CHAPTER 36: 36. YANGSHAN MANOR, XUANYANG CAVE HEAVEN (PLEASE FOLLOW AND READ!)

Finally, another best lot!

*Lei Jun felt a surge of emotion within.*

He turned to Wang Guiyuan and said, "Senior brother, I think we could give it a try."

Wang Guiyuan shook his head and sighed.

Lei Jun looked to his master, Yuan Mobai, and replied, "Master, I wish to go to Yangshan Manor to broaden my horizons."

Yuan Mobai smiled, "Very well, Chongyun should make preparations these next few days, and Chonggui’s spot can be given to another disciple."

After leaving his master’s courtyard, Wang Guiyuan sighed,

"Lei, you’re still young, there’s no need to rush in your cultivation. You don’t have to exhaust yourself chasing every opportunity that comes up. But everyone follows their own path, so I wish you success on this journey."

Lei Jun said, "Thank you for your kind words, senior brother."

After taking his leave from Wang Guiyuan, Lei Jun returned to his own residence.

He bathed and changed clothes, cleansed his hands and mouth, then set up an altar for rituals and began crafting talismans.

Yangshan Manor and Xuanyang Cave Heaven brimmed with yang energy, and the scorching Earth Fire Solar Flare was even more intense than at the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond, yet lacking its heavy humidity.

Among the Celestial Masters’ many basic spirit talismans, the Thunderclap Talisman and the Blazing Flame Talisman were already highly offensive—here in Yangshan Manor, they’d surely be even more effective.

*Even though the sign foretold a safe yet eventful journey, knowing that danger could lurk ahead, Lei Jun decided to draw extra Thunderclap and Blazing Flame Talismans over the next few days, just to be prepared.*

Seven days later.

The young disciples, including Lei Jun, arrived one after another at the east side of the main manor, midway up the mountain.

A vast platform had been carved from the mountainside, where several Cloud Cars were parked.

Once everyone assembled, they’d travel by Cloud Car to Yangshan Manor.

The place had only recently been established, so not many young disciples were making the trip; together with their leading sect elders, there were just twenty people in total.

Among them, four were disciples from the Li Clan.

In the past, for similar events, Li Clan disciples would usually make up a third, or even more, of the group.

But in the last year or two, the Li Clan had indeed kept a much lower profile.

Yet, one could tell that the four who’d come were truly outstanding—picked from the best of the best.

And among the chosen disciples of other surnames, there were a few who’d always been close with the Li Family.

Still, at least now it looked much more balanced on the surface.

Lei Jun glanced around.

Li Ying, Shangguan Hong, Guo Yan, and other disciples of their transmission cohort were all here.

Lei Jun also spotted Luo Haoran.

The other young man gave Lei Jun a nod and a smile.

"Lei?"

Another man, named Qu Yong, greeted him, catching Lei Jun a little off guard.

They had, after all, met once before.

Just before his transmission, when Lei Jun had gone to Qingyun Shoal Riverside to help dispel an epidemic, one of the Celestial Masters assigned to lead their group of Tao Boys—besides Luo Haoran—was Qu Yong.

Still, Lei Jun and Qu Yong hadn’t really known each other well, and had rarely interacted.

"Senior brother Qu," Lei Jun nodded.

Qu Yong grinned, "Back in the Tao Boy Court, I was in the Sixth Division too. Let’s keep in touch from now on."

Lei Jun replied, "Sounds good, sounds good."

*If he remembered right, this guy was quite keen to rub shoulders with Li Clan disciples, especially those under Elder Ziyang’s line...*

Lei Jun made small talk with Qu Yong, not too engaged.

The platform gradually filled up with people.

However, one popular figure, Chen Yi, was missing.

Lei Jun recalled a recent chat with Wang Guiyuan, who’d mentioned it.

"Junior brother Chen Yi..."

Back then, Wang Guiyuan’s tone was a bit vague, "Recently, he stepped down from his position at the Hall of Adherence and started focusing exclusively on his cultivation."

After hearing more from Wang Guiyuan, Lei Jun learned that junior brother Chen had been forced to retreat after achieving something.

When he’d joined the Hall of Adherence, though there was an air of seeking justice, avenging old debts, and righting wrongs, it wasn’t solely about settling personal scores or targeting Li Clan disciples.

He enforced the rules fairly and publicly.

Sure, he might’ve had his own grudges, but he didn’t go so far as to frame anyone.

Yet he still hit a landmine.

"Chen caught a disciple breaking regulations, embezzling funds."

Wang Guiyuan explained simply, "But afterward, it turned out that disciple was just covering for someone else—willingly taking the fall.

Once the truth came out, Chen Yi got reprimanded by his master, Elder Yao, for acting too rashly and not being thorough.

So Chen Yi, to show his regret, voluntarily stepped down from the Hall of Adherence, and under Elder Yao’s direction, entered seclusion to train."

Lei Jun looked at Wang Guiyuan, "Who was being covered for? Who was the real offender?"

Wang Guiyuan replied, "It was a case of, as they say, the floodwaters sweeping into the Dragon King’s temple. The real culprit was a promising young disciple favored by Master Hongyu."

"He got set up," Lei Jun understood immediately.

Chen Yi’s master, Elder Yao, had always been close with Master Hongyu, the second elder.

Someone had laid a trap for Chen Yi.

On the surface, someone had helped Master Hongyu’s promising disciple cover things up and take the blame, then delivered himself straight to Chen Yi’s chopping block.

Chen Yi thought he’d gotten something solid, but once the truth came out, it just ended up dragging his own faction into the mess.

Lately, Chen Yi had been doing well with both Elder Ziyang and the Young Celestial Master, but this time, he ended up making trouble for his original backers and even his own master.

So now, he was in pretty much the same boat Lei Jun had been, put under a bit of "house arrest" by his master—half as a reminder, half to craft an explanation for Elder Hongyu.

This time, Chen Yi wouldn’t be going along for training at Yangshan Manor.

"It’s a shame. If junior brother Chen could join the Yangshan trip, it would certainly do him a world of good."

Wang Guiyuan had commented back then, "The treasure the senior brother gave him earlier—the Huo Sui Essence—came from Yangshan Manor. If he could take it with him, I’m sure he’d benefit even more than you guys."

Maybe so.

And maybe junior brother Chen had his own plans, getting exactly what he wanted?

*Trying to please everyone, relying on multiple sides, isn’t a bad move, but the risk of screwing up is always there...* Lei Jun stayed calm.

Once everyone was present, the disciples boarded the Cloud Cars together.

The Cloud Cars, carried by exotic beasts, soared up in the clouds at once.

Lei Jun sat by the window, watching mountains, rivers, and lakes speed by below.

Now that he’d reached the Foundation Establishment realm and possessed mana, he was also able to float in mid-air for a short while.

But long-distance or high-altitude flight was still out of his reach.

*Flying alone through the Nine Heavens, traveling the world—this was one of Lei Jun’s greatest motivations in cultivation. He couldn’t help but imagine it once more.*

*The geography and terrain of this world were strikingly similar to Hua Xia of Blue Star before he crossed over.*

*But it was so much vaster.*

*In a way, it was as if Hua Xia had been enlarged many times over, but in proportion.*

Even flying so rapidly by Cloud Car, it was still half a day before they began to descend.

Yangshan Manor was new, and compared to Dragon Tiger Mountain, its scale was nowhere close.

But after Lei Jun and the others disembarked, they were greeted by a grand Tao Palace made up of many courtyards and towers surrounded by sprawling manors.

The Tao Palace was built against the mountain. The outer areas were mostly green hills and clear waters, nothing like the bustling towns clustered at the foot of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

But looking out into the distance, beyond the mountains, they could already see the pavilions and steles of manor houses rising above lush early-summer fields.

*With Yangshan Manor as its center, the vast surrounding lands and fields were all property of the Celestial Master Mansion.*

The group wasn’t there to manage estates or shops outside the mountain. Without a care for those, they moved straight into the Tao Palace on the mountain.

Settling in and resting for a night, everyone headed to the rear mountain behind Yangshan Manor the next day.

Within the rear mountain valley was the core of the manor—where Xuanyang Cave Heaven lay.

The Cave Heaven was newly opened and still unstable, so because of their cultivation realms, Lei Jun and the other young disciples would not be going directly inside this time.

They remained outside the entrance, staying in grass huts in the valley.

Thanks to the Cave Heaven nearby, Lei Jun could feel that long, pure yang energy soaking into him in the valley, nourishing and sharpening both his spiritual soul and his flesh.

*Even without entering the Cave Heaven, compared to simply soaking in the Middle Immortal Pond of the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond, the effects seemed better...* Lei Jun thought to himself.

He nodded to himself, setting aside other concerns, quietly practicing his breathing skills and focusing solely on cultivation.

At lunch, Lei Jun allowed himself a glance at the entrance to Xuanyang Cave Heaven in the middle of the valley.

*That best lot he’d drawn was a fourth rank opportunity inside, but not for the present moment.*