Yang Mountain Separate Residence, Profound Yang Grotto-heaven (Please Keep Reading!)

Yang Mountain Separate Residence, Profound Yang Grotto-heaven (Please Keep Reading!)

At last, another Supreme Good Fortune Sign!

Lei Jun sighed inwardly.

He said to Wang Guiyuan, "Senior Brother, I think we can give it a try."

Wang Guiyuan shook his head with a sigh.

Lei Jun turned to his master, Yuan Mobai. "Master, this disciple wishes to visit Yang Mountain Separate Residence and broaden my horizons."

Yuan Mobai smiled. "Then Chongyun should make preparations in the coming days. Chonggui's spot will be given to another disciple."

After leaving their master's courtyard, Wang Guiyuan remarked:

"Junior Brother Lei, you're still young. There's no need to rush your cultivation or throw everything on the line for every opportunity, fighting and scrambling for it. But everyone has their own aspirations, so I should still wish you a smooth journey."

"Thank you for your auspicious words, Senior Brother."

After bidding Wang Guiyuan farewell, Lei Jun returned to his own residence.

After bathing and changing clothes, cleansing his hands and rinsing his mouth, he set up a Ritual Altar and began crafting talismans.

Yang Mountain Separate Residence and Profound Yang Grotto-heaven were both rich in yang energy. The blazing heat of the Earth Fire Yang Flame surpassed even Cloud Sea Immortal Pool, yet lacked the latter's abundant water vapor.

Among the Celestial Master's many basic spirit talismans, the already highly offensive Thunderstrike Talisman and Blazing Flame Talisman would undoubtedly prove even more effective in the environment of Yang Mountain Separate Residence.

Though his Sign Fortune foretold that the trip would bring alarm but no danger, since he knew there were hidden risks, Lei Jun spent the next few days drawing extra Thunderstrike Talismans and Blazing Flame Talismans as backup.

Seven days later.

Lei Jun and the other young disciples gradually gathered on the eastern side of the Main Mansion halfway up the mountain.

A vast platform had been carved out among the mountains here, where several Cloud Carts stood parked.

Once everyone had arrived, they would take the Cloud Carts to Yang Mountain Separate Residence.

It had only been established recently, after all, so there were not many young disciples going there for this training expedition. Including the elder masters leading them, there were only twenty people in total.

Four of them were Li Clan Disciples.

In similar matters in the past, disciples bearing the Li surname often made up a third or even more of the group.

Over the past year or two, the Li Clan Disciples had indeed become much more restrained and low-key.

But it was clear that the four who had come were all selected through careful refinement, the cream of the crop.

Moreover, among the chosen disciples of other surnames were those who had always been close to the Li Family.

Still, at least it looked much better on the surface.

Lei Jun swept his gaze around.

Li Ying, Shangguan Hong, Guo Yan, and other Transmission Disciples from his own cohort were all present.

Lei Jun also spotted Luo Haoran.

The other man smiled and nodded at Lei Jun as well.

"Junior Brother Lei?"

Another man named Qu Yong greeted him, taking Lei Jun slightly by surprise.

Come to think of it, they had met once before.

Before the Chuan Du Initiation, when Lei Jun had gone to Green Cloud Ripple River Beach to eliminate disease and provide disaster relief, the True Disciple of Celestial Master Mansion who had led their group of Dao children had been Luo Haoran and Qu Yong.

He was not particularly familiar with Qu Yong, however, and they had rarely interacted before.

"Senior Brother Qu." Lei Jun nodded.

Qu Yong smiled. "Back in the Dao Child Courtyard, I was in the Sixth Courtyard too. We should spend more time together in the future."

"Certainly, certainly."

If he remembered correctly, this man was quite keen on associating with Li Clan Disciples, especially those from Elder Ziyang's line...

Lei Jun made idle small talk with Qu Yong.

More and more people arrived on the platform, until nearly everyone was there.

But one popular figure, Chen Yi, had yet to appear.

Lei Jun recalled that when chatting with Wang Guiyuan earlier, the latter had mentioned a few things.

"Junior Brother Chen Yi..."

At the time, Wang Guiyuan's tone had been somewhat evasive. "He recently stepped down from his post at the Discipline Hall and went to focus on cultivation."

Only after Wang Guiyuan explained further did Lei Jun learn that Junior Brother Chen had recently been forced to withdraw after achieving success.

After joining the Discipline Hall, Chen Yi had indeed carried a hint of repaying grudges with grudges and debts with debts. But he had not been solely pursuing private vengeance, nor had he singled out Li Family disciples.

His enforcement of the rules had generally been justified, open, and fair.

There might have been some settling of personal scores under the guise of public duty, but there had been no framing or false accusations.

Yet he had still stepped on a land mine.

"Junior Brother Chen caught a disciple violating the rules by lining his own pockets."

Wang Guiyuan had summarized it simply. "But afterward, it was discovered that this offending disciple had been covering for someone else and voluntarily taken the blame.

"After the truth came out, Junior Brother Chen was reprimanded by his master, Martial Uncle Yao, for handling the matter unclearly and acting too rashly.

"Then, to show his remorse, Junior Brother Chen voluntarily relinquished his duties at the Discipline Hall and, under Martial Uncle Yao's arrangements, went into secluded cultivation."

Lei Jun glanced at Wang Guiyuan. "Who was he covering for? Who was the real offender?"

Wang Guiyuan said, "The flood washed into the Dragon King's temple. It was a young disciple favored by Martial Aunt Hongyu."

"He got set up." Lei Jun understood.

Chen Yi's master, Elder Yao, had always been close to his second Martial Uncle, Elder Hongyu.

Someone had dug a pit for Chen Yi.

On the surface, someone had covered for Elder Hongyu's martial nephew and taken the blame, then voluntarily delivered himself beneath Chen Yi's blade.

Chen Yi thought he had caught hold of the man's weakness. Yet when the truth was exposed, the flood had washed into the Dragon King's temple, sweeping up members of his own faction.

Chen Yi, who had recently been adept at playing both sides and had gotten along well with Elder Ziyang and the Young Celestial Master, had instead sickened his original backers and his master.

Thus, his current circumstances were much like Lei Jun's earlier situation: he had been placed in a small spell of "confinement" by his own master, half as a warning and half as an explanation to Elder Hongyu.

So Chen Yi naturally had no part in this Yang Mountain Separate Residence training expedition.

"What a pity. If Junior Brother Chen had gone to Yang Mountain Separate Residence this time, it surely would have benefited him greatly."

Wang Guiyuan had sighed at the time. "The treasure Eldest Senior Brother gave him before was Fire Marrow Essence produced in Yang Mountain Separate Residence. If he could bring it along this time, it should yield even more wonderful effects than it would for you."

Perhaps.

Or perhaps Junior Brother Chen had other plans and had gotten exactly what he wanted?

There was nothing wrong with playing both sides and borrowing strength from many parties, but the risk of capsizing was always there... Lei Jun remained calm.

Once everyone had assembled, the disciples boarded the Cloud Carts together.

The Cloud Carts were borne by Strange Beasts, rising into the clouds in an instant.

Lei Jun sat by the window, watching mountains, rivers, and lakes sweep past below.

Having reached the Foundation Establishment realm and gained Magic Power, he could now briefly ride the clouds and float in midair.

But for long-distance flight or high-altitude flight, his current cultivation was still insufficient.

Soaring alone through the Nine Heavens and roaming the four corners of the world was one of Lei Jun's motivations for cultivating the Dao. At this moment, he could not help but dream of it once more.

The geography and terrain of this world bore many similarities to China on Blue Star before his transmigration.

Yet it was far vaster.

To some extent, it resembled Blue Star's China enlarged many times over in equal proportion.

Though the Cloud Cart flew swiftly, half a day still passed before it gradually descended.

Yang Mountain Separate Residence had only recently been established. Compared to Dragon Tiger Mountain, its scale naturally fell far short.

Yet after Lei Jun and the others disembarked, what lay before them was still a magnificent Dao Palace composed of countless courtyards and pavilions, surrounded by sprawling estates.

The Dao Palace was built against the mountain. Beyond it stretched green hills and clear waters, unlike the foothills of Dragon Tiger Mountain, where countless towns bustled with worldly life.

But when they looked beyond the distant mountains, aside from the lush green fields of early summer, they could already see some farmstead archways standing there.

With Yang Mountain Separate Residence at its center, the vast surrounding mountains, wilderness, and farmland were all properties belonging to Celestial Master Mansion.

Lei Jun and the others had not come to manage farms or shops, so there was no need to concern themselves with what lay beyond the mountains. They went directly into the mountain Dao Palace.

After settling in and resting for a night, everyone came to the rear mountain of Yang Mountain Separate Residence the next day.

Within a valley on the rear mountain lay the core of the Separate Mansion: Profound Yang Grotto-heaven.

Profound Yang Grotto-heaven had only recently opened and was not yet fully stable. Because of their cultivation realms, Lei Jun and the other young disciples would not enter the Cave Heaven directly on this trip.

They remained outside the entrance to the Cave Heaven, staying in thatched huts within the valley.

Affected by the Cave Heaven, even within the valley, Lei Jun could feel the deep, pure yang energy nourishing and tempering both his soul and flesh.

Even without entering the Cave Heaven, the effects seemed somewhat better than those of the Middle Immortal Pool's water in Cloud Sea Immortal Pool alone... Lei Jun thought.

He nodded to himself. Setting all else aside for now, he silently regulated his breathing and focused on cultivation.

Only at noon, while eating, did Lei Jun cast a glance at the entrance to Profound Yang Grotto-heaven in the valley.

The Fourth Grade Opportunity foretold by this Supreme Good Fortune Sign lay within, but the time had not yet come.