Chapter 404: Dragon Horse Physiognomy, Eight Trigrams Immortal Thunder

Second-tier spirit tea is definitely a good thing. After Meng Huang'er took a sip, her eyes lit up, and she took another. Although she was a big star, such items were not simply bought with money in the Immortal Sect; only Foundation Establishment cultivators were eligible to purchase them.

"If you like it, Senior Sister, I have plenty more here. I'll pack a box for you later." Chen Mobai took a sip himself, feeling it was nothing special. After the ambush at Baiyue Market, the Bai family, to apologize, sent Chen Mobai many first and second-tier tea trees. Zhuo Ming planted these tea trees on the mountainside of Xiaonan Mountain. When they matured in autumn, a batch was harvested. After Chen Mobai tasted them, he kept some second-tier ones and gave the rest to his three apprentices. What they were drinking now was this second-tier spirit tea.

There was also the Snow Needle Immortal Bud, which Chen Mobai had grafted using the roots of a Grand Toon flower. Unfortunately, due to his mediocre spiritual plant cultivation skills and perhaps the poor compatibility between the Longevity Wood and Grand Toon roots, the originally third-tier tea branch, after surviving, had dropped to a first-tier level. Chen Mobai could only regret this, but he still planted the grafted tea sapling on the summit of Xiaonan Mountain. Whenever he had a moment, he would drip-irrigate it with the life force of the Yimu Divine Thunder, hoping that over a long period, it might ascend to the third-tier again!

"Thank you," Meng Huang'er said softly, lowering her head. If Chen Mobai hadn't been sharp of hearing, he might not have heard her. Afterward, an awkward silence fell between them. They hadn't kept in touch for a long time, and a distance had grown between them.

"Ahem, I heard Senior Sister wants to open a Spirit-Containing Orb. Do you have it with you? I practice the Art of Spiritual Sight, so I'm quite good at assessing these things.""I have five Spirit-Containing Orbs, but they are all at my house." Meng Huang'er didn't own a storage bag; for a young woman like her, carrying a sack wouldn't have been appropriate.

"Oh, Senior Sister, have you already bought them? Do you have any specific requirements for the magic tool you want to retrieve? I'd like to understand." Since Chen Mobai gained his discerning eyes, anyone at the Danqing Daoist Academy wishing to open a Spirit-Containing Orb would seek his confirmation of the magic tool inside before paying their merit points. However, as a well-known star in the Immortal Sect, Meng Huang'er certainly wasn't short on merit points and didn't need to be as calculating as others.

"Preferably a music-type magic tool – a guqin, guzheng, or pipa would all be fine; I'm proficient in all of them. The only specific requirement is that the magic tool must be a low-grade second-tier." After Meng Huang'er finished speaking, Chen Mobai was slightly taken aback. Over ninety-five percent of the magic tools in the Myriad Treasures Cave were second-tier, with low-grade second-tier being the lowest. Many students from the Danqing Daoist Academy, when asking Chen Mobai for appraisal, would at least request not to receive a low-grade second-tier item. Mid-grade second-tier was barely acceptable, while high-grade and top-tier second-tier items were a great surprise. As for third-tier items, Chen Mobai had never encountered one in all the years he had been appraising. Most third-tier magic tools required strong spiritual energy for nourishment to prevent their grade from dropping, so they were essentially under Duanmu Longrong's control. The Academy would only consider giving one to a chief-level genius like Chen Mobai or Zuo Qiushi. This was truly the first time Chen Mobai had encountered someone like Meng Huang'er specifically requesting a low-grade second-tier item.

"No problem. How about you head back first, Senior Sister? I have a few things to attend to here. I'll visit you when I return home this evening." As a qualified appraiser, Chen Mobai had no objection to the client's request. However, compared to this matter, he was more concerned about Zhongli Tianyu as his successor. If that guy ran off, wouldn't Chen Mobai have to work tirelessly for the next two years at the Academy? After hearing this, Meng Huang'er took a deep breath, but still nodded with a smile, gently setting down her teacup.

"Then I'll wait for you at home tonight." Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai stood up to see her off. This made Meng Huang'er, who had intended to exchange a few more pleasantries, clench her small fist under the table. But considering her situation, she still smiled gracefully.

After personally escorting Meng Huang'er downstairs, Chen Mobai called Zhuang Jialan and asked her to see her off the rest of the way. "President, you're looking for Zhongli Tianyu anyway. Senior Sister Meng hasn't reached Foundation Establishment yet and needs a flight talisman to leave. Why don't you give her a ride out of the Myriad Treasures Cave while you're at it?" Zhuang Jialan came over, understood the situation, and suddenly leaned close to Chen Mobai, whispering something that particularly surprised him.

"What? She hasn't reached Foundation Establishment yet? Then how did she get into the Myriad Treasures Cave?" Chen Mobai still had some emotional intelligence and didn't voice his thoughts directly. However, at that moment, it occurred to him why Meng Huang'er specifically requested a low-grade second-tier magic tool; it might be related to this.

"Senior Sister Meng, I just remembered I also need to go out. How about I escort you a bit further?" Meng Huang'er nodded gently after hearing this. Chen Mobai, controlling the Crimson Cloud Silk Robe, carried her out of the Myriad Treasures Cave. Throughout the journey, both remained silent, as if unsure how to speak.

"Thank you," Meng Huang'er said softly after landing on the ground at the rear mountain entrance of the Myriad Treasures Cave, smiling and waving gently at Chen Mobai."See you tonight." After saying this, Chen Mobai watched Meng Huang'er's back disappear before re-entering the Myriad Treasures Cave. However, instead of looking for Zhongli Tianyu, he returned to the student council office to ask Zhuang Jialan about Meng Huang'er's situation.

"It was the Headmaster himself who personally approved Senior Sister Meng Huang'er's entry into the Myriad Treasures Cave. I'm not entirely clear on the specifics, but Senior Brother Jiang Yuyuan might know." Zhuang Jialan recounted what she knew. Chen Mobai thought for a moment, then called Che Yucheng to inquire.

"Ah, this matter. You know the Headmaster is quite old among the Nascent Soul revered cultivators, and he's still very fond of the Astonishing Divine Melody. After learning about Meng Huang'er's situation, he wanted to give her another chance at Foundation Establishment." As the actual operational head of the Danqing Daoist Academy, Che Yucheng indeed knew about this.

"Does the Academy have a method to increase the probability of Foundation Establishment?" Chen Mobai asked, somewhat puzzled, wondering if there was something akin to the Threshold Method.

"The Headmaster improved a spirit tool co-cultivation technique, allowing Qi Cultivators to extract the essence of low-grade second-tier magic tools for their own use, thereby increasing the probability of Foundation Establishment." Che Yucheng casually explained the reason, causing Chen Mobai to marvel that a Nascent Soul revered cultivator was indeed extraordinary, capable of improving such a technique.

"Doesn't that mean the Academy's success rate for Foundation Establishment will be higher in the future?" Chen Mobai thought of his relatives and friends who had not yet achieved Foundation Establishment and could not comprehend the Threshold Method. With this technique, combined with the Three Foundation Establishment Treasures, they would have another ray of hope.

"It's not that easy. It requires a magic tool of the same origin as the cultivator's own cultivation method, and it only increases the probability by about ten percent. For most people with mediocre talent, it doesn't play a decisive role at all." Che Yucheng, however, was not optimistic about this method. There were many elixirs in the Immortal Sect that could increase the probability of Foundation Establishment by ten percent, but only the Threshold Method could guarantee 100% success. Even with other methods, even if all conditions were met using Foundation Establishment treasures, it could only get infinitely close to one hundred percent. In other words, since Meng Huang'er had not comprehended the Threshold Method, there was still a possibility of failure in her renewed attempt at Foundation Establishment.

After finishing the call with Che Yucheng, Chen Mobai had a general understanding of his neighbor's predicament. After all, they were friends. He decided to help her by using the Foundation Establishment Treasure for a deduction tonight, and also bring over the Formless Puppet from Xiaonan Mountain for a full body scan and complete process deduction. Having made up his mind, Chen Mobai hastily left the student council office.

He called Zhongli Tianyu, who seemed somewhat guilty and didn't answer. Chen Mobai frowned and called Bian Jingchun. She answered, indicating she was cultivating somewhere in the Myriad Treasures Cave.

"Senior Sister Bian, long time no see." When Chen Mobai arrived, he saw a white dragon phantom fly out, transforming into a tall, elegant lady who gave him a slight bow.

"You're here for little Zhongli, aren't you? He's cultivating with the aid of the True Dragon Cauldron and can't disengage right now. He wasn't intentionally ignoring your call." Bian Jingchun explained on Zhongli Tianyu's behalf, and Chen Mobai couldn't help but be slightly surprised."The True Dragon Cauldron is useful to him too?" Because Bian Jingchun cultivated the Taiyin Dragon Transformation Sutra, the True Dragon Cauldron was an invaluable treasure to her. Even suspending her Immortal Sect duties, she would insist on staying in the Myriad Treasures Cave to cultivate with this fourth-tier magic tool. But Zhongli Tianyu clearly cultivated lightning arts! That had nothing to do with the Dragon Transformation Sutra!

"Come with me and see for yourself." Bian Jingchun turned and transformed back into a white dragon phantom, flying towards a cave entrance. Chen Mobai immediately followed, controlling the Crimson Cloud Silk Robe. After about ten minutes, the two arrived in a vast cave with an underground lake.

Zhongli Tianyu sat in the center of the lake, with the Zhongli Eight Trigrams Mirror beneath him and the inverted True Dragon Cauldron above his head. Two powerful magic tools emitted colorful spiritual light, flowing into his body from both above and below. Chen Mobai immediately activated his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye but found that the two powerful magic tools were erupting with dazzling spiritual light. If he hadn't realized the danger and promptly closed his spiritual eye, he might have suffered a backlash. Just then, under the spiritual light of the two magic tools, Zhongli Tianyu's entire body began to slowly become ethereal, as if turning into rising fireworks, transforming into the phantom of a divine beast that was neither entirely dragon nor entirely horse.

"This is... a dragon-horse!?" As this thought flashed through Chen Mobai's mind, a thunderous dragon roar resounded. He felt a terrifying surge of thunder power erupting between the two magic tools—this was Zhongli Tianyu's current strength. Chen Mobai, possessing the perfected third-tier Yimu Divine Thunder power, immediately sensed the grade of this thunder energy. "It's also third-tier!"

"Did this kid cheat!?" Chen Mobai, well aware of how difficult third-tier lightning arts were to cultivate, even for himself, couldn't help but widen his eyes, staring in shock at Zhongli Tianyu, who had transformed into a dragon-horse draped in a lightning-infused magical robe.

"Hahaha, it seems even heaven wants me to wash away the defeat I suffered against you! It's perfect that I've broken through to Foundation Establishment Layer Eight today. I'll use you to test my newly cultivated Eight Trigrams Immortal Thunder..." Zhongli Tianyu, in his dragon-horse form, laughed heartily upon seeing Chen Mobai. It seemed his cultivation had advanced, and having mastered a third-tier lightning art, his confidence had soared, even making him audacious enough to boast. However, he indeed had the capital to back it up. Eighth year at the Academy, Foundation Establishment Layer Eight, plus a third-tier lightning art. Even at last year's offline exchange and sparring session at the Jumang Daoist Academy, he would probably only have lost to a select few, such as Chen Mobai, Pei Qingshuang, Xiahou Weihuan, and Wenren Xuewei.

Just then, Zhongli Tianyu, as the dragon-horse draped in the Eight Trigrams Immortal Thunder magical robe, stepped out of the two magic tools' range. He raised a hoof, condensing the image of the Zhen Trigram. A deep blue-purple lightning bolt coalesced, transforming into a massive three-meter-diameter lightning orb. It carried terrifying explosive energy that shook the entire cave and caused the underground lake to boil, hurtling towards Chen Mobai. In response, Chen Mobai stood his ground, unmoving.

"Eh? Having witnessed my Dragon-Horse Aspect, do you concede defeat, thinking you're no match?" Zhongli Tianyu was stunned by this sight. At that moment, one of his hooves was already guiding the colossal blue-purple lightning orb right in front of Chen Mobai. Just as he was about to alter its trajectory and spare Chen Mobai, everything suddenly went dark! Then, he saw one semi-transparent giant finger after another emerge from the void behind Chen Mobai, as if a skeletal giant had burst forth from beneath Chen Mobai's feet, first extending a sky-covering hand that enveloped the entire cave. Because this enormous hand covered the entire body of the dragon-horse that Zhongli Tianyu had transformed into, his vision went completely black. Although Zhongli Tianyu immediately used his divine sense to perceive, he instantly felt as if his divine sense had fallen into the torture of ten thousand swords, with waves of intense pain accompanied by five-colored streams of five-elemental light cutting into his lightning orb. With a thunderous roar, Chen Mobai, wielding the colossal sword arm of his Myriad Dharmas Body, manifested the Five Elements Sword Fiend Array, forcefully pressing the dragon-horse that Zhongli Tianyu had become, along with the lightning orb propelled by his hoof, down onto the ground. Waves of tremors forced Bian Jingchun, who was observing from the side, to transform into a white dragon and fly up to avoid them. The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck, making it impossible to stand steadily.

"Junior Brother Chen, please show mercy! Little Zhongli might be a bit foolish, but he's not bad at heart..." Bian Jingchun said, trying to mediate, as she flew in the cave's mid-air, dodging falling rocks. Hearing this, Chen Mobai took the hint and withdrew his Myriad Swords Dharma Body, which had been pinning Zhongli Tianyu down. After witnessing Zhongli Tianyu's remarkable achievements, Chen Mobai was even more unwilling to let him go. This guy could genuinely be said to be the strongest student among the four Daoist Academies, apart from Chen Mobai himself. Even the three top talents — Taishi Shuling, Dao Shi, and Zongzi — wouldn't be his match. Only a genius like this was worthy of being Chen Mobai's successor. Chen Mobai mentally organized his words, thinking about how to willingly persuade Zhongli Tianyu to take over his chief position.

"Ah, he's a remarkably talented individual, but without proper guidance, he might stray in the future. I appointed him as the student council president precisely to instill in him a sense of collective responsibility and honor. Who would have thought he'd lack such perseverance, giving up after only half a year..."