This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

After drawing lightning into the body in Chapter 7, the thunderclouds transformed into a lightning seal.

Upon returning to the courtyard, Zhong Bai noticed that his master seemed preoccupied, sometimes frowning and sometimes sighing. Although Zhong Bai didn't know what had happened, he understood that it was probably related to him.

“Master, I truly yearn for the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique. Although you didn’t say it, I feel that you are conflicted because of the technique I have chosen.”

Master's kindness to his disciple is as heavy as a mountain, so Master, you need not worry at all!

Zhong Bai's tone was somewhat tentative. He wasn't stupid; he had already guessed something from the strange smile of his Uncle Master Ming when his brother in the Scripture Pavilion mentioned the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique.

However, even so, Zhong Bai did not give up on the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique, or at that time he made it clear and asked for an explanation.

To be honest, Zhong Bai felt that without Master Qian Yuan, he probably wouldn't have had the chance to become a disciple of Maoshan.

Not to mention the peaceful year he spent, the minor success of the Shangqing Body Tempering Technique, and the immense strength in his arms.

Zhong Bai was content with what he had.

Seeing that his disciple seemed to have discovered the problem, Master Qian Yuan stopped worrying about it.

"You're quite clever. Don't worry, I didn't scheme against you or deceive you."

The reason I suggested you choose the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique is simply to give you another option.

The choice is yours!

After saying this, Master Qian Yuan's gaze became deep and somewhat melancholy.

"Except for the elders of the Three Pavilions, the elders of the other five halls of Maoshan will be rotated."

The cycle of the sexagenary cycle continues, and sixty years is the time limit.

I took the chief position in the Hall of Law Enforcement forty years ago.

Twenty years from now, it will be time for another rotation. At that time, if my Enforcement Hall does not have more than three disciples who have cultivated to the Foundation Establishment stage, we will have to go to other halls..."

Master Qian Yuan didn't say what came next, but Zhong Bai understood that if disciples from other halls were allowed to take up positions in the Enforcement Hall, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing face; the Enforcement Hall's influence within the hall would also be diminished.

Therefore, Zhong Bai probably already understood the purpose of his master making him cultivate the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique.

"Hey!

Twenty years is too short a time to achieve Foundation Establishment. Although your talent is good, you may not have a chance if you cultivate the Lightning Thunder Fist.

However, the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique is different. Before Foundation Establishment, this technique progresses very quickly. The only drawback is that one will encounter a great calamity if one wants to advance to the Golden Core True Monarch and Nascent Soul Dao Monarch!
Success will grant unparalleled combat prowess, failure will render all efforts futile...

"The choice is yours, my disciple!"

Zhong Bai nodded, his gaze falling into deep thought. Clearly, his master hoped he would choose the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique, but this technique would make it almost impossible to achieve the Golden Core True Monarch status in the future.

As he was thinking, Zhong Bai suddenly smiled.

"Pfft, Master, do you think it's possible that you've cultivated for over a hundred years without ever reaching the Golden Core True Monarch level, while I, with my mediocre talent, might never need to worry about how to achieve the Golden Core True Monarch level in this lifetime..."

"So, well, this disciple has decided, I will cultivate the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique!"

Master Qian Yuan was clearly taken aback.

No, why does my own disciple think differently from them?
Isn't everyone who cultivates aspiring to reach great heights, achieve immortality, enjoy a long lifespan, and possess unparalleled supernatural powers?

Zhong Bai's words were so incomprehensible that he couldn't find a reason to refute them.

That makes sense, and well, Master Qian Yuan was somewhat convinced. Of course, his inclination to choose the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique from Zhong Bai was also part of the reason.

"In that case, disciple, from today onwards, you shall formally begin your cultivation in the main hall."

With the help of the Kui Niu Drum, this supreme treasure, your cultivation speed of the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique will definitely not be slower than the Lightning Thunder Fist personally taught by the Sect Leader, Shi Jian!

Master Qian Yuan spoke with absolute certainty. There was no way around it; after all, the Kui Niu Drum of the Law Enforcement Hall was one of the most powerful auxiliary cultivation treasures in the entire Maoshan Mountain.

Upon hearing his master say this, Zhong Bai's eyes were filled with longing.

However, Zhong Bai didn't voice a question: since the Kui Niu Drum in the Enforcement Hall was so incredibly effective for cultivating thunder magic, why wasn't Shi Jian, the sect leader's personal disciple, able to cultivate within the hall? Zhong Bai remained silent; as long as he could cultivate beside the Kui Niu Drum, that was enough…

......................................................

"The history of the Shenxiao School is no less profound than that of the Maoshan School. In fact, they both originated from the same lineage and are major sects of Taoism belonging to the Shangqing lineage."

However, a thousand years ago, after Chen Tuan, the patriarch of the Shenxiao Sect, dominated the world and ascended to the immortal realm, the Shenxiao Sect was quickly destroyed like weeds blown by the wind.

Some say this was caused by Chen Tuan, the patriarch, exhausting all the fortune of the Shenxiao Sect to force his ascension.

However, the truth is not important. The Shenxiao Sect has always passed down its teachings through a single successor. After Ancestor Chen Tuan ascended to heaven, his disciple sent the Shenxiao Five Thunder Technique to Maoshan before passing away.

I'm saying all this just to tell you, my disciple, that although the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique is the ultimate skill of the Divine Firmament Sect, there is no sect distinction for Maoshan. As long as you don't compete for the position of sect leader, it's fine.

Alright, let's begin the formal training now.

Inside the Hall of Law Enforcement, the Kui Niu Drum hangs high in the center, while Zhong Bai sits cross-legged on a futon below.

Upon hearing about formal cultivation, his excitement immediately brought a smile to his face.

Seeing this, Master Qian Yuan didn't say anything. Well, he can still laugh now, but he might not be able to later.

Zhong Bai looked at the first step of the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique for a while and was somewhat surprised.

"The first step is almost an essential step for all practitioners of thunder magic!"

"Drawing lightning into the body!"

For some reason, upon hearing his master's resolute tone, Zhong Bai felt a cold sweat break out.

"Drawing lightning into the body is crucial. If you, my disciple, cultivate the Shangqing Body Forging Technique to its fullest extent, you can draw heavenly lightning into your body. If you cultivate it to perfection, you can even try to draw heavenly punishment lightning into your body."

But for now… you can only draw a wisp of purple lightning from this Kui Niu drum into your body.”

Having said that, Master Qian Yuan gave Zhong Bai no time to react. He raised his hand and slammed it down on the Kui Niu Drum above. A bolt of purple lightning instantly fell straight down, covering Zhong Bai's entire body.

"hiss!"

Zhong Bai didn't even have time to cry out in pain; all he could manage was a sharp, piercing hiss...

All of this happened too fast. The lightning entered the body and surged continuously towards the flesh, meridians, and internal organs.

His hair stood on end, and as the world spun around him, Zhong Bai could no longer feel the pain. He began to feel dizzy, and his eyes felt as if they were being struck by a heavy hammer.

"Zhong Bai! Don't sleep!"

As Qian Yuan Zhenren let out a low sigh, Zhong Bai stubbornly endured the extreme fatigue and mustered all his strength to let the thunder surge through his body.

A quarter of an hour later, all the lightning washed over the meridians, flesh, and internal organs, and finally arrived in the dantian, slowly transforming into a ball of thundercloud.

"Now, let's condense the lightning seal according to the cultivation method."

Master Qian Yuan looked at Zhong Bai, who was somewhat exhausted. Even though he knew that Zhong Bai was weak and powerless at the moment, he could only ask him to quickly form the hand seals.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai also guided the thunderclouds in his dantian to form a shallow thunder seal, following the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique.

The moment Lei Yincheng passed away, his tense nerves completely relaxed, and with a roll of his eyes, Zhong Bai fell into a coma.

Seeing that his disciple had finished drawing lightning into his body, Master Qian Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't say beforehand that drawing lightning into the body was the first step in cultivating lightning techniques, and it was also a very dangerous one. Fortunately, Zhong Bai had a strong will and a strong physique.

"After you form the hand seals but before you establish your foundation, I can't help you much anymore, nor can I give you much guidance on cultivating thunder magic."

"But don't worry, my disciple, I will protect you and keep you safe!"

After muttering to himself, Master Qian Yuan picked up Zhong Bai in his hand and quietly left.

(End of this chapter)