CHAPTER 58: 57. THE FIRST TAO BOY AND THE FIRST TALENTED GIRL

The first approach he tried, the most basic and simple, was chain explosions, or rather, sympathetic detonations. This involved targeting the same kind of Spirit Talisman, with several activated to function simultaneously.

Lei Jun first experimented with the Blazing Flame Talisman. After his Comprehension improved to the Clear Insight level, many of his earlier research difficulties were effortlessly resolved. Lei Jun’s ideas gradually took on a practicable form.

However, truly activating and detonating multiple Spirit Talismans at the same time still placed excessively high demands on a Cultivator’s Mana and Spiritual Soul. Even if successful, the burden would be enormous. This method was not convenient for launching a broad, multi-directional attack simultaneously. But, it was possible to trigger other nearby Blazing Flame Talismans using just one Spirit Talisman. The attack angle and area might be relatively small, but there was no doubt that the coverage area and firepower would be greatly increased.

"Not bad, not bad. This has some of the essence of the Wind-Fire Rampart Talisman and the Endless Sea of Fire Talisman," Yuan Mobai remarked, nodding slightly as he watched the sheet of flames continuously explode outwards, covering everything in a sea of fire. The two types of talismans he mentioned were High-grade Spirit Talismans from the Celestial Master Mansion’s direct lineage, which only Cultivators above the Third Heavenly Layer realm could practice.

Throughout its history, the Celestial Master Mansion had many outstanding individuals who improved Basic Spirit Talismans. However, most people still preferred to spend their time and effort on Cultivation and High-grade Spirit Talismans, or even higher-level Divine Faculty Talismans. Lei Jun had heard of these before, but he didn’t plan to wait until reaching the Fourth Layer of Heaven before attempting to master such High-grade Spirit Talismans.

It wasn’t that he was impatient. Firstly, researching, contemplating, and improving various Spells, turning some of his ideas into reality, had been one of the joys and motivations of his Cultivation from the very beginning. Secondly, his approach to learning Spells favored those that were relatively basic but offered high extensibility and variability. This allowed him to make his own modifications and repairs on the existing foundation, tinkering and patching as he saw fit.

"So, for your Lifebound Third Skill, are you planning to cultivate this kind of Chain Blazing Flame Talisman?" Yuan Mobai asked.

Lei Jun shook his head. "Let’s wait and see. I have some new ideas."

He hadn’t been in a hurry to choose because he had some thoughts he wanted to put into practice first. Now, seeing the experimental results, Lei Jun felt some of his ideas were feasible.

After layering and linking Spirit Talismans of the same kind, Lei Jun began trying to combine different Spirit Talismans. With confidence born from experience, he started again with the Blazing Flame Talisman. His first attempt was to combine the Blazing Flame Talisman with the Wind Riding Talisman. The initial intention was to address the relatively short casting distance and attack range of the Blazing Flame Talisman. This was a common characteristic shared by the entire Taoist Talisman Sect tradition; in Actual Combat Spellcasting, most of their methods were medium to close-range. Spells and Magical Powers that could strike at long distances were considered long-range only relative to their own tradition. Compared to some true long-range experts, the Taoist Talisman Sect was somewhat lacking in reach. Of course, their attack coverage was definitely greater than that of Body Refinement Warriors.

The Wind Riding Talisman was primarily used for a Cultivator’s own movement. Lei Jun’s idea was to use the Wind Riding Talisman to boost the Blazing Flame Talisman, thereby extending its strike distance.

And so...

BOOM!

On Qingxiao Mountain, in the hills behind the Taoist Temple, the earth suddenly shook violently. A blaze erupted within the mountains, charring vegetation. Lei Jun hurried over from afar in a cloud of dust, his first priority being to extinguish the fire. He stood with hands on his hips in the forest where the fire had been put out, shaking his head in dissatisfaction.

The distance had indeed increased. But the stability was far from adequate, and the accuracy was even worse; once a "shot" was fired, heaven knew where it would ultimately fly.

However, Lei Jun was in a good mood. As long as it could successfully "fly" out, it counted as taking the crucial first step from zero to one. Further research and improvement would follow. This, too, was laying the foundation. He would start with something more conventional first, to accumulate technical experience, and then delve into more unconventional methods.

"Later on, I’ll try combining the Blazing Flame Talisman with other Spirit Talismans," Lei Jun nodded to himself.

Next up was the combination of different Spirit Talismans, excluding the Blazing Flame Talisman. Lei Jun had been thoroughly enjoying this recently.

Master Yuan Mobai and the others were equally busy. Elder Ziyang also rushed over from Dragon Tiger Mountain. The previously inconspicuous Yunxiao Mountain Range suddenly became a gathering place for masters, a convergence point for significant events.

The Lin Clan’s situation was unclear. However, the Dong Family, downstream of the Qinglan River—the pawn the Lin Clan used to test the Celestial Master Mansion—was already on the verge of collapse.

So why did you even bother? Lei Jun thought.

However, every family has its own unreadable scriptures; outsiders can hardly know the inner details. The next point of suspense was whether a great war would truly break out between the Jiangzhou Lin Clan and the Celestial Master Mansion. Lei Jun wasn’t completely detached, but such matters were certainly not under his jurisdiction. He would just wait for the outcome and the news.

Normally, he devoted himself to the Cultivation of his own Taoist Laws and Talisman Skill. As for the personal attention that came with being the first among his batch of transmission disciples to reach the Third Heavenly Layer, it had gradually faded.

The reason was simple: someone else had created bigger news.

A Tao Boy from the Celestial Master Mansion had been accidentally involved in a major incident within the Buddhist Sect. Just as the Celestial Master Mansion had its heretical nemesis, the Yellow Sky Sect, the Buddhist Sect also had theirs. One of them was called the White Lotus Sect.

For years, the Four Sacred Grounds of the Buddhist Sect had jointly suppressed and attempted to eliminate the White Lotus Sect, but the White Lotus Sect often struck back. This time, members of the White Lotus Sect had caused a disturbance again. It happened that an eminent monk from Bodhi Temple, one of the Four Sacred Grounds, was traveling nearby with his disciples. He therefore proceeded to quell the upheaval but walked into an ambush instead.

At the moment of crisis, a Tao Boy from the Celestial Master Mansion, who had blundered in, rescued the Elder of the Buddhist Sacred Land and a group of Buddhist Sect Disciples. Such significant news naturally attracted the attention of Cultivators from far and wide.

As for that Tao Boy...

"TEE HEE."

A tall young woman strutted leisurely back and forth in front of Lei Jun, hands behind her back, as if an invisible tail was swaying proudly behind her.

Lei Jun nodded. "Congratulations, Senior Sister, for once again stirring the world."

Tang Xiaotang, who had come to Qingxiao Mountain to visit him, smiled cheerfully. "You’re too kind, it’s nothing really."

Lei Jun said, "As I mentioned before, contrast is very important. Don’t you think being a Tao Boy seems quite good now?"

"Uh..." The smile on Tang Xiaotang’s face froze. "You just know how to bring up the most sensitive subjects!"

However, her attention shifted quickly. "What have you been up to recently?"

Noticing the various Spirit Talismans, Talisman Paper, and Talisman Ink Lei Jun used for experimenting, Tang Xiaotang grew interested. "Are you trying to create your own Spirit Talismans?"

Lei Jun replied, "I can’t really call it complete original creation. It’s more like making some modifications and attempts based on existing Spirit Talismans from our Sect."

Tang Xiaotang laughed. "Interesting, I like it! I had some ideas before too but had to put them aside while I was away. Now that I’m back at the Sect, I must achieve some results."

Lei Jun asked, "Oh? What Talisman?"

"I don’t bother with small stuff." Tang Xiaotang waved her hand dismissively. "If I’m going to do something, I’ll make it big!"

As she spoke, her expression suddenly shifted slightly, and she turned to look into the distant woods.

「A short while later」

Up the mountain path came Lu Zhaoqing, the Temple Master of Qingxiao Temple, accompanied by two guests.

Before Lu Zhaoqing had a chance to introduce them, Tang Xiaotang spoke somewhat impolitely, "What are you here for?" Her gaze was even less polite, fixed on the female guest beside Lu Zhaoqing.

The female guest remained unperturbed. "We came to visit Elder Yuan and Master Lei, the worthy master and disciple. Elder Yuan currently has other guests, so we will wait. Hearing that Taoist Lei was here, we asked Temple Master Lu to lead the way and came over to see."

Lei Jun looked up at the visitors. It was Chu Yu, Mrs. Chu from the Chu Family, whom he had met briefly at the Transmission Ceremony early last year. The other person was a boy who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. This boy was also curiously looking over at Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang.

"Visiting Master is one thing, but why are you looking for Lei Jun?" Tang Xiaotang clearly knew Chu Yu and was very much not fond of her.

Chu Yu didn’t mind the hostility in her tone, but hearing the question, she finally glanced at the tall young woman with a hint of surprise.

It’s almost like a young beast guarding its food. Do you really not realize it yourself? Chu Yu mused, looking at Tang Xiaotang with interest, her gaze shifting between her and Lei Jun.

Maintaining an air of unaffected composure, she said, "A junior member of my family wishes to pursue Cultivation at the Celestial Master Mansion and is particularly keen to study Daoism under Elder Yuan. We were hoping Taoist Lei could say a few good words for us."