Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 197: We dare not mention it, we dare not ask

The Decree Pavilion remained unscathed, and nothing else occurred throughout the night.

Could it really be that blowing up the alchemy furnace and igniting a fire was the opportunity for fortune to appear?

Lei Jun shook his head with a laugh.

He returned to the spot where the disciple had inspected the furnace the previous night, looking around.

The books stored in this area were not the sect's core Daoist scriptures but rather ancient texts collected over the years.

With a thought brewing in his mind, Lei Jun began flipping through the books.

After some time searching, he finally made a discovery.

While it wasn’t the anticipated Fourth-Grade Opportunity, it did confirm Lei Jun's earlier suspicions.

Later, when his fellow disciple, Chu Kun, arrived at the Decree Pavilion, Lei Jun waved a scroll at him. “See if there’s anything in here you might need.”

Chu Kun accepted it and found it was a travelogue from an earlier era.

One section recorded the long-extinct phenomenon of the Xianluo Surrounding the Sun.

“This is it!” Chu Kun exclaimed with delight.

Lei Jun nodded slightly.

The area nearly affected by the potential furnace explosion hadn’t yet been reviewed by them. If a fire had broken out and destroyed the books there, they might never have realized they had missed such crucial content.

Fortunately, the scroll had been preserved, allowing Chu Kun to find what he needed.

This was truly a case of "an unintentional act bearing unexpected fruits."

Could the Fourth-Grade Opportunity hinted at in the Upper-Moderate Omen also lie here?

Though curious, Lei Jun refrained from prying into Chu Kun’s secrets. After a brief chat, he watched Chu Kun leave.

Lei Jun’s life returned to normal after that. He continued focusing on his cultivation while fulfilling his duty of guarding the Decree Pavilion.

When not cultivating, Lei Jun relaxed by reading in the Decree Pavilion or practicing alchemy.

Currently, the True-One Altar derived from the Tianshi Seal was being used to reconstruct the long-lost Cold Radiance Pill from the Shushan Sect.

As for Lei Jun himself, his alchemy efforts were concentrated on the Celestial Purification Pill (Tianyuan Qingjing Dan).

He kept a low profile, only practicing in the Grand Alchemy Hall and conducting formal refinement sessions in his private residence.

Although there were speculations about his identity and his connection with the Wood Luminary, Lei Jun remained silent for now.

Through repeated attempts, Lei Jun finally succeeded in producing Celestial Purification Pills of satisfactory quality.

“Hmm, excellent quality,” Yuan Mobai praised after seeing the results.

The pills had a light azure hue, resembling a clear blue sky, with faint golden radiance shimmering on the surface like sunlight.

Yuan Mobai took one of the pills and consumed it.

The formula for the Celestial Purification Pill had been lost in the Tianshi Mansion for many years. Of the few remaining pills, most had been used over time. Only two were still preserved, kept as both a contingency and a historical relic.

Yuan Mobai had seen those two pills but never used them. He retrieved one for comparison with Lei Jun's newly refined pills.

They were identical in appearance.

To ensure safety, however, he insisted on testing the pill himself instead of letting Lei Jun do it.

According to the sect's records, the Celestial Purification Pill enhanced a Talismanic Branch cultivator’s ability to communicate with the spiritual energy of nature.

While the description was somewhat vague, its effects—supporting daily cultivation, talisman crafting, and even soul refinement—aligned well with the Talismanic Branch's practices.

These benefits were particularly significant for cultivators in the Lower and Middle Heavens but had little value for those in the Upper Heavens. Conversely, even if the pill caused minor side effects, it wouldn’t harm Upper Heaven cultivators.

Thus, Yuan Mobai volunteered to experiment with it.

Fortunately, the results were promising.

“No pill toxins or harmful tribulations,” he concluded, his warm smile even brighter than usual. “The Celestial Purification Pill has truly returned to our sect. This will undoubtedly console the spirits of our ancestors.”

Lei Jun exhaled deeply. “That’s the best outcome we could hope for.”

Yuan Mobai nodded. “The pill’s revival will likely catch the attention of the Wood Luminary and others among the Seven Luminaries. Its benefits extend to many in our sect, not just a select few, so we mustn’t hold back out of fear.

“However, given the rarity of the ingredients, large-scale production won’t be possible in the short term. For now, we should focus on gathering materials.”

Lei Jun agreed. “That was my intention as well.”

Gathering materials discreetly wouldn’t draw suspicion, especially since the Wood Luminary’s incomplete formula didn’t include a full list of ingredients.

Later, Lei Jun tried the Celestial Purification Pill himself.

The results were remarkable: his connection to the world’s spiritual energy became noticeably smoother, as if an invisible bridge had been constructed.

Lei Jun focused his senses, observing his surroundings.

Before him appeared a faint azure glow, forming an illusory vision that enveloped him as if he stood beneath a miniature, clear blue sky.

Beyond this “sky” lay the real world. Through this ethereal blue dome, his communication with the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth became sharper and more seamless.

This enhancement subtly improved his cultivation and spellcasting alike.

The name "Celestial Purification Pill" clearly stemmed from this phenomenon.

“Not bad, not bad…” Lei Jun nodded repeatedly in satisfaction, but then his mind stirred.

He collected his thoughts and silently observed the azure sky before him, falling into contemplation.

After a long while, the vision gradually dissipated.

Still gazing at the bright, clear sky outside, Lei Jun remained lost in thought.

After a moment, he snapped back to reality and consumed another Celestial Purification Pill.

Though taking two in a short period made the effects slightly weaker, Lei Jun didn’t mind.

Watching the illusory azure light emerge again, he took out a Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman.

He glanced up at the ethereal light, then down at the talisman, and his thoughts slowly pieced together into a coherent idea.

In the days that followed, Lei Jun resumed his usual routine of cultivation while continuing his research on the Celestial Purification Pill.

As for Chu Kun, word was that he had gone into seclusion, but Lei Jun didn’t know where. Nor did he dare to ask.

It wasn’t until one day, when Yuan Mobai mentioned that Chu Kun had exited seclusion and left Mount Longhu to visit his ancestral home in Suzhou, that Lei Jun learned of his whereabouts.

When Chu Kun returned, he brought good news.

“Senior Brother Chongyun, I’ve got something great this time!” Chu Kun exclaimed excitedly as he came to see Lei Jun.

“Oh?”

Chu Kun carefully placed a small, exquisite brocade box on the table between them. Opening the lid, he revealed a pearl-like object about the size of a pigeon egg.

It resembled both a pearl and a seed, white as jade, with a faint glow.

The semi-transparent sphere seemed to contain swirling white mist within, radiating pure spiritual energy.

Recalling a record from the Decree Pavilion, Lei Jun quickly identified it. “A Celestial Essence Seed?”

Chu Kun nodded vigorously. “Exactly!”

Lei Jun observed it thoughtfully. “Indeed, this is a rare treasure.”

The Celestial Essence Seed wasn’t the seed of a spiritual plant but a naturally formed treasure, nurtured by the heavens and imbued with profound mysteries.

In the cultivation world, the Sixth Heaven Realm was a crucial threshold. Across all Daoist lineages, the Sixth Heaven served as a bridge between the foundational and advanced stages, summarizing prior cultivation while laying the groundwork for the Upper Heavens.

In the Talismanic Branch, it was known as the Dao Seal; in the Alchemical Sect, the Dao Embryo; and in the External Alchemy Sect, the Celestial Seed.

The Celestial Essence Seed, a treasure suitable for most Daoist lineages, helped cultivators firmly establish this foundation, paving the way for their eventual challenge of the barrier between the Sixth and Seventh Heavens.

Given its efficacy and broad applicability, it was highly sought after and fiercely contested. As a result, it had not appeared publicly in many years.

Even if it did occasionally surface, it was quickly collected and kept secret.

Lei Jun didn’t ask how Chu Kun had obtained the seed but remarked, “This spiritual treasure will be useful to you as well.”

Chu Kun glanced around nervously, then laughed and held up four fingers. “One for you, one for Senior Brother Chonggui, one for myself, and the last one I’ll contribute to the sect’s Treasure Pavilion to earn merit.”

Lei Jun understood. “I see. In that case, I won’t hold back—thank you.”

Chu Kun smiled. “I look forward to seeing you achieve another breakthrough soon, Senior Brother. Our sect could use more Upper Heaven cultivators.”

Lei Jun closed the brocade box and put it away. “At the very least, Chu Junior Brother, you’ve helped save me a lot of time this time around.”

The Sixth Heaven Dao Seal Realm lacked the subdivisions of earlier stages like the Primal Talisman and Dao Palace.

However, breaking through from the Sixth to the Seventh Heaven was by no means easy.

Even Tang Xiaotang, whose cultivation progress was rapid, spent significantly more time transitioning from the Sixth to the Seventh Heaven than from the Fifth to the Sixth.

If one discounted Tang Xiaotang’s unique circumstances, there was a more immediate example:

Zhang Jingzhen, who had handed over the position of Decree Pavilion guardian to Lei Jun, was currently in seclusion.

Eighteen years ago, before Lei Jun entered the Dao under Xu Yuanzhen, Zhang Jingzhen had already reached the Sixth Heaven Dao Seal Realm.

Now, eighteen years later, she was finally preparing for the ultimate challenge: the tribulation to cross from the Sixth to the Seventh Heaven.

How long it would take—or whether she would succeed—remained uncertain.

Was it due to Zhang Jingzhen lacking talent?

According to the Tianshi Mansion’s historical records and the broader cultivation world, it was not.

Typically, those with either a Sacred Physique or Exceptional Comprehension required an average of thirty years to break through from the Sixth to the Seventh Heaven.

Those possessing both traits usually needed around twenty years—assuming they were nurtured by a place like Mount Longhu or the Five Great Surnames.

Of course, this presupposed they survived the tribulation between realms, which had claimed countless geniuses throughout history.

Lei Jun, with plenty of time ahead of him, naturally welcomed anything that could help him progress faster.

After all, the Tianshi Mansion’s Upper Heaven cultivators were currently scarce, following successive calamities.

Still, Lei Jun couldn’t help marveling at how Chu Kun had managed to obtain not just one but four of these rare Celestial Essence Seeds.

While Lei Jun was inwardly impressed, Chu Kun himself was also quietly reflecting.

If not for the clues they had uncovered about the Xianluo Surrounding the Sun, Chu Kun wouldn’t have been able to secure the seeds.

Chu Kun had also heard about the incident in the Decree Pavilion involving someone nearly causing a furnace explosion. The violator was currently being punished in the Discipline Hall.

While it was unclear whether a fire would have destroyed the ancient texts containing records of the Xianluo Surrounding the Sun, just hearing about the incident left Chu Kun shaken.

“Leave the Celestial Essence Seed prepared for our Senior Brother Chonggui until he comes out of seclusion,” Lei Jun said.

He had also set aside a few newly refined Celestial Purification Pills for Wang Guiyuan and Chu Kun.

Chu Kun’s cultivation was also at a critical juncture.

Compared to Lei Jun, who had only recently reached the Sixth Heaven Dao Seal Realm, Chu Kun was already standing on the threshold of a breakthrough.

With the help of the Celestial Purification Pills, it wouldn’t be long before he successfully crossed that step…

“Has Junior Brother Chu Kun successfully formed his Primal Talisman?” asked Zuo Li, who had come seeking Lei Jun for confirmation.

Lei Jun nodded. “Just recently, he successfully crossed the tribulation between the Third and Fourth Heavens.”

Zuo Li clicked his tongue in admiration. “Your generation is brimming with talent. Junior Brother Chu Kun is only 26 this year, isn’t he?”

Lei Jun confirmed, “That’s correct.”

Zuo Li glanced at Lei Jun.

He remembered that this young Daoist before him had also reached the Middle Heaven Realm at around 26 years old.

However, Lei Jun had entered the sect much later than Chu Kun—formally initiated into the mansion at the age of 20—and had taken only six years to achieve Foundation Establishment, form his Altar, and then condense his Primal Talisman.

By contrast, Chu Kun had been in the mansion for over ten years.

Even so, such rapid progress was still astonishing within the recent history of Tianshi Mansion's true disciples.

For most cultivators, possessing either a Spirit Physique or Exceptional Comprehension would result in an estimated timeline of 30 years to achieve such progress.

“The instructors at the Daoist Children's Academy must have misjudged Chu Kun’s potential,” Zuo Li mused. “His talent far exceeds what anyone anticipated.”

Lei Jun remained silent, standing quietly to the side, an air of "obedience" practically written on his face.

Zuo Li chuckled. “A new generation of outstanding talent is a blessing for our sect.”

Lei Jun replied humbly, “It’s all thanks to guidance from my master and elders like you.”

Though Lei Jun kept his own secrets close, he never pried into others' affairs unless absolutely necessary.

Still, when speaking with Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai, Chu Kun had brought up his situation voluntarily.

He revealed that he didn’t possess a Spirit Physique.

Instead, he had a Sacred Physique—specifically, a Starry Constellation Sacred Physique.