Free Web NovelChapter 331: Chapter 240: Weighing Jiang Yi, Dongsheng’s Immortal Dao
’A mind holding ten thousand scrolls, commanding half the world of both pen and sword?’
Jiang Yi raised a slight eyebrow, thinking, ’I never would have thought the usually low-key and reserved Sect Leader Qin had such a reputation.’
He immediately composed his expression and said humbly:
"I could never accept such a comparison. How could I possibly be mentioned in the same breath as the Sect Leader? If others were to hear such a thing, I’d be a complete laughingstock."
Gu Changling cupped his hands and said:
"As they say, one can see the great in the small, and know the magnificent from the subtle. The Daoist’s innate talent is extraordinary. Attaining Flying Foundation Establishment and reaching the Golden Position are only a matter of time."
Jiang Yi just smiled faintly, not taking the praise to heart.
In the Yanfu Vast Land, the path of Cultivation is like the growth of a mortal. Qi Cultivation is learning to babble and speak, to take one’s first toddling steps. It is where everything begins.
If one errs in this realm, their future path in the Dao is ruined, and they are destined never to achieve greatness.
Therefore, the grade of one’s True Qi and the level of one’s Dao Foundation must both be meticulously honed in the pursuit of Perfection.
But what truly determines the very root of one’s Cultivation is Foundation Establishment.
The Innate Sect’s Sect Leader, Qin Baiyu, is one of the greatest Foundation Establishment prodigies in the Yanfu Vast Land.
His five incarnations included one of the Three Talents—Sun, Moon, and Star—of the Heterodox Sects; the final disciple of the Five Elders Monastery of the Immortal Dao; and the successor Holy Son of the Ancient Hell Palace,
as well as the Revival Patriarch of an otherworldly Daoist Lineage, and a peerless great Demon who destroyed an entire Mortal World.
The first-generation Shao Yang, Yu Shenxiu, who severed the boons of five lifetimes to make his bid for the Golden Position, had studied under Qin Baiyu.
He too wandered among the various Daoist Lineages, ultimately plucking the Five Great Dao Fruits. This elevated him to the status of Shao Yang, allowing him to occupy the primary seat.
"It was only because the Daoist presided over the Hongshui Dharma Assembly that we achieved such a resounding victory."
Qu Liu’er said with a pleasant smile:
"The rest of us were just basking in your glory, earning great merit and accumulating our Dao Skill."
Feng Yuan and Yuan Xiao exchanged a smile, clearly in agreement with Qu Liu’er.
Every True Inheritance from the Taifu Sect had come well-prepared. If not for the Daoist’s guidance, the final outcome would have been uncertain.
This was especially true of True Master Duobao, Fu Lizi, and his Life-Extinguishing Mara Treasure Canopy. It was so treacherous and difficult to guard against that if they hadn’t known how to counter it beforehand, they all would have been caught in his scheme and defeated.
Gu Changling looked at the young Daoist, who remained composed and showed not a hint of arrogance, and his thoughts grew complex:
’If we were both in the Qi Cultivation Realm, I would be no match for the Daoist. Even looking across the entire Yanfu Vast Land, very few could measure up to him.
Based on the insight and strength the Daoist has displayed, the only thing that can stand in his way is likely the span of sixty years.
If he fails to ascend within sixty years, the title of Shao Yang might fall to someone else.’
True Monarch Luo had bestowed upon him that exceedingly rare Earth-attribute Spiritual Object, the Yellow Dragon Gall.
The True Monarch wanted him to break through to the Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer, pluck a Dao Fruit in one fell swoop, and compete for the Changming Heavenly Pond.
But Gu Changling was unwilling.
For one, he was too proud; he believed that if he were to compete for the position of Daoist, it should be a contest between equals, not a Foundation Establishment cultivator suppressing someone in Qi Cultivation.
For another, he felt that this matter had been personally decreed by Ancestor Mingxuan. For the descendants of the Eight Monarchs to try and trample the Daoist, force the Sect Leader’s hand, and install one of their own was, in his eyes, as futile as an ant trying to shake a tree.
After all, a Daoist Monarch was the only true "Upper Cultivator" in the Yanfu Vast Land.
For the descendants of the Eight Monarchs to use various schemes to force Ancestor Mingxuan to retract his decree—was that not a Lower Cultivator rebelling against an Upper Cultivator?
It was for this very reason that Gu Changling was willing to risk infuriating a True Monarch and having his own path to the Dao cut short, all to refuse the Yellow Dragon Gall.
Offending True Monarch Luo would, at worst, mean he could no longer be a True Inheritance, making it difficult to attain the Golden Position in this lifetime.
But to get entangled in the schemes of a Daoist Monarch... a single misstep meant being utterly annihilated, body and soul.
"True Inheritance Gu, are your injuries any better?"
Jiang Yi asked in a gentle voice:
"After we return to the sect, you could rest for a time at the Changming Heavenly Pond. Its Yin-Yang Equilibrium Spiritual Aura can rebalance the Five Elements, which would help heal your Dao Foundation."
Gu Changling lowered his gaze and said only:
"Thank you for your kindness, Daoist."
He knew full well that True Monarch Luo had arranged for him to fight at the Hongshui Dharma Assembly and had used his re-cultivation of the Great Society Treasure Jun True Skill to destabilize the very root of his Dao Foundation, leaving him severely injured.
All of this was designed to make him lose to Yue Ziqi and diminish his prestige.
Having failed to seize the Talisman Decree this time, he knew that upon returning to the Gen Peak Grotto-Heaven, he would surely be censured and stripped of his position as a True Inheritance.
Gu Changling had long anticipated such an outcome. In the future, he feared it would be difficult to maintain any standing within the Innate Sect.
But even so, he had never considered joining another sect or aligning himself with the Changming Heavenly Pond.
’The Daoist’s insight and natural talent were indeed far beyond that of an ordinary True Inheritance of the Sect. But the opportunities needed to progress on the Foundation Establishment path and attain the Golden Position could only be granted by a True Monarch.’
Now that the Great Society Treasure Jun True Skill could no longer support his continued cultivation, only two paths lay before Gu Changling.
One was to undergo martial liberation and reincarnate, preserving his Divine Sense and Primordial Spirit from being obscured. He could then be guided back to the Innate Sect to choose a new path and begin cultivating all over again.
The second was for a True Monarch deeply versed in the Earth attribute to personally deduce the Great Society Treasure Jun True Skill for him. This would allow him to cultivate the fifth Daoist Technique and use a Mysterious Power to nourish his Life Essence, letting him achieve Cultivation Perfection without any obstacles.
The first option required immense courage and determination, as it was tantamount to throwing everything away.
Although he wouldn’t suffer from the amnesia of rebirth like an ordinary Cultivator and would retain his past memories, making it easy to resume the path of cultivation...
...his fate and Luck would still be greatly diminished. He would have to seek out new Opportunities and proceed with caution every step of the way, with no guarantee that he could rise from the ashes and return to his peak.
The second option was practically a pipe dream.
A True Monarch deducing a Cultivation Technique and comprehending the Five Elements already required an immense expenditure of mental energy,
and even the direct descendants of the Eight Monarchs rarely received such special treatment.
Besides, Gu Changling had landed in this predicament precisely because he refused to obey a True Monarch’s command.
Within the Eight Peaks Grotto-Heavens, aside from the True Monarchs of the Master-Disciple lineage, who else would be willing to take him on?
And the Master-Disciple lineage operated on a one-to-one basis; every spot was already filled, making it difficult to find a backer now.
Gu Changling’s best way out of this situation was to pledge allegiance to a True Monarch as soon as possible. He would have to serve them with his ruined body in the hopes that, after a hundred years when he underwent martial liberation and reincarnation, he would be accepted as that True Monarch’s disciple.
