I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Vol 2 Chapter 4: Numbness

The 5V voltage was still too weak. Zheng Fa spent a good while searching online.

Finally, he discovered a true treasure for cultivation—a variable transformer!

After placing an order with a local seller, Zheng Fa headed to class.

As soon as he walked in, he noticed something different in the classroom. Near the blackboard by the door, a noticeboard had been set up with a message: "XXX days until the College Entrance Exams!"

Tang Lingwu stood beneath it, holding a stack of white cards with red numbers.

The classroom was bustling with chatter, with groups of students huddled together. Most of them, however, frequently glanced at the numbers in Tang Lingwu’s hands, as if those little cards held monumental significance.

When Zheng Fa reached his seat, he saw his buddy Wang Chen slumped over his desk. Wang didn’t greet him; his expression mirrored the faint anxiety shared by most of the class.

Tang Lingwu selected the numbers “100” and carefully placed them on the board.

Looking around, Zheng Fa noticed that most of the students seemed more serious than usual. Tang Lingwu, on the other hand, appeared as calm as ever, quietly reading her book. He recognized the title—it was a university-level math textbook, Modern Algebra.

Her expression was so unaffected, it seemed like the looming exams didn’t exist for her at all.

“One hundred days left…” Wang Chen plopped down beside Zheng Fa, grumbling. “It’s so long! My parents are more nervous than I am! My mom’s been cooking me all sorts of tonics, banning TV at home because she’s worried it’ll disturb me. I don’t even dare play games with the sound on!”

“What’s worse is that when she caught me gaming, she didn’t even yell—she actually praised my skills! It made me feel guilty about playing!” His face showed a peculiar blend of pride and exhaustion. “Now I don’t even dare touch my console!”

Zheng Fa stayed silent, feeling like he’d just been subjected to shameless bragging.

“I read online that we’ll all miss these days after we graduate… Yeah, right!” Wang Chen muttered, clearly trying to vent his inexplicable tension. “These are the most miserable days of my life!”

After ranting for a while, Wang Chen realized Zheng Fa hadn’t said a word. He turned to him and asked, “What about you? Think you’ll miss this?”

“Me?” Zheng Fa glanced around the room. “I’m already missing it… every week, seven days a week.”

His time in the Jiushan Sect had shattered his fantasies about immortal sects.

The furious lower-level cultivators.

The disciples fighting in the Talisman Hall.

Senior Brother Zhuang’s apathy and Senior Sister Zhang’s stymied progress.

It all filled him with an inexplicable despair.

Looking at his classmates fretting over the college entrance exams, Zheng Fa found them unexpectedly… endearing.

Wang Chen paused, glancing at Zheng Fa and then at Tang Lingwu’s back. After a long silence, he muttered, “If I had someone like Tang Lingwu to miss, I’d miss it too.”

Judging from his stifled expression, it seemed like he felt one-upped by Zheng Fa.

The transformer arrived quickly. Zheng Fa had chosen a model with adjustable voltage ranging from 0V to 300V, in 30V increments.

He set it up, grasped the two copper wires, and began adjusting the output voltage.

At 30V, he felt something, but it still wasn’t as strong as the sensation he had experienced in the Xuanyi Realm with the Xuanlei Stone.

At 60V, it was still lacking.

Finally, at 90V—he felt a familiar tingling numbness that made his hands tremble!

His spiritual energy began circulating on its own.

His skin quivered slightly, an uncomfortable mix of numbness and itchiness—the exact sensation described in the Five Thunder Talisman Body for the skin-tempering phase.

It was time for another visit to Old Man Bai’s house.

Walking alongside Tang Lingwu on the way, Zheng Fa curiously asked, “Tang Lingwu, how come you’re not nervous at all?”

In the entire class, besides his own unusual circumstances, Tang Lingwu was the calmest.

Even more perplexing was her habit of ignoring high school textbooks and studying university courses instead—reading math during English class, solving problems during Chinese class, and doing so brazenly.

Even the teachers let it slide.

“Nervous about what?” she asked.

“The college entrance exams.”

Understanding dawned on her face, and she nodded. “Didn’t I tell you? I don’t need to take the exam.”

“?”

“I’ve been guaranteed admission.”

She said it as casually as if stating she’d already had lunch.

“…Then why are you even coming to school?”

This time, she was silent for much longer.

Just as Zheng Fa thought she wouldn’t answer, she spoke softly:

“I don’t want to go home.”

Zheng Fa turned to look at her.

She met his gaze, and for once, a playful smile appeared on her face. “Kidding. You know the best part about being guaranteed admission?”

“What?”

“Sitting in class and watching you all work so hard for nothing.”

“…”

Tang Lingwu walked ahead of him, her ponytail swinging as if trying to block his skeptical gaze.

In the teachers’ office, Mr. Chen, their homeroom teacher, puffed on a cigarette, frowning as he watched Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu leave.

The female teacher across from him noticed his expression and followed his gaze. She spotted the two students and chuckled, “Is that what’s got you pulling that face? The principal already praised you for them!”

“Praise is one thing, but now it’s obvious they’re dating, and I can’t even say anything about it,” Mr. Chen sighed.

“What’s wrong with dating? Look at Zheng Fa—his grades have skyrocketed since they started seeing each other. That’s a good thing!” the female teacher said with a hint of jealousy. “If I had a pair like them in my class, I’d brag about it all day!”

“You don’t get it. The more seriously Zheng Fa takes this, the harder he’ll fall if they break up. This kid’s had a tough life—I don’t think he could handle it.”

“Why not hope for the best? Who knows, they might go from school uniforms to wedding attire. Romantic, isn’t it?”

“It won’t work out.” Mr. Chen took a deep drag, exhaled, and finally said, “You’ve never met Tang Lingwu’s mom. She’d never allow her daughter to date. When boys in the class harassed Tang Lingwu, her mom almost came to the school to make a scene.”

“Strict parenting?”

“It’s not just strict…” Mr. Chen hesitated before muttering, “Her mom has… an obsessive need to protect her.”

The female teacher nodded thoughtfully. She glanced at the two students walking away, noticing a sedan trailing them at a cautious distance. With a faint smile, she tried to reassure him, “Who knows what the future holds? For now, they’re doing fine. Their sweet romance is my guilty pleasure to watch!”

“Zheng Fa doesn’t have any parents. As his teacher, I have to worry about him…” Mr. Chen stubbed out his cigarette, muttering bitterly, “D*** it! Those two are enjoying sweet love, and I’m the one eating all the bitterness!”

At Old Man Bai’s house, Zheng Fa listened attentively to his lecture, feeling like his mind had become sharper.

He wasn’t sure if this was a result of his cultivation or his unique soul.

Either way, his memory and reaction speed had noticeably improved, making high school exams far less daunting.

Even Old Man Bai noticed the change, though instead of being pleased, he frowned. “You’ve been progressing quickly. Have you been studying topology recently?”

Zheng Fa nodded.

“Well, that won’t do,” Old Man Bai said, his tone stern. “The college entrance exams are close. Set aside topology and martial arts for now and focus on the exams.”

Zheng Fa didn’t argue. He had his own plans, but he knew the old man meant well.

Old Man Bai sighed and added, “Don’t end up like Tang Lingwu. She’s already guaranteed admission to Jingcheng University. You’re not her. Focus on your exams—otherwise, when she heads to Jingcheng, you’ll cry if you can’t keep up!”

“…Got it.”

After the lesson, Zheng Fa and Tang Lingwu packed up their papers and books. As they reached for the same stack, their hands accidentally touched—

Tang Lingwu jolted, the papers in her hands scattering across the desk like snowflakes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Numb,” she said softly, glancing at him.

Zheng Fa blinked, looking at his hand.

Since beginning his cultivation of the Five Thunder Talisman Body, he’d noticed subtle changes in his body. Even his spiritual energy carried traces of electricity—likely a side effect of his incomplete control.

But he hadn’t realized he was actually conducting electricity.

“Numb?”

Old Man Bai frowned, watching the two of them. “Static electricity?”

Tang Lingwu shook her head. “Stronger than static.”

Cautiously, she reached out and lightly tapped his hand again—only to flinch.

“It feels… like being electrocuted.”

“Tch! You kids these days,” Old Man Bai scoffed. “Static electricity? Electrocution? What’s next, hearts racing and trembling bodies?”

Imitating her, he touched Zheng Fa’s hand—and then froze, his hand trembling slightly.

“Numb?”

Tang Lingwu smirked at the old man.

“Numb,” he admitted, looking at his hand and then at Zheng Fa with growing confusion.

“Feeling any… heart palpitations? Weak knees?”

“…”

“You’re saying you cultivated… some kind of martial art?” Old Man Bai asked, his curiosity piqued. “This is… quite something!”

“Didn’t you think my earlier training was odd?” Zheng Fa asked, puzzled.

“Well, it seemed off, but I chalked it up to fitness routines. Turning yourself into a human taser is pushing it, though.”

“…”

“Zheng Fa, there’s a way to skip the exams and get into Jingcheng University directly!”

“Really?”

“Their medical school would love you!”

“Wait—am I going as a student or a specimen?”

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