Cultivation: Fortune by Lots

Standing atop the Altar within the Cave Heavens, Lei Jun felt the familiar breeze brushing against his body—the wind that once cleansed both body and mind when he first transmigrated to this world, the very beginning of his cultivation path.

Lei Jun offered a slight smile, his Spiritual Soul crossing the Flying Bridge as he formally arrived before the True One Altar. Surrounding the Cave Heavens Altar Field, Treasure Cover Daoist Banners rippled, and lamps brilliantly illuminated the four directions. Layers upon layers of Tao Containment blessed Lei Jun, bringing ease to both body and mind. Yet the Altar remained closed, as if still denying him entry.

With a tranquil heart, Lei Jun focused his thoughts, and a gigantic Spirit Talisman, nine feet tall and four feet wide and gleaming with brilliance, appeared above his head. The talisman's radiance resonated mysteriously with the Spirit Light around the Cave Heavens' Altar Field, creating a latent harmony.

In that moment, Lei Jun's ears seemed to fill with the primordial melody of the Great Dao, ethereal yet thunderous, pervading the world. It was in that very instant that the True One Altar before Lei Jun began to change. The upper two layers of the Altar remained silent. But on the first-layer square Altar, a light that was not dazzling yet everlasting emerged. It was as though countless runes and Tao Seals surfaced on the face of the Altar. Arising with them were four Portals: the Heaven Gate, the Earth Door, the Sun Gate, and the Moon Gate.

Upon seeing this, Lei Jun paid his respects to the True One Altar with the rituals of his Sect. The process was identical to that of his earlier Lecture Ceremony when he entered the Altar of Wanfa Sect. Having paid his respects, he stepped onto the first layer of the True One Altar through the Earth Door.

Upon entering, Lei Jun felt as if he had entered another small, separate realm—like stepping into a brand new world, into another Cave Heavens. Looking around, he could vaguely see many figures suspended in the air. These were not true celestial immortals filling the sky; a similar scenario had occurred during his time at the Altar of Wanfa Sect. This was the Spiritual Nature of many Immortal Spirits—such as the Five Directional Heavenly Soldiers and Mounted Officials, Nine Provinces Social Commanders, and Taisui God Sovereign—that had been enduringly worshipped with incense over the years within the first Altar layer of the Taoist Talisman Sect's Ancestral Court. Since the Talisman Sect's Daoist Rite of Reformation, these were no longer the array of revered gods in the eyes of common folk, but the underpinning of their Taoist Heritage.

At the Altar of Wanfa Sect, if one ascended to the second layer, one might witness the Tao Containment of even higher-level revered deities, such as the Three Origins General, the Overcoming Adversity Great General, and the Spirit Treasure Great General. As for the third layer, it enshrined even higher beings like the Three Officials Great Emperor, various Heavenly Venerates, and Masters. To some extent, the True One Altar was a part of the Altar of Wanfa Sect. Thus, as Lei Jun stepped into the True One Altar, he could comprehend these Tao Containments.

With the blessing of Tao Containments, Lei Jun's Spiritual Soul underwent a transformative purification, making his spirit closer to the state of Serene Insight, natural and effortless from the outset, ineffable in its wonder. Here, if one cultivated or pondered over the Taoist Scriptures and Spells, they would find twice the result with half the effort. For Lei Jun, his Clear Insight level of Comprehension allowed him to delve deeper, immersing himself endlessly in the ocean of Taoist Laws.

Merely being here at this moment, Lei Jun felt his mind bursting with sparks of inspiration. Some ideas for Spells and Spirit Talisman enhancements that were previously stuck at the conceptual stage immediately revealed new pathways. He couldn't wait to put them to the test.

Cultivators from any of the world's cultivation dao systems, not just those from the Taoist Talisman Sect, could choose their own Life-Bound Magic Art. One practiced their Lifebound Skill in the Lower Three Heavens. One practiced their Lifebound Skill in the Middle Three Heavens. It was possible to cultivate other Spells, but none matched the affinity and potency of the Life-Bound Magic Art given the same external conditions. An even more critical point was that when a cultivator's personal Cultivation reached the Middle Three Heavens, they could correspondingly elevate the Three Lifesaving Techniques they had perfected in the Lower Three Heavens. Although still called 'techniques,' their profoundness and potency were beyond comparison to before.

Take Lei Jun as an example: he had now mastered the Original Talisman and attained the Cultivation of the Fourth Layer of Heaven, so creating any Basic Spirit Talisman would result in the finest quality. But that was the limit. However, his three main Life-Bound Talisman Arts—Divine Strike, Wind Riding, and Five Thunders—could all undergo further enhancement and transcend Basic Spirit Talismans entirely. Right now, Lei Jun's mind was bubbling with ideas he was eager to try out.

On the other hand, an unexpected delight struck him: not only did his Spiritual Soul experience a cleansing, but the gentle breeze from above the Altar Field, just outside the Altar, began to spread further beyond the Cave Heavens, caressing his physical body. Lei Jun could distinctly feel that his physical body, now being baptized by the Spiritual Nature of the Celestial Master Seal, was undergoing a second purification.

Wait a moment... Lei Jun suddenly had an epiphany, his thoughts stirring as he experienced a familiar sensation. But this sensation wasn't the cleansing by the breeze he had felt when he first arrived at Green Mountain Peak. It was similar to another profound transformation he had once undergone. Lei Jun had experienced this sensation twice before.

The first time was on the Qingyun Shoal Riverside. There, the essence of Purple-Gold Ganoderma, the Spiritual Power of Dragon Horse Scales, and the Sky Abyss Dew merged, elevating his Root Bone Talent from Average Stature straight to the Hidden Dragon Spirit Body. The second time was in the Yunxiao Mountain Range. There, the combined assistance of Huo Sui Yang Yu, Water Marrow Yin Fish, Weiji Bowl, and Jiji Stone lifted his Comprehension from a superior grade to its current Clear Insight level.

Now, nourished by the Celestial Master Seal, Lei Jun once again felt this familiarity. This time, it more closely resembled the moment on Qingyun Shoal Riverside when he enhanced his Root Bone Talent.

Yet, it wasn't sufficient.

Lei Jun suspected that, just like when he acquired the Hidden Dragon Spirit Body, other conditions might be necessary to achieve the transformation. Starting from a lower level, it might have been possible to leap ahead significantly in one go. But making further progress from an already elevated position is always more difficult.