Mist obstructed his vision and perception. From a distance, Li Ming couldn't be sure if Lei Jun was telling the truth.
He searched again but found no trace of Chen Yi near the Middle Immortal Pond.
What Li Ming didn't know was that while he went to inspect the Upper Immortal Pond, both Lei Jun and Chen Yi had ascended to the highest layer of the sea of clouds.
Now, unable to find Chen Yi in either the Upper or Middle Immortal Ponds, Li Ming began to doubt.
If it had only been Lei Jun's word, Li Ming would have been more suspicious than believing.
But then he recalled something else.
That Chen fellow seems to have had profound luck in recent years, frequently encountering serendipitous opportunities.
Perhaps he possesses some mysterious treasures. Could it be that he discovered a special opportunity in the Lower Immortal Pond?
With this thought, Li Ming made his decision.
He glanced back at Lei Jun, who seemed oblivious, still absorbed in his Breathing Skills for cultivation. There will be plenty of time later to prune this branch that might grow crooked, Li Ming thought.
Li Ming silently left the Middle Immortal Pond and descended into the Lower Immortal Pond.
The Spiritual Energy in the water here was relatively sparse, unable to provide the same miraculous cleansing as the Middle Immortal Pond.
However, after diving deeper, Li Ming indeed made an unexpected discovery.
"Heat Crystal Sand? There's actually Heat Crystal Sand in the Lower Immortal Pond?"
Li Ming found some rare Spiritual Objects at the bottom of the pond. Even he hadn't known about such a change in the Lower Immortal Pond before.
The Spiritual Energy of the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond was ever-changing, often causing unexpected transformations in its waters. For the moment, Li Ming couldn't fathom the reason for the Heat Crystal Sand's formation.
But seeing these Spiritual Objects, he thought, No wonder Chen Yi came down here.
That boy truly is remarkable, able to find opportunities and treasures others can't detect.
Where has he gone now?
Li Ming looked around in the deep waters.
He currently had no intention of confronting Chen Yi directly. However, he was determined to first uncover Chen Yi's secrets before plotting further.
Therefore, Li Ming dived deeper into the Lower Immortal Pond, searching for Chen Yi.
Back in the Middle Immortal Pond, Lei Jun sensed Li Ming's departure but didn't follow. He simply remained contentedly in the waters of the Immortal Pond, cultivating on his own.
Everyone saw it. If Li Ming went to the Lower Immortal Pond, it was his own decision.
Next, the stage was once again yielded to those who love to perform.
A dramatic performance up front to prove who the real master actor is.
Turning back behind the scenes, the master actor remained High Wind Bright Festival.
Lei Jun calmly continued his Breathing Skills, Warming and Nurturing his Tao foundation.
After the circulation of Mana and Spiritual Energy within his body gradually stabilized and balanced, he opened his eyes, his upper body emerging from the water.
Lei Jun's fingers moved slightly, and a Spirit Talisman appeared.
On the yellow Talisman Paper with red markings, a layer of frost mist had formed.
Lei Jun twiddled the Talisman Paper between his fingers, feeling the chilly frost mist. A flash of inspiration struck him:
Misty Cloud Crystals.
I remember seeing this name in the Sect's records... Lei Jun recalled in detail.
A disciple from the Celestial Master Mansion once collected this type of Spiritual Object from the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond.
But it only happened once, and that was several hundred years ago.
The ever-changing environment of the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond produced a highly variable array of Spiritual Objects. Over thousands of years, hundreds of species have likely accumulated, most appearing only once or twice, rarely repeating.
Due to the many complex factors affecting the Spiritual Energy changes within the Small Cave Heaven, even the Sect elders found it difficult to reliably make these treasures reappear.
Misty Cloud Crystals were among the most outstanding of these products.
According to the records from that time, they could help cultivators at the Second Heavenly Layer of Foundation Establishment more easily overcome the Heavenly Chasm and ascend to the Third Heavenly Layer Altar Stage.
A fine item, just what I need, though not right now, Lei Jun nodded slightly to himself and carefully put away the Soul Containing Talisman that had gathered the Misty Cloud Crystals.
With today's Warming and Nurturing in the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond, I should be able to advance to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment quite soon.
After that, I will have to progress from the middle stage to the high stage of Foundation Establishment, and then from the high stage of Foundation Establishment to Foundation Establishment Perfection.
Only then can I consider ascending from Foundation Establishment Perfection to the Third Heavenly Layer Altar Stage.
For now, I'll pave the way for these next two steps, and then continue to cultivate diligently... Lei Jun's mind returned to peace, and he silently resumed his Breathing Skills, Warming and Nurturing himself.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly sensed someone approaching.
Lei Jun turned his head to look in that direction.
A few breaths later, the mist parted, revealing a young boy stepping out.
Like Lei Jun, the boy also wore an Apricot Daoist Robe and appeared to be four or five years younger than him.
"Lei?" the newcomer said, somewhat surprised.
The young Taoist who approached was named Shangguan Hong, a disciple of Lei Jun's fifth uncle, Elder Shangguan.
In terms of when they joined the Tao Boy Court, this boy had actually arrived a bit earlier.
However, their group had all participated in the Transcension Ritual and formally entered the Sect at the same time, with no distinction of precedence. Since Lei Jun was older, Shangguan Hong respectfully addressed him as senior brother.
Lei Jun asked, "Shangguan?"
Shangguan Hong replied, "I wanted to check the different lakes here in the Middle Immortal Pond to see if there's any variation, so I'm looking around. Sorry if I disturbed you, Lei."
Lei Jun shook his head. "No trouble at all. Please, go ahead."
"Thank you, Lei." Shangguan Hong entered the water of this small lake, refining himself with the Immortal Pond's water.
Shangguan Hong looked at Lei Jun, whom he had encountered by chance. He was actually quite curious.
Among those who entered the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond today, apart from Li Ming and Fang Jian who were special cases, the oldest is Lei Jun, already twenty.
Li Ying, Chen Yi, Guo Yan, and I are all only around fifteen or sixteen.
In this world, the general perception is that a sixteen-year-old Qi Refinement Twelfth Layer cultivator has vastly different talent and future potential compared to a twenty-year-old at the same level.
A fifteen-year-old Foundation Establishment cultivator is also likely to have a much greater future than a twenty-year-old at the same stage.
But there's a catch.
Rumor has it that Lei Jun has only been cultivating for about two years since he entered the mountain.
Two years, from no foundation to successful Foundation Establishment—that's an entirely different concept!
Shangguan Hong quietly observed Lei Jun, who acted as if he hadn't noticed.
Information about the other youth had already surfaced in his mind:
Shangguan Hong. His master, Elder Shangguan, is also his maternal aunt.
He isn't just someone who got in through connections; he had already gained a reputation as a young prodigy in the Tao Boy Court.
Shangguan Hong's reputation as a prodigy stems from his Comprehension rather than his Root Bone.
Compared to Root Bone, Comprehension isn't as easily measured, but the Cultivation world still roughly grades a cultivator's Comprehension.
Take me, for example. Before awakening the Hidden Dragon Spirit Body, the Tao Boy Court's assessment of me was always mediocre Root Bone but redeemable Comprehension.
Compared to my initial Average Stature Root Bone, my Comprehension was rated at least above average, and some instructors even believed it was high-grade.
Li Ying and Chen Yi were also rated as having high-grade Comprehension.
Above the basic five grades of Root Bone are the Spiritual Body, Sacred Body, and even the Immortal Body.
Above the basic five grades of Comprehension, there are also higher ratings such as Exceptional, Clear Insight, and Serene Insight.
Shangguan Hong is a young prodigy with high-grade Root Bone and exceptional Comprehension.
Although he was delayed somewhat after the Transcension Ritual, he still successfully reached Foundation Establishment before the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond opened.
As for his family background, it's even more special.
The Shangguan Clan are descendants of meritorious officials from the founding of the Great Tang, a family of martial merit. They are closely related to the Great Tang Imperial Family and have produced many imperial relatives by marriage.
They are both a noble family and imperial in-laws.
Even more so than the usual noble families and imperial in-laws.
Between the Great Tang Imperial Family and the Shangguan Clan, there's rarely any suspicion. Most of the time, they are as close as one body, interconnected like branches of the same tree.
Based on what I've heard, the relationship between these two families is very much like that of the Cao and Xiahou clans from a certain period of Blue Star's history—from my previous life.
By blood, Elder Shangguan—the fifth direct disciple of the previous Celestial Master—and this Shangguan Hong are both related to the current Tang Court.
Their entry into the Celestial Master Mansion and subsequent receipt of True Inheritance is indeed something that easily invites speculation...
"AAH!!"
As Lei Jun and Shangguan Hong were chatting, a scream suddenly came from the direction of the Upper Immortal Pond above.
From above?
Lei Jun looked up.