https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-30-Accelerated-Cultivation-Waiver-of-Consequences/12586152/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-32-100-Talisman-Making-Success-Rate/12586154/
Chapter 31: The Fifth-Rank Opportunity, Zhu Feng's Brush
Chapter 31: The Fifth-Rank Opportunity, Zhu Feng's Brush
Yuan Mo Bai had made a rough estimation of Lei Jun's potential, taking into account various factors such as his current root bone, comprehension, and mental state.
Without any external influences, it was predicted that Lei Jun would take around a year to progress from the initial stage of foundation establishment to the middle stage.
From the middle stage to the advanced stage, it would take about three years.
And from the advanced stage to the peak, approximately six years would be required.
In other words, it would take a full decade to complete the entire foundation establishment realm, from start to finish.
The Triple Heaven Altar realm was different from the Twelve Stories of the First Heaven and the four stages of the Second Heaven – initial, middle, advanced, and peak.
The Altar realm was divided into three minor realms: Heaven, Earth, and Man. By establishing three layers of altars, one proclaimed the completion of this realm and laid the foundation for the rush towards the Four Heavens and the Yuan Fu realm.
However, these three minor realms could take up to twenty years to complete.
Thus, the foundation establishment and altar realms combined would take a total of thirty years.
For Lei Jun, Li Ying, Shangguan Hong, Chen Yi, and Guo Yan, who had similar conditions, the timeline was more or less the same.
By then, they would all be in their late forties to early fifties.
Although Li Xuan, Li Ming, and Li Ying were siblings, there was an age gap of over twenty years between each of them.
In the mortal world, this would be like having three generations in a family.
However, in the cultivation world, for cultivators who had achieved foundation establishment, fifty years was just the beginning of their prime.
Nevertheless, even for direct disciples of the Daoist holy lands like Li Ying, Lei Jun, and Chen Yi, the ages of forty to fifty already accounted for almost a quarter of their two-hundred-year lifespan—the most precious and rapid phase of their cultivation progress.
Of course, there could be variations during actual cultivation.
For instance, Lei Jun had only established his foundation in the second month of this year, and now, in the eighth month, he had successfully opened up the eight gates within his dao foundation, advancing to the middle stage of foundation establishment. This was due to the nourishment he received from the Cloud Sea Fairy Pool.
Direct disciples of the Daoist holy lands had superior cultivation techniques, and their advantages in cultivation were undeniable when compared to ordinary loose cultivators.
However, disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion also had to consider one issue.
The tribulations and obstacles between major realm breakthroughs, such as from the Second Heaven to the Third Heaven, could stall a cultivator's progress for a long time.
Auxiliary means like the baptism of the Cloud Sea Fairy Pool helped shorten this time gap, but it was uncertain if it would be enough to make up for the stagnation before facing the tribulations of a major realm breakthrough.
Therefore, everyone still had to come up with their own strategies and seek opportunities to advance as quickly as possible. The earlier the progress, the better.
Passing the age of fifty didn't mean there was no hope left, but in the Celestial Master's Mansion, everyone was a proud child of heaven. Who would want to linger at the Four Heavens or Five Heavens realm?
Who wouldn't aspire to climb to even higher realms?
For Lei Jun, the benefits of the Cloud Sea Fairy Pool's baptism only applied to the initial and middle stages of foundation establishment.
For his subsequent cultivation, Lei Jun still needed three years to advance from the middle stage to the advanced stage of foundation establishment.
However, with the continuous assistance of a large amount of green stone ink, this three-year period could be shortened by half.
The six years required to progress from the advanced stage to the peak of foundation establishment could also be reduced to some extent.
Furthermore, the Misty Cloud Crystal, which helped mitigate the side effects of the green stone ink, remained unpolluted.
When Lei Jun reached the peak of foundation establishment and prepared to challenge the second tribulation, this treasure would still be able to provide its original auxiliary effect.
However, the Misty Cloud Crystals were limited in number and could only be used by Lei Jun alone.
If they were shared and used alternately by others, the efficiency of cultivating with the green stone ink would undoubtedly decrease, defeating the original purpose.
Fortunately, among his acquaintances, there was no one at the Second Heaven foundation establishment realm, so there was no need to share.
He could focus solely on his own progress.
As time passed, Lei Jun turned his attention inward, observing the changes within his dao foundation.
On his already established Dao foundation, with its eight gates in place, spiritual power and qi converged, condensing into a hazy aura.
According to the traditions of the major Daoist holy lands, the Second Heaven realm was commonly referred to as the foundation establishment realm.
However, "foundation establishment" was different from "establishing a foundation."
In the Daoist Talisman sect inherited by the Celestial Master's Mansion, the foundation establishment realm was actually about establishing a virtual altar for oneself.
Once the altar was firmly established, one could then set up a law altar.
In Lei Jun's understanding, at the initial stage of foundation establishment, the dao foundation was just beginning to form, like a flat, solid piece of ground.
At the middle stage, one would formally enclose the designated area and build a city with eight gates.
At the advanced stage, it was expected that in front of the law altar to be established, there would be six curtains placed.
These six curtains were the Xuan Shi Curtain, the Five Emperors Curtain, the Celestial Master Curtain, the Three Masters Curtain, the Three Officials Curtain, and the Supervisor Curtain, each dedicated to the veneration of the true spirits of the Daoist lineage.
Lei Jun settled into a tranquil state, focusing on his cultivation and summoning the ethereal veil to solidify upon his Dao foundation.
With an abundance of Green Stone Ink and other resources supplied by the Celestial Master's Mansion, Lei Jun swiftly erected three veils.
As he progressed, the task became increasingly challenging and time-consuming, but upon estimating the overall time spent, it was at least twice as fast as normal cultivation!
Yuan Mo Bai visited the private residence to teach and was pleased with Lei Jun's progress, nodding in approval. "Excellent, you're progressing even faster than I expected."
Lei Jun attributed his success to his undivided attention to cultivation, free from external distractions, and expressed his gratitude to his teachers and senior martial brothers and sisters for their guidance.
Yuan Mo Bai humbly smiled and redirected the praise back to Lei Jun's dedication.
Lei Jun inquired about the well-being of his Master, senior martial brothers, Zhang Shijie, and Shangguan Shibo.
Yuan Mo Bai shared that there had been some new developments, and they were temporarily preoccupied with other matters.
"It's related to what happened at the Cloud Sea Fairy Pool," Wang Guiyuan interjected on behalf of his master. "When we were at the Upper Fairy Pool, Chen Yi discovered a treasure called the Fiery Cloud Lotus Seed, but he was ambushed and nearly lost his life as a result of the attack."
Lei Jun raised an eyebrow, "Are you implying that Li Ming was behind this?"
Wang Guiyuan explained that Chen Yi had been caught off guard and fell into the water, unable to identify his attacker clearly due to their superior cultivation level and the haste of the situation.
At that time, only Fang Jian and Li Ming among the Little Paradise had higher cultivation levels than Lei Jun and Chen Yi.
Coupled with Li Ming's subsequent retrieval of the Heat Crystals from the Lower Fairy Pool, Chen Yi's accusation didn't need to name names.
"It's a matter of speculation now since Chen Yi is no longer with us," Lei Jun commented. "Is Chen Yi determined to hold a grudge against the Li family?"
Wang Guiyuan whispered, "He has only deepened his enmity with the Zi Yang branch of the Li family, not the entire Li family..."
Lei Jun acknowledged with an "Oh," understanding the internal divisions within the Li family.
Wang Guiyuan cleared his throat, aware that Lei Jun was well-informed about the dynamics within the Celestial Master's Mansion.
The current Celestial Master, Li Qingfeng, had two siblings: an older brother, Li Qingfeng, a younger sister, Li Hongyu, and a younger brother, Li Ziyang.
These three siblings, along with Yuan Mo Bai, Chen Yi's master Yao, and Shangguan, were the six direct disciples of the previous Celestial Master.
Among them, the second master, Li Hongyu, had the most contentious relationship with the current Celestial Master.
The siblings had directly competed for the position of Celestial Master.
"Before Master's dramatic departure, Chen Yi didn't cause much of a stir. Now that he's bringing up past events, has Master Li Hongyu emerged from her seclusion?" Lei Jun inquired.
Li Ziyang shared a close bond with his older brother, Li Qingfeng, and naturally, his relationship with his second sister, Li Hongyu, was strained.
Wang Guiyuan confirmed Lei Jun's suspicion.
Lei Jun sighed, "What a mess."
However, the chaos worked in Lei Jun and Yuan Mo Bai's favor as they could remain spectators, uninvolved in the drama.
After some casual conversation, Yuan Mo Bai steered the topic back to the day's lesson.
In the morning, he imparted Daoist scriptures and clarified any doubts, and after lunch, Lei Jun returned to the mine.
With each day of cultivating and extracting Green Stone Ink, he ventured deeper into the mine.
A few days later, after collecting two more pieces of raw Green Stone Ink, Lei Jun noticed a streak of crimson amidst the verdant hues before him.
Lei Jun sensed no danger; instead, he felt a sense of familiarity as his spiritual power flowed.
With careful grinding, he extracted a brush from the Green Stone Ink ore.
The brush handle was pitch-black, shimmering with a greenish light, and the tip was a vivid crimson.
"Using divine ink to nurture a divine brush, what an ingenious idea."
Lei Jun pondered for a moment, his heart stirring with a realization.
Due to his prolonged exposure to and refinement of Green Stone Ink, he felt an unexpected sense of harmony when handling this divine brush.
The brush contained profound mysteries that a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Lei Jun couldn't fully comprehend.
Yet, holding the brush, he felt as if it were an extension of his arm.
"Is this Master's Zhu Feng brush?"
Wang Guiyuan, upon seeing the brush, was surprised. "It's been a long time since I've seen this."
Lei Jun's eyebrows arched at the mention of the brush.
Among the upper-middle signs, there was not only the mention of weathering the storm but also a fifth-rank opportunity.
(End of Chapter)
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