At the imperial court, the emperor summoned the prominent figures of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty for a meeting, which naturally garnered the attention of numerous officials. They all knew that the events they had been anticipating were likely to be decided today.
Therefore, countless officials and noble officials were anxiously awaiting the announcement of the results, a waiting that closely resembled the anticipation they had experienced when expecting the results of the exams they had taken in their youth.
What many people didn't know was that at the same time, several powerful alliances representing the martial world, along with some individual forces, also sent their delegates to the Taoist temple where Pei Xuanjing was residing.
In Tiandu, there were two places of great interest. Naturally, one was the Imperial City where the emperor resided, and the other was the Taoist temple where the foremost figure in the world, the National Teacher of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, Pei Xuanjing, resided.
Especially after the Divine Dynasty was promoted, Pei Xuanjing, having obtained the deputy volume of the Golden Book and Jade Scroll, had become the focal point of interest for numerous martial forces and alliances.
They had already expressed to Pei Xuanjing their intention to exchange the numerous skills they had collected, so they naturally followed Pei Xuanjing's actions at all times.
Although they were unable to truly grasp the movements of a powerhouse on the Spirit Realm Sixth Level, they still needed to do their best and leave the rest to fate.
What they were most concerned about was not Pei Xuanjing's whereabouts, which they couldn't monitor anyway. Their real concern was other alliances and forces similar to their own. These were the competitors they needed to be wary of.
Even if Pei Xuanjing declared that every force was guaranteed its fair share in the forthcoming Divine Investiture, there was a distinct difference between having the first choice and picking up what others left behind.
Simply put, there was no need for Pei Xuanjing's encouragement. When real interests were at stake, all alliances and forces had begun to compete against each other. Nobody wanted to lose out, and nobody wanted to fall behind.
Those who were already in the upper echelons naturally wanted to maintain, and even expand, their advantages, always occupying the upper-class positions.
On the other hand, the lesser or newly established powers intended to use this Great World to bridge the gap as much as possible or even surpass the stronger powers.
Therefore, even if they united and cooperated with Pei Xuanjing, they were helpless against him but had to be vigilant about these competitors.
While the emperor quietly left the Imperial City to visit Pei Xuanjing, how could his movements escape the attention of these interested parties?
So, at the same time that the emperor entered the Taoist Temple, all the forces had received the news. They practically speculated about the significance of the emperor's meeting with Pei Xuanjing under the current circumstances.
They kept a close watch on the Taoist Temple, and after the emperor's departure, they discovered that the emperor had summoned a meeting with his ministers. Without waiting for a summons from Pei Xuanjing, they took the initiative to send appeals, seeking an audience with Pei Xuanjing to find out more.
Pei Xuanjing looked at the pile of appeals before him, a mocking smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "It seems that those positions are keeping a close eye on me!"
At this moment, apart from him, Bai Xiaosheng, Daoist Qingxu, Old Heavenly Master, Daoist Xuanming, and the current Chunyang Taoist from the Chunyang Sect were each seated in the hall.
The six of them could be said to be the actual core figures of the Taoist Alliance. Whatever agreements they reached would become a consensus within the Taoist Alliance, unstoppable by anyone else.
Pei Xuanjing had informed the others to come here when the emperor was about to arrive, so that they could jointly discuss the Divine Investiture.
After the emperor's departure, they gathered together again. Pei Xuanjing narrated to them one by one the agreed upon conditions he had made with the emperor.
No sooner had he finished speaking, when the tributes from the other alliances arrived, showing their urgency.
When they heard what Pei Xuanjing had to say, Bai Xiaosheng laughingly commented, "It's not that they are keeping a close eye on you, but that they are watching the others closely, for fear of others getting ahead and losing the initiative".
Clearly, they had a solid understanding of the intentions of the other alliances and knew exactly what the others was wary about.
After all, they had already surrendered their skills. If they couldn't maximize their benefits in the end, wouldn't it all be for nothing?
"Not to mention others, aren't we gathered here today for the same reason?" the Old Heavenly Master laughed. He found it quite unimportant and said so nonchalantly.
They were assembled here for the same purpose. None of them was any better than the others.
Daoist Qingxu and the others exchanged looks, privately shrugging. The Old Heavenly Master's character remained the same.
"What the Old Heavenly Master said is right. We are gathered here for the same reason. There is no point in laughing at each other." Pei Xuanjing responded with a laugh.
He brushed off the issue, then seriously asked, "As for this agreement, does anyone have any objections?"
These terms were ones he had negotiated. But, regardless of Pei Xuanjing's current strength, he did not wish to impose a unilateral decision. He still needed to maintain this alliance, so recklessly pushing his own agenda would inevitably lead to the disintegration of the alliance in the end.
So, if anyone had any objections, they could voice them. As long as they were reasonable, Pei Xuanjing could negotiate with the emperor again.
According to his negotiations with the emperor, their side would have a smaller share, but the authority would lie with them. It wouldn't be a case of separating the Divine Position from its authority.
Moreover, these forces differed from the Great Ming Divine Dynasty. Although there were many officials within the Dynasty, not everyone had the talent for cultivation. Therefore, the cost for them to refine and control the Divine Position was actually much higher than his side.
However, the only shortfall was that their Divine Position in the terrestrial Divine Dynasty, although independent, was still subject to the constraints of the Golden Book and Jade Scroll.
"If this continues, even if our people are granted the Divine Position, they will still be subject to the governance of the lord of the Divine Dynasty," Daoist Xuanming remarked.
At present, it was fine for them to cooperate with the Great Ming Divine Dynasty. However, if conflicts arose in the future, there was a risk that the Divine Position would be stripped away, rendering all their efforts futile.
It should be noted, that they had already paid a significant price for the Divine Dynasty Plan. They couldn't end up empty-handed, completely benefiting the Great Ming Divine Dynasty. That would be a massive loss.
"You can rest assured about this. As long as the deputy volume of the Golden Book and Jade Scroll is in my hands, such a thing will absolutely not happen," Pei Xuanjing promised.
In possession of the Golden Book and Jade Scroll, Pei Xuanjing could say that he had completely understood the secrets of the Divine Position. Although the Divine Position was established with the help of the Divine Dynasty, it was not always controlled by the Divine Dynasty. With a great price, it could be separated from the control of the Golden Book and Jade Scroll.
While it is said that the Divine Position was consolidated by the Divine Dynasty, Pei Xuanjing saw it more as a gift from Heaven and Earth that initially necessitated support from the Dynasty to exist.
However, with the continual ascent of the Divine Position to a certain level, it gains the right to independence. Such independence, for a Divine Dynasty possessing the Golden Book and Jade Scroll, incites harm and no small loss. The independent Divine Position will dissipate quickly like a rootless duckweed if it loses the nourishment of Qi Luck.
At present, the Great Ming Divine Dynasty has just been established. If the Divine Position gains independence now, the Dynasty may fall apart entirely. Therefore, Pei Xuanjing, along with Emperor Jiajing, reached an agreement to wait until the Divine Dynasty Luck is full and can afford the Divine Position to be independent.
Of course, all parties must bear the losses incurred by the independence of the Divine Positions. Subsequently, they also need to have enough Luck to nurture these Positions.
Pei Xuanjing examined the people around him, paused, and said, "However, offering Qi luck to nurture the Gods results in considerable consumption. Given your current circumstances, it might be more harmful than beneficial."
According to Pei Xuanjing's estimation, even if Heaven and Earth continue to recuperate, only a handful of entities could truly afford to make the Divine Positions independent and subsequently sustain them with Qi Luck. After all, it is not a small expenditure but a perpetual burden.
Regarding the situation of the several parties, though Pei Xuanjing was unclear about how their luck was distributed, they most likely couldn't support many Divine Positions at once.
Knowing his Shenxiao Sect's situation best, Pei Xuanjing understood that although they could nurture a few Divine Positions, it would inhibit the sect's development in the long run. It would make more sense to wait and depend on the imperial court for support for now.
He spoke frankly, "Right now, the Great Ming Divine Dynasty has just ascended and its Qi Luck is limited, so the Divine Position cannot be detached. But if your respective sects' Qi Luck is sufficient in the future, you can fully convert the Divine Position for your use, nurturing it with the luck of your sect."
Huge consumption of Qi Luck.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned somber.
At this time, they all looked at the quiet Daoist Qingxu. Among them, only the True Martial Sect had two Gods who had refined Divine Positions during the initial breaking of the Heaven and Earth seal.
For many years, these two have hidden on Mount Taihe, and their exact conditions remained unknown, which only aroused more curiosity in them.
The moment Daoist Qingxu saw their gazes, he understood their thoughts. To prevent any resentment among them, he forced a bitter smile and said, "What the Daoist said is true. The Qi Luck required to nurture a Divine Position is vast."
Their True Martial Sect had the most authority to attest to this. Their two Gods had extraordinary power to serve as the heritage of the True Martial Sect.
However, the considerable daily spending of Qi Luck also stunned the head of the sect. If not for the profound heritage of the True Martial Sect spanning six hundred years and their relations with the imperial court amassing abundant Qi Luck, they would not be able to bear it.
Seeing Daoist Qingxu's acknowledgement, others nodded their heads. After all, if it was indeed so, they didn't need to rush to carry this burden for now.
"Given this, the solution proposed by the Daoist seems to be a good one." The Daoist Xuanming contemplated for a moment and said.
He also understood Pei Xuanjing's intentions, which was the equivalent of a "buy now, pay later" method. For now, they weren't qualified to enfeoff the Divine Position and support it, so the Great Ming Divine Dynasty would temporarily cultivate it for them.
Once they have enough strength and resources in the future, they could purchase it back with Qi Luck. Both parties would settle the debts peacefully and part ways.
Bai Xiaosheng and the others nodded in agreement with this plan.
After consensus was reached on the matter, Pei Xuanjing went on to describe his ideas for the Taoist Academy.
"This academy will serve as a pilot project. I hope that you all can send people as instructors, and any suitable disciples can be sent to study at the academy."
Actually, with his Shenxiao Sect's backing, Pei Xuanjing could gather and support the academy himself, but he chose not to.
Firstly, the academy he wanted to create was for teaching all martial artists worldwide. If only Shenxiao Sect members served as instructors, there would be no distinction from the sect's disciples, rendering the academy meaningless.
Secondly, by merging with others and having them send disciples, various philosophies could teach the disciples, leading to a diversity of outcomes that would benefit Pei Xuanjing.
Having heard about Pei Xuanjing's plan earlier, they had all agreed.
"In that case, shall we all go meet those people together?" Pei Xuanjing invited everyone to accompany him.
Surprisingly, everyone declined his invitation.
Given the stability in the world, they did not care much about other matters as long as Pei Xuanjing did not attempt to break up the alliance or harm their interests as his power grew.
After all, times have changed.
Currently, they had interacted a lot with Xue Hanyue and others who had returned from Tianhuang, and understood the implications of reaching the sixth level of the Spirit Realm, which Pei Xuanjing had far surpassed.
There was inevitable disappointment, but it spurred their ambition to strive more. Since all matters seemed settled, there was no need to waste words with those people.
After all, judging from the previous sacrificial ceremony, if there can be one strong individual from the Sky Wasteland entering the sixth level of the Spirit Realm, there certainly can be a second or a third.
It would be better to spend this time enhancing their strength, ensuring a more comfortable posture facing any future events.
Seeing their refusal, Pei Xuanjing did not push them. He left the palace alone to receive the representatives from various allied powers.
However, Pei Xuanjing was not too courteous with these people. He did not want to waste words, so he directly relayed his intentions and rough regulations for them to discuss among themselves.
Out of the one-third share of Divine Positions taken from the emperor, Pei Xuanjing and the Taoist School he represented will take two-thirds, and the remaining share would be allocated to them. Their share in the higher-ranked Divine Positions would be even lesser.
Regarding the request for independent Divine Positions, Pei Xuanjing did not hide it, as it was to be ultimately compensated to the Great Ming Divine Dynasty. He could only distribute a fraction.
After explaining everything, Pei Xuanjing threw out an approximate figure and let the parties deliberate. They would report back to him once they had reached a decision.
The major forces in the alliance were always on guard against each other, constantly shifting between being allies and enemies. The complexity of their relationships was sometimes so intricate that not even they could make sense of it, let alone Pei Xuanjing.
That's why, after simply demanding that a guaranteed number of Divine Positions be given to the forces that provided him with skill manuals, he washed his hands of how the remaining positions would be divided. That was for them to debate. He would not get involved.
Of course, he did not forget to inform them of his plan to establish a Taoist Academy. Whether or not they were willing to send their experts to serve as instructors, Pei Xuanjing was not overly concerned for now.
In his view, as long as he could successfully set up the Taoist Academy, these people would eventually want to donate their skills and willingly join the academy as instructors.
"Brother Pei, are you just going to drop this?" Zhao Baiyang frowned and voiced his concern.
Before he had come, he had mentally prepared various strategies and countermeasures, thinking about how to persuade Pei Xuanjing.
But Pei Xuanjing's sudden hands-off approach nullified many of his previous plans.
Not just him, the rest of the decision-makers from the various forces were also taken aback. They had prepared numerous countermeasures, but never considered such an outcome.
Pei Xuanjing smiled and said, "No matter what decisions I make, there will be dissatisfaction. It's better for you to discuss it amongst yourselves. As long as you can reach an agreement, it's fine."
He did not have the time to waste on them. If not for the fact that he had previously accepted their skills, he would not have appeared and would have let them figure it out on their own.
Now, his requirements were not high. As long as each force could reach the minimum, whatever was left over, they could fight for themselves. As long as no one died, they could even brawl for it.
After repeated inquiries, Pei Xuanjing's answer remained the same. They had no choice but to accept his proposal.
Thus, a huge argument ensued. Each party was fighting fiercely to secure more Divine Positions, and the alliances and feuds that were previously hidden were now out in the open.
Even the normally reserved Buddhism School had dropped its composure to join in.
After all, these Divine Positions were significant. Not only were they benefits, they also represented prestige, something the Buddhism School could not afford to lose.
As one of the world's major religions, the Buddhism School could not afford to have too few Divine Positions. Otherwise, its reputation would suffer. Especially how ordinary people and martial artists would see them. Without prestige, how can the Buddhism School flourish and attract more followers?
Pei Xuanjing sat high in the main seat, with his eyes slightly closed, ignoring the debates and leaving them to sort it out themselves.
Of course, what he didn't know was that at this moment inside the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Houji, the emperor of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, was in a similar situation.
After Zhu Houji finished speaking about the enfeoffment of the Divine Position, he let the important figures of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty present in the hall express their opinions.
These esteemed figures, who were seen as powerful figures by the common people and ordinary martial artists, were now arguing with each other just like common people in a marketplace.
Zhu Houji, as the emperor of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, held the supreme position in the empire. These people were all his subjects, loyal to him, but it did not mean they were united. They had their own fights and struggles amongst each other.
In fact, many of the conflicts and factional struggles among them were results that the emperor himself had allowed to happen. After all, if these people were truly united, he would not be sitting as comfortably in his position as he was.
Now that the emperor had established the approximate guidelines, the question of how Divine Positions should be distributed, among civil officials, noble officials, and royal relatives, was a topic with many opinions.
After all, the interest this time far exceeded anything in the past, and wasn't all their previous hard work for this day?
Civil officials, nobles, and royal relatives fought fiercely, arguing their importance, all trying to secure more Divine Positions for their side.
Although everyone who was allowed into the Wenhua Hall for the meeting held an extraordinary status and was guaranteed a Divine Position, they were not only representing themselves there. They were also representing the countless supporters they had behind them.
If they couldn't gain benefits for their countless supporters, they would eventually be abandoned.
At this moment, the previous factional strife among civil officials, the new and old disputes among nobles, and the bloodline disputes among royal relatives were all set aside. They all abandoned previous internal disagreements, aiming to gain more Divine Positions for their alliance.
After all, internal disputes were their own business. The most important thing was to secure the Divine Positions and keep the "meat" in their own pots.
In the face of these arguments, Zhu Houji, even as the emperor, couldn't intervene too much. After all, this was the outcome he had brought about. He couldn't blatantly take sides.
Moreover, if it weren't for the fact that he had already set aside a portion of the Divine Positions for the Factory Guard and the Inner Court, the debate would've become even more intense.
Lin Qingyi, the commander of the Brocade Guards, and the directors of the Two Factories stood silently to one side, afraid of drawing attention and inadvertently getting dragged into the dispute.
After all, as servants of the Emperor, they had already gained significant advantages. If they appeared ungrateful, they risked losing more than they gained.
Zhu Houji appeared to be watching these arguments, but in reality, his thoughts had drifted. He was pondering another question: "The Incense Fire God Refining Skill, which relies on gathering the power of faith and incense to enhance strength, would suit the countless citizens of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty. If he could gather all this incense and fire divine power, his strength would certainly increase, and so would the strength of the court."
The Incense Fire God Refining Skill was a skill that Pei Xuanjing obtained from Mr. Wu which was the best fit for the current Great Ming Divine Dynasty.
Besides Qi Luck, the worship of Divine Positions also involved the power of incense and fire.
As the emperor of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, he naturally had the power of faith and incense from countless citizens. Holding this power in his hands, if bestowed on officials with Divine Positions, could strengthen Divine Positions whilst reducing the consumption of Qi Luck. This would undoubtedly enhance one's strength.
Three days later, the Emperor called for the Great Morning Meeting, granted positions to all officials, and rewarded all those who had contributed to the campaign against the remnants of the Former Yuan.
The grand awarding ceremony also completely disseminated the much-anticipated regulation regarding the Divine Position Enfeoffment.