Journey to the West: Starting with becoming an apprentice of the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing Patriar

Before the words were even finished, a crack appeared in the middle of the sea of ​​clouds.

A hazy, bluish-white mist flowed down, like water splashed in mid-air, yet it did not fall to the ground. It hung three zhang above the center of the valley, slowly spreading out and growing larger and larger until it finally transformed into a square "pond" about three mu in size above the entire valley.

The pond is dry.

Swimming in the pool are tiny, bluish-green sparks.

Those Marses darted east and west, coming and going in an instant, moving so fast that there was no fixed pattern, yet each of them took on its own shape.

Some resemble tadpoles, flicking their little tails. Others look like gossamer threads, and still others have faintly coalesced into the shapes of scales and fins.

A group of people were standing by the pool, amidst the mist.

They wore golden armor and black cloaks, with command flags on their backs, and each person held a small bronze jar the size of a palm in their hand.

The leader, clad in armor, stood by the pool with his hand on his sword, the lightning patterns on his armor flashing on and off.

"New recruits in the Thunder Division."

The Hundred-Eyed Taoist explained to him in a low voice, "This pool is called the 'Thunder Pool'."

"Fellow Daoist, do you know what word the Old Mother spoke of for seven whole days?"

Lu Shanjun's heart skipped a beat: "...Life."

"It is this character '生' (life/birth)."

The Hundred-Eyed Taoist stood with his hands behind his back, his foolishness returning, his eyes shining as he spoke of principles.

"Thunder in the world is divided into two categories: innate and acquired."

"The lightning of the day after tomorrow is generated when the Dragon Palace brings rain and the Thunder Department carries out executions. It carries murderous and malevolent energy, and it will hurt people when it strikes down."

"But the innate thunder is different. It is the very first 'motivation' when heaven and earth were first separated and the primordial energy was not yet divided."

"The Book of Changes says, 'Water and thunder, Tun. When clouds and thunder come together, all things begin to be born.' This 'beginning of birth' is the primordial energy of thunder."

"My mother is a quasi-saint with great power. Every word she speaks contains the Dao. In the past seven days, she has been using the word 'life' to awaken all the primordial energy that has been dormant in the valley."

"The moment anger arises, the innate thunder seed lies dormant within, with nowhere to go."

He pointed to the blue-white thunder pool.

"The Heavenly Thunder Department is well-informed and came to collect seeds on this very day."

"Firstly, to collect thunder seeds for the new recruits of the Thunder Department and to temper them in the furnace. Secondly, the old mother also agreed to allow the demon immortals in this valley who had the opportunity to listen to the Dao for seven days to share a piece of the pie."

"I was also there thirty years ago."

The Hundred-Eyed Taoist turned around and glanced at him, his eyes holding a profound meaning.

"Fellow Daoist, the innate lightning seed is extremely rare and hard to come by. In the hands of a mortal demon cultivator, it can suppress a region's waters and lands. But in the hands of someone like you who cultivates water magic..."

He didn't continue, he just smiled.

Lu Shanjun felt a chill run down his spine.

What was the purpose of his long journey?

It was all for those two words... Thunder Seed.

His master's words were ringing in his ears.

The best method of seed collection involves obtaining dragon thunder from the Thunder Marsh, where the dragon transforms itself, revealing the purest innate essence...

He searched the entire southwestern borderlands for the "purest innate" first-class thunder seed, but couldn't even find the edge of a thunder swamp.

Unexpectedly, after much searching, they stumbled upon Mount Li.

"Thunder is in the mountains..."

Lu Shanjun muttered a sentence, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up one by one.

The prophecy my mother made before she passed away has finally come true.

Those who are destined to receive it will find it.

……

After surveying the surroundings, the armored commander spoke with a powerful voice that drowned out the humming in the valley.

"By the decree of the Thunder God, we borrow the primordial energy of Mount Li to open a pond for seed collection. All those present today who are listening to the sermon may go down and collect the seeds."

"There are only three rules. The seeds belong to each family, first come, first served, and must not be forcibly taken. Fellow practitioners must not be harmed. The time limit is one incense stick's time."

"When the incense stick burns out, the pool is filled with water."

As soon as he finished speaking, the valley fell into a deathly silence for a moment.

Immediately, a loud "boom" erupted.

Who wouldn't be tempted by such a once-in-thirty-year stroke of luck?

Hundreds of figures suddenly sprang into action.

Unable to restrain itself any longer, Wujiaotou revealed its true form as a black rhinoceros. Its single horn emitted a black light, and its four hooves sank into the air, actually stepping onto the edge of the Thunder Pool.

He didn't follow any rules; he would just pick off a wandering lightning bolt with his horn, only to miss. He would then try another one, and again, only to miss.

The lightning bolts were so slippery that no matter how the rhinoceros horn flew up and down, not a single one touched him.

"Hey. You little brat...stop right there!"

The dark-faced man was sweating profusely with anxiety, while the other fairies who had snatched the seeds burst into laughter.

The spider demon sisters under the shed, however, took a different approach.

With a gentle touch of her slender fingers, the woman in red plucked a string of pearls, instantly creating a thin, cloud-like spiderweb that enveloped the center of the water.

Wherever the net reached, it did manage to trap a few rather inactive lightning seeds. However, the net itself couldn't withstand the lightning energy; anything it touched would scorch. After one net was cast, most of its own was destroyed.

The old woman riding the old catfish was the easiest. The old catfish flicked its tail, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed the nearest patch of thunderous energy along with the sparks. With its cheeks puffed out, it looked completely satisfied.

The valley was filled with shouts of people and howls of demons.

Some rode the wind, some wove nets, some sprayed water, and some opened their mouths—each displayed its unique abilities, creating quite a lively scene.

……

The excitement belongs to everyone.

Lu Shanjun simply closed his eyes briefly, then slightly bent his five fingers inside his sleeve, and the "Mysterious Heaven Water Thunder Technique" began to spin deep within his sea of ​​consciousness.

The still water in the dantian, as calm as ice, slowly rippled outwards under the influence of the Dharma.

Water-based traction requires "mutual attraction".

Once he released his Ren-Gui water energy, it was like a deep pool appearing in the wilderness.

The thunder seeds in the Thunder Pool were originally formed from innate vital energy and were most compatible with water and soil.

Furthermore, he possesses the physical remains of a white tiger, a rare breed, and the Western Gengxin Golden Body.

Gold can attract lightning, and gold can also generate water.

With metal leading the way, water receiving it, and thunder lying dormant at the bottom of the water, the three elements are mutually generative, perfectly matching the small print at the end of that Taoist book: This method is most suitable.

Others go to great lengths, going to great lengths to "snatch" it.

He let the water vapor settle and waited in place.

At first, none of the demons paid any attention to the Taoist priest in the green robe wearing a bamboo hat.

But a moment later, those with sharp eyes noticed something was wrong.

The lightning seeds that were swimming happily in the lightning pool seemed to smell something, one, two, three...

One after another, they broke away from the group, flicked their tails, and drifted slowly towards the Taoist in the straw hat, following an invisible wisp of water.

In less than a fraction of the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, seven or eight lightning seeds floated three feet around Lu Shanjun's feet, circling around him like fish returning to their abyss, none of them willing to leave.

He put his hands behind his back and didn't accept a single one.

He tilted his head slightly, examining each one individually, occasionally extending a finger to gently push away the one that was too close.

I think it's too small.

"..."

Wu Jiao searched the pond for a long time without finding anything. Then, he turned his head and saw this scene.

The dark-faced man's mouth remained agape for a moment.

"I fought tooth and nail for it, and they...they still want to be picky?"

His shout caused the demon immortals who were scrambling for seeds to turn around.

This sight only made him more upset.

Some people, after exhausting all their efforts to catch just one, watch helplessly as seven or eight mines are lined up and delivered to other people's feet, while they themselves have to smile and accept the ones they think are too small.

The feeling was indescribable.

"well……"

Someone in the crowd let out a long sigh and muttered a sour remark.

"This demon is so powerful, it's infuriating!"

The entire valley of demons and immortals deeply agreed.

Lu Shanjun, however, did not hear any of this.

His gaze was firmly drawn to the shadow at the deepest part of the Thunder Pool.

That was an extremely unusual type of lightning.

The other lightning bolts were all blue-green sparks, but this one was a sliver of sky blue, its entire body shimmering with water, shaped like a palm-length blue flying fish.

Two thin fins bulge on either side of the fish's body. With a flick of its tail, it darts through the pond like lightning, sometimes to the east, sometimes to the west, so fast that its afterimage is almost invisible.

It clearly sensed Lu Shanjun's misty aura and swam close to him in circles several times.

But every time it gets within ten feet, it suddenly turns around, flicks its tail, and retreats far away, seemingly there but not there, neither close nor distant.

Like a proud young lady, she clearly had feelings for someone, but she kept up her airs and wouldn't easily get closer.

"Oh, you've got your eye on that fish too?"

A crisp sound rang out from the side.