Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 23: Fortunately, I didn’t choose the golden Guanfu

Lei Jun read the omen with a calm expression, then stepped steadily through the glowing portal suspended in mid-air.

The four omens were a tangle of fortune and misfortune—some held hidden fortune within misfortune, others hid misfortune within fortune. Some might turn misfortune into fortune, while others foretold inescapable doom.

He also noticed a key detail:

Adapt as circumstances require. Avoid rigidly sticking to conventions.

This seemed to imply that, for some reason, the environment around the Cloud Sea Immortal Pool had become even more unpredictable and volatile. Not only were Wang Guiyuan’s experiences from a few years ago obsolete, but even recently acquired knowledge might now be outdated... Lei Jun looked ahead at Li Ming's back.

Upon entering the Cloud Sea Immortal Pool, a dense expanse of white clouds spread before his eyes, making it difficult to discern direction.

"Everyone, stop and gather. We’ll proceed together in a moment,” Li Ming’s voice called out.

“Wait up!”

Suddenly, a voice shouted from behind, and a figure rushed into the small grotto through the portal.

Lei Jun turned to see another Daoist in yellow robes, who appeared about the same age as Li Ming, with a refined and scholarly air complementing his Daoist bearing.

Li Ming greeted him, “Senior Brother Fang, you’re back on the mountain? I thought you’d miss the opening of the Cloud Sea Immortal Pool this time.”

The yellow-robed Daoist laughed. “I’ve missed it a few times already. This time, I had to make it! Don’t worry, I’ve reported back to Senior Brother and a few other Masters, and they’ve approved my last-minute addition.”

Hearing Li Ming’s address and their conversation, Lei Jun recognized the young Daoist.

It was Fang Jian, the fourth direct disciple of Li Tianshi.

Leaving aside Tang Xiaotang’s special case, Fang Jian was the youngest current disciple of the Tianshi.

As for his fortune—it was neither good nor bad.

On the positive side, shortly after accepting him as a disciple, the current Tianshi went into long-term seclusion, while Tang Xiaotang missed the timing and has had to wait until now.

But Fang Jian’s luck was also not perfect, as he hasn’t received much direct guidance from the Tianshi since his induction. Nonetheless, being a recognized disciple, Fang Jian hasn’t lacked instruction and support from other Masters who pass down the Tianshi’s teachings, so his cultivation hasn’t been hindered.

Fang Jian had missed previous baptisms at the Cloud Sea Immortal Pool purely by coincidence, as he had either been away from the mountain or in seclusion.

“If Senior Brother Fang wants to participate, of course, that’s no problem.”

After greeting Fang Jian, Li Ming closed the portal to the grotto and introduced him to the newer disciples.

Fang Jian was easygoing and affable, exuding a scholarly charm.

After introductions, the seasoned Li Ming led the group through the swirling clouds.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Fang Jian said as he walked alongside Li Ming, his expression turning slightly serious, “Something important happened during my recent trip down the mountain.”

Curious, everyone looked at him.

Fang Jian explained slowly, “I encountered some members of the evil sect while I was out. They were drawing a talisman they call the ‘Golden Breaking Talisman.’”

The name drew immediate attention from the disciples of Tianshi Mansion, who associated it with their renowned Golden Barrier Talisman.

Seeing the intrigued expressions, Fang Jian nodded and confirmed, “Yes, this Golden Breaking Talisman is designed to counter our Golden Barrier Talisman! One of my brothers who was with me was caught off guard—his Golden Barrier Talisman was broken, and he was injured by an evil cultivator of similar level.”

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Lei Jun exhaled lightly.

The lower-moderate omen had indeed come true—the Golden Barrier Talisman of Tianshi Mansion had indeed been countered by an outside threat.

Imagine the shock and embarrassment of the disciples, who had full confidence in the talisman’s defense, suddenly finding it penetrated during combat.

Such a misstep could easily determine the outcome of a life-or-death battle.

Many disciples had chosen the Golden Barrier Talisman as their life-bound spell, and the troubles awaiting them were just beginning.

"The Golden Barrier Talisman has a thousand-year history and has been refined over centuries without a single breach by an enemy of equal level. So how could it suddenly…" someone finally muttered, frowning.

Taking a deep breath, Li Ming replied, “With Senior Brother Fang’s timely report, the senior members of the sect are aware and will surely work to improve and address any vulnerabilities. So don’t worry.”

He cast a glance at his sister, Li Ying, who lowered her head without saying more.

In truth, Li Ming felt equally troubled.

Both he and Li Ying had chosen the Golden Barrier Talisman as their life-bound spell.

While others could fall back on different talismans in the face of the Golden Breaking Talisman, disciples who relied on the Golden Barrier Talisman as their life-bound spell were essentially left with half their abilities crippled, impacting their future cultivation.

Even if the higher-ups managed to modify the talisman to fix the flaw, Li Ming and Li Ying would still have to spend additional time and effort to reforge it.

And many others shared their predicament.

At the same time, Li Ming scanned the disciples around him.

As one of the top newly initiated disciples this year, he was paying close attention to certain individuals.

Chen Yi and Lei Jun naturally stood out.

What made Li Ming frown was how calm both seemed upon hearing of the Golden Breaking Talisman. It was likely neither of them had chosen the Golden Barrier Talisman as their life-bound spell.

Shangguan Hong was also present.

Though his punishment for entering a restricted area delayed his progress, he had recently completed Foundation Establishment and upheld his reputation as a talented disciple.

Li Ming noticed a flicker of unease in Shangguan Hong’s expression when he heard about the Golden Breaking Talisman, which, though fleeting, Li Ming caught.

Then there was Guo Yan, a reserved girl who followed Elder Hu. Among the outstanding new initiates, she was the most discreet.

Still, Guo Yan possessed a spirit physique of superior bone structure, similar to Lei Jun, Li Ying, and Chen Yi, and had achieved Foundation Establishment during the initiation ceremony earlier that spring.

Hearing about the Golden Breaking Talisman, Guo Yan’s brow creased.

Li Ming observed all this silently.

Without further comment, he led the group through the dense clouds to the heart of the grotto.

The sight before them was both grand and mysterious.

The Cloud Sea Immortal Pool was less a pool and more like a vast, suspended lake layered over the mountains like a series of clouds and water merging into a heavenly realm.

Looking up, Lei Jun saw the highest layer entirely obscured by mist, shrouded in mystery.

This was the Cloud Sea Immortal Pool, with its three layers: the Upper Immortal Pool, Middle Immortal Pool, and Lower Immortal Pool. Lei Jun watched closely, comparing this sight with the four omens in his mind.

At this point, Li Ming spoke again:

“Before coming here, I’m sure your masters mentioned that while the water in the Immortal Pool has nourishing properties, it may also carry risks. Currently, the Middle Immortal Pool is the safest for your baptism and cultivation.”

He glanced at the Lower Immortal Pool below, continuing, “Due to age, its spiritual energy is too depleted.”

Looking up at the highest pool, Li Ming added with a slight pause, “As for the Upper Immortal Pool... it’s currently very dangerous. The energy is intense enough to burn—don’t venture there lightly.”

Chen Yi noticed the peculiar glint in Li Ming’s gaze, while Lei Jun stood firm and unshaken.