Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 60: Prelude to Chaos

The coming chaos stirred rivers and churned seas…

Lei Jun looked at his new fortune slip, and the first thought that came to his mind was to connect all of this to the recent emergence from seclusion of the current Tianshi.

The second thought was:

The third Supreme Good Omen!

A Third-Grade Opportunity!

Then the next thought was:

This time, there were two Lower-Moderate Omens…

Lei Jun pulled his wandering thoughts back in line.

Since the last delay of the Tianshi's emergence before returning to seclusion, now that he had finally come out again, did this truly foretell that Tianshi Mansion on Mount Longhu was about to be plunged into turmoil?

The fate of the current Tianshi was undoubtedly intertwined with the fate of Mount Longhu.

Before the Tianshi entered seclusion, tensions with the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou had already reached a boiling point.

Now, with the Tianshi's return, did this mean a great battle was inevitable?

What would the future hold for the Tianshi?

And what of the entirety of Tianshi Mansion?

Lei Jun thought back to the web novels he used to read on Blue Star before his transmigration.

Whenever the protagonist joined a sect, the sect would often experience a great upheaval, setting the stage for the protagonist's next challenge.

The protagonist might turn the tide and shine brightly, or the sect could be destroyed, leaving the protagonist to flee and seek revenge or rebuild later.

Was Tianshi Mansion about to play out such a scenario?

Lei Jun asked himself honestly: he currently had no interest in performing on such a stage…

Well, if he still had the mental space to think about this nonsense, it was thanks to his fortune slip's contents:

Lower-Moderate Omen: Return to Tianshi Mansion on Mount Longhu, placed at the eye of the storm, where masters contend and others suffer. Danger unpredictable, each step perilous. Misfortune.

At least it wasn’t the worst omen, which meant the situation wasn’t beyond recovery — for now.

But danger still loomed.

Who knew who might lose their life in this chaos?

“Master, I don’t plan to return to Mount Longhu for now. I’d like to visit Tianxu Mountain to search for the earth-type spiritual materials needed to improve my talisman techniques,” Lei Jun told Yuan Mobai.

Yuan Mobai smiled and nodded. “Alright. Master Tu, the head of Tianxu Sect, is an old acquaintance of mine. I’ll write you a letter of introduction, and he’ll arrange for you to stay and cultivate on Tianxu Mountain.”

Lei Jun took a deep breath. “Master, will the Sect Master’s emergence be as rushed as last time?”

Yuan Mobai turned to look at him.

Lei Jun continued, “Last time, when the Sect Master delayed his emergence, he soon returned to seclusion after coming out. I noticed you and Senior Sister looked worried…”

Even without mentioning the fortune slip, Lei Jun was certain his master had his own thoughts or premonitions about the Tianshi’s emergence.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sought Lei Jun’s opinion on whether to return to Mount Longhu.

Sensing his disciple’s concern, Yuan Mobai’s smile deepened. “Trust the Sect Master to handle things well. I will assist as best I can.”

As for Tang Xiaotang, even if swords rained from the sky, she would rush back to intercept the current Tianshi.

On the other hand, if chaos did break out, she might actually be excited.

Lei Jun had told her stories where such grand events were precisely the stage prepared for the protagonist…

Honestly, he regretted telling her those novel plots now… Lei Jun held his forehead.

But given Tang Xiaotang’s flamboyant and show-off nature, if chaos came, she’d definitely be in the thick of it.

He had to trust in his Senior Sister’s cultivation level.

After all, her successes weren’t thanks to her brains…

Her sensitivity to goodwill and hostility was abnormal, so he didn’t need to worry too much about her being tricked.

…Probably?

Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai bid farewell to Lu Zhaoqing of Qingxiao Monastery and then took their leave of the Purple Heaven Sect’s head.

Before leaving, Yuan Mobai met privately with the Purple Heaven Sect leader.

Lei Jun was sure his master was warning him to be wary of the Lin Clan’s impending retaliation.

But with the joyous news of the Tianshi’s emergence, who knew how effective the warning would be?

After leaving the Yunxiao Mountain Range, Yuan Mobai returned to Mount Longhu.

Lei Jun went to Tianxu Mountain on his own.

He smoothly arrived at Tianxu Mountain and met with Sect Leader Tu Guangyu.

Tu Guangyu had already received Yuan Mobai’s letter, offered Lei Jun a few kind words, arranged accommodations for him, and instructed disciples to bring Lei Jun some rare earth-type spiritual materials from the sect’s collection.

Lei Jun thanked him and carefully examined these materials.

The items were excellent.

Out of respect for Yuan Mobai, Tu Guangyu didn’t hold back.

But none were particularly satisfying to Lei Jun — at best, they served as backups.

He began looking forward to the Third-Grade Opportunity indicated by his Supreme Good Omen.

Tianxu Mountain was rich in earth and stone spiritual energy, so the treasures found here were mostly earth- and plant-related.

Perhaps his Third-Grade Opportunity would be related to this.

However, according to his fortune slip, he had to wait for the right moment.

Lei Jun didn’t know what that moment might be.

He could only wander around Jiuzhou Ridge every few days, exploring and familiarizing himself with the environment.

Jiuzhou Ridge was a mountain range in Tianxu Mountain, comprising nine peaks that formed a shape resembling an ancient map of the world’s nine regions, hence the name.

A great river named Tianxu River originated from Jiuzhou Ridge.

The valleys between the peaks had a humid climate and lush vegetation.

After getting familiar with Jiuzhou Ridge’s terrain, Lei Jun didn’t find anything special and decided to stop visiting frequently to avoid drawing attention.

Staying at Tianxu Sect, Lei Jun didn’t slack off in his cultivation.

Even though he wasn’t at Tianshi Mansion, he didn’t worry about his cultivation resources.

The Longitude-Latitude Box gifted by Chu Yu had been accepted by Yuan Mobai. Lei Jun received one, and the remaining two went back to Mount Longhu, with one reserved for Wang Guiyuan.

When Lei Jun opened his seemingly small brocade box, it revealed a miniature grotto inside, about the size of a courtyard.

Dragon Saliva, Frosted Jade Trees, Azure Flower Powder, Celestial Stone… The courtyard was filled with an abundance of spiritual items and cultivation resources.

Even with Lei Jun’s experience in Tianshi Mansion, he was overwhelmed.

His and Wang Guiyuan’s brocade boxes were identical, but Yuan Mobai’s had extra contents.

However, Yuan Mobai didn’t mind. He accepted the box merely as a symbolic gift, representing the agreement to guide Chu Kun into the Dao. The gifts inside could be shared with his disciples when their cultivation levels grew.

“This is true wealth — they can knock you out just by throwing money at you.” Lei Jun chuckled and shook his head.

Truly, Confucianism deserved its title as the leading scholarly path.

And the Five Great Surnames and Seven Prominent Clans lived up to their reputation of ruling alongside the imperial family.

Even though Tianshi Mansion had profound Daoist heritage, its power and wealth now seemed pale in comparison.

With these resources, Lei Jun’s cultivation wouldn’t suffer even while away from Mount Longhu.

The improvement in his cultivation realm didn’t satisfy Lei Jun; instead, it made him yearn for higher levels.

Thanks to merging four spiritual items earlier, he not only improved his comprehension but also established a Second Layer Altar.

Generally, Talismanic Branch cultivators could create mid-grade basic talismans at the first layer.

At the second layer, they could craft their life-bound talismans as high-grade basic talismans, while other talismans remained mid-grade.

Only at the third layer would all basic talismans become high-grade.

With the Vermilion-Tipped Brush, Lei Jun could already draw his life-bound Spirit Strike and Wind talismans as high-grade at the first layer.

Now, at the second layer, with the brush, even his non-life-bound talismans had a chance of being high-grade.

This made Lei Jun eagerly anticipate reaching the Third Layer Altar, or Altar Perfection.

But, as the saying goes, bad news travels fast.

Tianxu Sect, as a branch of Tianshi Mansion, maintained communication with them.

One day, devastating news arrived:

The newly emerged Tianshi, Li Qingfeng, suffered a sudden collapse while confronting the Lin Clan’s leader.