Chapter 139: The True Method of Five Thunders!

There is no need for thanks; fellow disciples ought to help one another, and besides, I haven't really done anything.

Welcoming Qi Xiu into the courtyard, Ge Ping instructed the sprite-woman Bailing to brew two pots of spiritual tea.

"Senior Brother's courtyard is rich in vitality and abounds with spiritual energy. If ordinary people lived here, they could easily prolong their lives and live to a hundred without a doubt."

Curiously inspecting Ge Ping's courtyard, Qi Xiu could not help but praise it.

Standing outside the courtyard just moments ago, he had already sensed the surging, dense vitality within.

Walking inside now, that feeling became even more profound.

Every breath of air here seemed imbued with a powerful life force, flowing with your inhalation straight into your limbs and bones.

For any living creature, this place was an extremely comfortable sanctuary for preserving health.

"This Great Azure Lotus Health-Nourishing Array cost me twenty thousand Dao coins. I had to ask Senior Uncle Yunwan to set it up for me, so naturally, its effects are extraordinary. However, the array disk needs to be replaced every decade, and a single replacement costs nearly ten thousand Dao coins. I can barely afford to maintain it anymore."

A hint of helplessness crossed Ge Ping's face as he spread his hands.

The Divine Firmament Sect emphasized innovation and development.

Nowadays, each peak and lineage was financially self-sufficient, and the sect administration took a hands-off approach.

Although Yunti Peak had Yunti spiritual fruits as a source of revenue, it was still somewhat inadequate to support seven cultivators, including Daoist Yunxiong.

Therefore, disciples like Ge Ping had to find ways to run businesses of their own and earn Dao coins in order to sustain the consumption required for their daily cultivation.

Hearing the fatigue in Ge Ping's words, it was clear that supporting this array was a source of considerable distress and toil for him.

Qi Xiu touched his cheek.

He guessed that most cultivators within the Divine Firmament Sect were far from wealthy.

However, this was only natural.

For a cultivator to earn Dao coins, they had to be proficient in at least one specialized craft.

Pills, talismans, magical artifacts, and array disks—these four crafts were the most common and also yielded the highest returns.

Yet any one of these four crafts was far more complex and tedious than basic cultivation.

Not only did they require guidance and initiation from senior masters, but they also demanded immense talent and a great deal of practice to master.

Consequently, those who could profit from these crafts were mostly high-level cultivators at the Blood-Dye Realm or the Dao-Body Realm.

Initiate-Realm cultivators were almost entirely occupied with their own cultivation; where would they find the time to delve into such specialized arts?

"Oh, that's right. You came to see me—is there really nothing else on your mind?"

Leading Qi Xiu to an elegant and secluded green-vine wooden table, Ge Ping handed him a cup of spiritual tea brewed by Bailing.

"Have a taste. This is the spiritual tea I grow myself, called 'Flower's Face'. My meager treasury as your senior brother relies entirely on this Flower's Face tea to get by."

Accepting the teacup, Qi Xiu glanced at the clear and translucent tea liquor, inside of which blooming, gorgeous flowers continuously unfolded.

Before the tea even touched his lips, a lingering, delicate fragrance of flowers already danced about the tip of his nose.

"What a fitting name, truly worthy of 'Flower's Face'."

Taking a light sip of the tea, which tasted as though it had been brewed from the nectar of a hundred flowers, the sweet and lingering aftertaste was so endless that it tempted one to take a second sip involuntarily.

"Actually, I came here this time because there is a matter I wish to trouble Senior Brother with."

"Speak freely," Ge Ping said with a light smile, setting down his teacup.

"When I made my breakthrough yesterday, amidst the void, I seemed to sense the harassment of inner demons. I am worried these inner demons might return, so I wish to acquire some techniques or magical artifacts to guard against them. I am not very knowledgeable about these things, which is why I wanted to consult Senior Brother." Qi Xiu slowly stated the purpose of his visit.

"Inner demons?"

Ge Ping's expression grew much more serious as he said solemnly:

"You've only just entered the Initiate Realm, and you're already being harassed by inner demons? If that is truly the case, you certainly ought to make preparations early rather than mending the fold after the sheep are lost. Let me think...

Defensive techniques against inner demons involve the realm of the divine soul, and since you are still in the Initiate Realm, you are incapable of practicing them. You can only purchase magical artifacts designed to ward off inner demons. Do you have money?"

"I have a little."

Too embarrassed to say that his Flood-Dragon Pool thumb-ring contained over ten thousand Dao coins, Qi Xiu nodded to indicate that he possessed modest savings.

"Very well then. I will ask a few senior brothers to help you check whether anyone within the sect is currently selling inner-demon artifacts. We should have news in a few days."

"Then I thank Senior Brother Ge immensely."

After expressing his gratitude to Ge Ping and chatting idly for a short while, Qi Xiu headed back to his quarters.

Walking along the path, he felt a deep sense of appreciation in his heart.

This was the advantage of having a powerful backing.

Every problem had someone who could provide an answer, and purchasing artifacts and techniques had established channels.

There was no need to humiliate oneself begging from door to door, only to find out in the end that one hadn't even approached the right person.

In the days that followed, Qi Xiu sought an audience with Daoist Yunxiong to express his desire to become a branch-family disciple.

Daoist Yunxiong felt a pang of regret regarding this decision.

After all, he was unaware that Qi Xiu's talent and comprehension regarding lightning arts stemmed from the miraculous property of proficiency.

No cultivation method posed any genuine difficulty to him.

He had assumed Qi Xiu was simply a genius at practicing lightning arts.

If he could become a main-family disciple and switch to cultivating the *True Scripture of the Nine Heavens Divine Firmament Imperial Lightning*, he would undoubtedly become a mainstay pillar of the sect in the future.

However, regarding the decision Qi Xiu had already made, Daoist Yunxiong merely felt regret without attempting to dissuade or stop him.

Among his six disciples, the majority were branch-family disciples, and they had all contributed significantly to the sect.

Main family, branch family—as long as they remained within the Divine Firmament Sect for a single day, they were disciples of the sect, and he would treat them all equally.

"Since you have already decided, as your master, I will say no more. Now that you are an Initiate-Realm cultivator, you may choose a lightning art to practice. I specialize in the *True Method of the Five Thunders* and the *Golden Body of Holy Might and Furious Thunder*. The latter is a Blood-Dye Realm technique created by myself, which you cannot practice just yet. When you reach the Blood-Dye Realm, if you are interested, I can pass it on to you. This method is an exceptionally powerful martial art. Cultivate it to its ultimate peak, and the heavenly thunder is oneself, and oneself is the heavenly thunder. Sweep across thousands of armies, peerless and domineering! It is truly formidable indeed. It's just a pity that not a single one of your senior brothers and sisters took a liking to this path. They simply don't know true value; they really don't know true value!"

Having his proudest creation unappreciated left Daoist Yunxiong feeling deeply aggrieved.

Now, he had pinned his hopes once more on this immensely talented youngest disciple.

Feeling the fiery, anticipatory gaze of Daoist Yunxiong, Qi Xiu managed a forced smile:

"Rest assured, Master. Once I attain the Blood-Dye Realm, I will definitely... give it serious consideration."

"Mm, good. Then as your master, I wish for you to attain the Blood-Dye Realm soon. This is the abridged volume of the *True Method of the Five Thunders*. Take it back, study it, and come back to me once you've decided which one you wish to learn."

With that, Daoist Yunxiong handed Qi Xiu a thin booklet.

Upon the cover were written six sweeping, vigorous characters:

*General Exposition of the True Method of the Five Thunders*.

...

Inside the courtyard.

Qi Xiu lay on a reclining chair, holding the *Abridged Treatise on the True Method of the Five Thunders* given by Daoist Yunxiong, slowly skimming through its pages.

The True Method of the Five Thunders—also known as the Five-Element Lightning Art or the Five-Thunder Heavenly Heart True Method—was one of the most orthodox lightning arts in the Divine Firmament Sect.

It was widely practiced within the sect, and its power was second to none among all lightning arts.

Naturally, its cultivation difficulty was also of nightmare-level proportions.

The Palm Thunder that Qi Xiu had practiced during the second round of the entrance examination was merely a simplified, simplified-once-more version of the True Method of the Five Thunders.

Yet its power had already been terrifyingly immense.

Under the majesty of that lightning art, those undying, heterodox entities had appeared utterly fragile and vulnerable to a single blow.

From this, one could imagine just how horrifying and awe-inspiring the original, orthodox True Method of the Five Thunders truly was.

The Five-Element Lightning Art was divided into five volumes:

Heaven Thunder, Azure Thunder, Dragon Thunder, Divine Thunder, and Orthodox Thunder!

Heaven Thunder, also called Golden Thunder—governs the correction of heavenly order and the operation of the four seasons, slaying heavenly demons, purging plagues, and subduing heavenly monsters and all intractable maleficence.

Azure Thunder, also called Wood Thunder—governs the generation of all things, nourishing the five grains, clearing away mountain mists and miasmas, liberating dead souls, and praying for clear skies or rain.

Dragon Thunder, also called Water Thunder—governs commanding thunder to bring rain, relieving droughts, severing flood dragons, venomous snakes, malicious mirages, and spirits, stirring winds and clouds, and managing water-palace affairs.

Divine Thunder, also called Fire Thunder—governs slaughter, correcting unrighteous punishments, suppressing rampaging demons, illuminating the six directions; once the thunder fire emerges, all things vanish from sight.

Orthodox Thunder, also called Earth Thunder—governs slaying ancient vessel spirits, subduing primordial atmospheric malice, striking down shrines and breaking temples, and regulating terrestrial deities.

Only when all five volumes of the lightning art were fully mastered and integrated into a seamless whole could one truly wield the True Method of the Five Thunders!

By then, with a single thought, one could summon wind and rain, overturn rivers and seas; before such heavenly might, what dared to show defiance?!

"Practicing lightning arts is difficult—a thousand or ten thousand times harder than ordinary orthodox paths. Otherwise, it would never have dominated the summit of all magic. As Master said, within the entire Divine Firmament Sect, those who have completely mastered the complete Five-Thunder Heavenly Heart True Method number fewer than the fingers on two hands. Most people are blocked right at the threshold of mastering the Five-Thunder canon and wielding heavenly might. I wonder when I will be able to touch that threshold."

After indulging in a brief daydream, Qi Xiu shook his head and snapped back to reality.

"If I choose to cultivate these five volumes of lightning arts, which volume should I begin with? Senior Brother Ge's primary destiny-册 focuses on wood-path methods. Therefore, the lightning art he chose was Azure Thunder, also known as the First-Wood Divine Thunder. This lightning art is extremely peculiar; amidst a lightning art that is inherently supreme and yang, symbolizing the power of heaven and earth to destroy all things, it paradoxically brims with intense vitality. It resembles the sudden peal of spring thunder and the revival of all things. Consequently, among the five volumes of lightning arts, this one possesses the lowest destructive power. However, it can stimulate the vitality of all things, not only healing injuries but also rejuvenating the primal source. In the path of vegetation, it is uniquely endowed. Moreover, because this lightning art contains raging vitality blended with the intent of heavenly lightning might, it possesses an extremely strong restraining effect on netherworld ghosts and dead, evil entities! You could even say it restrains all yin and ghost qi under heaven! One sound of the Azure Thunder, and all ghosts scatter completely. I have the *Mysteries of the Primordial Dragon-Tiger True Scripture* protecting me, so I can cultivate any volume of the lightning art without any bottlenecks or restrictions. However, practicing these lightning arts spans an extremely long time. I should first choose a lightning art that feels smoother to use and practice that one."

Glancing over the five volumes of lightning arts one by one, Qi Xiu's gaze gradually paused on a single line.

...

(End of this chapter)