CHAPTER 46: 46. FORWARD TOWARDS THE WATER MARROW YIN FISH!

Lei Jun looked at Xu Yuanzhen and Yuan Mobai. "When the three Spiritual Treasures are combined, to what extent can their power be enhanced?"

Yuan Mobai said, "Just as with the improvement of cultivation realms, the higher the Root Bone and Comprehension, the rarer they are. Chongyun, your Comprehension is already considerable, easily top-notch, so further improvement is naturally difficult. However, the Spiritual Nature of these three Spiritual Objects is very abundant. While their fusion might not guarantee an upgrade to Clear Insight, obtaining an exceptional level of Comprehension shouldn’t be hard."

Xu Yuanzhen stretched out her hand, erased her drawing, and rose to leave. "Master is continuing his seclusion, so I’m going out from the mountain again."

She called out to Lei Jun, "Same as always, if I haven’t returned to the mountain by the time you reach the Third Heavenly Layer, remember to sketch the expressions of others for me. I’ll look at them when I get back."

"Big Sister," Lei Jun said, "I’m a simple, unpretentious, good person who doesn’t crave empty fame."

"Save it," Xu Yuanzhen retorted. "You’re a sly one, you are."

"I want to be a good person," Lei Jun insisted.

"What’s there to be?" Xu Yuanzhen scoffed.

Lei Jun glanced at her. In some ways, Xu Yuanzhen and Yuan Mobai often played the roles of ’bad cop’ and ’good cop.’ The slight issue was that Xu Yuanzhen thoroughly enjoyed being the one who infuriated people.

"So, Big Sister, you enjoy being the villain?" Lei Jun asked.

Xu Yuanzhen, who had been about to leave, paused at his words as she passed him. "One shouldn’t need to care about others’ criticisms, but I must admit, sometimes I can’t help myself..."

Even as she said this, Lei Jun clearly saw the corners of her mouth lift in a rare smile.

"...I occasionally find great joy in it," Xu Yuanzhen finished, then resumed walking away.

Lei Jun turned back to his Master. "I still believe I’m a simple and unpretentious good person."

Yuan Mobai smiled and shook his head. "Now I somewhat understand where you two find common ground."

Joking aside, the Transcension Ritual had concluded, and Lei Jun refocused on his dedicated cultivation. Ultimately, improving his cultivation was his own responsibility.

The Weiji Bowl is temporarily unusable; its true potential will only be unlocked when the Yin Yang Fish are gathered.

Until then, aside from the resources inherently provided with the Celestial Master Mansion’s True Inheritance, Lei Jun primarily relied on the Huo Sui Yang Yu and Green Stone Ink to accelerate his cultivation.

On the Tao Foundation Altar, after the previously established Songjing Hall, Liandu Hall, and Pudu Hall, he began constructing the fourth chamber: the Jingmo Hall. In cultivation, the virtual Jingmo Hall primarily served to help cultivators further calm their minds, consolidate their Qi, organize their thoughts, and regulate their spirits, thereby facilitating easier cultivation.

Once the Jingmo Hall was successfully established, the Shenhu Hall and Shoudu Hall would follow. In actual ceremonial practices, the Hall Master of Shenhu Hall was responsible for issuing talismanic commands and summoning the spirits of the deceased, while the Shoudu Hall was where portraits of deceased ancestors were enshrined. For cultivation, the virtual Shenhu Hall enhanced Spirit Talismans and controlled Spiritual Energy, while the virtual Shoudu Hall was used to venerate ancestral spirits, further strengthening the Spirit Talismans crafted by the cultivator.

These two halls helped Celestial Master Mansion disciples improve their Spirit Talisman creation and combat abilities. However, their true effectiveness would only emerge when all six halls were complete and Foundation Establishment reached Perfection. Therefore, there was no rush to establish them prematurely.

Other matters aside, Yuan Mobai always guided his disciples along the most orthodox and conventional path. Both Wang Guiyuan before him and now Lei Jun followed the sequence of first establishing Songjing and Jingmo Halls, then Liandu and Pudu Halls in the middle, and finally Shenhu and Shoudu Halls, as they progressed from the upper stages of Foundation Establishment to Foundation Establishment Perfection. Lei Jun had only advanced the construction of the Liandu and Pudu Halls to nurture his "fish." Overall, however, he too was following the orthodox path.

「Time flows unnoticed within the mountains.」

With Lei Jun engrossed in arduous cultivation, time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, a year had gone by.

「On a day after the New Year festivities had passed,」

"Chongyun, Yuan Zhen has sent a message," Master Yuan Mobai announced, bringing good news. "During her travels in the mountains north of the Xinjiang River, she discovered several Cold Springs that have nurtured Spiritual Nature. It is still weak at present and will take some time before a genuine Water Marrow Yin Fish can form, but preparations can begin early."

Lei Jun’s face lit up. News of the Water Marrow Yin Fish’s whereabouts meant his chances of combining Yin and Yang to enhance his Comprehension had greatly increased. Although his Big Sister Xu Yuanzhen had a cold demeanor, she was indeed reliable.

"North of the Xinjiang River and east of Daze lies the Yunxiao Mountain Range. Our Sect has a branch of its Taoist Heritage that has flourished there, known as the Purple Cloud Sect. We shall head there directly," Yuan Mobai instructed.

"Yes, Master," Lei Jun replied.

An Heir of the Celestial Master Mansion who had received the Talisman-bestowed ritual could either remain at Dragon Tiger Mountain to cultivate or choose to leave. If they left, they could travel, establish new sects, and thereby extend the branches of the Celestial Master lineage. If a Talisman-bestowed Taoist who had left the mountain had their own transmission disciples, they could take them along. Other transmission disciples could also join, provided they had permission from their Du Shi. Many current Taoist Sects specializing in Talisman Scriptures originated from this tradition, and all still collectively revered Dragon Tiger Mountain as the Sacred Land and Ancestral Court. The Purple Cloud Sect was one such example.

Master and disciple, Yuan Mobai and Lei Jun, immediately prepared for their departure. Wang Guiyuan had been borrowed again by Elder Liu to act as a "Tao Boy," so he would not be traveling with them. However, upon hearing the news, he still requested half a day’s leave from Elder Liu to return and see his master and junior brother off.

Wang Guiyuan packed all the luggage for Lei Jun and his master. Furthermore, because the return date from this long journey was uncertain, he also helped Lei Jun gather some cultivation resources to take along. Talisman Brushes, Talisman Ink, Talisman Paper, incense burners, Treasure Mirrors, and Dharma Rulers—he had packed everything imaginable.

It was just that the quantity was a little excessive...

"Elder Brother, what’s this?" Lei Jun asked, having packed the first set and now pointing to the second. "Master surely won’t need these basic items."

Wang Guiyuan smiled. "When you’re away from home, the saying goes: ’Frugal at home, lavish on the road.’ This is a long journey, not like your last trip to Yangshan, which is still Our Sect’s branch. So, it’s right to prepare more. This second set is a spare."

Lei Jun packed it away and then pointed to a third set. "And this one?"

"Just in case," Wang Guiyuan replied. "A spare for the spare."

"Is there a spare for the spare’s spare?" Lei Jun asked.

"If you were going somewhere even more remote, yes, there would be. But the Yunxiao Mountain Range is, more or less, still within Our Sect’s sphere of influence, so there’s no need to be excessively cautious."

"...Elder Brother is right," Lei Jun conceded.

With a Cloud Car for transportation, Lei Jun wasn’t worried about carrying capacity. Yuan Mobai was equally familiar with his eldest disciple’s habits but merely commented, "A bit extravagant," and said no more.

The two set off, leaving Dragon Tiger Mountain and heading north by cloud.

They first made a brief stop at the Purple Cloud Sect, the Celestial Master Mansion’s branch in the Yunxiao Mountain Range, allowing their hosts to extend their hospitality and entertain Elder Yuan and his Disciple. Afterward, they departed from the main peak of the Purple Cloud Sect and headed towards the vicinity of Qingxiao Mountain. This was the area Xu Yuanzhen had mentioned in her message, located in the eastern part of the Yunxiao Mountain Range.

Nominally, Yuan Mobai led this excursion. As a revered Master within the Celestial Master Mansion, he had grown restless from his quiet cultivation and decided to travel beyond the mountain, seeking to observe different landscapes and continue his practice. In the eyes of the outside world, Lei Jun, his disciple, was merely an accompanying Tao Boy.

「Near Qingxiao Mountain, they also had a place to stay.」

The Purple Cloud Sect, established for hundreds of years, had also spread many branches throughout the Yunxiao Mountain Range. One such branch was established near Qingxiao Mountain and Qingxiao Lake, known as Qingxiao Temple.

Lei Jun and his master settled there.

Typically, three important figures govern a Taoist Temple: the Temple Master, the First Seat, and the Supervisor of Fasting. The Temple Master manages the overall affairs of the temple. The other two are his deputies, equivalent to Vice Temple Masters.

During Lei Jun and his master’s visit to Qingxiao Temple, they met only two of these figures. The Temple Master of Qingxiao Temple, Lu Zhaoqing, was a bona fide True Inheritance disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion. However, he had left the mountain in his early years to cultivate with the Purple Cloud Sect and later took charge of Qingxiao Temple, effectively serving as the Purple Cloud Sect’s regional leader in the Qingxiao Mountain area. With his crane-white hair yet youthful complexion, and an air of immortal sagacity, he perfectly embodied the public’s image of a Taoist elder who had attained the Way.

The other figure, the Supervisor of Fasting for Qingyun Temple, was named Qin Tao. By lineage, he was a descendant of the Purple Cloud Sect, but he also addressed Lei Jun as ’Martial Brother.’

"Brother Lu, thank you for your hospitality this time," Yuan Mobai greeted Lu Zhaoqing.