https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-235-Yuan-Mo-Bai-Emerges-from-Seclusion/12587058/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-239-Lei-Daochang-Borrows-the-Buddha-s-Flower-Offering-Part-1-/12587060/
Chapter 236: Becoming a Mentor
Chapter 236: Becoming a Mentor
"There are still many things to ponder, and it would be beneficial to discuss them together." Yuan Mobai smiled.
Tang Xiaotang jumped up and said, "Follow me!"
There were two places in the mountain gate that were suitable for cultivators of their level to practice their arts.
One was in the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave, specifically on the side of Biyu Immortal Mountain.
The other was within the Wanfa Zongtan.
Tang Xiaotang opened the Wanfa Zongtan and led the way, with Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun, and the others following. After paying their respects to the ancestral masters and deities of the Daoist Gate, they all sat down together within the Zongtan.
Yuan Mobai also sat cross-legged, and in an instant, dazzling starlight shone around his body, transforming into a brilliant galaxy.
Within the starry river, there were countless talismans, like stars in motion, each with its own orbit and rule, revolving around Yuan Mobai.
Surrounded by the radiance of the stars, Yuan Mobai resembled a humanoid deity, radiant with starlight.
This was the great ability achieved through the orthodox lineage of the Celestial Master's Mansion's destiny talisman technique—the Dou Mu Star God manifestation, also known as the Life Star God.
This art was the first divine ability of the orthodox lineage of the Celestial Master's Mansion, integrating law and martial arts. The numerous talismans revolving around the cultivator could be gathered to empower the practitioner or dispersed to attack enemies at close and medium range. Their number was vast, and they could be gathered or scattered at will.
Although the stars appeared to be scattered, they formed a cohesive starry river, providing both offense and defense.
In many cases, as time passed, these star talismans would not only decrease in number but also increase, making the cultivator stronger with each battle.
The Life Star God was also Yuan Mobai's first innate divine ability, cultivated when he reached the Seven Heavens in the Daoist Talisman Sect's "Seven Heavens to Transcendence" realm.
There were some differences between divine abilities and spells.
The spells practiced by cultivators in the Middle Three Heavens and Lower Three Heavens, apart from their innate spells, could include other spells. However, they were not as adept as with their innate spells, and the potential for further improvement in the future was not as great as with their innate spells.
As for the great divine abilities of the Upper Three Heavens, their profundity and variations far surpassed the spells of the Middle and Lower Three Heavens.
From the Sixth Heaven to the Seventh Heaven, cultivators had to summarize their previous complex learnings.
The divine abilities practiced by Upper Three Heavens cultivators could also start simply and extend into numerous variations.
Therefore, whether considering time or energy, Upper Three Heavens cultivators would usually only cultivate one divine ability in each major realm, which was their first innate divine ability.
It was not absolutely impossible to cultivate multiple abilities.
However, on the one hand, it would consume time and energy, and on the other hand, being too general and not specializing in one thing might weaken the foundation and affect further progress.
It was very rare for someone like Tang Xiaotang, who, in addition to the Yin Fire Tiger at the Seventh Heaven, also created the Yang Fire Tiger and devoted himself to cultivating it.
Yuan Mobai's approach to teaching Lei Jun and his two junior brothers was the most orthodox path in the cultivation of the Dao.
And he himself practiced according to this principle.
He had had these thoughts before, but after entering the Jiuli Secret Realm, they became more perfected.
However, before that, when Yuan Mobai was in the Seventh Heaven realm, he had always focused solely on the Life Star God as his divine ability.
"It's not really a new technique," Yuan Mobai explained. "It's just a variation of our sect's Life Star God, incorporating a small amount of something that suits me."
As he spoke, the starry river revolving around him began to change.
The countless star talismans started to merge with each other, rapidly reducing in number.
Lei Jun fixed his gaze and observed carefully. He saw that after the starlight merged and refined, the resulting forms resembled various weapons.
Because of their dazzling brilliance, the outlines of these weapons were not entirely clear.
However, a formidable aura of weapons of war, destruction, and slaughter emanated from them.
Tang Xiaotang, who was also at the Eighth Heaven realm, showed no reaction.
However, Lei Jun, who was still in the Middle Three Heavens, felt a noticeable pressure, and the Celestial Master's Seal, which was connected to his spiritual soul, flashed with jade light before the pressure dissipated.
Chu Kun, who was at a lower realm, had his spiritual energy circulating, clearly in a defensive posture.
Fortunately, Yuan Mobai only revealed a hint of his power before restraining himself.
He had only released a hint of his aura to make it easier for everyone to observe and gain insight.
"Master, my cultivation is insufficient. I can't take your jokes like this," Wang Guiyuan said beside him, pretending to wipe away sweat.
Yuan Mobai smiled and said, "It's fine to do it occasionally."
"The Nine Li Fierce Weapons are now almost legendary, but seeing them today, there is indeed a method to it," Tang Xiaotang nodded repeatedly, his interest growing.
Lei Jun counted the glowing orbs floating around Yuan Mobai's body—a total of eighty-one—which had taken on the shapes of knives, guns, swords, and spears, but their outlines were still blurry, indicating that there was still room for further enhancement.
Lei Jun asked, "Master, have you decided to refine this technique into your second innate divine ability?"
Yuan Mobai replied, "When I was cultivating in my early years, I considered two techniques, and this is one of them. After the experience in the Jiuli Secret Realm, it finally took shape.
Another method was inspired by our sect's yin and yang fire, and when I saw the sect leader's Yin Fire Tiger and Yang Fire Tiger side by side, combined with my own insights, I had some ideas. However, there are still some obstacles, and I need to contemplate further to fully understand it."
"Since that is the case, I will naturally first perfect this method and refine it as my second innate divine ability. As for the other method, I will slowly contemplate it and make plans after I have thoroughly mastered it."
Tang Xiaotang and Lei Jun looked at each other and said almost in unison, "Yin and yang in harmony, the fusion of water and fire."
The Dragon and Tiger Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion has always valued the path of yin and yang harmony.
The saying goes, "Water and fire complement each other, and dragon and tiger unite."
According to the elders of the Celestial Master's Mansion, the celestial thunder is yang, and the earthly fire is yin.
Tang Xiaotang, due to her unique circumstances, transformed the Yin Fire Tiger into the Yang Fire Tiger, thus achieving yin and yang unity. Later, in addition to the Nine Heavenly Divine Thunder, she created the Pure Yang Immortal Thunder, which can be refined together with her own pure yang true fire, as well as the yin Nine Abyss Earthly Fire.
Yuan Mobai's approach, on the other hand, is to combine water and fire.
As for the reason behind this choice, it lies in his lineage.
In this world, the Shan Pi tribe, or the Iron-Eating Beast clan, possesses not only robust bodies and saliva that can corrode metal but also an innate racial talent for harmonizing yin and yang, enabling them to refine water and fire.
Typically, in the method of water and fire harmony, fire represents yang, and water represents yin.
However, the Nine Abyss Earthly Fire, which is cultivated using the fire and earth techniques inherited by the Celestial Master's Mansion, is a yin true fire.
Therefore, Yuan Mobai needs to give further thought to his path of cultivation.
But due to the opportunity presented by the Jiuli Secret Realm, he has made a breakthrough in his understanding of another method, so he is currently focusing his attention on that aspect.
He can set aside the path of water and fire for now and continue to contemplate it slowly.
It's like finding light in the west when the east grows dark.
Yuan Mobai teaches his disciples, including Lei Jun, to act according to circumstances and not force things. He himself follows a similar path.
"I shall condense a Tian Huang Pure Yang Fa Lu for you, Little Master Uncle, to use as a reference."
"You can take your time to decide between the Yang Fire and the Yin Fire," Tang Xiaotang said.
The Tian Huang Pure Yang Technique is a divine ability law created by Tang Xiaotang based on her own pure yang true fire. It corresponds to the Nine Abyss Flame Ancestor Technique, which is the original orthodox inheritance of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Tang Xiaotang named it the Pure Yang Flame Ancestor Technique, also known as the Yang Fire Tiger.
Its counterpart is the Shen Xiao Pure Yang Fa Lu, a divine ability law that Tang Xiaotang created after further refining the Pure Yang Immortal Thunder. It is called the Pure Yang Leizu Fa Xiang, or the Yang Thunder Dragon/Pure Yang Thunder Dragon.
In recent years, Tang Xiaotang has continuously improved these abilities, and both the Yang Fire Tiger and the Yang Thunder Dragon have become formidable forces.
Like Lei Jun's self-created technique, they still require time to mature and improve, but their power and upward momentum are undeniable.
The only drawback is that these two divine abilities originate from Tang Xiaotang's Pure Yang Immortal Body, making it challenging for non-Pure Yang Immortal Body cultivators to unleash their true power.
Although Tang Xiaotang is proud, she is not selfish. When it comes to the path of cultivation, she is diligent and open-minded. In the past two years, she has been working on improving the divine abilities she created, hoping that one day they will have a certain degree of universality and can be incorporated into the sect's inheritance, contributing to the collection of divine laws of the Celestial Master's Mansion.
However, this process will also take time.
To some extent, it may even be more difficult than Tang Xiaotang's initial creation of these two divine abilities from scratch.
Not only in the Celestial Master's Mansion but throughout history, there have been brilliant individuals who created remarkable techniques within various Daoist traditions. However, these techniques often remained exclusive to the creator, dazzling for a generation before fading into legend, leaving only their stories in ancient texts for future generations to admire.
This is not always due to the creator's reluctance to share but a result of various factors.
Most cases are similar to Tang Xiaotang's current situation.
As expected, Tang Xiaotang, the Celestial Master, was not one to conform to conventions. She was determined to challenge the norms.
However, the Tian Huang Pure Yang Fa Lu she had condensed was not yet sufficient for others to cultivate the Yang Fire Tiger.
Giving it to Yuan Mobai was mainly to provide him with a reference.
After returning from the Wanfa Zongtan, Lei Jun said, "Master, as you often teach us, we can use the stones from other mountains to polish our jade. I think you can also refer to my page of the heavenly book."
The master and disciple sat facing each other, and Lei Jun summoned the currently fused Heavenly Book's dark side and the third page of the Heavenly Book from the True One Fa Tan Dongtian.
The third page of the Heavenly Book elucidates the principles of yin and yang, which holds great reference value for Yuan Mobai's contemplation of the transformation of water and fire.
However, after a brief perusal, Yuan Mobai returned the book to Lei Jun, saying, "Let's take it one step at a time. Since I've gained the opportunity of the Nine Li War Master from the Jiuli Secret Realm, I will first focus on cultivating this as my second divine ability. After that, I will consider the transformation of water and fire.
Lei Jun said, "Disciple's mind is often like a restless monkey, and my thoughts are all over the place. I try to take on too much and end up chewing more than I can swallow. Today, Master, you've taught me a lesson through your actions once again."
Yuan Mobai smiled faintly. "Everyone has their own karmic methods. Forcing uniformity would be like cutting off one's foot to fit a shoe. My teachings to you are primarily to lay a solid foundation, but from here on out, I can only guide you to the door. Cultivation depends on the individual."
"Master, you've enlightened me again," said Lei Jun.
Yuan Mobai shook his head and chuckled. "You..."
The lighthearted conversation between master and disciple stemmed from the upcoming New Year's transmission ceremony, which would be held on the fifteenth day of the new year.
For Yuan Mobai, this transmission ceremony wasn't particularly significant aside from his potential roles as the presiding high-level Taoist priest, a requested guardian master, or an overseeing master. He wasn't expecting any new disciples to join his sect.
However, it held great significance for Lei Jun.
Elder Lei was about to become a master himself.
Not as a guardian or overseeing master, but as a bona fide master teacher.
Gungun, who had already become a new star among the Taoist disciples, would be participating in this transmission ceremony to formally enter the Celestial Master's Mansion and become Lei Jun's disciple.
Yuan Mobai felt both happy and sentimental about this development.
As time passed, he was not only becoming a teacher but also a grandmaster to his disciples.
Although his sect wasn't particularly large, each of his disciples was exceptional and would become pillars of the sect, which brought him great comfort.
After chatting for a while longer, Lei Jun bid his master farewell. Suddenly, Yuan Mobai seemed to remember something. "Right, Chongyun, do you still have that Buddhist dharma you obtained in the Southern Wasteland?"
"I gave it to the White Lotus Sect, but I kept an imprint of it in my mind. Although it's complete, its effectiveness is significantly weaker than the original dharma," Lei Jun replied.
Yuan Mobai nodded. "That's enough."
Lei Jun didn't inquire about the specifics of his master's Buddhist friend or his plans. Instead, he took out a spirit talisman and imprinted the Buddhist dharma that he had memorized onto it using his own Taoist seal. Then, he handed it to Yuan Mobai.
Now that his master had emerged from seclusion, Lei Jun had another person to consult and verify his Taoist practices.
In the following days, he continued to steadily advance in his cultivation.
News of Yuan Mobai's emergence from seclusion and successful breakthrough to the Eighth Heaven spread quickly throughout the Celestial Master's Mansion and beyond.
On the one hand, it boosted the morale and confidence of their sect.
On the other hand, it served to intimidate their rivals and solidify the reputation of Dragon and Tiger Mountain and the Taoist Talisman Sect in the surrounding areas.
Due to the consecutive crises they had faced and their subsequent decline, the influence of Dragon and Tiger Mountain and the entire Taoist Talisman Sect had been waning in recent years.
Now, as the Celestial Master's Mansion slowly recovered, they also needed to halt this downward trend and make a comeback.
The addition of another Eighth Heaven cultivator would undoubtedly have a significant impact.
Both within and outside the mansion, the news caused quite a stir.
The disciples, especially the younger ones, felt a sense of pride and relief, as if a dark cloud had been lifted.
From a certain perspective, Yuan Mobai's emergence from seclusion excited someone in the mansion even more than it did Lei Jun and his brothers.
With another Eighth Heaven cultivator in the mansion besides her, she wouldn't have to stay on the mountain and watch over things all the time...
After repeated persuasion from Lei Jun and his brothers, coupled with the relatively stable situation in the world, the restless heart of the Celestial Master of Tang was temporarily soothed.
"Hmm, you're right. The New Year is almost here, and we have the transmission ceremony afterward. Let's discuss this again after the New Year," the Celestial Master decided.
As the season deepened into late autumn and gradually turned to winter, the eleventh month arrived.
One day, Lei Jun suddenly received a message from the Yin Moon of the Great Bear constellation in the Heavenly Book universe:
"There's some unusual activity in the northern frontier."
In an area under the influence of the Lin Clan of Youzhou, people from the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou, with whom they had a long-standing feud, had appeared.
Moreover, their location was near the Great Black Mountain, north of Youzhou.
Upon hearing this information, Lei Jun's eyes widened in surprise.
However, what concerned him even more was that the glowing ball in his mind suddenly shone, and words appeared:
[Conflict between foreign realms, a battle of deception, shrouded in illusion and trickery.]
Along with this message, four fortunes appeared:
[Moderately good fortune: On the thirtieth day of November, at noon, travel to Dragon Bone Ridge. There is a chance to obtain a fourth-grade opportunity. Some turbulence, auspicious.]
[Moderately good fortune: On the thirtieth day of November, at noon, travel to Long Lake. There is a chance to obtain a fourth-grade opportunity. Some turbulence, auspicious.]
[Moderate fortune: Stay in the mountains and cultivate in peace. No extra gains or losses, neutral.]
[Moderately bad fortune: Before December, travel to the Great Black Mountain. There is a chance to obtain a fifth-grade opportunity, but there is a great danger. Proceed with extreme caution, inauspicious.]
(End of Chapter)
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