If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1154 Grand Tutor Yu's Face
Brother Futu asked, "Fairy Yu, how many levels are there in the Celestial Masters' Contest? What are the tests, and how many points are required?"
You need to explain yourself clearly first.

The maximum value for the Heavenly Contract is 40 points, but signing one is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"If we fight tooth and nail to obtain the Heavenly Contract, but then the points become inflated and worthless—a level might be worth fifty or eighty points—what's the point of our current desperate efforts?"

Some Taoist masters nodded in agreement, while others wanted to complain: "Just because you've obtained the divine title of 'Land Celestial Master' doesn't mean you can boss around 'Heaven' like that! Ten-year contract? You're dreaming!"

Let alone ten years, we can't even get a short-term contract of one or two years.

Everyone knows there's a severe drought in Guanzhong today.
Even if you were given a one-year Heavenly Contract, it could change the situation in Guanzhong. It would be strange if the Heavenly Court allowed it.

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Futu asked a good question. It's my fault for not explaining it clearly before."

The assessment consists of five major stages and an unlimited number of minor stages.

I will only compete against you in the five major challenges.

The first challenge, "May Heaven Seal Three Points," is just an appetizer.

The second challenge, the Ten-Year Heavenly Contract, is the core of the Celestial Masters' magical duel.

After all, we are all celestial masters, so we certainly understand the significance of the 'Rain Master'.

The next three stages correspond to the main tasks of the Heavenly Emperor's Palace, the Earthly Emperor's Palace, and the Human Emperor's Palace, respectively.

For example, in the third level, the Emperor's Palace controls the "General Map of the Landscape of China" from the Weather Bureau, which is worth 10 points.

The fourth challenge involves communicating with spirits and deities of the underworld (5 points) and connecting with the dragon vein, demonstrating methods for nurturing, strengthening, or maintaining the dragon's energy (5 points). The total score is 10 points.

The Celestial Masters of the Human Emperor's Palace need to subdue demons and monsters, and the fifth challenge is to practice supernatural powers and spells.

This was different from the previous duel between Grand Tutor Wu and Wu.

You don't need to win first place; you can score points by demonstrating supernatural abilities, formations, or magical treasures, up to a maximum of 10 points.

For example, if you can come up with a celestial formation comparable to the "Ten Deadly Formations" from the Investiture of the Gods era, you can immediately get 10 points.

The infinite mini-levels are for other tasks in the Three Palaces and Nine Departments.

For example, alchemy, and taming mythical beasts and birds such as dragons and phoenixes.

You can get an extra point for excelling in any project.

Well, each item is worth a maximum of one point, since these side jobs can only add icing on the cake in improving the situation of the Qin Dynasty.

Of course, if you demonstrate abilities or connections that greatly benefit the Qin Dynasty, you can also get extra points, up to ten points.

For example, you are confident that you can learn from Shen Gongbao during the Investiture of the Gods period and recruit fellow Daoists for the Qin Dynasty.

To be fair, I will only participate in the five main stages; I will not create my own stages or farm points myself.

Lu Jin Gong exclaimed in surprise, "The Celestial Masters' Daoist magical combat is so much simpler than the supernatural martial arts! This is unfair!"

Xiaoyu looked at him and said, "How is it unfair? Aren't the Celestial Masters' competition items that I listed recognized as 'essential techniques for Celestial Masters'?"

Lu Jin Gong waved his hand and said, "It's not that the competition is unfair. On the contrary, Fairy Yu, the competition and rules you set are extremely fair."

It's so fair that many mediocre Taoist priests could defeat you!

If we were to compete in supernatural martial arts, we would see absolutely no hope of victory, and failure could even cost us our lives.

Even if they don't die, the severe injuries will damage their very essence, resulting in a huge loss.

Immediately, Master Wen retorted, "To defeat Fairy Yu, it's not as simple as you say, senior. The key to victory lies in the second trial, the Heavenly Contract."

Are you confident you can secure a ten-year long-term contract?

Lu Jin Gongdao: "Without a ten-year long-term contract, a short-term contract of two or three years, without seeking to change the rainfall of China on a large scale, but only to control the amount of rainfall on a small scale, can still earn you a lot of points!"

In this round, Fairy Feather barely scored any points.

"Ahem, Lord Lu Jin, don't underestimate me. My fundamental method of the Celestial Masters Sect is the Five Thunder Technique!"

"As everyone knows, the Five Thunder Technique is most adept at praying for rain," Xiaoyu said.

—But what is your relationship with the Heavenly Court? Don't you know that yourself? You can't possibly ride the Ancestral Dragon to attack the Heavenly Court again and force the Heavenly Emperor to sign an unequal treaty, can you?

Lu Jin Gong inwardly complained, but a look of hesitation appeared on his face. "Fairy Yu, may I also participate in the literary contest?"

"no!"

"Lord Lu Jin, don't try to renege on your promise!"

"Fairy Yu was fair and impartial from the beginning, explaining the situation and letting everyone choose for themselves. If you lost, just admit defeat."

Before Xiaoyu could even speak, the fifty-odd "Land Celestial Masters" immediately retorted excitedly.

Some of the Taoist masters even turned red in the eyes, glaring fiercely at Lu Jin Gong.

Xiao Yu said, "Lord Lu Jin, you failed to get Tian Feng just now, so you probably can't compete with the 'Land Immortals'."

Brother Futu grew anxious and cried out, "Fairy Yu, since you've chosen fairness and justice, then carry it through to the end!"

—Lu Jin Gong is just a sword immortal who doesn't understand the Taoist magic of the Celestial Masters. He's nothing to worry about, and we're not concerned about him either.

But we're worried he's setting a bad precedent!

They worried that if Lu Jin Gong won the "resurrection match," setting a precedent, Qiu Mingzi, Zhong Yuan Gong, He Zhen Jun, and other great immortals skilled in the Celestial Masters' magic would also join in.

Xiaoyu said, "True fairness and justice means allowing everyone to give full play to their strengths and determining the final winner as the one with the strongest abilities."

If the strongest person isn't allowed to rise to the top, even if someone else wins the position of Grand Tutor, will they be able to control him in the future?

The civil masters looked around and saw that quite a few of the martial masters who had obtained the "land-based celestial master" qualification were showing signs of eagerness.

Upon hearing Grand Tutor Yu's words, someone exclaimed, "That's right! Since we lost the martial arts duel earlier, we should certainly lose the qualification to continue the magical duel."

But we have already received the imperial decree from the Heavenly Court and become the Heavenly Masters of both the Heavenly Court and the Great Qin Dynasty. We will be working with you all for at least three months!

If you cannot sign a ten-year long-term contract, and China needs a 'rain master' to regulate rainfall.

"You can't do it, but we can. Why can't we do it?"

Grand Tutor Wen immediately retorted, saying, "We virtuous men of the Xuanmen (Taoist school) must be honest and trustworthy. If we cannot even be trustworthy, what kind of Grand Tutor are we?"

Xiao Yu said, "That's not wrong. How about this, let's give the Martial Celestial Masters who possess the Heavenly Court's divine registers a chance, and also give Great Qin and Shenzhou a chance."

Only by obtaining a ten-year long-term contract in the second stage can one participate in the following three stages and be eligible to continue vying for the position of Grand Tutor.

The Grand Tutors were still not entirely happy.

Even though Grand Tutor Ke Yu had said so, the Grand Tutors Wu and the others around them were still eyeing them with sharp gazes.

Asking for a job application is similar to submitting a resume.

The ten-year rain-praying agreement that Grand Tutor Yu requested at this time was similar to a commercial contract between Party A and Party B.

The Heavenly Court belongs to the client; whoever gets the best contract from the client gets the highest score.

"Although everyone here is an experienced expert and understands the rules of praying for rain."

However, in order to be fair and impartial, I should explain this first.

The scope of rainmaking is divided into large, medium, and small. Those who can control the rainfall within a hundred-mile radius of a county are called 'small rain masters'.

Those who can control a prefecture and regulate the rainfall within a radius of 500 li are called 'Central Rain Masters'.

Those who can control rainfall across a vast territory are called 'Great Rain Masters'.

A one-year contract with a Junior Rain Master is worth 2 points, a ten-year contract is worth 20 points, and beyond ten years, it's only worth 1 point for every two years, with a maximum of 25 points.

The Middle Rain Master's contract grants 5 points for a two-year term, 25 points for a ten-year term, and 1 point per year thereafter, with a maximum of 35 points. The Grand Rain Master's contract naturally has a maximum of 40 points. Does anyone have any objections?

All the civil and military celestial masters shook their heads.

No one asked, "If you could control the rainfall across the entire land of China, spanning tens of thousands of miles, what kind of rain master would you be, and how many points would you get?"

Because there is no Rain Master in the Three Realms that powerful.

Even a Great Immortal wouldn't be able to do it.

It's not just about ability, but also about the limitations of rules.

The entire land of China experiences unified rainfall. Where does the rainwater come from? Where does the falling rainwater flow?

More importantly, the north is experiencing drought and the south is experiencing floods. Different regions have different needs, so how can rainfall be uniformly distributed?

The Rain Master, a figure from ancient times, was said to be able to control the rainfall of a country.

But back then, a country was just a large tribe, perhaps not even as big as a county town today.

Before the Qin Dynasty unified the world, most of the vassal states in China were already superpowers if they had a territory of a thousand square miles.

Even if the rainfall in the entire Qin region is controlled, it is not necessary to make the entire Qin region rain or stop raining at the same time. As long as the "General Map of Mountains and Rivers of China" of the Weather Bureau is used, the overall situation can be controlled by local rainfall.

For example, increased rainfall in the Guanzhong region causes the Wei River to rise significantly, eventually flowing into the Yellow River, making it less likely for droughts to occur on both banks of the Yellow River.

The difference in strength between a medium-level rain master who can control rainfall over 500 li and a great rain master who can control rainfall over 1,000 li may be several times, but their contributions to China may be roughly the same.

When it comes to actually praying for rain, it often only takes changing the celestial phenomena within a radius of a few hundred miles.

Therefore, the two scores differed by only 5 points, which everyone agreed on.

"The Five Dragon Kings descend with light and wind, spreading abundant blessings and assisting the Thunder God~~~"

Once the competition rules were finalized, a Taoist master named Luo Jiang immediately ascended the Temple of Heaven to seek a contract from the client.

"Boom~~~"

Luo Jiang was practicing the "Supreme Cave Dragon King Scripture". When he used the incantation, the sky immediately darkened, and the phantom of a divine dragon shuttled through the dark clouds, with bolts of lightning falling one after another.

Clearly, he cultivates the orthodox methods of the Xuanmen sect, which theoretically allow him to successfully pray for rain.

However, this isn't about praying for rain; it's about securing a ten-year contract from the client.

As the drizzling rain fell, Luo Daoren's mind began to communicate with the heavenly dragon that brought the rain, requesting a ten-year pact.

"Boom—Crack!"

Half a cup of tea later, a bright red bolt of lightning, as thick as a bowl, pierced through the dark clouds and struck Luo Daoren directly on the head.

"Ah!" he screamed in agony, half of his body was charred, and his hair and Taoist robe were still burning.

However, he was still in relatively good condition; at least he could still howl in agony, "Dragon King, spare me! This humble Taoist knows how powerful I am, please don't strike me down!"

Xiao Yu gave a wink to the side, and immediately two Taoist priests from the Imperial Observatory rushed up to the Altar of Heaven and carried Taoist Luo down.

The second Wen Tianshi, named "Hua Yanzi," also stirred up the wind and clouds, bringing forth a fierce storm, thunder, and torrential rain.

But Feng Bo roared directly from the sky: "You ungrateful thing! Granting you rain is already a great favor. You still dare to ask for a long-term contract, trying to get your every wish granted. Go eat shit!"

"Hua Yanzi, I hereby declare that you are excluded from the ranks of the Rain Masters, and your 300-year-old cultivation of the 'Great Dao Rain Prayer Chapter' is rendered useless!"

Hua Yanzi wasn't struck by lightning, but his howls were even more pitiful than Luo Daoren's.

"Uncle Ji, no! If you don't agree to the long-term contract, you can refuse. Why do you have to destroy my three hundred years of cultivation?"

"roll!"

With a roar of the wind god, the clouds and rain instantly dispersed, and the sky became bright and clear again, without a single dark cloud.

"Pfft~~" Hua Yanzi coughed up blood and fainted on the Temple of Heaven.

The civil and military celestial masters were afraid and hesitated.

"During the great calamity of heaven and earth, the Heavenly Court will indeed send down natural disasters to assist in the human-caused calamities."

"Sigh, is there even a need to think about it? Natural disasters and man-made calamities often go hand in hand. Without natural disasters, there would be no great calamities!"

“We were too naive before. Signing the Covenant of Heaven is completely impossible and will only anger the Heavenly Court and bring punishment. It’s not worth it.”

Feng Quji also sighed sadly, "Grand Tutor Yu is wise and decisive, and has come up with the excellent plan of a ten-year covenant with Heaven."

"But success depends on man, and fate has other plans; Heaven won't allow it!"

Xiao Yu cleared his throat and said loudly, "Please wait a moment while I inform the Heavenly Court."

There's no need to wait at all; nobody wants to go on stage to discuss the "contract" right now.

She strode up to the Temple of Heaven, picked up a dragon-whisker brush, and with a flourish of her brush, wrote eight large characters: "Speak politely, do not resort to violence."

At this moment, the candlelight and incense smoke continued to rise straight up, assisting the heavenly music and bringing the distance between the Heavenly Gate and the Temple of Heaven very close.

Eight large golden characters, just like the previous "Celestial Master," floated leisurely into the void and entered the Heavenly Palace.

"Alright, everyone, you can continue with the rain-praying ceremony," Xiaoyu said.

The crowd looked at each other, full of doubt, and still dared not step forward.

Xiaoyu frowned and looked around.

I caught a glimpse of Hua Yanzi still wailing, "My cultivation, my cultivation of three hundred years of hard work!"
A thought struck her, and she picked up her brush again, writing four characters: "Return his virtue."

The four gold pieces successfully ascended to the Heavenly Palace.

A moment later, Hua Yanzi's wailing stopped abruptly.

He was stunned for a moment, as if he couldn't believe it, and then he was overjoyed. "Ah, my cultivation has returned! The 'Great Dao Prayer for Rain Chapter' that I have painstakingly cultivated for three hundred years has regained its brilliance."

"Waaah, Grand Tutor Yu, thank you!"

His "Great Dao Prayer for Rain" focuses on cultivating the primordial spirit and worshipping the Wind God and Rain Master, which is a method of paying homage to the true saints.

To put it simply, it means to worship and please the rain gods in the sky for a long time, to understand the divine laws related to wind and rain from them, and to borrow their power to bring rain.

It's equivalent to signing a contract.

Once abandoned by the Heavenly Rain God, the contract is broken, and his "Rain Prayer Chapter" becomes useless.

With a written order from Grand Tutor Yu, the contract was renewed, and Hua Yanzi's "Prayer for Rain" proved effective once again.

"It actually worked?"

"Since even their cultivation levels are returning, we're probably out of danger."

"Didn't they say that the Heavenly Court would never pay any attention to Yu Fengxian again?"

"How could she completely ignore us? She's not only the Grand Tutor, but also the 'Primordial Lady'!"

"Now that Lord Yu Yuan's words have become law, he will most likely succeed in praying for rain. It seems unlikely that we can secure the position of Grand Tutor by praying for rain."

The Taoist masters were shocked and discussed among themselves.

Emperor Huhai, sitting in the outer audience, exclaimed excitedly, "Father, you are amazing! You only wrote four characters, and the gods in heaven were already subdued!"

Feng Quji looked at the sky with a strange expression, "Grand Tutor Yu has quite the prestige!"

So this is what the Heavenly Court is like—fearing power but not virtue.

(End of this chapter)