I proved immortality with thunder magic.

Chapter 89 The Secret of the Purple Mansion

Hu Leifeng.

Inside the courtyard, upon seeing Zhou Tai immediately bow down and formally become his disciple, Mo Yunshuang and Zhong Sheng, who were watching from the sidelines, also quickly offered their congratulations.

Mo Yunshuang immediately smiled at her Daoist partner and said, "Congratulations, my husband, on gaining another excellent disciple. A master and a disciple, this will surely become a legendary tale!"

Zhong Sheng's congratulations were directed at Zhou Tai: "Congratulations, junior brother, on successfully becoming a disciple. From now on, we are truly fellow disciples."

Having just established a master-disciple relationship with Zhou Tai, Song Yanting instructed Zhou Tai: "Zhou Tai, this is your master's wife, Mo Yunshuang. From now on, treat her as you would your master, and do not show her any negligence or disrespect, understand?"

"Your disciple obeys."

Zhou Tai respectfully responded and then bowed to Mo Yunshuang, saying, "Disciple Zhou Tai greets Master's Wife."

Mo Yunshuang quickly waved her hand and said, "There's no need for such formalities in the future. Please rise."

She was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Being able to face Zhou Tai as an elder because of her status as his Daoist partner was already an advantage for her. Of course, she dared not let Zhou Tai continue to kneel before her.

Song Yanting then said, "My disciples don't have that many rules. As long as you respect your teacher and the Way, a small greeting when you meet is enough."

"I will always remember Master's teachings."

Zhou Tai readily agreed, then stood up and bowed to Zhong Sheng, saying, "Zhou Tai greets Fifth Senior Brother!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Yanting spoke again, saying, "Fifth brother, you've met them today. There are three other disciples still alive under my tutelage: your second senior brother, third senior sister, and fourth senior brother. Some of them are not currently in the sect. On the day of the formal apprenticeship ceremony, you brothers will reunite to rekindle your camaraderie!"

"I understand, disciple."

Zhou Tai nodded, indicating that he understood.

After explaining the situation of his sect, Song Yanting continued, "Although there is still a formal apprenticeship ceremony missing, that's just for outsiders. Our master-disciple relationship is now established."

"As a newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator, your biggest concern right now should be choosing a cultivation technique. I happen to share the same lightning spiritual root aptitude as you, and I also have some lightning-attribute cultivation techniques that aren't recorded in the sect's library. Come with me, and let's see which technique suits you best!"

These words struck a chord with Zhou Tai, and he couldn't have asked for more.

Upon hearing Song Yanting's words, he immediately bowed and thanked him, saying, "Disciple thanks Master for his great kindness!"

He then quickly followed in Song Yanting's footsteps.

Seeing that the master and disciple were going to choose a cultivation method, Mo Yunshuang and Zhong Sheng did not follow, each going about their own business.

Now that Zhou Tai has successfully become an apprentice, and their mission is complete, they no longer need to keep an eye on him.

After following Song Yanting for a while, Zhou Tai arrived at Song Yanting's private library where he collected books.

This library is also located within the outer palace and is protected by a separate array of protective barriers.

Zhou Tai entered the room and looked around. He saw rows of bookshelves filled with various books. The books were not limited to paper; they also included jade slips, animal hides, stone tablets, silk cloth, and other materials.

Obviously, those books made of special materials are not only unique copies, but also original copies, and their value is far greater than that of copied copies.

As Zhou Tai was examining the books in the room, Song Yanting spoke up, "There are five advanced lightning-attribute cultivation techniques in the sect's library. Only one of them can be cultivated directly to the Nascent Soul stage, two can be cultivated to the late Core Formation stage, and the remaining two lack methods for cultivating beyond the Core Formation stage!"

At this point, a flash of pride crossed Song Yanting's face, and he continued in a proud tone, "Besides those five high-level lightning-attribute cultivation techniques, I also have four other high-level lightning-attribute cultivation techniques. The worst of them can be cultivated to the Core Formation stage, and the best can be cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage!"

Hearing this, Zhou Tai was overjoyed and quickly chimed in, "A technique that catches your eye, Master, must have something extraordinary about it. I can't wait to see it!"

"You little rascal, you don't know how to be polite."

Song Yanting smiled and shook his head, then raised his hand and summoned jade slips that flew out from a bookshelf and landed in front of Zhou Tai.

"All nine advanced lightning-attribute cultivation techniques are here. Take a look at them all and see which one you prefer!"

He paused slightly, then solemnly warned, "However, I need to remind you of one thing: what suits you best is the best. Don't choose a technique just because it's powerful or has unique abilities!"

"The choice of a primary cultivation method is of paramount importance; it is the greatest weapon for cultivators like us to achieve enlightenment. Therefore, its potential and cultivation efficiency are what should be given the most attention, while other aspects are merely icing on the cake!"

Zhou Tai certainly understood this principle.

The most important thing about the main cultivation method is its efficiency and future potential. As for other things like supernatural powers and spells, it's good to have them, but it's not a big problem if they're not there.

After all, supernatural powers and spells can be learned by supplementing them with other secret techniques, but each person can only cultivate one main cultivation method.

Even though he understood, he still bowed respectfully and said, "Disciple will respectfully follow Master's teachings."

Then he took the nine jade slips, sat down, and began to examine them slowly.

Seeing this, Song Yanting also sat down on a chair and casually picked up a book to read.

Zhou Tai had nine advanced lightning-attribute cultivation techniques to browse at will, an opportunity that might only come once in a lifetime, so he examined them very carefully.

He certainly didn't expect to be able to memorize every single technique, since such techniques often consisted of tens of thousands of words, and many of them contained profound meanings that required repeated contemplation to fully comprehend.

However, if you read it carefully once, you can still remember some of the key points, which may serve as a confirmation for your future practice and have the effect of drawing inferences from one instance to another.

After studying all these different techniques, nearly two days had passed by the time the last one was finished!

Song Yanting, a great cultivator of the Purple Mansion realm, actually stayed here with him for two days, even neglecting his own cultivation.

When Zhou Tai snapped out of his reading trance and realized this, he felt a surge of emotion.

The master-disciple relationship in the cultivation world is sometimes difficult to assess.

Some masters and disciples have a very close relationship, as close as father and son, with an extremely deep bond that even some Daoist couples might not be able to match.

Some masters and disciples have the title of master and disciple, but not the reality. In fact, the master can hardly even answer the most basic questions and resolve doubts.

Zhou Tai is a family member and knows his own affairs. Since he didn't have the opportunity to be taken in as a disciple and successor from a young age, he shouldn't think too much about the former.

But if you were to find a master like the latter, you would truly be "blessed" in the future.

Therefore, after becoming Song Yanting's disciple, he was still very uneasy. As a result, he was always cautious in every conversation, worried that his words and actions would displease his master and leave a bad impression.

But now, Song Yanting not only provided him with nine advanced martial arts techniques for him to study right after becoming his disciple, but also quietly stayed with him in the library for two days. How could Zhou Tai not be moved by such sincerity and kindness?

Song Yanting treated his newly apprentice apprentice with utmost respect and consideration.

Just as she was feeling moved, she suddenly heard Song Yanting ask, "Have you finished reading it? Have you made a decision yet?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai composed himself and respectfully replied, "Reporting to Master, I have finished reading it and do have some thoughts. I would like to trouble Master to give me some guidance."

"Tell me about it."

Song Yanting nodded slightly, indicating that he could begin.

Zhou Tai immediately asked, "Master, you are wise. I have reviewed the nine advanced cultivation techniques, and it seems that every single one of them mentions that to open the Purple Mansion, one must first practice supernatural abilities. Therefore, each technique comes with at least one unique supernatural ability. May I ask what the relationship is between this supernatural ability and opening the Purple Mansion?"

"That's a very good question."

Song Yanting looked at him with admiration and nodded, then slowly explained, "Before answering your question, let me first tell you the meaning of the word 'supernatural power'."

"We cultivators often use the phrase 'possessing great supernatural powers' to describe certain powerful individuals, but the true meaning of 'supernatural powers' actually refers to supernatural strength!"

"Then what is supernatural power?"

"In my understanding, supernatural powers are a manifestation of the laws of the Great Dao, or they can be regarded as a derivative power of the laws of the Great Dao."

"The Great Dao is difficult to grasp, so the great cultivators of the past broke down and transformed the laws of the Great Dao they comprehended into various supernatural abilities, allowing lower-level cultivators to indirectly access and utilize the power of the Great Dao through cultivating these supernatural abilities, thus facilitating their future comprehension of the true laws of the Great Dao!"

Seeing Zhou Tai's thoughtful expression, he continued, "Since supernatural powers are manifestations of the laws of the Great Dao, and our cultivation process is for seeking and merging with the Dao, to coexist with it, then supernatural powers are naturally indispensable!"

"The Purple Mansion stage is a realm on the path of cultivation, and supernatural powers are an essential skill to cultivate on this path. Using supernatural powers to open the Purple Mansion Heavenly Gate is currently the most mainstream way to open the Purple Mansion in the cultivation world!"

This was the first time Zhou Tai had heard such a statement from him. At first, he found it somewhat unbelievable, but upon closer examination, it seemed to make perfect sense and logic.

However, after pondering for a moment, Zhou Tai still asked with a questioning look, "Then, Master, may I ask you again, since opening the Purple Mansion and cultivating supernatural powers are so closely related, does that mean that any supernatural power can be used to open the Purple Mansion?"

"That's impossible!"

Song Yanting shook his head, then explained, "We cultivators choose our cultivation methods based on our spiritual root attributes. Only by cultivating the correct and corresponding method can we hope to attain the Great Dao. The same applies to cultivating supernatural powers and opening the Purple Mansion!"

"For example, my master and I both have the aptitude of lightning spirit roots, so we can only open our Purple Mansion by cultivating lightning attribute divine abilities."

"Moreover, there are specific requirements for the supernatural powers that can be used to open the Purple Palace; they must be supernatural powers that involve the power of the origin of cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai couldn't help but immediately ask, "What do you mean by the supernatural powers involving the power of origin that Master mentioned?"

Song Yanting immediately laughed and said, "It's very simple. If you are a fire-attribute cultivator and want to open your Purple Mansion with supernatural powers, you can choose a True Fire supernatural power to cultivate. As long as you cultivate this True Fire supernatural power to the point of perfection and your own magical power cultivation is also in place, you can try it."

"If a cultivator using water-attribute techniques wishes to open their Purple Mansion using supernatural powers, they can choose a True Water supernatural power to cultivate."

"Cultivators of other elemental cultivation methods can also cultivate similar elemental divine abilities that involve the power of origin!"

At this point, he glanced at Zhou Tai again and said, "The divine power I used to open my Purple Mansion back then was the Azure Sun Divine Thunder, which involved the fundamental power of thunder!"