Longzang

Chapter 293 How Many Opportunities Are There?

In the Hall of Merit of Taichu Palace, an old Taoist priest with long eyebrows reaching his chest and a somber demeanor lowered his eyes, his consciousness focused on the jade throne on the ground floor of the hall, dealing with a vast amount of merit matters.

Most of the confirmation, recording, and distribution of merits are handled automatically by the Hall of Merit. However, major entries and exits, as well as those of Heavenly Merit and above, are handled by designated True Persons, either for post-event verification or pre-event review. If the True Persons cannot make a decision, then True Lords will take turns on duty.

Another old Taoist priest walked over with his hands behind his back, looking equally dejected and nearing the end of his life.

He walked up to the long-browed Taoist and said, "I've come to stand in for my senior brother. Has anything unusual happened this month?"

The Long-Browed Daoist withdrew his divine sense and sighed, "The war in the north has become even more intense. The merits and heavenly merits have increased significantly, and the exchange rate is much higher than usual. However, many fellow disciples and juniors have also perished, which is truly lamentable. But just now, a strange thing happened: Wei Yuan, a disciple of the Azure Sky Palace, used three thousand heavenly merits to ask Zhang Chuan for permission to teach the Six Books of Body Forging."

The new Taoist priest was shocked: "Three thousand Heavenly Merits?! Where did he get so many Heavenly Merits? How could a mere permit be worth three thousand Heavenly Merits? That's more than thirty!"

"He wants a lot of spots."

"How many more could there be? It can't be three thousand, can it? One spot for one day of work? That's outrageous."

The old Taoist with long eyebrows took a deep breath and said, "He wants 100,000."

The Taoist priest on duty nearly stumbled: "How much?!"

The long-browed Taoist slowly stood up and said, "I also find it strange. Not everyone can cultivate the Six Books of Body Forging. I heard that there are only about 100,000 people in Wei Yuan's realm. It's impossible for everyone to cultivate them, right?"

The duty Taoist said, "Don't you and I know how high the talent requirements are for the Six Books of Body Forging? Tens of thousands of mortals sounds like a lot, but there are probably not even a few dozen who are suitable to cultivate the Six Books of Body Forging. It would be more like those tens of thousands of people were all descendants of immortals."

The long-browed Taoist laughed and said, "Perhaps there really is a descendant of an immortal lord."

The duty Taoist priest did not laugh, but said, "Three thousand Heavenly Merits is no small matter. Perhaps Wei Yuan is young and ignorant, but the Azure Heaven Palace is not one to suffer losses. They are currently as poor as can be. I think it is best to inform True Lord Xuan Yue about this matter. Otherwise, if the True Lord does not acknowledge this matter in the future and gets angry with you, you will be in big trouble."

The Taoist with long eyebrows said, "That is indeed the case."

He left in a hurry, and the old Taoist priest on duty sat down in his seat, his consciousness sinking into the jade throne to begin handling matters related to meritorious service.

Most of the officials who take turns on duty in the Hall of Merit are advanced in years and nearing the end of their lives, no longer fit for battle. Although their combat strength has declined, their insight and experience remain, making them more than capable of handling matters related to merit. Each rotation lasts for one month, and the number of officials on duty may vary depending on the amount of work.

Upon seeing the changes in last month's merits and achievements, the official on duty gasped and exclaimed, "How could so many have perished..."

In the Azure Sky Palace, True Lord Xuan Yue sat in the main hall, his aura visibly unstable. At this moment, only one True Person was present on each side of the hall, making the vast hall appear quite desolate.

The Taoist with long eyebrows stood in the hall and spoke about Wei Yuan's exchange of Heavenly Merit.

After pondering for a moment, Xuan Yue Zhenjun said, "This child has his own ideas. Since he has made this change, then let him have it. We, as elders, shouldn't interfere."

The Long-Browed Taoist had only come to report, and since the True Lord had approved, he said no more and took his leave. As he was leaving, he suddenly sensed that the True Lord Xuan Yue's aura in the hall was fluctuating, and his heart grew heavy.

In the Azure Sky Palace, True Lord Xuan Yue coughed lightly and said, "If Fen Hai returns, have him go to the Western Regions to see if there is anything that needs our help."

A True Person from the Azure Palace beside him said, “Junior Brother Burning Sea has just ventured deep into the Liao Region and will probably be unable to leave for a while. By the way, the Cui family is about to send a flying boat to Azure Nether, which is said to be carrying many disciples who originally had no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. There are still some young disciples in our two palaces who are in need of experience, so why don’t we take this boat? It’s a good opportunity to gain experience in the Northern Frontier and also in the Western Regions.”

Another True Person from the Water Moon Palace said, "The war in the north is intense, yet we send our disciples to the Western Regions. Won't that invite criticism?"

The Celestial Master of the Azure Palace snorted heavily and said, "Our two palaces have also suffered many casualties. Who can say anything? At worst, I'll go to the front lines for another shift and exchange the opportunity for my disciples to go to the Western Regions!"

Master Shuiyue sighed, but couldn't say anything.

At this moment, True Monarch Xuan Yue suddenly said, "You are at a crucial stage of your cultivation. If you stay in the hall to continue your comprehension, you may have a better chance of breaking through in the future. I will go to the front lines."

Both officials were greatly alarmed and hurriedly said, "You are still recovering from your injuries and have just returned. How can you go back to the front lines?"

Xuan Yue Zhenjun said, "The Liao tribe is almost at the northern gate; we can't just sit idly by. Besides, we old folks should give the younger generation more room to grow. How many disciples are planning to go to the Western Regions this time?"

The Celestial Master of the Azure Palace said, "There are six in total, including the two palaces."

The Water Moon Palace Master immediately retorted, "What do you mean by 'two palaces combined'? It's clearly five from the Azure Sky Palace and one from the Water Moon Palace! We also have disciples who need training, so add three more!"

True Monarch Xuan Yue chuckled and said, “Go, go! But the Western Regions are also quite dangerous. Just look at Wei Yuan’s cultivation level. In just a few months, he has already reached the top in the Foundation Establishment stage. This time, bring plenty of magical artifacts and pills. Don’t be stingy.”

The Celestial Master of the Azure Palace stared at his toes, his voice flat and devoid of any inflection, and said, "If you want to hitch a ride with the Cui family, the ticket isn't cheap. The palace is currently strapped for cash, and after buying the tickets, there won't be much left. So we don't have any magical artifacts, but we can prepare a couple of pills, though they won't be of very high quality."

Master Shuiyue Palace snorted and said, "If you don't have money, don't cling to your connections. Don't you have any self-awareness? Tell me how to buy the boat tickets, and I'll give your disciples an extra bottle of mid-grade healing pills."

"Top grade!" Master Shuiyue Palace said coldly, "Only mid grade is available. Do you want it or not?"

"want!"

……

On the main peak of the Azure Nether Realm, Wei Yuan, facing the rising sun, held the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword in his hands, observing the sword. After a moment, two streams of crimson sword energy shot from his eyes, indicating that his sword observation for the day had been successful.

Just as Wei Yuan sheathed the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword, a thought suddenly struck him. He sensed a medium-sized flying boat approaching the boundary, followed by several cultivators disembarking and flying at high speed into the boundary. They sent out a signal from the Cui family, and cultivators within the boundary took to the air to guide the flying boat into the boundary, landing it in the designated area.

The airship slowly landed, where Wei Yuan and Cui Yu were already waiting.

This time, the flying boat is much larger than the last one, reaching a length of fifty zhang (approximately 150 meters). It is a dark blue-green color scheme and is the main flying boat of the Cui family. It can be converted into a warship when necessary.

The airship came to a stop, the door opened, and hundreds of people disembarked one after another!

A young man in a blue robe carrying a sword stepped forward first, bowed to Wei Yuan, and said, "Cui Luoyu of the Cui family has been ordered to bring 370 disciples of the clan to Qingming for cultivation."

He then bowed to Cui Yu beside him and said, "I am here on the orders of the clan elders to assist my cousin and to keep an eye on the clan's younger members so that they will not cause trouble and ruin the Cui family's reputation."

Cui Yu said, "Why are there so many people here this time? Besides, this isn't a big deal, why would we need you to make this trip?"

Cui Luoyu is older than Cui Yu, and is already twenty-seven years old this year. He has long been in the late stage of the Dao Foundation stage and is about to reach perfection.

He was among the top five of the previous generation of the Cui family, a true prodigy. Now, with his cultivation level sufficient and being the eldest son of the third branch of the family, his status is high. He should be shouldering important responsibilities within the clan, so why would he come to Qingming and stay for a while?
In the eyes of a behemoth like the Cui family, the Western Regions of Qingming were nothing but a barbaric wasteland, with any other county having a much larger population. Sending Cui Luoyu here was tantamount to exile.

Cui Yu originally came to rescue Wei Yuan, but once he arrived, he was hooked and could never get out. He couldn't compete with his cousin, who had a celestial foundation, within the family, so he became somewhat disheartened about family affairs. In addition, the Qingming clan had been engaged in a series of battles since its inception, leaving him no room to catch his breath, which is why he has remained until today.

Cui Luoyu then said to Wei Yuan, "Let's talk in private."

After the three had walked a little further, Cui Luoyu said, "Besides taking care of and supervising the younger generation of the clan, I actually have another matter to attend to on this trip. This matter has nothing to do with the elders, but is a private request from some elders in the clan. They want to ask the Realm Lord, if one does not experience life and death, and has ample resources and precious medicines, what are the chances of forging a Dao foundation?"

Wei Yuan asked, "Is the foundation damaged?"

"No damage."

Are there any requirements regarding the foundation of the Dao?

"As long as a foundation for the Dao can be formed, there are no special requirements. Of course, if the grade of the foundation can be raised by one or two levels, like Cui Changfeng, that would be even better."

Wei Yuan frowned and said, "This is something that can only be encountered by chance, not sought after."

"Understood, so as long as one can establish a foundation for the Dao, that's fine. If there are any surprises, there will be additional rewards."

Wei Yuan immediately took the words "generous reward" to heart.

Cui Luoyu looked intently at Wei Yuan and asked, "So, under these circumstances, what are the chances of establishing a Dao Foundation?"

The odds depend on how high the reward is... Of course, Wei Yuan could only think this in his heart and couldn't actually say it out loud.

As he pondered how to answer, he suddenly sensed a familiar aura of cultivation techniques. Wasn't this the Qianqing Zhengfa Yushi Jing and the Taiyin Yuehua Wanxiang Pian?
Wei Yuan looked toward the source of the aura and saw more than ten disciples of the Taichu Palace disembarking from the flying boat. However, they stood in one place, far away from the Cui family members, while some of the Cui family's纨绔 (playboys) were pointing and whispering, clearly indicating that the relationship between the two sides was quite unpleasant.

Wei Yuan was puzzled as to why his fellow disciples from the Azure Sky Palace and the Water Moon Palace had also come. Could it be that there were still disciples from the two palaces who were unable to forge their Dao foundations?
"How is this going?"

"There was a little misunderstanding." Cui Luoyu was also helpless and didn't know what to say for a moment. After carefully considering his words, he said, "The disciples of Tianqing Palace and Shuiyue Palace wanted to hitch a ride with us to come to Qingming for training, but the two True Immortals didn't bring enough money. They only bought boat tickets and not food."

I had initially thought that some food wouldn't matter, as I could treat them to a few things along the way. However, the disciples of your esteemed clan are exceptionally principled, stating that they would not accept charity, and since I hadn't bought any, they would rather go hungry. As a result, some of the more dissolute members of the clan became quite rude, and a quarrel ensued.

It would take several days for the flying boat to travel all this way, so Wei Yuan quickly said, "Let's eat first!"

Cui Luoyu said, "Don't worry about those people from the Cui family, they've just eaten."

Wei Yuan was taken aback. It was morning, and there was still some time before lunch. It wasn't mealtime, so how could he have already eaten?

Cui Luoyu said expressionlessly, "Ever since that argument, those guys have been eating eight meals a day."

Wei Yuan was taken aback, then admired him; this guy knew how to argue.

(End of this chapter)