[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds":3,"chapter-commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-34":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Commanding the Five Thunders Across Two Worlds",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2363162,4620,"Chapter 34: This Is What It Means to Have Achieved Cultivation","commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-34",34,"\u003Cp>“Good morning!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good morning!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they met again the next day, Jiang Shishi beamed with bright cheerfulness, while Xiao Ya smiled shyly with lips curled. Both girls wore sun hats, fitted T-shirts, lightweight sun-protective outerwear, and casual pants—identical in style, differing only in color, radiating youthful vitality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you for your trouble,” Xiao Ya said first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to thank me—I’m just here for the free meals and drinks,” Gu Zhao chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had unlocked his cheat and possessed magic power, Gu Zhao was still a vigorous young man, and he naturally didn’t refuse the chance to climb a mountain with two beautiful, youthful girls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s go!” Jiang Shishi linked arms with Xiao Ya. “You pray for your grandfather’s safety, I pray for my own romance—there are so many Daoist temples on Qingcheng Mountain, one of them must be responsive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three boarded a tourist bus that took them straight to the foot of Qingcheng Mountain, then transferred to a sightseeing vehicle to reach the scenic area’s Shanmen. Gu Zhao, who had paid nothing, slipped effortlessly into tour-guide mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The buildings we just passed are the Qingcheng Mountain Daojiaoxie Society—this is a school specifically for training Daoist Priests. Each year, they admit very few students; getting in is no easier than passing the postgraduate entrance exam or the civil service test,” Gu Zhao explained. “And the curriculum is no walk in the park either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do they study?” Jiang Shishi asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course Daoist classics, Daoist music, ritual ceremonies, calligraphy and painting, plus martial arts and legal regulations,” Gu Zhao said. “Each temple might have its own specialty courses, but these are the core subjects.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Shishi sighed. “They really learn a lot—but how do you know all this so clearly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao spoke softly. “Because I once tried to apply to the Guangdong Daojiaoxie Society. I researched all this in detail.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ya asked, “Didn’t you get in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao shook his head, his expression darkening. “No—I didn’t pass. They said I was tone-deaf, had no musical sense. During the entrance test, not a single note was in key. If I’d joined a group ritual, I’d have turned the whole thing into chaos. So they rejected me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two girls, “….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How do you suddenly feel like laughing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Shishi snorted. “Rituals are done in groups anyway—couldn’t you just blend in and not stand out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao spread his hands. “I wanted to—but they wouldn’t let me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Xiao Ya couldn’t hold back—she burst out laughing. To these two top students from the Yinyuexue Academy, being tone-deaf was an incomprehensible phenomenon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sightseeing vehicle stopped. They got off. Gu Zhao pointed to the buildings on the right. “That’s Jianfu Palace. Outside Qingcheng Mountain’s Shanmen, it was originally called Zhangren Pavilion during the Tang Dynasty, dedicated to Ning Fengzi, the Five Peaks Zhangren. Later renamed Jianfu Palace, it added more immortals—but the most important is still Lord Laozi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having come to Qingcheng Mountain to pray for blessings, they entered every temple they saw. Before even climbing the mountain, they paid their respects to the gods inside Jianfu Palace, then bought a bundle of incense from the shop at the entrance before entering the mountain proper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, Gu Zhao explained the sights, weaving in tales of immortals from The Biographies of Immortals, The Biographies of the Immortals, and The Search for Spirits, painting Qingcheng Mountain as a true immortal paradise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Western Queen Mother presented Emperor Wu of Han the True Forms of the Five Peaks, mentioning that these were the very forms sought by the immortals of Qingcheng. The Preface to the True Forms of the Five Peaks also states that the Zhangren of Qingcheng was appointed by the Yellow Emperor to oversee the Five Peaks—proving Qingcheng’s status then surpassed even the Five Peaks, reaching the level of the Western Queen Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nowadays people say, ‘After returning from the Five Peaks, no other mountains matter; after returning from Huangshan, no other peaks matter.’ But compared to Qingcheng, they’re all just kids.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao paused, then added, “Of course, I’m speaking from Qingcheng’s perspective. If you were paying homage to the Eastern Peak Great Emperor or the Western Peak’s Master Chen Tuan, the view would be entirely different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three chose not to take the cable car. They passed through Yilewo to Shanyin Pavilion, then paid respects at the Quanzhen Daoist temple, followed by the Ancient Tian Shi Cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Quanzhen Daoist temple worships the Northern Five Ancestors of the Golden Core and the seven disciples of Chongyang True Person,” Gu Zhao commented. “Even though the Northern and Southern Golden Core schools have merged, the Southern Five Ancestors are still often ignored—what a pity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Zhengyi and Quanzhen temples are so close now—modern times are peaceful enough. But I wonder how they greeted each other in ancient times—debated scriptures or fought?” Gu Zhao looked back at the Quanzhen temple from the entrance of the Ancient Tian Shi Cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Shishi giggled. “Didn’t you say Quanzhen was better at fighting?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao nodded. “So the Quanzhen temple sits up front, snatching up the incense offerings first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ya glanced at a Daoist Priest passing nearby. “Don’t you dare say that inside the Ancient Tian Shi Cave—watch out you don’t get beaten.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao laughed heartily and dropped the teasing. Instead, he asked, “You’ve passed so many temples—haven’t you drawn any divination slips?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ya shook her head. “We’ll draw one at the Lord Laozi Pavilion on the summit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao nodded. Xiao Ya was a filial girl—only at the summit would her sincerity be truly shown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the three resumed climbing. The two girls soon panted, drenched in sweat. But when they looked at Gu Zhao, they saw his breath steady, his forehead dry—not a trace of fatigue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re in such great shape!” Jiang Shishi exclaimed—this time without any double meaning. “Is Daoist cultivation really that effective?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao replied, “Only when cultivation has borne fruit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean by ‘cultivation has borne fruit…’?” Xiao Ya began, but a child of about ten darted past them, sprinting upward at surprising speed. The adult’s shouts behind him cut off her question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Slow down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The path ahead is dangerous!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch your step—don’t trip or fall!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ya sighed. “Kids really have so much energy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the child reached a bend ahead, running while turning back to wave. “I know! I’ll be careful—I’ll wait for you at the pavilion just—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words ended as his foot slipped, and his body toppled sideways down the slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, this spot wasn’t extremely dangerous. The stone steps were wide enough; the slope beside them, though steep, was blocked by bushes and trees. With care, there was no real risk of falling—hence no guardrails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the child had veered off the steps to dodge pedestrians, and as he turned back, he stepped into empty air. If he rolled dozens or even hundreds of meters down the slope, the outcome would be uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many people saw the exact moment the child lost his footing—they already imagined him tumbling down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!” A piercing scream rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoosh!” The sound of fabric slicing through air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The child had fully left the steps, tumbling down the slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhao lunged forward in one swift step, stepping off the path and charging down the slope from below, heading straight for the falling child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distance was short. Gu Zhao used a single tree for leverage, arriving beneath the boy just as they passed each other—and grabbed the collar of his shirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with one hand holding the now-frozen child, he pulled sideways toward a tree and quickly returned to the stone steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set the child down, snapped his fingers, and said to Xiao Ya, “This is what cultivation has borne fruit.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1306,"2026-06-21T06:19:08.116Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","7719758b6ea5ef636e656eb0559e5bb9747063ad13a3c4dbfc565b892f6129c1","commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-35","commanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-chapter-33",141,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcommanding-the-five-thunders-across-two-worlds-cover.jpg"]