https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-46-Onward-to-the-Water-Marrow-Yin-Fish-/12586168/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-48-Lei-Jun-Tribulation-is-Risky-/12586224/
Chapter 47: 47. Perfection in Foundation Building? The Triple Heaven Altar!
Chapter 47: 47. Perfection in Foundation Building? The Triple Heaven Altar!
Yuan Mo Bai was polite, and Lu Zhaoqing was even more so: "Elder Yuan is too kind. Your presence here at Qingxiao View brings honor and enlightenment to all under the heavens."
Following his master's lead, Lei Jun addressed him as Master Uncle.
Before leaving the mountain, Wang Guiyuan had mentioned that Lu Zhaoqing, the master of Qingxiao View, was a direct disciple of TianShi Fu, just like Yuan Mo Bai.
Of course, Lu Zhaoqing was not a direct disciple of the previous Celestial Master and had a different master within the mansion. Moreover, in terms of cultivation and ultimate achievement, he was far behind Yuan Mo Bai.
Over the years, Lu Zhaoqing had also been closer to Elder Ziyang.
It was just that Yuan Mo Bai was good at cultivating relationships and had interacted more with Elder Ziyang in recent years, and there was no conflict between him and Lu Zhaoqing.
Lu Zhaoqing's attitude was peaceful, and there seemed to be no issues with his mental state.
The members of Qingxiao View enthusiastically welcomed Master Lei and his disciple, offering them accommodations.
Yuan Mo Bai, with his humble and open-minded nature, reciprocated their hospitality. He even gave lectures in the pavilion several times, enchanting the audience so much that they wished he would stay for ten or even more years.
Even disciples of the Zi Xiao sect and other Taoist schools in the Yunxiao Mountains rushed over upon hearing the news.
Lei Jun, on the other hand, kept a low profile.
He relished the tranquility.
First, he ventured into the distant Qingxiao Mountains to investigate the cold spring mentioned by Xu Yuanzhen.
Indeed, at the bottom of the seemingly ordinary cold spring, there was a subtle spirituality that resonated with the fire marrow and sunfish within Lei Jun's body, eliciting both resistance and excitement.
However, it would take some time before it could truly transform into usable water marrow and moonfish.
Yuan Mo Bai had left a spiritual restriction here as a form of surveillance, and to avoid drawing unnecessary attention, he had not imposed too much spiritual power.
Lei Jun calmed his mind, refraining from impatience. He waited patiently for the right moment, focusing on his own cultivation for the time being.
In his body's Dao Foundation altar, in addition to opening the eight doors and erecting the six curtains, there were five opposing halls, and the sixth virtual hall was glowing, already taking shape, awaiting final confirmation.
One day, Lei Jun sat quietly in his room.
As the light in the Dao Foundation altar dissipated, the sixth hall was finally confirmed.
Perfection in the foundation-building realm.
Lei Jun opened his eyes, his gaze calm and serene, and he exhaled slowly, a smile spreading across his face.
After sitting quietly for a while to nurture his Dao foundation, he bathed, changed into clean clothes, rinsed his mouth, and washed his hands. Then, he set up an incense case for offerings.
At this moment, having reached perfection in the foundation-building realm, Lei Jun could achieve a 100% success rate when drawing his own Life-Force Strike and Wind-Riding talismans, even without using the vermillion brush pen.
When crafting other spiritual talismans, he could also achieve a success rate of at least 90%.
With the blessings of the Divine Tiger Hall and the Receiving Degrees Hall, the power of the Life-Force Strike and Wind-Riding talismans that Lei Jun drew for himself was even stronger than when he was in the higher stages of the foundation-building realm.
"It's about two levels stronger," Lei Jun nodded slightly. "However, it's still within the category of lower-grade basic talismans."
Lei Jun and the other disciples who had received the transmission were currently studying talismans and scriptures. The scriptures recorded that talismans were generally referred to as basic talismans, such as the Golden Lock Talisman, Wind-Riding Talisman, God-Strike Talisman, Thunderclap Talisman, Fierce Flame Talisman, Calm Mind Talisman, and Spirit-Gathering Talisman.
Besides the tools like the brush, ink, and paper, the factor that determined the power of a talisman was the cultivator's own cultivation level.
Talismans crafted by foundation-building cultivators in the Twofold Heaven realm were considered lower-grade basic talismans.
Generally speaking, even though one could slightly increase the power of talismans upon reaching perfection in the foundation-building realm, they would still fall within the category of lower-grade basic talismans.
Only when a cultivator in the Threefold Heaven Altar realm crafted basic talismans would they achieve medium-grade effectiveness.
Lei Jun, using an ordinary brush, could not surpass this limitation.
So, he took out the vermillion brush pen.
He offered incense to the heavens with reverence, and the brush startled the dragons and snakes.
With a command, the talisman was created.
The Life-Force Strike Talisman, medium-grade!
A medium-grade basic talisman, which generally required a cultivator in the Threefold Heaven Altar realm to create, was successfully crafted! Lei Jun nodded slightly and continued.
Next, he attempted to craft talismans other than his Life-Rite talismans.
Unfortunately, this time, they were still lower-grade basic talismans.
"It seems that to create medium-grade talismans for non-Life-Rite talismans, I still need to reach the Threefold Heaven realm."
Lei Jun was not discouraged but instead felt excited. "Then, what if I use the vermillion brush pen to draw my Life-Rite talisman when I reach the Threefold Heaven realm?"
He took out the Spirit-Gathering Talisman, which he had carefully preserved, and examined the misty cloud crystal on the talisman that could help a Twofold Heaven cultivator break through to the Threefold Heaven realm. Then, he went to see Yuan Mo Bai.
Thus, amidst the mountains, a waterfall plummeted from a great height, crashing into the pool below.
Yuan Mo Bai sat by the pool, gazing at Lei Jun, who was seated atop the water's surface.
Under the influence of his spiritual power, Lei Jun hovered above the water, as steady as if he were sitting on solid ground.
Suddenly, affected by his spiritual power, the pool water rolled upwards, lifting Lei Jun's body into the air.
Below him, a faint light continuously condensed, gradually transforming into luminous lines that hung in the air, dividing the pool water.
As the water splashed, it seemed as if Lei Jun was seated upon a shimmering, three-layered altar composed of water, reaching a height of twelve feet. The bottom layer was square, the middle layer had eight sides, and the top layer was perfectly round.
Then, the flowing water that formed the altar fell back into the pool.
And the altar remained.
Just at this moment, at the base of the altar, flames suddenly ignited out of thin air.
Formless and illusory Yin Fire.
The great tribulation of Tian Xian had arrived as scheduled.
The Yin Fire rose from below, seeking to burn the illusory altar, destroy Lei Jun's foundation of spiritual power, and obliterate his very being.
Within Lei Jun's body, his Dao Foundation altar also inexplicably caught fire, simultaneously invading his Dao Foundation, flesh, and soul. The Yin Fire spared nothing.
Yuan Mo Bai sat motionlessly, calmly observing.
This tribulation could only be faced alone; no one could help him.
Even in the sacred land of Taoism, the Tian Shi Fu, the elders could only watch over their disciples during the tribulation and attempt to salvage their lives afterward, which was extremely difficult.
Moreover, even if they were saved, the aftermath of the tribulation could lead to spiritual deviation and life-decay, rendering the person useless with no chance of recovery.
Between life and death lies great terror, and in cultivation lies great tribulation.
This is one of the greatest challenges for cultivators in this world.
Due to his Hidden Dragon spirit body, Lei Jun's tribulation from the first to the second heaven was extremely smooth.
Today, he finally encountered the true difficulties and dangers.
But he had to overcome this tribulation.
As the Yin Fire raged, Lei Jun remained calm and serene, murmuring, "True One is indivisible, without confusion."
In the next moment, Lei Jun and the altar together radiated light, dispelling most of the formless Yin Fire.
Beneath the pond, a talisman paper neither floated nor sank, suspended in the water with frost forming on its surface.
At this moment, the frost crystal was stimulated by the Yin Fire and suddenly melted away.
Layer upon layer of clouds enveloped the pond, shrouding Lei Jun and the altar.
Finally, the clouds dissipated, and the Yin Fire was extinguished.
The illusory glowing altar remained intact, slowly retracting into Lei Jun's body and settling on his Dao Foundation altar, within the enclosure of the eight gates.
In front of the altar stood six curtains, with six halls standing on either side.
A small and exquisite complete illusory altar appeared within Lei Jun's body.
However, after it was absorbed into his body, only the first layer, the square altar, remained, and the second and third layers above were nowhere to be seen.
And this altar signified Lei Jun's successful breakthrough from the second heaven of the foundation-building realm to the third heaven of the Taoist Fu Lu school!
His figure hung in mid-air for a moment before slowly descending back to the surface of the pond, where he resumed his seated position.
By the pond, Yuan Mo Bai, always with a smile on his face, now wore a broader grin as he nodded repeatedly:
"Although I've always been certain that you would eventually overcome this tribulation, the speed and smoothness with which you've overcome it again have exceeded my expectations."
Lei Jun stood up, walked on the water, and bowed before Yuan Mo Bai: "Thank you, Master, for your guidance."
Yuan Mo Bai said, "Revered Cloud, your mental state is peaceful yet resilient, unparalleled by ordinary people. I hope you can maintain this in the future. Compared to your innate talent and comprehension, your mental fortitude and will are your greatest strengths, and many people underestimate you."
Lei Jun said, "Master, I've always considered myself thick-skinned, but with your praise, although I'm secretly delighted, I also feel a bit embarrassed."
Yuan Mo Bai smiled, "It doesn't matter. I'll praise you more in the future, and you'll get used to it."
He instructed Lei Jun to rest for a moment and then proceeded to guide him through the various changes brought about by his improved cultivation.
After Lei Jun had a general grasp of these changes, Yuan Mo Bai handed him a volume of Taoist scriptures.
It was the second volume of the Orthodox Unity of the True One Great Dao.
This was the fundamental orthodox scripture of the Fu Lu school of Tian Shi Fu in this world.
When Lei Jun was in the second heaven of the foundation-building realm, he had been cultivating the first volume.
Now that he had reached the third heaven of the altar realm, Yuan Mo Bai began to teach him the second volume of the Taoist method.
After thanking his master, Lei Jun studied diligently under his guidance.
The Qi Refining realm is divided into twelve levels.
The foundation-building realm is divided into four stages: initial, middle, late, and perfection.
The altar realm is divided into three layers.
Being able to combine one's spiritual power and life force to establish a three-layered altar is equivalent to achieving perfection in the altar realm, and one can then begin to strive for higher realms.
Lei Jun's altar was newly established and was at the first layer.
However, compared to the foundation-building realm, there was already a gulf-like difference.
There was no need to mention the constant training and enhancement of the physical body.
The perfected foundation-building realm Lei Jun, together with his natal spirit, could easily defeat the Lei Jun of the first layer of the altar realm, even if he fought with his bare hands.
Moreover, the most significant difference between the altar realm and the foundation-building realm lay in the crafting of talismans.
Upon achieving the first layer of the altar realm, Lei Jun could create medium-grade basic spiritual talismans with ordinary talisman brushes, without the aid of the vermillion brush pen. Their effectiveness was at least 50% higher than that of low-grade basic spiritual talismans.
If one wanted to create high-grade basic spiritual talismans, one would generally be unable to do so with the first or second layer of the altar realm.
Only with the third layer, or the perfection of the altar realm, would it be possible.
However, this was when the vermillion brush pen came in handy again.
After recuperating and gathering his strength, Lei Jun crafted talismans with the vermillion brush pen.
Although it wasn't a native life-rite talisman, it was still of medium quality.
However, Lei Jun could now use the vermillion brush pen to draw his Life-Strike and Wind-Riding talismans with a certain probability of creating high-quality talismans!
High-quality basic talismans were about 50% more effective than medium-quality basic talismans and more than twice as powerful as low-grade basic talismans.
Combining the enhancement of his physical body with the increased potency of his talismans, there was now a vast gulf in combat capability between the Triple Heaven and Double Heaven stages... Lei Jun nodded to himself.
Moreover, he wasn't just able to create higher-grade basic talismans...
"Although I still suggest that you follow the complete rituals when crafting talismans normally and avoid taking shortcuts."
Yuan Mo Bai offered guidance, "However, in special situations where you must simplify everything, you can now omit some of the talisman-making rituals."
Lei Jun tried it out.
Indeed, after a formal altar was established in his Dao Foundation altar, although there was only one layer, there was a qualitative change.
Now, he no longer needed to set up a special altar, arrange incense tables, and go through all the tools, procedures, and processes to craft talismans.
As long as he was in good mental and physical condition and had sufficient spiritual power, Lei Jun, who had attained the Law Altar realm, could simplify the talisman-making process.
As long as he had the corresponding talisman paper, talisman brush, and other raw materials, Lei Jun could use the virtual altar in his Dao Foundation to temporarily replace the physical altar for talisman crafting.
This greatly simplified the process, saved time, and reduced the requirements for the environment and equipment.
Of course, at present, there were pros and cons.
In the simplified process, a Law Altar realm cultivator at the first layer could only create low-grade talismans.
To craft medium-grade basic talismans, one still needed to set up the full array and carefully follow the entire process.
With the vermillion brush pen in hand, Lei Jun could ensure that his Life-Rite talismans remained at the medium-grade level even with the simplified procedure.
"Master, what about talisman crafting by higher-realm cultivators?"
During a break in their cultivation, Lei Jun asked his master out of curiosity.
Yuan Mo Bai replied, "When you reach the Fourfold Heaven of the Primordial Symbol realm, you will be able to create basic spiritual talismans with a single stroke, and you won't need to perform the complete rituals anymore."
The quality might even surpass the upper limit of high-grade talismans.
Just like the Golden Lock Talisman that Yuan Mo Bai had given to Lei Jun in the past.
A high-grade Golden Lock Talisman crafted by a cultivator at the third layer of the Law Altar realm couldn't compare to it.
Generally, basic spiritual talismans crafted by cultivators at the Triple Heaven stage and above were collectively referred to as top-grade, with no further distinction made.
Not because the cultivator's own cultivation level didn't differentiate between high and low, but because the raw materials for basic spiritual talismans had a limit.
Although one could create talismans without talisman paper and ink at a certain level of cultivation, cultivators at the Triple Heaven stage and above usually wouldn't focus solely on basic spiritual talismans.
The Tian Shi Fu lineage had various talisman manuals that recorded multiple types of talismans.
Habitually, cultivators below the Fourfold Heaven practiced basic spiritual talismans.
Those between the Fourfold Heaven and Sixfold Heaven practiced advanced spiritual talismans.
Those above the Sixfold Heaven practiced divine talismans and incantations.
Lei Jun asked, "Does that correspond to the three stages of Life-Rite talisman techniques, Life-Rite talisman arts, and Life-Rite divine abilities?"
In this world, cultivators practiced Life-Rite techniques, and there were nine major realms. Each realm corresponded to a specific technique.
However, by convention, they weren't labeled from first to ninth.
Instead, the first to third realms were referred to as techniques, and thus named First Technique, Second Technique, and Third Technique.
The fourth to sixth realms were referred to as arts and named First Art, Second Art, and Third Art.
The seventh to ninth realms finally touched upon the fringes of the Dao, and the techniques and arts were almost indistinguishable from the Dao. Thus, they were called Life-Rite divine abilities and named First Divine Ability, Second Divine Ability, and Third Divine Ability.
"Life-Rite techniques won't be discarded even as your cultivation realm improves."
Yuan Mo Bai smiled and said, "When your cultivation breaks through to the Fourfold Heaven or even the Sevenfold Heaven, your previous Life-Rite techniques, although still called techniques and arts, will evolve along with you."
Non-Life-Rite techniques didn't have this privilege.
Although the use of basic techniques by high-realm cultivators would still be far more powerful than those of low-realm cultivators, there was a difference.
"Aim high and keep a firm footing."
Lei Jun also smiled and said, "Although I have many aspirations, I will first focus on my current cultivation."
Yuan Mo Bai nodded with a smile, "Very good."
He looked at Lei Jun and said, "Speaking of which, you've crossed another great tribulation and advanced to the Triple Heaven stage. It's time for you to cultivate another Life-Rite technique."
However, Lei Jun said, "Regarding the Third Technique, I plan to put it on hold for now."
"Oh?" Yuan Mo Bai raised an eyebrow.
"I have some new ideas, but I haven't thought them through yet. I plan to ponder them some more," Lei Jun explained.
Yuan Mo Bai smiled and asked, "Is Revered Cloud planning to create a new type of basic spiritual talisman?"
(PS: This chapter has a lot of setting explanations, so I've made it a long chapter. Don't worry, there will still be a second update later today. Please remember to support the early access feature! It's very important!)
(End of Chapter)
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