https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-2-Choosing-One-s-Fate-Seeking-Fortune-and-Avoiding-Calamity/12586096/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-4-4-Opportunities-Vary-in-Quality/12586104/
Chapter 3: 3. Consecutive Cultivation Advancement
Chapter 3: 3. Consecutive Cultivation Advancement
Lei Jun quietly circulated his Qi, and within his body, five Qi Seas began to tremble simultaneously.
The shadow of the Purple Golden Lingzhi also shook gently in response.
A vast amount of spiritual energy was continuously refined and absorbed by Lei Jun, transforming into true Qi within his Qi Seas.
The minor bottleneck he had encountered before was now easily broken through with little effort, much faster than he had anticipated.
The sixth Qi Sea was born anew!
Lei Jun opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.
His cultivation base had improved; he had advanced from the fifth layer of Qi Refining to the sixth layer.
As far as Lei Jun knew, the cultivation practices of the current world were customarily divided into nine major realms, also known as the Nine Heavens.
Depending on the specific traditions and cultivation methods of each sect, the characteristics of these realms might vary, but they were generally categorized into the Nine Heavens.
The Dan Ding Sect of the Daoist tradition typically referred to the Nine Heavens from the lowest to the highest as Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Cauldron Furnace, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Yuan Infant, Spirit Transformation, and Great Perfection.
Lei Jun's sect, the Heavenly Master's Mansion, was the ancestral home of the Daoist Fu Lu tradition. In their sect, the Nine Heavens from the lowest to the highest were Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Ritual Altar, Primal Seal, Daoist Palace, Daoist Seal, Reaching Heaven, Divine Court, and Great Perfection.
Some of the major realms were further subdivided into minor realms, with varying numbers.
For instance, the first heaven, Qi Refining Realm, was divided into twelve minor realms, known as the Twelve Floors.
The second heaven, Foundation Establishment Realm, was divided into four minor realms: Initial, Middle, High, and Perfection stages.
And so on, with numerous variations.
After all, the Heavenly Master's Mansion was the sacred ancestral land of the Daoist Fu Lu tradition. Even the most fundamental methods for laying a solid foundation had their unique intricacies.
Although Lei Jun had only recently begun his cultivation journey and hadn't been practicing for long, his previous path had already led him to attain the fifth layer of Qi Refining.
However, lately, he had felt his cultivation progress slowing down.
On one hand, the higher the cultivation realm, the more challenging it became, often requiring more time and effort.
On the other hand, the various spiritual objects he used as cultivation resources were relatively limited.
While the Heavenly Master's Mansion was a vast and influential sect, in most cases, resources were abundantly supplied only after a Daoist disciple underwent the Transmission Ceremony and officially became a true disciple of the sect.
Fortunately, for now, this Purple Golden Lingzhi was like a private stove for Lei Jun, providing him with a steady supply of spiritual energy.
"But this is just a single resource. Once I participate in the Transmission Ceremony and become a formal true disciple, my treatment in terms of methods, resources, wealth, and companions will improve comprehensively."
Lei Jun slowly concluded his cultivation session. "I still need to strive to participate in the Transmission Ceremony as soon as possible and leave the Daoist academy at the foot of the mountain to go to the main sect up in the mountains."
The shadow of the Purple Golden Lingzhi in his dantian once again dispersed into strands of golden light, permeating his limbs and bones.
However, whenever he needed it, it could be reassembled, remaining inconspicuous otherwise.
Middle-upper lottery ticket, five-grade opportunity... Lei Jun nodded slowly.
I wonder what the six-grade opportunity is for the middle sign at the Lingzhi Platform?
The next day, he attended the morning class as usual.
After the class, Lei Jun and the others who had escaped the danger were allowed to visit their injured acquaintances.
"Lei, you didn't go to Elder Du's cave for the selection, and as a result, you avoided a calamity!" exclaimed a Daoist disciple.
Overnight, various rumors started spreading within the Daoist academy:
"By the way, I heard that the spiritual vein at the Lingzhi Platform suddenly revived yesterday!"
"Is it related to Elder Du's Ritual Altar?"
"If there was a way to restore the Lingzhi Platform, why didn't they do it earlier?"
"Maybe it was a lucky coincidence..."
Someone nudged Lei Jun's elbow. "Lei, did you hear? Not only did the spiritual vein at the Lingzhi Platform revive, but a pure golden Lingzhi also grew there!"
"A pure golden Lingzhi?" Lei Jun turned to look.
"Yes!"
The Daoist disciple nodded vigorously. "I heard that because the stagnant and withered spiritual vein suddenly regained vitality, causing the spiritual energy to reverse and usher in a new phase, a pure golden Lingzhi was born immediately after the revival. It's hard to say if there will be more in the future.
According to the elders, before the Lingzhi Platform was damaged in the past, it gave birth to a Purple Golden Lingzhi, which is even higher in grade than the pure golden one! But the revival of the Lingzhi Platform is already a great joy, and the birth of a pure golden Lingzhi is like a double happiness. We shouldn't be too greedy."
"Makes sense," Lei Jun said.
"I've heard about that, but I've also heard about something else." Suddenly, another Daoist disciple beside them spoke up. "That pure golden Lingzhi that just grew was picked by one of our senior brothers from the Daoist academy!"
The people around them were astonished. "Really?"
The Daoist disciple raised his hand and explained enthusiastically, "It's true! It was an eighth-division senior brother from our academy. I remember his name... it's Chen Yi, yes, Chen Yi!"
The rumors spread, and that day, the little Daoist disciple Chen Yi from the eighth division of the Daoist academy also stayed away from the commotion at Elder Du's cave.
As the spiritual vein revived, Chen Yi just so happened to be by the Lingzhi Platform and reaped the greatest reward, plucking the newly grown pure golden lingzhi.
Zhang Xiuye, who managed to keep his life but was now weakly injured, felt both envious and jealous:
"It's so unfair! We were injured by the explosion of the altar, and he got a huge windfall!"
Lei Jun: "...That's true."
Someone grumbled, "This kind of spiritual object, how could it be picked privately? Won't the Mansion take it for themselves?"
A fellow Taoist disciple across from him spread his hands helplessly, "I heard that the Mansion announced that the revival of the Lingzhi Platform and the birth of the golden lingzhi was an unexpected blessing from heaven. So whoever encountered it is considered lucky, and they won't pursue the matter. Also... it seems that Chen Yi ate the pure golden lingzhi on the spot!"
Everyone: "That little rascal really has all the luck!"
Lei Jun cleared his throat, "It's getting late, Zhang Xiuye and the others are injured and need their rest."
"Lei Xiuye is right." The surrounding crowd gradually dispersed.
Lei Jun left the infirmary and walked down the road, deep in thought.
Du Changlao's big move, which caused the long-damaged Lingzhi Platform to revive, should have been an unexpected event, right?
That little partner called Chen Yi was so lucky to have such perfect timing and stumble upon this coincidence?
But if he had known beforehand that Du Changlao would do something like this, why would he go to the Lingzhi Platform instead of searching for the purple golden lingzhi near Du Changlao's cave?
In terms of quality, the purple golden lingzhi was superior to the pure golden lingzhi.
Setting aside the luck of the draw, the difference between a five-grade opportunity and a six-grade opportunity was evident.
The revival of the Lingzhi Platform could have potentially formed a purple golden lingzhi of the highest quality.
However, it was a mixed blessing, with both advantages and disadvantages.
Affected by the azure lightning, although the Lingzhi Platform revived, the essence of the purple golden lingzhi had just taken shape and was once again scattered by the exploding lightning.
Thus, in its place, only a secondary pure golden lingzhi was formed.
The essence of the purple golden lingzhi transformed into a shadow and entangled with the lightning, accompanying the light storm as it flew outwards and fell back near Du Changlao's cave.
Because it had initially entangled with the azure lightning, the two canceled each other out.
The azure lightning masked the spiritual energy of the lingzhi essence.
The essence of the lingzhi neutralized the violence of the lightning.
When the azure lightning gradually dissipated, just as the essence of the purple golden lingzhi was about to reappear, Lei Jun seized the opportunity before anyone else could sense it.
Lei Jun shook his head, calmed his mind, and diligently completed the tasks of the Taoist academy as he usually did.
In the evening, he returned to his small courtyard and cultivated quietly at his own pace, neither rushed nor anxious.
The essence of the purple golden lingzhi continuously transformed into spiritual energy, nourishing Lei Jun's flesh and blood and aiding his progress.
Time passed, and before long...
True Qi roared within Lei Jun's body like a rushing river, quickly forming a seventh Qi sea.
He had reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining as well!
"Hmm, not bad, not bad."
The next morning, the instructor looked at Lei Jun with satisfaction and nodded, "Your progress is faster than I expected."
Previously, he had felt regret.
This boy named Lei Jun had good mental fortitude and a bit of spiritual insight, but unfortunately, his natural talent and aptitude were mediocre.
It wasn't terrible, but it was about average.
However, this was the Heavenly Master's Mansion, the sacred ancestral land of the Daoist Fu Lu tradition, where geniuses and prodigies gathered without a doubt.
This instructor was a genuine descendant of the Heavenly Master's Mansion himself.
What other sects considered top-notch talent was not unusual in the Mansion.
And Lei Jun had started his cultivation journey late.
Many of the young Taoist disciples in the academy were only fourteen or fifteen years old, while Lei Jun was already eighteen when he entered.
But now, the instructor felt that he had misjudged Lei Jun.
Lei Jun said, "I started my cultivation journey late, and I was already older when I began. I can only make up for it by working harder and not daring to slack off in the slightest."
The instructor was pleased, "With diligent cultivation, although you won't make it in time for next year's Transmission Ceremony, you still have hope for the one three years later."
In this world, the Transmission Ceremony, where Taoist disciples became formal true disciples and received the true teachings, was held once every three years in the Heavenly Master's Mansion.
One of the basic requirements to participate in the Transmission was to reach the perfect state of the First Heaven, the twelfth layer of Qi Refining.
The Taoist disciples' cultivation methods only covered the foundation-building stages of Qi Refining.
Only by participating in the Transmission and becoming formal disciples could they hope to attain the Second Heaven, the Foundation Establishment.
(End of Chapter)
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