The Confucian and Taoist Sages of Mortal Cultivation

When Headmaster Zhong and Uncle Wang saw that Lei Wanhe was serious, they were dumbfounded.

"Senior Uncle Lei, please reconsider," Sect Leader Zhong insisted. "Among the disciples from the other six major sects participating in the Blood Trial, there has never been a shortage of vicious and powerful individuals."

"Even if Junior Nephew Yang has a treasure, he could still risk his life if he is not careful."

Yang Qingyuan frowned slightly, a question rising in his mind. He vaguely remembered that the Crimson Trial was opened once every five years, and each time it was opened, it was a bloodbath.

Especially the trial that Han Li participated in after joining the sect, which was filled with experts.

The Hidden Moon Sect even sent a female cultivator at the Core Formation stage.

Sending a Qi Refining stage disciple to fight a Core Formation stage cultivator is likely to be extremely dangerous.

Moreover, among the disciples of Huangfeng Valley, there is a hidden Nascent Soul stage expert.

Lei Wanhe crossed his arms, his expression slightly displeased, and said to Yang Qingyuan, "Your cultivation technique is incomplete. After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, you will inevitably need a new technique."

"I have top-tier lightning-attribute cultivation techniques here, and more than one of them."

"Most importantly, didn't you want Confucian and Taoist cultivation techniques? I happen to know the whereabouts of one such technique."

"Moreover, this is an extremely special Confucian and Taoist cultivation method. It does not cultivate magical power, but rather cultivates spiritual consciousness."

"However, you should be prepared. Even the Core Formation cultivator who possessed this Confucian and Taoist spiritual cultivation technique failed to master it. This shows how high the threshold for cultivation is, and it is very likely that you will be disappointed."

"How about this, if you bring out more than ten of the spiritual herbs that I need, you can exchange them for a cultivation technique from me."

"You can decide which one to choose when the time comes."

According to the rules of Huangfeng Valley's apprenticeship system, for any disciple with a clear master-disciple relationship, the master has the right to take half of the offerings submitted by the disciple to the sect as a thank-you gift, but this can only be done once.

This means that if Yang Qingyuan wants to exchange a cultivation technique with Lei Wanhe, he must bring out at least twenty spiritual herbs from the Crimson Forbidden Land, giving half to Huangfeng Valley and the other half to Lei Wanhe.

You should know that even after fighting to the death, Han Li only managed to bring out a little over twenty spiritual herbs.

Yang Qingyuan secretly calculated that if he could first exchange a lightning-attribute cultivation technique from Lei Wanhe as his natal cultivation technique for mana, and then exchange that Confucian cultivation technique from Lei Wanhe to cultivate his divine sense.

In this way, one can maximize both the potential of one's lightning spiritual root and the potential of one's righteous energy, thus having the best of both worlds.

Thinking of this, Yang Qingyuan clasped his hands in a salute and said, "This disciple is willing to go for the trial."

Seeing this, both Sect Leader Zhong and Uncle Wang were helpless and could only remain silent.

A glint of light flashed in Lei Wanhe's eyes as he said, "Very good, worthy of being my disciple, Lei Wanhe's disciple."

Immediately afterwards, he raised his right hand, and a suction force burst forth from his palm.

Yang Qingyuan's spirit pet pouch was immediately pulled out, hovering in the air. It spun around and spat out the heavily injured two-headed duck.

"The Yan family's double-headed duck is quite a good helper." Lei Wanhe pondered for a moment when he saw the gray strange bird, then flicked his finger and sent a silver arc of lightning into the bird's body to examine it.

"The restriction inside this double-headed duck isn't very strong; it was probably placed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yan family."

"I have already solved it for you."

"With this demonic beast by your side, your chances of success in the Crimson Trial will be much greater."

After saying that, he took out a black talisman from his storage bag at his waist and introduced it, "This is a mid-to-high-level talisman, the Beast Taming Talisman, made by Spirit Beast Mountain. It is used to tame monsters below level three."

"Activate this talisman with your life essence, and then plant the talisman inside the two-headed duck's body."

"From now on, with just a thought, you can control the talisman to activate and decide the life or death of this two-headed duck."

"This talisman can be used twice more."

Yang Qingyuan was at a loss as to what to do with the two-headed duck, but Lei Wanhe unexpectedly provided a solution.

"Thank you, Master." Yang Qingyuan accepted the talisman and then put the double-headed duck away in his spirit pet pouch.

Immediately afterwards, Lei Wanhe took out two white porcelain bottles from his storage bag at his waist and used his magic to send them to Yang Qingyuan from a distance, instructing him, "Here are two more bottles of Qi Refining stage pills called Qi-Boosting Powder. They have the effect of strengthening the foundation and improving cultivation, and are suitable for cultivators in the late and perfect stages of Qi Refining. Perfect for you."

"We must raise our cultivation to the peak of Qi Refining before the Crimson Trial begins."

"I will go on a journey to prepare some treasures for you and to collect some spiritual herbs."

Then, he looked at Sect Leader Zhong and instructed him, "Nephew Zhong, before the trial begins, would you please relieve this disciple of his chores?"

"Yes, yes." Zhong Lingdao dared not refuse and replied, "Please rest assured, Uncle-Master, the sect will not assign any tasks to Junior Nephew Yang in the next two and a half years."

Lei Wanhe nodded in satisfaction, and finally said to Yang Qingyuan, "You can focus on your cultivation. Before the Crimson Forbidden Land opens, I will send someone to deliver some more treasures to you."

He left behind a single sentence, then transformed into a ball of silvery-white lightning, exploded in mid-air, and disappeared from the hall.

Seeing this, Sect Leader Zhong did not try to keep them any longer, and told them to go to Black Stone Peak, which was the Black Stone House where the warehouse had been, to stay temporarily and wait for the Foundation Establishment Pills to be distributed.

Uncle Wang then led everyone away.

After returning to Black Stone Peak, Yang Qingyuan randomly chose a secluded house and began to cultivate in peace to improve his cultivation level.

He still has quite a few pills left, such as Lesser Rejuvenation Pills, Purple Marrow Pills, and the two bottles of Qi-Boosting Powder he used today.

With the added support of righteous energy, his cultivation speed was incredibly fast, reaching the twelfth level of Qi Refining in just two years.

At the same time, Yang Qingyuan used the beast-taming talisman from Spirit Beast Mountain to tame the two-headed duck and used the healing pills in Yan Nanfei's storage bag to heal the two-headed duck's injuries.

During this time, under the blessing of the "Learning" mantra, Yang Qingyuan also learned several basic thunder techniques, including the intermediate-level basic thunder techniques "Chain Thunder Strike" and "Thunder Binding Technique", the advanced-level basic spell "Thunder Serpent Technique", and also consumed the two bottles of Tiger Bone Pills. He also perfected the "Thirteen Protectors' Horizontal Chain Golden Bell Cover" and practiced martial arts such as "Demon Silver Hand", "Trapping Dragon Skill", and "Ghost Shadow Tracking Step".

During this time, as agreed, Sect Leader Zhong delivered two Foundation Establishment Pills to Yang Qingyuan and arranged for Wu Feng, a Qi Refining disciple from the Transmission Pavilion, to teach Yang Qingyuan some basic spells.

The two got to know each other quite well as they went back and forth.

During this time, Han Li would occasionally meet with Yang Qingyuan and bring some news about Huangfeng Valley.

During the short time that Yang Qingyuan had just entered the sect, news that he had been accepted as a disciple by Lei Wanhe and that he would be participating in the Blood Trial spread like wildfire, causing quite a stir among the low-level disciples of Huangfeng Valley.

In addition, there was a cultivator with the wind spirit root named "Lu Yunfeng" in Huangfeng Valley who rose to fame during this period.

Because both of them possessed unique spiritual roots, they were inevitably compared by the lower-level disciples of Huangfeng Valley, and for a time, they even earned the titles "Southern Qingyuan and Northern Yunfeng".

Upon hearing this news, Yang Qingyuan was both amused and exasperated. He vaguely remembered that this Senior Brother Lu was an absolute scoundrel.

This Senior Brother Lu was originally a key disciple cultivated by Huangfeng Valley, but he was arrogant, ruthless, selfish and heartless. He first climbed up to Chen Qiaoqian, the eldest daughter of the Chen family, a family of immortal cultivators, and the two were like a divine couple in the sect.

However, Senior Brother Lu later fell in love with someone else and pursued Dong Xuan'er, a descendant of the Red Dust Immortal. He even went so far as to try to kill Chen Qiaoqian, but Han Li witnessed the attack and ultimately killed him.

Therefore, Yang Qingyuan felt somewhat humiliated when he heard that this Senior Brother Lu was on par with him.

Fortunately, not long after, Huangfeng Valley opened its gates to recruit disciples, and many outstanding disciples emerged.

Among them were two twins with the Thunder Spirit Root, whose surname was Murong.

Upon learning the news, Lei Wanhe reappeared and found the Murong brothers. However, seeing that the two were young and only at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining, they had no strength to participate in the Blood Trial. Lei Wanhe then abandoned his idea and publicly declared that if the two brothers could break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he would also accept them as his disciples.

Besides the two brothers, there were some other talented children, especially a seven or eight-year-old boy who was even more remarkable. Not only was he a direct descendant of the Wang family, a powerful clan of cultivators, but he was also born with the "Mysterious Yin Eye" and could cultivate the "Chimu Divine Light," which had been lost for hundreds of years, and could suppress all the evil spirits and monsters in the world.

On the other hand, Yang Qingyuan's reputation was surpassed by these new prodigies because he had been in seclusion and cultivating diligently.

It wasn't until one morning two years later, six months before the Blood Trial, that Sect Leader Zhong arrived with a storage bag, breaking Yang Qingyuan's days of quiet cultivation.

"Junior Nephew Yang, Senior Uncle Lei asked me to pass on some treasures to you..."