Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

Taoist Qingwei wasn’t at all surprised that his three disciples seemed to have guessed something.

’Are you kidding me? In terms of Cultivation and Dao Practice, I might not be a match for those old geezers from Quanzhen and Zhengyi, but when it came to recruiting disciples, Taoist Qingwei considered himself leagues ahead of them!’

’Just ask anyone in Daluo Palace! Who else, besides him—Zhong Qingwei—had three disciples who had successfully cultivated Inner Breath True Qi?’

’Who?!’

Taoist Qingwei stood at the summit, hands tucked in his sleeves. He gazed out in all directions, feeling for a moment that he had no equal.

Then he spotted Gu Zhao over to the side, sidling up to a group of cameramen and lighting technicians to ask them something.

Taoist Qingwei cleared his throat, glanced at the crew, and asked Master Hai Taoist, "Are you with them? What are you filming?"

He had noticed earlier that Master Hai Taoist had come up the mountain with a group of his disciples and a TV crew. They had just finished filming a segment and were now taking a break.

"A Journey to Famed Daoist Mountains," Master Hai Taoist explained. "It’s a project for Channel One. They’re ’tracing the heritage of Taoism, exploring the secrets of the Taoist Sects, and admiring the ultimate techniques of the Taoist Family.’"

Taoist Qingwei raised an eyebrow. "And they came to you?"

"Besides us, our brothers from the Dragon Gate Sect, Qingwei Sect, and Xuanwu Sect are also participating," said Master Shima.

Taoist Qingwei nodded. That made sense.

Although the Sanfeng Sect was the most famous on Zhenwu Mountain, the other Daoist sects there had also risen to prominence since the emergence of the Extraordinary. The disappearance of Taoist Gao Yue and Taoist Xu Xing, in particular, had greatly motivated the others to apply themselves to their Cultivation.

Taoist Gao Yue and Taoist Xu Xing were venerable elders of the True Martial Qingwei Sect and the True Martial Dragon Gate Sect, respectively. Masters of Refining God and Nourishing Qi and regulating their Inner Pill, they were among the most prominent high-level Daoists in Chu Province.

When the two of them suddenly vanished after a brief word to their confidants, the other Daoists in their respective sects were startled. They assumed their Dao Practice was so profound that they had foreseen the end of their lifespans and had arranged to enter the mountains together to achieve transcendence.

But before long, they reappeared and even gifted several Golden Gang Bracelets to those close to them. Only then did everyone realize it had just been a false alarm.

Then, when the existence of the Extraordinary was revealed to the world, they learned that Taoist Ming Chong and Taoist Xu Ning had also disappeared in a similar fashion. It all clicked into place: Taoist Gao Yue and Taoist Xu Xing were also Extraordinary Beings.

By observing the pattern among all the Extraordinary Daoists who had emerged, it wasn’t hard to deduce that they had all cultivated Inner Breath True Qi before their disappearances, marking them as practitioners of the True Dao in the modern era. This realization greatly invigorated everyone in the major Taoist Sects, and they all began to pursue their Cultivation with renewed effort.

Although they didn’t quite understand why these Daoists who cultivated Inner Breath True Qi had suddenly gained such a massive lead over other Extraordinary Beings in the nation and even the world, they knew one thing for certain: if they could cultivate Inner Breath True Qi, they would have that same opportunity!

To Call the Wind and Summon the Rain! To achieve Soaring Clouds and Mist! To move mountains and fill seas! To succeed at touching stone to gold!

So, compared to complete outsiders, the members of the Taoist Sects were the most excited. They had the greatest chance, especially after communicating with each other and learning that some young Daoists, merely in their twenties and thirties, had also disappeared.

So, the Daoists who had already cultivated Inner Breath True Qi waited patiently, while those who hadn’t yet succeeded devoted themselves to their Cultivation. For a time, the entire atmosphere within the Taoist Sects improved to a visible degree.

There were even cases of Daoists who, despite having the talent and temperament for Cultivation, had been distracted by worldly affairs. Once they refocused and immersed themselves, their practice advanced by leaps and bounds, allowing them to cultivate Inner Breath True Qi.

"Excellent, excellent," Taoist Qingwei said with a satisfied nod, unconcerned that other sects were stealing the Sanfeng Sect’s thunder.

The Otherworld was vast and its Spiritual Qi was abundant. Even cultivating on their own, a sufficiently talented Daoist could achieve great things. Daluo Palace simply wanted the practitioners of the True Dao on Blue Star to be as numerous as possible; all competition between them was healthy.

While Taoist Qingwei was speaking with Master Hai Taoist and the other two, a group of junior disciples from the Sanfeng Sect’s Zi and Yue generations gathered at a distance, not daring to approach.

Meanwhile, after politely asking the onlookers, including Gu Zhao, to move along, the staff from Channel One spotted Taoist Qingwei.

"Hey, isn’t that Taoist Qingwei? Didn’t he go south for secluded cultivation to seek the Dao?" someone asked. "Is he back?"

Someone else laughed. "Maybe he saw that both Quanzhen and Zhengyi have produced masters and came back to see if the founder passed down a Dharma Gate for achieving the Martial Dao."

Compared to the Zhengyi school’s Drawing Talismans and the Quanzhen school’s Inner Alchemy, which were steeped in mysticism and legend, the Sanfeng Sect of Zhenwu Mountain had always been known for its Martial Arts. Having gained some fame online, Taoist Qingwei was even considered a minor internet celebrity.

But since everyone had seen their Martial Arts demonstrations, many subconsciously assumed they *only* knew Martial Arts and nothing of actual Cultivation.

Only the team leader knew a bit of the inside story. He hastily cut them off, "Don’t speak carelessly!"

Then he saw his deputy leader had already strode over to Taoist Qingwei. After a greeting, the man said, "Greetings, Daoist! I can’t believe we ran into you. Would you be willing to get on camera and demonstrate some of the Sanfeng Sect’s Martial Arts for us?"

The team leader was speechless. "..."

’Dude, you’ve got guts. Why don’t *you* be the team leader? If you’ve got a death wish, don’t drag me down with you!’

But the deputy leader didn’t think he’d done anything wrong.

Taoist Qingwei was the Sect Leader of the Sanfeng Sect. In the past, he had frequently given interviews and performed Martial Arts; it was even rumored that he had fought in competitive tournaments.

As he got older and began taking on more disciples, he gradually faded from the public eye. However, he would still appear during important festivals and even lead the demonstrations.

So, upon seeing Taoist Qingwei, the deputy leader had naturally come forward to invite him, and he had done so with sufficient politeness and respect.

Taoist Qingwei noticed the team leader’s anxiety and shook his head with a small laugh. Then, turning to the polite, enthusiastic deputy leader and his gracious invitation, he nodded with a smile. "Alright!"

The deputy leader was overjoyed and quickly waved the crew forward. "Just a few casual movements will be fine. We won’t take up much of your time."

A swarm of lighting and camera operators RUSHED over. Some set up fixed cameras, others roamed with handhelds, and one even launched a drone that began to circle overhead.

Nearby tourists also gathered to watch from a distance. After all, it wasn’t often they had the chance to see Taoist Qingwei himself perform martial arts.

Master Hai Taoist and the other two directed the surrounding disciples to clear out, making room for Taoist Qingwei to move.

Taoist Qingwei stood still, a faint smile on his face. He then reached out a hand and beckoned.

"SHIIING—"

Master Shiyu felt the longsword in his hand jolt. The blade vibrated within its sheath, letting out a sharp ring, and then shot out of the scabbard, flying in a flash into Taoist Qingwei’s hand.

Everyone stared, their jaws dropping in unison.

Taoist Qingwei casually settled into an opening stance. The fallen leaves on the ground instantly swirled up and flew backward, forming a perfect circle around him.

Everyone’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

As Taoist Qingwei’s longsword began to dance, a translucent Tai Chi Diagram, formed from surging currents of air, appeared above his head. It grew larger and more distinct with every movement of his sword.

Everyone was completely dumbfounded.

’Didn’t they say the Sanfeng Sect only practiced Martial Arts?’

’So the legend of Sanfeng Master achieving the Martial Dao is true!’