Listening Thunder Abode

Listening Thunder Abode is an elegant, independent courtyard located beside a cliff on the east side of the main peak of Stone Bamboo Shoot Mountain.

Outside the courtyard, green pines offer shade, while inside, exotic stones are arranged, and a babbling stream flows through.

The most peculiar thing is that when standing in the courtyard, one can faintly hear muffled thunder from the clouds in the sky, as if it were right beside you, yet also far away.

The spiritual energy of the thunder attribute here is also exceptionally active, greatly benefiting the cultivation of thunder techniques.

"This place was originally the abode of a senior in the sect who was skilled in thunder techniques. Later, the senior went traveling, and it was left vacant. Senior Brother, you've just broken through to Foundation Establishment and need to consolidate your realm and comprehend the essentials of thunder techniques. This place is most suitable," Senior Uncle Qian He said with a smile.

Uncle Nine felt the active thunderous aura around him and nodded with satisfaction. "This place is excellent. Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother Qian He."

The courtyard contained a quiet room, an alchemy room, and a refining room, all fully equipped. Though not luxurious, they exuded an ancient Daoist charm everywhere.

Uncle Nine chose the main quiet room, while Mo Yuan stayed in the side room.

After settling in, Uncle Nine said to Mo Yuan, "You go to the Scripture Pavilion first to register, collect your disciple's provisions, and familiarize yourself with the sect's environment. I need to go into seclusion for a few days to thoroughly consolidate my Foundation Establishment realm."

"Yes, Master," Mo Yuan replied.

Following the direction indicated by Senior Uncle Qian He, Mo Yuan passed through several corridors and halls before arriving in front of a magnificent seven-story pavilion.

Above the pavilion's entrance hung three gilded characters, "Scripture Pavilion," with a vigorous calligraphy that contained Daoist charm.

The disciples entering and exiting here were noticeably more numerous, most wearing blue or gray Daoist robes. Their auras varied in strength, but their eyes were quite clear.

Upon entering the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion, the space inside was vast, like a spacious library.

Rows of tall bookshelves were neatly arranged, holding countless jade slips, silk scrolls, and beast hide scrolls, all categorized.

There were attending disciples responsible for registration sitting behind a desk at the entrance, and some disciples were quietly browsing or conversing in low voices among the bookshelves.

Mo Yuan walked to the registration area and cupped his hands towards a middle-aged attending disciple. "Greetings, Senior Brother. I am disciple Mo Yuan, newly joined to this sect. I am here by order of Senior Uncle Qian He to register and collect my provisions."

The attending disciple looked up at Mo Yuan, sensing his Qi Refining seventh-layer aura. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and his attitude became a bit more courteous.

"So it's Junior Brother Mo Yuan. Please present your identity token... Oh, you're new, you haven't received one yet." He took out a blank jade plate and asked, "Who is your master?"

"My master is Lin Jiu," Mo Yuan replied.

Upon hearing this, the attending disciple's attitude became even more respectful. The news of Master Lin's successful breakthrough to Foundation Establishment had already spread.

While skillfully entering information into the jade plate, he said, "So you are a talented disciple of Master Lin. This is your identity jade plate. You need to drip blood to recognize it as your master. With this token, you can freely enter and exit the first three floors of the Scripture Pavilion and borrow texts within. Each month, you can receive ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a bottle of Grain Avoidance Pills, and ten contribution points."

He handed Mo Yuan a smooth white jade plate and a small cloth bag.

The front of the jade plate was inscribed with the characters "Mount Mao," and the back bore "Mo Yuan" and his basic information.

The small cloth bag was a lowest-grade storage bag, with a space of only about one cubic meter. Inside were ten spirit stones imbued with spiritual energy and a white jade porcelain bottle.

"Contribution points can be exchanged for pills, magical artifacts, materials, or entry into special cultivation areas at the sect's 'Treasure Hall.' The ways to obtain them are mostly by completing sect missions, or by handing in precious materials, cultivation techniques, and so on," the attending disciple added by way of explanation.

Mo Yuan dripped blood onto the identity jade plate to recognize it as his master, put it and the storage bag away, and after thanking the disciple, he eagerly headed towards the bookshelves.

The first floor of the Scripture Pavilion mainly stored basic cultivation knowledge, miscellaneous anecdotes, geographical records, spirit herb illustrations, low-level magical techniques, basic cultivation methods, and so on.

Although most of it was basic, the sheer variety and completeness of the system were far beyond what Uncle Nine had described or what he had discovered on his own.

Mo Yuan was like a mouse that had fallen into a rice bin, and he began to read with insatiable hunger.

He first found the area concerning precautions for late-stage Qi Refining cultivation and insights into breaking through bottlenecks, and he read it carefully.

With the systematic summaries and guidance from Mount Mao seniors, many of the areas that had been vague or that he had explored on his own suddenly became clear.

"So, the key to advancing from the seventh to the eighth layer of Qi Refining is 'nascent spiritual liquid condensation.' It requires further compressing and purifying the gaseous spiritual energy in the Dantian, making it show signs of turning into liquid... This demands extremely high divine sense strength and spiritual energy control," Mo Yuan mused.

He had the power of Yin Virtue nourishing his soul, so his divine sense was already much stronger than others at the same level. Coupled with the assistance of Primordial Comprehension, he was quite confident about this.

Afterward, he browsed through texts such as Compendium of Basic Magical Techniques, Detailed Explanation of Low-Level Talismans, and Introduction to Formations. He cross-referenced them with his own knowledge and gained a lot.

Especially in the area of formations, he had previously relied mainly on system rewards and self-comprehension. Now, with a systematic theoretical foundation, many things that he had previously understood the 'what' but not the 'why' suddenly became clear.

He also specifically looked for records concerning "Merit" and "Yin Virtue."

There were not many such texts, and most were vague, only mentioning that the power of merit was mysterious, could nourish the soul, increase fortune, aid in breakthroughs, and was the foundation for achieving the Great Dao, but how to accumulate and utilize it was rarely detailed.

This made him even more aware of the preciousness of his Soul Cleansing Banner and his path of converting spirits.

Unknowingly, several hours passed. Mo Yuan felt a bit mentally fatigued, and only then did he reluctantly put down the jade slips.

He didn't rush to the second floor but decided to solidify the theoretical foundation on the first floor first.

When he left the Scripture Pavilion, the sky was already approaching dusk. Mo Yuan did not return directly to Listening Thunder Abode but wandered around the sect, familiarizing himself with the environment.

He saw the "Hall of Affairs" responsible for issuing missions, the "Treasure Hall" for exchanging resources, the "Martial Arts Arena" for disciples' sparring, and the "Cultivation Tower" with even denser spiritual energy.

The disciples he encountered on the road were mostly in a hurry, either contemplating alone or discussing Daoist principles in small groups, creating a positive and intense atmosphere.

Occasionally, someone would notice Mo Yuan, a new face, and sensing his Qi Refining seventh-layer aura, they would cast looks of curiosity or scrutiny.

Upon returning to Listening Thunder Abode, Uncle Nine was still in seclusion in the quiet room.

Mo Yuan returned to his room, set up a simple soundproofing restriction, and then took out the storage bag.

Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones were nothing to Mo Yuan, who had once possessed Middle-Grade and High-Grade Spirit Stones. However, these were distributed monthly by the sect and held greater symbolic meaning, representing that he was a formal member of Mount Mao.

That bottle of Grain Avoidance Pills is quite practical; taking one will keep me from feeling hungry for days.

He focused his attention on the identity jade token.

His spiritual sense sank into it. Besides the basic information, there was a number "ten," representing contribution points.

Contribution points... it seems that within the sect, this is more important than spirit stones, Mo Yuan thought to himself.

He remembered what the outer disciple had said: to earn contribution points, one needs to complete tasks or hand in resources.

"Perhaps I can try refining some pills or talismans?"

He recalled the Basic Alchemy Overview rewarded by the system and his own steadily improving talisman skills.

He had also seen in the Scripture Pavilion that finished pills and talismans could be exchanged for contribution points. Although the basic varieties weren't worth much, every little bit adds up.

With this in mind, he took out the wisp of [Essence of Vegetation] he had obtained from signing in, and also took out the Dragon Blood Grass he hadn't had a chance to use.

The Essence of Vegetation exuded a rich vitality, while the Dragon Blood Grass contained pure Bloodline Power.

If I can use the Essence of Vegetation to accelerate the growth of the Dragon Blood Grass, perhaps I can increase its age and medicinal efficacy... a thought surfaced.

He carefully channeled a trace of Essence of Vegetation into the roots of the Dragon Blood Grass.

The Dragon Blood Grass visibly turned increasingly vibrant red, its leaves unfurled, its medicinal aroma intensified, and its age seemed to have increased significantly!

"It really works!" Mo Yuan rejoiced inwardly. This would greatly facilitate his future alchemy studies.

In the days that followed, Mo Yuan's life became routine.

Every morning, he went to the Scripture Pavilion to read ancient texts and solidify his foundation. In the afternoon, he practiced spells and talismans in his courtyard, while also nurturing the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear and the Soul Cleansing Banner. At night, he meditated to refine his Qi, steadily advancing towards the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Occasionally, his Uncle-Master Qian He would visit. After coming out of seclusion, Uncle Nine would discuss the Dao with him, and he would also offer Mo Yuan some pointers, especially in formations, which benefited Mo Yuan greatly.

His Uncle-Master Four Eyes also came once. True to his reputation, he was lively and very interested in Mo Yuan's Soul Cleansing Banner, marveling at it.

Mo Yuan also tried taking on some simple sect missions, such as helping weed the medicinal garden or cleaning a certain hall. Although the contribution points were not many, they helped him integrate into the sect more quickly.

One day, Mo Yuan was practicing a newly learned low-level offensive spell, "Fire Snake Art," in his courtyard, attempting to combine it with his own Dragon Essence aura to make it more powerful and agile.

Suddenly, his identity jade token vibrated slightly, and a message entered his mind:

"All inner disciples, gather at the Martial Arts Arena immediately!"

Mo Yuan stopped his spell, his eyebrows slightly raised.

It had been over a month since he joined, and this was the first time an order for a full assembly had been issued.

He tidied his daoist robe, picked up his identity jade token, and hurried towards the Martial Arts Arena.