Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 367: Things I Want to Do as a Heavenly Master

Mount Longhu, Within the Tianshi Mansion.

Lei Jun quietly studied the incoming reports from all directions.

Though many of them were imprecise and still needed verification, the sense of a storm brewing was already palpable.

As expected, it was always those great demons who made the first move... Lei Jun thought to himself.

Back when the Tang Empire was still stable, these great demons had already been stirring up trouble repeatedly.

Now, their demonic aura was even stronger.

They harbored an insatiable desire—almost an instinct—for slaughter and greed toward human flesh, especially the lives of cultivators.

It had sunk into their very bones.

A while ago, many of the great demons had taken a severe beating within Tang territory and stayed quiet for a few years.

The newly risen great demons were particularly aggressive and reckless, brimming with hunger and ambition.

The only question was, in this chaotic surge of demonic activity, was there someone else pulling strings behind the scenes?

Over the past few centuries, Vast Void Temple, now exiled overseas, had arguably been the most active player.

They had secretly been backed by the Five Great Surnames and Seven Prominent Clans, each benefiting from the other.

However, Vast Void Temple had recently fallen out with both the Ye Clans of Qingzhou and Cangzhou.

Since the abbot Yuanmie stepped in to help the Broken Li Tribe’s patriarch, Li Yan, escape a crisis in the Sea Beneath the Earth, he had rarely been seen.

After suffering major losses inland, Vast Void Temple had returned overseas to lick its wounds.

The Vajra Monastery in the Western Region—or rather, the Vajra Division of Mount Sumeru—once their arch-rival, had already vanished from the Tang Mortal Realm.

No one knew what Vast Void Temple would do next.

But Lei Jun didn’t need to think twice to know those heretical monks weren’t about to show any gratitude to the Tang Imperial Family or the Tianshi Mansion.

Unlike Lei Jun's calm composure, a certain Tang Court National Preceptor was clearly more excited.

She paced here, glanced there.

With waves of intelligence reports pouring in, Tang Xiaotang found herself dazzled by the flood of information.

But one report instantly drew all her attention: a message from Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen.

When Lei Jun received the voice message left by Xu Yuanzhen, he, too, paused in thought.

Xu Yuanzhen had passed through Penglai and headed for the Ming Mortal Realm, where the Western White Emperor resided.

Honestly, it wasn’t that surprising—Lei Jun had mentally prepared for this possibility.

He just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

From her tone, Xu Yuanzhen wasn’t particularly thrilled about the trip.

In fact, for once, she seemed slightly annoyed about a failed attempt.

Heaven knows, Xu Yuanzhen had originally planned to break into the Ming Mortal Realm herself, carving a path from the outside.

Now that she had entered through Penglai, even though she made it in, she clearly wasn’t feeling great about it.

But to Tang Xiaotang, that only made her more envious.

She was practically ready to charge into Penglai herself—

Until someone from the Tang Imperial Family painstakingly talked her down and convinced her to hold off for now.

“Don’t rush, Little Senior Sister. Let’s wait for Senior Sister’s response first,”

Lei Jun consoled her using the Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Talisman.

Due to the void barrier between realms, even the Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman and Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Talisman weren’t working properly.

Still, while Xu Yuanzhen was clearly in a foul mood, she didn’t act out.

Based on Lei Jun’s understanding of her, it probably wouldn’t take long before she found a way to enjoy herself in the Ming Mortal Realm.

Up till now, most of what they knew about the Ming Mortal Realm came from Tianli, with a few scraps from the belongings of Shang Nan and Xue Xingzi, two people from the Ming Mortal Realm’s Daoist Nation.

Tianli hadn’t had contact with that realm in years, and the info from Shang Nan and Xue Xingzi’s possessions was scarce and scattered.

Now that Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen had entered personally, they hoped she would bring back a more detailed understanding.

“The Qingzhou Ye Clan’s patriarch, Ye Yan, didn’t enter Penglai, but he also hasn’t returned to the Ye Clan Ancestral Grounds?”

Yuan Mobai asked Lei Jun.

Lei Jun nodded:

“Word is he’s still stationed over the Eastern Sea watching the Penglai gateway, but no one can say for sure.”

He was now quite familiar with how to communicate with the Cangzhou Ye Clan.

The Qingzhou side, however, remained elusive.

From what they knew so far, Ye Yan was indeed still somewhere over the Eastern Sea, but his exact location was unclear.

The gateway between Penglai and the Tang Mortal Realm was still open for now.

As for the former patriarch of the Cangzhou Ye Clan, Chu Xiuyuan—

He was almost certainly no longer out at sea.

“There’s more than just the so-called Western White Emperor in Penglai,”

Lei Jun said.

“Others are also trying to establish their own Mortal Daoist Nations.”

Across from Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai sat an old friend—Elder Ji Chuan of the Shushan Sect, whose youthful appearance belied his age.

He was here on behalf of Shushan to visit the injured Tianshi Lei Jun.

Hearing the news from Penglai, Ji Chuan was filled with emotion.

To a Shushan disciple like him, the idea of a Mortal Daoist Nation was extremely… complicated.

As the saying goes, different paths cannot work together.

The former Tang Mortal Realm’s Daoist Nation had once dug out the very roots of the Shushan Sect, leaving their vitality crippled even now.

Fortunately, there were people like Xu Yuanzhen, Tang Xiaotang, and Lei Jun.

The old Tang Daoist Nation was history.

The other Daoist Nations were all tied to Penglai—

And now Penglai was being thoroughly disrupted by Xu Yuanzhen.

That Western White Emperor in the Ming Mortal Realm surely had to be worrying what trouble she would stir up next.

But the Ming Mortal Realm wasn’t like Tianli—

It was a solid, complete realm of its own.

What would come of Xu Yuanzhen’s visit remained to be seen.

Lei Jun, unfazed, asked casually:

“Your sect has chosen Daoist friend Xie Yiying as the new wielder of the Purple Star Sword?”

Ji Chuan sighed:

“To be honest, Uncle-Master Chen Donglou was the best candidate. But with his current whereabouts unknown, the sect had to make this decision.”

With treasures on the level of the Twin Swords of Purple and Green,

It’s usually best to entrust them to fellow sword cultivators.

Only they can fully unlock their power.

People like Zhang Taigang, Xu Duan, and Ye Dongming could wield them—

But compared to a true sword cultivator like Zhang Dongyuan, there was always a gap.

It was the same with Fu Dongsen and Hong Jie compared to Wang Dongchu or Wei Qiyue.

The Huangquan Sword, in the hands of sect leader Ji Yao, was formidable—

But in the hands of Grand Elder Li Linxue, a sword cultivator, it was lethal.

The Shushan Sect’s problem now was that aside from the missing Chen Donglou,

They had no other sword cultivators at the Seventh Heaven or above.

Before the Northern Frontier War, Zhang Dongyuan had been their only Eight-Heaven sword cultivator.

After his death, thankfully, the Empress recovered the Azure Abyss Sword so it didn’t get lost.

After much discussion, the sect decided:

Ji Chuan, who had reached the Seventh Heaven, would temporarily wield the Azure Abyss Sword,

While Xie Yiying, a recently promoted high-ranking elder, would take the Purple Star Sword.

Besides Zhang Taigang, the two were Shushan’s rising stars.

The sect held high hopes for both of them.

“Thanks to guidance from the National Preceptor and elders of the Pure Yang Palace,

Junior Sister Xie has completed refining her first life-bound artifact.

Now, she can begin nurturing the Purple Star Sword,” Ji Chuan said.

Lei Jun replied,

“Those evil cultivators from the Yellow Springs pose a serious threat. They must be watched carefully.”

“You’re absolutely right, Tianshi,” Ji Chuan nodded.

The conversation naturally drifted toward magical treasures and artifacts.

Lei Jun shared an idea he’d been considering, asking Ji Chuan—

a high-ranking elder from the Artifact Refining Sect—to weigh in.

Yuan Mobai pondered over the idea. Ji Chuan also paused in thought:

“Modular design, huh...”

Lei Jun explained,

“It doesn’t need to be complicated. The main idea is that the weapon can be taken apart into separate pieces, refined individually, then reassembled into a functioning whole.”

Ji Chuan’s eyes sharpened with concentration.

Lei Jun’s concept had never been tried before.

Historically, Shushan had masters like Chen Donglou who refined the Seven-Star Sword, or Fu Dongsen with his eight-element artifacts—

But Lei Jun’s idea was something else entirely.

It was like crafting a sword with a detachable hilt, guard, and blade—

Each refined separately, then fitted together into one powerful whole.

Such an approach could drastically lower the crafting threshold—

But expecting the finished product to match a top-tier, unified artifact seemed overly ambitious.

“Frankly, this goes against many of our sect’s core doctrines,” Ji Chuan said.

“It sounds more like something the Puppet Mastery lineage at Xuanji Monastery would pursue.”

Lei Jun replied,

“Naturally, it’s very different from your sect’s path of refining life-bound treasures. But I believe it can still offer inspiration.”

“I’ll head to Xuanji Monastery after leaving your mansion, and discuss it with Daoist Nie,” Ji Chuan said.

After chatting a bit more, Ji Chuan excused himself, giving Lei Jun space to recover.

Once he left, Yuan Mobai remarked:

“If this method works, it could revolutionize artifact refining.”

There were always far more mid- and low-realm cultivators than high-realm ones.

If each could craft a part of a greater artifact,

Together, they could create treasures normally out of reach.

The impact would be enormous.

But naturally, so were the challenges.

“To scale this up, manpower isn’t enough.

You’d also need vast reserves of refining materials,” Yuan Mobai said.

Lei Jun nodded:

“If not for the current surge in spiritual energy and the revival of countless spiritual items,

I wouldn’t dare dream of such an idea.

Today’s conversation with Ji Chuan was more of an informal exchange.

I’m not expecting immediate results.

Especially in these turbulent times—this is hardly the season for slow cultivation and methodical work.

But I do believe that day will come.

And I hope it happens while I still serve as sect master.”

Yuan Mobai smiled.

He could tell that his disciple, Lei Jun, had a very different mindset from past Tianshis—

Even from Tang Xiaotang.

But... so far, that didn’t seem like a bad thing.

As Lei Jun had said, this idea was still in its infancy.

Most of his time was still spent nurturing the Nine Springs Soul-Raising Jewel and Bluefall Pearl,

Repairing his Tianshi Robe, and deepening his own cultivation.

In his spare moments, he trained his disciple Zhuo Huajie,

While keeping a close watch on the world through various intelligence channels.

Deep Winter, Nearing the New Year.

"Greetings, Sect Master."

Luo Haoran returned from an assignment, bringing his disciple Qin Caiwei along.

Lei Jun asked, "How are the water infrastructure projects around the regions holding up?"

Luo Haoran replied, "Quite a few can no longer hold on. Taking advantage of the low water levels during winter, we've already begun reinforcing some sections. The rest will be shored up between the New Year and early spring."

The shifting of the mountains and the Earth veins was impacting everything.

The entire Tang realm was being affected.

Lei Jun turned to look at Qin Caiwei with a smile.

"There are a few new Golden-Stamen Vermilion Blossoms in the medicinal garden. I’ll be counting on you to tend to them as well."

Qin Caiwei's eyes lit up upon hearing this. She bowed and said,

"Please rest assured, Sect Master Uncle. I will care for them attentively and won’t dare to slack off."

Both Lei Jun and Luo Haoran nodded with gentle smiles.

Luo Haoran said, "Go on."

"Yes, Master."

Qin Caiwei gave one more bow to the two of them before excusing herself.

After watching her leave, Lei Jun turned to Luo Haoran and said,

"From what I can see, Nephew Huawei is quite capable—not only in cultivation and nurturing spirit plants, but also in many other areas."

Luo Haoran nodded.

"Indeed. She's very organized with her own matters and can also coordinate others effectively. A rare quality."

He glanced at Lei Jun. "Are you suggesting...?"

"She’s already at the Fifth Heaven Realm. Once she receives her talisman conferral, she can be appointed as an Elder," Lei Jun said. "But of course, we should ask her how she feels about it first."

Luo Haoran nodded. "I’ll talk to her before the New Year Grand Ceremony."

"She's almost surpassed her teacher," Lei Jun said with a smile.

Luo Haoran laughed as well.

"Huawei’s talent and fortune both surpass mine. Surpassing me is inevitable."

Both Luo Haoran and Fang Jian had only recently reached the Sixth Heaven Dao Seal Realm of the Talismanic Daoist Branch.

"In the past, I wouldn't have even dared imagine it," Luo Haoran sighed.

Had the world regressed to the way it was a hundred years ago, he wouldn't have dared dream of achieving his current cultivation level.

But now, the pace of advancement for cultivators was steadily accelerating.

Especially for disciples of the Tianshi Mansion.

On one hand, this was due to the surge of spiritual energy and broader environmental changes.

On the other, as one of the Three Great Daoist Holy Lands, Mount Longhu's Tianshi Mansion now offered a much better cultivation environment than before.

Whether it was the Cangming Treasure Tree and other spiritual items creating favorable cultivation conditions,

Or the successive emergence of elixirs like the Celestial Purification Pill, all played a massive role.

Acquiring the secret realms once belonging to the Southern Lin Clan, like Mount Kuanglu in Jiangzhou, had also made a difference.

Some of those secret realms were naturally suited for cultivation, while others produced rare and precious natural treasures.

With all these factors combined, the transformation had been extraordinary.

And that didn’t even include the intangible effects of the Mansion’s growing strength and prestige.

Just that invisible deterrence alone made things go much more smoothly for Tianshi disciples when they traveled outside.

While difficult to quantify, the impact was very real.

Still, Luo Haoran showed no signs of arrogance.

He had only just broken through to the Sixth Heaven Dao Seal Realm.

Yet just a few months ago, an Elder at the Fifth Heaven Realm in the Mansion had perished after failing the Heavenly Chasm Tribulation—the perilous breakthrough from Fifth to Sixth Heaven.

Outside the ancestral grounds, among the Mansion’s branch lineages, similar tragedies had occurred in recent years.

"Elder Yao and Elder Liu are currently in seclusion," Lei Jun said.

"Senior Brother Ke is also preparing for his attempt."

Luo Haoran nodded with a solemn expression.