CHAPTER 48: 47. FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT PERFECTION? THIRD HEAVENLY LAYER ALTAR!_2

Between life and death lies great terror, and within cultivation lies great tribulation.

This was one of the greatest perils for cultivators in this world.

Due to the Hidden Dragon Spirit Body, Lei Jun had passed from the First Heaven Layer to the Second Heaven Layer with exceptional ease.

Today, he faced true hardship and danger for the first time.

But this hurdle, he had to overcome.

Attacked by Yin Fire, Lei Jun remained calm and serene, softly chanting, "True One without a second, leading to no confusion."

The next moment, together with the Altar, even Lei Jun himself began to glow.

Suddenly, the intangible Yin Fire was mostly cleared away.

Below the pool, a piece of Talisman Paper hung in the water, neither sinking nor floating, with frost forming upon it.

At that moment, the Frost Crystal, touched by the Yin Fire, suddenly dissolved.

Banks of thick clouds spread above the pool, enveloping both Lei Jun and the Altar.

In the end, the clouds dispersed, and the Yin Fire was extinguished.

The ethereal glowing Altar, unscathed, gradually retreated into Lei Jun’s body, settling on his Tao Foundation Altar within the Eight Gates of the Fortified Wall. In front of the Altar, six curtains were displayed, with six halls standing separately on each side. A tiny, exquisite, complete virtual altar field appeared within Lei Jun’s body.

However, after entering Lei Jun’s body, only the first layer of that Altar remained; the second and third layers were nowhere to be seen.

This Altar signified that Lei Jun had successfully broken through from the Second Heaven Layer Foundation Establishment Realm to the Third Heaven Layer of the Taoist Talisman Sect!

Hovering in mid-air, Lei Jun gradually descended after a moment and returned to sitting calmly above the pool.

By the water, Yuan Mobai, who always wore a gentle smile, now had an even deeper grin and nodded repeatedly, "Although I always had faith that you would overcome this hurdle, the speed and ease with which you have passed another tribulation still exceeded my expectations."

Lei Jun stood up, walked on water, and came to bow before Yuan Mobai, "It owes much to the guidance you gave me earlier."

Yuan Mobai said, "Chongyun, your state of mind is serene yet resilient, incomparable to the ordinary person. I hope you can always maintain this, for compared to Root Bone and Comprehension, your heart and will are your greatest advantages, which many have underestimated."

Lei Jun replied, "Master, while I’ve always considered myself thick-skinned, such praise... despite my inward delight, I’m somewhat overwhelmed."

Yuan Mobai chuckled, "No matter, I’ll praise you more in the future, and you’ll gradually get used to it."

He instructed Lei Jun to rest for a moment and then guided him to adapt to the various changes brought about by the growth in his realm.

Once Lei Jun had a rough understanding, Yuan Mobai handed him a scroll of Taoist Scriptures. It was the second volume of the "True Formula of the Great Way Scripture." This was the fundamental and orthodox scripture of the Celestial Master Mansion Talisman Sect in this world.

While in the Foundation Establishment Realm of the Second Heaven Layer, Lei Jun had always cultivated the first volume. Now that he had reached the Altar Stage of the Third Heaven Layer, Yuan Mobai began passing on the second volume of Taoist Laws to him.

After thanking his master, Lei Jun studied seriously under his instruction.

The First Heaven Layer Qi-Refining Realm was divided into Twelve Floors. The Second Heaven Layer Foundation Establishment Realm was divided into four levels: initial, middle, advanced, and Perfection. The Third Heaven Layer Altar Stage was divided into three layers.

One who could merge their Mana and life to construct a three-layered Altar was equivalent to reaching the Perfection of the Altar Stage and could begin contemplating climbing towards an even higher realm.

Lei Jun’s newly-formed Altar signified the first layer of the Altar Stage. But compared to the Foundation Establishment Realm, there was already a chasm-like gap. There was no need to go into detail about the continuous exercise and strengthening of the physical body.

Lei Jun himself, at the Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm, paired with his life-bound Divine Strike Talisman, versus his own self at the first layer of the Altar Stage, with bare fists. The latter could leave the former bruised and battered.

Besides, the bigger difference between the Altar Stage and the Foundation Establishment Realm lay in Talisman Crafting. Upon reaching the first layer of the Altar Stage, Lei Jun could craft mid-grade Basic Spirit Talismans using only an ordinary Talisman Brush, without needing the Magic Artifact Vermilion Peak Pen. Their efficacy would be at least fifty percent greater than that of low-grade Basic Spirit Talismans.

If one wished to create a high-grade Basic Spirit Talisman, generally neither the first nor the second layer of the Altar Stage would suffice. One needed the third layer, the Perfection of the Altar Stage, to do so.

However, this was where the Vermilion Peak Pen came into play again. After Lei Jun had conserved his strength and energy, he would craft talismans with the Vermilion Peak Pen. Although these weren’t life-bound talismans, they were still of mid-grade quality. But when Lei Jun used his Vermilion Peak Pen to draw his Divine Strike and Wind Riding life-bound talismans, there was a certain chance of producing high-grade ones!

Compared to mid-grade Basic Spirit Talismans, the efficacy of high-grade Basic Spirit Talismans was about fifty percent stronger, and more than double that of low-grade ones.

The enhancement of the physical Life Skill, combined with the increased efficacy of the Spirit Talismans, creates a vast chasm in actual combat ability between the Third and Second Heaven Layers... Lei Jun nodded to himself in thought.

Moreover, it wasn’t just about being able to draw higher-grade Basic Spirit Talismans...

"Although as your teacher, I still suggest that you follow the complete ritual procedures when creating talismans and not omit anything," Yuan Mobai advised. "However, there are special circumstances when you must simplify everything, and now you can omit some of the ritual steps in talisman creation."

Lei Jun gave it a try.

Indeed, after formally establishing the Altar on the Tao Foundation Altar within him, although only one layer, there was a qualitative change. Now, he no longer needed to specially arrange the Altar and place the incense table, going through every single piece of equipment, procedure, and step to create a talisman.

In a state of good spirit and body, and with sufficient Mana, Lei Jun at the Altar Stage could simplify the talisman creation process. With the appropriate Talisman Paper, Talisman Brush, and other raw materials, Lei Jun could use his inner Tao Foundation Altar to emulate an Altar, temporarily replacing the actual Altar to craft Spirit Talismans.

It greatly simplified the process, saved time, and lowered the requirements for the environment and equipment significantly.

Of course, at present, there were pros and cons. Under a simplified process, a Cultivator at the first layer of the Altar Stage could only produce low-grade talismans. To create mid-grade Basic Spirit Talismans, one still needed to arrange the setup and go through the entire process meticulously.

With the Vermilion Peak Pen in hand, Lei Jun could ensure that his life-bound talismans remained of mid-grade quality even when simplifying the process.

"Master, what if a Cultivator of an even higher realm were to create talismans?" During a break from cultivation, the disciple and teacher chatted, and Lei Jun asked.

Yuan Mobai said, "When you reach the Fourth Layer of Heaven in the Original Talisman realm, you will be able to create Basic Spirit Talismans effortlessly, without the need for complete Ritual Instruments."

Even the grade might exceed the limits of high-grade. Just like the Golden Barrier Talisman Yuan Mobai once gave to Lei Jun. The high-grade Golden Barrier Talismans drawn by a Cultivator at the Perfection level of the third layer of the Altar could not compare to it.

Any Basic Spirit Talisman drawn by a Cultivator above the Third Heaven Layer was generally termed supreme-grade, without further distinction in quality. This was not because the Cultivators themselves lacked differentiation in cultivation, but because there was a limit to the raw materials of Basic Spirit Talismans. While Cultivators of high realms could create talismans without Talisman Paper or Talisman Ink once they reached a certain level, generally, those above the Third Heaven Layer would shift their focus away from Basic Spirit Talismans.

The lineage of the Celestial Master Mansion had different Talisman Scriptures, documenting a variety of talismans. Traditionally, those below the Fourth Layer of Heaven cultivated Basic Spirit Talismans. From the Fourth to the Sixth Heavenly Layer, they cultivated High-grade Spirit Talismans. Above the Sixth Heavenly Layer, they cultivated Divine Faculty Talismans.

Lei Jun asked, "Does this correspond to the Life-Bound Talisman Art, Life-Bound Talisman Method, and Innate Divine Ability respectively?"

In this world, Cultivators practiced their Life-Bound Magic Arts across the nine great realms of the Ninth Heavenly Layer, with each realm corresponding to a specific one. However, by common understanding, they were not labeled from first to ninth.

Traditionally, from the First to the Third Heaven Layer, what was cultivated was termed Art, hence the First Art, Second Art, and Third Art. From the Fourth to the Sixth Heavenly Layer, what was cultivated was termed Law, known as the First Law, Second Law, and Third Law. From the Seventh to the Ninth Heavenly Layer, as they approached the edge of the Tao, the Arts and Laws almost became the Tao and were considered Innate Divine Abilities, thus named the First Divine Faculty, Second Divine Faculty, and Third Divine Faculty.

Yuan Mobai smiled slightly. "Life-Bound Magic Arts won’t be discarded due to the improvement of one’s cultivation realm. Once your cultivation breaks through to the Fourth or even Seventh Heavenly Layer, your former Life-Bound Magic Arts, although still referred to as Arts and Laws, will transform alongside you."

Non-life-bound Spells did not enjoy this privilege. Although higher realm powerhouses using basic Spells would still unleash far greater power than lower realm Cultivators.

"Aim high, stay grounded." Lei Jun also smiled. "Although this Disciple has many aspirations, I will still focus on the cultivation at hand for now."

Yuan Mobai nodded with a smile. "Very good."

He looked at Lei Jun and said, "Speaking of which, you’ve passed another Heavenly Moat Tribulation and advanced to the Third Heaven Layer, enabling you to learn another Life-Bound Talisman Art."

Lei Jun, however, said, "Regarding the Third Art, this Disciple plans to put it on hold for now."

Yuan Mobai asked, "Oh?"

Lei Jun explained, "This Disciple has some new ideas, but I haven’t thought them through thoroughly yet and plan to ponder them further."

Yuan Mobai asked with a smile, "Is Chongyun planning to create a new type of Basic Spirit Talisman by himself?"