Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

Ever since the previous Dimensional Prime Minister proposed to partially open the top floor of the Thunder Sound Sect's Scripture Pavilion to Murong Fan, Murong Fan has been full of anticipation for this matter.

As expected, Yuan Xiang kept his word. On this day, while Murong Fan was cultivating in his cave, he received a summons from his master, Yuan Xiang, ordering him to go into seclusion in the Scripture Pavilion.

This ancient tower, reaching eleven stories high, stands in the heart of the sect, like a sharp sword piercing the sky. Its surface is covered with lightning-proof array patterns, faintly shimmering with lightning. For ordinary disciples, the first six stories are an ocean of knowledge; for core elders, the tenth story is the limit. But the tenth story and above is where the true foundation of the Thunder Sound Sect lies, accessible only to those with a cultivation level of Three Elements or higher.

The atmosphere outside the Sutra Repository was solemn. Master Yuan Xiang, dressed in a golden-red kasaya, stood with his hands behind his back before the door, with Murong Fan standing beside him. Gazing at the tightly closed bronze door, Yuan Xiang slowly took a deep breath, and a pure Buddhist golden light condensed at his fingertips, gently touching the array eye of the door.

"Buzz—"

A deep rumble resounded as the long-sealed bronze doors on the eleventh floor of the Sutra Repository slowly opened, releasing an ancient aura a hundred times stronger than the outside world, mixed with a faint scent of sandalwood and the aroma of time.

"Fan'er, this is a forbidden area of ​​our sect, where the true scriptures left by our founding patriarch and the Three Primal Ancestors of each generation are kept. Although you are not one of the Three Primal Ancestors, I will make an exception for you today and allow you to enter and study for three days." Yuan Xiang's voice carried a hint of solemnity. "Remember, do not be greedy for more; focus on comprehension."

Murong Fan bowed respectfully, a hint of expectation flashing in his eyes: "Disciple will obey Master's orders."

Before stepping into the Scripture Pavilion, Murong Fan already had a plan in mind. He knew that lightning magic was powerful and could be used as the core force for attack; swordsmanship was agile and could make up for the lack of variation in lightning magic; and formations were unpredictable and could further amplify the power of lightning magic and swordsmanship.

If the three could be combined, perhaps an unprecedentedly powerful technique could be created. He recalled seeing a senior in Tiannan combine two different attribute techniques, greatly increasing their power, which further solidified his idea of ​​combining the three techniques.

Upon entering the eleventh floor, Murong Fan felt the world before him instantly expand. There were no densely packed low-level cultivation techniques like on the bookshelves of the lower level. In the vast space, there were only nine jade platforms, each with a golden jade slip floating on it.

He walked straight to the jade platform in the center, where a fragment of a book called "The True Explanation of the Great Thunder Sound" was enshrined.

If it were an ordinary cultivator, faced with such a legendary text, they would hold their breath and study it word by word, afraid of missing even the slightest secret. But Murong Fan was different. His nascent soul divine sense, which had been integrated with the Dao of Array Formations, instantly spread out, like a fine net, and instantly "devoured" the information in the jade slip.

One hour.

After only an hour, Murong Fan opened his eyes, a hint of lingering satisfaction in them.

He closed his eyes, and a completely new deduction diagram quickly formed in his mind: with the "Great Thunder Sound True Explanation" as the bone, the sharpness of the "Azure Origin Sword Technique" as the edge, and the formation as the vein.

"Thunder is the sword, the sword is the formation!"

Murong Fan decided to try it out according to his own ideas, this kind of integration of different systems of cultivation techniques. This made him tremble with excitement.

On the first day, Murong Fan devoted himself entirely to deducing the fusion of cultivation techniques. Sometimes his brows furrowed, sometimes his face lit up with joy, as he continuously constructed a model in his mind of the fusion of thunder magic, swordsmanship, and formations. At night, he did not rush to continue his comprehension but chose to meditate and rest, allowing his divine sense to recover to its peak state.

The next day, he tried to compare the "Great Thunder Sound True Explanation" with several other auxiliary cultivation techniques to find more possibilities for integration.

On the third day, he began to put the results of his deductions into practice, constantly adjusting the details of the exercise.

"So that's how it is. The Thunder Sound Sect's thunder magic isn't just a simple burst of spiritual energy, but rather it borrows the power of heaven and earth to trigger the resonance of the 'Buddha Thunder Seed' within the body," Murong Fan thought to himself. "But while the 'Great Thunder Sound True Explanation' is powerful, it's too rigid and lacks variation. If I could integrate the sword energy's essence from the first six layers of the 'Azure Origin Sword Technique' I learned in Tiannan into it..."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Murong Fan emerged from the Sutra Repository, Yuan Xiang was waiting outside. Seeing his disciple's radiant appearance, Yuan Xiang's heart stirred: "Fan'er, how was your harvest?"

"Reporting to Master, this disciple has gained some insights." Murong Fan did not hide anything, and casually took out a blank jade slip from his sleeve. Lightning flashed at his fingertips, and in a moment he inscribed a complex incantation on it, and respectfully handed it over. "This disciple observed that the 'Great Thunder Sound True Explanation' is too forceful and lacks agility, so this disciple tried to combine swordsmanship and formations to make some adjustments to it. I simply named this method 'Thunder Sound Ten Thousand Swords Formation'. Please give me your guidance, Master."

Yuan Xiang took the jade slip and scanned it with his divine sense.

boom!

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Yuan Xiang's mind. The jade slip did not record rigid moves, but a brand-new combat concept—transforming lightning into billions of sword energies, each sword energy being a miniature array eye, capable of both single-point explosion and forming a large array to trap and kill powerful enemies.

"This...you comprehended this in just three days?" Yuan Xiang's fingertips trembled slightly, his gaze towards Murong Fan filled with shock and disbelief. "Although this method is still in its rudimentary form, its structure is already clear and exquisitely refined. As your cultivation level gradually improves, and you slowly refine and perfect it, it will surely become a top-tier, unparalleled formation in the future. Not only that, this formation even faintly reveals a trace of the Nascent Soul stage's essence...Fan'er, your comprehension is truly one in a million!"

At this moment, the elder guarding the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion—a gaunt old man who had been in seclusion for a hundred years—was also disturbed and emerged. He snatched the jade slip, and after reading it, he was so excited that tears streamed down his face: "Genius! An unparalleled genius! In the thousands of years since the founding of our Thunder Sound Sect, we have never produced such a genius! If this technique can be perfected, it is enough to be included in the lineage of the sect's supreme elders! This technique perfectly integrates the power of thunder magic, the agility of swordsmanship, and the ever-changing nature of formations; it is truly a masterpiece!"

The elder guarding the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion turned to look at Yuan Xiang, his eyes full of admiration. "The abbot has the insight to recognize a hero and has accepted such a talented disciple. It is truly a blessing for our Thunder Sound Sect!" Yuan Xiang nodded with a smile, his heart also filled with satisfaction.

"Three days? It takes me three months to comprehend even a Yellow-rank cultivation technique!"

"I heard that even the elders guarding the pavilion were extremely excited, saying that Elder Murong is a prodigy with extraordinary comprehension!"

Amidst the rumors and gossip, the core disciples, who had initially harbored some resentment towards Murong Fan, this "parachuted" personal disciple, were now completely silenced. To master and create one's own system? That's something only late-stage Nascent Soul or Deity Transformation stage monsters could achieve!

That evening, Leiyin Sect held a small celebration banquet for Murong Fan.

At the banquet, several core elders who were usually high and mighty all toasted Murong Fan, their words full of attempts to win him over and curry favor.

"Junior Brother Murong is truly a prodigy. If he ever needs anything in the future, I, his elder brother, will certainly do my utmost to help him!"

"Yes, if Junior Brother Murong could impart even a fraction of his 'Thunderous Myriad Swords Formation,' I, your humble brother, would gladly exchange a fourth-tier magic weapon for the opportunity to comprehend it!"

Murong Fan held his wine glass, a gentle and humble smile on his face, but his mind was clear. He knew that these people's change in attitude was not because of friendship, but because he had demonstrated sufficient "value".

In the world of cultivation, strength and potential are the best passports.

After several rounds of drinks, Murong Fan returned to the summit of Thunderclap Peak. He stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the thousands of sects lit up below, the jade pendant at his waist swaying gently in the night breeze.

"These achievements today are merely the beginning." He clenched his fist, feeling the new power within him that combined thunder, arrays, and swordsmanship. "My wish to regroup and return to Tiannan remains to be fulfilled. Once I fully utilize the resources of the Thunder Sound Sect, I will return to Tiannan and display my extraordinary abilities!"

After returning to his cave, Murong Fan remained silent all night. The next morning, he rose early and first organized his cultivation insights brought back from the Scripture Pavilion into a book. He then sat in meditation for an hour to solidify the rudimentary form of the Thunder Sound Myriad Swords Formation that he had just comprehended. Not long after, a message came from the Transmission Monk outside the door, saying that Abbot Yuan Xiang of the sect invited him to the back hall for a talk.

Murong Fan understood immediately. He figured that Yuan Xiang and the elders guarding the pavilion must have discussed something yesterday, and today they were going to give him a definite answer. He straightened his robes and followed the monk who was transmitting skills to the back hall. Just as he reached the hall's entrance, he heard Yuan Xiang and several elders discussing something inside.