Chapter 7: 7. The Li Clan and Outsiders

The thief's body, now just a withered stump, stubbornly stood in place.

The lightning that had been deflected by the light shield earlier now surged around, causing the mountain rocks to crumble and tilt.

The cliff fractured, and the thief's body, along with the broken rocks, slid down and rolled into the stream below.

Lei Jun raised his hand but ultimately did not step forward to intercept it, only watching as the body floated away with the water.

He put away the black scale and left the cliff, slowly following the river downstream.

Halfway through his search, Lei Jun encountered other fellow disciples.

"I met him upstream and attacked him with the Thunderbolt Talisman given by High Daoist, but he fell into the river and escaped," Lei Jun said.

"At the downstream point, we found the body of the traitor," said the yellow-robed Daoist approaching them. "We also found the alchemy furnace on him."

The stolen goods from the thief were an alchemy furnace from the First Division of the Daoist acolytes.

Although that was the case, in terms of value, it definitely could not compare to the black scale that could even block the Thunderbolt Talisman.

From the current situation, the Sixth Rank opportunity indicated by the auspicious divination was most likely the peculiar scale.

"He died from exhaustion and depletion of his energy," the yellow-robed Daoist said, glancing at Lei Jun. "Everyone who participated in the pursuit and capture has earned merit, including you."

Lei Jun replied, "I don't deserve it; I just did my duty."

"Alright, you all take the body back to the Daoist acolyte courtyard," the yellow-robed Daoist said hurriedly, heading up the mountain.

The other Daoist acolytes did not dare to ask more.

But everyone curiously looked up the mountain.

The two major disturbances earlier, the first one came from the Daoist acolyte courtyard at the foot of the mountain, and the second one seemed to come from the top of the mountain.

Everyone murmured to themselves but could only gather the group and return to the Daoist acolyte courtyard.

Upon returning to the courtyard, they heard that the First Division had been set on fire again.

"This time, it's really..." some of the young Daoist acolytes had strange expressions.

Lei Jun understood.

The First Division was the Li clan's private domain.

For young people who wanted to embark on the path of Dao, being able to join the Celestial Master's Mansion was one of the best starting points.

If there was anything imperfect about it, Lei Jun only found out after joining that the successors of the Celestial Master's Mansion were actually divided into two categories.

Those surnamed Li.

And those not surnamed Li.

In the early years of the Celestial Master's Mansion, the position of Celestial Master was passed down without a fixed rule, with each generation selecting a worthy successor.

But in recent generations, the Celestial Masters have all come from the same bloodline, passed down from ancestor to father, father to son, and son to grandson.

This is the Li family, which has now deeply rooted and flourished in the Celestial Master's Mansion.

To be fair, including the current Celestial Master, several generations of Li Celestial Masters have been outstanding among their peers.

Under their leadership, the Celestial Master's Mansion has endured many storms but still stands firm, one of the few major cultivation sects in the world.

However, as time passed, the Li clan's descendants became increasingly high-profile and assertive.

Some of the rules established since the founding of the Celestial Master's Mansion are still maintained on the surface.

For example, new entrants first enter the Daoist acolyte courtyard to study and cultivate. Only the outstanding ones can participate in the ordination ceremony and then officially ascend the mountain to join the main Celestial Master's Mansion, becoming true disciples.

Currently, the Li clan's descendants also follow this process.

However, few Li clan acolytes are unable to participate in the ordination ceremony.

The First Division of the Daoist acolyte courtyard is specifically for the Li clan's descendants to be educated and lay the foundation.

On the surface, the expenses and conditions are the same as other divisions, but behind the scenes, it is rumored that the Li clan's descendants are so pampered that they have become picky eaters...

Like the stolen alchemy furnace, it was one of the special magical tools provided to the First Division.

"Brother Lei!"

Several young Daoist acolytes from the Sixth Division saw Lei Jun and looked at him with envy. "We heard that you caught the thief?"

Lei Jun shook his head. "I didn't catch him. I fell short, and in the end, he died from exhaustion. So the merit is shared among everyone."

Zhang, the senior brother, sighed. "Although the merit is shared, the main credit goes to those who took the initiative to pursue and capture him.

Those of us who stayed at the checkpoint and did not move are considered secondary. With so many people sharing, there won't be much left for each person."

After the commotion lasted until midnight, everyone was exhausted but could not yet rest.

Later, many true disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion, dressed in apricot-yellow robes, arrived at the Daoist acolyte courtyard and questioned everyone individually.

Although they revealed little information, Lei Jun could tell that the matter concerning the thief's accomplices was significant.

However, after the Daoist acolytes were questioned, they were gradually allowed to rest.

Lei Jun returned to his small courtyard, took out the black scale again, and began to study it more carefully.

Perhaps to make it easier for a First Heaven Qi Cultivation realm Daoist acolyte to use, or to leave no traces, there were no other people's magical restrictions inside the scale.

Lei Jun used his true qi to activate the black scale, and a faint glow immediately appeared on its surface.

In his mind, an image of light appeared, resembling a dragon or a horse, embodying both majesty and elegance, mysterious and unfathomable.

The Daoist acolyte courtyard's textbooks had illustrations of the world's spiritual beasts, auspicious beasts, strange demons, and spirits.

Thus, Lei Jun immediately recognized that the image was the spiritual beast, the Dragon Horse.

So it's the scale of a Dragon Horse... Lei Jun nodded slightly.

He tried to inject more true qi into the black scale, just like the thief did.

Instantly, centered on the scale, light intertwined, recreating the giant shield.

But his true qi flowed out rapidly, consuming it very quickly.

Lei Jun stopped the action, and the glow faded, leaving only the black scale in his palm, serene and mysterious.

A Sixth Rank opportunity, an excellent protective treasure... Lei Jun nodded first, then shook his head.

Unfortunately, what he needed most now was a treasure to assist in cultivation, to speed up his progress and reduce the difficulty of cultivation.

Otherwise, at his current rate of progress, he would at most reach the Tenth Layer of Qi Cultivation before the ordination ceremony next year, and it would be impossible to reach the Twelfth Layer of Qi Cultivation, the Great Perfection.

He hoped that if there was another chance to choose his destiny, it would help with further cultivation.

Of course, a protective treasure is definitely useful.

Protecting oneself is protecting the Dao.

Without life, cultivation is impossible.

Even without the risk of death, the time spent recovering from injuries would delay cultivation.

Lei Jun put away the treasure, changed his clothes, and went to sleep.

The next morning, after washing up, he went to have breakfast and prepare for the morning class.

The first person he met was Wang Guiyuan.

Lei Jun: "Brother Wang?"

Wang Guiyuan: "Last night, you were originally acting with Junior Brother Gao?"

Lei Jun: "We split up halfway. The Daoist acolyte courtyard caught fire, and High Daoist took a few people back to catch the thief's accomplices. The rest of us continued to pursue the thief."

Wang Guiyuan was silent for a moment.

He looked around, his gaze drifting to another direction, but he lowered his voice.

"Junior Brother Gao and the Daoist acolytes he took... something happened to them."

Lei Jun: "......"

"More accurately, not just Junior Brother Gao and the Daoist acolytes he took," Wang Guiyuan nodded slightly. "There were other fellow disciples as well."

He walked ahead, and Lei Jun silently followed behind.

After a long while, Lei Jun asked, "On this Dragon Tiger Mountain?"

Wang Guiyuan nodded slightly.

Lei Jun: "Brother, did something happen at the main mansion on the mountain last night?"

Wang Guiyuan did not immediately answer Lei Jun's question but said earnestly,

"Brother Lei, what I'm about to say might be too much for our shallow acquaintance, but I believe that as cultivators, we should try to avoid reckless bravery. Many times, safety comes first, and stability is paramount!"

Lei Jun: "I understand your concern, and I agree with your words. But in life, many things are unpredictable before they happen."