Wood Correct Thunder

"Ze Tian, your aptitude is simply too good! No wonder you're the Dao Child chosen by the Grand Master. It's one thing to have reached the Qi Refining Perfection stage upon entering the sect, but your comprehension in arithmetic is also so remarkable. It's truly terrifying..."

Song Dayou speechless, truly speechless. This was the first time he had ever seen such a prodigy, because Zheng Zetian's cultivation was simply too fast. Not only did he understand meridians and acupoints with just a word, but he also mastered talismans and Magic Treasure after being taught them only once. Furthermore, he became proficient in the <Azure Cloud Heavenly Origin Technique> in one go, even before the pills stewing in the pot were finished. Song Dayou was born into a poor family and couldn't bear to waste spiritual pills, so he took the opportunity to teach him basic arithmetic.

But who would have thought! Zheng Zetian looks a bit dull and simple-minded, but he's not only a cultivation genius, he's practically insane when it comes to math problems. He writes like a madman, his pen moving with divine inspiration, nonstop! And look at his test paper, although there's almost no calculation process, he got them all right! He actually did it all in his head!

No matter the world, mathematical geniuses are terrifyingly powerful...

Song Dayou smiled wryly and handed his pile of arithmetic textbooks and notes to his disciple.

"I originally planned to have you take classes with the Outer Sect disciples in Lou Guan City for a few years to learn the <Introduction to the Pure Land> and gain some understanding of human relationships. But judging from your level, you're already good enough to take the Xuanmen's middle school entrance exam."

"Forget it, following those good-for-nothing, spoiled brats is a waste of your talent and will delay your cultivation. Go to Tianyu Mountain and join the advanced classes of those Xuanmen Daoists to directly learn the <Advanced Tai Su>."

Zheng Zetian crunched on a crisp persimmon. Actually, he didn't like doing problems, but since his teacher gave him persimmons to eat while he was doing the test, he reluctantly did it.

Seeing the boy's mouth covered in juice as he ate, and how he was wiping his mouth with his old, grimy, and clumped robe, Song Dayou reluctantly wiped it clean for him.

"Alas, you are too young, and I really can't rest easy about your current state of mind. Moreover, the Heavenly Origin Technique of the Bi Xia Dao only has the method of cultivating Qi, not the technique of self-protection. I should have passed on the secret thunder technique of my Qingting lineage to you for protection, but the Thunder Escape is a secret manual privately passed down to the Xuanmen. According to the rules, I must ask the patriarch first, so I can't make a decision on my own."

"Alright then, my master Real Person, is currently in seclusion at Mount Mo, suppressing his inner demons. I'll take you to the Dan Pool to bathe and change first. Later, I'll prepare some Heavenly Treasure to help you establish your foundation, and then we'll go to pay our respects to my master and receive the true teachings of my Dao Thunder Register."

"Oh."

So when the alchemy furnace was used up, Song Dayou tidied up and gave his disciple two persimmons as a reward. Zheng Zetian was very happy, taking a bite of the sweet persimmons from the left and right, and followed Song Dayou out the door. Then they were enveloped in lightning and flew through the sky, passing over the immortal mountains and spiritual palaces, and arrived at a medicine shop on a floating immortal island in the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven.

This medicine shop has a steaming Dan Pool, the liquid of which is as green as soup, with wisps of Daoist Dao Breath rising from it, making it practically the finest Dao Breath sauna.

"This is the Dao Yuan Dan Ying Pool. It's a medicinal bath made from the discarded dregs of pills that were ruined during the Grand Master's alchemy practice of refining the Dan Ying Divine Fetus. Actually, even though they're called 'discarded pills,' they're all at least at the ninth level of the Dao Yuan Dan Ying Pool. However, the Grand Master's standards are quite strict; only pills that have undergone ninety-nine levels or higher are considered successful..."

In short, this opportunity to cultivate the Dao is rare. Even at cost price, it's already a bargain for us disciples. cough I'm short on cash, so I won't go. You go in by yourself, try to soak for a while. When you feel dizzy and can't take it anymore, it's probably because you're overwhelmed by the power of the elixir, then you can come up.

Oh, remember to change into the Daoist robes of our sect. These Luo Sect robes are too conspicuous; keep them for yourself. I'll go get some Foundation Establishment treasures and exchange them for some Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow for you. Also, it's fine since this is your first time Qi Refinement Stage, but don't eat so many persimmons on an empty stomach in the future, or you'll get gallstones."

Song Dayou chattered like an old woman, then bargained with the True Lord Monarch, who was squatting on a futon by the door, with the spirit beast talisman of the Ink Bamboo Mountain Sect painted on his head and in charge of guarding the alchemy workshop. He even gestured and pointed to Zheng Zetian's height.

Finally, the toad reluctantly agreed to give the short guy a discount. Song Dayou then exchanged five hundred Void Jade for a token, which Zheng Zetian took into the bath. If he fainted from the poison in there, the True Lord guarding the Dan Pool could come to his rescue.

Zheng Zetian took off his clothes and walked into the bathhouse. The dust and filth on his body were directly blown away by the rising spiritual energy. When he soaked in the Dan Ying Pool, the tiny seal script and blood-red runes that were densely written all over his body seemed to be living things, absorbing the emerald green elixir soup. They actually turned into a golden color and absorbed the medicinal liquid in the Dan Pool at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zheng Zetian was enjoying a relaxing soak when suddenly a commotion broke out at the door.

"Holy crap! A bath costs three thousand taels per person! My Void Jade didn't just fall from the sky! Are you kidding me, Mr. Xiang?!"

"What are you thinking? This is the renowned Dao Yuan Dan Ying Pool! It's used for the Inner Sect disciples to cleanse their marrow! If it weren't for my connections, we wouldn't even be able to get in. Take it or leave it. If you can't afford it, we can go to Lou Guan City and soak in a medicinal vat for three months, it'll be the same."

"Sigh, never mind, never mind, the Dao body is more important. The Grandmaster said, time is money. Here, have six thousand Banknotes..."

"Give me 15,000 taels. I can use my elder brother's connections to invite two more senior sisters to practice together and help us recover our strength. 3,000 taels is a referral fee for my elder brother."

"Hiss... Brother Xiang, it's not that I don't trust you, but do you know what three thousand Void Jade means? How many Outer Sect Disciple can earn three thousand taels a year? To put it bluntly, even the palace masters and princesses of the Twelve Countries back then, I could buy one of them as a bed warmer with three thousand taels. Is your senior sister made of gold or silver? Is she really worth three thousand taels for one time?"

"Hehe, Brother Huang, you're still too worldly. I didn't mean anything by it, it's just that your vision is a bit narrow. You think it's not worth three thousand taels to hire Nascent Soul Stage to help you with dual cultivation? Then forget it."

"Holy crap! It's a real person! Dude, wait a minute! Tell me the details! Tell me the details, bro!"

"Hmph, you know that my Ink Bamboo Mountain swept through the Ten-thousand-mountains and subdued many demon spirits, right? Now that the fate of heaven has changed and the Spirit Race is thriving, the Grand Master, being a benevolent ruler, couldn't bear to waste food by killing them all to have with his wine. So he appointed his disciple, Senior Brother Li Mao, as the Dean of the Yuling Courtyard and bestowed upon the Spirit Race of the Ten-thousand-mountains a secret method of dual cultivation."

The males, like these toads, serve as guardian spirit beasts, while the females are allowed to transform into human form and cultivate the righteous path of humanity. These two senior sisters were also invited from over there. If everyone gets along well and can form a bond, it would be no less valuable than hiring a True Person Realm retainer for the family. Do you think a mere three thousand taels is worth it?"

"Hiss... You cultivation families really know how to have fun! Fine! Damn it, I'll risk my life to play along! I'll witness the skills of the Spirit Race senior sisters! Tsk tsk tsk, cultivating immortality really does consume resources, my entire month's allowance is gone."

Zheng Zetian squatted in the Dan Pool and blinked. He saw two young men with large bandages wrapped around their faces walk in. They were Huang Jing and Xiang Ji.

Hey! You guys are here for a bath too?

Upon seeing a familiar Zheng Zetian stood up with great joy, his body radiating golden light.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Huang Jing and Xiang Ji never expected that someone was lying in ambush here. They were caught completely off guard, and the two of them immediately set themselves on fire...

Fortunately, a toad's tongue curled up, dragged the two boys, who were burned beyond recognition, out and swallowed them, then took them to the emergency room.

Zheng Zetian wasn't stupid; he realized that this celestial scripture was something a normal person couldn't withstand. He paused for a moment, then desperately rubbed the seal characters on his hands, trying to remove them, but to no avail.

Fortunately, a voice from the unseen realm transmitted a scripture to him. Zheng Zetian heard it and found it very reasonable, so he sat quietly in the Dan Pool to cultivate, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and reflected on the Heart Sutra. As a result, the golden characters on his body were gradually absorbed into his body and gathered in his forehead. His spiritual consciousness seemed to have become more enlightened, and his thinking became faster.

"Huh? Wasn't it said there were two people? And this is just a child, is it really possible to cultivate together at such a young age?"

"It's alright. The Ling Shu Suwen Wen also has proper cultivation methods for swallowing saliva and refining breath. However, there's much less elixir in this pool. I came here hoping to get some nascent soul essence. How long has it been since that toad replenished its elixir?"

After an unknown amount of time, Zheng Zetian suddenly heard someone speaking and opened his eyes.

Two beautiful young women stepped into the knee-deep Dan Pool, one on each side, and sat down beside him.

"You..."

Moyu

Wuweng.

"Meet by chance."

"We are destined to meet."

Zheng Zetian and Moyu Wuweng dual cultivation together.

Zheng Zetian found it quite peculiar.

When Song Dayou returned, Zheng Zetian had already changed into the robes of Ink Bamboo Mountain, and his messy hair had been neatly combed. He was sitting in the empty spot where the toad had been squatting, holding a bowl of cherries and sucking on them while waiting for him.

Song Dayou handed him the wine jar.

"Have you been waiting long? Hey, I heard he's the chosen grand-disciple, the old mountain lord is overjoyed. It's a pity he wants to eat everyone he sees, so he can't see anyone yet. I picked a lot more for you, drink this Immortal Spirit Jade Marrow. Hmm? Where did these cherries come from?"

"It was given by a white crane and a bluebird. Glug glug."

"Oh, there are even spirit birds bringing you immortal fruits. No wonder you're a Daoist destined for immortality."

Song Dayou didn't pay any attention and casually took Zheng Zetian's pulse.

"Huh? Your skill has improved so much? This, reaching Foundation Establishment on the first day is a bit too fast, is it really alright...?"

"Burp, I'm so full."

Zheng Zetian was quite tipsy, and his nostrils were spewing out ethereal mist like silk. This was a sign that his body was full of true qi, his spiritual energy was surging through his body, and his foundation for the Dao was about to be formed.

Song Dayou tried to calculate with his fingers, but of course he couldn't figure out Zheng Zetian's background. He could only sigh and take out a fruit the size of an apple, with green skin, blue stem, and surrounded by lightning from his sleeve.

"Alright, alright, we can't miss this opportunity to become immortals. Let's start with Foundation Establishment. Here, eat this Five Thunders Fruit. I'll teach you the Five Thunders Heavenly Heart Correct Method now."

The five elements converge, leaving nothing to defile; they are pure and clean, thus achieving a state of no leakage. The liver is the wood of the eastern soul, the lungs are the metal of the western spirit, the heart is the fire of the southern spirit, the kidneys are the water of the northern essence, and the spleen is the earth of the central palace.

Therefore, when a sage does not see, his soul returns to his liver; when he does not hear, his essence resides in his kidneys; when he does not taste, his spirit resides in his heart; when he does not smell, his vital essence resides in his lungs; and when his limbs do not move, his intention resides in his spleen. Hence it is said that he gathers and clusters the five thunders.

..."

Zheng Zetian's comprehension and aptitude were naturally beyond question. After consuming the Five Thunders Fruit, a burst of lightning flashed within his mouth, surging and flickering through his liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, and spleen. The Dao Qi surrounding his entire body was ignited by the thunder and fire. As the Five Thunder Orthodox Method was finished, a thunderous boom resounded, and a lightning snake shot out from the top of Zheng Zetian, striking the sky and shattering the clouds.

At this moment, the boy's Daozi was exactly as described in the text: his eyes were like lightning, his mouth and nose were like rolling thunder, his body was surrounded by azure clouds, and lightning flashed continuously, causing the surrounding grass and trees to crackle and burn.

Song Dayou examined Zheng Zetian's pulse Qi Sea.

"The Five Thunder Orthodox Method has many restrictions. For example, before refining the inner core Thunder Pearl, one must not consume the Blood Food Devil Embryo. Although this will make my cultivation speed much slower than that of my fellow disciples from Ink Bamboo Mountain, your aptitude is probably not much worse."

And judging from your appearance, you seem to enjoy eating fruit, so it shouldn't be a big problem. Here, try it. Make a fist with your left hand, control your qi, and lock your thumb. When you feel it's about right, face your palm towards the enemy and raise your hand to strike."

Following instructions, Zheng Zetian gathered the Azure Cloud Heavenly True Qi in his palm. A ball of azure cloud appeared in his hand, with faint electric snakes darting between his fingers. Then, he unleashed a palm strike towards the sea of clouds outside the island, sending out a bolt of lightning that exploded with a deafening boom.

"Hmm, after eating so much fruit and even cultivating Azure Mist Qi, you truly are Wood Correct Thunder."

Song Dayou was not surprised, pointing to the center of the transverse crease of the proximal joint of Zheng Zetian's left ring finger.

"Ze Tian, your liver acupoint is brimming with Qi, and your breath flows through the three jiaos. What you're unleashing here is the Wood Correct Thunder. The Heavenly Thunder Technique is profound and powerful, but if you can't guard your heart and maintain your true Qi, you risk being struck by lightning. Your cultivation is still shallow, so I can't pass on the true teachings to you yet. You can practice this palm thunder technique for now. Once you can freely unleash thunder from the acupoints of the three yang meridians, your basic skills will be nearly complete."

"Yes."

"Alright, now that we've Foundation Establishment, let's go to Lou Guan Tower to exchange for the plaque. It would be a waste not to collect our monthly salary."

Zheng Zetian asked curiously, "Monthly salary?"

So Song Dayou took out a light purple jade slip and showed it to Zheng Zetian.

"This is the Void Wonderful Jade. Now that Ink Bamboo Mountain no longer pays Divine Astral Coin, the monthly salary of the Foundation Establishment Daoist disciples in the inner mountain is two kilograms of Void Jade. This jade is made by the sect in the Beyond Heavens using secret methods. Because of its stable structure and extremely high purity, it is not only the raw material for Tai Su Dao to forge swords and refine treasures, but also will not cause evil transformation if carried by hand. Moreover, it can be used to charge magic Magic Treasure, talismans and formations."

Now, whether it's cultivation or crafting treasures, high-purity Void Jade is needed. Because it's priced by weight, it's inconvenient to transport, so it's stored at the mountain gate. You can exchange it using Banknotes issued by the bank.

The common people are also willing to accept these kinds of precious notes backed by physical objects as currency. Two kilograms of Void Jade, which is equivalent to forty taels of Void Jade Precious Notes, can buy quite a lot of things. In addition, the monthly salary of a Golden Core cultivator is two hundred taels, and that of a True Person cultivator is two thousand taels. Whether doing sect missions or working for a private merchant, as long as the precious notes received have the original sect's seal, they can be used to exchange for Void Jade.

"It's already outrageous enough to reach Foundation Establishment in one day, but surely it's impossible to reach Core Formation the very next day. Even the Grandmaster took a year, hahaha."

So Song Dayou summoned Leiyun, carrying Zheng Zetian who was studying his palm, and flew out of the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven. They crossed rivers and railways and soared northward into the sky. Leiyun disappeared like light, and soon, in the distance, they saw a city protected by an upside-down bowl-shaped amethyst barrier.

At the center of the bowl was a pagoda, with a huge Void Wonderful Jade at its top radiating purple beams of light that pierced the heavens like lightsabers, and then spread out like a fountain, scattering light curtains in all directions like a light drizzle, covering the entire city. This purple bowl-shaped light curtain was a magical barrier reflecting the radiation of the False Moon, and the part protected by the barrier was the city center.

Having benefited from the chaos of war in the Central Plains over the years, wealthy families, merchants, and refugees from the north have migrated to this city seeking refuge, bringing with them boundless wealth, technology, and population. Furthermore, due to the absence of city walls and the availability of public transportation systems such as railways and airships, the city's scale can expand infinitely outwards from Lou Guan Tower as its core.

Viewed from above, the city, bathed in radiant light, resembled a giant purple spider crawling on a vast, spiderweb-like railway network. The railways stretched across the mountains and plains, intersecting the Li River. Beneath the railway bridges, fleets of merchant ships lined up like a long dragon. Along the river and mountain ridges, countless signal towers, their lights flashing, guided the way. Hundreds of mechanical flying ships, propelled by magical sails or propellers, rose and fell densely throughout the city, transporting supplies from all directions to feed this behemoth within the web.

Now, this place has become the financial, political and transportation center of Ink Bamboo Mountain, and even the entire Li Country, a leading megacity in the south.

This is Lou Guan City.