Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 142: Fifth Heaven, Taoist Palace!

In Yuan Mobai's residence, Lei Jun opened the altar and began the ritual.

His master, Yuan Mobai, sat quietly to the side, watching his disciple perform the Big Dipper Steps on the altar. Besides him, Wang Guiyuan and Chu Kun stood silently.

When facing a tribulation, one could only rely on themselves; others could hardly offer assistance. Nevertheless, this was a rare experience, so Yuan Mobai arranged for Chu Kun to observe. Strictly speaking, Chu Kun was merely there to absorb the atmosphere. He held his breath and stayed silent, his expression serious.

Events like these were rare. For someone crossing a tribulation, having spectators nearby might disturb their focus. Similarly, for young disciples watching, witnessing a failure could leave a negative impression and hinder their own future cultivation.

However, Lei Jun’s mind was clear and steady. The presence of Wang Guiyuan and Chu Kun didn’t trouble him. Chu Kun, though serious, also adjusted his mindset to stay calm. Having already experienced the Heavenly Chasm Tribulation between the First and Second Heavens, he silently absorbed the atmosphere of Lei Jun facing a higher tribulation, refining his own spirit through the experience.

On the altar, as Lei Jun performed the Big Dipper Steps, points of light sparkled like stars. The light mist transformed into a beautiful Star River, surrounding the area.

When his figure and the third layer of the altar were entirely concealed within the Star River, Yuan Mobai and the others knew that the true test was about to begin.

At the top of the altar, Lei Jun stopped and sat cross-legged. Above his head, four Primal Talismans hovered in four directions, emitting a wondrous glow. Mysterious Daoist patterns and symbols appeared on each talisman.

The sounds of thunder and wind rose together. The Azure Sky Divine Thunder Qi and the Nine Nether Yin Wind Qi intertwined, surging between the four talismans. The Star River surrounding Lei Jun remained, shrouding him.

With his eyes closed, Lei Jun focused his mind. After a moment, spiritual energy began to flow from his spleen. His mana gathered steadily in his spleen—neither overly yin nor overly yang, perfectly balanced and ceaseless.

At the same time, he meditated on his journey since entering the Dao. His Dao heart was neither cold nor intense, but pure and peaceful, vast as the heavens and earth, solid and broad, merging all his essence, energy, and spirit.

With this step, Lei Jun pushed open the gate to the Fifth Heaven Dao Palace Realm of the Daoist Talismanic Branch.

The orthodox teachings of Mount Longhu dictated that the Dao Palace Realm involved nurturing the five organs, refining the five elements, cultivating the five energies, stabilizing the five directions, and establishing the five palaces. Only when the five palaces merged into one could a complete Dao Palace be formed, preparing a cultivator to advance toward the Sixth Heaven. Therefore, the Dao Palace Realm was divided into five stages.

The five palaces corresponded to the five organs, five elements, and five directions. For male cultivators, the journey began from the south, with the Southern Dragon-Tiger Palace, refining Heart Fire and nurturing Yang Qi.

Next was the Central Three Pure Palace, associated with the spleen and the element earth, nurturing the balanced qi of yin and yang. This was followed by the Western Spirit Officer Palace (lungs, metal, Lesser Yin Qi), the Eastern Mysterious Altar Palace (liver, wood, Lesser Yang Qi), and finally, the Northern Profound Darkness Palace (kidneys, water, Greater Yin Qi).

For female cultivators, the order was reversed, starting with the Northern Profound Darkness Palace to nurture Greater Yin Qi, followed by the Central Three Pure Palace for balancing yin and yang, and concluding with Southern Dragon-Tiger Palace.

If Lei Jun still had his Hidden Dragon Spirit Physique, his mana would now concentrate on his heart, refining Heart Fire, like the blazing midday sun. But with his physique transformed into the Sacred Yin-Yang Physique, his mana remained balanced, harmonizing yin and yang.

The first palace he established was the Central Three Pure Palace. By refining Spleen Earth Qi, he balanced the central energy, facilitating the establishment of the other four palaces more quickly.

But first, he had to overcome the Heavenly Chasm Tribulation before him. The balanced Yin-Yang Qi rose above his head, merging with the four Primal Talismans, forming the framework for his Central Three Pure Palace. As his Spleen Earth Qi fused with the talismans, a Dao Palace began to take shape.

At that moment, a contamination appeared beneath the palace’s foundation, like water seeping into the earth—the Water Tribulation had arrived.

This tribulation was subtle yet destructive, eroding the Dao foundation, body, and soul. Once it began, there was no turning back. Male cultivators relied on Heart Fire to counter the water, while female cultivators used Kidney Water.

With his Sacred Yin-Yang Physique, Lei Jun used Spleen Earth Qi to combat the water. The illusory palace resisted the seepage, holding the contamination at bay.

Yuan Mobai smiled slightly. His disciple aimed to achieve in a few years what took others a decade. Given time, Lei Jun could overcome this on his own. But for now...

Lei Jun made his next move. The glowing Five Elements Grand Evolution Treasure Sand entered his body. It first merged with Lung Metal Qi, then flowed to Kidney Water, then Liver Wood, then Heart Fire, and finally returned to Spleen Earth.

Metal generates water. Water generates wood. Wood generates fire. Fire generates earth. The five elements nurtured each other, strengthening the Spleen Earth Qi.

The contamination faded. Lei Jun exhaled deeply.

His Three Pure Palace was established!

The glow receded, and the palace solidified within the illusory mountain gate. Spiritual energy gathered around it from all directions.

Lei Jun opened his eyes. The surrounding Star River dissipated. Yuan Mobai smiled, and Wang Guiyuan and Chu Kun stepped forward to congratulate him.

“You’ve finally taken this step,” Lei Jun said, his face full of joy.

He descended from the altar, thanking his master, senior brother, and junior brother for their support.

“Lei-shixiong, how do you feel?” Chu Kun asked curiously.

Lei Jun replied, “I still need to stabilize my cultivation and adapt to the changes.”

His newly established Dao Palace had strengthened his body from within, enhancing both his physical and spiritual vitality.

Lei Jun’s internal and external balance refined his body, nourishing his spirit, making him feel even more energized.

Yuan Mobai waved his sleeve, and the disciples followed him to the front hall for further instruction. After the day’s lessons ended, Lei Jun returned to his residence, carefully nurturing his mana and adapting to the changes in his body.

The next day, he visited Yuan Mobai again. Yuan Mobai asked, “Chongyun, are you ready?”

Lei Jun nodded calmly. “I’m prepared, but whether I succeed or not depends on the approval of our sect’s elders.”

Yuan Mobai replied, “Then let’s go.”

The master and disciple left the residence and headed straight to the High Priests’ Hall. Lei Jun accompanied his master because he was applying for an early Talisman Conferral.

The Talisman Conferral, also known as Second Conferral, had specific requirements and timelines. To receive an exception, approval from the senior members of the Tianshi Mansion was necessary. Only after passing the review could he proceed to the Talisman Bureau for the conferral.

Technically, Lei Jun could have chosen not to apply for the early conferral. However, he had no desire to feign mediocrity; he preferred to follow his natural path. Moreover, without the conferral, Yuan Mobai couldn’t pass on the Fourth Scroll of the True-One Righteous Dao Canon to him. This would hinder his future cultivation, making his recent breakthrough to the Fifth Heaven pointless.

At this time, aside from Xu Yuanzhen, Li Zhengxuan, and the exceptional Tang Xiaotang, the other senior elders were all present in the mansion. Thus, Lei Jun underwent the review process before several elders simultaneously.

Lei Jun’s rapid progress astonished Li Song, Li Hongyu, Li Ziyang, Yao Yuan, and Shangguan Ning.

“A Fifth Heaven cultivator at just thirty years old,” Yao Yuan remarked, his gaze sweeping across the others. “Considering he started learning the Dao at eighteen, this is truly exceptional.”

Even if Lei Jun had received the Talisman Conferral early on, his current progress was beyond expectations.

“In terms of cultivation level, he’s undoubtedly qualified. As for the timeline…” Yao Yuan trailed off, looking to the others for consensus.

He wasn’t opposing the request; he was simply confirming whether they should grant an exception. Such exceptions weren’t unprecedented. The sect had already made numerous exceptions for Tang Xiaotang due to her extraordinary potential.

While Lei Jun’s potential didn’t yet surpass Tang Xiaotang’s, he had clearly outpaced many of his peers. What was once considered a promising seedling had now sprouted and grown vigorously. Compared to other talented disciples, Lei-shizhi had emerged as a standout.

“Chongyun is indeed excellent,” Yuan Mobai said. “But we must follow the rules.”

He continued, “However, the sect’s regulations state that if a disciple has made significant contributions, early conferral is permitted.”

Li Ziyang and Yao Yuan nodded. “That’s correct.”

Yuan Mobai turned to Lei Jun, who respectfully presented several talismans. The elders didn’t need to touch them; a mere glance revealed everything. These were various types of foundational talismans, previously unrecorded in the sect’s Talismanic Scriptures.

It was evident that the designs were rooted in the Tianshi Mansion’s orthodox talisman arts, yet they contained ingenious innovations beyond the capability of ordinary disciples.

Li Hongyu looked at Lei Jun. “Lei-shizhi, did you create these yourself, or did you obtain them from elsewhere?”

Lei Jun replied, “I created them myself—just humble attempts. Please guide me, honored elders.”

Li Hongyu shook her head. “They’re already very good.”

While it wasn’t difficult for the elders to modify or innovate basic talismans, few dedicated themselves to systematic research. Their focus was on higher-level talismans and mystical arts. For someone as young as Lei Jun, with his relatively modest cultivation level, such accomplishments were remarkable.

There was no doubt that these foundational talismans would benefit future generations of the Tianshi Mansion’s disciples.

This time, Lei Jun did not present his Life-Bound Talisman, the Five Thunder Talisman. Though he had elevated it to the Yin Five Thunder True Law Talisman, he chose to withhold it. Instead, he presented other foundational talismans like the Chain Flame Talisman and the Flying Fire Talisman. These were byproducts of his experiments before perfecting the Five Thunder Talisman. Their power surpassed the traditional Flame Talisman and Thunder Talisman.

Of course, these talismans consumed more mana and mental energy, especially for cultivators in the Lower Three Heavens. Nevertheless, their value was undeniable.

Even Li Song, the eldest and most senior elder present, acknowledged their worth. No one doubted that these were Lei Jun’s creations or suspected Yuan Mobai of intervening on his behalf.

The High Priests’ Hall approved the request without difficulty. Lei Jun’s contributions to the sect’s talismanic arts were significant, and his merit justified early conferral.

Upon leaving the High Priests’ Hall, Lei Jun proceeded to the Talisman Bureau. There, he received the Taishang True-One Authority Talisman, commonly known as the Authority Talisman. His official rank rose from Sixth Grade to Fifth Grade.

With this promotion, Lei Jun’s privileges within the sect improved accordingly. However, what he valued most was the opportunity to learn the Fourth Scroll of the True-One Righteous Dao Canon from Yuan Mobai.

Lei Jun’s cultivation journey was now on a fast track, and he was determined to keep advancing.

The conferral went smoothly, but like a pebble dropped into a pond, it stirred renewed attention.

“Lei-shixiong’s progress is almost too fast!”

In Elder Shangguan Ning’s residence, his disciple, Shangguan Hong, was stunned. “It’s only been three or four years since he received his first talisman conferral, right? He ascended from the Third Heaven to the Fourth Heaven, and now he’s already in the Fifth Heaven?”