281: Chapter 281: Lu Xun, bestowed with Qi, begins his seclusion!

Time slipped away, and the seasons alternated.

At the summit of Zixiao Peak, thunderclouds pressed down, and purple-gold lightning flashed through the clouds, illuminating half the landscape; it was grand and imposing!

Beside the lightning pool.

Shi Jian lay within the purple-gold lightning liquid, his eyes half-closed, inhaling and exhaling to absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, deep within his Sea of Consciousness.

Around the Zixiao Spiritual Body, thousands of lightning rays swirled.

"That wisp of the Way of Thunder heaven and earth qi has finally matured."

Zixiao transmitted his voice, his tone revealing a trace of calculation...

Shi Jian opened his eyes, his gaze piercing through the pool water to stare directly at the bottom.

There, a wisp of golden-purple energy was swimming about.

It was shaped like a swimming Dragon, extremely yang and rigid; it was precisely the Way of Thunder heaven and earth qi that this lightning pool had spent twenty years nurturing.

It was the same type of energy that Shi Jian had refined back then: Purple Cloud Golden Lightning Qi!

"Are the tricks you played on it secure?"

Hearing this, Zixiao gave a soft hum: "Although I do not understand the mysteries of the three Nascent Soul stages, such methods of parasitic Dao-seeding are not difficult for me."

"I have already inscribed my Origin lightning runes into the core of that lightning qi."

"Whoever absorbs it will have their Dao Foundation bound to you. When the day comes for you to achieve Nascent Soul, he will be your best nourishing medicine."

Shi Jian nodded in satisfaction.

White Crane once said that after reaching Nascent Soul, one must devour the Dao Cores of fellow Cultivators to strengthen one's Immortal Foundation.

The Human Race in the Xuanling Continent was powerful, but there was not a single Nascent Soul of the Way of Thunder. If a ready-made Dao Core could not be found, one would need to raise one themselves for future needs...

He needed a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the lightning attribute at Perfection.

Looking throughout White Cloud Temple, the number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators who practiced lightning arts could be counted on one's fingers.

Lu Xun was the outstanding one among them.

This person had the Lightning Spiritual Root Aptitude and specialized in the 'Purple Thunder Art.' His talent and Aptitude were excellent choices, and he was also someone whom Shi Jian and the Sun Clan had focused on nurturing back then.

Now that he knew the secret of the Dao Core Immortal Foundation.

It was only natural to make good use of this spare piece that had been cultivated.

"Summon Lu Xun up the mountain."

Shi Jian transmitted the order, and naturally, someone would handle it.

Half an hour later, a Cultivator with the appearance of a youth climbed up Zixiao Peak.

He was now a Law Enforcement Elder of White Cloud Temple, holding great power. His face was gaunt, his temples were frosted with white, and despite the many years that had passed, Lu Xun's appearance remained the same.

Although he looked young, he had experienced many hardships.

He stood ten zhang away from the lightning pool. After many years, seeing the Old Ancestor again, he was still filled with admiration and shock, and immediately performed a deep bow:

"Disciple Lu Xun pays respects to the Old Ancestor."

"It has been many years, and the Old Ancestor's demeanor remains the same; it is the envy of us all."

Shi Jian looked down at him from above.

The mist from the lightning pool obscured the true expression of the giant bear.

"Lu Xun, your cultivation is now at Perfection. You have been stuck at Foundation Establishment Perfection for quite a few years, haven't you?"

"Reporting to the Old Ancestor, it has been fifteen years."

Lu Xun replied, his voice revealing an unconcealable bitterness.

In the world of cultivation, Foundation Establishment Perfection was a hurdle. If one crossed it, they would gain a Lifespan of five hundred years and the ability to summon wind and rain; if one failed to cross it, they could only turn into dust.

"How much insight do you have into the Way of Thunder?"

Lu Xun kowtowed: "This Disciple's Aptitude is dull. I have painstakingly practiced the 'Purple Thunder Art' for nearly a hundred years and have only grasped some fur. Without the help of heaven and earth qi, if I were to forcibly attempt a Breakthrough to Golden Core, my chances would only be twenty percent."

Shi Jian raised his bear paw and grabbed through the air.

The wisp of golden-purple lightning qi at the bottom of the pool broke through the water and floated in mid-air.

The lightning qi was fierce and domineering, and the pressure it emitted made Lu Xun's breathing stall.

"This is the Way of Thunder heaven and earth qi: Purple Cloud Golden Lightning Qi!"

"I shall bestow this qi upon you today. You are to begin seclusion right here by the lightning pool of Zixiao Peak. You are not allowed to leave the mountain until you have achieved a Golden Core Breakthrough."

"I hope you will cultivate diligently in the future."

"Do not forget the path you came from, and do not forget the favor I have bestowed upon you today; these are all debts."

Hearing this, Lu Xun looked up, staring straight at that wisp of lightning qi.

His eye sockets turned red, and his body could not stop trembling.

A Golden Core Opportunity; this was the stroke of fortune that countless Cultivators dreamed of.

He had thought that in this life, he would only be able to die of old age in White Cloud Temple, or go and gamble on that insignificant possibility...

He never expected that the Old Ancestor would bestow such a gift!

"The grace of the Old Ancestor's recreation is something that I, Lu Xun, could not repay even with ten thousand deaths!"

He kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the hard rock and leaving a bloody mark. At this moment, in his eyes, there was no such thing as the Human Race or the Yao Race.

Whoever could grant him this Opportunity, the difference between human and demon, was no longer important.

Even if Shi Jian asked him to kill people or serve the Yao Race right now, he would not refuse even if it meant death. In this world, horses that could run a thousand miles were common, but those who recognized talent were rare.

This grace was comparable to the heavens, like that of parents.

"Go, child, and cultivate diligently."

Shi Jian waved his paw, and Lu Xun, holding the jade box containing the lightning qi, went down the mountain and opened up an Immortal Cave at the foot of Zixiao Peak.

Not long after, the Immortal Cave was set with a Restriction, isolating everything from the outside world.

Shi Jian watched the closed Immortal Cave, his eyes devoid of ripples.

To him, Lu Xun was merely a head of livestock in a pen; now that he had been fed the best feed, he was just waiting to be fattened up for slaughter.

This was the cruelty of the world of cultivation: eating people, or being eaten.

Zixiao Peak returned to its former tranquility.

Only the thunder in the sky rumbled, day and night without ceasing.

Down the mountain, in the Main Peak hall of White Cloud Temple, Old Daoist Yundu heard that Shi Jian had bestowed the lightning qi and stroked his beard with a long sigh. Standing beside him was Sun Chengzhu.

These past few days, the northern region had been stable, so he often returned to the sect to take a look.

"Brother Shi has a grand way of doing things," said Old Daoist Yundu. "How precious the Way of Thunder heaven and earth qi is; he did not keep it for his Thunder Bear tribe, but bestowed it upon an Elder of a different surname."

"It seems Brother Shi still has quite a bit of affection for our sect."

Sun Chengzhu held his sword, his face expressionless: "The Old Ancestor's actions must have a deep meaning. If Lu Xun becomes a Golden Core, our White Cloud Temple will have one more combat power."

"Now that the situation in the Liang Kingdom has just stabilized, various forces within Ming Prefecture are restless. Having one more bit of strength means having one more bit of confidence."

Old Daoist Yundu nodded in approval.

After the Immortal Master of Mountain Clearing from the Qingguang Sect passed away, they nominally attached themselves to White Cloud Temple.

But the interests of the Eastern Protectorate in Ming Prefecture were too great; relying solely on those few Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Qingguang Sect, they simply could not hold it.

If Lu Xun achieved Core Formation, it would be an excellent destination.

"Let us see what his fortune will be." Old Daoist Yundu turned and walked into the main hall.

The path of cultivation is, by nature, Heaven-Defying.

Whether Lu Xun could cross this natural chasm, no one could say for sure, but given his talent and Aptitude, with the Lightning Spiritual Root plus the help of heaven and earth qi.

The probability of success would always be much higher than that of an ordinary Dual Spiritual Root.