Miao Xuzi then explained that they had to go to Mt Qingliang to visit the Ancestral Master and complete the initiation ceremony before he could truly become people of the Mountain and learn the true spells. Therefore, everyone could not address each other as fellow disciples yet.
Zhou Jing understood this. The entrance ceremony was a rule of the sect, so it was naturally not appropriate to make an exception. He would just take the time to make a trip in the future.
The two of them finalized their intentions, and Miao Xuzi’s attitude became warmer. They chatted more with each other.
At this moment, Zhou Jing thought of something and asked,
“By the way, when I entered the palace this time, I saw someone from the Imperial Astronomer Bureau. His name is Yin Nan, and he claims to be from the Jade Cauldron Sect… Do you know him?”
Miao Xuzi thought for a moment and nodded, “I’ve heard of this person, Mr. Yin Nan. He’s quite skilled and has a high seniority in the Jade Cauldron Sect.”
“If someone from the Jade Cauldron Sect works for the Imperial Astronomer Bureau, then the other sects should have them too, right?”
Zhou Jing was curious.
Miao Xuzi smiled as if he was not surprised that Zhou Jing would ask about this.
“It’s good to let you know that the five worldly sects will send their disciples to work for the Imperial Court. Their numbers will decrease over time and change according to the situation. This Imperial Astronomer Bureau is the greatest place for cultivators to go. The disciples of the various sects will check and balance each other in there and think of ways to fight for the favor of the Emperor. From there, their sects will obtain the recognition of the Imperial Court and become the mainstream sect of the current Imperial Court.”
As expected, the five great sects wanted to develop their believers on a large scale, so they naturally could not avoid the Imperial Court. Sending their disciples to work for the Imperial Astronomer Bureau was a show of loyalty.
Everyone called themselves the most Orthodox Sect, so they were definitely not on the same side. The Imperial Astronomer Bureau was akin to a stage, and on this stage was the epitome of the battle between the sects of the Great Xia Dynasty.
Zhou Jing understood and asked,
“Then are there any disciples of the Righteous Heart Sect in the current Imperial Astronomer Bureau?”
Hearing this, Miao Xuzi nodded and sighed,
“Of course. My Mt Qingliang Righteous Heart Sect was even once the mainstream sect in the palace, but in recent years, our position has become more and more marginal. Now, the ones in charge of the Imperial Astronomer Bureau are mainly the disciples of the Jade Cauldron Sect.
The Supervisor is also the current Sect Master of the Jade Cauldron Sect. They saw the opportunity for the Emperor to build the Son of Heaven’s Temple and were the first to express their support. They used the theory of the dragon vein to obtain the favor of the Holy Emperor in one go. Then, they squeezed out the positions of the other Daoist sects in the Imperial Astronomer Bureau.”
He explained the merits the Jade Cauldron Sect had gotten. The most important thing was to provide the Emperor with theoretical support for the construction. According to the scriptures, this was the right goal for the Emperor to work towards.
This was also the main method of the various Daoist sects to fight for the favor of the Emperor. According to the preferences of every Emperor, they would make all kinds of “plans” to please the Emperor and provide “theory” to support the Emperor in doing something.
Zhou Jing thought to himself that the Emperor was actually quite muddle-headed. He touched his chin and was a little curious, “Why don’t the other Daoist sects follow the example of the Jade Cauldron Sect and focus on this dragon vein?”
Miao Xuzi shook his head helplessly, “Although the Dragon Vein is true, building the Emperor’s Temple is definitely not as effective as the Jade Cauldron Sect boasts. This is an act that will bring disaster to the country and the people. My Righteous Heart Sect naturally disdains to be associated with it. The other Daoist sects also have many taboos against doing such a thing, so we allowed the Jade Cauldron Sect to dominate…”
Hearing his explanation, Zhou Jing roughly understood the reason.
Although the various Daoist sects tried to please the Emperor, there was a limit to how low they would stoop. Most of the time, they would only offer auspicious signs or use spells to interpret certain signs. It was very rare for them to praise an obvious plan to wreak havoc in the country in order to obtain the favor of the Emperor. They still needed to retain the respect of the masses.
However, under the lead of this current Sect Master, the Jade Cauldron Sect catered to the Emperor without any limits and threw away their bottom line. Therefore, they took the position in one go and did not allow others to touch the position of power.
Zhou Jing narrowed his eyes and said, “In that case, even if I enter the Imperial Astronomer Bureau, I will be ostracized by the people of the Jade Cauldron Sect?”
“That’s right. The Jade Cauldron Sect will definitely go against you for the Emperor’s favor. Although your cultivation is high, your spells can’t break through the undercurrents of the royal court and the changing hearts of the people. You have to be careful.”
Miao Xuzi reminded him.
Suddenly, he hesitated for a moment before adding,
“If you’re interested in the royal court, after you enter, I’ll report to the head of the sect and ask the disciples of the court to provide you with help.”
In his opinion, if Perfected Master Windwalker received favor, the Righteous Heart Sect would also benefit from it. His sect should not be stingy with their help.
Because it was hard to say who would be favored by the Emperor, all the Daoist sects had similar strategies… Whoever could obtain the Emperor’s trust would be the leader and gather the strength of the sect to help this person to ascend further.
“I didn’t think too much about it. Let’s talk about it when the time comes.”
Zhou Jing’s eyes flickered, but he waved his hand and did not agree immediately.
The fight for benefits was always a bustling one. Even if he did not offend anyone after entering the court, there would still be people who would find him an eyesore.
However, he did not care too much. He did not enter to fight for power in the first place.
This feeling is like I’m clinging to the royal power and offering pills to seek favor, but I’m really innocent… I just want to perform a rebellion.
…
On the other side, at the east gate of Ning Tian Prefecture.
Shen Sanqiu rode out of the city gate with his many companions. Everyone carried sabers and swords, but the guards at the city gate ignored them.
There were 28 people in this group, and they were all famous martial artists from Jiangchun and the neighboring provinces. They had been invited by the nobles of Ning Tian Prefecture to join forces to deal with the Death Beckoning Yama King Chen Feng, who was causing trouble in Jiangchun. Now, they had finally set off.
Among them, the sect master of the Wu Mountain Sect, Shen Sanqiu, had the highest status in the martial world. He naturally acted as the leader of the team.
“Our Masters have reminded us to tell all the warriors to be careful when removing evil. When the matter is done, you will definitely be rewarded heavily.”
A few stewards of the aristocratic families followed behind to send him off.
Shen Sanqiu turned around and nodded, “Don’t worry, we’re all experts who have been famous in the martial world for a long time. With the Force Promotion Pills that you nobles obtained from Perfected Master Windwalker, this trip will definitely be successful. Please go back and tell the officials that we’ll bring Chen Feng’s head back in a few days.”
The Force Promotion Pills that the Ning Tian aristocratic families had obtained from Zhou Jing had already been distributed to this group of martial artists who had gone out to suppress Chen Feng.
Everyone had tested the effect of the pill and realized that after consuming it, their inner Qi was filled and the circulation speed was 20 to 30% faster. They were all amazed by its magical effect.
Because they were only testing the effect of the medicine through sparring, everyone had yet to discover the side effects of fighting with all their might. They only felt that their control was a little weaker, but the enhanced cultivation could completely make up for this flaw. The benefits far outweighed the disadvantages.
Shen Sanqiu even had a thought. He decided that after he returned from this expedition, he would use Ye Heng’s relationship to visit Perfected Master Windwalker again and see if he could beg for more of such pills to become the sect’s trump card. He would even get the sect’s apothecaries to quietly analyze the pill formula and turn them into the strength of the Wu Mountain Sect.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Sect Master Shen and the warriors… When the 28 of you kill the Yama King. It will definitely be a legend in the martial world in the future.”
One of the stewards spoke in a flattering tone.
Hearing this, Shen Sanqiu laughed loudly and did not say anything else.
In the next moment, the 28 riders galloped along the official road, sending dust flying.