Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 148: New Practice, New Discovery

“Soul-scattering spirit...” Lei Jun pondered.

He’d heard of this thing before.

Just as one of the Lin Clan disciples had exclaimed at the scene, it was indeed a rather sinister treasure. According to the records in the Tianshi Mansion's archives, this item could scatter a person’s soul and spirit. If an unsuspecting person approached it in the wild, they could easily suffer soul dispersal and die on the spot.

Thus, for most ordinary people, this was a highly dangerous object. Even a Lower Heavens cultivator could fall victim to it if caught off guard.

However, this sinister object was relatively rare and difficult to find. Some cultivators even considered it a prized collectible. Therefore, while it wasn’t completely extinct in recent years, sightings were indeed scarce, and news about it was rarely circulated.

No matter the actions of the Lin Clan people in Jiangzhou, their cultivation lineage was a proper Confucian tradition—as orthodox as it gets. The Confucian path focuses on cultivating righteous Qi and exploring the mystical realms of the mind, but it seldom pursues techniques of soul separation or detaching the spirit from the body.

Therefore, items like the Soul-Scattering Essence, which could forcibly separate the soul and spirit, were naturally viewed as sinister objects by the Lin Clan. The Lin Clan disciple had only resorted to using it out of sheer desperation, housing his soul within the crystal to flee.

As for his destroyed body, that would have to be dealt with once he escaped to safety.

With a Middle Heavens cultivation level, his soul was far stronger and more resilient than those of Lower Heavens cultivators or ordinary mortals. Hence, he could temporarily anchor his soul within this strange crystal.

Later, another Lin Clan cultivator had joined him. But now, they were both prisoners of Lei Jun.

Lei Jun maintained his composure, mercilessly using them to familiarize himself with the Soul-Scattering Essence.

After a series of manipulations, Lei Jun had a general understanding of this spiritual item. At his current cultivation level, handling this treasure posed no harm. However, given his Talismanic Branch Daoist heritage, the Soul-Scattering Essence wasn’t particularly useful.

It might be of more use to cultivators of the Daoist Alchemical Sect or the Artifact Refining Sect. The former cultivates an extremely resilient body and soul without being constrained to the physical body. In fact, the Pure Yang Palace, a Daoist Alchemical Sect sacred land, has techniques that allow the soul to leave the body while remaining exceptionally strong—able to travel far and withstand external attacks.

Lei Jun speculated that the Soul-Scattering Essence could be useful in their cultivation process.

As for the Artifact Refining Sect, there was no need to elaborate. They cultivate their soul alongside their life-bound artifact, treating the body as merely an initial vessel for nurturing the soul, with the ultimate goal of transcending the physical form.

In contrast, the Talismanic Branch emphasizes the unity of body and soul, sensing heaven and earth, and mastering unique visualization techniques. Most of the time, they follow a path of soul-body integration, making the Soul-Scattering Essence of limited use.

After interrogating the souls of the two Lin Clan disciples, Lei Jun discovered that this treasure wasn’t obtained during the ambush at Cangling River Gorge or the encounter with the Two-Polar Vulture at the foot of Tiansong Mountain. Rather, it was the result of an earlier personal opportunity.

However, this Lin Clan disciple had stumbled upon something he couldn’t fully utilize. Considering the rarity of the Soul-Scattering Essence, and its potential future value for trade, he had hidden it from his clan elders.

Now, it had ended up in Lei Jun’s hands.

Lei Jun didn’t dwell on it for long. He tidied up and decided to deal with it later. Since he was on Mount Longhu, there was no risk of backlash due to Qi resonance. He casually obliterated the souls of the two Lin Clan disciples and stored away the Soul-Scattering Essence.

“I wonder what the Fifth-Grade and Seventh-Grade Opportunities at Cangling River and Tiansong Mountain are?” Lei Jun mused, but didn’t dwell on it. For him, the Upper-Moderate Omen was the best choice. Opportunities were not meant to be forced.

Besides, the Fifth-Grade Opportunity of his Upper-Moderate Omen suited him perfectly.

Lei Jun took out a massive piece of South Pole Cold Iron. The metal was twisted, no doubt due to the work of the Two-Polar Vulture. This treasure did not originate in the Great Tang, nor was it a product of the Southern Wasteland. It likely came from lands even farther south.

Had the Two-Polar Vulture not accidentally brought this treasure north, who knew when the South Pole Cold Iron would have appeared within the Great Tang's borders?

Lei Jun sat cross-legged in his meditation chamber. Above his head, light and shadows shimmered, revealing his Central Sanqing Palace. From the Dao Palace, two streams of black and white Qi surged out, enveloping the massive cold metal and drawing it into the Dao Palace.

Under the watchful gaze of the illusory ancestors in the Central Sanqing Palace, Lei Jun carefully guided the magnetic energy within the South Pole Cold Iron, blending it with his own power.

He had previously refined the Azure Lightning Spirit and Azure Dragon Lightning, so merging with the magnetic energy was exceptionally smooth.

After a period of cultivation, Lei Jun’s research into magnetic energy progressed. However, there was a slight regret—magnetic energy was best in a dual-polarity form. The South Pole Cold Iron, while marvelous, was slightly unbalanced.

“Perhaps I need to find a treasure infused with North Pole magnetic energy to complement it?” Lei Jun frowned, but soon relaxed.

He then summoned his Breath-Taking Flag. The flag unfurled, releasing a beam of spiritual light that revealed a peculiar page of Heavenly Book. Mysterious characters appeared on the page, containing infinite Daoist truths.

Lei Jun activated his Yin-Yang Sacred Physique, harmonizing the two Qi within his body. The Heavenly Book released its own Yin-Yang Qi, resonating with Lei Jun’s. At this moment, it felt as if heaven and man were united.

The South Pole Cold Iron vibrated between him and the Heavenly Book, its missing spiritual essence seemingly restored by an invisible force.

Lei Jun smiled, satisfied. After concluding his cultivation, he contemplated his new technique.

“Time to give it a name…”

Thinking of the overly long names in the novels from Blue Star, he chuckled and shook his head, then turned his focus to his next task.

Drawing inspiration from the insights of the Heavenly Book, Lei Jun's mind drifted to other matters. He focused his spirit and connected with the Tianshi Seal, entering the True-One Altar Grotto-Heaven once more.

Passing through the Floating Bridge and the Earth Gate, Lei Jun arrived at the first tier of the True-One Altar. Quietly observing the numerous Daoist inscriptions and talismanic patterns, he felt a deep sense of tranquility.

Beyond enhancing his own cultivation, Lei Jun began to ponder the potential of the first tier of the True-One Altar. Even though the Tianshi Seal was currently dormant, preventing him from accessing the second and third tiers, he intuitively sensed that there was more to be gained here.

He immersed himself in contemplation. Time seemed to lose meaning. Suddenly, within his mind, a surge of blue earth fire flickered to life.

Lei Jun found himself surrounded by the blue flames, but instead of pain, he felt a surge of insight.

“Alchemy and artifact refining…” Lei Jun murmured thoughtfully.

Returning his consciousness from the True-One Altar Grotto-Heaven, Lei Jun reflected on his heritage. While not as focused on refining artifacts as the Artifact Refining Sect, the Talismanic Branch had its own unique methods of refining artifacts.

To some Daoist cultivators, talismans, elixirs, and magical artifacts all fell under the category of external alchemy—anything crafted outside one’s own body. The Talismanic Branch, though primarily focused on talismans, also excelled in refining spirit pills and artifacts.

Lei Jun recalled his master, Yuan Mobai, refining elixirs years ago. He’d even helped fetch furnaces and tools from the Grand Alchemy Hall.

Right now, while he had no urgent need for alchemy, he did have some thoughts about refining artifacts.

His current Vermilion-Tipped Brush had served him well, a gift from his master, Yuan Mobai. It had been a reliable tool during his Lower Heavens cultivation, and even at the Fourth Heaven Primal Talisman Stage, it had proven useful.

However, now that Lei Jun had reached the Fifth Heaven Stage, the brush's effectiveness was starting to wane. This was understandable—it had been crafted by Yuan Mobai when he was at the Middle Heavens stage.

Lei Jun considered the possibility of re-refining the brush using the power of the first tier of the True-One Altar.

After pondering for a moment, he decided to seek his master’s advice.