Ever since he took charge of the selection process for the Taoist Academy, Deng Zhong had encountered such occurrences more than once. Daoist Xuanming was neither the first nor the last, and Deng Zhong had grown accustomed to it.
What puzzled him, however, was why Daoist Xuanming, who certainly had some slots to enter the Taoist Academy, came specifically to him for a favor.
Hearing Deng Zhong's question, a trace of embarrassment flickered in Daoist Xuanming's eyes. He said, "The offspring of my old friend are only pseudo-Wuzongs."
His answer seemed vague but the reason was very simple. Even though he had some quotas to enter the Taoist Academy, these belonged to the disciples of Baiyun Temple. Not to mention that many disciples and elders within the temple eyed these quotas eagerly. As Master Guan, he definitely couldn't use the resources of his own sect to repay his personal favors.
Moreover, the more critical point was that the offspring of his old friend is a pseudo-Wuzong. Although pseudo-Wuzongs have the hope of changing their paths and making breakthroughs again due to the revival of Heaven and Earth, the hardship and tribulation throughout the process are enormous. The future development is truly uncertain and it's unreasonable to use the sect's resources for this uncertain investment.
Upon understanding Daoist Xuanming's intentions, Deng Zhong showed his difficulty and said, "This decision needs to be made by Sect Leader (True Person). I cannot make it."
If Daoist Xuanming had wanted a quota for a Lower Court disciple, Deng Zhong could have used his power to grant it with no trouble. However, accommodating a pseudo-Wuzong was a different story.
Based on the plan by Sect Leader (True Person), he would personally teach these Upper Court disciples for a while. Every single slot was precious and limited in number. If one person gets more, another gets less.
The quotas for these Upper Court disciples were coveted by countless martial artists. With the revival of Heaven and Earth, first-class martial artists abound and many of them were held back before the gates of Spirit Realm.
Currently, there is Pei Xuanjing, the world's strongest person, willing to provide personal instruction and guidance. This is an extraordinary opportunity that comes once in a millennia. No one wants to miss it and many strong people are exhausting their efforts to seize this rare opportunity.
In such a situation, even some second-class martial artists are uncertain of securing a slot, let alone allowing a third-grade pseudo-Wuzong to join. Deng Zhong simply does not have the authority to offer this as a favor.
Upon hearing these words, Daoist Xuanming sighed, fully understanding Deng Zhong's hesitation.
He is not an unreasonable person. Understanding Deng Zhong's difficulty, he knows he can't ask Deng Zhong to take such a huge risk.
Deng Zhong suggested, "Why don't I go and test the waters with Sect Leader (True Person) first? Let's see what he has to say."
Initially, he didn't want to get involved in this matter. Although it is beneficial to build a good relationship with Daoist Xuanming, a powerful figure in the Taoist School, if it results in the displeasure of the Sect Leader (True Person), Deng Zhong was absolutely unwilling to bear the cost.
However, after giving it some thought, he had an idea and decided to bring it up to the Sect Leader (True Person), to see if it was worth a try. If it was feasible, then it could be a win-win situation.
Moreover, merely asking wouldn't cause harm. Even if the Sect Leader (True Person) refuses, Daoist Xuanming cannot blame Deng Zhong. Instead, he would owe Deng Zhong a favor for having asked on his behalf.
Hearing Deng Zhong's willingness to speak up, a smile appeared on Daoist Xuanming's face. He repeatedly expressed his gratitude, "In that case, many thanks, Taoist Friend."
After all, it wasn't appropriate for him to directly approach Pei Xuanjing given his status. No matter what, he was one of the leaders of a Taoist School power. If he made this request and Pei Xuanjing agreed, that would be fine but if it was refused, it would be awkward for both parties and could even cause rifts.
At present, the cooperation within the Taoist School was going smoothly. No matter how important his old friend's matter was, it couldn't hold precedence over the affairs of the Baiyun Temple. He couldn't possibly prioritize it over Baiyun Temple's affairs.
Deng Zhong's suggestion was undoubtedly a solution to his problem. If it was possible, he would ask. If Pei Xuanjing refused, then it would be as if it never happened.
"I greet Sect Leader (True Person)."
"Sit down!"
Deng Zhong approached Pei Xuanjing and, after reporting on his recent supervision of the Taoist Academy's construction and the preliminary process of the disciple selection, brought up the matter discussed with Daoist Xuanming.
Having said that, he fell silent, waiting quietly for Pei Xuanjing's response.
Pei Xuanjing was toying with the Golden Book and Jade Scroll in his hands. After Deng Zhong finished speaking, he did not directly give an answer. He smiled and asked, "Since you are willing to plead on his behalf, you must already have your own views on this matter, right?"
Given Deng Zhong's cleverness, he certainly would not have gotten involved unless he felt the same way about the situation, and taken the liberty to come to him without a decision.
"Heh, heh." Deng Zhong laughed awkwardly, "Indeed, I do have some ideas and I think we should agree to this."
"Oh? Let's hear it." Pei Xuanjing gestured for him to share his reasoning.
Deng Zhong organized his thoughts and said, "In my opinion, if we accept this individual, it would be a win-win situation."
Seeing that Pei Xuanjing had no objection, Deng Zhong continued, "Firstly, as Daoist Priest Xuanming is the Master Guan of Baiyun Temple, we would inevitably upset him, even with justified reasoning, if we reject him. On the other hand, accepting one more disciple is no big deal. It would be an opportunity to make a good impression on him, and he would definitely remember Sect Leader as someone who does him favors. In the future, he will definitely lean towards the Shenxiao Sect within the Taoist School."
In his view, even though Pei Xuanjing is invincible and unafraid of offending Daoist Xuanming and Baiyun Temple, they certainly cannot retaliate against him for refusing their request, other than holding a grudge.
However, if you look at it from another angle, even though this quota seems difficult, it isn't a big deal to accept, and it can be used to win over Daoist Xuanming and curry favor with him, leading him to gravitate towards us.
Given the current major changes in the world and the chance that forces from Sky Wasteland may descend at any time, nobody knows what will happen in the future. Therefore, enhancing one's strength is the most crucial strategy.
As part of the Shenxiao Sect, they achieved their current status thanks to the protection of Pei Xuanjing. Naturally, they must stand up for the Shenxiao Sect's interests.
Among the powers of the Taoist School, besides the Shenxiao Sect, True Martial Sect and Dragon Tiger Mountain should be the strongest. However, Dragon Tiger Mountain has a heritage in Sky Wasteland. Although the various powers had agreed to ally at first, if one day someone from the Sky Wasteland's Dragon Tiger Mountain returns, whether the alliance will continue to unite remains to be seen.
So, in order to maintain the alliance, they need to unite as many powers as possible and avoid planting seeds of discord for future cooperation.
"This point is valid." Pei Xuanjing nodded, indicating his approval of Deng Zhong's statement. He asked out of curiosity, "Since there's the first point, there must be a second one."
"Secondly, in my opinion, it's like 'a thousand gold for a horse's bone'!" Deng Zhong said solemnly.
Pei Xuanjing raised an eyebrow, curiously asked, "What is 'a thousand gold for a horse's bone'?"
"Although today's world has revived and it has become much easier for mortal realm martial artists to cultivate than before, the leap to the third-grade realm still remains a challenge that blocks many martial artists. Many people under compulsion can only tread into the pseudo grandmaster realm. Although they can continue to move forward in the future, the path of cultivation is burdensome and difficult. However, if the Sect Leader cultivates these pseudo grandmaster martial artists to the first-grade realm, or even the spirit realm, the hearts of martial artists worldwide would be easily swayed." Deng Zhong voiced his opinion.
Even though the revival of the world has simplified the cultivation for martial artists, the third-grade is still a hurdle. Due to the easier cultivation method, there are fewer martial artists who can condense the true idea of martial arts through a lot of tempering compared to the vast foundation. Therefore, not only are there not fewer pseudo grandmasters in the third-grade, but there are more.
If the Sect Leader can solve this problem, the Taoist Academy will become the holy land for countless martial artists. For numerous martial artists, cultivation will become even faster, which completely meets the expectations of the Sect Leader.
As for whether Pei Xuanjing can solve this problem, in the eyes of Deng Zhong and others who have followed him all the way, there's no problem in this world that Pei Xuanjing can't handle. It simply depends on whether he wants to or not.
Pei Xuanjing had to laude the creative thinking of the other party. What he wanted was for more and more strong people in this world to abound. Their collisions could bring him more experiences and inspirations.
Indeed, the shackles of the third-grade pseudo grandmaster realm have become an obstacle to the birth of powerful people. If this methodology could be solved, then it would indeed be beneficial for Pei Xuanjing. He would earn the support and praises of martial artists worldwide, and he would inevitably gain favor from Heaven and Earth and receive Qi Luck.
"Your idea is not bad." Pei Xuanjing praised.
"Thank you for your approval, Sect Leader. It's my duty." Deng Zhong's face brightened, knowing his suggestion was accepted by the Sect Leader, a smile emerged on his face.
Pei Xuanjing said with a smile, "Since you've done this, there should be a reward."
He flicked a finger, a surge of Primordial Qi entered Deng Zhong's body, "This is the Primordial Qi of the Innate Thunder Gang. You can use it as a reference. Go to the Scripture Pavilion to consult the secrets of Innate Thunder Gang Qi and cultivate this skill as a reward for this time!"
"Thank you, Sect Leader!" Deng Zhong's eyes flashed a hint of surprise.
Innate Thunder Gang Qi, was created by the Sect Leader, combining Innate Gang Qi with Shenxiao Sect martial studies. It is now considered a top-grade magical skill in the Taoist School. Even the power it can exhibit when cultivated by spirit realm experts is extremely strong.
Although this skill is placed in the Scripture Pavilion, to learn it requires a significant contribution value. Considering the fact, Pei Xuanjing is willing to teach these skills to everyone, he doesn't actually give them for free, they need to exchange it with something. Within the Shenxiao Sect, as long as they have made a contribution or accumulate enough contribution value, they can exchange it for any skill, including Pei Xuanjing's Heavenly Heaven's Intention spell.
However, accumulating these contribution values isn't that simple. As far as Deng Zhong knew, currently in the Shenxiao Sect, only Yu Zhenzi was granted permission due to his merit, not even the deputy leader, Pang Hong, had the chance to practice.
Now that he unexpectedly has the chance to practice this skill, it seems to make many people in the sect envy him if word got out.
He believed that if he managed to successfully cultivate this skill, his strength would surely ascend to the next level.
"If the Sect Leader has no other instructions, this subordinate will take his leave." Deng Zhong respectfully addressed Pei Xuanjing. His heart was still filled with excitement, and he couldn't wait to practice this skill.
Pei Xuanjing shook his head and said, "Hold on, I still have something to ask you."
"Please give your commands, Sect Leader," Deng Zhong replied.
"Reward for achievement, punishment for mistake. This is the foundation for any force, am I right?" Pei Xuanjing asked with a smirk.
Deng Zhong's face froze, and a hint of uneasiness arose in his heart, but he plucked up the courage to reply, "What the Sect Leader said is right, there's no mistake."
Pei Xuanjing asked again, "Then for making a decision on your own and promising Daoist Xuanming, what punishment do you deserve?"
"Please forgive me, Sect Leader. I only wanted to…" Deng Zhong quickly knelt halfway, attempting to explain.
However, having said half of his sentence, he couldn't continue, because he knew where he had made his mistake.
"I've realized my mistake, please punish me, Sect Leader." He changed his words, stopped trying to explain, and admitted his mistake.
Pei Xuanjing's face initially went cold when Deng Zhong tried to explain, but his cold demeanor faded slightly after Deng Zhong changed his tone, "In that case, considering this is your first offence, I won't dig deeper. The candidate Daoist Xuanming recommended, just let him have one of the Upper Court positions that belong to your group!"
Having heard the results, Deng Zhong first displayed a sorrowful expression, but he dared not have any objections, he replied, "Yes, I understand."
The spots in the Taoist Academy are highly coveted within Shenxiao Sect. He and the likes of Yu Zhenzi represent some big factions within the Shenxiao Sect. Giving up one spot in the Upper Court this time might cause a lot of discontent among his people.
However, Deng Zhong also understood that his little scheme had been exposed. He dared not show any dissatisfaction and could only accept it, thinking of ways to appease his subordinates with something else.
"Alright, you may leave!" Pei Xuanjing motioned.
"This subordinate takes his leave." Deng Zhong stood up and slowly withdrew.
Watching Deng Zhong's receding figure, Pei Xuanjing shook his head, his face returning to calm, as if nothing had happened.
With his current strength, as long as he releases the power of the Yin Spirit, everything that happens within a dozen miles around the Taoist Temple will be under his control. With the appearance of a strongman like Daoist Xuanming, Pei Xuanjing naturally sensed it.
Therefore, Pei Xuanjing was aware of the meeting between Deng Zhong and Daoist Xuanming. Although he didn't know what the two of them had discussed, he was clear about their meeting.
After listening to what Deng Zhong had to say, Pei Xuanjing basically understood what the two had talked about.
Indeed, the idea proposed by Deng Zhong was not bad, in fact, it was a win-win situation. It could provide considerable help for Pei Xuanjing's plan. Therefore, he rewarded Deng Zhong with Innate Thunder Gang Qi.
Similarly, Deng Zhong's little scheme and his presumption was also a mistake. He wanted to use Pei Xuanjing as a shield and sell favors, something that Pei Xuanjing didn't like, hence he had to be punished as well.
Otherwise, as Pei Xuanjing spends more and more time in closed-door cultivation, who knows what these people will do in his name?
Although Pei Xuanjing didn't care much about the present Shenxiao Sect, it didn't mean he was willing to tolerate all actions. Since he had encountered them, he naturally had to respond. This time he chose to punish a few to warn the many, informing them that they shouldn't get too clever. There were things they could do, but also things they shouldn't do. He believed that they would wake up shocked after this incident.
Deng Zhong, who had been chastised by Pei Xuanjing, walked out with mixed feelings. This time, there were gains and losses. Although he lost the place in the upper court and had to appease his subordinates, he acquired the technique of Innate Thunder Gang Qi. Whether he won or lost, nobody knew except him.
As Pei Xuanjing had mentioned, Deng Zhong became cautious after the scolding. When he left the Taoist temple and faced Daoist Xuanming, he quickly shared the result and asked to leave.
Even the gift that Daoist Xuanming wanted to give him in gratitude, he firmly refused and hurriedly left without accepting it.
Daoist Xuanming thought Deng Zhong's attitude was strange, but he didn't give it much thought. He assumed that Pei Xuanjing had arranged an important task for Deng, and that's why he had been eager to leave.
As Deng Zhong predicted, Daoist Xuanming felt an increased liking for Pei Xuanjing and the Shenxiao Sect because of this matter, and actively sided with Pei Xuanjing.
In the following days, Pei Xuanjing was still in seclusion. Apart from refining the Taoist Academy and the research of trying to condense the Golden Core, he added another task, studying how to let the fake grandmasters who didn't condense the Martial Arts Truth to promote to the third-grade could make up for their foundations, improve the speed of cultivation and reduce the gap.
Without a doubt, it was a difficult task. After all, the development of martial arts had already peaked in the thousands of years after the Tang Dynasty, and no one had solved this problem, which showed its difficulty.
Of course, with difficulty comes rich rewards. If Pei Xuanjing really solved this problem, that means his understanding of cultivation was profound, and with this alone, he would gain the faith and Power of Incense Fire from countless martial artists, as long as martial arts exist, the incense will not cease.
While Pei Xuanjing was researching how to solve the problem of fake grandmasters, a few guests arrived on Dragon Tiger Mountain.
The Dragon Tiger Mountain, which had stood firm for tens of millions of years and carried the lineage of the Dragon Tiger Mountain for thousands of years, not only was a Taoist holy land but also held the highest position in the entire world of martial arts.
During these countless years, apart from when Pei Xuanjing reached Dragon Tiger Mountain to challenge the old Celestial Master about a dozen years ago, no one dared to undermine its prestige.
The battle between Pei Xuanjing, whose fame rose with the fight on Dragon Tiger Mountain, and the old Celestial Master who shook the world, also established Pei Xuanjing's reputation and became one of the many anecdotes about him.
Although Pei Xuanjing's fame had massively erupted during his fight with the old Celestial Master on Dragon Tiger Mountain, the reputation of Dragon Tiger Mountain, which served as a backdrop, did not decrease at all. Instead, as Pei Xuanjing became stronger, the strength of Dragon Tiger Mountain also rose with the tide.
Even before the Great Ming Empire's promotion to a Divine Dynasty, the old Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain was considered by many to be the second strongest after Pei Xuanjing.
After the Great Ming Divine Dynasty's promotion, the old Celestial Master returned to seclusion in Dragon Tiger Mountain after discussing the enfeoffment of the divine position, leaving all affairs to Yu Yangzi.
"Dare I ask who you are and why you have come?" Yu Yangzi looked at the people in front of him and spoke in a solemn voice.
He did not think much of it when he heard from disciples that some people had come to pay their respects to the mountain. Over the years, countless people had come to Dragon Tiger Mountain to pay their respects, some to learn, some to seek guidance, countless.
But the piece of paper brought by the people in front of him had nothing written on it, only an imprint of the Zhengyi Seal.
The Zhengyi Seal, this is the treasure of the Dragon Tiger Mountain lineage, second only to the Yin-Yang Evil-Slaying Treasure Sword, and the Yangping Zhidu Gong seal.
Originally they thought that these treasures had been lost or destroyed in the great calamity, but since they learned that the Sky Wasteland still had the existence of the Dragon Tiger Mountain lineage, they knew that these treasures must have been taken to the Tianhuang.
Given the paper brought by these people, how could Yu Yangzi not treat them seriously?
There were three people in the group, led by an old man who looked about sixty, wearing a robe with the Eight Trigrams design, followed by two youths in their twenties.
"We would like to see the current Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain," the old man said kindly.
Hearing that the other party wanted to see the current Celestial Master, Yu Yangzi said, "I am the current Celestial Master. Feel free to speak if you have anything."
Before the promotion to founding a Divine Dynasty, the old Celestial Master had already passed on the position of the Celestial Master to him. However, a succession ceremony had not been held because he had just broken through to the Spirit Realm. Therefore, Yu Yangzi wanted to wait for a period of strenuous cultivation, then hold it after breaking through to the Spirit Realm Second Layer.
After all, in the current world, the weakest leaders of various forces are at least in the Spirit Realm Second Layer, and some have even taken advantage of the promotion of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty to break through to the Spirit Realm Third Level. His Spirit Realm Onefold seemed a bit weak.
"I didn't expect that the Dragon Tiger Mountain in the ancestral land has fallen so much. A mere Spirit Realm Onefold is actually qualified to succeed the contemporary Celestial Master's position," the youth sneered.
Seeing the attitude of the other party, Yu Yangzi couldn't help feeling displeased, but he didn't show it at all. He glanced at the old man, who remained silent, allowing the youth behind him to act.
He said solemnly, "Are you here to make trouble?" His tone was becoming unsatisfied.
Hearing Yu Yangzi's words, the brows of the old man in the lead furrowed, and a flash of displeasure passed across his face. However, he did not speak, instead, one of the youths cocked an eyebrow and laughed, "Why pretend to be ignorant? Could the Zhengyi Seal be fake?"
Yu Yangzi's face was unchanged. He slowly asked, "Are you returnees from the Sky Wasteland?"
Although it was an inquiry, he was almost sure of it.
"Correct!" The young man who had just spoken said arrogantly, "I suppose you already know our identity. With your strength, you have no right to know our purpose. I've heard that there is a former Celestial Master on this Dragon Tiger Mountain. Let him come out and speak!"
This young man's arrogance was not concealed in the slightest, and he completely ignored Yu Yangzi. Even his attitude towards the old Celestial Master was as if he could be summoned at will.
However, the other two people, whether the old man in the lead or the other youth, said nothing, as if they agreed with him.
Even in the Sky Wasteland where strong people were like clouds, the Dragon Tiger Mountain lineage had the Ancestor Celestial Master, who was at the peak of the Nine Realms of Spirit, sitting in town, and was one of the top forces of the human race. The sect had countless masters and countless strong people.
Never mind how strong this old man was, just these two youths alone were at the Spirit Realm Third Level. Although they were not the true main lineage, they were also blood descendants of the Ancestor Celestial Master. How could they be condescending towards the side branches in the ancestral land lineage of Dragon Tiger Mountain.