Again Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Disaster

Again Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Disaster

Lei Jun looked at Wang Guiyuan. "Taoist Priest..."

Wang Guiyuan smiled. "Junior Brother Lei, there's no need to be so polite. Just call me Senior Brother.

"With your temperament and talent, even if you do not attend next year's Ordination Ceremony, you will certainly be able to take part in the one after that and ascend the mountain to enter the Main Mansion.

"Come to think of it, when I was in the Dao Child Courtyard, I cultivated in the Sixth Courtyard as well."

"I see..." Lei Jun replied. "Then I hope for Senior Brother Wang's guidance in the future."

Wang Guiyuan handed the letter to Lei Jun as he spoke. "From now on, I'll often come back to visit the Sixth Dao Child Courtyard. If you encounter any difficulties in daily life or cultivation, I'll try to help you resolve them."

Lei Jun first thanked Wang Guiyuan, then read the letter Elder Yuan had left behind.

Its general meaning was that Elder Yuan had already gained a preliminary understanding of Lei Jun. Though Lei Jun's innate bones and talent were currently ordinary, his strengths outweighed his shortcomings. Setting aside Xu Yuanzhen's wishes, Elder Yuan himself was willing to forge a bond of master and disciple with Lei Jun.

However, taking Lei Jun into his own school was only what Xu Yuanzhen and he wished. What Elder Yuan did not know was Lei Jun's own intentions.

It was not that Xu Yuanzhen did not wish to introduce Lei Jun to her master, the Celestial Master. Rather, compared to Elder Yuan, the Celestial Master was an even more severe case of seclusion. He had been in seclusion for ten years since his last retreat.

No one knew when the Celestial Master would emerge from seclusion. Forget next year's Ordination Ceremony—even whether he would emerge before the following ordination was unknown.

Thus, Xu Yuanzhen had instead introduced Lei Jun to Elder Yuan.

Yet as the saying went, water flowed downhill, while people climbed upward. Once anyone entered Celestial Master Mansion, so long as there was even a sliver of hope of becoming the Celestial Master's Personal Disciple, who would be willing to become merely the disciple of the Celestial Master's junior brother?

Since Xu Yuanzhen, who had guided Lei Jun into the Dao, did not accept disciples herself, whom Lei Jun took as his master should be for Lei Jun himself to decide.

Perhaps Lei Jun was willing to wait for the Celestial Master to emerge from seclusion...

After reading the letter, Lei Jun's first thought was:

By ordinary rules of conduct, once you put it that way, could anyone still say they wanted the Celestial Master as their master? Even for appearances' sake, they would have to immediately bow down and beg you, honored elder, to accept them as a disciple.

But...

Lei Jun looked at the handwriting on the letter and pondered briefly without answering at once.

Reading the words on the page, it was as though a pair of gentle eyes were gazing into his own, filled with encouragement.

Having come to this world some time ago, Lei Jun dared say it was not an illusion.

The writings of great cultivators contained emotion and encompassed all things.

Lei Jun set down the letter and looked up at Wang Guiyuan before him.

Wang Guiyuan smiled. "Before Master left, he spoke with me about you too, Junior Brother Lei.

"His old self said, how difficult is cultivating the Dao? Only by facing the true intent in your heart can you walk onward with resolve."

Lei Jun said, "I've made Senior Brother laugh. The truth is, I'm completely at a loss right now, with no idea what to do."

Wang Guiyuan glanced at Lei Jun.

No matter how he looked at him, the tall youth before him seemed like someone with very firm ideas of his own.

But Wang Guiyuan said no more, only smiled and shook his head.

"Junior Brother Lei, you jest. Master once said that you need not rush to decide. Perhaps the Celestial Master will emerge from seclusion before you undergo Chuan Du Initiation? You may as well wait until then to decide.

"Normally, as long as he is on the mountain and not in seclusion, if you have any questions in cultivation, aside from consulting the instructors of the Dao Child Courtyard, you may ask him.

"Master is not on the mountain at present, but you can come find me as well. My cultivation and knowledge are not even one ten-thousandth of Master's, but I will still do my utmost to answer your questions."

Lei Jun said, "Then I thank Elder Yuan and Senior Brother in advance."

The Light Sphere in his mind showed no reaction at present, nor did it produce any signs foretelling his fate.

It seemed to indicate that Elder Yuan and Wang Guiyuan had spoken sincerely and would not harm Lei Jun simply because he wished to climb the Celestial Master's lofty branch.

Perhaps Elder Yuan had never truly intended to accept him as a disciple, merely giving Xu Yuanzhen face.

Or perhaps the time had not yet come, and he had to wait until the day of the Chuan Du Initiation drew near?

Over the following days, whenever Lei Jun had questions, he sought Wang Guiyuan's guidance, and Wang Guiyuan indeed instructed him with great care.

Compared with the instructors, who also had to divide their attention among other Dao children, Wang Guiyuan was essentially giving Lei Jun one-on-one private lessons.

With a fine teacher and Purple-Gold Spirit Mushroom Essence supplying him with vital energy, Lei Jun's cultivation continued to advance rapidly. He formed his eighth Qi Sea and successfully broke through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.

As time passed, and nearly a year went by since he had entered the sect, Lei Jun gradually moved beyond the stage where everything seemed new and fascinating.

The daily repetition of lessons and cultivation gradually began to make life feel somewhat dull.

But after he slowly passed through that period of mental tedium, Lei Jun began to truly catch and experience a measure of Dao Essence—peaceful and unhurried.

Until one day, that tranquility was suddenly shattered.

"The Dao Child Courtyard has been robbed!"

When the news arrived, Lei Jun and the others had just finished their Evening Lesson.

The courtyard quickly descended into chaos.

"What happened? What happened? Who was it?"

"I heard someone from the Second Courtyard stole something from the First Courtyard. They've already identified the culprit and are trying to capture them."

"Have they caught them?"

"Not yet. They say the person ran into the mountain forest."

Before long, instructors gathered everyone and formally announced, "Tonight, you will have an additional trial: work together to search the mountain. Prepare at once and depart as soon as possible!"

Though the matter had also alerted the Main Mansion atop the mountain, the Dao Child Courtyard ultimately remained chiefly responsible for handling it.

The many Dao children from the various courtyards all mobilized, splitting into teams to enter the mountain. They set checkpoints and cast a net, conducting a manhunt like a hunt for wild game.

Lei Jun's team was led by two True Disciples of Celestial Master Mansion and twenty Dao children. They guarded key positions around North Mountain, watching their surroundings and searching from afar.

One of them was a Young Daoist who looked no older than fourteen or fifteen, about the same age as most of the Dao children.

Yet Lei Jun, a nineteen-year-old Dao child who had only entered the sect a year ago, along with all the other young Dao children, had to obey this youth's commands and follow his directions.

It's one thing when incidents like this do not arise. But once they do, the gap between Daoists and Dao children becomes especially obvious. I still need to improve my cultivation as soon as possible and undergo Chuan Du Initiation... Lei Jun thought.

Their search and interception yielded nothing.

The two True Disciples of Celestial Master Mansion leading the team came to disagree.

The Young Daoist waved his hand. "Holding this place to the death is no solution. We should sweep northeast or northwest and close in on them!"

The other young adult Daoist said, "Junior Brother, our duty is to hold this area. We should not abandon our post without authorization."

The Young Daoist said, "Then we split into two groups. You and I will each lead a team. One team will continue holding this place, while the other searches to the side!"

Lei Jun and the other young Dao children all waited quietly nearby.

Then a flash of light suddenly appeared in Lei Jun's mind.

The Light Sphere, which had shown no movement for some time, now displayed words:

Pursuing the traitor conceals another truth. Split up and act; life and death are left to fate.

Then three signs flew from the Light Sphere, each bearing its own Sign Fortune:

Upper Middle Auspicious Sign: Participate in the active pursuit. Press forward all the way without spawning further complications, and obtain a Sixth Grade Opportunity. Auspicious.

Middle Middle Auspicious Sign: Hold your position steadily. Neither contend nor move, quietly await the turmoil's end. Gain nothing and lose nothing. Neutral.

Lowest Auspicious Sign: Participate in the active pursuit, but change targets midway. Fall into a killing trap—Ten Deaths No Life. Great misfortune!