https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-148-Lei-Daozhang-Performs-a-Good-Deed-Anonymously/12586577/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-150-We-Have-No-Casualties-But-We-Will-Fight-Back/12586579/
Chapter 149: New Cultivation, New Discoveries
Chapter 149: New Cultivation, New Discoveries
"The Soul-Scattering Crystal..." Lei Jun mused to himself.
He had heard of this peculiar treasure before.
Just as the other Lin clan disciple at the scene had exclaimed in surprise.
It was a rather unorthodox artifact.
According to the records in the Celestial Master's Mansion, this object could disperse one's soul, and if an unsuspecting person were to approach it in the wild, their soul could be scattered, resulting in instant death.
Therefore, for most people, this artifact was extremely dangerous.
Even a cultivator of the Lower Three Heavens could fall victim to it if they approached without caution.
However, this sinister object was relatively rare and difficult to find. Some individual cultivators considered it a precious collectible.
Thus, while it couldn't be said to be entirely extinct in recent years, it was indeed a rare sight, and information about it was scarce.
Regardless of the Lin clan's methods or their approach to cultivation, their school of practice was rooted in the orthodox Confucian teachings—as traditional as it could be.
The Confucian lineage cultivated the grand and noble qi, and while they possessed methods to project their souls outside their bodies, they rarely sought to intentionally separate their souls from their physical forms.
It was only natural, then, that the Lin clan members viewed objects like the Soul-Scattering Crystal, which could forcibly separate one's soul, as sinister artifacts.
The previous Lin clan disciple had been driven to desperation and was forced to use the Soul-Scattering Crystal to house his soul and flee.
As for his physical body being destroyed, he could only worry about that later, after he had escaped to safety.
Being a cultivator of the Middle Three Heavens, the resilience and strength of his soul far surpassed that of cultivators of the Lower Three Heavens and ordinary mortals.
Thus, he was temporarily able to house his soul within that peculiar crystal.
Soon after, another Lin clan cultivator joined him.
But now, they had both become Lei Jun's captives.
Lei Jun's attitude was calm and detached as he borrowed their souls to familiarize himself with the Soul-Scattering Crystal, showing no mercy.
After a series of manipulations, Lei Jun had a general understanding of this spiritual object.
Overall, at his current cultivation level, he could handle this treasure without harm.
However, in terms of his own cultivation path—the Taoist Talisman sect—the Soul-Scattering Crystal didn't seem to have much use.
It might have been more useful to the Taoist Pill sect or the Taoist Artifact sect.
The former focused on cultivating one's body and soul from within, forging an extremely resilient physical form and soul.
But this didn't entail restricting the soul within the body.
On the contrary, the Taoist Pill sect's sacred site, the Pure Yang Palace, possessed the technique of the Yang Spirit, which allowed the soul to remain robust even when separated from the body. Once a cultivator reached a certain level of proficiency, they could project their soul during the day and even endure direct attacks from the outside world without dispersing.
Lei Jun speculated that the Soul-Scattering Crystal could be useful in their cultivation process.
As for the Taoist Artifact sect, there was no need to elaborate on their focus on cultivating the soul and their primordial spirit artifacts.
The Taoist Talisman sect, on the other hand, while also emphasizing the unity of body and soul and the importance of attuning to the heavens and nature, had their own unique method of spirit transformation. However, most of the time, they followed the path of soul unity.
Thus, the usefulness of the Soul-Scattering Crystal was relatively limited for Lei Jun.
After interrogating the souls of the two Lin clan disciples, Lei Jun also learned that this treasure hadn't been obtained during the ambush in the Cangling River Valley or before encountering the Two-Extremes Celestial Eagle at Tian Song Mountain. Instead, it had been acquired by the disciple during an earlier personal adventure.
However, the Lin clan disciple had stumbled upon something that he himself didn't find very useful.
Considering the rarity and value of the Soul-Scattering Crystal, and the possibility that it could be useful in the future or traded for something else, the disciple had kept it a secret from his elders and quietly hidden it away.
Now, it had ended up in Lei Jun's possession.
Lei Jun didn't dwell on it for too long. He put it away for the time being, deciding to deal with it later.
Being on Dragon and Tiger Mountain, he didn't have to worry about any repercussions from interacting with their qi. With a casual wave of his hand, he completely eradicated the souls of the two Lin clan disciples and then stored away the Soul-Scattering Crystal.
"I wonder what the Five-Rank and Seven-Rank opportunities in the Cangling River and Tian Song Mountain were," Lei Jun pondered briefly, but he didn't dwell on it.
For him, the upper-middle sign he had drawn was the best choice.
He would let the others pass without a second thought, as opportunities were not meant to be forced.
Moreover, the Five-Rank opportunity of the upper-middle sign was exactly what he wanted.
Lei Jun took out the massive chunk of Antarctic Cold Iron.
It was obvious, without needing to ask, that the metal had been warped by the Two-Extremes Celestial Eagle.
This treasure wasn't from the Great Tang or the Southern Wasteland.
It likely originated from a distant realm even further south.
If not for the Two-Extremes Celestial Eagle inadvertently bringing it north, one could only guess when this Antarctic Cold Iron would have appeared within the Great Tang territory.
Lei Jun sat in meditation within the quiet room.
Above his head, light and shadows flickered, and his established Central Sanqing Palace appeared.
From within the Daoist palace, a black and white stream of qi emerged and wrapped around the massive icy metal, pulling it into the palace.
Within the Central Sanqing Palace, under the watchful eyes of the illusory ancestral masters, Lei Jun carefully used his spiritual power to draw out the yuan magnetic force within the Antarctic Cold Iron, merging it with his own spiritual power.
Having already refined the Clear Sky Thunder Spirit and the Azure Dragon Jade Spirit, this process was twice as effective.
After cultivating quietly for a while, Lei Jun made progress in many of his speculations and research regarding the yuan magnetic force.
However, there was also a slight disappointment.
"The Primordial Magnetic Force is at its best when both extremes are balanced."
Although this chunk of Antarctic Cold Iron is extraordinary, it is slightly imbalanced.
"Could it be that I need to find another spiritual object originating from the extreme north, one that also contains the Primordial Magnetic Force?" Lei Jun frowned.
But his furrowed brows soon relaxed.
Then, he waved his hand at the Xi Rang Banner.
As the banner unfurled, a slender light flew out from within.
The light unfolded to reveal a strange page.
Characters appeared on the paper, unlike any known script in the world, yet they contained profound and inexplicable principles.
It was the page from the heavenly book that Lei Jun had obtained earlier.
At this moment, Lei Jun silently channeled his profound energy.
His Yin-Yang Sacred Body harmonized the two energies within him.
Thus, a black and white stream of energy expanded outwards, with Lei Jun at the center.
The shimmering page of the heavenly book trembled slightly in the air, and a Yin-Yang energy emerged from within.
At this moment, it was as if heaven and man were in sync, becoming one.
Lei Jun's own Yin-Yang energies and the heavenly book's Yin-Yang energies intertwined, forming a cycle, complementing each other, and constantly revolving.
Then, the massive chunk of Antarctic Cold Iron flew out from the Daoist palace, landing between Lei Jun and the heavenly book.
Gradually, the Yin-Yang energies revolving around Lei Jun and the heavenly book began to lose their black and white colors.
At this moment, even the principles and concepts of Yin and Yang seemed to fade.
Lei Jun felt his mind clear, and in this instant, he reached a new height.
It was the most primordial concept of the Two Extremes.
As the black and white faded, only the two energies continued to circulate.
Surrounded by the two energies, the Antarctic Cold Iron trembled gently.
Lei Jun could no longer sense the coldness within it.
He only felt that what he needed, and the spiritual essence that the Cold Iron had lacked before, seemed to be supplemented by an invisible force at this moment.
Lei Jun smiled and nodded, then calmed his mind to study it further.
After a long while, the energies around Lei Jun's body regained their black and white colors.
The energies around the heavenly book also transformed back into Yin-Yang energies.
The energies retracted into the heavenly book, and the Antarctic Cold Iron fell to the ground once again.
Lei Jun waved his hand, and the Xi Rang Banner rolled up, putting away both spiritual objects.
He did not rest and immediately formed different incantations with his hands, joining them together in front of his chest.
A surging Primordial Magnetic Force, beyond anything seen before, erupted from Lei Jun's body.
He seemed to have replaced the Antarctic Cold Iron, as all sorts of metal objects in the room were drawn to him.
Starting with the Metal Barrier Thunder, it transformed into the Yin Metal Thunder, and then underwent further changes.
Lei Jun carefully pondered, slowly refining, and constantly adjusting the details.
"It's starting to take shape," he said.
Finally, Lei Jun ended his cultivation, nodding in satisfaction, then shook his head slightly. "But there are still many areas that need further improvement."
Perhaps it was time to give it a name? After all, this was the new technique he had chosen as his second life-bound technique.
Hmm, should it also have a super long name... Lei Jun's mind wandered as he recalled some of the novels he had read on Blue Star before his transmigration.
He shook his head, dispelling the stray thoughts.
Inspired by the heavenly book, Lei Jun suddenly remembered something else.
He concentrated his mind and focused his thoughts on the depths of his soul.
With the Heavenly Master Seal, he entered the True One Law Altar cave.
Crossing the Flying Bridge, Lei Jun once again entered the first layer of the True One Law Altar.
Calmly observing the numerous profound talismans within the Law Altar, Lei Jun's mind was at peace.
Aside from aiding his cultivation, he began to ponder if there were any other uses for the first layer of the True One Law Altar.
Although the Heavenly Master Seal was currently in a dormant state, and he couldn't access the second and third layers of the Law Altar yet, Lei Jun felt a vague sense that he could gain more here.
He quietly contemplated within the first layer of the Law Altar.
After an unknown amount of time, a flame seemed to surge in his mind.
It was a green earth flame.
Lei Jun, immersed in it, did not feel pain but instead felt a sense of enlightenment.
However, this wasn't about his personal cultivation but rather...
"Alchemy and artifact refining?" Lei Jun mused.
He withdrew his spiritual sense from the True One Law Altar cave.
Although he didn't value artifact refining as much as the Artifact Refining Sect, the Daoist Talisman Sect also had its unique artifact refining techniques.
In the definition of some Daoist cultivators, talismans, pills, and artifacts were all external elixirs, collectively referred to as 'outer dan'.
The Daoist Talisman Sect, in addition to talismans, was also skilled in refining spiritual pills and artifacts.
Lei Jun recalled how, a few years ago, he had helped his master, Yuan Mobai, fetch cauldrons and tools from the Great Pill Room when he was refining pills.
At the moment, Lei Jun didn't have any special pill-refining needs.
But when it came to artifact refining, he did have some ideas.
The Red Crest Pen, passed down to Lei Jun through Yuan Mobai, was an artifact that Yuan Mobai had personally used in the past.
It had been a great help when Lei Jun was at the Lower Three Heavens stage.
Even when he reached the Four Heavens stage, it still played a role.
However, as Lei Jun's cultivation base reached the Five Heavens stage, the pen's assistance became limited.
This was normal, as the pen had been refined by Yuan Mobai himself when he was at the Lower Three Heavens stage.
Now, Lei Jun considered refining this treasure further with the help of the first layer of the True One Law Altar.
After pondering for a moment, he went to meet with Yuan Mobai.
PS: Second update for today, there will be another update later.
(End of Chapter)
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