I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 138 The Twelve-Story Tower
What Lou Shenxiao passed down was not a magic technique, but a secret method for manipulating thunder, called the 'Twelve-Story Tower Technique'.

In short, this secret technique involves creating a 'void' in the outer world to circulate and refine lightning.

As we all know, thunder is violent and it is difficult to restrain it. However, if one learns the "Twelve-Story Method" and cultivates thunder in an empty space, one can break free from this constraint.

The thunder resides in the void, without losing any of its power.

In this way, the cultivator's opportunity to use lightning techniques becomes extremely flexible, and they can even use stillness to control movement, constantly threatening their opponents.

It is undoubtedly a powerful weapon in the battle of wits with others.

However, this is only one of the wonderful uses of the Twelve-Story Tower Technique. The true mystery of this technique lies in the 'twelve turns' mentioned by Lou Shenxiao, which allows thunder to continuously generate within the void.

The twelve turns correspond to the Chonglou (a type of herbal medicine).

With each transformation, the lightning within the void will generate a new element. Completing the 'first transformation' means one becomes two, completing the 'second transformation' means two become four, the third transformation means eight, four becomes sixteen, five becomes thirty-two...

And so on, multiplying in number, until the 'twelve-story building' reaches a total of four thousand and ninety-six!

Four thousand and ninety-six bolts of lightning struck out at once—what an earth-shattering power that must have been!
Of course, the difficulty is self-evident.

There are still many key points to this, which Lou Shenxiao has not explained clearly. It's not that he's being overly protective of his knowledge, but rather that he believes it would be good enough if these two could grasp the basics within three hours. Explaining the deeper and more profound mysteries would be pointless.

But Ying Chan's performance was truly beyond his expectations.

Lou Shenxiao pondered for a moment and asked, "Young Ying, have you ever been exposed to this 'Twelve-Story Tower Technique'?"

The path was narrow and precarious, and he was feeling lost, but upon hearing this, his spirits lifted, and he stared intently at Ying Chan, hoping that Ying Chan would understand.

However, Ying Chan was simply telling the truth and said, "No."

In fact, the Twelve-Story Tower Method is indeed very difficult. Even just getting started involves many profound thunder magic techniques.

These tips are indeed difficult to understand, and they contain many mysterious terms. Without a solid foundation in superior thunder magic, even if the entire text were presented to you, you might not be able to comprehend it.

Of course, these tips and terms are all explained in the "Xuan Du Yi Qi Lei Heng Shu", and Ying Chan has already memorized them thoroughly.

What remains is nothing more than testing one's comprehension and understanding the complex operation of the methods.

This is precisely Ying Chan's strength, so his ability to cultivate to the 'first stage' is a natural outcome.

Of course, that's only his perspective.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Daojianxuan couldn't help but widen his eyes. Ying Chan met his gaze and saw nothing but disbelief.

He could only smile at Jianxuan, but it seemed to have provoked him. The Taoist pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and looked as if he was busy comprehending the Dharma.

Lou Shenxiao wasn't too surprised to receive Ying Chan's response.

Although the Twelve-Story Tower was not unique to him, it was still a genuine 'secret technique,' and it was indeed unlikely that Ying Chan had come into contact with it.

"So, his mastery of thunder magic really did come from that 'Mysterious Capital One Qi Thunder Heng Book'?"

Lou Shenxiao felt a ripple of emotion.

The Book of Thunder and Lightning is indeed profound and mysterious, but can one accumulate a deep foundation in thunder magic in a short period of time with just a book of thunder magic without any guidance?
If that were true, there would probably be countless people in the world with profound knowledge of thunder magic.

He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, and after a moment, he suddenly called out, "Ying Chan."

Ying Chan replied, "Your disciple is here."

"Now that you have completed the first stage of cultivation, I will keep my promise."

Lou Shenxiao said calmly, "This Twelve-Story Tower Technique is my gift to you, and I will also take care of the sect's affairs." Ying Chan's spirits lifted, and he cupped his hands in response, "Thank you, Martial Uncle, for bestowing this technique upon me."

"Hmph." Lou Shenxiao chuckled, "No need to thank me. Being able to seize the opportunity is your own skill."

"However, I'd like to see how many more surprises you can give me."

"It's still three hours."

Lou Shenxiao picked up his cup, savoring the aroma of the wine, and said calmly, "Let me see how many cycles you can cultivate and how many levels you can reach?"

"If you can satisfy me, I will give you a surprise in return."

Ying Chan raised his eyebrows slightly.

Although he wasn't an outspoken person, since he had already come this far, how could he possibly refuse Lou Shenxiao's request?

Ying Chan immediately replied, "I will obey my master's instructions."

Three hours is neither a short nor a long time.

Suddenly the sun sets and the moon rises, casting a pale shadow across the sky. Under the moon, all the flowers blush shyly, yet their beauty remains undiminished.

Unfortunately, Ying Chan had no time to appreciate it, and didn't even drink any more wine. Before he knew it, three hours had passed.

He looked up as he calculated the time, feeling a pang of regret.

The Twelve-Story Method starts with the easy and then becomes difficult. Although he had tried his best, he still encountered many obstacles.

If he had another half hour, he might have been able to break through another barrier, but it seems that he can only stop here for now.

Ying Chan had stopped, but Xiao Daojianxuan remained completely focused, his fingertips occasionally forming hand seals, seemingly trying to activate the method.

Upon seeing this, Lou Shenxiao lightly tapped the table with his fingertip, the sound penetrating directly into his ears and waking him up, but without disturbing his mind in the slightest.

Jianxuan snapped out of his daze, quickly released the hand seal, stood up and bowed, saying, "This disciple was too engrossed, please forgive me, Uncle-Master."

"It's alright," Lou Shenxiao said calmly. "Since you've devoted yourself so diligently, have you gained anything?"

Jianxuan's spirits lifted, and he replied earnestly, "This disciple believes he has grasped the basics; please examine him, Uncle-Master."

Lou Shenxiao nodded slightly. Seeing this, Jian Xuan no longer hesitated, cast a spell for a moment, and pointed towards the air.

Two thunderclaps were heard, and the scene that Ying Chan had shown earlier was also replicated by Jian Xuan.

Lou Shenxiao raised an eyebrow.

The lightning magic he was wielding was clearly well-established, which was exactly what he had expected.

Although the old Taoist Qingyuan was not proficient in thunder magic, he had a broad and insightful perspective and could easily guide the Xuan Guang cultivator. Moreover, he had plenty of profound Taoist books and mysterious scriptures for the cultivator to study.

After three hours, he had grasped the basics and considered himself qualified.

However, with Ying Chan preceding him, Lou Shenxiao couldn't offer any words of praise. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Not bad." Then he turned to Ying Chan and asked, "Have you gained anything from this?"

Jian Xuan opened his mouth, but had no choice but to sit back down at the table. He watched as Ying Chan got up, bowed to Lou Shenxiao, and then walked to the edge of the platform.

The young Taoist priest stood tall and imposing on the edge of the platform, exuding an aura of towering stature. After a few moments of hand seals and incantations, a blue-purple light rose from the Heavenly Gate, accompanied by a thunderous roar.

Expanding, contracting, flashing—with each cycle, its power and prestige increased. On the third cycle, the young Taoist gave a soft shout, and eight bolts of lightning shot out, piercing through the atmosphere.

Suddenly, the lightning illuminated the empty valley, making it as bright as day!
(End of this chapter)