The ice and snow had melted, the birds were flying, and the grass was growing tall.
The rainy season seemed to stretch on endlessly.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, time had already reached the summer solstice of the second year.
The Yuzhang region, located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, was in the midst of the rainy season.
The continuous overcast skies and unceasing thunder were the constant backdrop of this time.
On Songlu Lake.
Raindrops fell on the pine needles, making the forest even more lush and green, like a pool of water.
The rain splashed chaotically on the surface of Songlu Lake, breaking the lake into a sandy expanse.
In the misty rain.
A fireball darted through the rain, exquisite and translucent, like a finely crafted hollow glass ball with flame patterns.
Inside the fireball was a young Taoist riding on a cloud.
The Taoist maintained a water-repelling barrier while pointing his right hand toward a specific spot.
A syllable burst from his lips:
"Flood!"
The fierce wind and rain above the lake seemed to suddenly gain direction, churning the lake water into massive waves, all surging toward the spot the Taoist had indicated.
"Roar~"
A green dragon soared through the rain curtain.
Seeing the wind, rain, and waves rushing toward it, it let out a joyful cry and surged forward to meet them.
The green dragon broke through the waves, the rain and lake water washing its scales to a brilliant jade green.
After breaking through the waves, it soared back to its original position, its massive jade eyes fixed on the Taoist.
It seemed to greatly enjoy this game.
Seeing this, the Taoist chuckled.
"Friend, let's stop with the 'Flood' spell for today. Let's try something else!"
Hearing this, the green dragon immediately lost interest, letting out a whimper to reluctantly agree.
The green dragon flicked its tail, swiftly swimming through the rain curtain, transforming into a blur of green, like willow branches in a storm.
The Taoist's eyes remained fixed on the green dragon, barely able to catch a glimpse of its shadow.
He curled his left thumb around his little finger, keeping the other three fingers straight and pointing upward, while his right hand formed a sword gesture, ready but not yet unleashed.
The Taoist entered a state of deep concentration, where the howling wind and rain seemed to fade into silence.
The moment he caught sight of the green dragon's form, his right hand shot out like a sword, pointing directly at the dragon.
"Suppress!"
The Taoist uttered a spell.
As the spell echoed, three towering mountain shadows appeared in the void where the green dragon was.
The shadows vanished in an instant, and the dragon's movement paused briefly.
Then, as if nothing had happened, the dragon resumed its free swimming.
After resting for a dozen breaths, the Taoist repeated the spell.
"Suppress!"
Again, three mountain shadows appeared, and the dragon's movement slowed for a moment.
The process was so brief that the mountain shadows were almost imperceptible, hidden by the rain.
But the Taoist was quite satisfied.
These three mountains were inspired by the Jade Capital, Jade Flower, and Jade Void mountains.
For now, they were just rough imitations, but one day, if he could grasp even a fraction of their true essence, it would be remarkable.
If he ever had the time to travel the Five Sacred Mountains, observe their forms, and grasp their meanings, the spell would take on a whole new dimension.
The Taoist was pleased, but the green dragon was no longer in the mood to play.
The young dragon suddenly dove into the lake, leaving only a pair of jade-green eyes peeking above the water.
She was clever.
Earlier, they had agreed that three "Flood" spells would earn her one "Suppress" spell.
Today, the Taoist had cast six "Flood" spells, so she would only allow two "Suppress" spells—no more.
Besides, every time the Taoist cast the "Suppress" spell, she felt as if she were being forcibly held down, which was quite uncomfortable.
And the duration of this suppression was getting longer.
Her jade-green eyes shifted, and the green dragon extended her front claws.
Each claw had four toes.
She kept her left claw still but curled three toes on her right claw, leaving only one extended.
The Taoist laughed heartily.
He understood—this clever creature was saying that from now on, she would only agree to one "Suppress" spell after four "Flood" spells.
The Taoist landed on the lake's surface.
His "Dragon Chariot" touched the water, and the fiery clouds around it caused the water to boil.
He sat down on the chariot, his upper body level with the green dragon's eyes.
He pulled out two objects from his robe, both larger than an adult's palm.
They had been pressing uncomfortably against him earlier.
These were two lake conches, said to be from Yunmeng Marsh.
They had been refined into low-grade but interesting magical tools, which the Taoist had acquired by trading talismans with Deng Wanchun from Watercolor Street.
One conch was milky white, the other multicolored blue.
The Taoist picked up the multicolored blue conch first.
It was adorned with colorful agates, and its mouthpiece was made of silver, quite exquisite.
He brought the conch to his lips and blew hard, producing a melodious sound.
Puffing his cheeks, he played a tune, a clear and melodious rendition of "The Fisherwoman."
The green dragon's jade eyes sparkled with desire, and the toes she had just retracted on her right claw extended again.
The Taoist chuckled and handed the conch to the green dragon.
The dragon's head darted forward, and before the Taoist could see what happened, the conch was already in her mouth.
The Taoist tentatively reached out to pat the dragon's head.
She didn't shy away.
Her scales were smooth and cold.
He then picked up the milky white conch, which looked like mutton-fat jade and emitted a faint glow.
The Taoist held the white conch up to the green dragon's ear.
At first, the dragon didn't understand what the Taoist was doing, but soon, the light in her eyes clearly expressed her joy.
The Taoist smiled happily.
The multicolored conch was a musical instrument, while the white one was a recording device.
What the green dragon was hearing now was a recording of the Taoist playing "The Fisherwoman" on his "Heavenly Wind and Pine Snow" zither, along with some other ancient Tang dynasty tunes he had played on a regular zither.
The green dragon immediately extended her right claw fully, all four toes visible.
She looked so eager that it seemed she wished she had a fifth toe.
The Taoist patted the dragon's head again and said with a smile, "I'll come back to practice with you after I return. I plan to leave the sect for a while, probably in the next day or two."
As soon as he finished speaking, the green dragon froze, her joy fading.
Her jade eyes dimmed, and she sank into the water, just out of the Taoist's reach.
The Taoist was both amused and exasperated.
"Friend, I'm not like you. I can feel that you grow stronger every day just by playing around, but I can't. Over the past couple of months, I've clearly hit a bottleneck in my cultivation. I've spent more time in the Fangtang Library than in my own courtyard. The ancients said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. I think it's time for me to leave the sect and explore."
The young Taoist rested his left elbow on his left knee, propping his chin with a half-clenched fist.
His right hand held the white conch, letting it dangle in the water, swaying with the underwater currents.
The rain drowned out his words, and only the nearby dragon could hear him:
"Actually, there are many reasons for leaving the sect. I've heard that a genius named Li Yingqiong has recently emerged from Mount Emei in western Shu. She's currently traveling outside the sect, wielding a fiery sword. Wherever she goes, demons bow before her. She's young, a true hero, and everyone says she's destined to become a sword immortal."
Actually, I've always wanted to be a sword immortal too.
If I can't achieve immortality, becoming a sword hero shouldn't be a problem, right? I'm only sixteen now.
While I'm still young, I want to venture out with my sword and make a name for myself.
If I wait until I'm twenty, even if I become famous, people will still say that Li Yingqiolong was more impressive in her teens.
Don't you think?
"Besides, people have been saying that sword immortals come from Shu, but I think that's biased."
Also, Brother Ji Hu has been out of the sect for over a year now, and there's been no news of him.
Sister Ji Xuan couldn't sit still anymore and left to look for him earlier this spring.
"And, well, I've been away from home for over a year too. It's time for me to go back and add some fresh soil to my parents' graves, and clean up the old house."
The Taoist spoke softly, but suddenly felt a cool sensation on his hand.
The green dragon had swum back up and was nudging his hand with her forehead.
The Taoist smiled gently and patted the dragon.
"You're too lazy. With your bloodline, how long could it possibly take to refine your throat bone?"
In this world, spirits and demons also have throat apertures.
For humans, it's called the Twelve-Storied Tower, while for spirits, it's called the throat bone.
Once a spirit refines its throat bone, it can absorb spiritual energy from the heavens and earth more quickly.
Moreover, for a spirit to speak human language, it must refine this bone.
The green dragon didn't want to hear this.
She grabbed the white conch from the Taoist's hand, twisted her body, and dove deep into the lake, disappearing from sight.
The Taoist chuckled wryly and prepared to leave.
But just then, a dragon's cry came from the depths of the lake.
The Taoist waited, unsure what was happening.
Before long, something floated up from the lake and stopped right at the Taoist's feet.
It was a fan-shaped object.
The Taoist bent down to pick it up.
It was about the size of a palm, smooth and cold to the touch, and a vibrant green.
It was a dragon scale.
"Do dragons shed their scales like snakes? Is this a scale the green dragon shed?"
The Taoist squeezed it and found it to be quite sturdy.
Of course, a dragon's scale would be tough.
He guessed that the green dragon had heard he was leaving the sect and had given him this scale for protection.
He clasped his hands and bowed toward the lake before riding his cloud away.
Boom!
The Taoist returned to his hut.
Outside, the rain was still pouring, and thunder rumbled.
He picked up the bundle on the table and placed the dragon scale inside.
He had already prepared this bundle and was ready to leave the sect at any time.
In truth, the best items to bring on a long journey were Void Cave Stones or Void Talismans.
These stones and talismans contained their own spaces, ranging from a few feet to several acres in size, making it very convenient to carry items.
Traveling would be much easier with one of these.
But such items were rare and precious.
Void Cave Stones were even rarer than Fangzhu gold mines.
It was said that they were formed during the great calamities and battles of the past, when ancient immortals and gods clashed, shattering the void.
The fragments of the void fell to the earth and attached themselves to stones, creating Void Cave Stones.
As for Void Talismans, only Golden Core stage cultivators could craft them, and they required significant effort and materials, making them hard to come by.
The sect's General Affairs Hall did sell Void Talismans, but they were prohibitively expensive.
The Taoist couldn't afford them.
The gold he had received as a reward from the Teaching Hall last year had long been spent.
Over the past year, most of his reward had gone toward purchasing a cloud chariot and various meditation diagrams.
Additionally, the Taoist had a keen interest in everything—spells, swordsmanship, talismans, alchemy, and artifact forging.
He wanted to try it all.
Reading and studying were easy enough, as he focused on the free materials available in the library.
But reading alone couldn't teach him how to craft talismans or refine pills.
To learn talisman crafting, he needed talisman paper, brushes, and ink.
To learn alchemy, he needed metals, herbs, and a pill furnace.
All these expenses had drained his funds.
Eventually, the Taoist had to rely on trading talismans he made for other items.
After all, paper and ink were relatively cheap, but metals and herbs were expensive.
As for the swordsmanship he longed for the most, he had yet to acquire a proper magical sword due to his lack of funds.
Instead, he had practiced all the common sword techniques from books using a wooden stick.
This was another reason the Taoist wanted to leave the sect.
The older disciples often said that going out to slay demons and monsters was the fastest way to earn money.
The Taoist had long been eager to try.
But there was one more thing—why hadn't Brother Bing Kun established his own residence yet?
Previously, He Bing Kun had told the Taoist that he would definitely establish his residence by this summer.
Now that the time was approaching, the Taoist wanted to witness He Bing Kun's success before leaving.
He would wait a couple more days at most before setting out.
Boom!
Another thunderclap.
Why was it so bright and loud?
Wait, something was wrong!
The Taoist leapt to his feet and pulled open the door.
He was shocked to see that He Bing Kun's hut had been struck by lightning, leaving a massive hole in the roof.
The rain poured through the hole, flooding the hut and spilling out through the door.
Thinking that He Bing Kun was still in seclusion, the Taoist was horrified.
He rushed into the hut.
"I did it! I did it!"
A voice louder than the thunder roared from the ruined hut.
The Taoist looked and saw He Bing Kun sitting there unharmed, his body crackling with electricity.
"Thunder commands the rain, water follows the thunder. The heavenly thunder has arrived, and the Water Residence is open! Today, He Bing Kun has established his Water Residence!"
He Bing Kun laughed heartily.
Seeing this, the Taoist also laughed.
So the thunder had been summoned by He Bing Kun himself.
Only now did he realize that in his haste, he had forgotten to use a water-repelling spell and was now drenched.
He Bing Kun, too, had been too focused on establishing his residence to bother with repelling the rain and was equally soaked.
He Bing Kun pointed at the Taoist, and the rainwater on his body immediately separated.
Then, the water on He Bing Kun's body and the water in the hut all gathered at his fingertip, forming a ball that he flung outside.
The Taoist quickly threw out a "Sealing Talisman" to cover the hole in the roof, stopping the rain.
With all the water removed, the hut suddenly felt dry.
The Taoist walked over to He Bing Kun and bowed with a smile.
"Congratulations, Brother! Congratulations!"
He Bing Kun grabbed the Taoist and hugged him, laughing so loudly it felt like thunder in the Taoist's ears.
But as the laughter continued, the Taoist noticed something odd—it sounded more like sobbing.
He looked up and saw that He Bing Kun was indeed crying.
"Eight years! Eight years! Yun Qi, it took me eight years to establish my residence! Do you know that among the group I entered the mountain with, I was the first to open my residence? Three months after starting to absorb qi, I opened my Thunder Residence. I even received a reward from the Teaching Hall. Do you believe me?"
The Taoist nodded repeatedly as he watched He Bing Kun's tears flow.
"I believe you, Brother! I believe you!"
He Bing Kun was still overwhelmed, weeping as he recounted how he had worked hard to refine his nasal aperture, cleverly opened his Wind Residence, and even managed to unblock his Twelve-Storied Tower.
He had practiced even in his sleep, turning from a quiet sleeper into someone who snored like thunder and wind.
"Now it's done!"
After soaking the Taoist's arm with his tears and secretly drying it with a water-controlling spell, He Bing Kun became lively again.
"I've already mastered the three forms of wind, cloud, and thunder. Now that I've established my Water Residence, I've completed the rain form. The Four Heavenly Forms are complete. With the three residences above and the Water Residence below, heaven and earth are connected. Water will nourish wood, wood will connect with heavenly thunder to produce fire, burnt wood will fall into water and rot into mud, which will then give birth to true metal. The path ahead is vast!"
The Taoist quickly covered He Bing Kun's mouth.
"My dear brother, can you really shout out your own cultivation path like this!?"
New book release, seeking comments, reviews, and recommendations.
(End of Chapter)