Li Xuan quickly composed himself, his expression regaining its steely facade.
However, a slight smile still graced his face as he looked approvingly at Lei Jun:
“Among the disciples who joined the Mansion during the same
Initiation Ceremony
, you are the first to reach the Third Heaven, Junior Brother Lei.
Your cultivation has progressed rapidly, and you successfully overcame the
Heaven's Chasm Tribulation
to establish your
Altar
. This is truly worthy of celebration.
If not for your unexpectedly strong abilities, the battle at
Qingxiao Lake
would have ended in disaster.”
The situation now was that the Dong family had failed.
If things had gone the other way, setting aside how the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou would have reacted, even if the
Tianshi Mansion
held the Dong family accountable afterward, the dead disciples couldn’t be brought back to life.
“Senior Brother Li flatters me,” Lei Jun replied. “It all happened so suddenly, I just barely managed.”
He added, “As for cultivation, I owe it all to my Master’s guidance.”
Yuan Mobai smiled slightly: “
Blue Stone Ink
is harmful but easy to find, while
Mist-Wrapped Cloud Crystal
is beneficial but rare. Fortunately, the two complement each other. After all, ‘The finest blade is forged through grinding, and the plum blossom’s fragrance comes from the bitter cold.’”
Lei Jun nodded: “Master’s teachings are always right.”
Li Xuan also bowed slightly: “Uncle’s guidance has truly enlightened me.”
He thought to himself that it seemed Uncle Yuan had planned ahead—shaping Lei Jun’s abilities while also tempering his character.
Although his Junior Uncle’s thoughts were unpredictable, the closer relationship over the years was ultimately a good thing.
It wasn’t necessary for Yuan Mobai to side with them, as long as he remained neutral and didn’t support Xu Yuanzhen. Xu Yuanzhen, after all, was too isolated to cause much trouble.
Lei Jun’s unexpected success was just a minor twist in the current situation.
Once the Mansion received word, someone would come to join Yuan Mobai and Li Xuan in coordinating a counterattack against the Jiangzhou Lin Clan.
For now, dealing with the Dong family took priority.
Even if the Dong family had failed at
Qingxiao Lake
, this was only the beginning for them.
If they weren’t wary of the Lin Clan’s other moves, Yuan Mobai would have already destroyed the Dong family’s foundation downstream of the
Qinglan River
.
…Perhaps the current
Tianshi
really was in poor condition, but precisely for this reason,
Mount Longhu
could not afford to show weakness.
Lei Jun stayed with the crowd, going along with the flow.
The following matters were no longer his concern.
If anything, his role was merely incidental.
Defending
Qingxiao Lake
and resisting the Dong family had earned him a clear merit, and Yuan Mobai was looking out for him.
Now, whatever catastrophe loomed would be handled by those higher up.
Lei Jun quietly found a cool spot to stay out of the way.
“This
Spiritual Item
suits you well,” Yuan Mobai said, smiling as he inspected the
Jiji Stone
Lei Jun handed him.
“
Fire Marrow Yangfish
,
Unaccomplished Cauldron
,
Jiji Stone
… If you can obtain the
Water Marrow Yinfish
, you’ll make significant progress.”
Lei Jun thanked Yuan Mobai and returned to his private residence to cultivate and adjust his state of mind, shutting out the storm outside.
He wasn’t completely cut off from news, though.
The conflict between the
Tianshi Mansion
and the Jiangzhou Lin Clan grew increasingly intense.
Fang Yue and Fang Mingyuan got involved as the Fang Clan of Jingxiang entered the fray with ambiguous intentions.
There were also rumors of another major power getting involved—
Shushan
.
Was the expert who had challenged Master from
Shushan
? Lei Jun wondered.
Since Yuan Mobai said nothing, he didn’t ask.
For now, the bigger storm outside wouldn’t touch Lei Jun.
There were only minor troubles—shadows cast by the greater storm—that made him shake his head.
Being the first in his cohort to reach the Third Heaven within four or five years made Lei Jun somewhat famous.
Not just within the
Tianshi Mansion
, but also beyond.
In just over four years, he had progressed from the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refining through two
Heaven's Chasm Tribulations
to the Third Heaven.
Such speed was rare even in the entire Tang Empire; it was impossible not to attract attention.
The
Moderate Omen
that led him to the
Jiji Stone
and
Water-Avoiding Golden Eyes
had finally allowed his talents to shine.
Since he was now in the spotlight, Lei Jun didn’t dwell on it. He remained adaptable, living life at his own pace.
As the
Moderate Omen
suggested, he would proceed cautiously in the future.
Others had already blazed this trail before him.
Before Lei Jun’s breakthrough to the Third Heaven became known, the most attention-grabbing figure among the young disciples was undoubtedly Chen Yi. He was even more prominent than Elder Ziyang’s youngest daughter, Li Ying.
During last year’s
Initiation Ceremony
, Chen Yi represented the
Tianshi Mansion
and defeated a young disciple from
Pure Yang Palace
, bringing great honor to the Mansion.
But fame came with trouble.
That
Moderate Omen
had also been fulfilled.
While training last year, Chen Yi was targeted by the
Yellow Heaven Sect
.
In a secret realm, a group of Yellow Heaven Sect followers attacked him.
Though he managed to kill several and escape, he was seriously injured.
It was said that Chen Yi also seized a treasure from his attackers.
After returning to the Mansion, he was credited for this success.
Since then, he had been recovering and cultivating in seclusion, with little news of him this year.
Lei Jun marveled at Chen Yi’s talent.
But such a dramatic, perilous path wasn’t for him. He preferred his own steady pace.
In the following days, Lei Jun continued to cultivate, nurturing his
Dao Foundation
and
Altar
.
Until…
“The
Water Marrow Yinfish
has appeared. Its spirituality is excellent,” Yuan Mobai said with a smile.
Lei Jun was overjoyed and breathed a sigh of relief.
Yuan Mobai had stayed at
Qingxiao Mountain
since his last departure.
With his oversight, Lei Jun didn’t have to worry about someone else snatching the treasure, as often happened in the novels he had read on
Blue Star
.
When the two arrived at the cold spring, though it was summer, cold mist curled up from the spring.
The
Fire Marrow Yangfish
in Lei Jun’s
Dao Foundation Altar
was more excited than it had been for the
Jiji Stone
or
Unaccomplished Cauldron
.
As the
Fire Marrow Yangfish
stirred, a silver gleam appeared in the spring, and the cold intensified.
Lei Jun looked at Yuan Mobai.
Yuan Mobai smiled: “You used my tool to catch the
Fire Marrow Yangfish
. For the
Water Marrow Yinfish
, you can do it yourself.”
Lei Jun understood, activating the
Fire Marrow Yangfish
with his mind.
The two fishes, repelled and attracted to each other, stirred the cold spring.
Blue, crystalline water flowed up into the air, and a silver gleam shone brighter within it.
Lei Jun raised his hand, a red-gold glow shimmering in his palm.
A moment later, the silver gleam leapt out, tracing a graceful arc in the air.
It landed in his hand!
He looked down to see red and silver streams intertwining, forming a swirling pattern of light—like the
Yin-Yang Fish
.