https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-96-The-Heavenly-Master-s-Position/12586384/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-98-97-The-Grand-Initiation-Ceremony-Enlisted-in-the-Celestial-Bureaucracy/12586426/
Chapter 97: The List of Conferments
Chapter 97: The List of Conferments
Xu Yuanzhen looked at Lei Jun with a rare sense of emotion, feeling neither shame nor anger at being deceived, but instead laughing at herself.
Whether the humiliation she felt was due to letting the Heavenly Master's Seal slip away or misjudging Lei Jun was hard to say.
Lei Jun waved his hand dismissively, "Senior Sister, I don't deserve such praise. I didn't understand anything back then, and it was only later when I returned that I realized the Heavenly Master's Seal might have been there."
Xu Yuanzhen fixed her gaze on him and suddenly laughed, "That's fine too. In fact, it's good news for me."
Lei Jun lowered his hand, "Senior Sister, take another look, and you'll realize that even after getting used to it, I'm still quite pleasing to the eye."
"Don't flatter yourself," Xu Yuanzhen replied.
However, she did get up and walk around Lei Jun, examining him, "Not bad. You hid it well. If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed at first glance."
"I have my Master to thank for that," Lei Jun said, giving a Daoist bow towards the main seat where Yuan Mobai sat.
Yuan Mobai smiled, "With Senior Sister Xu's help in reinforcing it, I can rest assured for the time being."
As Xu Yuanzhen had said, her concern was not about who obtained the Heavenly Master's Seal, but rather who did not.
After hearing Lei Jun's account of the current situation regarding the Heavenly Master's Seal, Xu Yuanzhen did not inquire further about the treasure. Instead, she expressed her amazement and, like Yuan Mobai, lent her aid to further conceal Lei Jun's secret.
"Master, Senior Sister, I also obtained another spiritual object before," Lei Jun said as he took out the Nine Saints' Frost. "I used a part of it and kept the rest."
Yuan Mobai smiled upon seeing it, "The Nine Saints' Frost. It's been a while since I last saw this. I remember the last time was in the Southern Wasteland."
"Did you get it from the Blood River Sect?" Xu Yuanzhen asked.
Lei Jun nodded.
"No wonder you cultivated the third layer of the Law Altar so quickly, even faster than I expected," Yuan Mobai said.
"It's good that you kept half of it. Let's keep it for now. It can be used to nurture other spiritual objects and may bring unexpected benefits," Yuan Mobai suggested.
Lei Jun understood.
The upper-upper lucky draw he drew earlier mentioned that the opportunity presented by the Nine Saints' Frost could be expanded upon. Now, he understood that this was what it referred to.
Aside from helping him cultivate the Law Altar to perfection faster, the Nine Saints' Frost had another remarkable use—it could be used to nurture and nourish other spiritual objects.
Since that was the case, he would keep it for now and decide later which spiritual object to use it on, depending on the situation.
From then on, he only had two main concerns.
One was to focus on his cultivation and prepare for the tribulation of advancing from the third tier to the fourth tier of the heaven-level.
If he could pass this tribulation, he would achieve the fourth tier of the Primordial Symbol realm in the Daoist Talisman Sect.
Not only would his strength increase, but more importantly, his lifespan limit would increase from the current two hundred years to four hundred years.
Additionally, according to Yuan Mobai, Tang Xiaotang, and Xu Yuanzhen's speculation, once Lei Jun reached the fourth tier of the Primordial Symbol realm, he would have the opportunity to try and open the first layer of the True One Law Altar.
The other matter closely related to Lei Jun was the Conferment Ceremony.
The ceremony had been postponed for a long time due to Heavenly Master Li Qingfeng's continuous seclusion.
Now that Li Qingfeng had perished, although there was no new Heavenly Master to take his place, the new Conferment Ceremony could no longer be delayed.
Success in the ceremony would lead to an official listing in the Celestial Bureaus.
Outstanding disciples like Lei Jun, who had passed the transmission, would be able to learn, and eventually master, higher-level spirit talismans and more advanced rituals that only cultivators of the middle third tier of the heaven-level in the Talisman Sect could practice. They would be able to set up altars and preach outside, saving sentient beings, and even establish their own sects, thus expanding the influence of Dragon Tiger Mountain.
In the following days, Lei Jun once again ignored the outside world and focused solely on his cultivation, preparing for the breakthrough to the fourth tier of the Primordial Symbol realm.
For Dragon Tiger Mountain, the absence of internal strife caused many forces that had been eyeing it to hold off on making any moves temporarily.
The loss of the Heavenly Master's Sword had drawn the attention of many towards the Heavenly Master's Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain.
Now, however, most of their focus had shifted back to another matter.
The Lin Clan of Jiangzhou.
With internal undercurrents and external influences, the situation there was close to boiling over.
An old enemy helping them to shoulder the blame eased the tension in Dragon Tiger Mountain, and the worried minds of its inhabitants could finally relax a little.
Although the position of the new Heavenly Master was still undecided, it did not affect the daily operations of the Heavenly Master's Mansion for the time being.
The late Heavenly Master Li Qingfeng had been in consecutive seclusion for over a decade.
Everyone had gotten used to the absence of a Heavenly Master, and at least in the short term, there wouldn't be any major chaos.
Compared to the past, many things now had clear definitions, whether long-term or temporary, and there were regulations in place.
The High Achievement Pavilion was officially established.
Li Song, Li Ziyang, Li Hongyu, Shangguan Ning, Yuan Mobai, and Xu Yuanzhen became the first members.
Tang Xiaotang would only attend as an observer for the time being, first listening and learning, and later, depending on her performance and experience, she would gain the right to vote.
Li Zhengxuan, who had lost the Heavenly Master's Sword, was confined to the ancestral tomb in the back mountain to reflect on his mistakes.
Elder Yao, due to his lack of supervision over his disciples, also secluded himself for a short period to reflect and did not enter the High Achievement Pavilion.
The Heavenly Master's Robe remained in the possession of Li Hongyu.
The responsibility of presiding over the Myriad Laws Sect fell on Yuan Mobai's shoulders.
...Although Yuan Mobai said that it wasn't his turn to become the new Heavenly Master, he received unanimous support regarding the Myriad Laws Sect.
Under the leadership of the High Achievement Pavilion, Dragon Tiger Mountain's postwar reconstruction work proceeded smoothly.
The six high-achieving elders shuttled back and forth, communicating and liaising with the Tang imperial family and other top powers.
They consoled the Tianxu Sect, the Purple Cloud Sect, and other branches of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Sect.
They handled the aftermath and funerals of the deceased disciples.
They opened up many Taoist halls and charity halls to comfort the affected common people.
They repaired and rebuilt the places damaged by the war.
They monitored and investigated the movements in Jiangzhou and the Southern Wasteland.
Regarding the Yellow Heaven's Way, which had been severely damaged but not completely eradicated, the Heavenly Master's Mansion did not have the spare capacity to pursue them to the end for the time being.
They could only further investigate the clues and leave it for the future.
Overall, the situation around Dragon Tiger Mountain finally calmed down temporarily.
Everyone could finally celebrate the new year together.
As winter turned to spring and the postwar matters gradually settled, the new Conferment Ceremony was finally put on the agenda.
This was one of the most important ceremonies of the Daoist Talisman Sect, usually held on one of the Three Yuan Festivals.
The Three Yuan Festivals are the 15th day of the first, seventh, and tenth lunar months.
They definitely wouldn't be able to make it for the first lunar month.
The ceremony's preparation, coupled with the time needed for the initiates to travel to Dragon Tiger Mountain, meant that they couldn't afford to be hasty.
And so, after a long absence, the date for the new Conferment Ceremony was set for the 15th day of the seventh month.
As the day drew near, the list of initiates awaiting the Conferment Ceremony was also released one after another.
After several years without a ceremony, Lei Jun estimated that the number of names on the list should be quite substantial.
However, the names reported by Yuan Mobai were noticeably fewer than Lei Jun's estimate.
"A lot of people are missing," Lei Jun remarked curiously.
Many of the names were relatively unfamiliar, as they were reported by various branch sects from different places.
It wasn't that they were unqualified, but the notable favorites among them were largely absent.
Lei Jun first asked about someone he knew well, "I don't see Senior Brother Luo Haoran's name."
Yuan Mobai replied with his usual calm tone, "Regarding what happened earlier when you went to the underground palace of the Blood River Sect, he felt ashamed towards his fellow disciples, Heavy Clarity and the others, under Master Xia. Therefore, with Heavy Clarity absent due to his own reasons, Heavy Hao voluntarily withdrew from the Conferment Ceremony."
"I'm wondering why Xia Qingxia isn't participating either, Master?" Lei Jun inquired.
Yuan Mobai explained, "According to reports, Heavy Clarity met with Chen Yi this year. Although, according to her own words, she was powerless to capture Chen Yi, there are witnesses who can prove that they had frequent interactions in the past."
Lei Jun frowned, "Senior Sister Xia wouldn't be partial, would she?"
Frequent interactions in the past was basically an unnecessary statement.
Xia Qing's master and paternal uncle, Xia Bo, had a good relationship with Chen Yi's master, Yao Yuan, and it was only natural for their disciples to interact.
As a result, Xia Qing was forced to avoid suspicion and reflect, missing out on this year's Conferment Ceremony.
This was clearly a targeted attack.
"What about Li Zhenchang and Chu Andong?" Lei Jun continued his inquiries.
Wang Guiyuan, standing beside them, answered on behalf of Master Yuan Mobai, "Last year, when the Gu sorcery demon from the Southern Wasteland invaded, Li and Chu encountered him together and were severely injured after a fierce battle. Upon investigation, it was found that Li acted impulsively, so he is now in seclusion to reflect on his mistakes and has voluntarily given up his place in the Conferment Ceremony."
"What about Chu?"
"Chu was implicated by the owner of Moon Studio. Regarding the loss of the Heavenly Master's Sword, Moon Studio's owner and Chu both voluntarily expressed that Chu would not participate in this Conferment Ceremony."
Lei Jun asked, "Surely there's no issue with Fang Jian, is there?"
Although Li Qingfeng had passed away, Fang Jian, as his direct disciple, had played a significant role in liaising with the Jingxiang Fang clan and the Heavenly Master's Mansion during the Dragon Tiger Mountain War, and his contribution was not small.
There was no way he wouldn't be included in the Conferment Ceremony.
Wang Guiyuan smirked, "It's still about the incident when you guys went to the underground palace of the Blood River Sect. Some disciples reported that the Eight Desolates Blood Hole, where Fang Mingyuan and Fang Lu, the two recluses of the Fang family, met their demise, was very close to the Eight Desolates Blood River Formation that trapped them... "
While this was true, there was no solid evidence, and in the current situation, it was not appropriate to bring it up... Lei Jun thought to himself.
With no movement beforehand, and only bringing it up when deciding on the candidates for the Conferment Ceremony, it was clear that someone was targeting Fang Jian as well.
So...
"Without the external threat brought by the Great Master Sister, the Lee family has started infighting again," Lei Jun commented briefly.
Wang Guiyuan could only smile bitterly at this.
He shook his head repeatedly, "It hasn't been that long, and I really find it hard to understand. The Lee family and the outsiders are still united at the moment, not giving any opportunities to outsiders. How did the Lee family start fighting so quickly? Shouldn't they be more united, especially now that the Grand Master Uncle and the Heavenly Master's Sword are both gone?"
Lei Jun, however, was not surprised, "I once read history books and came across an era when a dynasty was in its twilight, ravaged by foreign tribes, with only half of its territory remaining. Even on the brink of destruction, the court was still riddled with internal strife, and I felt perplexed by this.
Initially, I thought that they valued power and gain above all else, but later I felt that it wasn't entirely the case.
A significant portion of them probably thought something like this..."
He spread his hands, "With the dynasty on the verge of collapse, only I can save the country. You bunch of idiots refuse to listen and work together, instead pulling me back. You truly are unfilial."
Wang Guiyuan's mouth hung open, "Is that possible?"
Lei Jun continued, "Ziyang and the others will try to convince themselves not to think or act like that, but they won't be able to stop themselves from feeling that the other party is a bunch of idiots pulling them back.
Of course, on the other hand, the current list of the High Achievement Pavilion is quite something..."
He turned to Yuan Mobai, "Master, who first proposed the names for the initial selection of the High Achievement Pavilion?"
Yuan Mobai glanced at Lei Jun, "Senior Brother Yuan Zhen."
Lei Jun nodded, understanding, "That's really something."
It seemed like they were excluding Li Zhengxuan, but Tang Xiaotang didn't have voting rights for the time being, and Xu Yuanzhen was often away. Most of the time, there were only five votes in the High Achievement Pavilion, and there were three members of the Lee family.
Shangguan Ning usually remained neutral.
The sense of security they were giving was... truly insincere.
While it appeared that the Lee family had the upper hand, Lei Jun knew better than to think that. He knew that when push came to shove, Xu Yuanzhen would have plenty of ways to cause trouble for the Lee family.
There was a saying that went, "Good at causing trouble, but not at getting things done."
At the moment, Xu Yuanzhen might not be able to get everything she wanted in the Heavenly Master's Mansion, but she could certainly ruin things for others.
Based on his understanding of Xu Yuanzhen, Lei Jun suspected that she was just biding her time.
In fact, she could already sit back and watch the show.
The infighting and mutual sabotage regarding the Conferment list had nothing to do with Xu Yuanzhen, Yuan Mobai, and the others. It was the Lee family tearing itself apart due to the sense of security they now felt.
Fang Jian was a direct disciple of Li Qingfeng, but at the moment, he was considered a seed candidate put forward by Li Zhengxuan and Li Ziyang for this Conferment Ceremony.
If Li Ziyang's second son, Li Ming, were still alive, he would have been on the list as well.
Xia Qing was a seed candidate for Li Hongyu's faction.
Originally, Chen Yi might have been on the list as well, but that was obviously no longer the case.
Li Zhenchang and Chu Andong were seed candidates for Li Song's faction.
However, now, they had all been scratched off the list.
In addition, some people who were initially considered shoo-ins were also out of the running.
Tang Xiaotang's rebellious phase and desire to express her individuality were a separate matter.
So, looking at the list now, the only remaining seed candidates were...
"Me?"
Lei Jun pointed at his own nose.
Yuan Mobai smiled and nodded.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
