https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-303-302-Celestial-Treasure-Grand-Cyclic-Heavenly-Mirror-Part-2-/12588611/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-304-303-Lucky-Streak-Consecutive-Fortunes-Part-2-/12588617/
Chapter 304: 303. Lucky Streak, Consecutive Fortunes! (Part 1)
Chapter 304: 303. Lucky Streak, Consecutive Fortunes! (Part 1)
High above in the vast sky, the Grand Cyclical Heavenly Mirror, embodying the characteristics of the Mysterious Illusory Mirror, hid itself seamlessly within the void, invisible like a transparent entity. Owing to its immense distance from the East Sea far below, it remained undetectable to the human cultivators below.
With the mirror's light in flux, a vast area of the East Sea came into view, projected through the Heaven-Connecting Earth-Piercing Law Formula and into Lei Jun's field of vision.
The current scope of his observation was still limited to a section of the sea closer to the mainland.
However, in this world, both the land and the ocean were vast beyond measure.
The area that the Grand Cyclical Heavenly Mirror could cover was already extraordinarily expansive.
At the very least, the vast ocean surrounding the ethereal gateway connecting the Heavenly Order to the mortal realm was now within Lei Jun's line of sight.
With a slight stir of Lei Jun's consciousness, the light of the Grand Cyclical Heavenly Mirror high in the sky began to rotate automatically.
The mirror's light was almost imperceptible, and any trace of its existence was intermingled with the daylight, appearing as part of the sun's radiance.
As the mirror's light converged, Lei Jun's field of vision narrowed, but the clarity of his observation within this small area increased significantly.
Although they were far apart in terms of physical distance, with the aid of the Grand Cyclical Heavenly Mirror, Lei Jun could discern the details of the people and events taking place in this area of the sea.
The fierce battle between the Great Tang cultivators and the Heavenly Order's Confucian scholars continued unabated.
Lei Jun observed carefully.
The Confucian scholars from the Heavenly Order who had entered the Great Tang realm this time consisted of both the old and the young.
However, they generally conformed to two patterns.
Firstly, as Lei Jun had observed earlier, the higher-realm Confucian scholars seemed to exhibit greater prowess in actual combat.
The higher their realm, the stronger the augmentation of their vital energy.
On the other hand, the lower-realm Confucian scholars often displayed weaker abilities compared to their counterparts among the Great Tang cultivators.
As for the second pattern...
Lei Jun did not detect any exceptionally young scholars of high cultivation realms.
Those with advanced cultivation were invariably of advanced age.
Since he was not interacting with them face-to-face, Lei Jun initially worried that he might be mistaken, but after carefully observing several individuals for an extended period, he finally confirmed his suspicion.
Scholars of the Upper Three Heavens were at least four hundred years old, and many were even older, reaching the ages of five or six hundred.
As for the Middle Three Heavens cultivators, most of them were around two to three hundred years old, with some exceeding three hundred.
They were indeed very different from cultivators of other doctrines... Lei Jun pondered.
Based on his initial observations, the limits of their lifespan seemed comparable to those of cultivators from other doctrines.
Those in the Middle Three Heavens enjoyed a lifespan of four hundred years, while those in the Upper Three Heavens could live for eight hundred years.
However, these Confucian scholars appeared unaffected by the ravages of age; they did not seem to go through the same stages of youth, prime, decline, and twilight that other cultivators experienced.
Even as they advanced in age, they could continue to improve through diligent study, akin to the saying, "A widow's perseverance can grind an iron rod into a needle."
However, the trade-off was that the overall rate of progress in their cultivation was relatively slower.
There were no young prodigies who achieved great success at a tender age; none among them had reached the Seventh Heaven realm before the age of a hundred.
Or, to put it another way, the Confucian scholars' early success usually came later in life, typically after they had lived for two or three hundred years.
For them, the prime of their lives would be around four to five hundred years of age.
Those who were six or seven hundred years old were considered seasoned, wise, renowned, and pillars of the nation.
The only uncertainty in Lei Jun's mind was how these Confucian scholars would fare when they approached the end of their lifespan, at around seven hundred or even seven hundred and fifty years of age.
Would they continue to contribute their wisdom and experience?
With the upper echelons unmoving, there would be no opportunity for the lower ranks to rise.
Because the overall pace of their cultivation advancement was much slower, these Confucian scholars, despite their longevity, did not exhibit an extremely exaggerated number of Upper Three Heavens cultivators due to the passage of time.
However, there was one issue.
As Lei Jun manipulated the Grand Cyclical Heavenly Mirror to survey the various areas of the sea, he noticed that among the Heavenly Order intruders, while Confucian scholars predominated, they were not the only type of cultivator present.
With a sweeping glance, Lei Jun spotted cultivators from other doctrines of the Heavenly Order, including martial artists, archers of the Confucian archery lineage, and chanters of the Confucian chanting lineage, all participating in the battle.
The practitioners of these doctrines, while having cultivation techniques that differed from their Great Tang counterparts, did not exhibit the same age disparity as the Confucian scholars.
Consequently, within the Heavenly Order, these doctrines would undoubtedly hold an advantage over the Confucian scholars when it came to young cultivators.
Nevertheless, for the time being, the Heavenly Order was still predominantly composed of Confucian scholars, with the other doctrines playing a supporting role.
Their overarching principle seemed to be that all occupations were inferior to that of a scholar.
However, this contrast could inadvertently undermine the foundation of the Confucian doctrine, as they might be at a disadvantage in terms of talent accumulation.
Then, what was the reason that the Confucian doctrine could still maintain its foothold in the Heavenly Order?
"If there is a hierarchy of father over son and master over disciple, then there must also be..." Lei Jun's expression remained neutral, but his tone turned unusually cold: "...a hierarchy of ruler over subject."
Those Confucian scholars naturally occupied the position of subjects.
However, under the blessing of the nation's fortune, they formed a stable whole with Emperor Ming, with the fortune encompassing the entire realm.
Because the vital energy enveloped the entire realm, this massive system encompassed everyone within it.
While the Confucian scholars maintained the operation of this system, they also shared the burden of the ruler and, to a certain extent, aided or even relied on the imperial power.
Thus, they could suppress or even control the cultivators of other doctrines within the Heavenly Order.
It could be said that this relationship transcended that of father and son or master and disciple.
Heaven, Earth, ruler, parent, and teacher.
By harnessing the might of Heaven and Earth and performing the rites of ruler, parent, and teacher, the power of this hierarchy could not be defied.
As for the position of Emperor Ming within this structure, Lei Jun, despite not having interacted with him directly, could now make an educated guess: a hierarchy of ruler over subject.
The person who truly established this set of rules might have been a certain emperor or even several generations of emperors.
Controlling and suppressing the world, none dared to defy.
However, due to certain reasons, this hierarchical system of ruler and subject might be subject to change.
If the emperor remained dominant, he would oppress his subjects.
On the other hand, if the emperor was internally weak, a situation where the sage-emperor ruled with minimal intervention, allowing the scholars to govern, would be the ideal state for the Confucian scholars.
As the nation's fortune remained stable, this solid system could continue to operate, with the other sects, including the Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Martial Arts sects, as well as the Shamanic tradition, all bowing in submission beneath it."
Until the mountains and rivers tremble and the dynasty changes once more.
For a certain subject, it might still be a matter of the ruler demanding death, and the subject having no choice but to obey.
However, in this dynamic game of power, the emperor does not face an individual but a group of Confucian scholars who, together with him, form this oppressive system that reigns over the world.
This may lead to some changes.
Hmm, the emperor still has to engage in a power struggle and maintain a balance with his subjects. Doesn't that seem a bit unfair?
He doesn't give a damn.
A ruler, a father to his people.
While Lei Jun reserved his judgment on how others viewed this, he certainly had no good feelings towards such a person.
He wasn't as rebellious as his senior sister, Xu Yuanzhen, who always seemed to go against the grain.
But if he were to rebel, he wouldn't just rebel against the nobles, but also against the emperor.
Especially towards this so-called ruler and father who wants to be everyone's dad.
Or perhaps, the current emperor of Tianli is not that dominant.
But the more Lei Daozhang learned about him and the Confucian rituals he represented, the more Lei Daozhang felt that things were getting tense...
Compared to the aristocratic families who monopolized resources through bloodline succession, it didn't matter which side was more detestable.
Because they were both equally detestable.
With the Grand Cyclical Heavenly Mirror rotating, Lei Jun's expression remained calm, his mind regaining its usual tranquility as he continued to observe silently.
His vision gradually captured the figures of some familiar people.
Miaoxin, the abbot of Tianlong Temple.
Fang Yue, whom he had parted ways with not long ago.
Ye Yao, the beloved daughter of the Ye Clan of Qingzhou and one of the young generation's outstanding figures.
Ye Zhuo, the clan elder of the Ye Clan of Qingzhou.
Chu Taoyuan and Chu Peng, the clan elders of the Chu Clan of Suzhou.
Lei Jun even spotted a familiar face he hadn't seen in several years.
Lin Yuwei, the former leader of a branch of the Lin Clan in Jiangzhou, and now the new clan leader of the Southern Lin Clan.
Back then, he had made the decision to lead the Southern Lin Clan, which was in a state of disrepair and on the verge of collapse, to submit to the Tang court and the Empress, just like the Xiao Clan in Longwai.
As the four surnames and five hopes of the great families had been focusing on recuperating and repairing their relationship with the Tang court in recent years, Lin Yuwei and the Southern Lin Clan gained a respite and were not immediately surrounded and suppressed by the powerful Chu and Ye clans of the north and south.
However, the Southern Lin Clan had suffered too much damage and lost both their people and their land, so even after a decade, they still hadn't recovered their strength.
But since they were under the protection of the Tang court, while the Southern Lin Clan recuperated, they also had to obey the court's orders.
That was why Lin Yuwei was here in the Battle of the Eastern Sea, and he was quite valiant.
Chu Xiuyuan and Ye Yan saw Lin Yuwei, and their expressions remained unchanged as they chatted happily.
Their attention was mostly focused on the Confucian scholars of Tianli.
On the surface, the Great Tang cultivators were at a disadvantage against the Tianli cultivators.
The main reason for this was that Chu Xiuyuan had temporarily retreated from the front lines, leaving Ye Yan to hold down the fort alone.
However, the former clan leader of the Chu Clan of Suzhou was not in any real danger, and his strength had not diminished.
He had only retreated temporarily and was now making secret preparations.
But for now, Ye Yan was the only one holding down the fort.
This clan leader of the Ye Clan of Qingzhou was vigilant and aware of his surroundings.
As Chu Xiuyuan and the others gradually prepared their plans, Ye Yan could finally let go of his worries and focus solely on facing the Confucian scholars before him.
However, the Ye Clan leader still had one thing on his mind.
According to their agreement, his clan brother, Ye Chen, should have returned to the vicinity of the Void Gate by now, but he hadn't shown up yet.
With a powerful enemy before them and the surrounding environment causing chaos in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, Ye Yan couldn't contact Ye Chen for the time being.
Although it was normal for people to be delayed due to the complex environment, Ye Yan, with his high cultivation and keen senses, felt a layer of worry in his heart regarding his clan brother.
This ominous sign caused Ye Yan to furrow his brows.
However, he couldn't afford to worry too much for now and could only focus on facing the Tianli cultivators before him, hoping that Ye Chen would be blessed with good fortune.
Lei Jun moved the Grand Cyclical Heavenly Mirror to observe Ye Yan first and then Chu Xiuyuan.
Seeing that the other party was busy making secret preparations, Lei Jun knew that his previous guess was correct: the Great Tang was indeed preparing a trap, luring the enemy deeper.
The only uncertainty now was whether Tianli would take the bait.
Similar preparations depended not only on their own actions but also on the actions of their opponents.
On the Tianli side, more cultivators were coming out of the Void Gate and stepping into the human world of the Great Tang.
On this side, Lei Jun had met slightly fewer people, and most of them he had not met in person.
Only through the drawings made by the Great Tang cultivators who had fought against them before could Lei Jun now match some of the Tianli cultivators to their portraits.
The Tianli court could currently be roughly divided into three factions: the Wu Party, the Gan Party, and the Chu Party.
According to the information currently available to the Great Tang, the position of the Cabinet Premier in the Tianli court was vacant.
As a result, the three factions were all vying for power.
While they were plotting, they were also trying to pull the legs of the other factions.
Wang Feng, who used to be a key figure in the Wu Party, had experienced this firsthand, but unfortunately, he was no longer alive to tell the tale.
Currently, the Wu Party was mainly in charge of handling the affairs of entering the human world.
However, the Gan Party and the Chu Party also had capable people here.
Whether they were here to take credit or plan something else was known only to them.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
