Cultivation: Fortune by Lots

The Blood River Sect disciple trapped in the thunder net was infuriated.

He swung his blade even more forcefully.

However, the thunder net, embodying the hollow resilience of bamboo, naturally dissipated the force of his opponent's strike and even absorbed the threads of Blade Qi.

This Blood River Sect disciple was quite fierce. When one slash failed to break through, he scoffed coldly and, astonishingly, slashed his own body, creating several wounds.

Blood spurted from the wounds.

Curiously, when the blood splashed upon the thunder net, it actually hissed, and white smoke billowed forth.

Although the thunder net was not directly burned through, it was visibly being eroded and contaminated by the bloody water, despite being composed of Thunder Light.

The lightning crackled and exploded relentlessly as it confronted the bloody water.

At this moment, the Blood River Sect disciple struck another powerful blow and actually broke through the thunder net.

As he bled from his injuries, the killing and destructive power of his blood-red Blade Qi paradoxically increased.

But after the Blood River Sect disciple slashed through the thunder net and charged out, Lei Jun was nowhere to be seen…

BANG!

The Blood River Sect disciple's eyes bulged, his spine snapped in two. His body swayed and then collapsed forward.

Lei Jun stood behind him, calmly retracting his fist.

In terms of attack power, it's comparable to a Body-Refining Martial Artist of the same realm, and the range is slightly larger, but speed and defense are somewhat inferior.

Lei Jun nodded slightly. But that strange Blood Qi can steal, absorb, and convert others' Vitality to heal its own wounds. The blood from self-inflicted injuries has the effect of defiling and unraveling my Mana. Moreover, when injured, its combat power temporarily strengthens...

Every time Lei Jun fought a different opponent, he would analyze his own performance and that of his adversary.

His Actual Combat Spellcasting proficiency improved accordingly.

Practitioners of the Blood River Sect's heritage at the Third Heavenly Layer don't leave a corpse after death, do they?

Lei Jun looked at the Blood River Sect disciple he had just killed, only to see the corpse gradually dissolve into a pool of pus and blood.

This differed from what he had previously observed, where disciples of the Blood River Sect at the Second Heavenly Layer still left corpses upon death.

The pus and blood settled on the forest floor. For a considerable time, instead of seeping into the underlying soil and rocks, it strangely remained pooled together, emitting a strong, nauseating stench of blood that almost induced vomiting.

Although Lei Jun only found the smell pungent, he discerned the malevolence within it. If ordinary civilians were to approach, they might be affected by the Blood Qi, driven to madness and bloodthirst.

He activated an Evil-Repelling Talisman. Under the shining light of the Spirit Talisman, the pool of filth was successfully purified and eliminated.

After completing all this, Lei Jun finally left the scene.

Having been out for a long while and with new ideas for improving the Five Thunder Talisman, he decided to return to Dragon Tiger Mountain first.

After reporting to the on-duty Elder of Our Sect, Lei Jun went back to his residence for a brief rest, planning to descend the mountain again later.

As the Talisman Paper in his private residence was nearly depleted, he decided to stop by the Celestial Master Mansion on his way to pick up some more before returning.

In front of the Treasure Pavilion, he happened to encounter a group of young Tao Boys in gray robes heading up the mountain.

The mountain was currently short on manpower. It wasn't so dire as to recruit a troop of 'child soldiers' from the Tao Boy Court at the foot of the mountain to fill the gaps. However, these were special times requiring special measures, so many risk-free tasks were temporarily assigned to the Tao Boys.

The group of gray-robed young Tao Boys were precisely on their way to the Celestial Master Mansion, midway up the mountain, to assist with tasks as ordered.

Upon seeing Lei Jun, they immediately bowed together. "Disciples greet the Taoist."

"You may rise," Lei Jun said with a nod, his gaze sweeping over them and landing on a familiar Tao Boy.

The boy was around thirteen or fourteen years old, with a handsome appearance and a somewhat scholarly air.

It was Chu Kun, a young member of the Chu Family.

Back in the Yunxiao Mountain Range, Yuan Mobai had agreed to guide him into the Tao and allowed Chu Kun to return to his hometown in Suzhou to make arrangements before coming to Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Unexpectedly, the Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain then emerged from seclusion, leading to a series of dramatic changes.

This young member of the Chu Family did, however, still arrive at Dragon Tiger Mountain as promised.

Regardless of the steadfastness of his own heart towards the Tao, in the eyes of the outside world, this matter was more representative of the Suzhou Chu Clan's attitude. At the very least, it reflected a portion of some people's attitudes and carried profound meaning.

Of course, having arrived at Dragon Tiger Mountain, Chu Kun still followed the rules, first entering the Tao Boy Court to build his foundation and learn the protocols and ceremonies, awaiting the opportunity to formally enter the sect during the next Transmission Ceremony.

However, having been guided into the Tao by Yuan Mobai, barring any major surprises, as long as he successfully participated in the Transcension Ritual, he would become a disciple under Yuan Mobai.

Seeing this future junior brother, Lei Jun nodded. "Are you finding the mountain agreeable so far?"

Chu Kun quickly replied, "I am accustomed to it. Everything is fine for this disciple, and the instructors and my fellow disciples in the court are all very congenial."

With others nearby, Lei Jun didn't say much more, only offering a few words of encouragement: "Although these times are unusual, don't dwell on it. Focus on your own cultivation."

Chu Kun quickly assented.

The other young Tao Boys looked at him and Lei Jun with envy.

The Celestial Master Mansion Elder responsible for the Treasure Pavilion saw this from afar and smiled, nodding.

Among the younger generation, this young man named Lei Jun not only possesses outstanding strength and talent, showing signs of surpassing his peers, but his mindset and conduct are also commendable. It's rumored that his peers, such as Xia Qing, Chu Andong, and Li Zhenchang, have all received his help. Though he doesn't always wear a smile like his mentor Elder Yuan, whose presence often feels like a warm spring breeze, this Lei is clearly also skilled at fostering goodwill and camaraderie among his peers...

After receiving items from the Treasure Pavilion, Lei Jun returned to his own residence.

He first bathed and changed his clothes, cleansed his mouth and hands, offered incense to the heavens, and then drew some Spirit Talismans.

After nightfall, Lei Jun once again began to cultivate in meditative tranquility.

Beneath the cover of the Breathing Soil Banner, two Celestial Master Seal imprints resonated, once more opening the "path" to the True One Altar.

Although he still couldn't enter the Altar itself, Lei Jun felt he benefited greatly with his Spiritual Soul hovering above the ritual ground, bathed in the Tao Containment.

But tonight, after quietly cultivating his spirit for some time, Lei Jun suddenly felt a sense of unease.

This disquiet didn't stem from Lei Jun himself. Rather, it seemed to originate from the True One Altar Cave Heaven.

Has someone else entered?

Lei Jun's Spiritual Soul drifted behind the Daoist Banner, first observing cautiously.

He sensed carefully and discovered that no other person or Spiritual Soul had entered the True One Altar Cave Heaven.

But indeed, someone was trying to contact it from the outside world, attempting to open another 'channel.' However, they had not succeeded.

Lei Jun had entered and exited this place multiple times. Influenced by the Tao Containment within the Cave Heavens, he had developed some understanding of it.

The current situation doesn't suggest that the Celestial Master Seal itself has fallen into someone else's hands. It's more like someone, similar to him, possesses a few clues related to the Celestial Master Seal and attempted to communicate with the True One Altar Cave Heaven that originated from it. Unfortunately, this attempt failed.

After a short while, the Cave Heaven gradually stabilized, the previous unrest dissipating.

Lei Jun frowned slightly, hovering above the ritual ground in contemplation.

「···」

In the water towns of the South, amid the towers and pavilions, Chu Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the piece of paper on the desk.

On the paper was a square seal mark. Its patterns were not overly complex, yet they were profoundly deep and inscrutable.

Chu Yu withdrew his gaze and shook his head slightly. It seems I'll still need to try my luck near Dragon Tiger Mountain after all.