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Chapter 425: The Innate Taoist (Part 1)
Chapter 425: The Innate Taoist (Part 1)
425. The Innate Taoist (Two-in-One Chapter)
Ko Sicheng chose the Faluo Di as his first lifebound divine ability, also known as the Nine Abyss Flame Ancestor's Law Form, otherwise known as the Yin Huo Hu.
Perhaps due to the many hardships he faced along the way, Ko Sicheng tended to seek stability in all aspects. This was evident in his previous extended stay at the Sixth Heaven Realm before finally attempting to cross the heavenly chasm between the Sixth and Seventh Heaven.
He did not choose the Lei Fa Tian Shu Fa Lu, which his master, Yao Yuan, and other unrelated elders had always hoped for. Instead, he opted for the Huo Fa Di Shu Fa Lu. The reason lay in the solid foundation Ko Sicheng had already established under Yao Yuan's tutelage since he entered the Mansion.
Yao Yuan's first lifebound divine ability when he attained the Seventh Heaven Realm was the Yin Huo Hu.
Influenced by his master, Ko Sicheng's choices of lifebound divine talismans and divine laws during the Lower and Middle Three Heavens were biased towards pyromancy, such as the Blazing Flame Talisman and the Infinite Flame Talisman.
Along this path, he received Yao Yuan's meticulous guidance, and he himself was diligent in his practice.
Hence, when it came to choosing his lifebound divine ability at the Seventh Heaven, he continued on the path of pyromancy, inheriting Yao Yuan's legacy.
Yao Yuan himself now possessed a peaceful state of mind, having successfully attained the Eighth Heaven Realm.
Influenced by his master and his own personality, Ko Sicheng also maintained a calm heart.
For the current heir of the Heavenly Master's Mansion, the Lei Fa Tian Shu Fa Lu held significance beyond its intrinsic value and no longer carried a special meaning, freeing the heir from any fixation.
The heirs of the Mansion could mostly approach their choices with a calm mind, selecting the divine abilities that best suited them or the ones they personally favored.
Those inclined towards pyromancy need not deliberately avoid the Lei Fa Tian Shu Fa Lu.
Lei Jun and the others were naturally pleased with this development.
For example, following Zhuo Baojie, Qin Caawei became the second disciple of the third generation to attain the Upper Three Heavens Realm, and she chose the Lei Fa Tian Shu Fa Lu as her first lifebound divine ability.
She successfully crossed the heavenly chasm between the Sixth and Seventh Heaven, cultivating the Way of the Talisman Sect's Insight to Heaven Realm.
"Your disciple, Qin Caawei, has surpassed her master," Lei Jun said with a smile, looking at Luo Haoran and Qin Caawei.
Luo Haoran was not dissatisfied that his disciple had attained the Upper Three Heavens faster than he did. Instead, he was delighted. "Surpassing the master is a joyous occasion."
Qin Caawei bowed to Lei Jun and Luo Haoran. "Thank you, Master and Uncle Master, for your guidance and teachings."
Lei Jun smiled. "Having already laid the foundation with the Lei Fa Tian Shu Fa Lu, I will bestow upon you the divine ability later. But first, let us discuss your creation, the Spring Thunder Talisman."
With great interest, he asked, "Now that you've attained the Upper Three Heavens, how has your understanding of your previous lifebound divine talismans evolved?"
Qin Caawei felt slightly embarrassed. "Please forgive my impertinence, Uncle Master."
It was common knowledge that Lei Jun, standing before her, was the creator of the ancient and renowned Xuan Xiao Wu Lei Fa Lu and Chen Yang Zhong Tian Fa Lu divine abilities.
Qin Caawei turned to her master, Luo Haoran, who gave her an encouraging look.
"Please give me your guidance, Uncle Master," Qin Caewe said as she silently channeled her profound arts.
As her profound arts flowed, strands of thunderous light appeared, tinged with a hint of green.
The sound of thunder rumbled, carrying with it the vitality of spring, the awakening of all creation.
"This is still a work in progress, and there's much to refine," Qin Caewe said. "I humbly name this the Heavenly Drum Law."
Lei Jun nodded. "The spring thunder now carries a richer vitality of life, and you've begun to incorporate the intricacies of the changing seasons. Well done."
Lei Jun offered a few casual pointers, helping Qin Caewe save some time in her refinement process. From here on, it was up to Qin Caewe to slowly refine her creation.
For geniuses like Qin Caewe, the process of understanding and refining divine abilities was, in itself, a path of progress.
Often, the most suitable abilities were the most effective.
This was true for Lei Jun, Tang Xiaotang, and Chu Kun as well.
Generally, cultivators who achieved higher realms tended to possess exceptional qualities, all of them being geniuses. However, there were always exceptions, and even among geniuses, some stood above the rest, hence the saying, "a genius among geniuses."
Take Tang Xiaotang and the others, for example. As their cultivation improved, the divine abilities and techniques they comprehended and created became increasingly refined and powerful, further widening the gap between them and their peers of the same realm.
Qin Caewe was not as combative as them, and even the divine abilities she comprehended leaned towards the vitality of life.
However, similar tendencies were already manifesting in her.
"Qin Caewe, focus first on comprehending the Lei Fa Tian Shu Fa Lu and the other lifebound divine abilities you've cultivated," Lei Jun said. "There's a new task for you at the Mansion later."
"Yes, Uncle Master," Qin Caewe replied, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Lei Jun smiled. "Our sect has been collaborating with the Reincarnation Paradise, the Shu Mountain Sect, and the Mystery Observation Sect. These tasks were previously handled by my master, but now that you've attained the Upper Three Heavens, you can take on these responsibilities for some experience."
Not only had Qin Caewe proven her prowess in cultivating spiritual plants, but from the perspective of alchemy, she had also become a valuable asset to the Mansion.
Qin Caewe's eyes lit up at the mention of these tasks. "Thank you, Uncle Master!"
Having left Lei Jun's presence filled with joy, the newly promoted Elder Qin of the Heavenly Master's Mansion returned to her own courtyard. However, a sense of unease suddenly crept into her heart.
"It would be wonderful to seek guidance from Medicine King Sun," Qin Caewe said, her voice trailing off as she thought of the Shu Mountain Sect. "But regarding the Mystery Observation Sect..."
A woman's voice interrupted her thoughts. "What is it?"
Qin Caewe: "Have... have Uncle Master and the others discovered you, Senior?"
The woman's voice was casual. "It doesn't matter if they have. I am who I am."
Qin Caewe exhaled in relief.
"Then, have you thought of a specific plan for forging a magic weapon now that you've attained the Upper Three Heavens?" the woman asked.
"Yes, I plan to forge a magic sword using this," Qin Caewe replied, holding up a tree branch.
The woman's voice now carried a hint of amusement. "A wooden sword?"
"That's good, it's a refreshing change."
…………………
After Qin Caawei, another person in the Tian Shi Fu prepared to formally begin researching the Thunder Law Heaven and Earth Fulu.
It was Zhang Jingzhen, who had emerged from her seclusion.
After this period of closed-door cultivation, she had successfully crossed the grand canyon-like hurdle between the Seventh and Eighth Heavens, cultivating the Daoist Fulu School's Divine Court realm and nurturing her own unique inner universe within her Divine Court.
"Congratulations, Senior Sister Zhang," Lei Jun said with a smile.
Zhang Jingzhen bowed to him. "Thank you, Master, Senior Sister, Junior Uncle, and Tang Shimui. I wouldn't be here today without your help."
Lei Jun replied, "You're too kind, Senior Sister Zhang."
Although he remained calm, Zhang Jingzhen's heart was filled with gratitude as she recalled her past struggles.
However, as the years passed and her cultivation deepened, her thoughts became more tranquil.
During her time in the Middle Three Heavens, she yearned for the Thunder Law Heaven and Earth Fulu in her heart.
When she reached the Seventh Heaven realm, she cultivated the Fire Law Earth Fulu and barely missed out on the Yang Thunder Dragon. But her heart was already much calmer, and she didn't feel too disappointed.
Now that she had attained the Eighth Heaven realm, choosing the Yang Thunder Dragon as her second life-bound divine ability, and even the combination of dragon and tiger seemed effortlessly within reach. Everything felt like a natural progression, and Zhang Jingzhen didn't feel like she had finally gotten her wish. Instead, she remained calm and collected.
If there was anything she felt at this moment, it was a sense of relief, just as she had said to Lei Jun earlier—it hadn't been easy for the Longhu Mountain Tian Shi Fu to reach where it was today.
After thanking Lei Jun, Zhang Jingzhen received his instruction in the Thunder Law Heaven and Earth Fulu and then returned to her residence to continue her quiet cultivation.
Lei Jun then bid farewell to his master, Yuan Mobai, and left Longhu Mountain.
News arrived from the imperial capital of Luoyang—Empress Zhang Wantong had returned to the human realm of the Great Tang and was back in the Luoyang Palace.
Lei Jun had some matters he wanted to discuss with her, so he requested an audience with the empress.
His journey was public and aboveboard.
With his current cultivation and status, the visit of the Tian Shi to the capital was bound to cause a stir.
Countless people would want to meet with the renowned Lei Tian Shi.
However, Lei Jun had brought Zhuo BaoJie along, and he left his senior disciple to handle any invitations or requests for meetings.
Lei Tian Shi himself went straight to the palace.
A tall woman in exquisite palace attire greeted him with a smile and led him to the rear garden.
"Thank you, Chu Zhuzhai."
Lei Jun returned the greeting. "Congratulations, Chu Zhuzhai, on attaining the Calm the World realm. I apologize for not bringing a gift on this trip, but I will have my sect prepare one for you when I return to the mountain."
The one who greeted him was none other than Chu Yu, who had been focusing on cultivating in seclusion in recent years.
As Lei Jun had expected, Chu Yu had indeed followed in Yuan Mobai's footsteps and successfully reached the Ninth Heaven realm.
"Tian Shi, you're too kind," Chu Yu said as he led Lei Jun into the rear garden of the palace.
In the pavilion by the lake, two people were waiting, one sitting and the other standing.
The young scholar standing in the pavilion was Zhang Hui, who smiled and greeted Lei Jun. "Tian Shi, it's good to see you again."
"Zhang Jushi," Lei Jun returned the greeting.
Empress Zhang Wantong, dressed casually, was sitting in the pavilion, fishing without a care for etiquette. Without turning around, she said, "Thank you, Lei Zhenren and Yuan Zhenren, for your hard work while I was away from the Tang Dynasty."
Lei Jun said, "Your Majesty, I assume your trip away from the human realm was for something extremely important."
"Hmm," Empress Zhang Wantong replied. "I was searching for a rare treasure called the 'World-Ending Golden Calamity'."
Lei Jun thought for a moment. "Please forgive my ignorance, but I've never heard of this treasure before."
"It's fine," the empress said. "I made a discovery on this trip, but the treasure is not yet mature and cannot be mined. I'll have to wait until later to extract it."
"That's good news," Lei Jun said. "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
He pondered this new information. It was rare for the empress to reveal something she needed.
From the scattered souls and other items traded through the Tian Shu universe in the early years, Lei Jun guessed that most of them were meant for Xiao Chunhui and the others, rather than for the empress herself.
Now that she had revealed a bit of information to him, it was likely due to the increased cooperation after the Luoyang battle, and perhaps there would be some other considerations regarding the World-Ending Golden Calamity later on.
As he thought, he asked straightforwardly, "Is Your Majesty searching for this treasure to prepare for ascending to sainthood?"
In the Daoist tradition, ascending to the immortal realm was equivalent to attaining sainthood in the Confucian tradition.
However, Empress Zhang Wantong said, "It's related, but the treasure is not for me. It's for someone else. However, with this treasure, I won't have to worry and can take that step without hesitation."
Lei Jun's eyes flickered at her words.
Fortunately, Empress Zhang didn't ask him to guess and continued, "I have some responsibilities on my shoulders. If I blindly take that step, it might affect many people, and the consequences could be unpredictable.
Fortunately, I've made a lot of preparations over the years, and the World-Ending Golden Calamity is the last thing I need. Once I have everything, how I proceed will no longer be connected to others."
"So, you already have the confidence to take that final step, but you've been holding back because of other concerns..." Lei Jun thought.
From the empress's tone, it seemed that the people related to her were not allies but more like enemies.
The World-Ending Golden Calamity and other treasures seemed to be meant to block their path...
"The former members of the Celestial Palace?" Lei Jun asked, recalling the jade seal she had given him.
The empress neither confirmed nor denied. "One of the characteristics of the World-Ending Golden Calamity is that it's difficult to mine and preserve. It's like dew that must be harvested at the moment of its creation; otherwise, it will disappear in an instant. And once extracted, I can only maintain it for a short time. So, the day it is mined will be the day I face the final tribulation of the human realm, and I will need Lei Zhenren, Mo Feng'er, Shu Yin, and the other Qing families to help bear some of the burden."
"I and my fellow sect members will do our best," Lei Jun said. He thought, "So, this treasure also has its complications."
He didn't dwell on the matter but instead asked another crucial question: "Your Majesty, ascending to sainthood is a joyous occasion for the heavens and the earth. But may I ask what will happen to the Great Tang Dynasty afterward?"
Empress Zhang Wantong said, "Gui Cang is still recuperating, so I will need to borrow the Great Unity realm temporarily."
Lei Jun asked, "So, beings above the Ninth Heaven realm, regardless of whether they experienced the great calamity of heaven and earth back then, cannot set foot in the human realm or stay in the human realm for extended periods?"
Empress Zhang Wantong waved the fishing rod in her hand, which was empty.
Zhang Wentong nonchalantly set her fishing rod aside and turned to face Lei Jun, shaking her head gently.
"If I must say, it's not advisable to stay in the mortal realm for extended periods."
Lei Jun nodded in understanding.
Neither Zhang Hui nor Chu Yu, who were standing beside them, interrupted. They listened intently, as it seemed to be the first time they were hearing the Empress discuss such matters.
(End of Chapter)
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