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Chapter 425: The Innate Taoist (Part 2)
Chapter 425: The Innate Taoist (Part 2)
"The calamity at the end of the Han dynasty caused a divergence in the mortal realm, resulting in a vastly different world. For those from the immortal realms, their spiritual power and immortal essence will continuously deplete and dissipate, nourishing the natural order of the mortal realm. If they stay too long, they will eventually fall from their immortal state."
Empress Zhang Wentong spoke casually, "The more unstable one's state is and the more unstable their foundation, the more they should avoid lingering in the mortal realm. They should either float and slumber in the void beyond the domains or find refuge in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."
She glanced at Lei Jun, Zhang Hui, and Chu Yu, "And precisely because everyone's situation is unique, it's impossible to generalize."
The three of them exchanged puzzled looks.
In other words, some beings beyond the Ninth Heaven would not set foot in the mortal realm unless absolutely necessary. But if they were truly pushed to the brink, the mortal realm was not an absolute forbidden zone.
Even a brief descent of an immortal could pose a tremendous threat.
...At this moment, Lei Jun was more concerned about the Heavenly Calamity Gold that the Empress valued so much and the one she intended to obstruct.
"Your Highness previously mentioned that immortals avoid residing in the mortal realm mainly because the calamity at the end of the Han dynasty caused the current divergence in the mortal realm..." Zhang Hui mused.
"Although we don't see any signs of multiple mortal realms merging at the moment, if such a convergence were to occur, would the current situation regarding immortals also change?"
"Indeed."
Zhang Wentong said, "In fact, there are already signs of convergence."
Zhang Hui realized, "The spiritual energy of the mortal realm is surging? So, does that mean that when all mortal realms begin to experience this surge, or when the surge reaches a certain scale, the mortal realms will start to merge again?"
Zhang Wentong replied, "As far as I know and have seen, that is the case."
Lei Jun spoke up, "In addition to the Great Tang, there are currently five other known mortal realms: the Two Jin, the Current Han, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Former Song, and the Great Ming."
"The rule seems to be that the more time has passed and the more ancient a mortal realm is, the earlier it will experience spiritual energy revival. Currently, all other mortal realms have begun to experience the surge of spiritual energy, except for the Two Jin."
He did not mention the role of the Jade Clarity and Revolving Heaven Law Mirror at the Observation Platform of the Penglai Celestial Palace. Instead, he introduced the known situation of the Two Jin mortal realm based on some clues left by the Eastern Qing Emperor, Shen Xi.
"It looks like it will take some time for all mortal realms to show signs of activity if there is no way to artificially induce the surge of spiritual energy." Zhang Hui speculated.
Lei Jun said, "It's not advisable to jump to conclusions at this point."
At this moment, Chu Yu suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, you mentioned earlier that beings beyond the Ninth Heaven may also vary greatly in their circumstances... What about martial arts immortals, in your opinion?"
Her question was not without reason.
It was commonly acknowledged that martial arts cultivators had the most refined cultivation, especially body refiners, whose power was entirely integrated into their bodies.
In this regard, they were even more extreme than pill and cauldron cultivators from the Daoist sect.
Pill and cauldron cultivators could still freely send out their Nascent Souls and Divine Souls to communicate with the outside world.
Most martial arts cultivators, on the other hand, had their spiritual souls completely fused with their physical shells, making it impossible for them to separate.
This even affected their perception of the outside world, making their ability to explore and investigate weaker than cultivators of the same level from other sects.
However, they were exceptionally sensitive to threats against themselves.
In the path of cultivation, martial arts cultivators were undoubtedly the most introverted sect.
In normal times, this might not have been much of an advantage.
But the current state of the mortal realm was far from normal.
Therefore...
"At the same level, they are probably the immortals who can stay in the mortal realm for the longest period."
Zhang Wentong calmly affirmed Chu Yu's guess, "Especially the body refining lineage, their internalized qi and blood create a self-contained world. I suspect that if they refrain from fighting and focus on quiet cultivation, they may even be able to remain in the mortal realm indefinitely.
However, it's hard to judge the mounted warriors of the foreign races. This lineage of cultivation emerged after the Great Heavenly Tribulation, and they have not produced any immortal warriors or immortal generals so far. Moreover, their cultivation method is more externalized compared to body refiners and combat warriors."
Chu Yu looked at Lei Jun, "Is Immortal Tang still in that mortal realm? Perhaps we should remind the Khanates of the White Wolf and the Golden Deer?"
"Zhou Zai's proposal is quite reasonable, and I concur with his viewpoint." Lei Jun nodded.
Who knew what the current situation was with the Golden Khan? What if he was just biding his time until the last moment to swiftly defeat all his opponents?
There was a question about the Former Song mortal realm that had never been answered.
What was the current situation with the Great Wilderness, one of the Ten Lands, which was crucial to the rise of the foreign races?
Lei Jun didn't mind if the Khanates of the White Wolf and the Golden Deer perished together.
But for now, it might be better to let them slowly wear each other out.
"Your Majesty mentioned earlier that you encountered someone related to Kunlun on this trip. May I ask about the details?" Lei Jun remembered another matter.
Upon hearing this, Empress Zhang Wentong glanced at Lei Jun, "I heard that Lei Zhenren has simultaneously cultivated two great Daoist traditions?"
Lei Jun calmly replied, "I have gained some fortuitous opportunities."
The Empress nodded, "Then Lei Zhenren must have a dual-spirit immortal root with a pure and calm temperament."
She didn't expect Lei Jun to answer and continued, "Lei Zhenren must have had opportunities to improve his roots and temperament. In that case, he probably wouldn't care too much about innate talent differences, but the same might not be true for the National Master."
Lei Jun thought, "So that's the case."
If there was one thing his little junior sister, Tang Xiaotang, was proud of, it was her exceptional talent.
Aside from Empress Zhang Wentong's doubts, the only people in the Great Tang who could match Tang Xiaotang's innate talent were the future Maitreya and Zhang Hui, who was also present.
And if one were to make a comparison, having the same immortal root and temperament meant that some comparisons could be drawn.
While there had been cases of pure yang immortal roots in history, none had reached the level of Tang Xiaotang.
In addition to the Pure Yang Body and Clear Insight, Tang Xiaotang also possessed other innate advantages.
Kang Ming, Meng Shaojie, Nie Fang, and Zhou Pu were in contact with the dark side of the heavenly book due to their extraordinary spiritual talent.
In fact, the same was true for Tang Xiaotang, and even more so.
Her keen insight into the goodness and evil of mankind stemmed from this.
If this was taken into account, her innate constitution would be even higher than that of a typical immortal body.
In Lei Jun's words, even if she couldn't be said to possess a dual immortal body, she could still be considered a one-and-a-half immortal body.
She was truly the person with the highest innate talent in the mortal realm of the Great Tang.
No wonder she seemed to have a little tail that was always reaching for the heavens.
Although Xu Yuanzhen and Lei Jun had respectively elevated their constitution and comprehension to the realm of a divine body and innate understanding, these accomplishments were initially attained through subsequent cultivation. Furthermore, Tang Xiaotang had already accomplished the Tai Chi Dao body, hence she was left unaffected in this regard.
Including other mortal realms, as of now, the highest innate talent cultivators that could be confirmed were still at the level of an immortal body constitution paired with a calm understanding.
The current Prime Minister of the Great Ming, Zhou Mingzhe, had an uncertain level of understanding, and may even be above Zhang Hui in terms of talent. However, based on his known cultivation history, his constitution was most likely not as good as Zhang Hui's.
But now, listening to Empress Zhang Wantong's implied meaning, that Kunlun cultivator...
"I cannot make a definitive statement about his talents being completely innate, as our encounter in the void beyond the realm was brief, but judging from his age, he is most likely an innate..."
"He possesses an innate constitution, a natural understanding, and an immortal body." Zhang Wantong said.
Chu Yu's eyebrows rose, and Zhang Hui's face showed a curious expression.
If all of these were innate, then this person could be considered a natural-born cultivator.
"I don't know if I should say that it's a relief that he's not a natural-born sage or a supreme non-dualist." Zhang Hui laughed.
Chu Yu shook his head, "For those who cultivate post-natally, it doesn't make a difference."
The Confucian sages, the Taoist non-dualists, and the Buddhist Tathagatas were no longer defined by their constitution and understanding. They were, according to rumors, the talents of the ancient sages before the ancient times, and after that, regardless of heaven or earth, they were never seen again.
Indeed, as Zhang Wantong had expected, Lei Jun remained calm, "Your Majesty, do you know what kind of body this fellow cultivator possesses?"
"I can't say for sure, but at first glance, it appears to be the legendary Tai Yi Dao Body," Zhang Wantong stated.
Lei Jun lightly nodded, saying, “Originating from Kunlun... Despite practicing the Dan Dinger branch, even the lower Hunyuan Xianti of the Taiyidi body can enable one to cultivate the teachings of numerous Taoist sects.”
"Is the Heavenly Master's Mansion interested in that person from the Great Han?" Zhang Wantong asked.
"There are indeed many aspects that are intriguing." Lei Jun replied.
"I've heard that quite a few things have happened in the Great Han recently." Chu Yu said.
"For now, we can only wait and observe." Lei Jun's expression remained unchanged, "Our sect's primary objective still lies in that ancient tradition of the Taoist Fulu School."
After chatting for a while longer and verifying many of his guesses, Lei Jun bid his farewell and left the capital to return to Longhu Mountain.
Aside from sharing the new information with his fellow sect members, Lei Jun's life remained unchanged, and his mind was calm without any ups and downs.
He continued to focus on his daily cultivation and the management of the Heavenly Master's Mansion.
Time flew by in the mountain like the passing seasons.
Lei TianShi's 80th birthday was approaching.
Well-wishers from the outside world had already begun to arrive.
Lei Jun himself was indifferent to this matter.
As summer drew near, within the Thunder Temple of Supreme Clarity in the Heavens, a black thunder dragon coiled, reverberating with the purplish thunder overhead.
At the base of Bi You Xian Shan, Lei Jun was seated cross-legged.
Facing him was a Daoist in a deep red robe. Although he appeared young in age, he had already grown a three-foot-long beard.
The Daoist looked up, captivated by the coiling black thunder dragon above.
After a long time, he retracted his gaze and bowed to Lei Jun, "Thank you, Sect Master, for demonstrating your techniques."
Lei Jun stood up, "Brother Fang, there's no need for formalities."
The Daoist in red was indeed Fang Jian.
One of his mid-stage cultivation techniques was the "Yin Five Thunder True Method," personally crafted by Lei Jun.
Thus, to seek guidance on this technique, it was most appropriate to consult Lei Jun directly.
Lei Jun had always been open to teaching the techniques of their sect to the members of the Heavenly Master's Mansion, and over the years, Fang Jian had benefited greatly from this.
"Brother Fang has made significant progress recently." Lei Jun smiled.
Fang Jian smiled and sighed, "I dare not accept the Sect Master's praise. My Daoist imprint still needs to be tempered, and I am not yet at the Seventh Heaven Realm. Fortunately, with the surge of celestial qi and the Sect Master's guidance, I am hopeful to attempt the tribulation before I turn a hundred years old. I am truly grateful."
Lei Jun said, "Brother Fang has accumulated a lot, and with your calm and stable mindset, you should be able to overcome the heavenly tribulation without any major issues."
Fang Jian laughed, "I am indeed not in a hurry. I am just happy that Hua Rui was able to move forward with a clear conscience, and I feel neither disappointed nor anxious."
Most of the time, Fang Jian guided the third-generation disciple, Xu Rui, in his cultivation. In recent years, following Ke Sicheng and Qin Caawei, Xu Rui had finally challenged the tribulation between the Sixth and Seventh Heaven Realms.
It was a bit later than expected.
However, his talent was extraordinary, and he was still young, with profound potential.
With a mind free of obstacles, his future would no longer be hindered by his own shortcomings.
"With the blessings of the ancestral masters, our sect's foundation is finally becoming more robust." Lei Jun said.
Including Xu Rui, the Heavenly Master's Mansion of the Great Tang currently had four Ninth Heaven Realm grand transcendents: Xu, Tang, Lei, and Yuan. There were three Eighth Heaven Realm high-achieving Daoists: Yao Yuan, Chu Kun, and Zhang Jingzhen. And seven Seventh Heaven Realm high-achieving Daoists: Shangguan Ning, Liu Xiao, Lin Shan, Zhuo Baojie, Ke Sicheng, Qin Caawei, and Xu Rui. The total number of cultivators at the Upper Heavens Realm in the Taoist Fulu School was fourteen.
In addition to the top experts remaining strong, the middle foundation was finally gradually solidified, gradually regaining the prosperity of the past.
"Much of this is thanks to the Sect Master, the First Senior Sister, the Second Senior Uncle, and Senior Sister Tang." Fang Jian said gratefully.
"This is the result of the united efforts of everyone in our sect." Lei Jun said.
The two men exchanged smiles.
Fang Jian suddenly remembered something, "What about Senior Uncle Shangguan..."
"The Fifth Senior Uncle said to let nature take its course." Lei Jun replied.
Fang Jian nodded lightly.
Lei Jun's expression twitched slightly.
Tang Xiaotang had just sent over new data from the ancient Song Dynasty: "The Ruins of Ancient Kilns have recently reopened, and somebody has spotted the leader of the Numinous Lotus Branch, Zongga, outside the Ruins of Ancient Kilns."
(End of Chapter)
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