At dawn, when the sky was still dim, the drunken crowd woke up without anyone calling them and gathered by the cliff to meditate.
The dog, with its belly full, lay sprawled on the ground, refusing to move.
As the sun rose, everyone absorbed the morning's purple energy, the atmosphere unusually quiet.
When the sun grew brighter and the purple energy dissipated, everyone got up and went their separate ways.
Cheng Xinzhan went to settle the bill but was told it had already been paid.
With so many people last night, the innkeeper couldn't remember who had paid.
Not bothering to investigate further, Cheng Xinzhan went to the Fangtang Library and borrowed three books: Thunder Cloud Canon, Cloud Dragon Translation, and Dragon Script and Thunder Seal Compilation.
The first book compared thunder seals with cloud script, the second compared dragon script with cloud script, and the third explained the changes in meaning when dragon script and thunder seals were used together.
When he had received the two Daoist books from the teacher, he noticed they were mostly written in thunder seals, with some dragon script and a little cloud script mixed in.
Since he hadn't learned thunder seals or dragon script yet, he had to learn them on the spot.
After borrowing the translation books, he flew on a cloud and landed outside the pine forest.
Before he could get close, he heard the sound of a conch shell.
He smiled, recognizing the ancient tune Flowing Water that he had taught the green chi.
The gentle and elegant melody, played on the conch, wasn't as clear as on a zither but had a unique, lingering charm.
It seemed the young chi had made great progress.
Perhaps it was natural talent!
He thought of what Jiang Nanjing had told him about the green chi, the owner of Heavenly Wind and Pine Snow, the Thunder Immortal's close friend, who had disappeared without a trace.
However, the white dog lay on the ground, not daring to move forward.
Cheng Xinzhan guessed that even though the green chi was young, it still had the aura of a dragon, which the ordinary dog couldn't withstand.
So he told the dog to wait there and continued forward.
As he approached the lake, he saw the green chi in the center, its head raised, only its mouth visible above the water, like a small lotus leaf.
It held a conch shell in its mouth, playing the tune.
Hearing someone approach, the green chi dropped the conch into its mouth and quickly sank into the water.
"It's me," he called out.
With a splash, the green chi emerged, its eyes filled with joy.
But Cheng Xinzhan's sharp eyes immediately noticed a bloodstain on its back, where a scale was missing.
He quickly realized that the scale wasn't an old one shed during molting but the new scale the green chi had torn from its own body that day.
That scale had been placed on his chest, blocking a fatal blow from Peach Capital and saving his life.
In the evil cave, his clothes and skin had been burned, and the scale had fused with his flesh.
When new skin grew, it enveloped the scale, making it seem as if the scale had grown into his chest.
It was still there, embedded in his body.
Cheng Xinzhan noted this silently, not bringing it up.
"You can play Flowing Water now. Have you learned High Mountain?" The green chi shook its head, a hint of frustration in its eyes.
It had worked hard to learn Flowing Water, and now this person didn't praise its progress but asked about High Mountain.
It flicked its tail, sending a wave toward Cheng Xinzhan, who easily dodged it.
"Why haven't you refined your horizontal bone yet?" Cheng Xinzhan teased.
The green chi, even more annoyed, pretended to return to the lake bottom.
Cheng Xinzhan laughed and stopped teasing.
"Lend me your zither. I want to play Fisherwoman. I think I've gained some new insights."
The green chi immediately cheered up and happily swam over, spitting out Heavenly Wind and Pine Snow.
Holding the ancient zither, Cheng Xinzhan's mood shifted.
He had known it was a treasure before, but now he understood it was made by the Thunder Immortal from a pine tree in the snow, a relic from the Tang dynasty.
As he played Fisherwoman, he wondered if the green chi had composed it.
Perhaps the green chi had once met a fisherwoman, fallen in love, and composed this tune, playing it on Heavenly Wind and Pine Snow.
Maybe the fisherwoman had given birth to this young chi before passing away, leaving the long-lived green chi to play Fisherwoman over and over, mourning its lost love.
That might explain why the young chi was so obsessed with the tune.
Cheng Xinzhan closed his eyes, imagining a love story between a human and a dragon, the music growing more sorrowful and poignant.
Across from him, the green chi froze, staring at Cheng Xinzhan, tears streaming down its face.
It recalled something, confused.
Why did this person's music sound more and more like its father's? It slowly sank a little, letting the water cover its eyes so the tears wouldn't be seen.
Cheng Xinzhan, absorbed in the music, didn't notice the young chi's reaction.
When the song ended, he returned the zither and invited the green chi to play the Drown spell game.
This time, he didn't make the green chi practice the Suppress spell, letting it have fun.
The green chi happily agreed, thinking that while Mount Sanqing was wonderful, it was even better when Cheng Xinzhan was around.
The two played in the lake, the sound of the Drown spell and the chi's cries harmonizing.
The water-based magic in this body was far more abundant than in his original one.
Even when his voice grew tired, the magic didn't run out.
When he noticed the green chi was also tired, he suggested they continue another day.
Though reluctant, the green chi nodded, telling itself that today had been wonderful enough.
It would secretly learn High Mountain by the next time he came, to make him happy.
Cheng Xinzhan returned to the Carefree Cave and sat on the bamboo couch under the persimmon tree, flipping through the translation books and studying the two Daoist texts, Thunder Mansion Duties and Divine Sky Thunder Qi Absorption.
Time flew by, and soon it was the day of his appointment with the teacher.
Early in the morning, he left the bamboo forest, leaving the dog to guard the Carefree Cave.
Arriving at the southeast side of Pivot Mountain, he saw the Eighteen Slopes, resembling terraced fields in the Miao mountains but much larger.
On these slopes stood tall buildings.
He went to the One Heart Pavilion on Frost Viewing Platform, a three-story wooden building.
Cheng Xinzhan knocked on the door.
"Come in, to the third floor," came the teacher's voice.
He entered and went up to the third floor, where the teacher sat on one of the two cushions on the balcony, inviting Cheng Xinzhan to sit.
Cheng Xinzhan sat cross-legged and returned the two Daoist books to the teacher.
"Have you finished reading them?" "Yes, I have."
"Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask."
Cheng Xinzhan did have a question about the source of absorbing thunder qi.
The book mentioned, "Pour into the orifices, then absorb thunder qi."
But how to pour into the orifices, and which orifices, wasn't explained.
He feared he hadn't grasped the essence of thunder seals.
The teacher smiled and explained, "Thunder was born at the creation of heaven and earth, alongside yin and yang, above the five elements. Thus, all the orifices in the human body can contain thunder qi. However, we, as cultivators, choose specific orifices that align with thunder's nature to contain it, such as the nose orifice for sound, the eye orifice for light, and the gallbladder orifice for intent. Absorbing thunder qi is exactly as the book says. Have you only absorbed the five elements so far?"
Cheng Xinzhan nodded.
The teacher continued, "The methods for absorbing the five elements, yin and yang, and thunder are different. The five elements are post-heaven essence, abundant in the world, so absorbing them only requires breathing and consuming qi. Yin and yang are the mother of the five elements, born in the pre-heaven, rare in the post-heaven.
Most of the remaining yin and yang are in the sun and moon, so to absorb them, we must draw from their light. This depends on time, season, and weather, making it less convenient than absorbing the five elements.
Beyond the sun and moon, the remaining yin and yang combine with the world's pure and turbid qi, forming celestial and earthly forces. These are divided into yang and yin, totaling eighteen yang celestial, eighteen yin celestial, thirty-six yang earthly, and thirty-six yin earthly forces. Though sometimes imbalanced, they are generally equal, as dictated by heaven."
Thus, absorbing yin and yang either requires drawing from the sun and moon or consuming celestial and earthly forces.
The former depends on timing, and except for special constitutions or breathing techniques, ordinary people can only absorb a little at sunrise and moonrise.
The latter is also rare, as celestial and earthly forces are treasures everywhere, either owned and hard to obtain or hidden in remote places, hard to find.
Sigh, this old Daoist has stored earthly forces for years but never found a matching celestial force.
Difficult indeed!
"The teacher sighed, unaware that this young man, both unlucky and fortunate, had come to learn thunder techniques because of a new earthly force. He continued,"Absorbing thunder is even more restrictive, requiring true thunder.
There's no such thing as thunder qi in the world; thunder doesn't linger in the post-heaven.
After a storm, thunder dissipates completely, so we call the thunder we absorb thunder qi or thunder essence, distinguishing it from post-heaven qi.
"Cheng Xinzhan was puzzled."
So, to absorb thunder qi, do we have to get struck by lightning during a thunderstorm?
"The teacher laughed."
You wish!
Whenever thunder falls, we, along with Dragon-Tiger Mountain and Blade Peak Mountain, compete fiercely for thunder essence.
If you dared to intercept thunder with your body, they'd kill you, claiming to uphold heaven's will!
"Seeing his disciple's stunned expression, the teacher explained,"Thunder is the mechanism of creation, determining time, rainfall, cleansing evil, and awakening life.
Unlike the sun and moon, whose light is infinite, thunder is limited each time it appears.
If someone recklessly intercepted thunder, who would bear the karma of all living beings?
"Cheng Xinzhan was startled, realizing the truth in this."
Then how do we collect thunder essence?
"he asked. The teacher smiled."
Whenever thunderclouds gather, we thunder cultivators must arrive early and observe whether it's a poor or rich thunder.
Poor thunder barely suffices for the local beings, so we can't collect it.
Rich thunder, after fulfilling its heavenly purpose, leaves a surplus, and that's when we compete.
But we never intercept thunder directly.
For thousands of years, we've had an agreement.
When thunder ends, we set up formations, prepare containers, and use tools like flags, swords, or talismans to attract thunder.
The stronger the tool or technique, the more thunder one collects.
"Cheng Xinzhan hadn't expected collecting thunder to be so complex. He then thought of another issue."
If that's the case, wouldn't there be a huge crowd each time thunder falls? How much could each person get? And wouldn't the strong get stronger, leaving little for the weak?
"The teacher's eyes lit up."
You're sharp to think of that.
Yes, if it were only that, the strong would grow stronger, and the weak would have no chance.
But thunder techniques are more profound! After absorbing thunder qi, one carries a thunder mark, making it harder to attract thunder next time.
One must wait, perhaps half a month or a few months, for the mark to fade before collecting thunder again.
So, each thunderstorm doesn't attract too many people; they come in batches.
Sometimes, you even see familiar faces!
"As for your second point, that doesn't happen either. The more thunder a cultivator absorbs, the heavier their karma with heaven. At a certain level, they can generate thunder themselves, using yin, yang, and the five elements to create post-heaven thunder. At that point, they can't attract natural thunder to avoid adding more karma. Instead, they must use their own thunder to repay their karma to the world."
Cheng Xinzhan nodded, realizing the intricacies of thunder techniques.
"Since you're learning thunder techniques, you should now consider thunder tools. It's the season of awakening insects, with frequent spring thunder. Though our Demon-Slaying Bureau mainly collects autumn thunder, no one minds extra thunder essence. You can absorb spring thunder now, and by the time the mark fades, you'll be ready for autumn thunder."
"Please guide me, teacher," Cheng Xinzhan said sincerely.
The teacher stroked his beard and explained, "Thunder tools can be divided into guiding tools, containing tools, and main stabilizing tools. Guiding tools, like swords, spears, or flags, are used to attract thunder or cast thunder spells in battle. Containing tools, like cups, pots, inkstones, or gourds, store thunder essence.
Since the human body is fragile and thunder is violent, directly consuming thunder can damage the body. So, we use containing tools to store thunder essence and gradually absorb it into our orifices." Also, orifices have limited capacity for thunder, but thunder is rare.
So, when we encounter rich thunder, we must collect as much as possible, making portable containers essential.
As for main stabilizing tools, they're for later consideration, or for those who focus on thunder techniques.
These are heavy tools like bells, cauldrons, or mirrors, mimicking heaven's power, capturing thunder's weight, sound, or light.
When a main stabilizing tool is activated, it's like a thundercloud descending, unleashing countless thunderbolts without the need for spells.
But ultimately, all thunder tools end up the same—transforming into a thunder pool.
"For now, Cheng Xinzhan, focus on guiding and containing tools."
To everyone: From now on, I'll only update one big chapter per day.
Breaking it into smaller parts feels uncomfortable for me and for readers.
Depending on time, I might add extra chapters to repay debts.
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(End of Chapter)