Elder Shangguan didn’t scold Shangguan Hong for his outburst.
Instead, she asked, “What kind of person do you rember Junior Nephew Lei to be?”
Shangguan Hong understood that his aunt and master wasn’t asking him to evaluate Lei Jun’s character.
He thought carefully before answering:
“I’m not trying to be boastful, but back when we were initiated into the Mansion, although Senior Brother Lei was already quite outstanding, I didn’t feel that I was much inferior to him.
He entered the Foundation Establishnt stage earlier than , but I was confident that I’d be able to catch up.
However…”
Shangguan Hong’s expression turned perplexed. “But his cultivation speed afterward was just too fast. There’s no way that could be attributed solely to his Hidden Dragon Spirit Physique.”
The Tianshi Mansion had a long lineage, full of talents. Over ti, they had seen all kinds of prodigies. As a result, they had a general idea of how fast soone with a particular talent could progress, and there were many precedents.
Soone like Shangguan Hong, who had exceptional comprehension, or Lei Jun, who possessed the Hidden Dragon Spirit Physique, would typically need around thirty years to challenge the tribulation between the Third and Fourth Heavens after being initiated into the Mansion.
All disciples of the Tianshi Mansion received abundant resources, excellent teachers, and fortuitous opportunities. But the tribulation barriers between major realms could still trap them for years.
The ti saved by early opportunities was usually spent overcoming these obstacles, making thirty years a common tifra.
Barring any major mishaps, they could hope to reach the Fourth Heaven Primal Talisman Stage before fifty and extend their lifespan.
For Shangguan Hong, Li Ying, Guo Yan, and others, real challenges began with the Middle Heavens.
The advancent from the Fourth to the Fifth Heaven, including preparation for the tribulation, typically took about thirty years.
For example, on the way back from the Chiyuan Grotto-Heaven a few years ago, Li Yucheng, a disciple of the Li Family, encountered a major catastrophe at the Nine Stream Valley. He had entered the Fourth Heaven Primal Talisman Stage long before Elder Li Qingfeng went into seclusion. Yet, for over a decade, he remained stuck in the Primal Talisman Stage.
This wasn’t unusual, nor was it unique to the Tianshi Mansion. In lesser sects, reaching the Middle Heavens was already cause for a disciple to give thanks to their ancestors.
In fact, most cultivators Lei Jun encountered during his trip to Bashu, like Huang Sanqian, were already notable if they reached the Third Heaven.
But comparing oneself to others could lead to frustration.
Li Yucheng’s mindset was shaken by the rapid progress of Tang Xiaotang and Lei Jun. Until he stabilized his ntal state, he dared not envision his future beyond the Fifth Heaven.
Disciples with his bone structure and superior comprehension typically took over forty years to progress from the Fifth to the Sixth Heaven. In other words, by the ti he attempted the Sixth Heaven, he would already be over a hundred years old.
At that point, he would be in the pri of his life but face diminishing hopes of reaching the Seventh Heaven and the Upper Heavens. There was a high chance he would stop at the Sixth Heaven, even if his cultivation went smoothly.
If it didn’t, he might not even reach the Sixth Heaven Dao Seal Stage of the Talismanic Branch.
The Seventh Heaven required extraordinary luck.
Shangguan Hong shared a similar predicant.
In fact, reaching the Sixth Heaven was enough to be considered the backbone of the Mansion. Aside from a few Elder Masters, most respected Elders who led departnts were at the Sixth Heaven.
Additionally, due to the recent surge in spiritual energy, this younger generation had more potential than their predecessors.
This gave Shangguan Hong and others higher hopes for the future.
But when they turned to Lei Jun, his progress was simply terrifying.
“Junior Brother Lei spent two years refining Qi, and about four years going from the Second to the Third Heaven. That’s excellent, but not shocking.”
Shangguan Ning’s eldest disciple, Lin Shan, added, “But he advanced from the Third to the Fifth Heaven in just six years. That’s too fast.”
It was even faster than Senior Brother Li Zhengxuan, who had a Sacred Physique and exceptional comprehension, took to advance from the Third to the Fifth Heaven.
“In recent years, only Junior Sister Tang Xiaotang progressed faster than Junior Brother Lei.”
Lin Shan clicked his tongue in wonder. “Was Junior Brother Lei holding back before, or did his cultivation aptitude improve significantly through so great opportunity?”
Shangguan Hong chuckled dryly. “Senior Brother also had many opportunities. To be even faster than him, Junior Brother Lei’s talent must be on par with his.”
And this was considering the recent surge in spiritual energy. If they compared it to the years when Li Zhengxuan was in the Lower and Middle Heavens, the difference would be even more astonishing.
“Bone structure traits are relatively obvious, but only Sixth Martial Uncle can discern them. As for comprehension, it’s hard to say,” Lin Shan said. “But Junior Brother Lei has created multiple basic Spirit Talismans of excellent quality. His comprehension can’t be just superior.”
Elder Shangguan listened quietly to the two disciples’ discussion. Finally, she asked Shangguan Hong, “What’s your opinion of Junior Nephew Lei?”
This ti, she was asking about Lei Jun’s personality and conduct.
Shangguan Hong spoke cautiously, “I dare not speak recklessly. But judging by daily interactions, Senior Brother Lei is aloof and focused on the Dao. He rarely concerns himself with internal disputes and doesn’t provoke others. Therefore, both those of the Li Family and others hold him in high regard.
I believe he, like Martial Uncle Yuan, is devoted to the sect. If the sect or fellow disciples face danger, he’s warm-hearted beneath his cold exterior.”
Elder Shangguan looked at Lin Shan.
Lin Shan nodded. “I mostly agree with Hong’s view. However, Junior Brother Lei always seems calm and unruffled. I can’t claim to know his true thoughts.”
Elder Shangguan nodded slightly and fell into silent contemplation.
When news of Lei Jun’s breakthrough to the Fifth Heaven spread, it caused a stir not only within the Tianshi Mansion but also outside.
If Lei Jun had shown promise during the initiation ceremony, now he was a rising star whose brilliance overshadowed his peers.
It wasn’t just within the Tianshi Mansion. Across the entire human cultivation world, the na of Lei Chongyun of Mount Longhu was growing in renown.
So praised the constant ergence of new talents from the Tianshi Mansion. After Tang Xiaotang, another young prodigy had appeared.
Others noticed sothing else.
This ti, again, the rising star wasn’t a mber of the Li Family. Their comnts carried subtle implications.
“Junior Brother, advancing in cultivation is good, but it’s best to keep it low-key,” Wang Guiyuan sighed. “A big tree attracts the wind.”
Lei Jun nodded. “It is a bit flashy. But I don’t want to trouble Master into privately passing the fourth volu of the True Canon of the Dao of Righteousness.”
Wang Guiyuan smiled bitterly. “That’s true. But… Junior Brother, you should be more careful moving forward.”
Not only were old enemies like the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou and the Yellow Heaven Sect likely to target Lei Jun, but tensions within the Tianshi Mansion were also rising.
Lei Jun had anticipated this. In the short term, the Li Family wouldn’t risk offending Yuan Mobai by targeting him directly. His rapid rise still needed to translate into concrete strength.
Unless his possession of the Tianshi Seal was exposed, they wouldn’t take the risk.
For now, the balance rested on two things:
First, who would recover the lost Tianshi Sword.
Second, when his Senior Sister Tang Xiaotang would break through the tribulation from the Seventh to the Eighth Heaven and reach the level of Xu Yuanzhen and Li Song.
If one of the Li Family’s Elder Masters other than Li Song also reached the Eighth Heaven, the balance could shift again.
“By the way, Senior Sister has been away for months. I wonder how her progress is?” Lei Jun mused.
He didn’t have any leads on the Tianshi Sword, so he couldn’t help Tang Xiaotang.
During his trip to Bashu, Elder Ye Dongming of the Shushan Sect had ntioned clues in Badong, but that had turned out to be misleading.
Lei Jun had even tried using the Tianshi Seal to communicate with the Tianshi Sword, but it yielded nothing.
He wasn’t disappointed. If it were that easy, the Tianshi Mansion would have recovered the Tianshi Seal long ago.
Without further leads, Lei Jun focused on his cultivation.
For Daoist cultivators of the Talismanic Branch, the Fourth Heaven involved refining Earthly Fiends. Upon reaching the Fifth Heaven, they needed to refine Celestial Fiends.
Lei Jun’s next goal was to refine Fiend Qi. Once the Earthly Fiends and Celestial Fiends rged, he could plan for establishing his second Dao Palace.
Although he could now cultivate a second Life-bound Spell, Lei Jun wasn’t in a rush. He already had an idea in mind.
Like the Yin Five Thunder True Talisman Spell he previously created, Lei Jun intended for his second Life-bound Spell to be his own unique creation.
For a while, besides focusing on cultivation, he had been researching Magnetic Force. His early experints had yielded so results, but they were still basic. There were many challenges left to overco.
“Let’s keep refining this idea,” Lei Jun thought, feeling more excited than pressured.
Regarding Fiend Qi, he already had a complete plan. Just like when he refined Fiendish Energy at the Fourth Heaven, he would refine two types of Fiend Qi simultaneously. One Yin, one Yang.
In theory, refining more than one type of Fiend Qi was a burden that could hinder future progress. The foundation built with Shadow Hare and Heartburn Chi previously only applied to Fiendish Energy and wouldn’t help at this stage.
Yet, with his newly advanced Yin-Yang Sacred Physique, as long as the two Fiend Qis were opposing and complentary, they would integrate smoothly. Instead of hindering his progress, they would support his cultivation, just like the Azure Lightning Fiend and the Nine Nether Yin Wind Fiend did before.
The fusion of Yin and Yang Fiend Qi would enhance his spellcasting power.
As for which Fiend Qis to refine, Lei Jun had already made his decision.
Right at Mount Longhu’s main temple was the Azure Dragon Lightning Fiend Qi, one of the purest Yang Fiend Qis in existence. In the Chiyuan Grotto-Heaven, where he refined the Nine Nether Yin Wind Fiend, there was another top-tier Fiend Qi called Scarlet Dragon Abyss Subduing Fiend Qi, which had a Yin nature.
The two were perfectly complentary.
Once his cultivation was stable, Lei Jun decided to refine the Azure Dragon Lightning Fiend Qi first at Mount Longhu.
This Fiend Qi was fused with heavenly lightning, incredibly pure and powerful. When Lei Jun first encountered it, it appeared as a green lightning dragon leaping through the sky.
As before, he set up an altar, perford the Big Dipper Steps, and summoned the power of the stars. A pillar of light shot up from his head, and a vision of the Central Three Pure Palace appeared.
Inside the palace, plaques honoring generations of Daoist ancestors glowed as they drew down the green lightning dragon.
The dragon descended into the Dao Palace, still restless. Lei Jun remained calm, using his Yin and Yang Fiendish Energy to harmonize with the Fiend Qi.
Bit by bit, he refined the Fiend Qi, a process that couldn’t be rushed. Lei Jun proceeded with patience and focus.
During this ti, he also paid attention to another matter: the oversized Rolling Panda he had brought back.
As everyone had guessed, this lazy, gluttonous creature was a hidden genius in cultivation.
Despite its bulky fra and clumsy movents, it was surprisingly agile. Even when it stumbled, it could rush forward in an instant.
Lei Jun taught it the Salvation Sutra, and the panda quickly opened its acupuncture points, practicing breathing and energy control almost like a human.
With spiritual energy nourishing it, the panda’s naturally strong physique grew even more robust.
This was its natural advantage. With a little training, it could rival martial cultivators of the sa level. With serious cultivation, its progress would be even faster.
Watching Lei Jun perform the Big Dipper Steps, the panda even tried mimicking him. To everyone’s surprise, it managed a few steps quite convincingly.
Lei Jun, Wang Guiyuan, and Chu Kun were all astonished.
“Master, is this a racial talent?” Lei Jun privately asked Yuan Mobai.
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