Trials of the Abyss

Chapter 358: Lei Kun's Son

Two hours later in the Scripture Pavillion, Pang Jian finished memorizing the second half of the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art and the Grand Providence Sacred Body manuals.

Unfortunately, the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art manual only extended through the Soul Wandering Realm, Nirvana Realm, and Immortal Realm.

The issue was not that the manual was incomplete, but that the Divine Cauldron Sect had never produced a True God. Thus, their mystical arts were limited to the Immortal Realm.

No one had ever ascended to the True God Realm using the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art and no one had seen the path beyond. So, naturally, no further instructions were ever recorded.

The Grand Providence Sacred Body, on the other hand, was a body refinement technique. After the Vital Blood Realm was the Golden Body Realm and the Providence Realm. The theorized Rebirth Realm followed after, but no specific instructions existed for similar reasons as the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art.

The Golden Body Realm involved tempering one's flesh with blood essence until the body became as tough as iron.

The Providence Realm was inspired by natural creation and transformation.

Those with mastery of the Providence Realm could regenerate severed limbs using blood essence. Other internal organs aside from the heart and brain could also be regenerated.

Finally, the Rebirth Realm was a theoretical realm the creator of the Grand Providence Sacred Body envisioned. The creator claimed that one could come back from even death after reaching this realm.

Unfortunately, they only managed to cultivate up to the Providence Realm, leaving no follow-up instructions for the Rebirth Realm.

"The Sword Pavilion wiped out both the Divine Cauldron Sect and the Providence Sect," Pang Jian muttered.

Glancing at the bookshelves nearby, he noticed other manuals from the Divine Cauldron Sect and the Providence Sect, which focused on offensive techniques.

Pang Jian casually picked up a sealed manual and placed his sword token on it. After his merit points were deducted, the seal was lifted.

He delved into the manuals one after another.

The Sword Pavilion classified the other manuals as intermediate or advanced.

Compared to the sacred-grade Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art and Grand Providence Sacred Body, these other manuals were rather basic and had relatively low value.

"Junior-Junior Brother Pang," a timid voice called out while Pang Jian was reading.

Pang Jian looked up to see a slender woman in the hallway. Her face was familiar, but her name escaped him. "You're from Fate Severing Peak."

"I'm Song Zihe," she quickly introduced. "What a coincidence, I'm also here looking for a body-refining technique."

Pang Jian nodded in acknowledgment, then put down the manual he was reading and headed out.

Not long after, Zeng Yulan from the Fate Severing Peak walked over. "Zihe, why are you standing there in a daze? Let's quickly find a sacred-grade body-refining technique. We can compare them after to save on merit points."

"I just saw Junior Brother Pang," Song Zihe whispered.

"Where?"

"He just left."

"Since we ran into him, we should go chat!" Zeng Yulan grabbed Song Zihe's hand and dragged her along.

At the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion, Pan Zheng raised his hand to stop Pang Jian from leaving.

"Pang Jian, there's something I need to tell you," Pan Zheng said. "The gatekeeper at Trimcloud Town said a stocky young boy came by earlier, claiming to be looking for Luo Yuan. We checked the Sword Pavilion's records but found no such person.

"He then said he was looking for you and Qi Qingsong, but Qi Qingsong is in closed-door cultivation, and I can't reach him. Do you want to meet him?"

"What's his name?"

"Lei Qie. He said his father is Lei Kun," Pan Zheng replied.

"Where is he? I'll see him right away!" Pang Jian said, pleasantly surprised.

Pan Zheng was about to find someone to guide Pang Jian when he spotted Zeng Yulan and Song Zihe approaching.

Waving them over, he said. "Pang Jian is heading to Trimcloud Town, on the outskirts of the Sword Pavilion. If you're not busy, could you take him there?"

"We're not busy at all," Zeng Yulan said with a cheerful smile. "Junior Brother Pang, we haven't seen you since that gathering at the Drunken Cloud Pavilion. Qi Qingsong and Senior Sister Zhuang have been busy cultivating, so there haven't been any more meetups. Come, I'll take you to Trimcloud Town!"

"Sorry to trouble you."

A quarter of an hour later, Pang Jian met with Lei Qie at the entrance of Trimcloud Town.

Lei Qie was tan and had a solid build. Despite only looking to be around twelve or thirteen years old, he had already reached the mid-stage of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

"I'm Pang Jian. Where's your father?"

Lei Qie stammered nervously, "My-my father told me to find Luo Yuan..."

"That's me," Pang Jian said earnestly.

Lei Qie was stunned. "But my father said Luo Yuan is an outer disciple. You—I've heard of you. You're an inner disciple..."

"We're the same person," Pang Jian said with a slight smile. "How's your father? And why have you come here now?"

It was not yet time for the Sword Pavilion to recruit new disciples.

Lei Qie burst into tears.

Choking back sobs, he said, "My father is in the Spirit Condensation Realm and couldn't come to the upper world. He spent a lot of spirit jades to arrange for my mother, my sister, and me to travel to the Second World on the Celestial Lagoon Sect's Mountain Stream Spirit Boat.

"After we arrived in the Second World, we settled in a place called Moonwater Town, but the spirit jades and spirit stones we brought were quickly swindled from us."

His face flushed with shame, and he lowered his head.

"Those people wanted to send my sister to a wealthy family as a concubine.

"But then I remembered that my father said he knew Luo Yuan so I came to the Sword Pavilion to try my luck," Lei Qie tearfully recounted in a rush like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube.

Lei Kun had protected Lei Qie his whole life.

Lei Qie had never traveled so far before this, and his first experience with it was from the Third World to the Second World.

Lei Kun had done everything he could, but he could not have predicted that Lei Qie would be targeted because of his lavish actions.

He had gambled away all the spirit jades and spirit stones his father had given him and even ended up gambling away his sister.

"Moonwater Town and Water Rhythm City are under the An Clan's control. The An Clan is affiliated with the Celestial Lagoon Sect," Zeng Yulan told Pang Jian. Frowning, she added, "Junior Brother Pang, this is just a small matter. Would you like me to handle it for you?"

Qi Feng, the town gatekeeper and a trusted aide of Wang Ce, also smiled and said, "Pang Jian, this is a trivial matter. You don't need to handle it yourself."

After mulling it over, Pang Jian said, "I'll go with him."

Qi Feng quickly switched his tune. "It's good to get out and explore sometimes. It's dull to just bury yourself in cultivation all day. I'll arrange a Sword Boat for you."

Soon after, a small Sword Boat took off.

The small Sword Boat lacked living quarters and could only carry about ten people. It was unsuited for long-distance travel, and the Sword Pavilion typically used it for disciples traveling around the Heaven Awakening Continent and the nearby fragmented lands.

The timid Song Zihe stood at the Sword Boat's wheel and piloted it.

"Junior Brother Pang, you don't need to go in person," Zeng Yulan said, with a charming smile. "If we had Qi Feng inform the An Clan in the Water Rhythm City, they would immediately bring the mother and daughter over.

"The Sword Pavilion is the ruler of this continent. No one dares to defy us."

The pride in her words was impossible to conceal. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The boyish, innocent Lei Qie looked around in awe, staring wide-eyed at the Sword Boat and the two fairy-like women at Pang Jian's side.

He had grown up under Lei Kun's influence and was aware of the significance of the Sword Pavilion and their Sword Boats.

Lei Kun had originally wanted to use spirit jades to arrange for Lei Qie to arrive on the Heaven Awakening Continent in a Sword Boat, but the Sword Pavilion did not permit it. In the end, Lei Kun had no choice but to settle for the Celestial Lagoon Sect's Mountain Stream Spirit Boat.

After reaching the Heaven Awakening Continent and settling in Moonwater Town, Lei Qie often heard others speak of the Sword Pavilion with reverence, further strengthening his resolve to join them.

He was supposed to wait for the Sword Pavilion's next recruitment window and undergo the selection process according to the rules.

However, Lei Qie had succumbed to the temptations of gambling and was tricked into such a predicament.

Mentioning his father, Lei Kun, did nothing as no one took a Spirit Condensation Realm rogue cultivator from the Third World seriously.

Claims that his father knew a disciple of the Sword Pavilion were also taken as blatant falsehoods.

"My father was right. He worked so hard to send me here. He's still in the Third World, fighting against the foreign race invaders and trying to secure a guest position with a sect. He understands how important it is to have the backing of a powerful sect!" Lei Qie muttered to himself.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Cloud Sails and flying vessels made way for the Sword Boat when they saw it sailing through the air.

Those on the Cloud Sails and flying vessels—whether rogue cultivators or noble families—would bow and salute from afar, faces full of fawning smiles, regardless of whether Pang Jian and his group could see them.

Pang Jian was somewhat surprised at the treatment.

"You'll gradually get used to it," Zeng Yulan said with a flirtatious smile as she coyly brushed her disheveled black hair behind her pale ear. "The noble families depend on the Sword Pavilion, and rogue cultivators have even lower status.

"We're the strongest force on this continent. It's normal for them to show respect when they see a Sword Boat."

Pang Jian nodded lightly.

As the Sword Boat flew on, he observed the plains and towns beyond the mountains surrounding the Sword Pavilion.

He noticed that several cities were home to the noble families affiliated with the Sword Pavilion.

Zeng Yulan explained while Pang Jian silently observed, and he soon realized the situation in the Second World was quite similar to the Third World.

Powerful sects occupied the areas richest in spiritual qi. Outer disciples, guest cultivators, inner disciples, and the families of the elders all lived within the sect's territories, often in the towns nestled between the mountains within the Sword Pavilion's inner territory.

Meanwhile, noble families existed in city-like strongholds on the outside and relied on the Sword Pavilion for protection.

"We're almost there," Song Zihe said softly.

The Sword Boat passed over city after city, cutting through stretches of wilderness until they entered an area with more lakes and wetlands.

Zeng Yulan beckoned Lei Qie over. "I'll take you to Moonwater Town in a bit."

Lei Qie obediently nodded.

"Junior Brother Pang, please hold on."

As the Sword Boat descended, she took Lei Qie's hand and leaped off the Sword Boat.

The Sword Boat hovered in the air.

"It's the Sword Pavillion!"

"A Sword Boat!"

The sight of the Sword Boat hovering just outside the entrance of Moonwater Town left the townspeople in shock.

About ten li away, the An Clan in Water Rhythm City scrambled aboard their flying vessel and rushed over in a panic.

In just the time it took to burn an incense stick, Zeng Yulan emerged from Moonwater Town with Lei Qie's mother and sister.

Accompanying them were five cultivators dressed in mismatched clothing.

"There's a local group called the Mountain River Society and these five are its leaders," Zeng Yulan said with a faint smile. "Junior Brother Pang, shall we kill them all?"