https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-248-247-Becoming-a-Mentor-Today-Part-2-/12587076/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-249-248-Dao-Foundation-Treasure-the-Jade-Celestial-Bamboo-of-Upper-Clarity-Part-2-/12587078/
Chapter 249: 248. Dao Foundation Treasure, the Jade Celestial Bamboo of Upper Clarity (Part 1)
Chapter 249: 248. Dao Foundation Treasure, the Jade Celestial Bamboo of Upper Clarity (Part 1)
Every three years, the ancestral hall of the Fu Lu sect in Longhu Mountain holds a grand initiation ceremony, and the focus of the external guests is usually on the new talents that have emerged from the Celestial Master's Mansion.
However, this year is a little exceptional, as quite a few guests' attention is drawn to Lei Jun, who is presiding over the initiation ceremony today.
He Dongxing, the elder of Shushan Sect, sat together with Zhang Mu, the Xinan King of the Tang Dynasty.
While observing the ceremony, He Dongxing asked in a low voice, "Zhang Xiumei, you should also be about to take that last step, right?"
Zhang Mu said, "To be honest, Elder He, my understanding of the details is also limited, but I should have some grasp of it."
He Dongxing congratulated, "In that case, it is truly a joyous occasion."
Zhang Mu: "I heard that there is also a Daoist master at the Sixth Heaven Realm in your sect, who is also just a line away from the final breakthrough? I offer my congratulations to Shushan in advance."
He Dongxing: "We're still accumulating, it's not certain yet."
Although he said so, his expression was calm and relaxed, indicating that the Shushan Sect was generally optimistic about this matter.
After congratulating He Dongxing, Zhang Mu turned his attention back to the ceremony before him, but a slight shadow fell upon his heart.
Although Zhang Jingzhen was of royal descent, she had been studying and cultivating in Longhu Mountain for a long time and was, in essence, nurtured and cultivated by Longhu Mountain.
Even without counting the deceased Li Zhenxuan, the younger generation of the Celestial Master's Mansion in Longhu Mountain was about to produce four Upper Three Heavens cultivators.
While the Shushan Sect seemed inferior, their younger generation was also full of talented individuals.
As the waves of spiritual energy from the heavens and the earth surged, young cultivators were emerging at an accelerated pace, and the advantage of the holy land sects over the prestigious families in this regard was gradually becoming apparent.
No wonder the Four Surnames and Six Nobles were concerned.
In fact, the royal family and the noble families also felt the pressure.
The situation on the royal side was slightly better. If one were to find a force in the Tang Dynasty with more young powerhouses than the Celestial Master's Mansion, it could only be the imperial family of the Tang Court, a unique existence.
Although the imperial art of the emperor could only support two people at the same time, the Tang Dynasty was currently flourishing, and in terms of the amount of resources that could be mobilized by a single family or sect, the Tang royal family was still the number one in the world, capable of cultivating and supporting even more individuals.
However, if time continued to pass, it would be hard to say...
Zhang Mu glanced once more at the Celestial Master's Mansion, where the grand ceremony was being held, and naturally thought of the Li family of Xinzhou, which had already become a thing of history.
At one time, the Li family had also led the trend and caused the world to take notice.
Before Xu Yuanzhen, the last Nine Heavens realm cultivator in the Celestial Master's Mansion was Li Ziyuan, the first generation Li Celestial Master, who was known as the number one cultivator in the Daoist sect at that time.
After Li Ziyuan's death, it wasn't until Xu Yuanzhen that the Daoist sect of Fu Lu had another Nine Heavens realm cultivator.
A single person could dominate for a generation, but it was not enough to pass on the legacy for a long time.
However, the Li family of that generation had an abundance of talented individuals. Li Ziyuan had three sons, and all of them achieved greatness.
The eldest son, Li Yang, became the second generation Li Celestial Master.
The second son, Li Bai, became the third generation Li Celestial Master.
The third son, Li Song, also cultivated to the Eighth Heaven realm and became one of the few elders in the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Having three sons who all attained the Eighth Heaven realm was an extremely rare occurrence, not only in the Li family but also throughout the ages and among the Five Surnames and Seven Nobles.
After that, Li Yang had a son named Li Cangting, who was the most outstanding genius of his generation in both the Li family and the Celestial Master's Mansion, renowned throughout the Tang Dynasty, and even attracting the attention of other powers in the Tang Dynasty.
In addition to Li Yang and Li Cangting, Li Bai had three children: Li Qingfeng, Li Hongyu, and Li Ziyang. Although they varied in age, they all turned out to be exceptional cultivators.
Even though Li Song's children were relatively mediocre, the third generation of the Li family still had an unparalleled level of talent.
As a result, the rise of the Li family was inevitable.
In fact, looking back at history, whether it was the Five Surnames and Seven Nobles or other famous noble families, or even the imperial families of the dynasties, they all had similar beginnings, with consecutive generations of talented individuals, thus establishing their legacy.
However, this was just the beginning. What determined how long a family could endure was their ability to withstand the tests of time and the lows and highs.
The Li family of Xinzhou had talented individuals emerging in three consecutive generations, which could be considered an abundance of talent.
But there were ups and downs, and starting from the fourth generation, with Li Zhenxuan, Li Xuan, and Li Kong, the Li family's descendants no longer possessed the brilliance of their ancestors.
Li Xuan and the others were by no means mediocre, and they all had the potential to reach the Seventh Heaven realm before the age of a hundred.
Li Zhenxuan had already cultivated to the Upper Three Heavens and became a high-achieving immortal, possessing both a holy body constitution and an enlightened mind. His innate talent and potential were extraordinary, and he was steadily advancing along the path taken by his father and grandfather.
However, comparisons were inevitable.
First, there was Xu Yuanzhen, and then Tang Xiaotang, which put immense pressure on the Li family's peers, almost suffocating them.
Now, the Li family had become a thing of the past.
If they were still around, the pressure would only be greater.
The newly emerged Lei Jun had already surpassed Li Zhenxuan, the former young Celestial Master, in every aspect.
If the Li family were still mostly alive, witnessing this scene, one wondered what their expressions would be?
At the very least, Zhang Mu knew that many people from the noble families were not looking too happy at the moment.
He believed that even the Celestial Master's Mansion itself would find it hard to replicate the glory of Lei Jun's generation, at least not to have such achievements in every generation.
But they still had a better chance than the major families...
As King Xinan, Zhang Mu, was deep in thought when his eyes suddenly flickered.
In front of him, the ceremony had reached its core segment. The new disciples about to enter the mansion stood on the left, and the initiating masters stood on the right. After the high-achieving immortal presiding over the ceremony read out the ten precepts, they proceeded with the ceremony of breaking the ringed voucher.
Most of the initiating masters wore the deep red robes of the Fu Lu Daoists, with the sole exception of Lei Jun, who wore a purple robe.
Not only was Elder Lei's clothing eye-catching, but his height also stood out among his fellow disciples.
However, the disciple about to take his vows was even more conspicuous.
The master was the tallest and most upright among all the initiating masters, like a jade tree in the wind.
The disciple was the shortest among all those participating in the initiation ceremony.
Short and chubby, round and plump.
And fluffy.
The black and white fur of the little bear standing opposite Lei Jun, following his movements as they wrote the memorial together, notifying the heavens and the ancestors, caught the attention of the guests observing from the periphery, and their expressions became slightly strange.
However, everyone tried to suppress their reactions and dared not show them.
Before Lei Jun's arrival, those in the know had already heard that Elder Lei's top disciple, who would be initiating his own sect, was a mountain pier.
However, it was quite unexpected that this mountain pier, without transforming into a human form, would so blatantly appear at the Celestial Master's Mansion's initiation ceremony.
Hearing rumors is one thing, but witnessing it firsthand is a completely different experience.
Some people's gazes turned towards Elder Yuan, who was also wearing a purple robe and presiding over the grand ceremony.
Although few mentioned it, after the last Li outsider's war in Longhu Mountain, most people were aware that Elder Yuan was also a mountain pier who had attained enlightenment and taken on a human form.
Fortunately, Elder Yuan had no intention of revealing his true form.
Otherwise, having these two large and small black and white bears at the ceremony would have been a bit too much for some to handle.
"Elder Lei seems to have a strong connection with mountain piers," someone whispered in awe.
The person next to him had an even stranger expression on his face.
Elder Lei's mentor was a mountain pier.
And now, Elder Lei's personal disciple was also a mountain pier.
What about Elder Lei himself...
Could it be that this is a true lineage?
Although no one dared to voice their thoughts, Lei Jun, being in the dojo, could probably understand the feelings of those observing from the periphery.
However, he didn't seem to mind it much.
While he usually teased them about it, he genuinely didn't care if his disciple didn't take on a human form.
Elder Lei and Elder Yuan remained calm and composed throughout.
Their fellow disciples from the Celestial Master's Mansion, having gotten used to Zhuo Bao Jie's presence over the years, also maintained their composure.
Even Lin Shan, who hadn't been on the mountain much in recent years, kept his gaze steady.
Everyone focused on the ceremony, completing the rituals without distraction.
After the final offering, Elder Yuan, who was presiding over the ceremony, bowed to the ancestral masters and expressed gratitude and farewell.
Once the ceremony was officially concluded, Lei Jun, Lin Shan, and the other masters left the altar with their respective disciples.
Outside the altar, Wang Guiyuan stood with a smile on his face, waiting for them.
According to the traditions of the Fulu Sect, disciples had to pay respects to their three masters during the initiation.
In addition to the master who conducted the initiation, there was also the recommending master and the supervising master.
Usually, the supervising master for all the disciples was the same person, who was the chief instructor of the Daoist Children's Institute at that time.
For Zhuo Bao Jie, their chief instructor was Ke Sicheng.
Ke Sicheng was a personal disciple of Yao Yuan. He had been appointed as an elder along with Lei Jun, Zhang Jingzhen, and Lin Shan. Later, he served as the Wind-Catching Elder but had to return to the mountain to recuperate after an unexpected injury. During his recovery, he took on the role of an instructor at the Daoist Children's Institute.
Elder Ke was quite content with this position.
He served his first term for three years, and then continued for another three years.
These six years were a rare period of tranquility and stability for him, and he felt a sense of gratitude for this peaceful time.
However, after the second term ended, the Mansion had arranged for Elder Ke to be transferred to the Executive Hall as a guarding elder.
Although the new position entailed more complex duties than the Daoist Children's Institute, it was undoubtedly more important.
After this initiation ceremony, Elder Ke would take up his new post.
As for Zhuo Bao Jie's recommending master, Lei Jun invited his junior fellow apprentice, Chu Kun, to take on this role.
In fact, Chu Kun was one of the few people who were quite familiar with this bear junior apprentice.
"After my initiation and entry into the Mansion, my master brought me to meet you, Senior Brother Chu, and then gave me the Daoist robe and ritual tools."
Lei Jun stood next to Wang Guiyuan and smiled, "Now, I'd like to invite Senior Brother Chu to help complete this final step."
The little bear stepped forward, his manners proper and disciplined, and thanked Wang Guiyuan before going to change into his Daoist robe.
He usually wore a gray robe, but today, like all initiates of the Celestial Master's Mansion, he donned the traditional apricot-yellow Daoist robe.
Then, he approached Lei Jun, who formally bestowed upon him the initiation certificate, Daoist scriptures, talismanic scriptures, and ritual tools.
The little bear was extremely well-behaved and followed the rituals to the letter, even more so than humans.
However, when it came to receiving the ritual tool gifted by his master, this fluffy little guy's eyes flickered with anticipation.
For a moment, he lost his composure, reminiscent of his younger days.
"Can't hold it in anymore, huh, kid?" Lei Jun asked with a smile.
Zhuo Bao Jie quickly straightened his expression, assuming a mature demeanor, "Thank you, Master, for the treasure."
But when he saw the ritual tool that Lei Jun was giving him, he froze.
After a moment, Zhuo Bao Jie looked up at Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan, who were both smiling at him.
The little bear picked up the talismanic brush in his hand and examined it, "Master, this tool... it looks familiar..."
Lei Jun nodded with a smile, "This is a Yin-Yang Brush that I personally refined. Its quality surpasses all other talismanic brushes in the Mansion. I hope you will cherish and nurture it well."
With his current cultivation and strength, he could easily create all sorts of talismans without the need for a brush.
Just as he had received the Red-Tipped Brush from his own master, Yuan Mubai, Lei Jun was now passing on his own brush from his early days of cultivation to his disciple.
"I will cherish and study the ritual tool given by Master," Zhuo Bao Jie said as he carefully kept the Yin-Yang Brush.
His two little eyes suddenly rolled, and he looked at Lei Jun expectantly.
Lei Jun remained calm and sipped his tea.
Zhuo Bao Jie's previous demeanor of a dignified little adult vanished, and he flashed a very human-like flattering smile. He scooted closer to Lei Jun and gently massaged his leg, "Master..."
"Hmm, good strength. A little more to the right," Lei Jun instructed.
"Yes, Master!" Zhuo Bao Jie eagerly complied.
After a few moments of massage, he tentatively asked, "Master, if you have any other ritual tools that you don't use..."
"Do I?" Lei Jun asked.
Zhuo Bao Jie paused his movements, and his hands, or rather, his claws, made a gesture in front of him, as if drawing a giant bamboo shoot.
"Continue, don't stop," Lei Jun said.
"Yes!" Zhuo Bao Jie quickly resumed the massage.
Lei Jun nodded and then said, "The Upper Clarity Jade Celestial Bamboo.
(End of Chapter)
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