Lei Jun looked a bit surprised as he took in Tang Xiaotang’s expression.

She spoke first, “Stop trying to annoy me!”

With that, she plopped down, sulking by herself.

“I just wanted to say…” Lei Jun lifted a hand, tracing the air above his hair and eyebrows.

Tang Xiaotang paused before realizing what he meant. “Oh, I got so mad I forgot!”

As she finished speaking, the light golden color faded from her long hair and brows, returning to black, and her eyes reverted to their original shade.

At that moment, Xu Yuanzhen, Yuan Mobai, and Wang Guiyuan walked in.

“You chose this master yourself; you should have expected it.”

Xu Yuanzhen took a seat. “It’s already been decided to break protocol and teach you the Three Realms True Canon, so your cultivation won’t be delayed.”

She furrowed her brow slightly, gazing out the window in thought.

Tang Xiaotang, curious, said, “Hey, Senior Sister, are you worried about me? I thought you only enjoyed watching others suffer.”

Xu Yuanzhen responded, “First, don’t flatter yourself—I don’t have time to worry about you. And second, I don’t enjoy watching people suffer; I just like seeing certain people suffer. And most of the time, ‘certain people’ includes you.”

“Well, I only like watching you suffer!” Tang Xiaotang huffed.

Yuan Mobai gently said, “Xiaotang, since you’ve decided not to participate in this Initiation Ceremony, why not focus on calming your mind and continue with your cultivation? Master left a decree before New Year’s to exit seclusion, and though there’s been a delay, it likely won’t be postponed much longer.”

Tang Xiaotang replied glumly, “Got it, Junior Uncle.”

Lei Jun looked at her and was suddenly reminded of an old joke:

“Little Senior Sister, you don’t have to take it too seriously. With your talent and charisma, even if you stay in the Daoist Children’s Academy forever, you’ll still be its ruler.”

Tang Xiaotang paused, then asked, “Ruler of the Daoist Children’s Academy? How high does that position rank?”

Lei Jun replied, “Still just a Daoist Child.”

Tang Xiaotang scoffed, “Get out of here!”

Lei Jun chuckled, but as he finished laughing, he grew contemplative.

Did this situation qualify as a Lower-Moderate Omen? Could it be starting to manifest?

---

In a quiet chamber, a young Daoist man sat across from a female Daoist Child.

The young Daoist man commented, “It’s a pity this time.”

The Daoist Child, Li Ying—the youngest daughter of Elder Ziyang—sighed, “It can’t be helped if my uncle hasn’t left seclusion as planned.”

“Yes,” he replied, “no one knows when he’ll emerge, but your cultivation can’t be delayed. You should join me in studying under Father’s guidance.”

Li Ying nodded.

The young Daoist man continued, “But this recent commotion about trying to become a Tianshi’s direct disciple gave us a clear view of who’s restless.” He then shifted the conversation. “Chen Yi, Shangguan Hong!”

Li Ying commented, “I heard that Lei Jun from the Sixth Academy and Guo Yan from the Seventh Academy are also quite good.”

The young Daoist responded, “I won’t comment on their talents, but at least they’re steady and don’t have unrealistic ambitions. Chen Yi and Shangguan Hong, on the other hand—those two are as sharp and competitive as ever and need a little humbling.”

Li Ying frowned. “Second Brother, isn’t that a bit much?”

“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to harm them,” he reassured her. “It’s just that a few little branches have grown a bit wild, so we’ll trim them down slightly, so lightly they won’t even notice.”

---

This year’s uproar among the Daoist Children over trying to become a Tianshi’s direct disciple soon died down quietly, barely reaching public attention.

When the Initiation Ceremony finally took place, no one brought it up again. Besides Tang Xiaotang’s determination to maintain her “ruler of the Daoist Children” title, everyone else officially found their own affiliations.

Li Ying from the First Academy studied under her father, Elder Ziyang. Shangguan Hong from the Second Academy became a disciple of the Tianshi’s Fifth Junior Sister. This Fifth Junior Sister, Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen’s Fifth Martial Uncle, was also Shangguan Hong’s distant aunt.

Chen Yi from the Eighth Academy studied under Elder Yao, the Tianshi’s Fourth Martial Brother.

Officially, these three Daoist Children were always meant to study under these elders, and the quest to become a Tianshi’s direct disciple seemed to vanish as though it never existed. But in private, rumors circulated.

The rumors had two main figures. One was, of course, Tang Xiaotang—few could compete with her for attention. The other was Chen Yi, who was said to have wanted to skip the Initiation and wait for the Tianshi to exit seclusion.

While the Mansion permitted such individual freedom, some called him stubborn, saying he risked wasting his potential.

Chen Yi allegedly wanted the same privileges as Tang Xiaotang, hoping to receive teachings even without undergoing Initiation, a treatment comparable to a True Disciple or even higher-ranking Daoist.

Upon hearing the news, Lei Jun’s first thought was:

“Could this be a rumor spread by the Li Family’s disciples? Is it true?”

Wang Guiyuan shook his head. “It’s likely a Li Family Daoist Child overheard and deliberately spread it to trouble Chen Yi. But the story is true—he actually did that.”

Lei Jun could tell, even without much thought, that while the Li Family disciples had indeed stirred things up, they supported Chen Yi’s actions. After all, if Chen Yi managed to follow in Tang Xiaotang’s footsteps, it would be the Li Family who’d benefit the most within the Mansion.

Even if Chen Yi was aware he was being used, it was clear he still wanted to fight for his chance.

This prompted Tang Xiaotang to deliver a biting retort:

“I have a Celestial Physique. What about you?”

The comment left many speechless.

“A Celestial Physique, huh? No wonder…” Lei Jun rubbed his brow.

Above the typical grades of bone structure—Lower Grade, Lower-Moderate Grade, Average Grade, Upper-Moderate Grade, and Upper Grade—were unique physiques suitable for cultivation.

Like Lei Jun’s current Hidden Dragon Spirit Physique.

Above that was the Sacred Physique.

And above the Sacred Physique was the Celestial Physique.

Even at a Daoist Holy Land like the Tianshi Mansion, a Celestial Physique was rare, akin to a godly figure descending into the mortal world.

Lei Jun thought to himself that while the opportunity was rare, a Spirit Physique like his might still improve over time if he could navigate fortune and misfortune for more opportunities to enhance his bone structure.

Though to be fair…

Lei Jun covered his face. “Little Senior Sister and the image of a heavenly figure don’t exactly match—it's pretty funny to imagine.”

Tang Xiaotang’s remark about “you” was directed at Chen Yi but felt like a sweeping “map attack.” It wasn’t just aimed at Daoist children like Li Ying and Shangguan Hong, but likely caught even senior disciples and elders within its scope.

“Back to Little Senior Sister’s question: she has a Celestial Physique. What about Chen Yi?”

Wang Guiyuan glanced at Lei Jun. “It’s just been discovered that Chen Yi possesses a Pure Void Spirit Physique.”

The Pure Void Spirit Physique was an ethereal constitution that absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy from nature. Physically, it was slightly inferior to the Hidden Dragon Spirit Physique, but the Pure Void Spirit Physique offered a mental clarity ideal for cultivating and understanding the Dao, making it a spiritual physique above the Upper Grade.

According to Wang Guiyuan, after Tang Xiaotang’s sharp comment, Chen Yi responded calmly, acknowledging he wasn’t a Celestial Physique but insisted he could still contribute greatly to the Tianshi Mansion, leaving it for the masters to judge.

Lei Jun asked, “Oh? What contribution?”

“No idea,” Wang Guiyuan replied, shrugging. “For confidentiality, only Master, a few elders, Senior Sister, and Senior Brother were present. Everyone else was dismissed.”

Lei Jun wasn’t disappointed. “In the end, Chen Yi didn’t succeed. His ‘contribution’ wasn’t enough to sway the elders.”

Wang Guiyuan nodded. “Exactly.”

Lei Jun said, "The good show that will brighten Senior Sister's mood might just take place here."

Wang Guiyuan, however, seemed indifferent. "The less involved we are in such matters, the better. Don’t chase fleeting glory; avoiding it entirely is the wisest course."

Lei Jun nodded with a smile.

At the moment, his attention was more focused on the medium-high fortune lot he had chosen earlier. What kind of fourth-grade opportunity would it predict for him?

As for Tang Xiaotang, Chen Yi, and the others, while rumors circulated in whispers, no one dared to openly overstep their bounds.

This year’s Transmission Ceremony began as scheduled.