madnovel Chapter 13 Five-Colored Altar
Chapter 13 Five-Colored Altar
Tianli Dojo.
Xiong Zhou sat cross-legged in the center of the main hall, watching intently as Senior Sister Bai Yu and her companion performed their ritual, listening to their explanation of the divine methods, and trying to understand the various obscure and difficult-to-understand details.
Every few hours, Xiong Zhou would raise his hand to ask questions, requesting Senior Sister Bai Yu to answer his questions.
If one gains insight, one will write down one's understanding on scrolls of jade slips, and use these large scrolls to deduce one's thoughts.
At the same time, the inner world was also expanding at a terrifying speed. Cube-shaped spirit foundations were transmitted from the [Gate of Another World], expanding its own celestial spirit foundation and consolidating its cultivation foundation.
Until the cultivation resources of the "Mountain and Sea Realm" were exhausted, Senior Sister Baiyu stopped explaining the path of the saints, and all her understanding of the laws and principles of heaven and earth was settled.
An even more profound and mysterious aura than before gradually spread from Xiong Zhou's body, permeating the entire hall, and even drawing down a wisp of rich Dao essence from the myriad Daos of heaven and earth.
The updated information panel appeared before Xiong Zhou's eyes, displaying the current status.
[Spirit Origin: Earth Blocks + Wheat + Lava]
Rank: Celestial Foundation - Abundance (51,000/100,000)
Cultivation Realm: First Level of Qi Refining - Spirit Building
当前进度：Lv.4（50，808/100，000）】
[Technique: Tai Li Qi Refining Method]
当前进度：Lv.4（50，808/100，000）】
[Technique: The Lingbao Cantong Qi]
Current progress: Lv.3 (9/100,000)
Having exhausted all the cultivation resources I obtained from Qingqiu, I'm now halfway through my [Lv.4] progress!
This progress in cultivation should not be at the bottom among the Tai Li True Lineage disciples at the first level of Qi Refining.
Xiong Zhou stood up and bowed to the White Jade Sovereign, who still exuded divine majesty and guided all kinds of laws.
"Thank you for your Dharma talk, Sister Baiyu."
Senior Sister Baiyu slowly concealed her aura, covering up all the authority and power of the totem gods, no longer restraining all laws and principles, allowing them to flow outward from the main hall and spread throughout the entire Tianli Dojo.
She nodded slightly, her voice still cold and stern: "This year's True Disciple Assessment has ended, and Tai Li's First Major Qi Refining Competition is about to begin."
"The sect's notification has been sent to your True Inheritance Token. You can check it yourself."
"The junior disciples who passed the true transmission assessment this year are all very interesting."
"You can go back to your dojo and make serious preparations."
Xiong Zhou was stunned for a moment, silently estimating the time in his mind, his expression subtle.
More than three hundred days passed silently by in the midst of refining Qi, preaching, and cultivating oneself.
The disorienting feeling of his sense of time being torn apart echoed in his heart in an incredibly strange way, causing a strange abrupt change in his concept of time from his previous life and some of his physical sense of time before he became a true disciple.
In this lifetime, over the past fourteen years, he has never been so focused, spending more than three hundred days without rest listening to lectures, studying the Dharma, and seeking enlightenment.
Xiong Zhou sighed inwardly, "Cultivation knows no time..."
"However, Senior Sister Baiyu said that the junior brothers and sisters who passed the True Disciple Assessment this year are all quite interesting?"
Xiong Zhou's expression changed.
The last person Senior Sister Baiyu mentioned as "interesting" was someone like him who had a cheat code and could plunder cultivation resources from the Mountain and Sea Realm.
Xiong Zhou cupped his hands in thanks to Senior Sister Bai Yu and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister Bai Yu."
"Junior brother, I'll take my leave now."
With a slightly heavy heart, Xiong Zhou left Tianli Dojo and returned to Chenming Mountain.
Inside the main hall of the Li Tian Dao Temple, Bai Yu Yuanjun accepted a cup of fruit tea from her attendant, took a small sip, and watched the small flying boat gradually disappear into the distance, remaining silent.
The burly man, covered in green vine tattoos, glanced at Xiong Zhou, who had already left the Tianli Dojo, and then at Bai Yu Yuanjun, who seemed to be frozen in place.
He remained silent for a while before asking, "Yuanjun, is there something very special about your junior brother, Xiong Zhou?"
"He is the second person in the past 100,000 years to listen to your teachings in your temple."
Baiyu Yuanjun withdrew her gaze, looked at the burly man, and said, "Kaiming, how many years have you followed me and become my follower?"
Kaiming replied very respectfully, "It has been 300,000 years since the beginning of time, Lord Yuan."
Bai Yu Yuanjun stood with her hands behind her back, her voice tinged with emotion: "Yes, it's been three hundred thousand years."
"Tell me, how much longer until my time comes?"
Kaiming's expression changed slightly, but he still spoke up and expressed his judgment on the totem of faith, "With your current level of Qi Refining at the peak of the sixth level and your cultivation, you still have at least five million years before your time is up."
Baiyu Yuanjun shook her head, put her hands behind her back, turned away from Kaiming, and the coldness in her voice faded to almost nothing, "There are still less than 100,000 years left."
His enlightened eyes widened, his lips trembled, "This..."
Bai Yu Yuanjun's expression remained unchanged. "At the sixth level of Qi Refining, the stronger one's power, the higher one's cultivation level, and the more solid one's foundation, the shorter one's lifespan. This is in accordance with the principles of the operation of heaven and earth."
"Now, a junior brother has appeared in the Tai Li Immortal Sect. By chance, he became a first-level Qi Refining Totem God and quickly took control of the power of heaven and earth."
"The path he chose aligns with the vast majority of Qi practitioners, and the principles he cultivated also align with the vast majority of sages walking the path."
"More importantly, this junior brother's future fate is constantly changing and cannot be predicted."
"In the impending leap, I need variables that align with my own path."
Kaiming had a sudden realization: Yuanjun wanted an extra safety net, hoping to gain more assistance when she leaped to the seventh level of Qi Refining in the future.
This junior brother named Xiong Zhou is one of the "assistants" that Yuanjun has planned.
Suddenly, Bai Yu Yuanjun smiled and said lightly, "Besides, this Junior Brother Xiong Zhou is quite adorable. Now that we have some free time, it's worthwhile to train him. Whether we need him in the future or not, it won't be a loss."
Kaiming's lips twitched, and he looked embarrassed.
-----------------
Chenming Mountain.
Back in the courtyard, Xiong Zhou opened the True Inheritance Token and immediately saw two unread messages.
One from my dad.
One came from Qianyuan Hall.
The information from Qianyuan Hall was not unexpected, but the information about his father was somewhat surprising to Xiong Zhou.
His dad wasn't the type to text him every day, so his sudden message surprised him a little.
With a complex mix of emotions, Xiong Zhou reached out and tapped [Dad's] profile picture to open the message.
[Xiong Yuanmo (Father):]
Son, where did you pick up this fox?
He scared all my fish away!
(Nine-tailed fox biting the hook.JPG)
I caught a fox while fishing, what bad luck!
I didn't catch any fish today, it's definitely your fault!
Also, I've already casually tossed this fox back into the river.
Xiong Zhou blinked, clicked on the image in the message, and then zoomed in on the fox.
"what?"
"Isn't this the totem god of Qingqiu? Is it Su?"
"How did he get hooked by his dad?"
After a few moments of contemplation, Xiong Zhou's eyes showed a hint of understanding.
This guy was definitely driven by curiosity, or some other reason, to trace his cause and effect back to his father.
With a smile, Xiong Zhou double-clicked the projection to take a screenshot of the nine-tailed fox, which was bound tightly with fishing line.
He must keep this interesting story to himself, so that he can revisit it in the future, savor it slowly, or perhaps show it to the person involved.
After sending his father a smiley face, Xiong Zhou opened the message sent by Qian Yuan Palace with a pleasant mood.
[Qianyuan Hall:]
True disciple, Xiong Zhou.
The ranking competition for the first level of Qi Refining has been arranged. Please arrive at the designated location on time.
Please note that the ranking competition for true disciples will evaluate their performance and future potential from multiple perspectives. Please demonstrate your abilities as much as possible.
Note: More than 10,000 items, including alchemy, weapon crafting, talismans, supernatural powers, Taoist paths, cultivation methods, and legal principles, will be carefully evaluated.
Note: Please do not be absent unless there are major unforeseen circumstances.
(Link to the True Lineage Ranking Competition Appendix)
Xiong Zhou opened the appendix and read it line by line.
"The Grand Competition for the First Level of Qi Refining is actually being held in the outer world. What a surprise!"
"In the past, the elders would simply create a separate space within the sect and then hold the arena matches there. This time, however, such a big change has occurred."
"Using an outer realm with a specific level no higher than the fourth level of Qi Refining as the ranking assessment venue for the first level of Qi Refining... The sect's higher-ups have shifted their inclinations. What major event will occur in the future?"
"The specific meeting time is three days from now..."
Xiong Zhou's expression became slightly serious.
No wonder Senior Sister Baiyu specifically reminded him to come back and prepare seriously.
The ranking venue had undergone a major change, and most of the preparations he had made for the True Inheritance Examination were no longer suitable for use.
According to the sect's fundamental theory of myriad worlds, the closer one gets to the outer world of the "Qi Refining World," the closer the laws and principles are, and sometimes even completely identical.
The world where the ranking competition for true disciples at the first level of Qi Refining should not be like the "Mountain and Sea Realm," where even the laws and principles of heaven and earth are vastly different, affecting the very foundation of individual existence in the mortal realm. However, subtle differences will undoubtedly exist.
Moreover, the upper limit is no more than the fourth level of Qi Refining, which means that the origin of this world is not powerful, and can even be said to be extremely limited.
Xiong Zhou initially suspected that this extraterrestrial world might be an appendage created by some ageless experts skilled in the art of creation within the "Qi Refining World".
Now that this powerful figure has reached the end of his life or encountered some accident, this "legacy" has been taken by an elder and used as a tool in this year's True Disciple Grand Competition.
After gathering his thoughts, Xiong Zhou returned to the storeroom and began searching for the gifts he had received over the past fourteen years.
"Clatter..."
A large box with a seal was dragged out, opened, and a set of heavy armor was taken out.
Strands of earth and wood elements, representing the essence of heaven and earth, began to converge on this heavy armor, causing the patterns on it to glow with a dim light and emanate a faint yet real aura of legal principles.
Xiong Zhou gathered the [Authority: Abundance] at his fingertips and poured it into the heavy armor. His unique Daoist aura began to seep into it bit by bit, causing the patterns to emit a dazzling luster.
"Whoosh!"
A rainbow of light shot up from the heavy armor, breaking through the clouds on Chenming Mountain, causing all the creatures living in this mountain range to fall silent involuntarily.
The entire heavy armor began to separate into pieces, which were then attached to Xiong Zhou's body and finally reassembled, gleaming with a dark luster.
Xiong Zhou's palms and fists collided, producing a dull sound with a slight echo.
"Hey, as expected of a heavy armor that can only be refined after one has embarked on the path of cultivation, a fourth-level Qi Refining armor."
"With this heavy armor on, I refuse to believe that anyone can break through such a terrifying defense and injure me."
"This sense of security is so heartwarming."
Xiong Zhou continued rummaging through the warehouse and dragged out another box with a seal on it.
The sound of tearing the seal rang out, and a massive, dark-colored greatsword, about 160 centimeters long, was lifted out and gripped tightly in the hand.
With a slight swing, the sword emitted a dull tremor that echoed through the warehouse.
Xiong Zhou nodded, even more satisfied.
He joined his index and middle fingers together and ran them across the blade of the greatsword. The [Authority: Abundance] continued to flow in, activating the patterns and principles within and imprinting them with his own unique Daoist aura.
"Crackling..."
The heavy sword and heavy armor began to interact with each other, and at the same time, the power of the "Lingbao Cantongqi" also started to operate, borrowing a trace of the magic principle of the Xuanhuang rag and integrating it into the weapon and heavy armor.
The innate supernatural powers began to take effect, using the Xuanhuang rag as a springboard to pixelate the heavy sword and heavy armor, gradually incorporating their existence into the path of the sage.
Two days and two nights passed.
The greatsword and heavy armor emerged as pixelated blocks, initially becoming blurry and indistinct, before finally becoming clear again.
Two information panels appeared before Xiong Zhou's eyes.
[Taoist Soldier - Qi Refining: Earth and Wood Heavy Sword]
Refining conditions: Forging one's own path
Level: Fourth level of Qi Refining ([Lv.5], Peak)
The principle of blessing:
[Lv.5]: Earth Element, Wood Element
[Lv.1]: Cosmic Light, Void, Fate
[Taoist Soldier - Qi Refining: Earth and Wood Heavy Armor]
Refining conditions: Forging one's own path
Level: Fourth level of Qi Refining ([Lv.5], Peak)
The principle of blessing:
[Lv.5]: Earth Element, Wood Element
[Lv.1]: Cosmic Light, Void, Fate
With a thought, the heavy sword and heavy armor instantly transformed into countless pixel blocks, merging into the inner world and manifesting as two pixel images on the suspended path of the sage.
"Refining is complete."
Xiong Zhou clapped his hands, a bright smile on his face.
"My performance is probably not as good as some of those extraordinary guys, but I definitely won't be at the bottom in this True Disciple Ranking Competition."
Xiong Zhou walked out of the warehouse and looked at the sky.
"It's about time, we should set off."
The small airship was released, slowly ascended into the air, and flew rapidly from Chenming Mountain to the designated meeting point.
Several hours later.
At the summit of a giant mountain, a massive altar stood, appearing in Xiong Zhou's line of sight.
On the small flying boat, he could see the enormous Bagua formation and the vast Five Elements phenomena with perfect clarity.
Looking at the altar and its appearance, Xiong Zhou felt a strange sense of familiarity mixed with unfamiliarity.
"An altar with a Bagua formation."
"It also comes in five different colors."
"A five-colored altar?!"