While Li Qingxian was in a daze, Jiang Youfei finished her chanting. She rose, holding a Magic Sword, and began Stepping on the Stars and Treading the Dipper around him. She murmured incantations as she performed a series of rituals, including Scattered Flowers and Spraying Water.
Then, Li Qingxian felt a jolt in his spirit. He saw Jiang Youfei standing before him, her lips slightly parted as she sang the Void Walking Words with a peculiar rhythm. The sound was ethereal and otherworldly, a celestial melody that caused his gaze to slowly drift away.
"A White Jade Flying Talisman descends from the purple court; a Hua Banner rises thrice, summoning all spirits. Climbing the branches, chewing an Empty Cyan Bud, Five Body Golden Light Shining Sun and Stars..."
The Void Walking Words that Jiang Youfei sang seemed to possess a peculiar Magical Power. Li Qingxian felt his Divine Thought drift away, soaring high above the clouds to gaze into the endless void.
「An unknown amount of time passed.」
In a daze, Li Qingxian saw Jiang Youfei take out a piece of paper. As she wrote, she chanted, submitting a Celestial Record to the gods above.
Once the Celestial Record was complete, it burst into flame without any wind. It fluttered ethereally into the void and vanished.
Jiang Youfei straightened her back, standing like a mountain peak before him, and announced in a clear, resonant voice, "I request that the High Supreme Divine Sky Yuqing True King, Emperor of Eternal Life, and Celestial Ruler of Heaven and Earth bestow a Daoist Skill."
Her clear, cold voice seemed to tear through the void, and a brilliant light flooded his vision.
Li Qingxian held the Wooden Tablet in both hands and gazed toward the source of the light.
Within the boundless light, he saw tiny Children descending from the sky, blanketing his view. They wore Yellow Daoist Robes, rode upon White Auspicious Clouds, and had smiles on their faces.
At a rough glance, there were thousands upon thousands of them, arranged in a pyramidal formation that narrowed toward the top.
At the very top stood four Children, two boys and two girls, who were different from all the others. Their Yellow Daoist Robes were brighter, and each was adorned with cloud patterns of a different color: cyan, red, white, and black.
One held a Carved Cyan Wood Command Token Bamboo Tube, one carried a Three-Fire Wheel-Revolving Lotus Lamp, one had an Eighteen-Section Black Iron Tower Whip slung across their back, and one held a White Jade Water Wave Pattern Ruyi.
A round halo floated behind their heads, and their bodies were draped in twelve colors.
They appeared to be Children, yet they were no ordinary Children. They possessed even greater majesty than the common Celestial Generals he had seen the other day.
Jiang Youfei’s voice, soft and delicate yet tinged with majesty, entered his ears.
"You will now see the celestial light shine down and Immortal Children descend. An ordinary person would only see a few Children, but since you have the Divine Sky Thunder Seed, you will probably see hundreds, just like me. Do not hesitate. Gaze upon the topmost Child and recite the God-Inviting Curse. If it doesn’t work the first time, recite it a few more times."
Li Qingxian looked at the tens of thousands of Children filling the sky, pondering the contrast between the subtle arrogance revealed in her "just like me" and her understated figure of "hundreds of Children."
After a moment, Li Qingxian began to recite the lengthy God-Inviting Curse from the book.
"Before Heaven and Earth were distinguished, on the day the pure and turbid were first divided; when from primordial chaos a form emerged, the Primordial Celestial Emperor appeared..."
Once the God-Inviting Curse was complete, the skyful of Immortal Children retreated with the clouds. Only the four distinct Immortal Children from the very top drifted down gracefully on a white cloud. When they were near, they formed the Tai Chi Yin Yang Seal with their hands and bowed to Li Qingxian.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist."
The instant the four straightened up, they transformed into four beams of light—cyan, red, white, and black—and shot into the space between Li Qingxian’s eyebrows, vanishing from sight.
A brilliant light erupted from Li Qingxian’s body and shot toward the heavens, only to be blocked by the training ground’s Array.
Jiang Youfei spoke again, "Congratulations, you have successfully completed the Sealing of Inner Gods. If you visualize now, you will see your Inner Gods, their faces hazy. Each Inner God masters between one and three Thunder Skills. You will need to cultivate daily to gradually refine and strengthen them."
Li Qingxian focused his mind on his Spirit Platform. There, surrounding the Thunder Dragon Fire Seal, he saw a tender Immortal Child sitting cross-legged in each of the four directions. They were murmuring and chanting the Divine Sky General Outline.
The Thunder Dragon Fire Seal sent four streams of Magical Power into the foreheads of the four Immortal Children.
After being tempered by the Immortal Children, the Magical Power emerged from the tops of their heads as threads of white smoke, which then fell into the Thunder Ball held in the Thunder Dragon’s mouth.
The cycle repeated, again and again, without interruption.
The faces of the four Children were shrouded in a faint mist, making them impossible to see clearly.
Li Qingxian could feel the total amount of his Magical Power slowly increasing.
After carefully observing the four Inner Gods, Li Qingxian opened his eyes.
"Now, give thanks for the ceremony."
After speaking, Jiang Youfei performed the final rites of the ceremony.
Once the rites were complete, she gathered all the Sacrificial Vessels and Magical Artifacts.
Li Qingxian got to his feet, and Jiang Youfei asked, "Finished?"
"Finished."
"What kind of Thunder Skill do your Child Inner Gods command?" Jiang Youfei asked.
"...Let me check again."
Li Qingxian focused on his Spirit Platform and used the Divine Communication Technique from the Daoist Book to contact the four Child Positions. He found his answer at once.
The Cyan Cloud Patterned Child commands the True Thunder of Wood, the Red Cloud Patterned Child commands the True Thunder of Fire, the White Cloud Patterned Child commands the True Thunder of Metal, and the Black Cloud Patterned Child commands the True Thunder of Water.
The four Children only differed in their Thunderbolt Attribute; the Technique they all commanded was the same, named the "High Supreme Divine Sky Jade Star Cutting and Investigating Five Thunders Method."
Li Qingxian opened his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "The Thunder Skill of all four Children is called the ’High Supreme Divine Sky Jade Star Cutting and Investigating Five Thunders Method.’ It’s probably just one part of it, not the complete version."
Jiang Youfei’s face went blank. She blinked, looking as if she either didn’t understand or was simply too shocked to react.
"Write the name out," Jiang Youfei said.
"Alright." Li Qingxian extended his index finger, infused it with Magical Power, and wrote the name "High Supreme Divine Sky Jade Star Cutting and Investigating Five Thunders Method" in midair. The words, formed from white energy, floated gently.
Jiang Youfei was silent.
Li Qingxian asked, "Sister Youfei, what’s wrong?"
"Do not speak of this Thunder Skill to anyone else. Also, what is the title of these four Children?" Jiang Youfei asked.
Li Qingxian recalled, "They’re all called Jade Mansion Attendant Lecturer. It’s a shame they aren’t Thunder City Children."
Jiang Youfei looked at Li Qingxian, her silence deepening.
After a long moment, Jiang Youfei pointed to a scarecrow up ahead. "Aim at the scarecrow and attack it with your Thunder Skill."
"Alright."
As he spoke, Li Qingxian raised his right arm, aiming his Pointing Sword at the scarecrow.
At the same time, his left hand formed the proper seal, making the Celestial Thunder Finger Technique.
He recited the Spell: "Five Thunders True Thunder, Thunder Light Fire Master! Wind Master be the marshal, Rain Master execute the order! Seize the dragon and draw the lightning, deliver merciless judgment! Swiftly, as the statutes command!"
The instant he finished the Spell, a white bolt of lightning as thick as a wrist and ten feet long erupted from his two fingers. It crackled for a moment, then shot from his hand in a flash of white light. With a BOOM, it pierced the scarecrow, flew onward to blast through the training ground’s high wall, shattered the Array, and continued, smashing through the layered walls of the adjacent training grounds.
The Thunderbolt continued its ferocious trajectory, finally exploding over a thousand feet away.
His Magical Power completely drained, Li Qingxian’s body swayed, and he was about to collapse.
Jiang Youfei darted forward in a single step, catching Li Qingxian’s back with her hand.
Li Qingxian leaned against Jiang Youfei’s arm, his face a little pale.
Jiang Youfei pressed the tip of her left index finger to the center of Li Qingxian’s forehead. Li Qingxian felt a cool, refreshing energy flow through his entire body.
"Did you use Spirit Manifestation?"
Li Qingxian managed to straighten himself up and shook his head. "I don’t understand what that is."
Jiang Youfei said, "The Divine Sky Thunder Seed truly is extraordinary. When we get back, I’ll teach you a Thunder Control technique. It will allow you to control the consumption of your Thunder Skill as you wish, so you won’t deplete all of your Magical Power."
"Thank you, Sister Youfei," Li Qingxian said.
Jiang Youfei looked Li Qingxian up and down, then sighed. "You are my junior brother, after all. I’ll come to the Chunfeng Inn tomorrow morning. I’ll spend the day teaching you the fundamentals of Thunder Skill until you understand them inside and out."
"Thank you, Sister Youfei!" Li Qingxian beamed.
Just then, a loud BANG BANG BANG came from the door, and someone peeked their head through the hole he had blasted in the wall.
The two of them walked outside. Facing the official in charge of the training ground, Jiang Youfei said, "I was the one who carelessly used a Thunder Skill. Once you’ve calculated the damages, send the bill to the Chunfeng Inn. I’ll pay for it."
"Yes, yes, of course..." Seeing that it was the legendary Fairy Qingcheng, the training ground official didn’t dare to say another word.