As Lei Jun read the omens, his eyes flashed.

"Stay put and keep your head down. There’s no reward, but no risk either—safe and steady. Take the initiative to hunt him down, though, and it could split into an Upper-Moderate Omen or a Lower-Bad Omen, with one outcome good, the other bad?"

"That young Daoist may be skilled, but with so many searching for him and him still on the loose, something else might be at play."

The Daoist youth suggesting they stay at their posts persisted, “Junior Brother, until things are clearer, shouldn’t we respond to the situation calmly?”

The young Daoist shook his head, “I suspect someone’s helping that little thief. That’s precisely why we need to uncover the truth as soon as possible!”

Having made up his mind, he resolved to split the team in two.

Although young, his remarkable talent had earned the admiration of their elders.

The senior Daoist who joined earlier wasn’t his direct Senior Brother by lineage and felt uncomfortable overruling his decision.

Next to Lei Jun, a few Daoist apprentices from the Sixth Academy hesitated.

They wanted to follow the young Daoist’s lead, as taking action could increase their chances of gaining merit.

But they remembered Elder Du’s altar explosion incident a few months back; its shadow hadn’t fully faded. The apprentice surnamed Zhang had just recovered after being seriously injured and was now cautious about acting too aggressively.

They wondered if they should follow Lei Jun’s previous example.

“I’m at the Daoist’s command,” Lei Jun suddenly volunteered, stepping forward to follow the young Daoist’s lead.

His companions looked at him, dumbfounded.

“Senior Brother Lei?” a young apprentice whispered, “Didn’t you say it’s best to stick to your own tasks first before worrying about anything else?”

Lei Jun replied, “Whether we stay or go, it’s still service to the Mansion and duty to the Tianshi Mansion.”

“Well said!” The young Daoist was pleased and quickly led a few people on their way.

Not long after they departed, Wang Guiyuan arrived, looking around. “Junior Brother Luo, where’s Senior Brother Gao?”

The young Daoist replied, “Senior Brother Gao suspects the thief has accomplices, so he took some people to investigate.”

After hearing the names of those who joined the search team, Wang Guiyuan remained silent, though he sighed inwardly.

He had no interest in these affairs and only wanted to keep to his own duties peacefully. Unfortunately, his master had assigned him this task before leaving.

As for that Junior Brother Lei, he seemed quite motivated.

“Young people are just too eager,” Wang Guiyuan murmured, shaking his head. “But you can’t blame him. Life is short; one must seize the moment…”

If Lei Jun got hurt, though, he would have to explain it to both his master and Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen.

---

Lei Jun and his group followed the young Daoist in their search, but they had no success.

They did run into other groups along the way, who mentioned that the thief had tried to breach a checkpoint but escaped again. Fortunately, the search perimeter was tightening.

“The fact that he wasn’t caught suggests someone helped him,” the young Daoist muttered with growing conviction.

Their team continued searching through the mountains, and as the perimeter shrank, more clues emerged.

“It’s around here!”

As he spoke, they noticed a glow in the mountains, followed by the sound of thunder in the direction of the Daoist Children's Academy.

Lei Jun thought, recognizing the sign.

The young Daoist reacted instantly, “The Daoist Children’s Academy… They’re trying to lure us away!”

The thief likely had an accomplice who took advantage of the search efforts to target something valuable at the Academy. Now it seemed they were discovered, though it was unclear if they succeeded.

“Our main target was that one. We have to catch them all at once!” the young Daoist said with a cold grin.

Lei Jun nodded. “Daoist, we should be closing in on the smaller target.”

The young Daoist glanced around, then took out a Spirit Talisman, handing it to Lei Jun. “You lead them after the small one. I’ll go intercept the big one.”

Several apprentices wanted to join the young Daoist in chasing the “big fish.”

“Daoist Luo’s suggestion isn’t unreasonable—uncertainty lingers, so be cautious,” Lei Jun said, but the young Daoist had already left swiftly.

Lei Jun calmly looked back at the remaining apprentices. “We continue. We’re too close to let that thief escape.”

The young Daoist had given him a Thunder Talisman—a powerful weapon. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators would be wary of it.

The thief they were after was only at the First Realm of Qi Refining; he wouldn’t withstand such an attack.

The young Daoist hesitated to hand over the Thunder Talisman, not out of stinginess, but fearing it might obliterate both thief and stolen goods.

The perks of being a True Disciple, Lei Jun thought, as he stowed the talisman and led the apprentices in their search.

“Spread out, but keep within calling distance,” Lei Jun instructed, striding into the mountains.

Halfway through the search, a powerful tremor shook the mountains.

It was as intense as Elder Du’s altar explosion but came not from the Daoist Children’s Academy, but somewhere higher up.

The shockwaves distracted the apprentices searching the forest.

Just then, a shadow darted out from the woods, heading towards a cliff.

Lei Jun was the first to react, calling out as he gave chase.

The rugged terrain muffled his voice, but he quickly caught up.

The figure, dressed in the same gray robe, looked like an apprentice. His face was pale, and he was covered in injuries, looking completely drained.

Lei Jun addressed him, “We’re fellow disciples. I don’t want to harm a brother.”

The thief sneered, “Save your breath! Move aside!”

With that, he kicked toward Lei Jun’s throat.

Lei Jun remained unperturbed. Before he’d even spoken, he had already activated his eight Qi Seas, and his True Energy surged like a mighty river.

Without dodging, he raised his hand to block.

The thief’s kick was deflected, and he was thrown backward, losing his balance midair.

Lei Jun stepped forward, reaching to grab the thief’s chest.

Suddenly, a faint glow emerged from the thief’s chest—a black, scale-like plate resembling a heart shield appeared, blocking Lei Jun’s hand.

Centered on the black scale, a radiant shield formed, shielding the thief from Lei Jun’s grasp.

But the thief’s face turned ashen, drained of energy.

Without hesitation, Lei Jun held up a Yellow Talisman and chanted, “By decree of Heaven…”

Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and Lei Jun swung the Thunder Talisman:

“Heavenly Thunder, aid me!”

A powerful bolt of lightning struck down!

The lightning enveloped the thief, who was shielded by the dark scale's shield.

The scale's defense was formidable, even against the lightning.

But the talisman’s toll on the thief was tremendous. Though he was unscathed by the lightning, he began to bleed from his eyes, ears, and nose, collapsing to the ground.

The thief’s focus broke, causing the glow around the scale to fade. The shield dissipated, and the scale fell to the ground.

Lei Jun caught it in his hand.

The thief glared at Lei Jun, shouting hoarsely, “We’re the same! You don’t even bear the surname Li. The Tianshi position will never be yours!”

Lei Jun replied, “The Li family or not, with only First Realm strength, you were always just a pawn.”

The thief’s eyes were bloodshot, but he had no strength left and passed away on the spot.

Hello from the BOTI Translator Team! We’re happy to bring you this new novel, and we hope you enjoy it. If you do, please consider rating us 5 stars on NovelUpdates. Your support means a lot to us—thank you!