Cultivation: Fortune by Lots

The river source of the Tianxu River at Jiuzhou Ridge, on the surface, still appeared unchanged.

But Lei Jun, through his Water-Averting Golden Pupil, confirmed that there was movement at the riverbed!

Looking around and seeing no one else, Lei Jun activated his Water-Averting Golden Pupil, parted the turbulent water, and delved into the riverbed.

The place where the mountain river originated had a rapid flow, rich in Spiritual Energy and violently unpredictable.

It would truly be difficult for ordinary people to penetrate deep into it.

With the Water-Averting Golden Pupil in hand, Lei Jun still had to occasionally deploy a Golden Barrier Talisman for a second layer of defense to ensure he was not swept away by the undercurrents.

As he ventured deeper, he suddenly perceived the source of the disturbance.

Among the strange rocks on the gloomy riverbed was an odd area.

It resembled stone, yet was not stone; it resembled earth, yet was not earth. It undulated constantly within the turbulent, dark river.

A living creature?

Lei Jun heightened his vigilance. While further concealing his presence with his life-bound Wind Riding Talisman, he also prepared the Dragon Horse Scales and the top-quality Golden Barrier Talisman given by Yuan Mobai.

But after closer inspection, he realized that the undulating area was not concealing some creature.

Instead, the patch of earth and stone was undulating on its own.

When it rose, it appeared as if mounds of soil were bulging on the riverbed.

When it fell, it was as if it collapsed into a deep pit, hollowing out.

It wasn't that something within the soil was undulating; rather, the earth and stone itself would at times increase and at other times decrease.

The reason for the decrease was erosion from the river flow.

As for the growth, the cause was not clear for the time being.

It was as if the soil and rock could replenish itself from nothingness; as parts were carried away by the river, new parts would automatically appear to replace them.

Lei Jun was curious and, after confirming there were no other dangers, moved closer to observe.

As he drew nearer, he began to sense that the soil was rich and active with the essence of earth and stone, as well as its Spiritual Nature.

This opportunity is truly excellent and just what I need right now, Lei Jun thought, and he probed forward with his own mana.

The strange soil, indeed, exhibited no danger or aggression.

As Lei Jun's mana touched it, the soil automatically parted.

Beneath the soil, a Commanding Flag was revealed.

On the flag was a character representing 'Breath'.

...Breathing Soil? Lei Jun immediately had an idea pop into his mind, recalling the legendary Spiritual Object.

But it seemed that what was before his eyes was merely a Commanding Flag, not the true Breathing Soil.

The Commanding Flag contained, or rather, imitated the Spiritual Nature and characteristics of the Breathing Soil. It continually transformed Spiritual Energy into Spirit Soil to seal the river source at the bottom.

Upon closer inspection, Lei Jun saw that after the soil parted, the Commanding Flag was implanted in the rocks below, and there were inscriptions left on the stone.

However, there were inscriptions from two different sets of handwriting, as if they had originated from two individuals.

The first set of inscriptions was lengthier:

"When mountains and rivers change, dynasties shift, and the fate of the earth's veins is altered, the waters of the Tianxu River rise violently. I have used a magic artifact to subdue them. I hope that future generations will consider the lives along the banks of the Tianxu River and not disturb this flag. Be extremely cautious."

No name was left, only a date was recorded: "The Sixty-Seventh Year of Xiantai of the Great Chen."

Lei Jun suddenly understood.

The Great Chen Dynasty was an empire before the Great Tang and had once ruled over the lands south of the Grand River, but it later fell into ruin.

This Commanding Flag had been left by some great expert from that era. It was used to imitate Breathing Soil for water control, with the ceaselessly generating earth and stone Spiritual Energy suppressing the Tianxu River, which should have surged.

As landscapes transformed and the Divine Land changed hands, it often involved the fate of the earth's veins, affecting all under heaven.

When dynasties changed, it could even impact the entire Divine Land's network of Spiritual Energy Veins. Only Prestigious Families and Sect's Sacred Lands remained steadfast, maintaining control over important nearby areas.

Changes in the earth's veins brought about countless rises and falls.

At the time of the Great Chen Dynasty's fall, many alterations in the landscape must have also occurred.

The Tianxu River here was one such instance.

If not for the Commanding Flag's clandestine suppression, the area around Mount Tianxu would likely have suffered disastrous floods.

The Commanding Flag appeared unremarkable on the surface, but it had suppressed the Earth Vein Spiritual Qi of the Tianxu River for so many years without fading; its miraculous properties were truly wonderful beyond words.

It was indeed a Third-Rank Opportunity.

If I'd come earlier, it might not have been easy to take it away, Lei Jun nodded slightly.

But now it was no longer a problem.

Because the Earth Vein Spiritual Qi here was about to undergo significant changes, although the reason was unclear.

The source of the Tianxu River, which had swelled during the dynastic change, was now gradually returning to its original level, no longer needing the Commanding Flag's suppression.

On the contrary, if the Commanding Flag continued to exist here, in the long term, it might completely block the Tianxu River, causing it to dry up.

Could it be that the lands of the Great Tang are about to fall into chaos? It's really hard to say in this world... Lei Jun shook his head.

Lei Jun then looked at the second inscription. This one had fewer words.

But the handwriting was sharp and imposing, as if illusory thunder and lightning crackled, like mysterious Talisman Scriptures presented before Lei Jun:

"Roaming idly, I came across the carvings left by a predecessor. Touched by their spirit and sincerity, one can witness the Tao Containment."

The signature was...

Dragon Tiger Mountain... Li Cangting? Lei Jun raised an eyebrow.

This discovery was somewhat unexpected.

Considering the content and context of the writing, Lei Jun surmised that this was unlikely a message left by Master Cangting during the period when he contended with the previous Celestial Master and his son for the position of Celestial Master.

It seemed more likely to have been left by Li Cangting in his younger years during his travels.

At that time, Li Cangting in the Celestial Master Mansion was probably in a situation similar to the current Yong Celestial Master, Li Zhengxuan.

Although the Tianxu Sect was a branch of Dragon Tiger Mountain's Taoist Talisman Sect, its history was already very long.

It was not surprising that Li Cangting had passed through this place, stayed for a short period, and gained insights into nature during his travels.

It was just a bit too coincidental.

Just as I started to pay attention to the news about the Celestial Master Seal… Lei Jun pondered for a moment then shook his head, temporarily reining in his scattered thoughts.

The storms outside wouldn't disrupt his own life.

Lei Jun bowed to the Commanding Flag and the inscriptions, a respectful Taoist salute.

Feeling the mana contained within the Commanding Flag, it seemed to also come from a senior expert of the Taoist Sect, but it was uncertain which lineage specifically.

Judging by Li Cangting's choice of words, the Commanding Flag's previous owner did not seem to be a senior from the Taoist Talisman Sect.

After paying his respects, Lei Jun took the Commanding Flag.

He encountered no resistance or difficulties.

The inscription left by Li Cangting nearby, likewise, showed no reaction.

The artifact felt gentle, giving off a sense as solid and quiet as the earth yet capable of carrying all things, as if it could accommodate everything.

Breathing Soil Banner. A name emerged in Lei Jun's mind.

Unfortunately, there was no information about the artifact's previous owner.

As he took the Commanding Flag, the undulating mud at the bottom of the river instantly vanished.

The flow of water at the river's source became somewhat more turbulent.

But upon closer observation, Lei Jun noticed the current quickly subsided a bit.

Once it decreased to a certain level, it stabilized and ceased to change.

He surfaced, looking down again to see the rushing Tianxu River flowing as in the past, showing no signs of abnormality.

The destiny and nature of this world truly hold infinite mysteries, Lei Jun remarked, observing for a while longer to ensure the water did not surge before taking his leave.

He put away the Breathing Soil Banner, deciding not to examine it closely for the moment, and continued his previous task, patrolling the nearby mountains once again.

As dusk approached, there was still no sign of the Lin Clan, Yellow Sky Sect, or other enemies.

Only then did Lei Jun return to the Tianxu Sect to hand over his duties, allowing other Tianxu Sect disciples to continue the patrol.

However, just as he returned, he heard a piece of great news:

"The Lin Clan's Clan Chief has suffered a great loss at Dragon Tiger Mountain!"