Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 107: Starting to be a Senior Brother Today

Xu Yuanzhen entered the room, bringing a slight chill to the otherwise warm atmosphere.

Lei Jun was already used to this Senior Sister's sudden arrivals and departures, so he wasn’t surprised this time. Instead, he waved at her and said,

"Rare guest!"

Xu Yuanzhen brushed his hand aside as she passed by. "Cut it out."

Yuan Mobai smiled. "Yuanzhen, you’ve returned?"

Xu Yuanzhen took a seat. "I plan to visit the restricted ancestral tombs in the back mountain. The timing coincides with the Initiation Ceremony, so there’s no rush. I’ll leave the mountain after the ceremony ends."

Lei Jun and his master both understood that her trip to the restricted ancestral tombs wasn’t to check on Li Zhengxuan. More likely, it had to do with the missing Tianshi Sword.

Not many knew, but the Tianshi Seal had already been recovered. Now that Xu Yuanzhen was traveling outside the mountain, her objective had shifted to the Tianshi Sword.

"Have you heard about Zhongxuan’s situation?" Yuan Mobai asked.

Xu Yuanzhen replied, "I’ve heard, but I’m not that interested."

Yuan Mobai looked at her.

"If Li Zhengxuan were involved, I might care more."

The young man in the purple robe on the main seat chuckled.

Hearing this, Lei Jun thought to himself: My Senior Sister sure loves a good spectacle.

But perhaps that day would come…

As Xu Yuanzhen said, the Tang Emperor had just established the Demon Suppression Guard, which was still in its infancy. The power struggles among noble families involved plenty of scheming and testing. Hence, there were both public and covert branches of the Demon Suppression Guard. Aside from the general in charge, no Upper-Heaven experts had been stationed there yet.

The real drama would begin once several Upper-Heaven experts joined.

"The Tang Emperor is more likely to take action in the north soon," Xu Yuanzhen remarked casually.

Yuan Mobai nodded thoughtfully. The Lin Clan of Jiangzhou in the south was in decline, leaderless and vulnerable. But excessive external pressure might prompt them to rally together again. Moreover, many top forces had their eyes on Jiangzhou.

Thus, the Tang Emperor’s move in the north could be a tactical diversion.

"Senior Sister, you’ve traveled to so many places. Have you come across any True Yin objects?" Lei Jun asked Xu Yuanzhen.

He briefly explained the situation with the True Yang Mystic Flower.

"True Yin is hard to find, but I did get something," Xu Yuanzhen said. "Though it may not suit your needs."

As she spoke, she took something out.

Senior Sister, your pocket is like a treasure trove. No matter what you pull out, I won’t be surprised… Lei Jun stared at the item in her hand. It was a type of spirit herb.

The vine was thin with few leaves. Despite the bright room, the herb looked like a living shadow, twisting in Xu Yuanzhen’s palm, as if it wanted to coil around her hand.

"Shadow Vine?"

Yuan Mobai was slightly surprised. "I thought it was extinct."

Xu Yuanzhen said, "I found it by chance in Qiluo Valley on Youpeng Mountain, just north of the Great River. I was surprised too."

Lei Jun sensed a trace of True Yin energy in the herb, but the True-One Altar remained unresponsive. It wasn’t a True Yin item that could pair with the True Yang Mystic Flower.

"It seems hard to find in the short term," Xu Yuanzhen remarked.

She did have other leads. In the Bamboo Sea of Southern Shu, beneath Cuixin Peak, a True Yin area was forming, but it would take time. No need to rush. Beyond the northern frontier, under a cold lake, True Yin Stones could be found, but only during summer.

Your range of travel is vast indeed.

Hearing Xu Yuanzhen’s accounts, Lei Jun’s first reaction wasn’t excitement about potential locations, but amazement at his Senior Sister’s travels. She really had been everywhere, seemingly aimless, just roaming the world.

He envied her freedom. Once his cultivation grew stronger, he too wanted to explore the vast lands.

After a brief daydream, Lei Jun refocused and considered the places Xu Yuanzhen mentioned. Since the True Yin area in Southern Shu wasn’t ready, they could delay that visit. The northern lake was too far and out of season.

Yuan Mobai suddenly asked, "Yuanzhen, did you see any Heart-Burning Dragon near the Shadow Vine?"

"No signs of any dragons," Xu Yuanzhen replied. "Even the Shadow Vine almost escaped me."

She became intrigued. "Wait, do the Shadow Vine and Heart-Burning Dragon appear together? That’s new to me."

Yuan Mobai said, "Our sect’s records don’t mention it. Both creatures were thought to be extinct, so it’s understandable."

Xu Yuanzhen nodded. "The Shadow Vine is more well-known, but I’ve only heard rumors of the Heart-Burning Dragon. If it contains True Yang energy, it does make sense as a pair."

She looked at Lei Jun. "No wonder the Shadow Vine doesn’t match your True Yang Mystic Flower."

Lei Jun spread his hands.

"Don’t remove Youpeng Mountain from the list just yet," Yuan Mobai said. "Such a perfect Yin-Yang pair is rare and might be useful to Zhongyun."

Lei Jun pondered this.

Xu Yuanzhen looked at Yuan Mobai, then Lei Jun, and suddenly asked, "Have you started Condensing Fiendish Energy?"

"Not yet," Lei Jun replied. "I planned to start after the ceremony."

Xu Yuanzhen turned to Yuan Mobai. "Are you thinking of using the Shadow Vine and Heart-Burning Dragon to balance the Azure Sky Divine Thunder Fiend and Earth Core Yin Fire Fiend?"

She guessed Yuan Mobai’s thoughts.

Lei Jun realized this matched his own speculation.

Yuan Mobai smiled. "Shall we try?"

Xu Yuanzhen gazed out the window, lost in thought. Even without the Heart-Burning Dragon, she could estimate its properties based on the Shadow Vine. Considering the Azure Sky Divine Thunder Fiend and Earth Core Yin Fire Fiend, she nodded. "It’s feasible."

With her confirmation, Yuan Mobai turned to Lei Jun.

"Zhongyun, you remember the risks of dual fiend cultivation. But with the right Yin-Yang balance, it can turn flaws into strengths. Ultimately, the choice is yours. You can cultivate just the White Tiger Divine Wind Fiend or another fiend if you prefer."

Lei Jun now understood the significance of that Upper-Moderate Omen. No wonder it required waiting until after the New Year.

If they had asked Xu Yuanzhen earlier, she wouldn’t have found the Shadow Vine yet.

Lei Jun now realized that balancing the Azure Sky Divine Thunder Fiend with the Earth Core Yin Fire Fiend required preparing the Shadow Vine and Heart-Burning Dragon beforehand. If he had already condensed one type of fiendish energy, it would be too late to achieve this balance.

The difficulty of reconciling the Yin and Yang fiends would only increase if attempted midway. The outcome would be stronger spells at the same cultivation level, but at the cost of an arduous and slow cultivation process—not worth the trade-off.

Alternatively, he could stick to cultivating just the Azure Sky Divine Thunder Fiend and avoid the Yin fiend altogether. This must be what the Moderate Omen hinted at: “Future development depends on your will.”

Lei Jun’s patience had paid off. He had waited to condense his fiendish energy and was now rewarded with the Shadow Vine, giving him hope of balancing the Yin and Yang fiends. This approach would not only eliminate obstacles but also accelerate his cultivation while enhancing his spell power.

It was like his adventure in the Blue Stone Ink Mine: reaping the benefits while sidestepping the pitfalls.

Lei Jun was pleased by this outcome.

“Shadow Vine, Heart-Burning Dragon...” Xu Yuanzhen examined the herb in her hand. “Interesting. Looks like I struck gold this time.”

She handed the herb to Lei Jun. “After the ceremony, I’ll head back to Youpeng Mountain and search for the Heart-Burning Dragon.”

Her tone revealed a rare hint of excitement. In that moment, it seemed the Heart-Burning Dragon interested her more than the Tianshi Sword.

But then she frowned. “Wait, why do I feel like the Earth Core Yin Fire Fiend is unstable? How many layers of ritual seals have you added to contain it?”

Yuan Mobai sighed. “That’s the other issue I wanted to discuss. We recently discovered that the Earth Core Yin Fire Fiend is nearing depletion. I, along with Third Martial Uncle and Second Senior Sister, managed to stabilize it temporarily, but without resources, we can only do so much. If you start condensing the Earth Core Yin Fire Fiend, it might last for one or two Primal Talismans, but beyond the third, we’ll run into trouble.”

Lei Jun suddenly understood the meaning behind the Lower-Moderate Omen concerning the Earth Core Yin Fire Fiend.

Xu Yuanzhen asked, “Is it related to the recent battles on the mountain?”

Yuan Mobai nodded. “Yes. The disruptions to the earth veins were significant. We’ll prioritize the remaining fiendish energy for those already cultivating it. If it still isn’t enough, we’ll face some difficult choices.”

Yuan Mobai turned to Lei Jun. “Zhongyun, do you want to go with Yuanzhen to Youpeng Mountain? If you find the Heart-Burning Dragon, you can head to Chiyuan Grotto-Heaven or another place to condense the Yin fiend before returning to the mountain to condense the Azure Sky Divine Thunder Fiend.”

The Shadow Vine and Heart-Burning Dragon had to be used before the fiendish energy was condensed. This meant they were only useful for Lei Jun, who had yet to start the process. Other disciples who were already cultivating the Earth Core Yin Fire Fiend couldn’t benefit.

Lei Jun bowed to his master. “I’ll follow your guidance, Master. I’ll travel with Senior Sister to Youpeng Mountain, condense the Yin fiend, and then return to the mountain to condense the Yang fiend.”

He turned to Xu Yuanzhen and bowed in the Daoist manner. “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Xu Yuanzhen ignored him and looked at Yuan Mobai. “You know my rule, Junior Uncle.”

Yuan Mobai smiled. “Just you and Zhongyun—it’s not breaking your rule.”

Noticing Lei Jun’s curiosity, Yuan Mobai explained, “Yuanzhen dislikes traveling in groups of three or more.”

Xu Yuanzhen added, “Three people are already unbearable.”

Yuan Mobai’s smile didn’t falter. “Luckily, this time there aren’t three.”

Xu Yuanzhen glanced at Lei Jun. “Some people count as two.”

Lei Jun smiled modestly. “You’re too kind, Senior Sister.”

“See? He really does count as two.” Xu Yuanzhen smirked. “If Li Zhengxuan had your thick skin, he’d have an easier time.”

With that, she stood up and left, heading toward the restricted ancestral tombs.

Lei Jun looked back at his master.

Yuan Mobai nodded. “She was complimenting you.”

Lei Jun grinned. “I thought so too.”

---

The Initiation Ceremony proceeded as scheduled and concluded smoothly. A new group of initiates formally joined the mansion.

Chu Kun successfully became Yuan Mobai’s disciple.

However, Chu Yu did not attend the ceremony. Instead, Chu Kun’s parents represented the Chu family. Yuan Mobai had befriended them years ago while searching for the Tianshi Seal, forging a bond of goodwill.

During the ceremony, Wang Guiyuan stood beside Yuan Mobai, while Lei Jun accompanied Chu Kun’s parents on the observation platform, along with other Chu family members. The atmosphere was friendly, though some Chu family youths subtly inquired about Lei Jun’s marital status.

Lei Jun pretended not to understand, and since the ceremony was underway, they didn’t press the matter.

After the ceremony, as tradition dictated, Chu Kun returned to the Daoist Children’s Academy to pack his belongings and move to his new residence.

Unlike Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan, who lived close to Yuan Mobai, Chu Kun chose a slightly more secluded residence.

What caught Lei Jun’s attention was the Dao name Yuan Mobai gave Chu Kun. Typically, a disciple’s Dao name shared a character with their given name. For example, Wang Guiyuan’s Dao name was Wang Zhonggui, and Li Xuan’s was Li Zhongxuan.

But Yuan Mobai broke the convention again this year, naming him Chu Zhongguang.

Chu Kun felt something was off but didn’t dwell on it, respectfully saluting Yuan Mobai.

The next day, the four of them gathered in Yuan Mobai’s residence for a joint lesson. Chu Kun greeted Wang Guiyuan and Lei Jun as fellow disciples.

Lei Jun felt a surge of emotion. He was now a senior disciple, with a junior brother of his own.

Will I have disciples of my own someday?