I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 305: Chapter 25: The Sky-bound Thunder Realm, The Great Void Star

“Senior Brother, what do you mean?” Zhou Heng’s eyebrows immediately furrowed.

“Don’t worry,” Yan Shouyi said with a smile upon seeing this, “She’s gone to find a treasure land where she can cultivate True Qi of Jade Sky. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, she probably won’t come back.”

“I see.” Zhou Heng let out a sigh of relief and nodded lightly, “Mm, with her current level of cultivation, she should indeed be close to the Secret Sixth Rank.”

“Don’t you have other questions to ask?” Yan Shouyi touched his forehead and said gently.

“Ah? What else is there?” Zhou Heng became puzzled instead.

“For example, is there any other message left by Cheng Jianjian?” Yan Shouyi shook his head and chuckled, “You, the core inheritance of Jade Qiong Peak, the ‘Jade Sky Lingxu Sutra,’ emphasizes the intent of Heavenly Punishment in the early stages of Middle Third Rank.

“The clearest expression of the Heavenly Punishment’s command is undoubtedly Thunder. Mastering the power of Thunder was also a specialty of the ancestor Master Pure Yang, so the treasure land she’s seeking, in fact, coincides with your goal.”

“There’s such a thing, too.” Zhou Heng was both surprised and delighted and laughed, “Doesn’t this mean that she has also found where I should go to cultivate the True Qi of Fierce Thunder for me?”

“It must have taken quite a bit of thought,” Yan Shouyi said with a smile.

“Then I’ll have to buy her more sweets,” Zhou Heng nodded earnestly.

Yan Shouyi fell silent upon hearing this and sighed softly, “Disciple, go.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother.” Zhou Heng nodded in thanks, said goodbye, and left the Golden Top of Jade Void Peak, descended Taihua Mount, flew into the sky on his sword, and headed towards the nearest entrance to Purple Tenuity Palace, surrounded by purple sword light and thunder.

“This boy…” Yan Shouyi shook his head gently and turned, hands behind his back, walking toward the palace.

…

After returning to Purple Tenuity Palace, Zhou Heng went straight to Jieyou Hall to inquire about the whereabouts of the North Star Officer from the Five Emperors Inner Seat.

Actually, by the rules, he was not supposed to know about such matters.

But as the Ziwei Master, who holds a special status and is the hope for unlocking various new features of the Purple Tenuity Palace, naturally things were different for him.

Therefore, he easily found out about Cheng Jianjian’s whereabouts.

“Name: Sky Thunder Realm

“Type: Great Void Star

“Affiliation: Under the jurisdiction of the Jiao-Mu Star River Bing-Wu Star System

“One Ordeal: Thirty-six thousand years

“Supreme: Absolute Fourth Rank (False)

“…

“…

“Heaven and Earth Vital Energy: Thirty percent concentration

“Laws Suppression: Seventh Level Suppression

“Time Flow Rate: Triple

“World Overview: …Thunder contains the essence of the Dao; mortals practicing the Martial Path refine their bodies, and upon reaching the peak, endure Thunder to gain the divine might of Heaven and Earth and act as enforcers of Heavenly Punishment, known as Heavenly Walkers… Sects control the technique of drawing Thunder, monopolize cultivation, and rule from above, governing various countries…”

Zhou Heng frowned at the information about this “Sky Thunder Realm,” which was quite different from the Demon Spirit World information he had seen before.

Especially the type and affiliation of this world.

It actually belonged to a star system within a star river—could these so-called Great Void Stars be planets?

The Sky Thunder Realm is a planet?

He looked doubtfully at the Five Emperors Inner Seat, expressing his emotions through his eyes.

“It seems that Lord Ziwei Master has quite a few questions,” said the Five Emperors Inner Seat with a smile.

“Yes,” Zhou Heng nodded and said, “What exactly does this affiliation and type mean, as well as the concentration of Heaven and Earth Vital Energy and the Laws Suppression?”

He chuckled again, “Sorry, too many questions.”

“Ziwei Master, don’t worry about it. It’s quite normal for you to not understand these as you haven’t visited other worlds often,” the Five Emperors Inner Seat waved his hands repeatedly and then smiled, “Allow me to explain.”

Through the description of the Five Emperors Inner Seat, Zhou Heng roughly understood what the star river, star system, and great star were about, which turned out to be similar to the galaxy, star system concept he knew in his previous life.

The universe is vast and limitless, not just worlds like the Demon Spirit World with their round heavens and square earths, but also endless stars.

These stars, big and small, some emitting light and heat, together form star rivers, and stars interconnecting like stars and planets constitute a star system.

In these two respects, it roughly matched Zhou Heng’s knowledge from his previous life, but the concept of a great star was completely different from what he knew before.

A great star refers specifically to celestial bodies that support life and civilization and are the true core of a star system.

This core means that all celestial bodies in the star system rotate around this great star.

For an easy comparison with Zhou Heng’s previous life’s knowledge—

Normally, the solar system has the Sun at its center, with Earth orbiting around it. Even if Earth has life and civilization, it’s not called a great star.

If, for instance, Earth is the center of the solar system, with the Sun and other stars all revolving around Earth, and Earth’s “size” is much larger than that of the Sun, then Earth could be called a great star.

But this description was somewhat hard for Zhou Heng to accept. He never imagined that such a situation could exist.

Would this amount to a star revolving around a planet?

And a planet bigger than a star—how terrifying would the gravitational pull be?

A bit far-fetched.

As for Heaven and Earth Vital Energy and Laws Suppression, those are actually easier to understand.

The former indicates that the Sky Thunder Realm’s concentration of Heaven and Earth Vital Energy is only thirty percent of this world’s, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of cultivation for ordinary martial artists, possibly diminishing the power of Martial Arts and Taoist Formulas as well.

The latter is due to the arrival through the star gate, which fundamentally makes one an outsider, so naturally, there would be suppression by the Heaven and Earth Laws, leading to one’s original strength not being fully exhibited.

A seventh-level suppression means that only thirty percent of the original strength can be utilized.

This means that descending there poses a great danger.

…

“Does Lord Ziwei Master also wish to go to this ‘Sky Thunder Realm’?” asked the Five Emperors Inner Seat while looking for a suitable mission.

Although arriving at another world through a star gate doesn’t necessarily require accepting a mission, since one is going there, why not simultaneously complete a mission and gain some merit?

“Mm, please find a suitable mission for me, senior,” Zhou Heng nodded lightly.

“No problem,” the Five Emperors Inner Seat nodded and smiled, “But, I’d still like to remind you, Lord Ziwei Master, that in thirteen days, it will be the gathering in April—don’t forget.”

“Jiang Jian and I will hurry back,” Zhou Heng said, nodding.

The time flow rate in the Sky Thunder Realm is three times that of this world, so thirteen days would be close to forty days, ample time to refine True Qi and complete a few simple missions.

However, this gathering is actually quite important, involving the opening of some new permissions for the Purple Tenuity Palace, and Zhou Heng felt he should return a few days earlier to meet with Tianyi and Azure Dragon first.

That would leave roughly thirty days, which should be enough.

“I’ve found one,” said the Five Emperors Inner Seat with a smile, “It’s been sent to your mask. You can check it directly.”

“Then thank you, senior,” Zhou Heng said, bowing.

…

“`

Passing through the star gate, dazzling streaks of starlight flashed before Zhou Heng’s eyes.

He felt as though he saw countless “Star Rivers” made of billions of stars flowing past him.

He himself was plummeting into one of these Star Rivers, witnessing an enormous blue planet rotating in the void, with nine massive “fireballs” orbiting around it.

Beneath the radiance of these “fireballs,” Zhou Heng could see thick thunder and electric light in the atmosphere of the water-blue planet, vast like a sea of thunder.

All these scenes were actually fleeting, and soon after, Zhou Heng descended with the starlight onto the planet itself.

…

Within the borders of Qianyang Country, on Xingyun Mountain.

This was a wilderness rarely trodden by human feet, yet just twenty miles away lay the world-renowned Purple Lightning Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects.

Tomorrow was the day the Purple Lightning Sect held its once-in-a-decade recruitment of disciples.

Over the years, at this time, youths from various countries and regions would gather in front of the Purple Lightning Sect’s mountain gates, undergo inspections and trials, and determine whether they were qualified to be accepted as disciples of the Purple Lightning Sect.

These youngsters were either from royal families, nobility, heirs of centuries-old clans, or local tycoons and regional powerhouses.

In short, there were few ordinary people among them.

Ordinary folk couldn’t even dream of going to the Purple Lightning Sect for the trials, let alone affording the hundred taels of silver required for registration, not to mention the need to traverse thousands of miles over mountains and through waters to reach the Purple Lightning Sect in the first place.

If unescorted, one would face towering mountains and treacherous marshes along the way, as well as fierce bandits within the green forests, any slight carelessness could result in the loss of life.

However, there were still those who harbored dreams.

Wang Li was one such person.

He was a commoner from Qianyang Country, living in a mountain village two thousand miles from the Purple Lightning Sect. An orphan since childhood, he grew up eating meals provided by various families and, upon reaching fifteen, began working odd jobs for a living.

While working, Wang Li also practiced martial arts with the only martial instructor in the village.

By the age of nineteen, he had grown strong and imposing, his martial arts skills had developed to surpass those of his instructor, Liu.

Earlier this year, he overheard a traveling merchant talking about the Purple Lightning Sect’s new round of recruitment, and he excitedly bid farewell to the people in the village, setting out on his way to the Purple Lightning Sect.

His goal was to join the Purple Lightning Sect, become a renowned Heavenly Walker, and bring benefits to his fellow villagers.

That journey had taken half a year.

As the population of Qianyang Country wasn’t large and the towns were far apart, the roads were mostly rudimentary and many areas were even inaccessible.

Wang Li had to make his way on his own, crossing mountains and rivers, and carefully bypassing marshes and muddy lands.

Although his martial arts were not weak, with every move holding the weight of a thousand jins, he had never ventured far from home before and carelessly got lost in Xingyun Mountain.

Xingyun Mountain was treacherous, covered in dense forests, and there were rumors that many fierce tigers lived here; tainted by the lightning qi of the Purple Lightning Sect, they had not only tremendous strength and ferocity but also possessed some supernatural traits.

Therefore, as he navigated through Xingyun Mountain, Wang Li was extremely cautious.

Unfortunately, when it rains, it pours.

While Wang Li was picking wild fruits, intending to fill his stomach, a Ring-eyed White Forehead Tiger over ten meters tall spotted him.

This ferocious tiger possessed boundless strength and moved like the wind. With a flick of its tail, it was like thunder exploding, causing one’s heart to tremble. After a few encounters, Wang Li was already at a disadvantage.

He was about to be devoured by the tiger.

At this critical moment of life and death, Wang Li saw flashes of images before his eyes and heard a series of familiar voices in his ears.

These were his life experiences from the past decade, as well as the advice and blessings from the villagers before he left.

“Was I really overestimating my abilities? Master Liu had warned me several times about the myriad dangers on the journey, saying that a single misstep could cost a life. I did not believe him at first, but now it seems…”

“`

Thoughts emerged in Wang Li’s heart.

At the same time, as he watched the ferocious tiger’s gaping maw coming closer and closer, he knew his head would soon be bitten off, eaten clean, leaving no intact corpse behind.

Bang!

Just then, there was a loud noise, and the tiger that was pouncing seemed to have been hit by something, flying out sideways, breaking one tree after another, before finally crashing to the ground.

It didn’t move.

Stunned, Wang Li turned his head to look, only to see the tiger that had been about to bite off his head now lying twenty-odd zhang away, its midsection caved in, evidently with all bones broken, as bright red blood poured continuously from its mouth.

“Dead, is it dead?” Wang Li looked at the tiger with an astonished expression, somewhat in disbelief. He involuntarily touched his own head, murmuring, “Still here, still here, this isn’t a dream??”

“Stop touching; you’re not dreaming,” a clear voice came through. A young man, appearing to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, walked over slowly. He was dressed in a green shirt, with a jade crown belt, and looked handsome and dashing.

It was Zhou Heng.

“You, who are you?” Wang Li looked towards Zhou Heng, feeling even more shocked inside.

Could such a young man, who seemed even younger than himself, actually kill a Xingyun Tiger with a single punch?!

Incredible.

“You can call me Zhou Wei.” Zhou Heng chuckled, “Are you also here to participate in the Purple Lightning Sect’s new disciple assessment?”

“Yes, yes, my name is Wang Li.” Wang Li nodded, speaking somewhat nervously, “Thank you for saving my life just now. Without you, I probably would have ended up in the tiger’s mouth.”

“It was just a small effort, not worth mentioning,” Zhou Heng smiled, “Let’s go. Since we’re both headed to Purple Lightning Sect, we might end up as sect mates. It’s perfect that we travel together.”

“Together, travel together? Great, that’s great!” Wang Li nodded, being a simple and honest youth from the mountains, seeing such a powerful individual willing to travel with him, he naturally had no reason to refuse.

After all, Xingyun Mountain was still quite dangerous. With such a powerful person around, it would be much safer.

However, how exactly did this person train in martial arts, to be so formidable? Could he have reached the rumored pinnacle of human strength where one could beckon thunder for divine might?

Impressive!

…

In fact, this was already the third day since Zhou Heng had arrived in this Heavenly Firmament Thunder Realm.

The Seventh Level Law’s suppression was indeed extraordinary.

When he had first arrived in this world, he was only able to exert about ten percent of his strength. After initially acclimatizing to the laws of the external environment and Heaven and Earth, he only managed to recover to about thirty percent of his original strength.

Furthermore, Zhou Heng felt that if he tried to forcibly improve his strength now, using methods that differed a lot from the laws of this world, it could likely provoke a response from the Heaven and Earth Laws.

A negative response.

Like a Heavenly Punishment.

Therefore, Zhou Heng changed his original plan of roaming the world looking for suitable treasure spots, and decided to start with the Nine Great Sects.

These sects, which held the secret techniques for beckoning lightning, must have places where the essence of thunder was rich.

Purple Lightning Sect was the closest one to Zhou Heng.

Of course, barging in was out of the question, as that wasn’t his style, and given his current state, he probably wouldn’t win either.

So, Zhou Heng decided to participate in the latest round of Purple Lightning Sect’s disciple assessment.

To blend in first.

As for Wang Li, he was related to the mission.