CHAPTER 56: 55. YIN YANG FISH ACQUIRED

Li Xuan quickly calmed his emotions and put his iron mask back on.

But he still showed a slight smile, looking at Lei Jun with approval,

"Among the disciples who entered the Sect during the same Transmission Ceremony as you, Lei, you were the first to achieve the Third Heavenly Layer.

Your cultivation advanced with remarkable speed, and you even succeeded in overcoming the Heavenly Moat Tribulation to establish your altar, a truly joyful and admirable accomplishment.

If not for your unexpectedly strong abilities, the outcome of the battle at Qingxiao Lake would have been unimaginable."

The Dong Family had now met their demise.

*If things had been the other way around, not mentioning what would become of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, even if the Celestial Master Mansion sought retribution from the Dong Family afterward, the dead disciples could not be brought back to life.*

"Li, you flatter me, the incident happened so suddenly, I only managed to give it a try."

Lei Jun said, "Cultivation always depended on the guidance and teaching of my master."

Yuan Mobai smiled faintly, "Green Stone Ink is harmful but easy to obtain, Misty Cloud Crystals are beneficial but hard to find. Fortunately, the two combined are exactly like ’the sharpest blade is forged in hardship, the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold.’"

Lei Jun replied, "Master, your teachings are true."

Li Xuan also bowed, "Master, your teachings have enlightened this disciple."

*He thought that it seemed Master Yuan had planned ahead, not only cultivating Lei Jun but also honing his edges.*

*Although the Master was hard to read, everyone had become closer over these past years, and that could only be a good thing.*

*There was no need for Yuan Mobai to truly take their side; as long as he remained neutral and didn’t lean toward Xu Yuanzhen’s side, that was enough. Xu Yuanzhen’s lonely power could never turn the sky over.*

*Lei Jun’s matter had been unexpected, but for the current situation, it was only a minor episode.*

*Once word reached the Mansion and someone was sent to join Yuan Mobai and Li Xuan, the real counterattack against the Jiangzhou Lin Clan would begin.*

*Before anything else, they would deal with the Dong Family.*

*Even if it was the Dong Family that fell at Qingxiao Lake, for them, things had only just begun.*

*If it weren’t for fear that the Lin Clan had other plans, Yuan Mobai would have already gone to eradicate the Dong Family’s foundation on the lower reaches of the Qinglan River.*

*...Perhaps the Current Celestial Master’s condition was truly problematic, but it was at times like this that Dragon Tiger Mountain couldn’t afford to show weakness.*

Lei Jun followed the crowd.

After this, the following matters really would not concern him.

*Even if one argued Lei Jun had some connection, he was just along for the ride.*

In defending Qingxiao Lake and resisting the Dong Family, he had clearly distinguished himself, and Yuan Mobai looked after him as well.

So next, it was up to those of higher rank to bear the burden of whatever calamity might come.

Lei Jun only needed to find a cool, quiet place to wait in peace.

"This spiritual object is quite good, just right for your use."

Afterward, Yuan Mobai did not say much more about the Lin Clan or the Dong Family. Only after looking over the Jiji Stone that Lei Jun handed over, he nodded with a smile,

"Huo Sui Yang Yu, Weiji Bowl, Jiji Stone—if you manage to obtain the Water Marrow Yin Fish as well, your progress will take a solid leap forward."

Lei Jun thanked Yuan Mobai, then returned to his own small world, focusing on his cultivation and recuperating in solitude, shutting the storms of the outside world behind his door.

*But it was not as if he had cut himself off from all outside news.*

The tug-of-war between the Celestial Master Mansion and the Jiangzhou Lin Clan that followed was extremely fierce.

Fang Yue and Fang Mingyuan happened to get involved, and the Jingxiang Fang Clan intervened with an ambiguous attitude.

Other rumors suggested that another powerful force had also joined the fray.

Mount Shu.

*That master who once scheduled a duel with my own master, was he from Mount Shu...?* Lei Jun wondered.

*Since Yuan Mobai didn’t mention it, he did not ask more.*

*The storms outside could not reach Lei Jun for now.*

*There were a few small ripples, though, hidden beneath the larger waves, making him shake his head slightly.*

*As the first to attain the Third Heavenly Layer among the batch of new official disciples at the Celestial Master Mansion, and having done so in only four or five years, Lei Jun had indeed become somewhat famous.*

*Not only within the Celestial Master Mansion, but also beyond its bounds.*

*In just over four years, advancing from the First Heaven Layer, Qi Refinement Level Twelve, and breaking through two Heavenly Moat Tribulations straight to the Third Heavenly Layer.*

*Such speed was exceedingly rare even in the Great Tang, making it hard not to become well known.*

*That perfectly neutral lot had let Lei Jun acquire the Jiji Stone and Water-Averting Golden Pupil, and finally, this piece of gold had begun to shine for all to see.*

*Since he was in the spotlight now, Lei Jun did not dwell on it. He could pick up and put down as he wished, and continued to live according to his own rhythm and habits.*

*Just as the neutral lot foretold, he only needed to act with caution in the future.*

*Others had already forged this path ahead of him.*

*Before news of Lei Jun’s breakthrough to the Third Heavenly Layer spread, the young disciple drawing the most attention from various factions inside and outside the Sect was undoubtedly Chen Yi, whose fame even surpassed Elder Ziyang’s youngest daughter, Li Ying.*

*Especially at last year’s new Transmission Ceremony, where Chen Yi, as the Sect’s representative, defeated a young disciple from Pure Yang Palace, gaining quite a name for himself.*

*But this also brought trouble.*

*That neutral lot, in the end, proved prophetic as well.*

*Last year, when Chen Yi went on a training trip outside, he was targeted by an old enemy of the Celestial Master Mansion.*

*In a certain secret realm, a group of Huangtian Dao followers ambushed and tried to kill Chen Yi.*

*Although Chen Yi killed several of them in return and escaped with his life, he was seriously wounded as well.*

*Still, Lei Jun heard that as he killed those Huangtian Dao followers, Chen Yi had also seized some treasure from them.*

*When he brought it back to the mountain, the Sect rewarded him for his merit.*

*Since then, until this year, Chen Yi stayed on the mountain, half to recover, half to focus on cultivation, keeping a low profile lately.*

*Lei Jun had to admire that this junior brother was indeed extraordinary.*

*But the way he always moved with sparks and thunder, never far from danger or fortune, always living on the edge, Lei Jun admitted he felt no envy at all.*

*Being caught up in danger once or twice was enough—he still preferred his own pace of life.*

In the days that followed, Lei Jun devoted himself to cultivation, continuing to warm and nurture his own Tao Foundation and altar.

Until...

"The Water Marrow Yin Fish has appeared, and its spiritual nature is quite good," Yuan Mobai remarked with a smile.

When Lei Jun heard this, he was sincerely delighted and let out a long, relieved breath.

Since leaving the last time, Yuan Mobai had always remained here at Qingxiao Mountain.

With him keeping watch, the kind of things Lei Jun had read about in web novels back on Blue Star—where treasures were discovered only to get snatched by others—never happened.

When master and disciple arrived at the Cold Spring, though it was still summer, wisps of cold qi were rising from the spring’s source.

The Huo Sui Yang Yu that Lei Jun kept within his own Tao Foundation Altar was more excited than ever, with a reaction even stronger than when it encountered the Jiji Stone or the Weiji Bowl.

As the Huo Sui Yang Yu responded, a trace of silver light seemed to flash within the spring’s source.

The cold grew even more intense at once.

Lei Jun turned to look at Yuan Mobai.

Yuan Mobai smiled, "When fishing for the Huo Sui Yang Yu, you used my magic artifact. This time, to fish for the Water Marrow Yin Fish, you can do it yourself."

Lei Jun understood and immediately used his mind to urge the Huo Sui Yang Yu on.

The two fish were averse to each other, yet drawn together.

The Cold Spring began to respond as expected, its waters starting to coagulate like pale blue ice crystals, rising into the air of their own accord.

Within these ice-like pale blue currents, that thread of silver light grew ever brighter.

Lei Jun raised his hand, with a patch of fire-red in his palm and a glint of gold flashing there.

The next moment, just like a fish leaping from the water, that thread of silver light shot upward, tracing a beautiful arc through the air.

At last, it fell into Lei Jun’s hand!

Lei Jun looked down at his palm, where golden and silver streamers intertwined, manifesting a mingling of red and blue lights.

It was as if the Taiji Yin Yang Fish had come together and began to spin.