Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 1: Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master's Mansion

Tianshi Mansion at Mount Longhu, the sixth branch of the Daoist Children's Academy at the foot of the mountain.

Lei Jun, dressed in a gray Daoist robe, sat in the great hall, reciting Daoist scriptures alongside other gray-robed disciples with a focused expression.

As a transmigrator, he found himself in a world vastly different from his previous one on Blue Star—a realm where immortals and monsters coexisted, and deities and specters were common. Here, cultivators could soar through the skies and move mountains and seas.

In some ways, Lei Jun's luck was quite good. Not long after arriving in this world, he managed to join Tianshi Mansion.

Tianshi Mansion was long considered one of the three great Daoist Holy Lands of the current era, the ancestral home of the talismanic branch of Daoism, and the residence of one of the most formidable Daoist leaders of the age.

However, this was only the beginning.

At present, Lei Jun was merely a novice disciple, not yet initiated, and without the transmission of the talismanic scriptures, he couldn’t be considered a true heir of Tianshi Mansion.

The mansion had eight outer academies for new disciples, such as Lei Jun. Most of their time was spent in these academies at the mountain’s foot.

Currently, they had collective lessons twice a day, morning and evening.

Morning lessons involved reciting scriptures and memorizing various precepts and rules.

During the late morning, instructors provided guidance on basic cultivation.

Afternoons were for individual activities; most chose to take tasks from the steward’s hall to accumulate merit.

Evening lessons were for studying foundational Daoist texts.

Although Lei Jun and others were only called disciples and not Daoists, as one of the most renowned cultivation centers, the Tianshi Mansion's academy already taught basic Daoist arts to lay a foundation for them.

One day, after finishing the morning cultivation and lunch, Lei Jun and a few disciples arrived at the Paper Talisman Hall.

Their assigned task for the day from the steward’s hall was to help cut talisman paper.

In the talismanic branch of Daoism, the power of talismans depended not only on the creator's cultivation and the scriptures used but also on the talisman brush, ink, and paper.

The paper used by Tianshi Mansion disciples, even the simplest yellow paper, was specially made.

Its preparation and cutting were tasks handled by the disciples themselves and not delegated to ordinary workers.

"Too bad we can’t use the talisman paper we cut ourselves," someone sighed.

Lei Jun remained silent, focused on precisely cutting the yellow paper.

Another disciple commented, "We just need to cultivate diligently and accumulate merit. After the initiation and formal apprenticeship, we’ll be able to make talismans ourselves."

The talismanic branch emphasized the dual cultivation of physical and spiritual well-being, with physical cultivation preceding the spiritual. Broadly speaking, 'physical' referred to the body, and 'spiritual' to the soul. Thus, the Tianshi Mansion's cultivation started with strengthening the body.

Although Lei Jun had only recently joined, his body was already filled with true energy, making him physically robust. He diligently practiced Daoist martial arts, and ordinary foes and creatures found it difficult to approach him.

If he possessed a talisman handed down by a senior, he could activate and use it.

However, as he hadn't yet undergone initiation or received the talismanic scriptures, Lei Jun and the others could not make their own talismans or practice higher-level Daoist arts.

Was this what being an apprentice felt like?

Even in this world of cultivation, joining the ancestral home of Daoism still required hard work and formal certification. Lei Jun shook his head, stacking the cut talisman paper neatly.

Drawing on his experience from reading novels in his previous life, he knew he was currently just considered an outer disciple or apprentice.

The distinction between a disciple and a full Daoist lay in the distance between the academy at the mountain's base and the main Tianshi Mansion halfway up the peak.

One day, he hoped to join the main mansion, complete the initiation, and receive a master’s teaching, earning a Daoist name and generation title. Only then would he be recognized as a true Tianshi Mansion disciple, akin to the inner disciples often mentioned in novels.

Receiving the talismanic scriptures was a step beyond that—something the younger disciples weren't even thinking about.

Midway through their task, a slender boy in a gray robe burst into the Paper Talisman Hall.

The group was curious. "Brother Zhang, weren't you out on a task to gain experience and merit? You're back so soon..."

The thin disciple also started cutting paper. "Don't ask—my luck couldn't have been worse!"

Despite saying not to ask, he couldn't help explaining: "I went fifty miles beyond the mountain to the Qingxi area, where I heard rumors of a monster causing trouble, so I set out to defeat it and protect the people."

And maybe earn some tribute money and even a reward from the academy when he returned.

But...

"Right under Tianshi Mansion's nose, what kind of creature would be so bold?" Lei Jun asked absentmindedly as he cut the paper.

"Exactly!"

The slender disciple's hands paused. "It turned out not to be a real monster, but some petty thieves disguised as monsters to scare and rob people."

He looked deeply frustrated. "I wasted a precious warding talisman I had!"

Everyone paused, feeling his frustration.

"What a waste!"

To these disciples who couldn’t make their own talismans, obtaining talismans from the steward's hall required exchanging hard-earned merit points.

Occasionally, there were better tasks with high rewards.

Although senior disciples often commanded the more valuable opportunities, sometimes they would choose assistants from the academy.

If a disciple could make a good impression, they might be rewarded with talismans or pills.

Moreover, being favored by a senior meant potential future support for these young disciples.

Such tasks were rare and highly competitive.

Just then, a commotion arose downstairs.

Voices drifted in through the window:

"Elder Du is opening a ritual to make talismans and selecting disciples? Really?"

"Keep it down! Do you want everyone on Mount Longhu to know?"

"Right, right, it’s first-come, first-serve! Let's hurry!"

"Do you think Elder Du will choose me?"

Inside the hall, the disciples looked at each other in shock.

They had just been discussing such opportunities, and now one appeared?

"Could it be fake news?"

Lei Jun's neighbor licked his lips nervously, eyes full of desire.

Brother Zhang clapped his hands. "Let’s go check it out!"

The others dropped their work.

At that moment, a glowing orb appeared in Lei Jun's mind, with words forming within:

[The elder opens a ritual to choose disciples. Everyone is elated and rushes forward, but as blessings and misfortunes are interwoven, an unexpected event looms.]

No one noticed the change in Lei Jun. The youths all ran out, eager for a chance.

After the glowing orb flashed, three peculiar lots appeared in Lei Jun’s mind, each inscribed with words:

[Upper-middle lot: Don’t join the rush, stay focused on your tasks. After the unexpected event, assist with tending to the injured at the elder's residence and gain a Fifth Grade Opportunity, proceeding cautiously with no future worries. Good luck.]

[Middle lot: Don’t rush, wait for the right moment. After the unexpected event, go to the Lingzhi Platform and gain a Sixth Grade Opportunity, though this may attract envy and hidden dangers. Neutral.]

[Lower-middle lot: Join the selection, possibly be chosen, but face great calamity before achieving anything. Danger awaits, with life and death uncertain. Bad luck.]