The Water Mansion, a quiet chamber.
A black-robed young man sat cross-legged atop a bright yellow meditation cushion.
He had swordlike brows and starry eyes, with handsome features and a serene expression. He was clearly immersed in cultivation.
Under normal circumstances, although Lei Zhan had become the Water Mansion's fourth Mansion Master, he could only enter the main hall and the four branch halls.
As for the other halls, even the side halls and quiet chambers, he could not take a single step inside.
But Immortal Juhua, the Water Mansion's third Mansion Master, was still alive and well.
Though Immortal Juhua was only a Loose Immortal, he had refined the Water Mansion's core. As long as Lei Zhan had not broken through to the Primordial Spirit Daoist level, Immortal Juhua had the right to enter ninety percent of the Water Mansion's grounds.
And this quiet chamber was naturally one he had arranged for Lei Zhan.
After a long while.
"Whew."
Lei Zhan slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile on his handsome face.
"After half a day of cultivation, I've already reached the perfected Xiantian stage of Qi Refining."
After bidding farewell to his master, Immortal Juhua, and the Water Mansion's Magic Treasure Spirit, Yellow-Haired Great Bear, he had come straight to this quiet chamber to cultivate.
He had been granted many precious secret arts and techniques all at once, and the Divine Ability Hall's trial weighed on him. To say he felt no pressure would have been a complete lie.
But with so many things to consider, Lei Zhan had thought it over for a while before deciding to cultivate the Qi Refining techniques first.
After all, his master, Immortal Juhua, had made a very good point.
"True powerhouses all cultivate Qi and refine their bodies as gods and devils!"
"And now, I've embarked on that same path!" Lei Zhan murmured.
"Still, to advance from this Fragment technique and become a Purple Mansion cultivator, I'll need not only a vast amount of Essence Liquid, but also a powerful Human-Grade Magic Treasure..."
The Qi Refining technique, the Nine Directions Fragment, was indeed powerful, but it was also worlds apart from the other Qi Refining techniques Lei Zhan had encountered.
Cultivating this technique required not only more Heaven and Earth energy—or Essence Liquid—but also a corresponding magic treasure to be fused at every level of cultivation.
Upon reaching Xiantian, one had to use the secret method recorded in the Qi Refining technique to fuse an ungraded magic treasure. Only with a vast quantity of Heaven and Earth energy could one then advance to the next level.
Lei Zhan's comprehension of the Dao was now so profound that it rivaled that of some Primordial Spirit Daoists.
With such a lofty vantage point, mastering the basics had naturally been easy.
As for magic treasures, Lei Zhan was only a Purple Mansion early-stage cultivator who refined his body as a god and devil. Ungraded magic treasures were not very valuable, and he had plenty stored in his storage treasures.
He had picked a fairly powerful one, and with Essence Liquid in ample supply, he had broken through to perfected Xiantian with ease.
"To advance along the Qi Refining Path and become a Purple Mansion cultivator, I'll need to fuse a Human-Grade Magic Treasure. And the more powerful it is, the better."
Recalling the various things written in the Nine Directions Fragment, Lei Zhan's eyes filled with helplessness.
"Not only that, I'll also have to absorb a hundred jin of Essence Liquid, or an equivalent amount of Heaven and Earth energy, to succeed."
"And that's only to reach the early stage. What if I want to expand my Purple Mansion lake, or even break through to become a Wanxiang True Person..."
As for Essence Liquid, his master, Immortal Juhua, had given him a thousand jin along with the Nine Directions Fragment, so there was no shortage.
But magic treasures... Lei Zhan had originally owned a few.
Powerful cultivators only carried a handful of magic treasures they were skilled at using. Even the spoils from killing enemies would quickly be turned into magic treasures that could improve their own strength. They would never let large amounts sit unused and go to waste.
When Lei Zhan was about to take part in Immortal Juhua's disciple-selection trial, he had naturally sold everything he could, exchanging it for cultivation resources that could improve his strength.
Aside from the ungraded ones, he had kept only a top-grade Human-Grade flying vessel, a pair of Human-Grade wings that increased the speed of body-refining cultivators, and a magic treasure called Heavenly Star Sand, which he used in battle.
All of these were among the more valuable Human-Grade Magic Treasures, and he would still be able to use them in the future.
Although Lei Zhan had no Qi Refining cultivation and could not even use them, he had kept them all the same.
As for the weapon he used in battle, he had only one: a magic-treasure spear that had accompanied him since his mortal days and had been refined using the God and Devil Blood Refining Method.
So for Lei Zhan, laying a solid foundation was naturally the better choice.
But if he wanted to build the best possible foundation, he would need to find a top-grade Human-Grade Magic Treasure.
Top-grade Human-Grade Magic Treasures were rare; they were even more precious than some Earth-Grade Magic Treasures.
For now, it seemed impossible to advance his Qi Refining cultivation any further.
"What a bottomless pit, swallowing gold and devouring iron!"
Lei Zhan was filled with emotion, but for that very reason, he became even more certain of how extraordinary the Qi Refining technique, the Nine Directions Fragment, was.
In the Three Realms, most Qi Refining techniques were ordinary: they absorbed Heaven and Earth energy into the body before advancing to the next level. But he had never heard of a technique like this one.
"Still, cultivating this Qi Refining technique will bring me endless benefits. The Nine Directions technique requires a lot of resources, but the elemental energy it produces is purer and more abundant. When I fight enemies in the future, I'll be able to keep going for much longer."
Thinking of this, Lei Zhan felt even more grateful to his master, Immortal Juhua.
Everything he had received had been bestowed by his master.
"Just the techniques my master passed down to me—if I'd tried to obtain these precious methods on my own before, it would have been next to impossible."
Lei Zhan had awakened his memories, but he was far more familiar with the Great Xia World as it would exist countless years in the future, and with the major powers of Andan Commandery. He knew that world much better than this late era of gods and devils, where immortals and demons were everywhere and slaughter never ceased.
Putting his thoughts aside, Lei Zhan flipped his hand, and a thick book appeared in it. It was the divine ability, Three Heads and Six Arms.
"There are nearly six years left before I turn ten by god-and-devil reckoning. I'd better hurry. A top-tier divine ability like that won't be easy to obtain." Lei Zhan shook his head gently, then began to read the divine ability in his hands.
Three Heads and Six Arms was as famous as Law of Heaven and Earth, and it was widely circulated. Naturally, it was somewhat easier to learn.
Of course, that did not mean Law of Heaven and Earth and Three Heads and Six Arms were weak!
This divine ability had a low threshold, but once mastered to a high level, it could truly be called a great divine ability!
When mighty experts fought, the divine abilities they most liked to use were Law of Heaven and Earth and Three Heads and Six Arms.
With a single transformation, they could grow a hundred zhang tall, a thousand zhang tall, or even ten thousand zhang tall.
With such a towering god-and-devil body, Three Heads and Six Arms complemented them perfectly. With all six arms exerting their strength together, picking up a mountain range thousands of li long was like picking up a blade of grass. Seizing stars was as easy as plucking a fruit.
One could see just how mighty these two divine abilities were...
Lei Zhan had learned Law of Heaven and Earth long ago. And now, Immortal Juhua had bestowed Three Heads and Six Arms upon him as well.
A moment later.
"Hm? This divine ability..." A flicker of surprise appeared in Lei Zhan's eyes.
Just moments ago.
As soon as Lei Zhan tried cultivating the divine ability Three Heads and Six Arms, especially when he reached its various barriers and bottlenecks, the Black Bead floating in his Purple Mansion dantian began to shine.
Immediately after, countless cool currents washed over his soul and true spirit, leaving his mind exceptionally clear. The state was much like sudden enlightenment. Information about Three Heads and Six Arms, along with all the questions in his mind, flashed past one after another as his thoughts raced and he made deductions. One by one, the bottlenecks that had held him back became clear...
"This feeling... It's that bead!"
The Black Bead had displayed its miraculous power once before when he had comprehended the Dao in the Star Hall. It had shown no reaction while he cultivated the Nine Directions Fragment, so Lei Zhan had paid it no mind.
But now...
"It seems that with the bead's help, my comprehension has become even stronger!" Lei Zhan was overjoyed.
Treasures that could help one comprehend the Dao or even improve one's comprehension were extraordinarily precious.
Even if they only improved one's comprehension by the tiniest bit, countless cultivators would fight tooth and nail to get their hands on them.
Lei Zhan's comprehension was already exceptional. Otherwise, he could never have embarked on the path of cultivation alone, nor advanced from a Xiantian Being to a Purple Mansion cultivator in just four years.
Now that he had the bead's help, it was like a tiger with wings.
"This bead..."
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