Breakthrough to the Fifth Level, Mortal Kowtows to Immortal

White Dragon had been nourished by Jiang Changsheng's spiritual energy since before its birth, and a trace of spiritual energy had already formed within its body. However, its intelligence was still shallow, and it didn't understand how to cultivate. At most, it relied on breathing to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, so its cultivation increased very slowly.

Since it could increase its spiritual energy, then Jiang Changsheng should be able to as well.

Jiang Changsheng mustered his courage and swallowed the remaining pill. The pill melted in his mouth, turning into a heat source that flowed down his throat and into his bones.

Refreshing!

Jiang Changsheng's face showed joy. The White Dragon next to him leaned over, flicking its tongue, as if saying, 'I want more,' but Jiang Changsheng directly pushed it away.

"Let's name this pill Spirit Enhancing Pill."

Jiang Changsheng thought happily, then noted down the medicinal materials of this pill and recorded it as a prescription.

This was the first cultivation pill he had developed. The medicinal materials were not rare, but they were not easy to obtain either. He still had to rely on the emperor's efforts.

Jiang Changsheng conveniently refined a bottle of pills to nourish the body and increase essence, and then handed them to the emperor one by one.

Hua Jianxin also witnessed the various changes in the White Dragon, but she didn't dare to disturb him, fearing that she would also become a test subject.

Spring and autumn alternated.

Jiang Yuan would take time out of his busy schedule to come to Dragon Arising Temple every month. This frequent visits also made the status of Dragon Arising Temple rise, and more and more dignitaries came to burn incense. The incense money of Dragon Arising Temple far exceeded that of previous years, and the lives of the disciples had improved.

The disciples all knew one thing: although the Daoist didn't care about things, he could talk to the emperor and gain the emperor's favor. This was the greatest ability.

In a blink of an eye.

Another year passed.

Kaiyuan Twenty-first Year!

Because the emperor no longer pursued elixirs, the time spent dealing with state affairs increased, and the economy of Great Jing Dynasty continued to rise. It was not even dragged down by the construction of the Grand Canal. In addition to internal management, external conquests also played a significant role.

Great Jing attacked Gu Han, constantly annexing its territory and harvesting various resources, which also strengthened the cohesion of Great Jing Dynasty.

In this continent, there have been more than a dozen dynasties alternating. In the vast history, the emperor is always the most dazzling existence. As the founding emperor, Jiang Yuan's historical status will not be low. The scholars originally thought that he would become increasingly fatuitous and incompetent after being addicted to immortality, but unexpectedly, he suddenly woke up, and various poems praising Kaiyuan Great Emperor began to become popular.

Spring rain drizzled.

Qing Ku came to visit Jiang Changsheng, stating his intention. He was preparing to lead a group of disciples down the mountain to train, and by the way, collect orphans to cultivate new disciples for Dragon Arising Temple. This was already an old tradition of Dragon Arising Temple.

"Be careful. Here are two talismans. When you encounter an enemy that you cannot defeat, inject your true qi into them and point the talismans at the enemy. Remember, do not use them lightly."

Jiang Changsheng took out two yellow talismans from his sleeve. The talismans were sent by Chen Li, and he used Talismans and Incantations to engrave his spiritual energy into them. To make them appear special, he also scribbled on the talismans.

Qing Ku took the two talismans, looking puzzled, and thought to himself, "Why is Senior Brother becoming more and more eccentric?"

Although he thought so, he still carefully put them away. Jiang Changsheng was extremely mysterious in his eyes, and he also raised a White Python that understood human nature. Perhaps this talisman was really useful.

After Qing Ku left, Jiang Changsheng continued to practice.

In this year, the White Dragon had been accustomed to by the disciples. It could freely roam within Dragon Arising Mountain, never hurting anyone, and most importantly, it was a vegetarian, which made the disciples love it. Even some pilgrims saw it, and when they learned that it was raised by Changsheng Daoist, they were no longer afraid. Under the deliberate rendering of the disciples, the name of the White Dragon gradually spread in Jing City.

Dragon Arising Temple has a snake, named White Dragon, which understands human nature.

Hua Jianxin had been following Jiang Changsheng for so long that she had completely mastered the Jade Purity Severing Meridian Needle. Jiang Changsheng also taught her the Nine Seeking Heavenly Dragon Steps. Her strength had improved by leaps and bounds. According to her, she felt that she had hope of reaching the Heaven Arrival Realm.

In this way, the Heaven Arrival Realm does not require top-notch internal strength.

On the tenth day of Qing Ku's departure.

Jiang Changsheng finally ushered in an opportunity for a breakthrough.

Taking Spirit Enhancing Pills every month only earned him an early breakthrough!

He sat in his room, meditating and circulating his energy, his spiritual power surging, his Daoist robe fluttering, and his long hair swaying with it. The White Dragon, basking in the sun on the windowsill, turned its head, its serpentine eyes gleaming faintly.

"Something's not right..."

Jiang Changsheng suddenly frowned, feeling an inexplicable unease in his heart.

This breakthrough was going smoothly, and there were no mishaps in his cultivation, so why the unease?

He nervously circulated his energy, becoming more and more cautious, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

At the same time, above Dragon Arising Temple, the white clouds in the blue sky gradually darkened and gathered towards Dragon Arising Mountain. The disciples of Dragon Arising Temple, thinking it was about to rain, invited the pilgrims to enter the temple to take shelter.

The people of Jing City also noticed the strange phenomenon on Dragon Arising Mountain. The vast Jing City had only Dragon Arising Mountain shrouded in dark clouds. It was still midday, and such a spectacle was quite magnificent, but the people merely looked on without giving it much thought.

However.

Boom—

A bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, striking the eaves of the house where Jiang Changsheng was, sending tiles flying.

Jiang Changsheng opened his eyes, sensing the abnormality outside. An idea formed in his mind.

Could it be...

Tribulation?

Jiang Changsheng immediately got up and flashed to the roof. A strong wind rose, and the clouds in the sky had already turned into thunderclouds. The sea of clouds churned, forming a huge and terrifying vortex, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling faintly, emanating a mighty heavenly power.

The moment he reached the roof, the unease in his heart suddenly vanished.

At that moment, he understood that the fifth level of the Dao Follows Nature Skill required him to undergo tribulation, and he couldn't escape. Once he did, the unease in his heart would turn into a inner demon, interfering with his cultivation from then on.

He had to overcome this tribulation!

Jiang Changsheng's eyes became firm. He sat directly on the roof, his legs suspended in the air, a good half a meter from the roof, spiritual power swirling around him, visible to the naked eye, his robes fluttering in the wind.

Jian Xin was startled by the thunder and pushed open the door, coming into the courtyard. She looked up and saw Jiang Changsheng in mid-air.

Her beautiful eyes widened, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.

He... was suspended in the air?

Could this be the Devil Master's illusion?

Boom!

Another bolt of lightning struck, this time aimed directly at Jiang Changsheng, but it was blocked by his spiritual power and dissipated. This scene shocked Jian Xin.

Before she could react, bolts of lightning struck down one after another, all targeting Jiang Changsheng, without deviation. Jiang Changsheng used his spiritual power to protect himself, forming a shield to resist the lightning strikes. The force of the lightning grew stronger and stronger, quickly forming a barrage. Even in the daytime, the lightning could be seen.

In Jing City, in every corner, including the imperial palace, people could see the lightning on top of Dragon Arising Mountain. The lightning all struck in the same direction, forming a cone shape, which was particularly spectacular even from a distance.

"What is that?"

"What terrifying lightning, could it be that something has appeared above Dragon Arising Temple?"

"Rumor has it that the new Daoist of Dragon Arising Temple is young and intelligent, and even keeps a White Python that understands human nature. Could it be that he is a reincarnated immortal?"

"I'm not sure, but with this momentum, people will probably die at Dragon Arising Temple, right?"

"Strange, strange, this old man has lived for seventy years, through two dynasties, and has never seen such a celestial phenomenon."

The people of Jing City were in an uproar, and even the dignitaries came out of their houses one after another, looking at this strange phenomenon.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

Jiang Yuan stood in front of the Golden Luan Hall, with his hands behind his back, looking at the thunder on Dragon Arising Temple Mountain. His eyes were full of excitement. When Eunuch Li came, the excitement in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a deepness like an ancient well, making him unfathomable.

Eunuch Li came to him and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, such a strange phenomenon, I'm afraid everyone in Jing City can see it. How should we deal with it?"

Jiang Yuan said casually, "Can celestial phenomena be dealt with by humans?"

"No, this servant is worried that Dragon Arising Temple will be damaged. This is a Daoist temple personally appointed by Your Majesty..."

"We'll talk about it when it's damaged."

Jiang Yuan replied casually, his eyes fixed on Dragon Arising Temple.

Eunuch Li didn't dare to ask more questions and turned to look at Dragon Arising Mountain together.

The princes, concubines, and princesses in the palace also came out of their houses to observe this rare thundercloud phenomenon.

This heavenly tribulation was more difficult than Jiang Changsheng had imagined. After half an hour, his spiritual energy was almost exhausted, but the power of the lightning did not weaken, but intensified.

He closed his eyes, his face very ugly. Now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to persevere. If he was not careful, he might be struck by lightning and reduced to ashes.

Jian Xin had already believed that Jiang Changsheng was not relying on trickery, but that he was really undergoing a lightning tribulation, just like in the stories of myths.

She was now staring at him with admiration and worry, fearing that something would happen to him.

In the distance, there were also many disciples watching. The pilgrims who were temporarily staying at Dragon Arising Temple were discussing it behind them. At the beginning, they were very frightened, fearing that they would be struck, but later they found that the lightning only struck one place, so they cautiously approached and then saw this shocking scene.

Undergoing a lightning tribulation in mid-air!

Jiang Changsheng had become deified in their hearts.

Meng Qiushuang was also very worried about Jiang Changsheng, and at the same time, she felt very complicated.

Could this junior brother really be a reincarnated immortal?

Jiang Changsheng didn't know what they were thinking, and he didn't have time to think about it, focusing on transcending the tribulation.

Just as he was worried, the lightning tribulation finally began to weaken. It came quickly and went quickly.

In less than three minutes, the lightning tribulation completely stopped, and the thunderclouds dissipated. Jiang Changsheng was relieved. When the sunlight shone on him, the spiritual energy in his body began to erupt, and the spiritual energy between heaven and earth frantically drilled into his body, resonating with his spiritual energy and creating more spiritual energy. From the perspective of others, he was surrounded by a whirlwind, and even the leaves were rolled up.

"An... immortal!"

A middle-aged man trembled and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing to Jiang Changsheng. His reaction also caused other pilgrims to kneel down. Those rational pilgrims looked at each other, seeing the crazy appearance of these people, and an idea was born in their hearts.

What if he really is an immortal? Would they offend the immortal if they saw him and didn't kneel?

And just like that, all the pilgrims knelt down and kowtowed to Jiang Changsheng, while praying for their own blessings.

The disciples also knelt down one after another, looking at Jiang Changsheng with fervor. Wan Li and Ming Yue, who often cultivated with Jiang Changsheng, were overjoyed, never expecting to receive the immortal's favor.

Meng Qiushuang did not kneel, but stared blankly at Jiang Changsheng, lost in thought.

Jiang Changsheng completely stepped into the fifth level of the Dao Follows Nature Skill, his spiritual power surged wildly, his senses transformed, and the range of his divine sense expanded even further. Between his eyebrows, two intersecting golden lines gradually emerged, resembling a simplified Taiji Yin-Yang diagram, faintly visible.

New week, early update, to celebrate, asking for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets~~~