Listening Thunder Abode

Listening Thunder Abode stood beside a cliff on the eastern side of Stone Bamboo Shoot Mountain's main peak, an elegant, secluded courtyard.

Green pines shaded the courtyard's exterior, strange rocks dotted the interior, and a babbling stream ran through it.

Most remarkable of all, when one stood in the courtyard, one could faintly hear muffled thunder rolling through the clouds on the horizon. It seemed close at hand, yet distant beyond reach.

The lightning-attributed spiritual energy here was also exceptionally active, greatly benefiting the cultivation of lightning arts.

"This was originally the secluded cultivation residence of a senior within the sect who was proficient in lightning arts. Afterward, that senior traveled afar, and the place was left vacant.

Senior Brother, you have just broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and need to stabilize your cultivation and comprehend the essentials of lightning arts. There could be no place more suitable." Uncle Qian He introduced it with a smile.

Uncle Nine sensed the active lightning aura around him and nodded in satisfaction. "This is an excellent place. Thank you for taking such trouble, Junior Brother Qian He."

The courtyard contained everything: meditation chambers, an alchemy room, and an artifact-refining room. It was not luxurious, but every corner carried an ancient Daoist charm.

Uncle Nine chose the main meditation chamber, while Mo Yuan stayed in a side room.

After settling in, Uncle Nine said to Mo Yuan, "Go to the Scripture Pavilion first to register, collect your disciple's monthly allotment, and familiarize yourself with the sect. Your master needs to enter seclusion for several days to thoroughly stabilize the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"Yes, Master," Mo Yuan replied.

Following the direction Uncle Qian He had indicated, Mo Yuan passed through several corridors and halls before arriving before an imposing seven-story tower.

Three gilded characters—"Scripture Pavilion"—hung above the entrance. The calligraphy was vigorous and contained a trace of Daoist intent.

There were noticeably more disciples coming and going here. Most wore green or gray Daoist robes, and though their auras varied in strength, their eyes were all quite clear.

Upon entering the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion, Mo Yuan found the space enormous, like a vast library.

Rows of tall bookshelves stood in neat order, filled with countless jade slips, silk manuscripts, and beast-hide scrolls sorted into categories.

A steward disciple responsible for registration sat behind a desk at the entrance, while other disciples quietly read among the shelves or spoke in low voices.

Mo Yuan walked to the registration desk and cupped his hands toward a middle-aged steward disciple. "Senior Brother, this disciple is Mo Yuan. I have just joined the sect and have come under Uncle Qian He's orders to register and collect my allotment."

The steward disciple looked up at Mo Yuan. Sensing the aura of the seventh level of Qi Refinement, surprise flashed through his eyes, and his attitude became more courteous.

"So you are Junior Brother Mo Yuan. Please present your identity token... Ah, you have only just arrived and have not received one yet." He took out a blank jade token and asked, "Whom do you serve as master?"

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

Upon hearing this, the steward disciple became even more respectful. News of Uncle Lin's successful Foundation Establishment breakthrough had long since spread.

As he skillfully entered Mo Yuan's information into the jade token, he said, "So you are Uncle Lin's accomplished disciple. This is your identity jade token. You must bind it to yourself with blood. With this token, you may freely enter the first three floors of the Scripture Pavilion and borrow the texts within. Each month, you may receive ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones, one bottle of Grain Avoidance Pills, and ten contribution points."

He handed Mo Yuan a smooth white jade token and a small cloth pouch.

The front of the jade token was engraved with the two characters "Maoshan," while the back bore "Mo Yuan" and his basic information.

The small cloth pouch was the lowest-grade storage bag, with only about one cubic meter of space. Inside were ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones brimming with spiritual energy and a white jade porcelain bottle.

"Contribution points can be exchanged at the sect's Treasure Hall for pills, magical artifacts, materials, or entry to special cultivation grounds.

"They are generally obtained by completing sect missions or handing in precious materials, cultivation techniques, and the like," the steward disciple added.

Mo Yuan dripped blood onto the identity jade token to bind it to himself, put it away along with the storage bag, thanked the steward disciple, and eagerly headed toward the bookshelves.

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

Although most of it was foundational material, the sheer variety and completeness of the system far surpassed Uncle Nine's verbal teachings or anything Mo Yuan had explored on his own.

Mo Yuan was like a mouse that had fallen into a granary, reading with ravenous hunger.

He first found the section concerning precautions for late-stage Qi Refinement cultivation and insights into breaking through bottlenecks, then carefully studied it.

With the systematic summaries and guidance of Maoshan's predecessors, many matters that had previously been vague or that he had explored on his own suddenly became clear.

So the key to advancing from the seventh level of Qi Refinement to the eighth lies in the initial condensation of spiritual liquid. One must further compress and purify the gaseous spiritual power in the Dantian until it shows signs of liquefying... This places extremely high demands on spiritual sense and spiritual power control.

The power of yin virtue had nourished his soul, making his spiritual sense far stronger than that of cultivators at the same level. With Primordial Comprehension assisting him as well, he was quite confident about this.

Afterward, he read texts such as Complete Collection of Basic Spells, Detailed Explanation of Low-Grade Talismans, and A First Glimpse of Formations, comparing them against what he had learned and gaining greatly.

Formations in particular had previously relied mostly on system rewards and his own comprehension. Now that he had a systematic theoretical foundation, many things he had known only superficially suddenly came together in his mind.

He also specifically searched for records regarding "merit" and "yin virtue."

There were not many such texts, and most were vague. They merely mentioned that the power of merit was mysterious, capable of nourishing the soul, increasing one's fortune, and aiding breakthroughs. It was the foundation for attaining the Great Dao, yet few explained in detail how it could be accumulated or used.

This made him realize even more deeply the value of his Soul Cleansing Banner and his path of delivering the dead.

Before he knew it, several hours had passed. Only when Mo Yuan felt mentally exhausted did he reluctantly put down the jade slip.

He did not hurry to the second floor, deciding instead to first firmly establish the theoretical foundation of the first floor.

By the time he left the Scripture Pavilion, dusk was approaching. Mo Yuan did not return directly to Listening Thunder Abode, instead strolling through the mountain gate to familiarize himself with the surroundings.

He saw the Hall of Affairs, which distributed missions; the Treasure Hall, where resources could be exchanged; the Martial Arts Arena, where disciples sparred and competed; and the Cultivation Tower, where the spiritual energy was even denser.

Most disciples he encountered on the way moved with purpose. Some pondered alone, while others discussed the Dao in groups of two or three. The atmosphere was active and intense.

Occasionally, someone noticed Mo Yuan, an unfamiliar face, and sensing his seventh-level Qi Refinement aura, cast him curious or scrutinizing looks.

When he returned to Listening Thunder Abode, Uncle Nine was still in seclusion in the meditation chamber.

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

Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones were nothing to Mo Yuan, who had once possessed mid-grade and High-Grade Spirit Stones. Still, these were issued monthly by the sect, giving them greater symbolic significance—they represented his status as an official member of Maoshan.

The bottle of Grain Avoidance Pills, however, was practical. Taking one pill would keep him from hunger for several days.

He turned his attention to the identity jade token.

His spiritual sense sank into it. Apart from his basic information, there was also the number "ten," representing his contribution points.

Contribution points... It seems this is more important than spirit stones within the sect.

He recalled the steward disciple's words. To acquire contribution points, one needed to complete missions or hand over resources.

Perhaps I could try refining some pills or talismans?

He thought of the Basic Alchemy Overview rewarded by the system and his ever-improving talisman skills.

He had also seen in the Scripture Pavilion that finished pills and talismans could be exchanged for contribution points. Though basic items were not worth much, small gains could add up.

With that thought, he took out the strand of [Essence of Vegetation] he had obtained from signing in, along with the Dragon Blood Grass that he had never had the chance to use.

The Essence of Vegetation radiated dense vitality, while the Dragon Blood Grass contained pure blood vitality.

If I use the Essence of Vegetation to nurture the Dragon Blood Grass, perhaps I can increase its age and medicinal potency...

He carefully guided a thread of Essence of Vegetation into the Dragon Blood Grass's roots.

The Dragon Blood Grass immediately became increasingly vivid and crimson at a visible speed. Its leaves unfurled, its medicinal fragrance grew richer, and its age seemed to have increased considerably!

It really worked! Mo Yuan was delighted. This would provide tremendous convenience when he studied alchemy in the future.

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

Every morning, he went to the Scripture Pavilion to read and strengthen his foundation. In the afternoons, he practiced spells and talismans in the courtyard, nurtured the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear and the Soul Cleansing Banner, and at night, he meditated and cultivated Qi, steadily advancing toward the eighth level of Qi Refinement.

Occasionally, Uncle Qian He came to visit and discussed the Dao with Uncle Nine after he emerged from seclusion. He also gave Mo Yuan a few pointers, especially regarding formations, from which Mo Yuan benefited greatly.

Uncle Four Eyes also visited once. As expected, he had a lively and unrestrained personality. He was greatly interested in Mo Yuan's Soul Cleansing Banner and clicked his tongue in amazement.

Mo Yuan also tried taking on a few simple sect missions, such as helping weed the herb garden or cleaning a certain hall. Though the contribution points were few, they helped him integrate into the sect more quickly.

One day, Mo Yuan was practicing a newly learned low-grade offensive spell, the Fire Snake Art, in the courtyard. He was attempting to combine it with the aura of his Dragon Essence, making it more powerful and agile.

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

"All inner sect disciples, proceed to the Martial Arts Arena immediately!"

Mo Yuan withdrew his spell, his brows lifting slightly.

Having been in the sect for over a month, this was the first time he had received an order for everyone to assemble.

He straightened his Daoist robe, picked up his identity jade token, and hurried toward the Martial Arts Arena.