Cultivation: Fortune by Lots

During this period, Lei Jun had been cultivating in peace.

The responsibility of taking care of Gungun was delegated to Wang Guiyuan and Chu Kun.

Luckily, the lazy creature, although greedy, hadn't caused any serious trouble afterward. This was because Master Yuan Mobai had made a special trip from the Supreme Pure Thunder Mansion Cave Heaven and brought some Supreme Pure Golden Bamboo for it. Without having been refined by the mana of Lei Jun and his master, chewing on those Spirit Bamboos was no longer such a hardship for Gungun. Thus, it feasted to its heart's content, completely satisfied. Now, even if it were shooed away from Dragon Tiger Mountain, it would find a way to sneak back afterward.

But this creature's mouth wasn't only greedy; it was also picky. Having tasted the Supreme Pure Golden Bamboo, it began to scorn other Spirit Plants, constantly craving the Immortal Bamboo Forest in the Cave Heaven. But since the Supreme Pure Golden Bamboo was limited, they couldn't just let it eat to its heart's content. As a result, the daily theme between humans and the bear once again became a battle of wits.

Chu Kun, however, found joy in this. Aside from his daily cultivation, his greatest recreational activity was to find different kinds of Spirit Bamboo from who knows where, pretending they were Supreme Pure Golden Bamboo, and then feeding them to Gungun. Sometimes, a mere sniff was enough for the creature not to be fooled. Sometimes, the chubby creature would realize the deception only after chewing for quite a while, which brought Chu Kun joy beyond measure.

When Lei Jun finished his retreat, the gigantic Gungun immediately approached him, its eyes twirling continuously, looking pitiful.

Master, before you transformed into a human, did you also experience such times... Stop, halt, I shouldn't continue down this train of thought. Lei Jun shook his head with a smile, stopping his wandering thoughts.

"Senior Brother, by the way, have you named it yet?" Chu Kun asked casually while teasing Gungun with a bamboo stick.

The chubby one was getting smarter by the day and turned its head away, ignoring Chu Kun. But perhaps because it was hungry, it suddenly stretched out a paw, grabbed the bamboo stick, and started nibbling on the tender bamboo leaves.

"I haven't thought of a good one yet, so let's just call it Gungun for now," Lei Jun answered offhandedly.

Actually, he had considered naming the creature Yuanzi. However, since it had no kinship with his master, he had to regretfully give up the idea. As for what to call it specifically, he would think about it later. After all, the child is still young.

Indeed, despite its large size, after unanimous confirmation by the martial brothers and personal verification by Master Yuan Mobai, Gungun was confirmed to be still young. Its gigantic body was the result of consuming some Spiritual Objects in the Bashu mountains. Because of this, it also laid down a solid foundation; once it truly embarked on the path of cultivation, it would be a genius.

Lei Jun imparted Taoist Laws to it; although it was uncomprehending, it had great Spiritual Nature, and its cultivation progressed with significant effect. Perhaps in not too many years, there would be results.

Of course, Lei Jun's main focus in life wasn't raising a panda. His primary focus was still his own cultivation. Improving his cultivation would enable him to do more of what he desired. For example, the world is so vast, and he wanted to see more of it. For example, the mysteries of the Taoist Laws are infinite, and he wished to study and explore more. Then there were some people Lei Jun wished would disappear from this world...

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and having a good start was even more precious.

In the days that followed, Lei Jun stayed within the sect, no longer venturing out, focusing on his cultivation.

With the four Original Talismans complete and reaching the Perfected Realm of Original Talismans, Lei Jun's Spiritual Soul became stronger and his Mana increased. He could finally allocate his life-bound technique and three spells among the four Original Talismans, making all his life-bound spells more agile and powerful.

With the Yin Yang Sacred Body accomplished, Lei Jun's inner accumulation became even more profound. The portal from the Fourth Heaven Layer to the Fifth Heaven Layer seemed to have materialized in the void, almost within reach. He just needed to accumulate a bit more to be able to push open that Portal. When that time came, it would be an entirely new world.

Theoretically speaking, once the True Inheritance disciples of the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion reach the Fifth Heaven Layer of the Tao Palace realm, they would be eligible to go out and establish their own schools, branching out from the Ancestral Court. Lei Jun didn't have such ideas for the time being. Nevertheless, he was very much looking forward to reaching the Fifth Heaven Layer of the Tao Palace realm.

On the other hand, a cultivator who reaches the Fifth Heaven Layer realm could hope for a Talisman-bestowed rank upgrade. A Talisman-bestowed rank upgrade was not just an honor in name or an improvement in daily treatment. It was directly related to whether a True Inheritance disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion could access more profound Taoist Laws.

However, a Talisman-bestowed rank upgrade typically depends not just on the Cultivation Realm but also on the length of time since the initial Lecture Ceremony. If the time since the initial Lecture Ceremony isn't enough, the upgrade is not granted. Of course, this is largely because a cultivator's progress in cultivation isn't that rapid. In most cases, it's actually the scenario where the time requirement is met, but the Cultivation Realm isn't.

For cases like Lei Jun's, there is a legitimate "backdoor" to the norm: those who make special contributions to the sect and accumulate significant merits can have their Talisman-bestowed rank upgraded earlier. In this regard, Lei Jun already had some considerations.

Of course, the Celestial Master Seal cannot be exposed for now. Luckily, Master Lei had other preparations.

There's no need to rush at the moment; I'll focus on my own cultivation first... Lei Jun gathered his thoughts and continued his diligent cultivation.

When the mind is undistracted, time always seems to fly by quickly.

「In the blink of an eye, another New Year had passed.」

Lei Jun finally got to spend the New Year at his own mountain gate again. He was now twenty-nine years old. It has been over a decade since I came to this world.

On the fifteenth of January after this year's New Year, the Celestial Master Mansion held the new Transmission Ceremony. However, this time it had little to do with Lei Jun. Not only him, but even his master, Yuan Mobai, didn't need to be too busy this year, being neither the host nor the Transcension Master. Yuan Mobai merely attended the ceremony as a recommending master. The three martial brothers of Lei Jun simply followed to observe the ceremony. The ceremony itself was relatively calm, without any major waves, and went smoothly.

The Celestial Master Mansion finally enjoyed a relatively peaceful period for recuperation and regeneration.

On the other hand, the outside world was far from peaceful. Behind the colorful and ceremonial accession of the new emperor was a hidden undercurrent of extreme turbulence. Lei Jun heard rumors at Dragon Tiger Mountain that it took about half a year for the situation in the Capital to ease slightly. But it was far from the moment when the dust would settle. Starting from the Capital, the turmoil would spread to the local areas, and the entire Great Tang was still going to be unstable. Only after continuous power struggles would a new balance be established.

Although the former emperor had left an imperial edict, strictly speaking, the new emperor's accession was far from a smooth transition of power, and turmoil was naturally inevitable.

For now, the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion seemed much calmer. But it was well understood that the death of the former emperor and the accession of the new emperor would also affect Dragon Tiger Mountain. Especially since the Li Clan had previously adjusted its strategy to move closer to the Tang Imperial Court. Then they faced the unforeseen event of the former emperor, Zhang Qilong's, demise. From Li Ziyang at the top to Li Xuan and other younger members of the Li Clan, they all felt as if they were hit hard, seeing stars. If the Li Clan didn't want their early investments to go to waste, they had to tread carefully at every step from here on out.

As far as Lei Jun was aware, around the time of the new emperor's accession, Li Ziyang personally went to the Capital. The specific outcomes remained unknown for now and needed to be observed further.

「However, after the New Year, a malign incident occurred.」

Li Zhenchang, a disciple of the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion, died during his travels outside the mountain. Not only was the Li family shaken, but the entire Celestial Master Mansion was keenly focused on this matter. Li Zhenchang was not only an outstanding younger member of the Li Clan but also a True Inheritance disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion who had undergone the Lecture Ceremony. He had always been cultivated as a promising talent among his contemporaries. With the death of such a True Inheritance disciple, the Celestial Master could not sit idly by. Senior Elders immediately left the mountain to investigate.

"According to the indications from Junior Brother Li's Talisman Scripture, it was not an accident; he was attacked and killed. However, the identity of the assailant is still unclear," Wang Guiyuan spoke to Lei Jun with a sigh.

Two years ago, Li Zhenchang had successfully passed the Lecture Ceremony. It was the sweet after the bitter for him. He had long been qualified to participate in the Lecture Ceremony but had been unable to do so because the former Celestial Master, Li Qingfeng, was in seclusion. Unfortunately, after passing the Lecture Ceremony, Li Zhenchang encountered some difficulties in his cultivation and did not have enough confidence to challenge the Heavenly Moat Tribulation between the Third Heavenly Layer and the Fourth Heavenly Layer. Therefore, Li Zhenchang decided to travel outside to broaden his horizons and adjust his state. He hoped that upon returning to the mountain, he would be able to form the Original Talisman and achieve the Fourfold Heaven Realm in one fell swoop. Who would have thought that this departure would result in his utter demise, his cultivation path extinguished.

Lei Jun remembered interacting with Li Zhenchang back in the day. Strictly speaking, among the Li Clan's younger members, his actions were not particularly high-profile, but he did carry a certain arrogance. However, Li Zhenchang never showed this arrogance in front of Lei Jun; during their brief interactions, this Senior Brother Li had been relatively mild-mannered. In thanks for Lei Jun saving his life, he had even once gifted Lei Jun a Ninefold Resurgence Stone as a token of gratitude. The Ninefold Resurgence Stone was consumed by Lei Jun a long time ago. And now, the person who had given him the gift was no longer alive.

"Some suspect that... it was Chen Yi's doing," Wang Guiyuan slowly said.

Lei Jun said, "I hear that Chen Yi truly joined the Suppressing Demon Guards and even participated in the campaign in the Western Regions."

Wang Guiyuan nodded. "That's correct. An Elder from the Suppressing Demon Guards took a liking to him and promoted him exceptionally twice."

Lei Jun nodded upon hearing this. So, Li Xuan had all along been unable to find an opportunity to take action. What was unclear now was whether this time, the tables had turned, and Chen Yi found his opportunity with Li Zhenchang's case.

Chen Yi's grudge with the children of the Li Family had started with Li Zhenchang. Chen Yi's defection from the sect later on had nothing personal to do with Li Zhenchang. But if Chen Yi harbored a grudge, Li Zhenchang would certainly still be high on his list. The specific truth would have to be investigated by the Elders of the mansion. On the Suppressing Demon Guards' side, Li Xuan would certainly not stand by idly either.

What surprised Lei Jun was the subsequent development.

Chu Andong, who shared the same lineage and master as Li Zhenchang and was close to him, also encountered an accident recently. However, it wasn't an outside attack that he suffered. Chu Andong had been staying securely on Dragon Tiger Mountain all along. His issue was that he failed when attempting to break through the tribulation between the Third and Fourth Heavenly Layers. Fortunately, amidst his misfortune, although Chu Andong failed, he at least didn't die on the spot and barely managed to cling to life. Nevertheless, his path of cultivation was essentially cut off.

Hearing this news, Lei Jun fell into silence for a while. Chu Andong, like Li Zhenchang, was also considered a promising talent, always valued by the sect Elders. Unexpectedly, he encountered such a disaster.

No wonder many people, throughout their entire lives, never dared to challenge the Heavenly Moat Tribulation between Great Realms. At this moment, Lei Jun couldn't help but worry for other acquaintances, like Luo Haoran and Xia Qing, who were also in seclusion, striving for a breakthrough.