Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 7: The surname Li and other surnames

The thief’s body, now just a desiccated husk, remained upright where it had fallen.

Earlier, the thunderbolt ricocheted off the Radiant Shield, shattering the surrounding rocks, causing a steep cliff to break apart. As the thief’s body slid down amidst the debris, it rolled into the stream below.

Lei Jun raised his hand slightly, but in the end, he didn't stop it, simply watching the body float away downstream.

He pocketed the Black Scale, left the cliff edge, and leisurely followed the river downstream, searching.

Halfway along, Lei Jun encountered other disciples.

“I ran into him upstream,” Lei Jun said, “and attacked him with the Thunder Talisman that Daoist Gao bestowed, but he escaped by falling into the river.”

“A corpse of the intruder was fished out downstream,” replied a yellow-robed Daoist hurrying toward him. “The alchemy furnace was recovered from his body.”

It was confirmed that the stolen item was indeed the alchemy furnace from the First Academy of the Daoist Children's Academy. However, compared to the Black Scale that even the Thunder Talisman couldn't break, it was of lesser value.

For now, it seemed that the Upper-Moderate Omen pointing to a Sixth-Grade Opportunity was most likely referring to that strange scale.

The yellow-robed Daoist looked at Lei Jun. “Everyone who participated in chasing him down contributed, and that includes you.”

Lei Jun replied, “I wouldn’t dare claim credit. Just doing my duty.”

“Hmm. Take his corpse back to the Daoist Children's Academy.” The yellow-robed Daoist, in a hurry, headed toward the mountain.

The other apprentices didn’t ask questions, but they all looked curiously toward the peak.

The previous disturbances came in two waves—the first originating from the Daoist Children's Academy down below and the second seeming to come from higher up the mountain.

Curious but unable to delay, the group gathered their team and returned to the Daoist Children's Academy.

Once back, they learned that someone had set fire to the First Academy again.

“This time, it’s…” some of the younger apprentices exchanged uneasy glances.

Lei Jun understood.

The First Academy was considered the personal domain of the Li family disciples.

For young people wishing to embark on the Daoist path, entering the Tianshi Mansion was one of the best starting points. However, Lei Jun only learned after joining that Tianshi Mansion’s disciples were actually divided into two groups:

Those named Li.

And those not named Li.

In the early years of Tianshi Mansion, the Tianshi position wasn’t strictly inherited; each generation chose a successor of virtue and talent. But over recent generations, the Tianshi position had been passed down within a single family line: from ancestor to father, father to son, son to grandson. The Li family had now firmly established its roots within the Tianshi Mansion, flourishing and thriving.

To be fair, the Li Tianshis of the past few generations, including the current one, were regarded as outstanding among their peers. Under their leadership, Tianshi Mansion had weathered many storms, remaining one of the most prestigious Daoist holy sites.

However, over time, the Li disciples became increasingly dominant and assertive. Although the traditional rules of Tianshi Mansion ostensibly remained intact—like all new entrants joining the Daoist Children's Academy first for cultivation and study, with the exceptional ones eligible to participate in the Initiation Ceremony to formally join Tianshi Mansion as True Disciples—the reality was that most Li disciples rarely failed the initiation.

The First Academy within the Daoist Children's Academy was specifically reserved for the Li disciples to lay their foundations and receive their initial training.

Although officially the resources provided were the same as other academies, rumors claimed that the Li disciples enjoyed a level of favoritism bordering on extravagance…

Just like the stolen alchemy furnace, a special artifact supplied exclusively to the First Academy.

“Senior Brother Lei!”

A group of young apprentices from the Sixth Academy greeted Lei Jun with admiration. “We heard you were the one who captured the thief?”

Lei Jun shook his head. “Didn’t capture him. Just missed. He died of exhaustion in the end, so the merit points go to everyone involved.”

Senior Brother Zhang sighed. “Even if we all get points, the top credit mainly goes to those who actively pursued him. We, who just guarded checkpoints, get second-class points, which won’t leave us with much in the end.”

The chase lasted till midnight, leaving everyone exhausted, yet they couldn’t rest just yet.

Later that night, several True Disciples in yellow Daoist robes arrived at the Daoist Children's Academy, summoning everyone for individual questioning.

Though they shared little information, Lei Jun gathered that the investigation into the thief’s accomplices was no small matter.

After the apprentices were questioned, each was allowed to return to rest.

Back in his small residence, Lei Jun took out the Black Scale again, examining it more closely.

It seemed likely that the scale was tailored for the thief, a Qi Refining disciple in the First Realm, or left without any magical restriction to avoid leaving traces. As Lei Jun infused his True Energy into the scale, a faint glow appeared on its surface.

A light image flashed through his mind—a majestic, spirited creature, a blend of dragon and horse, imposing and elegant.

Lei Jun immediately recognized it from the Daoist Children’s Academy's bestiary of spirit beasts and mythical creatures. This was the legendary Dragon Horse.

So it’s a Dragon Horse scale… Lei Jun nodded to himself.

He attempted to infuse more True Energy, as the thief had done before. At once, a radiant shield materialized around the scale. However, his True Energy drained rapidly, the scale drawing a significant amount of energy.

Lei Jun stopped, and the light faded. His palm now held only the quiet, mysterious Black Scale.

A Sixth-Grade Opportunity—a superb protective treasure… Lei Jun nodded, then shook his head.

Unfortunately, he currently needed a treasure to aid in cultivation, something to accelerate progress and ease the challenges of his path. At his current pace, by the time the Initiation Ceremony came around next year, he might reach the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining but likely wouldn’t achieve the Perfection at the Twelfth Layer.

If he ever had another chance to choose his fate, he hoped for something to further his cultivation instead.

Still, a protective treasure was certainly useful.

Protecting oneself was a way to protect one’s path.

Without life, cultivation would naturally be out of the question.

Even without life-threatening danger, the time spent recovering from injuries would hinder cultivation.

Lei Jun carefully stored away the scale and went to bed.

When he woke the next morning, after washing up and eating, he prepared to attend the morning lecture. The first person he encountered was Wang Guiyuan.

“Senior Brother Wang?”

“Last night, were you working with Senior Brother Gao?” Wang Guiyuan asked.

“We split up halfway,” Lei Jun replied. “When the Daoist Children's Academy caught fire, Daoist Gao led some others back to catch the thief's accomplice who set the fire, while the rest of us continued chasing the thief.”

Wang Guiyuan was silent for a moment, glancing around before lowering his voice.

“Senior Brother Gao and those with him… something happened to them.”

Lei Jun remained silent.

“To be precise, it wasn’t only Senior Brother Gao and the apprentices with him,” Wang Guiyuan said softly. “Some others as well.”

He walked ahead, and Lei Jun quietly followed.

After a while, Lei Jun asked, “Was it on Mount Longhu?”

Wang Guiyuan nodded slightly.

“Senior Brother,” Lei Jun continued, “did something happen last night at the Mansion?”

Instead of answering, Wang Guiyuan first gave a word of advice, solemnly:

“Junior Brother Lei, this may sound premature, but I believe as cultivators, we should avoid impulsive bravery. Often, safety and caution should come first.”

Lei Jun nodded. “I appreciate your concern, Senior Brother, and I find wisdom in your words. But in this world, sometimes things are beyond our prediction.”