Junior Brother Lei, There Are Risks in Crossing Tribulations!

Lei Jun indeed had some new ideas. "You're making me look foolish, Master. I still have a long way to go."

Back in the Profound Yang Grotto-heaven, whether it was him or Qu Yong and the others, they could only fling Blazing Flame Talismans one at a time.

Though they could fire them in succession, Lei Jun still felt their firepower was too scattered.

He wanted it to be denser, on a larger scale.

Perhaps other spells would achieve that once his cultivation realm rose further, but Lei Jun still wanted to give it a try.

For now, however, it was merely a rough prototype, with many difficult hurdles still to overcome.

If he could not resolve them for a long while, Lei Jun would not dwell on it endlessly.

But if he could truly obtain the Water Marrow Yin Fish soon and successfully raise his own comprehension, then things would be different.

He had already tasted the benefits in that regard.

After briefly discussing his ideas concerning spirit talismans with Yuan Mobai, Lei Jun extended one hand, spreading his five fingers with his palm facing upward.

He silently circulated his mysterious technique, gathering Magic Power in the palm of his right hand.

A faint layer of azure surfaced over his palm, glimmering slightly.

It was as though a hidden azure undercurrent ran beneath the skin of Lei Jun's hand.

As Lei Jun waved his hand, the azure light remained deeply hidden beneath his skin.

Yet the concealed force that stripped flesh and corroded bone was a terrifying sight.

Without external defenses, if an opponent's physical body took a direct palm strike from Lei Jun, their vital energy and blood would immediately wither across a broad area.

"After the Azure Stone Ink's spiritual power was refined and combined with your own Magic Power, it gave rise to a new kind of force?" Yuan Mobai asked with a smile.

"Please instruct me, Master."

Originally, for Azure Stone Ink to erode and damage a person's vital energy, blood, and physical body, it had to act over years and years.

But after Lei Jun's constant pondering and research, it had finally become a force that could take effect swiftly.

Though mastering it required spending a long time around Azure Stone Ink ore, once mastered, it could unleash its power with great speed.

Lei Jun named it Dark River Force.

He curled his fingers together, forming a fist.

The azure light withdrew into his palm, becoming nearly invisible.

But the hidden force remained contained in Lei Jun's hand.

When he threw a punch now, its effect was much the same as the earlier palm strike, but it was even more covert.

I clearly wanted to be a dashing light-armored warrior—strike once, miss, then swiftly fly away, darting back and forth, fierce and agile. How did my whole style drift more and more toward that of an old silver coin?

Something has to be wrong... Lei Jun thought.

Fortunately, successfully creating his own force still made him quite happy.

Though it was still very primitive and could not even be considered a Daoist art or spell technique, after crossing over from Blue Star to cultivate in this world, turning some of his ideas into reality had always been one of the pleasures that drew him in.

Achieving this was not merely due to his cultivation advancing from Foundation Establishment to the Dharma Altar Realm, but also because the Fire Marrow Yang Fish had nourished his spirit.

It made Lei Jun look forward even more eagerly to raising his comprehension as soon as possible.

Not only Dark River Force, not only the Linked Blazing Flame Talisman.

He had many more ideas he wanted to put into practice.

"For someone of your age and cultivation, this is quite remarkable." Yuan Mobai's smile deepened as he guided Lei Jun through several minor adjustments, further perfecting this entirely new force.

His teaching habits were orthodox, but he likewise did not force Lei Jun's hand. Thus, he only offered pointers on Lei Jun's other cultivation thereafter.

Although the overall spiritual energy in the area was less abundant than on Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Lei Jun had expected that already. The resources he had brought with him on this trip were plentiful and would not affect his daily cultivation going forward.

Thus, master and disciple remained in the mountains, quietly awaiting the maturation of the Cold Spring Yin Fish while continuing their lessons.

Deep in the mountains, one never knew how the years passed, and time flowed on.

Before they knew it, summer had arrived.

One day, the tranquility was suddenly broken.

Yuan Mobai told Lei Jun that he had matters to attend to and would be leaving Azure Firmament Temple for a time. His return date was uncertain, but by his estimation, he would finish his business and return before the Water Marrow Yin Fish emerged.

During that time, Lei Jun only needed to remain at Azure Firmament Temple.

Though Lei Jun was curious, he naturally agreed.

Before leaving, Yuan Mobai assigned him a little coursework, and Lei Jun cultivated on his own.

One day, while eating lunch.

"Junior Brother Lei, speaking from the heart, I truly envy you. You were able to enter Dragon Tiger Mountain and even become Elder Yuan's disciple, listening to the Elder's teachings and lectures every day."

Qin Tao, the "Deputy Temple Master" of Azure Cloud Temple, sighed with deep emotion. "In these mere few months, just listening to Elder Yuan open the altar and expound the Dao a few times has made me feel that the doubts I accumulated over many years of cultivation have been resolved in a single day."

Lei Jun glanced at him.

Qin Tao looked to be around forty. He wore a Daoist robe and crown, with three long strands of beard hanging from his chest. Like Temple Master Lu Zhaoqing, he had the fine bearing of an enlightened cultivator. Among the mountain villages and towns around Azure Firmament Mountain, he too was a revered immortal in the eyes of countless people.

But according to what Lei Jun knew, the man should already have been past fifty, while his cultivation stood at the Second Heaven of Foundation Establishment.

Seeing Qin Tao's heartfelt emotion, Lei Jun simply said, "My master's Daoist arts are profound and unfathomable. I was merely fortunate enough to enter his school."

Qin Tao set down his bowl and chopsticks, holding a teacup. "Forgive my presumption, but I heard that Junior Brother Lei is only in his early twenties this year?"

"Twenty-four."

"What exceptional talent!" Qin Tao praised. "Judging from Junior Brother Lei's bearing, vital energy, and blood, I fear you have already reached Foundation Establishment Perfection?"

Instead of answering, Lei Jun asked, "Senior Brother Qin appears to have reached Foundation Establishment Perfection as well?"

Qin Tao smiled bitterly. "After many years of cultivation, I have gained a little. Regrettably, the Heavenly Moat is difficult to cross, and I have never been able to enter the Third Heaven."

He looked at Lei Jun, speaking with earnest gravity. "Junior Brother Lei crossed the tribulation from the First Heaven to the Second Heaven, so you must understand what I mean."

Lei Jun said, "...Yes."

Qin Tao said in a deep voice, "The tribulations between major cultivation realms are dangerous. They are fatal.

"They truly take lives!

"Three years ago, among the new disciples who entered my Purple Firmament Sect, one recently failed to establish his foundation because he encountered difficulties while crossing tribulation. He suffered Qi Deviation and was gravely injured.

"If the elders of his sect had not rendered emergency aid at his side, he likely would have died on the spot."

Lei Jun listened quietly.

The other man was not merely trying to frighten him.

The tradition of the cultivation world was that if one was not sufficiently confident, one should not touch the Heavenly Moat Tribulations between major realms.

Because once one failed, there would be no second chance, no room at all for trial and error.

Try it, and you truly die.

The tribulation of the Heavenly Moat between the First Heaven and Second Heaven could also kill people.

"And then last year, the Upper Seat of our temple attempted to break into the Third Layer Altar Realm and failed his tribulation."

Qin Tao continued, "That time, he could not be saved and perished on the spot. Therefore, the position of Upper Seat at our temple remains vacant."

At the Celestial Master Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain in this world, an Ordination Ceremony was held once every three years, while the date for bestowing registers was not fixed.

The Dao Palace on the mountain was vast, with many disciples, though not to an especially outrageous degree. One reason was that outstanding disciples often left the mountain to establish their own branches, constantly dispersing the lineage.

Other reasons were rather disheartening.

As a Daoist Holy Land, the Celestial Master Mansion had not actually seen many unnatural deaths among its disciples in recent years.

The two greater causes of attrition through death were the natural end of one's lifespan and death from failing to cross tribulation.

Not only the Celestial Master Mansion, but every Prominent Clan and cultivation holy land had to face this.

For second-tier cultivation sects and great clans such as the Purple Firmament Sect, the situation was only more severe.

But after hearing Qin Tao's words, Lei Jun did not feel grateful, despite the man's appearance of baring his heart.

Generally speaking, the Celestial Master Mansion and the Purple Firmament Sect only reminded newly initiated disciples of the dangers of the tribulationary Heavenly Moats. They rarely mentioned specific cases of past failures.

It was not to make people like Lei Jun careless.

Rather, some things became greater obstacles the more one knew about them. The more one thought, the more afraid one became; and the more afraid one became, the easier it was to fall to one's death beneath the Heavenly Moat!

Though Qin Tao concealed it well, Lei Jun had noticed long before today that, as a descendant of a branch lineage, he occasionally revealed envy and even jealousy toward the True Disciples of the Main Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain.

He was already past fifty, beyond the golden window of cultivation for Foundation Establishment and Dharma Altar cultivators. His cultivation from here on would yield half the results for twice the effort.

Judging by his previous pace of progress, it could almost be said that he had no hope of reaching the Fourth Heaven before the age of one hundred.

In other words, the greatest possibility for the rest of his life was that he would die of old age at two hundred.

For mortals, that was an unattainably long lifespan.

But compared with True Disciples of the Celestial Master Mansion like Lei Jun, their futures were not on the same level at all.

Qin Tao had lost sleep.

His state of mind had become unbalanced as well.

With Yuan Mobai away, there was no way he had approached Lei Jun today to say all this out of simple goodwill.

He had even deliberately chosen a time when there was no one else in the dining hall but him and Lei Jun.

"What Senior Brother says is most true. Between life and death lies great terror!" Lei Jun echoed him.

Qin Tao's eyes shifted. "Yes..."

"But we cultivators must still strive diligently onward. After all, there are things more terrifying than death..."

Qin Tao said, "Uh?"

Lei Jun's tone was even more sincere than his:

"Waiting to die."