Chapter 21
Breaking Through the Fifth Level, Mortals Kowtowing to Immortals (1)
As White Dragon had been nourished by Jiang Changsheng’s spiritual energy before it was born, a trace of spiritual energy had long been nurtured in its body. However, its intelligence was still shallow and it did not know how to cultivate. At most, it could only rely on its breathing to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, so its cultivation growth was slow.
Since it could increase one’s spiritual force, it should have the same effect for Jiang Changsheng.
Jiang Changsheng mustered his courage and consumed the remaining medicinal pill. The medicinal pill melted in his mouth and turned into a heat source that flowed down his throat and into his bones.
Awesome!
Jiang Changsheng revealed a look of joy. White Dragon beside him came over and stuck out its snake tongue, as if it wanted more, but Jiang Changsheng pushed it away.
“This pill shall be named the Spirit-increasing Pill.”
Jiang Changsheng happily thought. Then, he memorized the medicinal ingredients for the pill and recorded them into a prescription.
This was the first cultivation medicinal pill he had developed. The medicinal ingredients were not rare, but they were not easy to obtain. He still had to rely on the Emperor to collect them.
Jiang Changsheng also concocted a bottle of medicinal pills to nourish one’s body and increase one’s vitality. Then, he handed it to the Emperor one by one.
Hua Jianxin had also witnessed the various changes in White Dragon, but she did not dare to disturb him, fearing that she would also become a test subject.
Spring and autumn alternated.
Jiang Yuan would take the time to come to Longqi Temple every month. With such frequent visits, the status of Longqi Temple had also risen. More and more influential people came to burn incense, and the incense money of Longqi Temple far exceeded the previous years. With more money, the lives of the disciples improved.
The disciples all knew one thing. Even though the Daoist Master was not in charge, he could speak to the Emperor and obtain his favor. That was his greatest ability.
In the blink of an eye.
Another year passed.
21 years after the founding of the dynasty!
As the Emperor no longer pursued immortal pills, he spent more time dealing with the state affairs. The economy of the Great Jing Dynasty continued to rise, and it was not even dragged down by the construction of the canal. Other than managing the internal affairs, the war against the outside world also played a huge role.
The Great Jing attacked Ancient Han and continuously annexed its territory, harvesting all kinds of resources, causing the unity of the Great Jing Dynasty to increase.
There had been dozens of dynasties in this continent. In the vast history of the continent, the Emperor was always the most dazzling existence. As the founding emperor of a dynasty, Jiang Yuan’s historical status was no longer low. The scholars originally thought that he would become more and more muddle-headed after he became obsessed with the Immortal Dao. Unexpectedly, he suddenly came to a realization and all kinds of poems praising the Emperor began to become popular.
The spring rain continued.
Qing Ku came to visit Jiang Changsheng and revealed his intentions. He was prepared to lead a group of disciples down the mountain to train. At the same time, he would collect orphans and nurture new disciples for Longqi Temple. This was an old tradition of Longqi Temple.
“Be more careful. There are two talismans here. When you encounter an enemy you cannot defeat, infuse your true qi into them and aim the talismans at the enemy. Remember, you are not to use them easily.”
Jiang Changsheng took out two yellow talismans from his sleeve. The talisman paper were sent by Chen Li, and he had inscribed them with his spiritual force. For the sake of making them look special, he even scribbled on the talismans.
Qing Ku took the two talismans with a puzzled expression and thought to himself, “Senior Brother, why are you getting more and more mysterious?”
Even though that was what he thought, he still carefully placed it away. Jiang Changsheng was extremely mysterious in his eyes, and he even raised a white python that could understand humans. Perhaps this talisman was really useful.
After Qing Ku left, Jiang Changsheng continued to cultivate.
In the past year, the disciples had become accustomed to White Dragon. It could freely wander around Longqi Mountain and never hurt anyone. Most importantly, it was a vegetarian, making it popular among disciples. There were even pilgrims who saw it. After knowing that it was raised by Daoist Master Changsheng, they were no longer afraid. Under the deliberate influence of the disciples, the name of White Dragon gradually spread throughout the capital.
There was a snake in Longqi Temple named White Dragon, and it understood humans.
Hua Jianxin had followed Jiang Changsheng for so long that he had completely mastered the Jade Pure Meridian Cutting Needle. Jiang Changsheng had even taught her the Nine-seeking Heavenly Dragon Steps, and her strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. According to her, she felt that she had hopes of reaching the Heavenly Arrival realm.
From the looks of it, reaching the Heavenly Arrival realm did not require top-notch internal skills.
On the tenth day of Qing Ku’s departure.
Jiang Changsheng finally welcomed an opportunity to break through.
He had to consume a Spirit-increasing Pill every month in exchange for an advance breakthrough!
He sat in the room and circulated his energy. His spiritual energy surged and his Daoist robe and long hair fluttered. White Dragon lying on the window sill and basking in the sun turned its head, its snake eyes suffused with a faint glint.
“Something’s wrong…”
Jiang Changsheng suddenly frowned and felt inexplicably uneasy.
Her breakthrough was smooth, and there were no problems with his cultivation. So, how could he be uneasy?
He circulated his energy nervously and became even more careful. He did not dare to be careless at all.
At the same time, above Longqi Temple, the white clouds in the blue sky gradually darkened before gathering towards Longqi Mountain. The disciples of Longqi Temple thought that it was going to rain, so they welcomed the devotees to the hall to hide from the rain.
The citizens in the capital also noticed the phenomenon of Longqi Mountain. The huge capital was shrouded in dark clouds, and it was still noon. Such a phenomenon was rather spectacular, but the citizens only looked at it and did not think much about it.
However…
Boom—
A bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky and struck the eaves of Jiang Changsheng’s house, causing rubble to fly everywhere.
Jiang Changsheng opened his eyes. Sensing the abnormality in the outside world, an idea surfaced in his mind.
Could it be…
Tribulation transcendence?
Jiang Changsheng immediately stood up and flashed to the roof. A strong wind blew and the dark clouds in the sky turned into thunderclouds. The sea of clouds churned and formed a huge and terrifying vortex. Lightning and thunder faintly intertwined and a great heavenly might radiated.
When he came to the eaves, the uneasiness in his heart suddenly disappeared.
At that moment, he understood that he had to transcend the tribulation to advance to the fifth level of the Dao Technique. He could not escape it. Once he escaped it, the uneasiness in his heart would turn into an inner demon that would interfere with his future cultivation.
He had to transcend this tribulation!
Jiang Changsheng’s gaze became firm. He directly meditated on the eaves and his legs were floating half a meter above from the eaves. Spiritual energy surrounded his body and his robes fluttered in the wind.
Hua Jianxin was alarmed by the thunder. She pushed open the door and came out into the courtyard. When she looked up, she saw Jiang Changsheng in mid-air.
She widened her beautiful eyes as if she had seen a ghost.
He… was floating in the air?
Could this be a trick of the Devil Lord?
Boom!
Another bolt of lightning struck down. This time, it was aimed at Jiang Changsheng, but it was blocked by his spiritual force and dissipated. This scene shocked Hua Jianxin.
Before she could react, bolts of lightning struck down, all aimed at Jiang Changsheng. Jiang Changsheng used his spiritual power to protect his body and formed a protective shield to withstand the lightning bolts. The power of the lightning became stronger and stronger and quickly formed an indiscriminate bombardment. Even in the day, lightning could be seen.
Lightning could be seen on the top of Longqi Mountain in every corner of the capital, including the palace. The lightning struck in the same direction and formed a conical shape. Even from afar, it was a spectacular sight.
“What’s that?”
“What terrifying lightning. Could it be that something has appeared in Longqi Temple?”
“Rumor has it that the new Daoist Master of Longqi Temple is young and smart. He even raised a white python that understands human nature. Could he be the reincarnation of an immortal?”
“I’m not sure. From the looks of it, Longqi Temple looks to be in danger, right?”
“This is strange. This old man has lived for seventy years and experienced two dynasties, but I have never seen such a phenomenon.”
The citizens in the capital were in a heated discussion. Even the high-ranking officials and nobles walked out of their rooms one after another to look at this phenomenon.
Within the palace.
Jiang Yuan stood in front of the throne room with his hands behind his back. As he looked at the lightning around Longqi Mountain, his eyes were filled with excitement. When Eunuch Li walked over, the excitement in his eyes disappeared and was replaced by an unfathomable depth that was similar to an ancient well.
Eunuch Li came to him and carefully said, “Your Majesty, I’m afraid everyone in the capital can see this phenomenon. How should we deal with it?”
Jiang Yuan casually said, “Is the weather something humans can deal with?”
“No, I’m worried that Longqi Temple will be damaged. This is a Daoist temple personally designated by His Majesty…”
“We’ll talk about it when it’s damaged.”
Jiang Yuan answered casually as he stared at Longqi Temple.
Eunuch Li did not dare to ask any more questions. He turned around and looked at Longqi Mountain.
The princes, concubines, and princesses in the palace also went out to observe the rare thundercloud phenomenon.
…
The heavenly tribulation was more difficult than Jiang Changsheng had imagined. An hour later, his spiritual force was almost exhausted, but the lightning did not weaken. Instead, it intensified.
He closed his eyes and his expression was ugly. At this point, he had no other choice but to hold on. If he was not careful, he might be struck by lightning and turn into ashes.
Hua Jianxin believed that Jiang Changsheng did not rely on a magical trick. Instead, he was really undergoing the lightning tribulation, just like in the legends.
She stared at him with admiration and worry, fearing that something would happen to him.
In the distance, there were still many disciples watching. The devotees who were temporarily staying in Longqi Temple discussed animatedly behind them. At first, they were still terrified, fearing that they would be struck. However, later on, they discovered that the lightning only struck one place. Therefore, they carefully approached and witnessed this shocking scene.
Crossing the lightning tribulation in the air!
Jiang Changsheng had become a god in their hearts.
Meng Qiushuang was also worried about Jiang Changsheng. At the same time, she had mixed feelings.
Was this junior brother really the reincarnation of an immortal?
Jiang Changsheng did not know what they were thinking, nor did he have the time to think about it as he focused on transcending the tribulation.
Just as he was worried, the lightning tribulation finally began to weaken. It came and went quickly.
In less than three minutes, the lightning tribulation completely stopped and the thunderclouds dissipated. Jiang Changsheng felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. When the sunlight shone on him, spiritual energy began to erupt in his body. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth frantically entered his body and resonated with his spiritual energy, stimulating more spiritual energy. From the perspective of others, he was surrounded by a whirlwind that even swept up leaves.
“Immortal… human!”
A middle-aged man’s voice trembled as he knelt down and kowtowed to Jiang Changsheng. His reaction also caused the other visitors to kneel down. Those rational visitors looked at each other. Seeing their crazy appearance, a thought surfaced in their minds.
What if he was really an immortal, and they did not kneel when they saw him? Wouldn’t they be offending an immortal?
Just like that, all the pilgrims knelt down and kowtowed to Jiang Changsheng while praying for themselves.
The disciples also knelt down one after another and looked at Jiang Changsheng with fanaticism. Ming Yue, who often trained with Jiang Changsheng, was extremely excited. He had obtained the grace of an immortal.
Meng Qiushuang did not kneel. She merely looked at Jiang Changsheng in a daze. No one knew what she was thinking.
Jiang Changsheng had completely stepped into the fifth level of the Dao Technique. His spiritual force surged, his senses changed, and the range of his divine consciousness expanded. Two intersecting golden patterns gradually appeared between his brows, faintly looking like the simplified painting of the twin fishes in Tai Chi.