"Junior Brother Wuy is currently in closed-door training; he likely won’t make it in ti,"
Shen Mo explained.
"Closed-door training?"
At these words, Chen Jichuan felt a stir in his heart but refrained from asking further.
He had a vague guess.
Among the Direct Disciples of the East River Palace Master, Shen Mo and Liu Hechuan were the foremost, both exceptionally outstanding. ng Qing and Bo Yin were also True Inheritors, having long since reached the Fourth-order Peak, begun their Enlightennt, and cleared the 14th Peak, their combat prowess formidable. Xuee Gu, though rely twenty thousand years old, had passed the 12th Peak, established a Daoist School elsewhere, and was preparing to challenge the first rank.
Each of them was exceptional.
Even the newly-inducted disciples, Chen Jichuan and Shi Ze, had already beco True Inheritors.
But what about Wuy Qi?
In this sect, he alone remained a non-True Inheritor. A single step behind could lead to falling further and further behind. Failing to achieve True Inheritor status left Wuy Qi far behind his peers. He was four thousand years older than Xuee Gu, yet he was still only in the Early Fourth Realm and had barely managed to clear the 10th Peak.
Despite all being True Immortal Inheritors, the gap was so vast.
Wuy Qi used to enjoy joking around, bantering with his brothers and sisters. However, hidden behind that humor might have been his own bitterness.
Adding to that, the East River Palace Master was soone who cared deeply about appearances. For this Dayan Victory Conference, Wuy Qi likely wanted to attend, but worrying that his status as a True Immortal Inheritor might bring sha to the Palace Master, he probably chose instead to close his doors and go into seclusion.
"Sigh!"
Thinking about all this, Chen Jichuan couldn’t help but sigh internally.
He recalled the scene from his first eting with his brothers and sisters after apprenticing under the East River Palace Master. Even Senior Brother Shen Mo unintentionally overlooked Wuy Qi back then—it was Wuy Qi himself who took the initiative to introduce Chen Jichuan.
At the ti, it seed inconsequential, but looking back now, it was hard not to feel a sense of lancholy.
A master who cared about appearances.
Peers who were overly exceptional.
Wuy Qi’s life in the East River Palace likely wasn’t as smooth as it appeared.
Suppressing his emotions, he showed nothing outwardly.
As Chen Jichuan conversed with Shen Mo and Liu Hechuan, they avoided discussing Wuy Qi in depth. Brother Liu, however, did ntion ng Qing in passing: "Senior Brother ng—if only he dedicated more focus to magical skills. Passing the 15th Peak this ti could’ve been his chance."
Fourth-order Immortals and Daoist True Inheritors each had their own personalities and commitnts.
For ng Qing, he cared little for magical skills. After advancing to the Fourth Realm Peak, he poured nearly all his energy into Enlightennt, striving to prove the Dao and beco a True Immortal.
But proving the True Immortal Dao was no easy feat.
With the Dayan Victory Conference at hand, his chances of proving the Dao were slim, and he had missed an invaluable opportunity. Even Liu Hechuan couldn’t help but lant for this senior brother.
The three of them continued conversing.
Several hours passed. Within the hall, a gentle breeze began to swirl.
"A good wind lends its strength, lifting to azure clouds."
The three of them let the breeze carry them upward to the clouds. There in the distance stood the East River Palace Master, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Teacher!"
The three hastened to pay their respects.
The East River Palace Master gave a faint nod. Stepping upon the clouds, he led the three of them directly to the Chongxiao Immortal Court.
...
In the ancient tis, demons rampaged unchecked.
At that ti, Daoist sects each fought for their own interests. Not only did they fail to gain an upper hand over the demons, but they were often at a disadvantage.
In order to uphold the myriad beings and restore the Righteous Path, the Four Daoist Schools—One Origin, Xuanxiao, Five Virtues, and Dongwei—joined forces to rally other Immortal Sects within Shenzhou. Together, they established the Immortal Court and delineated the Heavenly Code. From then on, the various Daoist sects united as one, finally gaining the upper hand against the demons, who remained disparate and unorganized, thus attaining the mantle of heaven and earth’s legitimacy.
Since the establishnt of the Immortal Court, sixty-seven Yuan Hui have passed—nearly ten million years.
The Dayan Victory Conference, for instance, has already been held sixteen tis.
Today marks the seventeenth iteration.
Ascending to the Chongxiao Immortal Court, the Immortal Court lood into view.
Just as Chen Jichuan had imagined, it was veiled in clouds and mist. Immortal mountains, serene lakes, and grandeur palaces floated upon the sea of clouds, layered and harmonious.
Upon entering,
one felt as though they had stepped into another world.
Chen Jichuan, having perused countless texts within the Daoist School, knew that this place existed between heaven and earth, a Boundary Heaven once jointly carved out by True Immortals from the Four Daoist Schools and other Righteous True Immortals. Over the years, it had been expanded to now encompass nine Boundary Heavens.
Here lay the juncture of heaven and earth within Shenzhou’s realms, the heart of existence. Dwelling here, one could harness the origins of the land’s spiritual energies, grasp dominion over heaven and earth, and appoint divine beings.
The multitude of demons within Shenzhou, particularly in its vast oceans, once occupied its greatest territories. The Daoist sects’ foothold within Shenzhou was largely owed to the construction of the Immortal Court.
Divine beings and immortal officials were distributed across Shenzhou, overseeing the Five Continents, curbing the demons’ montum.
To date, of the Five Continents, four—except the West Continent—have embraced Daoist orthodoxy, and incursions into the vast oceans continue.
As the Dao flourishes, the demons wane.
The situation is unprecedentedly favorable.
Looking out upon the Immortal Court’s splendor and reflecting on its larger role and Shenzhou’s shifting tides, Chen Jichuan felt an unexplainable excitent and serenity.
Entering the Immortal Court,
the area divided itself into nine heavens.
High above lay the four heavens, each the Daoist field of True Immortals from the Four Daoist Schools.
Below that were another four heavens, which housed various departnts of the Immortal Court.
At its center was the dwelling of the Immortal Emperor, where celestial gatherings were held. It also contained the Yaochi Immortal Realm, the venue for victory conferences and a place to host True Immortals from all corners and those who had attained the Dao from the Five Continents.
The East River Palace Master escorted them into the Immortal Court, only to leave them behind and head straight for the eastern One Origin Heaven, where he joined the True Immortals of the One Origin Dao Sect. He would only appear again during the official proceedings of the conference.
As for Chen Jichuan and the other two, an immortal official arrived to guide them, arranging accommodations while explaining the process of battle formations for the conference.
...
For the East River Palace Master and other established True Immortals, the Dayan Victory Conference was little more than an opportunity for old friends to reunite.
But for the Fourth-order Immortals, it was a chance at great fortune.
Throughout the conference, the True Immortals presided at the pinnacle. The Fourth-order Immortals erging from the Four Daoist Schools, Four Continents, and various Immortal Sects competed intensely to showcase the profound depth of the Immortal Dao.
Competitions were divided into four categories:
Inner Realm.
External Realm.
Dharma Body.
Heavenly Ladder.
Those who stood out might receive rewards from the True Immortals—perhaps immortal brews, immortal fruits and delicacies, profound magical skills, or other treasures. Whatever shone brightly in the eyes of these lofty True Immortals would not fail to elicit their generous endownts.
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