What I teach you is real stuff.

"An eighth saint? Has a new saintly position become vacant again?"

In the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor, the ruler of Heaven, sat on his high throne. He had just received a message from above, and his expression was extremely interesting.

While there are concerns, there are also expectations and excitement.

A new holy throne represents new hope.

The mere mention of "Heavenly Saint" is enough to drive people crazy, because only the status of a saint is eternal in the Immortal Realm. Without becoming a saint, even a quasi-saint is nothing more than a puppet.

The Immortal Realm is a chessboard, and everyone is a chess piece. Even Quasi-Saints are just a few of the largest pieces, and ultimately they have not escaped the chessboard. Only Saints can transcend the Three Realms and become the true players.

Only a sage can truly transcend, escape the heavenly tribulations and calamities that always hang overhead, and seek a wider world.

Under the great calamity, even quasi-saints will perish.

Haotian will never forget that during the Investiture of the Gods at the end of the Shang Dynasty, Kong Xuan, the quasi-saint who was said to be able to walk sideways even if the saints did not take action, was eventually led away by the saints like a mount.

If you don't become a saint, you'll be at the mercy of others.

Although he, the Jade Emperor, had a powerful backer and a deep bond with the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, it must be said that relying on others is unreliable, and relying on mountains is unreliable; in the end, it is better to rely on oneself.

No matter how powerful Dao Ancestor Hongjun is, it's not as good as becoming a saint yourself and seeing the glory of sitting on the throne of a saint with your own eyes.

Haotian rose and addressed the assembled civil and military immortals of the Heavenly Court below: "Issue my decree: from this day forward, I will go into seclusion to cultivate and comprehend the Great Dao. The affairs of the Three Realms will be managed by the Great Emperor of the North Pole, with the assistance of the Four Heavenly Masters."

Haotian's figure vanished from the throne of the Lord of the Three Realms in the Lingxiao Palace. The ministers in the Lingxiao Palace were all stunned, clearly not realizing why the Jade Emperor had suddenly gone into seclusion. Could something big be about to happen?

In the Lingxiao Palace, Nezha had a strange expression on his face, as if he was thinking about something.

Beside Nezha, Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, exchanged a glance with the Four Heavenly Kings not far away, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

The Jade Emperor's sudden announcement of seclusion in Heaven was a major event, unprecedented in history.

On the surface, Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, is loyal to the Heavenly Court, but in reality, he was enlightened by the ancient Buddha Dipankara and became an immortal. Dipankara was kind to him, so Li Jing is naturally a Buddhist.

As a spy planted by Buddhism in the Heavenly Court, how could he not inform Buddhism immediately about such a major event?
After the court session, Li Jing immediately contacted the Buddhist monk Dipankara Buddha to inform him of the matter.

However, after trying to contact him using magic for a long time, there was still no news from Randeng's side, leaving Li Tianwang bewildered.

When he couldn't contact Dipankara, Li Tianwang turned to Guanyin Bodhisattva, but Guanyin also didn't respond.

Buddha, Samantabhadra, Manjushri, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva...

These powerful Buddhist practitioners are usually very eager to gather information about the Heavenly Court, but for some reason, they haven't responded at all to Li Jing's attempts to contact them today.

Li Jing tried to contact Nezha for a long time but couldn't find him. Then he saw Nezha walking out of the South Heavenly Gate. Seeing Li Jing sneaking around and using magic to communicate, Nezha naturally knew what Li Jing was doing.

Nezha sneered: "Some people, on the surface, are majestic and imposing, wearing the official robes of the Heavenly Court and eating the Heavenly Court's salary, but they do shady, treacherous things. Don't you think so, King Li?"

Li Jing's face hardened, and he shouted, "You unfilial son, what did you say?"

Nezha: "Who are you calling a rebellious son? We have no father-son relationship anymore. I am Li Tianwang, the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas of Heaven. When you're at work, use your title. Don't try to claim kinship with me."

Li Jing hadn't figured out what the Buddhist sect was up to, why all those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas had suddenly gone offline, and why they had no time to argue with Nezha.

Li Jing waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go, stop getting in the way."

Nezha has a rebellious streak, and the two have been at odds for quite some time. This matter has dragged on for so many years without any resolution. Li Jing didn't want to waste any more time and told him to leave as soon as possible and not get in the way.

Nezha is the kind of person who gets happy when he sees Li Jing get his comeuppance. He knows what Li Jing is doing there, so he deliberately doesn't leave.

"What? You, Li Tianwang, opened the South Heavenly Gate? I am also a Marshal of the Heavenly Court, can't I be here?"

Li Jing was furious and raised the exquisite pagoda in his hand: "Let's go."

Nezha was humiliated, and Randeng forced him to acknowledge the pagoda as his father. Li Jing used the pagoda in his hand to order him to leave, and Nezha could only shake his head and leave.

However, Nezha vowed in his heart that he would make Li Jing pay the price sooner or later.

And that old bald monk Ran Deng, recognizing the tower as his father, how absurd! He would be a gentleman not to avenge this, but it's a pity that his strength is not enough yet, he can't defeat that old thief Ran Deng. The strength of a quasi-saint is still too terrifying.

Nezha has cultivated diligently for so long, and although he has reached the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, he is still far from being a Quasi-Saint. He can only be patient for now.

……

Li Jing tried to contact them again at the South Heavenly Gate, but there was still no response. He couldn't help but wonder if something had happened to the Buddhist sect.

However, in reality, something did happen on the Buddhist side, which is why Li Jing was unable to contact the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas there.

That's because the top Bodhisattvas and Buddhas in Buddhism, all of whom have cultivated to the level of Great Luo Golden Immortal or above, especially Quasi-Saints, have basically all gone into seclusion for arduous cultivation, just like the Jade Emperor, who suddenly announced his seclusion.

Some people in the Buddhist community were also puzzled, wondering what had happened at the higher levels.

But only those at the top level understood what the higher-ups meant.

The above means that the Dao Ancestor said that there might be an eighth saint in the future. The message passed down by the saints above is to let them find out who in the current immortal realm is most likely to become the eighth saint.

However, it is clear that the six saints above underestimated the desire of their disciples below for sainthood.

Upon hearing that an eighth saint had appeared, the patriarchs and sect leaders of the Immortal Realm all went mad, completely failing to understand the meaning of the saints above.

The sages meant that they should search for who might become the eighth sage. Once the news reached their ears, it would automatically be transformed into: "The sage position is vacant. Someone in the immortal realm could become the eighth transcendent sage. Guess who it might be."

These quasi-saints have accumulated countless years of experience. To become a quasi-saint, who doesn't possess great fortune and supernatural powers?
Quasi-Saints are among the most powerful beings in the world; which one of them doesn't have some skills? Who would consider themselves inferior to anyone other than a Saint?
Putting aside other matters, even within the Buddhist community, although there are many powerful figures, they appear harmonious on the surface, but now that the holy position is at stake, no one is willing to yield to anyone else.

Upon hearing of a new opportunity to attain sainthood, the Buddha, Dipankara, and Ksitigarbha immediately went into seclusion to cultivate diligently, all in an effort to elevate their strength to its peak and be in the best possible position to face the great opportunity that was about to arrive.

Not only Buddha and others, but also Bodhisattvas with great supernatural powers, such as Guanyin Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, also secretly went into seclusion.

Although their strength is not as great as that of Buddha, Dipankara, and Ksitigarbha, as the saying goes: "The emperor's throne rotates, and next year it may be my turn."

How will you know if you have a chance if you don't try?

The holy position has only appeared, not been confirmed. We're just saying, what if?
Even Maitreya Buddha, the future Buddha who is usually the most playful and cheerful in Buddhism, and who always talks about "non-contention," "non-grabbing," and "non-greed," still goes into seclusion to cultivate himself and adjust his state to compete for that elusive eighth holy position.

He says he won't compete or fight, but that's because he never had the chance. Now that he has the chance, let's see if he'll still try to take it.

There's a reason why Li Jing can't get in touch with anyone. Quasi-Saints are in seclusion, and even some Great Luo Immortals who know the inside story have quietly gone into seclusion. Who would care about such a small matter?

Moreover, this applies not only to Buddhism and the Heavenly Court, but also to all quasi-saints and great immortals within the three religions.

Anyone with even the slightest hope felt like a chosen one after hearing that the eighth saint might appear, and went into seclusion to cultivate after hearing that they had a chance to take the saint's position.

The celestial realm was at an unprecedented level of peace.

……

Lu Yuan had just broken through to the Golden Immortal realm and was processing a bunch of rewards from the system. He had no idea that his breakthrough to the Golden Immortal realm had caused such a commotion outside.

However, as soon as he emerged from seclusion, he received a telepathic message from the Lotus Prince of the Chan Sect, requesting a private meeting with Lu Yuan to discuss something important.

Lu Yuan looked at the Lotus Prince's voice transmission, pondered for a moment, and decided to go see him.

The first time I encountered the Lotus Prince was in the Azure Heaven World. At that time, the Lotus Prince was someone who had come down from the Upper Realm to be reincarnated and cultivate again to avoid natural disasters.

This person's position in the Chan Sect was not low, but it wasn't particularly high either. He had some connections, but not particularly strong ones, which put him in a rather awkward position.

They came to the Azure Heaven World to escape disaster, thinking they were from the upper realm and wanting to act arrogantly and domineeringly. However, they didn't expect to run into Lu Yuan, who had an overpowered ability, and were thoroughly taught a lesson.

Later, before ascending to immortality, the Lotus Prince secretly visited Lu Yuan. After being taught a lesson by Lu Yuan, this traitor's true nature could no longer be hidden.

During that private meeting in the Azure Sky World, this guy actually said he wanted to leave the Chan Sect and join the Human Sect instead, and even hoped that Lu Yuan would guide him and give him a chance.

This guy felt that the Blue Sky World had been transformed too well by Lu Yuan and was too idealistic. He thought that the Human Education Sect had a better future based on his limited understanding.

Anyway, there wasn't much of a future for him if he stayed in the Chan Sect, so he might as well take a gamble and turn his life around. At the time, Lu Yuan didn't know what to say, so he didn't agree and just told him to think it over.

Because Lu Yuan himself was not a human being taught by others, he would never casually agree to important matters for others.

However, this guy seems to really want to join the Humanist Cult, because he's come looking for me again.

However, this time, when the Lotus Prince told him that there was something important to discuss in private, and it seemed quite serious, Lu Yuan arranged to meet him at the Dragon Transformation Tower.

In the past, Lu Yuan would not have come to Hualong Tower for a meal, since the food there was too expensive. However, things are different now. Over the years, the Golden Horn King has earned an astronomical amount of immortal crystals from selling Xuanxian Five Qi Liquid. Lu Yuan is not short of money, so coming here to meet is a way of giving face to the Lotus Prince.

After all, they had something important to discuss with him, saying they had important information about the Chan Sect, so he had to show them some respect.

Not long after Lu Yuan arrived at Hualong Tower, the Lotus Prince arrived and was led to a private room by a waiter.

After entering the private room, Lu Yuan activated the isolation array for the room and set up another isolation array himself, just in case.

Then, Lu Yuan asked him to sit down.

Although the Lotus Prince was a disciple of the Chan Sect, the cost of the Dragon Transformation Pavilion was high for him, and he usually couldn't afford to come.

I never expected that Senior Lu would actually arrange to meet me here. He's really giving me face.

The Lotus Prince became even more polite, because he found that Lu Yuan's cultivation was becoming increasingly terrifying. It had only been a few years since they last met, and Senior Lu's aura had already risen to a level that he couldn't understand.

This person must be at least a Taiyi Xuanxian, right?

At his peak, the Lotus Prince's cultivation was at the Xuanxian level, not to mention that he has now been reincarnated and is cultivating again. Although he has been back in the Immortal Realm for nearly ten thousand years, his strength has only just recovered to its peak.

How could the Lotus Prince of the Mysterious Immortals see through the cultivation level of the Golden Immortals?
The Lotus Prince was genuinely curious and asked, "Senior Lu, may I ask what your current cultivation level is?"

Lu Yuan didn't hide anything and simply said, "Golden Immortal."

There's no need to hide your cultivation level. It's useless to hide it from those who are weaker than you, because they won't understand it anyway.

Those who are stronger than him can be easily identified at a glance, and since he is now a Golden Immortal anyway, Lu Yuan has nothing to fear, so he simply stops pretending.

Upon hearing this, Prince Lotus gasped.

So this is a Golden Immortal? It seems my guess was right. This Senior Lu is indeed a powerful figure in the Human Sect. Perhaps it's an avatar, or perhaps it's a reincarnation. But I'm sure I guessed right.

After all, how could a normal, ordinary cultivator cultivate at such a fast speed? Isn't that ridiculous? Nobody understands cultivation better than him.

Prince Lotus expressed his admiration and showered him with flattery.

Lu Yuan had no patience to listen anymore. He hadn't invited the Lotus Prince here today to listen to his flattery. He simply asked directly, "You told me you had important news to tell me, what is it?"

Hearing Lu Yuan get straight to the point, the Lotus Prince's expression turned serious, and he temporarily put away his flattery.

He said, "Senior Lu, I only just learned about this news myself, and the source of the news is not legitimate; it's just a rumor."

However! Although it was just a rumor, I later subtly inquired with several close elders of my Chan Sect, and I can now be fairly certain that the news is true.

This guy beat around the bush three times in one sentence, just to tell Lu Yuan that this news was hard-won, and that he had put in a lot of effort to check and confirm it.

Lu Yuan said, "Speak, what news?"

The Lotus Prince, with a solemn expression, spoke out the news he had learned, word by word: "Senior Lu, the Jade Emperor of Heaven is in seclusion."

Lu Yuan: "???"

For a moment, Lu Yuan thought he had misheard.

Before I came here, this guy said it was some important news. But after I got here, I spent a lot of immortal crystals to book a private room, which was enough to give him face. And this is what you tell me?
What does the Jade Emperor's seclusion in Heaven have to do with me?
Those near-saints and great beings can choose to live in seclusion as they please; who can stop them? What's so important about that?

Are you here to freeload?

Lu Yuan's face darkened, and the Lotus Prince quickly added, "It's not just the Jade Emperor; most of the named deities in Heaven with strength above the Great Luo Golden Immortal level have gone into seclusion."

The same goes for Buddhism; almost every famous Quasi-Saint is in seclusion, and even some Great Luo Golden Immortals are secretly cultivating.

The same applies to my sect; almost all the higher-ups are no longer visible.

If it were just the Jade Emperor going into seclusion, it wouldn't be a big deal. But the problem is that all the famous Grand Luo Immortals and Quasi-Saints in the Immortal Realm are in seclusion.

There's clearly something big going on here.

Lu Yuan only became interested after hearing him say that.

So, what did you find out? (End of Chapter)