Chapter 30: Master and Disciple

Shixiong, what new gadget have you come up with? Is this another quick Zhenfa setup device?

I swear to Taiqing Patriarch, Lan Ling'e had only asked that one question before her Shixiong called her over and locked her in the wooden cage, turning her into the test subject for this "technical achievement."

The wooden cage was over six feet tall, made primarily from thirty-six bound pieces of Zhuilei Mu, with a fine mesh of colorful "iron" netting wrapped around the inner layer.

Since the Zhuilei Mu was pieced together and tied, the cage looked rather makeshift.

At the top of the cage was a seven-colored long needle, while at the bottom was a six-pointed star ring formed from Yunlei Qishen Tie. However, this was not a Zhenfa, and it bore no prohibitions—it was simply shaped like a six-pointed star.

When Qi Refining cultivators undergo heavenly tribulation to become immortals, they cannot use Zhenfa to block it, as the thunder of heavenly tribulation ignores all Zhenfa barriers.

Post-heavenly refined Fobao have various wondrous uses, mainly relying on the prohibitions engraved within and on them.

After years of research, Li Changshou confirmed one thing—the principles of prohibitions and Zhenfa are essentially the same. Both use fixed "symbols" and "patterns" to channel spiritual energy, differing only in complexity, size, and scale.

Prohibitions are condensed onto Fobao, which can be seen as a standalone array base. They are mostly activated by a Qi Refining cultivator injecting immortal power, unleashing great power.

Zhenfa, on the other hand, use array bases as nodes, with spiritual energy flowing between them, primarily drawing on the power of heaven and earth.

Though the principles are similar, their developments are entirely different.

Advanced post-heavenly Fobao can integrate a complete set of prohibitions into an area as small as a fingernail.

Zhenfa power, however, is often proportional to its layout area and seeks to harmonize with heaven and earth, borrowing heavenly might.

Thus, while Li Changshou was skilled in Zhenfa, he was not adept at refining tools.

There was no helping it—he had only been cultivating for a little over a hundred years. After he no longer needed sleep, he rarely rested, spending vast amounts of time on cultivation and tinkering with alchemy, poisons, Zhenfa, and other miscellaneous pursuits.

He wished he could split his twelve hours a day into twenty-four, but with his relatively short time in cultivation, he had to make choices in his "side pursuits," unable to master everything.

Now, back to the matter of withstanding heavenly tribulation.

Heavenly tribulation ignores Zhenfa and most defensive Fobao, with only a few rare ones able to reduce its power. (We won't discuss innate spiritual treasures or supreme treasures, as they are far too rare.)

But Li Changshou had an advantage others lacked—the nine years of compulsory education.

This wooden cage he was making was based on something from his high school physics textbook—a "Faraday cage," used for lightning protection and often seen in entertaining electric shock demonstrations.

He had mostly forgotten the principles, but he was sure the structure was correct.

Li Changshou instructed Lan Ling'e, "Don't touch the netting around you."

Lan Ling'e shivered inside the cage, standing on a wooden board as she looked pitifully at her Shixiong. "Shixiong, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"Just stay still," Li Changshou said calmly. From his sleeve, he pulled out a few talismans and tossed them about ten zhang above the cage, pointing at them remotely with his left hand.

With a few crackling sounds, lightning struck from the clear sky.

Several bolts of lightning hit the Zhuilei Mu at the top of the cage. The "iron netting" around the cage instantly lit up with tiny electric arcs, while the Yunlei Qishen Tie at the bottom dispersed the lightning and channeled it into the earth.

Lan Ling'e, who had been huddled with her head covered, slowly looked up, gazing around in amazement and letting out a sigh of admiration.

"What kind of treasure is this? It can actually resist thunder."

Li Changshou replied indifferently, "This is a Faraday cage. Stay in there a bit longer while I increase the intensity to test it."

"Shixiong! Maybe we should forget—ah!"

Before Lan Ling'e could finish, Li Changshou had already taken a stack of yellow paper talismans from his sleeve, infused them with magical power, and threw them above the cage.

These talismans triggered bolts of lightning, summoning thunder from the sky and bombarding the wooden cage below.

In an instant, electric light surged, birds on Xiao Qiong Peak scattered in flocks, and various spirit beasts grew restless.

The test proved that the Faraday cage worked well—it was just unclear if it would hold up against a real heavenly tribulation and not fall apart.

As long as it could help Shifu withstand the first thunder, the rest could be managed.

"Come out now. You've worked hard."

Li Changshou called out and began thinking about ways to reinforce the cage.

Lan Ling'e couldn't help but complain, "Shixiong, couldn't you have just put a fish in there instead?"

"I wanted you to feel involved," Li Changshou said with a smile. "This way, we're both contributing to helping Shifu with his tribulation."

Lan Ling'e pursed her lips, adjusted the hair by her ear, and whispered, "Shixiong, do we need to try more?

I'm not very strong, but I can handle this kind of thing."

"Not this time—you can't be inside for the next tests. Go find a wooden bucket and catch a fish, as you suggested."

Li Changshou pulled out several ropes glowing with five-colored light and continued his work busily. "The lightning I'll test next is too powerful. If it hit you directly, you couldn't withstand it."

Lan Ling'e agreed and hurried off toward the lake, avoiding Shifu who was in secluded meditation under a soundproof barrier, and skipped across the lake's surface.

A moment later, lightning flashed again on Xiao Qiong Peak.

This commotion lasted for three full days, and outsiders assumed someone was practicing Lei Fa there, so no one paid much attention.

Until Qi Yuan, the old Daoist, awoke from his meditation. He turned over with a satisfied expression, but his wrinkled forehead instantly furrowed in dismay.

The once lush, scenic clearing by the lake had turned into a massive black pit, with his two disciples squatting at the bottom, fiddling with a large cage.

Qi Yuan sighed helplessly and scolded, "You two should be focusing on cultivation—what are you messing around with down there?"

"Shifu! You're awake!"

Lan Ling'e shouted excitedly, "Shixiong made a treasure for you to withstand heavenly tribulation. We've tested it with lightning dozens or even a hundred times, and the fish inside is still alive!"

Li Changshou added, "Shifu, please wait a moment. This thing will be finished soon."

"Oh?" Qi Yuan's expression shifted with interest, eager to see what his eldest disciple had created.

But as the old Daoist took a step, his face suddenly changed. He stared fixedly at the eastern sky, frozen in place.

Lan Ling'e looked up and asked, "Shifu, what's wrong?"

"Ah," Qi Yuan said, standing with his hands behind his back, "Heavenly tribulation has arrived."

Just those four words made the smiles on Li Changshou and Lan Ling'e vanish instantly.

They quickly jumped out of the pit and looked in the direction Shifu was gazing. In the eastern sky, a patch of gray-black clouds was speeding toward Du Xian Men.

"Lan Ling'e, hurry!"

Li Changshou urged, "Take this cage to the tribulation site Shifu chose in the back mountains! Make sure to bury the six pieces of Qishen Tie at the bottom in the soil!"

"Yes!"

Lan Ling'e hoisted the Faraday cage with her slender arms and dashed toward the back mountains on a cloud, completely unconcerned with her ladylike appearance.

At that moment, Li Changshou was even more anxious than his own Shifu. He quickly retrieved a brocade box from his sleeve and rushed to Qi Yuan.

"Shifu, this is a precious elixir I've poured all my efforts into refining.

It can help you survive a heavenly tribulation. After the first one passes, if you feel the next is unbearable, use it immediately."

Qi Yuan smiled at Li Changshou, his eyes flickering gently, and said softly, "Keep this elixir for yourself. Use it when you face your own tribulation—don't waste it on me."

"Shifu!"

Li Changshou knelt directly in front of Qi Yuan, shoving the brocade box into his hands. "Shifu has raised and taught me for a hundred years, guiding me into the Dao without ever demanding anything from me.

This is the only thing I can do for you. If you don't take this elixir, I'll destroy it right now!"

Qi Yuan chuckled bitterly, "Why put yourself through this? Don't I know my own condition?"

"That's right—I have eleven more!"

Li Changshou quickly changed tack. "I can swear to the Great Dao that I have another eleven identical elixirs, and each one can only be used by a single Qi Refining cultivator!"

Qi Yuan hesitated. "Is that true?"

"Absolutely certain!"

"Very well," Qi Yuan took the brocade box in hand, "Let's go to the back mountains. We don't want the tribulation to destroy our home."

By now, the gray clouds flying from the east had reached Du Xian Men.

Li Changshou hurriedly summoned a white cloud and pulled Shifu toward the back mountains.

"Shifu, conserve your magical power.

By the way, Shifu, do you have enough elixirs?

You can use various ones during the tribulation—make sure you have healing pills and those for restoring vital energy.

This heavenly tribulation came with no warning at all!"

"I've got them, I've got them," Qi Yuan said with a smile, looking at Li Changshou in front of him. In his heart, he recalled the shy and awkward boy he had first brought to the mountains all those years ago.

Time had flown by.

That boy had grown up, though his path had turned a bit unconventional, he had still made something of himself.

Qi Yuan had used up the last of Xiao Qiong Peak's resources on him, really just hoping he could smoothly achieve immortality.

"Changshou,

If I don't make it through this tribulation, Xiao Qiong Peak will be yours to manage.

If the sect wants to reclaim it, don't resist—just follow their arrangements. I've already asked some old friends; they'll take you and Lan Ling'e to other peaks for cultivation."

"Shifu, you'll definitely get through this!"

Li Changshou said firmly, "Have confidence! Don't lose heart now—this is a trial from the Heavenly Dao. Once you pass, the sky's the limit.

If living beings don't fight for that slim chance, what's the point of being in this world?

Every desperate situation has a ray of hope; only by struggling in adversity can you survive!"

Qi Yuan sighed lightly and chuckled bitterly, "My good disciple, you know these principles yourself. So why are you so cautious in daily life?"

Li Changshou replied solemnly,

"The lessons Shifu taught me, I've never forgotten for a moment.

My caution is just to avoid falling into desperate situations."

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the back mountains of Xiao Qiong Peak. Lan Ling'e was waving frantically in a clearing in the forest. Li Changshou pulled Shifu down and, without a word, pushed him into the newly prepared wooden cage.

He then quickly checked the cage's setup, handed Shifu a pile of porcelain bottles, sealed the cage, and pulled Lan Ling'e back in a hurry.

The gray clouds had already appeared above Du Xian Men, casting the sect into shadow.

Li Changshou shouted, "Shifu, give it your all to resist!

Use that elixir after the first heavenly tribulation!"

Qi Yuan nodded solemnly, looking up at the tribulation clouds as waves of magical power surged around him. His sleeves and robe hems fluttered in the wind.

Lan Ling'e yelled, "Shifu, you can do it!"

"For myself, I'll fight this once!"

Qi Yuan looked up at the sky, his eyes flashing with determination.

One fight against fate!

Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed from the clouds. A thousand-zhang-long azure dragon, its body covered in red fiery scales, burst from the gray clouds and slammed its claws against the mountain-protecting array.

The array glowed brightly, the peaks trembled slightly, and a rumble echoed across the land.

At the same time, a deep voice boomed from the heavens:

"The person in charge of Du Xian Men, come out and answer!"

Wait—Cang Long? And it's speaking?

The gray clouds were outside the mountain-protecting array and didn't ignore it...

Though there was pressure, it didn't feel like true heavenly might upon closer inspection.

"Eh? Isn't that Shifu's tribulation cloud?"

Lan Ling'e tilted her head in confusion, and Li Changshou couldn't help but facepalm. Qi Yuan, standing in the Faraday cage, twitched his mouth in embarrassment.

The old Daoist silently turned around and slowly squatted down.

Oh, Taiqing above—this was utterly humiliating!