Cultivation: Fortune by Lots

Chen Yi had not only practiced the spells of other sects.

It seemed he also possessed methods to conceal the arts he cultivated.

But would he be able to deceive his master, Yao Yuan, an eminent High Merit Elder of Dragon Tiger Mountain who possessed Upper Three Heavens cultivation?

*Lei Jun was curious, but as long as the other man posed no threat to him, he had no desire to dig deeper.*

Later, after temporarily driving back the Yellow Sky Sect disciples, the Celestial Master Mansion's true inheritors regrouped.

Lei Jun and Chen Yi stood face to face, both looking as composed as ever, with nothing unusual showing on their faces.

The two of them were, at best, acquaintances who barely nodded to each other, with little real interaction.

Chen Yi bore no personal grudge against Lei Jun, but he could not stand Tang Xiaotang.

Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang interacted frequently; Chen Yi did not exactly hate Lei Jun by association, but they shared no real friendship.

At this moment, the appearance of another true inheritor from the Celestial Master Mansion made Chen Yi frown slightly, turning his gaze aside.

Li Zhenchang... Lei Jun thought to himself.

The two young Taoists weaved through the crowd, receiving greetings from many of Celestial Master Mansion's true heirs.

One was named Li Zhenchang, a collateral member of the Li Family, yet remarkably gifted.

The other was named Chu Andong; though a true inheritor of the Celestial Master Mansion, he hailed from the Suzhou Chu Clan.

The Chu clansman, Chu Kun, who had previously been accepted as a disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion, was in fact brought in by this man.

He and Li Zhenchang were fellow disciples, both directly inheriting grand-disciples of Supreme Elder Li Song.

It was worth mentioning that Chen Yi's earliest conflict with the Li clan stemmed from Li Zhenchang.

Years ago, when Lei Jun and Chen Yi were still in the Tao Boy Court, Chen Yi had, by chance, obtained the Pure Gold Ganoderma from Ganoderma Terrace.

Unluckily for Li Zhenchang, he needed this very treasure as an alchemy ingredient at the time, but the Pure Gold Ganoderma ended up being consumed by Chen Yi.

Perhaps Li Zhenchang himself was indifferent to it back then.

But since there were other Li clansmen at Tao Boy Court, Chen Yi ended up being made their target, the conflict between both sides growing deeper and deeper.

Later, after Chen Yi was formally initiated through the Transcension Ritual, he entered the Hall of Adherence, where even more grudges with the Li clan formed.

From what Lei Jun had heard, during Chen Yi's time in the Hall of Adherence, he clashed with Li Zhenchang himself as well.

Their animosity could be said to be set in stone.

For now, with an outside enemy present, they simply ignored each other in public.

Li Zhenchang and Chu Andong were well-liked; several fellow disciples went up to greet them.

"Lei?"

Chu Andong, however, came over to Lei Jun, "I've always wanted to meet you, but never got the chance until today. Now, I finally have my wish."

Lei Jun, "Chu, what guidance do you have for me?"

Chu Andong smiled and said, "Guidance is too much—I have a kinsman, Chu Kun, who was fortunate enough to be recommended into the Tao by Master Yuan. If it's convenient for you, Lei, I hope you'll look after him. I'd be deeply grateful."

In fact, he was Chu Kun's uncle.

But if Chu Kun truly entered Yuan Mobai's tutelage, they would be fellow disciples instead.

So Chu Andong glossed over their blood ties, making only a vague reference.

"Our elders teach us to care for one another; Lei Jun would not dare forget that. Chu, you're too polite," Lei Jun said.

Li Zhenchang, who had come over with Chu Andong, wore a faintly odd expression upon hearing this.

He was not targeting Lei Jun, but simply remembered his own dealings with Chen Yi.

Yet Li Zhenchang's expression quickly returned to normal, and he laughed and talked with Lei Jun and Chu Andong.

Although their old acquaintance was not deep, Chu Andong was eager to build rapport, and the conversation was quite pleasant.

As they talked, the three drifted onto the subject of the Southern Witch Sect expert who had involved himself earlier,

"We can't relax our vigilance. Even though the Southern Witch Sect is chaotic, that's exactly why they tend to act unpredictably."

Although outside the Great Tang, the Southern Witch Sect was itself a massive Taoist heritage, comparable to the Confucian, Buddhist, Taoist, and Martial sects, with an extremely long history—just not the mainstream within Great Tang.

For example, the Confucian inheritance had three primary lineages: Scriptures Studies, Divine Archery, and Chanting. Within Southern Witch Sect, there were five main branches.

The Divine Dance Lineage, inheriting the Witchcraft Spirit.

The Blood River Lineage, inheriting the Witch Blood.

The Worm Arts Lineage, inheriting the Shaman Aura.

The Ghost Tao Lineage, inheriting the Witchcraft Soul.

The Curse-Proclaiming Lineage, inheriting the Witchcraft Bone.

The last of these, over time, had come to be known as the Decapitation Arts.

Just as the Taoist Sect had three Sacred Lands, each of the Five Veins of the Witch Sect had their own sacred ground.

The Worm Art Vein's sacred site was named Yintuo Mountain.

But the internal strife in the Southern Wildernes was even fiercer than in Great Tang.

Even within the Worm Arts Sacred Land, Yintuo Mountain, there were countless splinter factions—some never crossing paths, others locked in bitter, unending feud.

Compared to how intense and frequent the infighting among the Witch Sects was, the few bouts of internal trouble at the Celestial Master Mansion seemed almost trivial.

Still, at times the Witch Sect branches would cooperate or even unite, forcing those beyond the Southern Wildernes to remain alert.

Fortunately, this time only a single Elder from Yintuo Mountain came with some disciples, seeking trouble with Tang Xiaotang personally.

After Tang Xiaotang drove them off, Dragon Tiger Mountain still only needed to focus all its strength to fend off the Yellow Sky Sect disciples.

Lei Jun spent his days drifting easily through the tasks assigned to him, using the opportunity to hone his Taoist boxing and staff techniques, strengthening his vital energy, and better refining the Bear King's Mysterious Gall Force.

Overall, there was not much real danger.

That all changed one day, when Dragon Tiger Mountain suddenly trembled in its entirety!

In the sky above the immortal mountain, azure lightning gathered densely, thunderclouds instantly blanketing the heavens, and serpents of electricity racing through the clouds.

Both Celestial Master Mansion disciples and Yellow Sky Sect disciples were stunned at the upheaval overhead.

Lei Jun was shocked as well.

He suddenly realized that the seal remnant of the Celestial Master Seal preserved on the Breathing Soil Banner was resonating with the shift in the sky.

Was it the Celestial Master Seal?

*Could it be that, affected by the ongoing battle on Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Celestial Master Seal had finally been drawn to this area?

Next, would the Mansion's supreme treasure directly return to Dragon Tiger Mountain?* Lei Jun took a deep breath.

He was not the only one—around Dragon Tiger Mountain, there were others who sensed the true reason for this upheaval between heaven and earth.

Inside the Celestial Master Mansion, Yong Celestial Master Li Zhengxuan's expression grew more solemn than ever, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

There, a magical sword was shrouded in radiant light, its specific form unclear, but it rang like thunder, echoing the changing heavens.

"The Celestial Master Seal—it's returned near Dragon Tiger Mountain. Is it about to reappear?" Li Zhengxuan muttered to himself.

Beside him, his junior Li Xuan softly asked, "Senior brother, will the Celestial Master Seal return directly to our mansion?"

Li Zhengxuan said, "At the moment, it still falls short; someone needs to actively go to meet it... There are two places showing a response; one at Xinjiang River, the other at the Supreme Pure River."

These two rivers were the most important waterways surrounding Dragon Tiger Mountain.

"Senior brother..." Li Xuan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping short.

Li Zhengxuan was silent for a long time, then finally spoke again, "With the situation unclear, the ancestral court must come first—Dragon Tiger Mountain cannot be left without a guardian. I cannot leave lightly!"

He looked at Li Xuan, "Junior Li, I'm counting on you to make a trip—choose one; go to Xinjiang River and try your luck. The response there is stronger; let's see if today is the day the Celestial Master Seal returns."

Li Xuan agreed, "I will do everything I can."

Down the mountain,

Lei Jun, too, was curious about the precise location of the Celestial Master Seal.

But that seal remnant offered only a vague hint—roughly to the west and north, no certain direction or spot.

While he was considering this, a glowing orb flickered in his mind, characters appearing,

[The supreme treasure reappears, clouds stir in four directions; distant as the horizon, a dragon reveals only its head, and close at hand, the fated may yet glimpse a claw or a scale.]

Then, three lots were drawn,

[Moderately good lot: Go to Green Thunder Ridge at the foot of Dragon Tiger Mountain after sunset, and obtain a Fourth Rank Opportunity. However, the web of karmic entanglements will deepen, so tread cautiously in the future. Auspicious.]

[Perfectly neutral lot: Go to Thunder Mountain on the Supreme Pure River, with no gain and no risk. Balanced.]

[Moderately unlucky lot: Go to Xinjiang Grand Ferry, and gain nothing, but encounter a dire calamity. Danger surrounds you, and survival is uncertain. Inauspicious.]