The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 100 Promotion Ceremony, Three Elements of Heaven, Earth and Water
Yellow orioles fly out of the valley, purple swallows come to their nests, and the grass and trees sprout. After a spring rain, all things come to life and the spring is bright and beautiful.

Fuyun Mountain is verdant and beautiful, with lush bamboo forests, towering ancient trees, clouds and mist, waterfalls pouring down like the Milky Way, magical herbs springing up like bamboo shoots after rain, magical cranes flying, and magical deer galloping, giving it the atmosphere of a fairyland.

On a wide and long river with clear water and lush aquatic plants, a white-haired Taoist priest was fishing in a boat. This time he did not go with the flow, but stayed on the bamboo raft in one place, as if it were an island in the river and motionless.

Soon after the fishing rod was cast, there was a splash, and a koi and a green turtle emerged, floating on the water. The warm sunlight was shining, and the golden scales of the koi sparkled in the rippling water. There was a snake-like pattern on the back of the green turtle, which was simple and mysterious.

"How can a golden scale stay in a pond? Once it encounters wind and clouds, it will turn into a dragon. You have lived up to my expectations and turned into dragons. That's great!"

Seeing the fish and turtle that had been reborn, Xuanming stroked his beard, feeling very pleased. This was just a sudden inspiration, as he calculated that the two aquatic creatures had successfully evolved, so he came here to fish.

Now seeing that the koi and the turtle have greatly increased their spirituality, and both carry a hint of the good fortune of Fuyun Mountain, Xuanming is happy. No matter whether it is the koi or the turtle, they can suppress Feng Shui, and have even greater potential after being transformed into dragon seeds. If they are carefully cultivated, it may be possible for a fish dragon, a dragon turtle or a black tortoise to be born in the Qiuzhen Temple in the future.

Together with the Xuanniao and the spirit tiger raised by Junior Brother Xuanyin, perhaps the four spiritual beasts can be gathered together. When that time comes, they can form the Four Symbols Formation to protect the health of Fuyun Mountain, and they can also sort out the spiritual energy of the earth, regulate Feng Shui, and suppress the fortune of Fuyun Mountain.

Thinking of this, Xuanming couldn't help but look forward to it. The bamboo pole moved slightly, and a fish was hooked. He raised his hand and flicked it lightly, then retracted the fishing rod. A black carp fell onto the bamboo raft, wagging its tail and flapping its wings excitedly.

"I am in a good mood today, and you are blessed, little fellow. I will grant you a spiritual power. Whether you can communicate with spirits depends on whether you are willing to work hard."

After he finished speaking, Xuanming waved his sleeves, and a flash of inspiration entered the fish's body. He flicked his sleeves again, and the green carp re-entered the water, swimming around Xuanming twice with a cheerful rhythm. The koi carp slapped it away with its tail, and he replaced the green carp, jumping in and out of the water continuously.

---

A few days later, part of the sea of clouds that had been lingering since the halfway point of Qiuzhen Temple dispersed, and the morning sun fell on the rest of the sea of clouds, rendering a golden glow. The Lianmian Taoist Palace was located between the towering mountains, looming under the shade of lush green grass and trees, like a fairy palace.

The bell rang and the jade chime struck. Xuanming walked out of the Wendao Academy and stepped down the Cangdao Peak. With one step, the ground shrunk to an inch, and in a few steps he reached the Zhenxuan Peak.

In the Xuanfa Hall, Taoist priests of all sizes gathered.

Even Chang'anzi and Changqingzi, who were serving in the Tiandi Academy, returned temporarily and stood at the forefront of the fourth generation of disciples.

When Xuanming arrived, the three generations of Taoists were only missing him. He walked to the left side behind Xuanxu, and all the Taoists who were seeking truth gathered together.

Everyone lit candles and incense, paid homage to Wuliang Tianzun and Qiuzhen Patriarch, offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, and bowed to all spirits. After inserting the incense into the censer, Xuanxu led the Taoists in reciting the Pure and Tranquil Sutra three times, then stood up and walked out of the Xuanfa Hall, and the Taoists followed closely.

When you reach halfway up the mountain, a huge, elegant and quiet palace comes into view. This is a place where Taoist gods are enshrined, and it is also a place for those who are kind, blessed and long-lived to worship and pray.

In the middle grows a towering Welcoming Pine with luxuriant branches and leaves and a vigorous and upright posture. Originally there were two temples, enshrining the Taoist Patriarch Wuliang Tianzun and the Patriarch Qiuzhen.

The Divine Dynasty stipulates that the Taoist lineages recorded in the books can be used to worship the founder of the sect, and accept incense and offerings from those who are kind, blessed and long-lived, which is not considered a wild sacrifice or evil worship. However, the previous generation's masters and elders are not qualified to be in the temple, and can only accept incense and offerings from disciples of the Qiuzhen Temple, which is considered an alternative clan worship.

In preparation for promotion to a major sect, a temple was built last year, dedicated to Xuanyin. According to convention, each newly promoted Taoist sect can have one real person who is canonized by the court and appointed to the Tiandiyuan. As long as they don't make serious mistakes, the position of Taoist official can be passed down from generation to generation. This can be regarded as a kind of inheritance cooperation between the Taoist lineage and the Divine Dynasty.

The position of Yuanji Zhenren of Tianzhuan Sect came from this. He originally worked in Tiandiyuan, and later he was promoted to Guangfasi due to his outstanding ability and became the law enforcement priest of Fengyang County. Because of this rule, the newly promoted major sects usually select candidates before promotion and worship the statue of this Zhenren, which not only shows the sect's heritage and strength, but also helps to attract incense, which is considered a formal worship.

If they accumulate virtue and do good deeds during their lifetime and benefit the people, they will naturally be granted a title by the Divine Dynasty after their death, condense a golden body of incense and worship, follow the path of the gods of the underworld, continue their life in an alternative way, and continue to benefit the sect and the people.

Living beings below the level of Zhenren cannot have statues worshipped, and can only be worshipped in longevity and official positions. Zhenren, on the other hand, are not subject to this restriction.

Of course, when it comes to Lianshen, it is another world. As long as the True Lord Lianshen has a clean background, it will be considered a legitimate worship with the approval of the court.

Xuanming was dedicated to the great Dao and had no interest in incense and gods, let alone the right and wrong of the court. When discussing the matter, he decisively rejected the result of his fellow disciples' joint recommendation. Xuanxu was the head sect leader and it was not easy for him to leave, and he also had no interest, so he could only choose from the remaining people.

Xuanyang Zi is straightforward and easily offends people, so Xuankong is directly excluded. Xuansu is also not interested. Xuanyu only wants to guard his master's sect, and Xuantong only wants to deal with ordinary people, so Xuanyin is pushed up.

Xuan Yin wanted to refuse, but Xuan Ming gave him a reason that made it impossible for him to refuse: "Junior brother practices the way of killing. The mountain is peaceful and there is little chance of fighting. Tiandiyuan has the responsibility to settle disputes among the Daoist sects and slay demons. Fighting is inevitable and will benefit Junior brother's practice."

After these words were spoken, Xuan Yin shut up. Even if he was unwilling, he had to accept it.

Xuanming reminisced as he walked, thinking of the position that everyone was vying for, but was despised in Qiuzhen Temple. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile. He waited for the Taoists to stand in front of the temple and rang the bells again. Seven cranes stretched their necks and cried loudly, flapped their wings and flew high, circling over the palace; the spiritual deer stamped their hooves and ran wildly among the mountains and forests, and came to the welcoming pine; the koi and spiritual turtles in the water popped up, followed the opened underground water veins, and came to the prayer pool built specially for them.

The gathering of birds, beasts, and scales symbolizes the completion of the three elements of heaven, earth, and water. The heaven element bestows blessings, the earth element forgives sins, and the water element relieves disasters. Originally, there was no such step, but Xuanming proposed to add it. This is because although there is the theory of the Three Elements in this world, there are no similar gods, let alone the Three Officials. He did this to take the opportunity to obtain a bit of the Three Elements luck. If he has it, that would be the best, but if not, just take it as adding some joy to the ceremony.

---

When the bell rang for the third time, the gate of Qiuzhen Temple opened wide to welcome guests. Xuantong and Xuanyin led some disciples down the mountain and greeted them personally at the gate. Xuankong and Xuanyang went to Huoju Hall to prepare spiritual food. Xuansu led Kunguan to prepare elixirs. Xuanyu and Xuanxu also had their own division of labor. One led the disciples to carry the stone tablet with the precepts of Qiuzhen Temple engraved on it, and the other carried a magic sword and held a treasure mirror in his hand. In addition to preparing the posture of the head master, he was also responsible for overall arrangements and filling in the details.

Xuanming was also not idle. He raised his hand and clenched it, pinching the flower-picking fingers, then lightly waved the whisk. Suddenly, colorful clouds gathered, calling for wind and rain. The breeze was gentle and the rain was fine, bringing inspiration to water. The wind and rain turned into sweet rain, nourishing the plants, washing the mountains and rivers, the birds and beasts rejoiced, the fish and shrimps jumped, and the face became brand new.

The eight real people worked together and everyone in the Qiuzhen Temple was united in their determination to make this ceremony a success. That's right, eight real people!
Last month, Xuan Yang and Xuan Kong finally caught up with their fellow disciples and achieved the status of True Immortals. So far, three generations of True Immortals in Qiu Zhen Temple have all entered the Qi training realm.

At the foot of the mountain, a carriage came in the morning light. It was an ordinary carriage with ordinary horses, but the people sitting in the carriage were not ordinary. Hai Yannian jumped off first, followed by Hai Fengming.

"Welcome Mr. Hai."

"Congratulations, fellow Taoist."

After greeting each other, Xuantong made a gesture to invite Hai Fengming to climb the mountain with Chang'anzi. Hai Yannian handed the gift to Changningzi, who smiled sweetly. The boy was dazzled and his face instantly turned red. He avoided looking at him, and dared not look at him, which made Hai Fengming laugh and scold: "Stinky boy!"

Another carriage drove up. If it was plain and simple just now, it was now rough and bold. There were three horses, two of which were thousand-mile horses, and one was a Fenglin horse with green scales. The carriage was 15 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 13 feet high. It was engraved with unicorn patterns, and large flags with the word "Chu" were hung around it. The interior space was even more spacious, and the driver was a muscular middle-aged man who looked majestic.

(End of this chapter)