two, as seniors, behaving like this, how can you set an example?"

Senior Zhuang kept silent, bowing his head without speaking.

It was the senior opposite who spoke up, "I didn’t say much, I just asked a junior about his situation, and I was reprimanded by this Junior Zhuang."

"Then you started fighting?"

"Yes, I said a little more, and Junior Zhuang made a move."

"Reporting to Master Uncle," Senior Zhuang couldn’t help but speak up: "Senior Li was acting disrespectfully, and implied insult to both Sister Zhang and that junior’s purity..."

"That’s no reason for you to take action!" The Master Uncle of Discipline Hall immediately interrupted him and asked, "Which junior were you defending?"

Senior Zhuang pursed his lips and didn’t speak.

Yet, it was Senior Li who spoke as if he was making a complaint: "It was that Junior Zheng Fa."

"That Zheng Fa?" A hint of recognition flashed across the Master Uncle’s face from the Discipline Hall.

Zheng Fa was taken aback and looked at Senior Zhuang, not expecting this person to act on his behalf.

At this moment, the Master Uncle from the Discipline Hall seemed to have also identified who Zheng Fa was and looked at him with some hostility.

Zheng Fa couldn’t judge how much of it was due to the strife between the two branches, how much was because of this competition,

And how much was due to hearing about his talent.

Just as the Master Uncle was about to say something with a stern face to Zheng Fa, a familiar voice of Zhang rang out: "I want to hear what this junior has said about me."

Zheng Fa looked behind him and saw the lovely figure of Sister Zhang standing behind him, just in time to block the Master Uncle who seemed to want to scold him.

Hmm, his face seemed a bit stifled.

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