Chapter 346: Qingzhou Grand Celebration

The Immortal Fairy was flicked away by the Eldest Senior Sister’s single finger, ending up hung upon a nearby branch, head downward, her body swaying to and fro.

"Lu Yang, you disrespect immortals!" the Immortal Fairy cried out in rage, an innocent victim of a sudden disaster that had come out of nowhere.

To think of the days when she shook the world in antiquity, who would have dared treat her in such a manner?

Lu Yang said with a respectful demeanor, "It is not that I disrespect you, Fairy, but rather that I have only just formed the Invincible Core and am not yet familiar with it. Just now, I merely hoped you would demonstrate for me how to utilize it."

"Thanks to your demonstration just now, Fairy, I now know how to use the Invincible Core."

"Really?" The Immortal Fairy looked at Lu Yang suspiciously, sensing that something was amiss.

"I am but a mere mortal, how would I dare deceive you, Fairy?"

"True enough."

Deeming herself magnanimous, the Immortal Fairy decided not to pursue the matter further.

The puppet leaped up, plucked Lu Yang from where he hung upon the branch, and lifted him by the collar like a mischievous cat.

The Eldest Senior Sister placed two fingers upon Lu Yang's wrist as though a physician making a diagnosis, nodding imperceptibly. "So that is how it is. It was an oversight on my part. When compiling the manual, I forgot that the Invincible Core possesses a trait that induces blind confidence. The manual made you more confident, thereby stripping away your ability to think normally, leaving your body beyond your control."

She picked up the manual that had fallen to the ground, and it burst into flames of its own accord, turning to ash as though it had never existed.

"I shall revise it once more. Wait a moment."

Sitting beside the stone table, the Eldest Senior Sister tore through space, drawing forth a book completely devoid of writing from the void.

After a brief moment of reflection, she knew precisely how to modify it, her brush flying swiftly across the pages.

Before long, a new edition of the Core Formation Chapter of the "Manual of Clarifying the Mind and Perceiving Nature" was written.

"Come, try it again."

Lu Yang accepted the manual; compared to the previous edition, only a few words and phrases had changed.

Could this truly suppress the impulses of the Invincible Core?

As was his habit, Lu Yang circulated his energy through a full celestial cycle, then stole a glance at the Eldest Senior Sister, who sat with her eyes closed, resting her mind. He breathed a sigh of relief.

This time, the death-seeking urge to strike his Eldest Senior Sister did not arise.

Lu Yang sat in meditation where he was, feeling the changes brought about by the cultivation manual.

The greatest change was a profound clarity within his heart; the manual pointed out the path forward, and he needed only to follow its designated course.

Previously, his cultivation had been a mere accumulation of spiritual energy without any elevation in realm. Now, with the new manual, the energy he had stored beforehand came into play, advancing him from the early stage of Core Formation to the early stage of Core Formation.

Though it appeared he was standing still, the actual shift was minimal.

Next were the changes in his divine sense and mental space. The range of his divine sense expanded slightly, carrying the mental space along with it to become somewhat larger. Originally, the Immortal Fairy’s bed had rested against the wall—the boundary of the mental space—but now, her bed was two hand-spans away from the edge.

The Immortal Fairy noticed this as well and pushed her bed back against the boundary of the mental space.

She enjoyed the posture of resting her back against the bed while kicking the wall with her two small feet, finding it quite comfortable.

"Is Lu Yang there?" Meng Jingzhou called out in a low voice as he ascended the mountain.

Given his naturally boisterous character, he would usually shout at the top of his lungs when looking for someone.

Yet this was Heavenly Gate Peak. Aside from Lu Yang, there was also the terrifying Eldest Senior Sister; even if Meng Jingzhou were given eight times his courage, he would not dare make a loud disturbance here.

"Eldest Senior Sister, you are here?" Seeing her leaning against a tree with her eyes closed, Meng Jingzhou bowed and scraped.

The Eldest Senior Sister gave a soft murmur of assent; from the moment Meng Jingzhou stepped onto Heavenly Gate Peak, she had known.

"What are you looking for me for?"

Meng Jingzhou said with an air of mystery, "A good thing, of course! Have you heard of the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony? It is about to begin."

Regarding the common activities of the Great Xia Dynasty, Lu Yang knew very little. "What is the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony?"

"A grand ceremony held for cultivators, spearheaded by the Qingzhou government and joined by several first-grade sects. It takes place every year at the beginning of the eighth month, featuring duels, auctions, and the like. It is incredibly lively. Its main purpose is to attract young cultivators to remain in Qingzhou, so many of those participating are about our age."

Lu Yang's eyes lit up; he rarely interacted with his peers, and this was an excellent opportunity.

"Let us go! By the way, is Qingzhou the very place the Fifth Elder spoke of, where two ten-thousand years ago, a Tribulation Transcendence Governor of Qingzhou used the pretext of a duel to move a neighboring city into the local area?"

"That is the exact Qingzhou."

The Eldest Senior Sister, who had been resting her eyes all this time, slowly opened them, a hint of curiosity within them. "The Fifth Elder told you about the Governor of Qingzhou?"

"Eldest Senior Sister, you know of it as well?"

"Naturally I know, for that Governor of Qingzhou was our Grandmaster."

Lu Yang: "..."

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

For some reason, neither of them felt particularly surprised by this fact.

It certainly aligned with the consistent style of the Dao Inquiry Sect—logical, yet utterly preposterous.

"It is enough that you know about the Governor of Qingzhou; do not spread it abroad, lest it damage the reputation of our Dao Inquiry Sect."

As the de facto leader of the Dao Inquiry Sect, the Eldest Senior Sister cherished the sect's reputation deeply.

Even though she remained unaware of what the Dao Inquiry Sect’s reputation actually was in the outside world.

Meng Jingzhou asked curiously, "Eldest Senior Sister, what happened to that Governor afterward?"

"Afterward, he developed Qingzhou step by step. The Qingzhou Grand Ceremony you spoke of was his idea. The ceremony attracted many talented cultivators, yielding exceptional results, and other provincial governors soon followed suit. Under his governance, Qingzhou grew increasingly prosperous. Once he had achieved fame and success, he retired and returned to the sect."

Lu Yang realized a problem. "Wait a moment, can people from our Five Great Immortal Sects actually serve as officials in the imperial court?"

He had assumed that because the Five Great Immortal Sects held vast power and authority, Great Xia would bar them from office out of wariness and suspicion.

"Naturally they are permitted."

Meng Jingzhou offered Lu Yang an example: "The imperial court thirsts for talent. Where are the most talents found? In the Five Great Immortal Sects, of course. The court once invited the Abbot of the Hanging Temple to enter office; had he accepted, he would be the Prime Minister, though he declined."

"There is also the Sect Master of the Town Prison Sect, whom the court invited as well, but he also refused."

"For young talents like you and me to become officials, the court is exceedingly welcoming. However, unlike the Abbot of the Hanging Temple, if we wish to become officials, we must pass the imperial examinations."

The Eldest Senior Sister reminded him, "Lu Yang, you cannot participate in the imperial examinations, nor can you become an official."

Lu Yang was startled. "Why?"

He had no desire to be an official, but surely he shouldn't be denied even the opportunity.

"Because of our Master."

Lu Yang understood. Brilliant as he was, a single hint sufficed for him to grasp the underlying truth: two ten-thousand years ago, the Dao Inquiry Sect was not yet the head of the Five Great Immortal Sects, but now it was incomparable to the past, having become the undisputed number one immortal sect.

The court feared the Dao Inquiry Sect holding a monopoly on power and dared not allow its disciples—or rather, himself, the direct disciple of the Sect Master—to become officials, lest the court and the common world collude to shake the ruling position of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Eldest Senior Sister continued, "Our Master has committed multiple offenses; his disciples, and even our Grandmaster, are barred from office."

The second update will be before eleven o'clock.