Tang Xiaotang's Defenses Were Broken

Tang Xiaotang's Defenses Were Broken

After hearing Xu Yuanzhen's words, Lei Jun asked, "There should be quite a few spiritual treasures in this sect that can harmonize yin and yang, right?"

Taoists had always valued Yin Yang Intercourse, and the Celestial Master Mansion of Dragon Tiger Mountain placed even greater emphasis on the mutual aid of Water and Fire, the convergence of dragon and tiger.

"There are indeed quite a few, but that does not mean they will necessarily suit you." Xu Yuanzhen shook her head.

Yuan Mobai smiled as he explained, "The Great Dao has countless paths. Even among things that harmonize yin and yang, there are often subtle differences. Your Fire Marrow Yang Fish is itself unusual, so there is no need to rush. That is why I said it depends on opportunity."

Lei Jun nodded. "Thank you, Master and Eldest Sister, for your guidance. Next, I'll first inquire about the whereabouts of the Water Marrow Yin Fish and yin-yang spiritual treasures."

Yuan Mobai said, "When I opened the Profound Yang Grotto-heaven, I gave the matter some thought as well.

"As for the Water Marrow Yin Fish, it is difficult to find within the Blessed Grotto Heavens under this sect's control. We will have to think of another way.

"I have heard that north of the Xin River, cold springs are common in the mountains. Keep an eye out for news from that region."

Lei Jun agreed.

Over the following days, he cultivated with a tranquil heart. No matter what changes occurred outside, they did not distract him.

After several more months of cultivation, Lei Jun turned his Inner Vision upon his body. Upon his Dao Foundation Altar, besides the Eight Gates Six Curtains and the earliest virtual Scripture Recitation Hall, he had successfully added two more halls.

One was the Refining and Salvation Hall, and the other was the Universal Salvation Hall.

In this world, when the Taoist Talisman School established altar grounds in reality, the Refining and Salvation Hall served to ferry and transform dead souls and living corpses, overseeing ascent through the netherworld. The Universal Salvation Hall, meanwhile, established the Six Paths and Four Births, the divisions of the Nine Provinces, and food-offering altar grounds to nourish ten types of lonely souls and lingering spirits.

When Foundation Establishment cultivators built a virtual Refining and Salvation Hall upon their own Dao Foundation Altar, its purpose was to refine the spirit nature and strengthen the divine soul.

The virtual Universal Salvation Hall, meanwhile, nurtured the spirit nature.

Both began to emphasize the cultivation and development of spirit nature and the divine soul.

Though the Celestial Master Mansion's inheritance placed Life Cultivation first, its overall path still gave equal weight to the joint cultivation of life and nature.

With a virtual Refining and Salvation Hall and a virtual Universal Salvation Hall built upon Lei Jun's Dao Foundation Altar, the Fire Marrow Yang Fish no longer had to be forcibly kept in the virtual Scripture Recitation Hall. The "fish" was freer now, like a fish in water.

Thus, Lei Jun's divine soul received further feedback and nurturing from the spirituality of the Fire Marrow Yang Fish, making his soul, thoughts, and ideas more agile.

Lei Jun cultivated at ease, but others were not having such a pleasant time.

At the end of September that year, the Contemporary Celestial Master, who had only recently emerged from seclusion, entered seclusion once more.

For a time, the entire mansion fell silent.

It was not as though life could not go on, but everyone's mood was vastly different from half a year ago, when they had eagerly awaited the Celestial Master's emergence from seclusion.

The most disappointed person was undoubtedly Tang Xiaotang, who finally emerged from seclusion in high spirits at the beginning of November.

When she learned that the Celestial Master had emerged from seclusion only to enter it again, and still could not preside over the new year's Ordination Ceremony, her whole world immediately went wrong.

In the terms Lei Jun had used before crossing over from Blue Star...

Her defenses were broken.

Tang Xiaotang's defenses were broken.

Though not completely broken.

"I. Do. Not. Believe. It!"

Tang Xiaotang gritted her teeth and declared word by word, determined not to miss the fifth Ordination Ceremony since she had come to Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Before the Celestial Master entered seclusion again, he had already instructed the others that the duration of this seclusion remained uncertain. Therefore, he would not participate in the new year's Ordination Ceremony at the beginning of next year.

Tang Xiaotang had no desire to remain on the mountain any longer. In a fit of anger, she left the mountain to travel once more.

"Could it be even more chickens flying and dogs jumping than the last time she left the mountain?" Though Lei Jun phrased it as a question, his tone was utterly certain.

Xu Yuanzhen gazed out the window and casually said, "Going out for a walk is not a bad thing."

Lei Jun asked, "Before Sect Leader Martial Uncle entered seclusion again, did he not make any arrangements concerning Little Senior Sister?"

Xu Yuanzhen shook her head.

Lei Jun was speechless.

Could the Celestial Master really intend for Tang Xiaotang to be a Dao Child for the rest of her life?

Even if it was some perverse amusement of his, meant to create the strongest Dao Child in history, Tang Xiaotang had long since become one already... Ahem!

No matter how they guessed, the matter had already been set in stone.

Tang Xiaotang had once again been stood up by the Celestial Master.

Fortunately, regardless of their relationship with her, the Celestial Master Mansion's core senior figures, such as Yuan Mobai, Li Hongyu, and Li Ziyang, all tacitly agreed not to truly treat Tang Xiaotang as an ordinary Dao Child.

On the contrary, her treatment was raised even further.

The old year passed amid this strange clamor.

A new year arrived.

By then, it had been nearly five years since Lei Jun came to Dragon Tiger Mountain to enter the Daoist path, counting from when he joined the Dao Child Courtyard.

On January Fifteenth of the new year, three years after formally entering the mansion and taking a master, twenty-three-year-old Lei Jun welcomed his second Ordination Ceremony on the mountain.

This time, he was no longer the protagonist of the ceremony.

A new ordination meant a new batch of disciples.

This time, Lei Jun attended the ceremony as an assistant to his master, Yuan Mobai.

This year, Yuan Mobai would serve as the High Merit Dharma Master presiding over the ceremony.

His fellow Senior Brother Wang Guiyuan had reached a critical point in cultivation several months earlier and had therefore chosen to enter seclusion for quiet cultivation.

Thus, Yuan Mobai currently had only Lei Jun under his branch.

Fortunately, not all the work would be piled onto him. Their lineage naturally assigned others to help.

"Senior Brother Luo, I lack experience, so please look after me," Lei Jun greeted the familiar Luo Haoran.

Luo Haoran smiled. "Do not worry. We just need to follow Martial Uncle Yuan through the Ritual Performance procedures together."

The ceremony's procedures were no different from Lei Jun's own session.

As a Transmission Disciple who had entered the sect only three years earlier, Lei Jun did not have any particularly difficult tasks. His main duty was to remain by his master Yuan Mobai's side and replenish the incense.

In Taoist ritual rules, the incense could not be allowed to go out throughout the entire process.

Because of his assigned position, Lei Jun did not stand in the front of the formation before the Dao Children. Instead, he kept watch beside the incense burner at the ritual altar.

With a glance, he saw that the new batch of Dao Children participating in this year's ordination were mostly familiar faces.

He had left the Dao Child Courtyard only three years ago. Even if he had not interacted with the Dao Children qualified to participate in this ordination, he had mostly seen them before.

For instance, Zhang Yuan had finally cultivated to the twelfth level of Qi Refining. With the approval of his recommending master, supervising ordination master, and Transmission Master, he was permitted to participate in this year's new Ordination Ceremony and formally enter the mansion as a Direct Lineage Disciple.

There were, however, a few exceptions.

One youth, who appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old, stood among the formation. Lei Jun did not recognize him.

"He is a Dao Child whom Eldest Senior Brother brought back to the mountain and guided into the Daoist path more than two years ago."

Before the formal ceremony, Luo Haoran had introduced him briefly. "I heard that in only two years, he went from newly entering the sect to completing Qi Refining, so he caught up with this year's ordination."

Lei Jun said, "So he will be Eldest Senior Brother's first disciple?"

Young Celestial Master Li Zhengxuan had not taken any disciples before.

Rumor had it that his first disciple was originally meant to be his grandnephew, Elder Ziyang's direct grandson, the son of Li Xuan.

But now, it seemed that the Young Celestial Master's first disciple would be a disciple with another surname.

More than two years ago had been the time of the Cloud Sea Immortal Pool incident, when Li Ming had dragged down the Li Family's reputation.

Now that the storm had passed, the Li Family's reputation remained unaffected. Yet Li Ming had still ruined his own nephew's chance to become the Young Celestial Master's first disciple.

Whatever Li Ming might think if he knew in the underworld, Lei Jun did not care.

He proceeded step by step, following his master Yuan Mobai through the ceremony.

Just as three years ago, after the night of the Fourteenth and the daytime of the Fifteenth, the formal Ritual and Chuan Du Initiation ceremony only began on the night of the Fifteenth.

Outside the ritual altar, guests from beyond the mountain took their seats one after another.

Everyone's attention was focused on the promising new generation of Celestial Master Mansion disciples undergoing Chuan Du Initiation today.

But Lei Jun did not know whether he was being overly sensitive.

On the viewing platform, one gaze seemed to be fixed not on the Dao Children undergoing Chuan Du Initiation, but on him.