You can also earn some incense money along the way, and after returning to the mountain, there might even be a reward from the Daoist Novice Academy.

However...

"Right under the nose of our Celestial Master’s Residence, what kind of monster would be so blind?" Jason Reed asked casually while cutting paper.

"Exactly!"

The skinny novice paused in his actions: "It’s not a monster at all, but a few petty thieves pretending to be ghosts and monsters, disguising themselves to scare people and rob them!"

He looked utterly aggrieved: "It’s infuriating! I finally managed to get a talisman to ward off evil, and it was wasted just like that!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, deeply empathizing with the skinny novice’s frustration and gloom:

"What a sin!"

For these novices who couldn’t make talismans themselves, they could get spiritual talismans from the sect’s affairs hall, but they had to exchange them with the "hard-earned money" they’d accumulated through daily merit.

Besides that, sometimes there would be even better opportunities.

Although the elders of the sect had their own personal disciples to send on errands, they would occasionally select novices or alchemy apprentices from the Novice Academy for temporary tasks.

As long as you satisfied the elder, they might directly reward you with spiritual talismans or pills.

Moreover, if you managed to catch the elder’s eye and form a good connection, it would mean more support for the novices in the future.

Such tasks were rare and highly competitive—something you could only hope to encounter.

As they were chatting, a commotion suddenly broke out downstairs.

A voice came through the window:

"Elder Foster is opening a ritual to make talismans and wants to select novices?! Is that for real?"

"Keep your voice down! Do you want the whole of Mount Longhu to know?"

"Yeah, yeah, it’s first come, first served for things like this. Let’s hurry!"

"I wonder if I’ll be chosen by Elder Foster..."

Everyone in the building stared at each other in surprise.

They had just been talking about this, and now the opportunity had arrived?

"Could it be a false rumor?"

Someone next to Jason Reed subconsciously licked their lips, their face full of longing.

Senior Brother Zhang clapped his hands: "Let’s go check it out and see for ourselves!"

The others also put down what they were doing.

But just then, a glowing orb suddenly appeared in Jason Reed’s mind.

Then, words surfaced in his consciousness:

[Elder opens a ritual, selecting novices. Everyone cheers and scrambles to be first, but where fortune lies, misfortune lurks; where misfortune lies, fortune hides. A shocking change is coming.]

No one noticed the sudden change in Jason Reed.

All the young novices were eager, rushing out in a scramble.

After the glowing orb flickered in Jason Reed’s mind, three strange lots flew out, each inscribed with words:

[Upper-middle lot: Don’t join the crowd, calmly finish your own tasks. After the upheaval, go to the elder’s residence to help treat the wounded. Obtain a fifth-grade opportunity, act in secret, no worries behind, auspicious.]

[Middle lot: Don’t join the crowd, wait for the right moment. After the upheaval, go to Lingzhi Terrace to obtain a sixth-grade opportunity, but the tall tree attracts the wind, inviting jealousy and hidden trouble, average.]

[Lower-middle lot: Go participate in the selection. You might be chosen, but before gaining anything, you’ll encounter a great disaster, fall into danger, with uncertain life and death, inauspicious.]

Chapter 2: Choosing Fate, Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity

Here it is, but unfortunately, there’s still no top lot this time... Jason Reed read the fortunes.

Although the descriptions of the three lots were somewhat vague, Jason Reed calmly chose the path of the upper-middle lot.

He had already experienced similar things twice before.

Drawing lots, fortune and misfortune intertwined, the outcome already clear.

The first time he drew lots was when Jason Reed had just transmigrated here, and four lots flew out of the glowing orb: upper-middle, middle, lower-middle, and bottom.

Upper-middle: No danger, obtain a second-grade opportunity, auspicious.

Middle: Escape current difficulties, but possible future troubles, no other gains, average.

Lower-middle: Obtain a fifth-grade opportunity, but fraught with danger, life and death out of your hands, inauspicious.

Bottom: Seeking death, certain doom, great misfortune!

Jason Reed chose to act according to the upper-middle lot, successfully obtaining a second-grade opportunity. Not only did he escape the predicament he faced upon transmigrating, but he also arrived at the Daoist holy land, the Celestial Master’s Residence on Mount Longhu.

Looking back, he realized that if he had followed the path indicated by the bottom lot, he would have ended up in a coffin the moment he arrived.

The lower-middle lot could have been fatal as well.

The second time he drew lots was after Jason Reed entered the Novice Academy of the Celestial Master’s Residence.

That time, only two lots flew out of the glowing orb: middle and lower-middle.

Strictly speaking, neither was particularly good.

But by choosing to follow the middle lot, Jason Reed successfully avoided the pitfall of the lower-middle lot.

Today was the third time drawing lots.

The fortunes were always somewhat vague, but after comparing and summarizing, Jason Reed gradually understood.

The bottom lot: great misfortune, no need to elaborate, basically a certain death situation—no matter what benefits there might be, you wouldn’t live to enjoy them.

The lower-middle lot: inauspicious—either the harm far outweighs the benefit, or there’s only harm and no benefit. The danger or difficulty isn’t as bad as the bottom lot, so there’s still some hope.

The middle lot: average—either mixed blessings and troubles, or just plain and uneventful with neither fortune nor misfortune.

The upper-middle lot: auspicious—possibly a great opportunity with some minor risks or hidden troubles. Overall, the gains outweigh the losses, or there may be some gains without danger, though the rewards might not be as astonishing.