https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-309-Second-Layer-of-the-Eightfold-Heaven-Inner-Landscape-of-the-Divine-Court-Part-2-/12588637/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-310-Touring-the-World-Elder-Lei-Part-2-/12588639/
Chapter 310: Touring the World, Elder Lei (Part 1)
Chapter 310: Touring the World, Elder Lei (Part 1)
The next step is to venture outside the divine court... Lei Jun thought to himself.
For a Fu Lu sect cultivator, the advancement from the second layer of the Eighth Heaven's inner divine court to the outer divine court of the third layer of the Eighth Heaven signifies a massive boost in combat prowess, second only to a major realm breakthrough.
The key to this advancement lies in the continued expansion of the divine court, ultimately transforming the internal universe within the body into an external universe independent of the true heavens.
Of course, this hurdle is not easily overcome.
Fortunately for Lei Jun, the Brahma Qi Xian Hu was truly extraordinary.
After refining it and merging it with his soul, its effects would last for a long time.
Its benefits would not only aid him in advancing from the inner divine court to the middle divine court but also continue to boost his cultivation as he progressed towards the outer divine court, allowing him to reach the next level in a shorter time than expected.
However, under such circumstances, it was even more important to avoid impatience and anxiety.
While an imbalanced mental state might not be as risky as when attempting a major realm breakthrough, it could still cause a cultivator to stagnate.
Lei Jun gazed quietly at the distant sunrise over the mountains before returning to the Heavenly Master's Mansion located halfway up the main peak.
After meeting with Yuan Mo Bai, Shangguan Ning, Zhang Jingzhen, and others, Lei Jun had officially ended his seclusion and was ready to assist Yuan Mo Bai and the others in managing the daily affairs of the mansion once again.
By the winter of that year, the Triennial Initiation Ceremony arrived once more.
A certain Heavenly Master with the surname Tang did not return to the mountain but sent a message instructing that the ceremony should proceed as scheduled and be presided over by a senior elder from the mansion.
Although many within and outside the mansion speculated that Lei Jun, who was of the same generation as Tang Xiaotang, might succeed the position of Heavenly Master, neither Lei Jun himself nor Yuan Mo Bai and the others intended to arrange for him to temporarily preside over important ceremonies during Tang Xiaotang's absence.
Thus, this Initiation Ceremony was hosted by Shangguan Ning, with Lei Jun and Yuan Mo Bai assisting her.
Zhang Jingzhen, on the other hand, participated in the ceremony in another capacity.
She was about to take on her first disciple.
Four years ago, when she left Chang'an to return to the mountain, she had brought back a young man, introducing him to the path of cultivation and enrolling him in the Daoist Academy at the foot of the mountain.
According to the customs of Longhu Mountain, unless there were special circumstances, that young man was now considered to be under Zhang Jingzhen's tutelage.
Once he obtained the qualifications for initiation and successfully participated in the Initiation Ceremony to enter the mansion, he would officially become Zhang Jingzhen's disciple.
The young man's name was Zhang Xiuyuan.
He, like Zhang Jingzhen, was a member of the imperial family.
Zhang Jingzhen was very open about all of this and had no intention of avoiding any potential conflicts of interest.
"Jingzhen, you don't need to make your intentions so obvious," Shangguan Ning sighed softly as she spoke privately with Zhang Jingzhen.
Zhang Jingzhen herself was of imperial birth, a direct descendant of the Tang Dynasty's imperial family.
Her personal disciple was not like Shangguan Ning's senior disciple, Lin Shan, who came from a humble background.
Zhang Xiuyuan was also a member of the imperial clan.
In this situation, aside from the fact that Zhang Jingzhen herself had no aspirations for the position of Heavenly Master, it also indicated that her lineage had no such intentions for the foreseeable future.
"Master, you misunderstand," Zhang Jingzhen smiled. "I have no intentions in that regard, nor am I trying to make a statement. It's just that Xiuyuan and I have forged a connection of fate. Since this is the case, we cultivators should follow the will of heaven and go with the flow."
She paced twice within the quiet room. "I used to have some thoughts along the lines of 'if it doesn't shine here, it'll shine there,' but now those thoughts have faded.
If the current Sect Leader steps down, it is most likely that Lei, our fellow junior, will take his place.
Although Hua Jie is not of our lineage, Lei may still have other disciples in the future.
I perceive that Lei is not the type to cling to power. Even if the next Heavenly Master after him is one of his disciples, as long as they are talented and virtuous, there is no harm in that, is there?"
Zhang Jingzhen smiled. "Moreover, didn't the Sect Master also consider finding a disciple of his own before he left the mountain this time, wanting to test his own fate?"
Shangguan Ning looked at her and said softly, "I know your aspirations since childhood, and now hearing you say this, it shows that your heart is unburdened. This is truly beneficial for your cultivation path."
Zhang and Shangguan shared a bond where they rejoiced and sorrowed together.
To some extent, Shangguan Ning could also be considered a member of the Tang imperial family.
She was very familiar with Zhang Jingzhen and knew that beneath her disciple's calm and dignified demeanor, there was a strong-willed and ambitious side.
It was just unfortunate that there was always someone even more exceptional.
The disciples of their generation in the Heavenly Master's Mansion were truly extraordinary.
If Zhang Jingzhen could not come to terms with this, she would only bring suffering upon herself.
Fortunately, she had found peace with it, thus opening up more possibilities for her future.
"Zhang Xiuyuan, he's from the line of the Prince of Wei Yang, isn't he?" Shangguan Ning no longer worried about Zhang Jingzhen, but her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Such a name?"
Zhang Jingzhen nodded gently. "Xiuyuan is a distant branch of the family, and they do not get along with the main line of the Prince of Wei Yang. I once asked him if he wanted to change his name, but he refused. I could tell that he does care, perhaps even too much..."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ning did not inquire further about any potential troubles or concerns Zhang Jingzhen might face by bringing Zhang Xiuyuan back to the mountain. She simply shook her head:
"A heavy heart is detrimental to cultivation, especially when facing the tribulations between major realms.
You should pay close attention to him in this regard."
"Yes, Master," Zhang Jingzhen replied.
She shared the same thoughts.
However, she would not reveal her concerns in front of her disciple.
During the Initiation Ceremony, the master and disciple stood on opposite sides and performed the ritual of breaking the divided ring.
Once the ceremony was complete, Zhang Xiuyuan officially became Zhang Jingzhen's disciple.
Lei Jun and Yuan Mo Bai assisted Shangguan Ning in hosting the ceremony.
There were several promising candidates at this year's Initiation Ceremony, but the one who attracted the most attention was undoubtedly Zhang Jingzhen's first disciple, Zhang Xiuyuan.
On the one hand, he possessed exceptional talent.
Normally, it wouldn't take four years to participate in the Initiation Ceremony.
It was just that he had only been in the Daoist Academy for a year when the previous ceremony was held, so the timing was a bit rushed, and thus he was included in this year's ceremony instead.
On the other hand, it was due to his identity.
His master, Zhang Jingzhen, was the only high-achieving elder initiating a disciple during this ceremony.
Moreover, both master and disciple were members of the imperial family.
This naturally sparked people's imaginations.
The guests of honor at this year's Grand Ceremony were all focused on Zhang Xiuyuan.
Lei Jun and Yuan Mo Bai, on the other hand, remained relatively calm.
Rather than what the other party did before entering the sect, they were more concerned about what he would do after joining.
As long as one was a proper disciple of the Heavenly Master's Mansion, their past identities and backgrounds would gradually fade over time.
At least, in the four years since Zhang Xiuyuan entered the Daoist Academy, Lei Jun and his master had kept a close eye on him, and they had found nothing amiss.
If there was anything that piqued Lei Jun's curiosity, it was how someone of imperial descent could have such a... thought-provoking name.
However, as long as the other party had no ill intentions, Lei Jun wouldn't pry too deeply.
He trusted that Zhang Jingzhen would handle the situation appropriately.
This year's Transmission Ceremony was attended by Lei Jun's fellow junior, Chu Kun, who was from the same sect.
According to his own words, he had been out traveling.
As for where he had traveled to, that was up to him to share.
Lei Jun took Chu Kun at his word.
However, this trip of his had lasted a little longer than expected.
Fortunately, by the end of January, Chu Kun returned safely.
"Are you alright?" Lei Jun asked his junior upon their reunion.
Chu Kun smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine, senior brother. Don't worry."
Lei Jun circled Chu Kun a few times, nodding repeatedly. "Have you finished compiling and summarizing the knowledge of the Dao Seal realm? It looks like you only need to prepare for the tribulations related to the transition from the Sixth Heaven to the Seventh Heaven."
It had taken Lei Jun himself around five years to progress from the Sixth Heaven to the Seventh Heaven.
While Chu Kun still had to prepare for the tribulations ahead, he had managed to complete the accumulation of knowledge for the Dao Seal realm in about six years, which was undoubtedly an extremely fast cultivation speed.
Now, the suspense lay in when he would overcome the final tribulation.
Lei Jun had been able to break through from the Sixth Heaven to the Seventh Heaven so quickly thanks to numerous opportunities, including the Immortal Spirit Origin Seed that Chu Kun had given him.
Chu Kun had also prepared a set for himself.
However, the tribulation of the heavens was still incredibly challenging.
Chu Kun: "Yes, I've finished accumulating the knowledge, but how difficult is it to overcome that last hurdle?"
Lei Jun: "It won't stop you."
Comparing Chu Kun's current progress to his own, Lei Jun guessed that his junior brother's achievements were not solely due to his Stellar Holy Body; his other talents must also be extraordinary.
It seemed that Chu Kun was similar to him and Xu Yuanzhen in that they all relied on enhancing their innate abilities through external means.
"Thanks for the encouragement, senior brother," Chu Kun said with a smile.
As he spoke, he took out a Daoist Miniature Pouch and handed it to Lei Jun. "I managed to fulfill your request. During my trip, I took the opportunity to visit my home, and I successfully gathered the things you asked for."
When the Miniature Pouch was opened, it was filled with a large amount of paper.
The papers were not only filled with abundant spiritual energy but also exuded a scholarly aura that formed faint rays of light around them.
The righteous aura unique to Confucian cultivators emanated from within.
"Oh? So many Papers of Brilliance?" Lei Jun took the pouch.
He had previously asked Chu Kun to help him look for high-quality Confucian paper.
For the past two years, they had been unable to find any.
But Chu Kun had obviously kept it in mind.
This trip had finally given him the opportunity to find what they needed.
The Paper of Brilliance was one of the finest Confucian papers, and the scholarly aura within it was almost tangible.
Lei Jun thanked Chu Kun and put away the Miniature Pouch.
After handling the affairs of the mansion during the day, Lei Jun returned to his residence in the evening.
He took out the large amount of Confucian Paper of Brilliance from the Miniature Pouch and spread it out in front of him.
Then, Lei Jun took out some other items.
A Jade Green Pen.
Confucian Ink made by the Chu Clan.
A Moon-Bright Inkstone.
Together with the newly acquired Paper of Brilliance, he now had the complete set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Furthermore, all four items were treasures of the Confucian path, exuding a scholarly aura.
When the four spiritual treasures were gathered together, they naturally resonated with each other without Lei Jun having to cast any spells.
Even the Moon-Bright Inkstone, which had originally been in the possession of the Confucian cultivator Wang Feng, did not seem out of place among the others.
Lei Jun quietly examined these treasures—the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
After a moment, he put everything away again.
Basically, he had gathered all the initial materials he needed.
All he lacked now was a suitable foundational spiritual object to serve as their base.
If Lei Jun had been a Confucian cultivator, he could have immediately started writing with the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone at his disposal.
The Paper of Brilliance was naturally suited to serve as the foundation for the other three treasures.
Unfortunately, although Lei Jun had been studying Confucian cultivation in recent years, he was not a Confucian cultivator himself.
If he were to force it, it wasn't entirely impossible, but it would inevitably result in a mixture of Daoist and Confucian principles.
From the perspective of a Daoist cultivator, if he wanted to keep things distinct and clear, he would need to find another spiritual object to serve as the foundation.
"Jade..." Lei Jun pondered.
He checked his own collection and then went to the mansion's treasure pavilion but couldn't find a suitable choice.
Lei Jun wasn't discouraged, though. He simply made a mental note to keep an eye out for opportunities in the future.
For now, he put away the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and continued with his own cultivation.
One evening, after Lei Jun had finished handling the affairs of the Heavenly Master's Mansion, he was about to return to his residence when he was stopped by his master, Yuan Mo Bai, who wanted to speak with him for a moment.
"There are two matters," Yuan Mo Bai said, his usual smile a bit more subdued than it typically was as he spoke with a more serious tone. "The first matter is that the Sect Leader has sent a message. During her travels, she did not encounter Huang Xuanpu or Fu Dongsen, but by coincidence, she came into contact with a rather unique existence..."
Seeing his master's expression, Lei Jun knew that the matter was not trivial.
Indeed, his master continued, "According to the Sect Leader's speculation, it is possible... that it was Huangquan."
Huangquan, one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, was a legendary realm of the underworld, similar to Wujian, both of which were places of death and great danger.
"Should I bring the Heavenly Master's Robe to support Junior Sister Xiaotang?" Lei Jun asked.
When the Heavenly Master's Robe had finally returned to the mountain, it seemed to have some connection with Huangquan.
The strange aura it had picked up was suppressed by Lei Jun's talismans and had remained preserved until now.
"According to the Sect Leader, the clues related to this matter appeared and disappeared like a fleeting glimpse, and she is currently investigating it.
(End of Chapter)
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