Treasures from a Past Life

Time passed.

The artistic conception of the Dao surrounding Lei Zhan grew increasingly profound, refined, and pure.

The Yellow-Haired Great Bear and Immortal Juhua watched on leisurely.

Neither knew how many years they had lived. The Yellow-Haired Great Bear, as the artifact spirit of the Water Mansion, went without saying. Even Immortal Juhua, who had failed his tribulation and become a Loose Immortal, had lived for millions of years.

At their level, a casual seclusion could last for a thousand or ten thousand years; this brief wait actually piqued a hint of their interest.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

"Oh?" The Yellow-Haired Great Bear glanced at the seated Lei Zhan. "The Dao swirling around this little fellow... it's becoming harmonious!"

"Mm. It is merging. He is fusing several different Daos together," Immortal Juhua observed.

"This little fellow, Lei Zhan, truly has extraordinary comprehension. He has only just entered the threshold of the Great Dao, yet he is already attempting to fuse the two minor Daos of Water and Fire into the Great Dao of the Spear. This is quite rare. Could it be... that this little fellow is a reincarnated immortal?"

Realizing various Daos was not difficult. However, if one could combine the realized Daos, the power unleashed when battling other cultivators would far exceed that of a single Dao.

Immortal Juhua understood that unless a reincarnated immortal had regained their past memories, an ordinary cultivator would only be able to achieve this at the level of a top-tier Wanxiang True Person or a Primordial Spirit Daoist.

The Great Dao was profound, and it was difficult for ordinary cultivators to comprehend.

"A reincarnated immortal..." The Yellow-Haired Great Bear's gaze sharpened. If Lei Zhan were a reincarnated immortal, the weight he placed on him would diminish.

One had to know that ever since the ancient Pangu World shattered and Goddess Nuwa established the Three Realms and Six Paths of Reincarnation, reincarnation had become increasingly easy.

Most Earth Immortals who felt they could not survive the Heavenly Tribulation, or Loose Immortals who had barely survived it, would ultimately choose to rely on the Six Paths of Reincarnation to live another life.

Although these cultivators had their memories obscured after reincarnation and became mortals, once their memories awakened, their past insights into the Dao and the strength of their souls made their aptitude naturally exceptional.

But while reincarnated immortals might be precious to other cultivators or factions, they meant little to the Yellow-Haired Great Bear, the artifact spirit of the Water Mansion.

After all, those cultivators had failed to pass the Heavenly Tribulation in their previous lives, and in another life, the difficulty of the tribulation would only be higher.

Regardless of aptitude, if one could not pass the Heavenly Tribulation, one could never truly be free.

After pondering for a long time, the Yellow-Haired Great Bear slowly said, "Lei Zhan should not be one of those reincarnated immortals. I see that although his soul is stronger than an average cultivator's, it is only to a limited extent. Even though those reincarnated immortals are failures, their souls are naturally at least at the level of Divine Sense, even when they are still mortals without cultivation."

"Mm," Immortal Juhua nodded.

Regardless, having taken in such a disciple—his only disciple—Immortal Juhua held high hopes for him.

As for whether he was a reincarnated immortal, it was not that important to Immortal Juhua himself.

"Hoo."

A smile appeared on Lei Zhan's handsome face as he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"This Star Hall is truly extraordinary. It actually allowed me to directly comprehend a trace of the Great Dao's true meaning, and I have also gained much from the Way of Azure Water and the Way of Blazing Fire."

"Not bad."

Immortal Juhua looked at Lei Zhan and nodded with satisfaction. "To comprehend a trace of the Great Dao's true meaning while only at the early Purple Mansion stage of the God and Devil Body Refining Path, and even having a minor Dao reach the level of the Domain Realm of the Dao—you are worthy of being my disciple."

"Only a very small number of ordinary Wanxiang True Persons can reach your level. Even some Primordial Spirit Daoists are only at this level of understanding regarding the Dao."

"Hm?"

Lei Zhan looked up and immediately saw Immortal Juhua standing side-by-side with the Yellow-Haired Great Bear.

"Master."

"Senior Great Bear."

After paying his respects, Lei Zhan smiled. "Disciple has been practicing the Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Map, and previously I had only barely comprehended the true meanings of the Way of the Azure Sea and the Way of Blazing Fire. If not for meditating here in the Star Hall, I don't know how much longer it would have taken to reach my current state."

"Lei Zhan, while the Star Hall is indeed immensely important, the Star Scroll is merely a guide. It leads the practitioner to immerse themselves in a state of extremely deep contemplation; the more text one reads, the deeper that state of contemplation becomes!"

"What one can comprehend depends on one's usual accumulation. It is a case of 'thick accumulation, thin issuance'; only with daily accumulation can one have a sudden moment of clarity. Therefore, your gains today are entirely due to your daily efforts."

"Daily efforts?" Lei Zhan whispered. His first thought was of the mysterious Black Bead within his Purple Mansion Space.

He understood that while his own daily accumulation was one aspect, that Black Bead, which had suddenly bloomed with light inside his Purple Mansion Space, had played an equally crucial role.

Lei Zhan was no stranger to this bead.

In his previous life, Lei Zhan had died protecting a treasure.

That treasure was this very Black Bead. He had not expected that after coming to this Desolate Era world, the bead would follow him here.

Without a doubt, the cooling aura released by the Black Bead in my Purple Mansion is of great help to my comprehension of the Dao.

But I wonder what other wonders this bead possesses? Can this effect of aiding comprehension be sustained? Can it be used indefinitely?

As Lei Zhan thought of this, his confusion deepened, but he was currently in the Water Mansion, and this was not the time to investigate.

The time and place were both inappropriate.

Forget it. Since this bead followed me here, there will be plenty of time in the future. Even with my current cultivation as a Purple Mansion cultivator, I have several hundred years to live. I can explore it slowly.

A thousand thoughts surged through his mind, yet only an instant had passed in the outside world.

With a smile on his face, Lei Zhan looked at the Yellow-Haired Great Bear and asked, "Senior Great Bear, I wonder what my chances are now of clearing the second level of the War God Hall?"

Previously, in the Hall of Treasures, the Yellow-Haired Great Bear had said that Lei Zhan only had a seventy percent chance of passing the first level of the War God Hall, and as for the second level, it was less than ten percent.

Now that his strength had greatly increased, he naturally had other ideas. Being able to clear the War God Hall meant gaining another opportunity to exchange for treasures in the Hall of Treasures.

Lei Zhan knew clearly in his heart that any single treasure within this Water Mansion Treasure Hall would be a rare and precious item among its peers in the outside world.

"And you now?" The Yellow-Haired Great Bear scrutinized Lei Zhan until Lei Zhan felt a bit uneasy, only then did he speak, "The Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Map you cultivate has reached the seventh level, which can rival an average God-Devil Body Refining Purple Mansion late-stage practitioner, but you have not cultivated the Qi Refining Path."

"Your soul level has also yet to reach the Divine Sense level."

"The most striking aspect, however, is your level of insight into the Dao. Just as Immortal Juhua said, your comprehension of the Dao can indeed rival some Primordial Spirit Daoists."

The Yellow-Haired Great Bear spoke one point after another, a hint of a smile appearing on his otherwise expressionless face.

"With your current strength, if you wish to challenge the second level of the War God Hall, you should have a fifty percent chance of success."

"Fifty percent?" Lei Zhan nodded slightly; fifty percent was already quite significant. One had to realize that it had only been half a month since the Yellow-Haired Great Bear had claimed his chances were less than ten percent.

Lei Zhan had come from the mortal world, only stepping onto the path of cultivation to become a Xiantian Being at the age of sixteen. Now, in just four years, he had progressed from a Xiantian Being to a Purple Mansion cultivator.

Having now become a disciple of Immortal Juhua and the fourth master of the Water Mansion, he had even awakened memories of his past life, with that mysterious Black Bead serving as an aid.

As for what heights he could reach in the future, even Lei Zhan himself could not say for sure.