Chapter 8: The Best of the Best Sign

After hearing Lei Jun's words, Wang Guiyuan sighed:

"Yes, it's unpredictable, so we must be cautious everywhere, and do less to make fewer mistakes. If Senior Brother Gao and the others hadn't acted rashly, they wouldn't have met this calamity."

He glanced at Lei Jun: "But you few have had good luck and avoided this disaster."

Lei Jun replied, "Indeed, it was luck."

Wang Guiyuan walked slowly and described the events of the previous night to Lei Jun:

"Yesterday, there weren't two insiders, but three..."

Lei Jun immediately understood.

The first was the young Taoist boy who stole the alchemy furnace.

The second set fire to the first division of the Taoist Boy Academy.

But these two were likely used to create chaos and divert attention, serving as cannon fodder.

After the young Taoist named Gao led people back to the Taoist Boy Academy at the foot of the mountain, a greater commotion arose on the mountain, which was the third person taking action.

"One of our sect's uncles stole a treasure from the mountain and was caught by Senior Brother Gao and others while fleeing down the mountain."

Wang Guiyuan continued, "Although the elder was eventually captured, Senior Brother Gao and the others were killed. The two cases at the Taoist Boy Academy were also secretly orchestrated by this elder."

Lei Jun said, "I never would have thought such a thing could happen on Longhu Mountain."

Wang Guiyuan seemed to change the subject: "A while ago, Senior Uncle Du brought back a magical artifact from outside, which ultimately led to the explosion of the ritual platform and the death of the Taoist boys.

This was indeed an accident, but it wasn't some evil object; it was an artifact originally belonging to our sect."

He stopped and turned to look at Lei Jun: "Do you still remember the Lingzhi Platform?"

Lei Jun nodded.

Wang Guiyuan said, "Back then, our sect had an internal conflict, and the person who damaged the Lingzhi Platform fled. The magical artifact he carried was also taken away. Recently, the artifact was recovered by Senior Uncle Du.

So, the accident at Senior Uncle Du's ritual platform, which led to the revival of the Lingzhi Platform's spiritual energy, was likely due to this artifact. The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it."

Lei Jun asked, "This time, the artifact the elder stole from the mountain, was it the same one?"

Wang Guiyuan replied, "Yes."

Lei Jun understood.

After the internal conflict at the Celestial Master's Mansion was quelled, those who failed in the conflict were either driven off the mountain or fled.

But they still had insiders on the mountain or developed new supporters.

Thus, the theft and murder incident occurred.

Compared to the massive internal conflict of the past, this was just a minor disturbance.

But for Daoist Gao and the others, it was a fatal situation.

As for the cause of the internal conflict back then, although Wang Guiyuan didn't explicitly state it, it was easy to guess that it stemmed from the Li family's control over the position of Celestial Master.

It was foreseeable that the conflict between the Li family and outsiders would intensify.

The mutual suspicion and hostility would only grow stronger.

I'm an outsider too... Lei Jun shook his head.

But, as he had told the thief, a young Taoist boy at the First Heaven Qi Cultivation level could only be cannon fodder in such matters.

Regardless of whether to get involved, the first priority was to improve his cultivation.

As expected, the official announcement from the sect was vague.

But the deaths of the young Taoist and others caused a significant stir in the Celestial Master's Mansion.

After all, it wasn't like the accidental explosion of Elder Du's ritual platform.

This time, it was a serious incident where our sect's true disciples were killed on the sacred ground of Longhu Mountain, the birthplace of the Daoist Talisman Sect.

It would take a long time for the disturbance to subside.

Lei Jun calmed down faster than the other young Taoist boys.

He attended classes during the day and focused on his cultivation at night.

The Taoist Boy Academy had a sense of unrest this year.

The impact of the insider incident had gradually subsided, at least on the surface.

But one problem after another arose.

One day, after Lei Jun finished his morning class in the Sixth Division Hall, he heard the other young Taoist boys chattering again:

"Brother Lei, have you heard? This time, it's the Eighth Division's turn to have trouble!"

Lei Jun asked, "What happened?"

Zhang Yuan, a thin young Taoist boy, said mysteriously:

"Chen Yi from the Eighth Division, the one who got the pure gold lingzhi from the Lingzhi Platform, was sent on a mission down the mountain. He ended up injuring three senior brothers from the Third Division, one dead and two injured!"

The other young Taoist boys were buzzing with discussion:

"One against three? Amazing!"

"He has the pure gold lingzhi!"

"But I heard his cultivation has improved rapidly this year. He's sure to participate in the ordination ceremony next year."

"Killing a fellow disciple, he'll have to face the consequences today..."

Zhang Yuan nodded: "I heard he was locked up in the Eighth Division's disciplinary office last night, with people from the Third and Eighth Divisions watching over him."

Some of the young Taoist boys felt a sense of schadenfreude, enjoying the irony of Chen Yi's misfortune after his previous good luck.

Others admired Chen Yi's strength and envied his rapid rise, as he had been almost unrivaled in the Taoist Boy Academy at the foot of the mountain this year.

A few days later, accurate news finally came:

Chen Yi wasn't heavily punished.

The two young Taoist boys he injured received even harsher penalties from the sect.

In the Sixth Division, Zhang Yuan and others were surprised: "They attacked first? Was it an ambush?"

The young Taoist boy who had gathered the information nodded repeatedly: "Chen Yi's evidence was clear and irrefutable."

Lei Jun asked, "Did they attack Chen Yi to curry favor with the Daoists on the mountain?"

The young Taoist boy replied, "That's what I heard. Fortunately, Chen Yi's cultivation has improved rapidly recently, exceeding their expectations. As a result, their combined efforts were in vain."

Everyone was deeply moved, each with their own thoughts.

Lei Jun continued to live and cultivate at his own pace.

Summer turned to autumn.

As time passed, Lei Jun's cultivation deepened.

He successfully opened his ninth qi sea, marking his attainment of the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation.

One noon in September, after lunch, Lei Jun had some cultivation questions and first sought advice from Wang Guiyuan before heading to the Affairs Hall to receive a mission.

Because he arrived late, most of the good missions had already been assigned.

There were only two remaining.

The first was making ink at the Talisman Ink Workshop.

Taoist priests of the Celestial Master's Mansion use talisman ink, along with talisman pens and paper, when making talismans.

In addition to cinnabar, there are higher-quality talisman inks made from various materials.

However, some of these inks have peculiar auras, so this task is rarely chosen by young Taoist boys and is often assigned by force.

The need for talisman ink is frequent, so this task is always available.

The second mission was a recent addition.

The area around Longhu Mountain, in Xinzhou, is crisscrossed with rivers and lakes, and there are frequent floods in the summer.

Fortunately, high-ranking Daoists from the Celestial Master's Mansion go down the mountain to help with flood control, so the disasters are not severe.

However, some people are displaced, and in the autumn, a major epidemic breaks out among the refugees. Therefore, the Celestial Master's Mansion organizes relief efforts.

Most of the related matters are led by the Daoists on the mountain, with the managers or shopkeepers responsible for the sect's various businesses organizing the specific tasks.

The Taoist Boy Academy often sends young Taoist boys to participate as part of their mission training.

Unlike other tasks, participating in relief efforts is not a one-day affair. It can last from three to five days, or even half a month to a month.

Some are enthusiastic and volunteer to participate.

Others view it as a difficult task and try to avoid it.

A short stay is manageable.

A long stay, however, will inevitably affect one's cultivation. How can the environment outside the mountain compare to the spiritual and blessed land of Longhu Mountain?

Lei Jun arrived late today, so the Affairs Hall only had the tasks of making ink and participating in relief efforts left.

Of course, he could also choose not to take any tasks today and return to his courtyard to cultivate on his own.

He had already taken on many tasks and had earned significant merit and virtue from participating in the capture of the thief who stole the alchemy furnace. A day or two wouldn't make a difference.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the light ball in Lei Jun's mind flashed again, displaying words:

[The city gate catches fire, and an eagle soars high, turning the tide, or a fish swims deep, hiding to avoid danger.]

Lei Jun was already accustomed to the light ball appearing unexpectedly.

He immediately focused his mind and read the three new signs that appeared from the light ball:

[The Best of the Best Sign: Go to Qingyun River Beach for relief efforts, gain a third-grade opportunity, a dragon in the depths, soaring to the sky, great fortune!]

[The Middle Sign: Do not take a mission, return to your residence to cultivate alone, do no wrong, gain nothing, lose nothing, neutral.]

[The Lower Middle Sign: Go to the Talisman Ink Workshop to make ink, the city gate catches fire, the fish in the pond suffer, temporarily lose freedom, hidden dangers, inauspicious.]

The Best of the Best Sign... Lei Jun took a deep breath.

After so many draws, this was the first time he saw the Best of the Best Sign.

A third-grade opportunity was even better than the fifth-grade opportunity of the purple-gold lingzhi essence and the sixth-grade opportunity of the dragon horse scale. Could it help him make up for the disadvantage of starting his cultivation late?

However, the sign indicated that he should go outside the mountain to participate in the relief efforts.