The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 271 The Temple of Truth Rejects the Royal Family

Hidden Peak, Seeking the Way Academy.

The door opened, and Xuanming stepped out, sinking into a recliner. He poured water to brew tea, his thoughts drifting with the wafting aroma.

More than a month has passed since the creation of the Mountain and River Map, and this treasure has been temporarily entrusted to Xuanxu and the others for study.

Perhaps it can help them understand more of the mysteries of immortality, while he will refine the energy within his body and temper his physique.

It's over now.

From midday until sunset, Xuanming would drink tea, study scriptures, and take a nap in this reclining chair.

With stars filling the sky and gazing up at the Milky Way, Xuanming had a sudden inspiration and decided to go and take a look at the Heavenly Realm.

Although the tribulation of lightning improved his physical body somewhat, the gains were not significant. He should focus his hopes on the "Zhou Tian Yang Shen Jue" (a method for cultivating the spirit through the cycle of heaven).

Stargazing in the mountains and cultivating the acupoints of the stars results in a slow process of gathering star spirits. It's unknown when one will be able to collect all 360 main stars.

With only forty years left until Bai Yujing's birth, he needs to achieve great power within this time. Since the effect on earth is not significant, he naturally wants to try it in heaven.

There are always more ways than difficulties.

Before that, Xuanming planned to condense the image of Houtu Niangniang.

He had already verified with the Five Elders that the Five Directions and Five Elders could help him refine the Five Elements.

As for the function of the Six Emperors, Xuanming asked Emperor Gouchen, who told him to figure it out himself. Only when he had some understanding and came to ask could they give him an answer.

But Xuanming still grasped the key point:
They are of great use.

The more you try to cover it up, the more it reveals the problem.

Of course, Xuanming also had the idea of ​​going underground, as luck could assist in cultivation.

Moral support from many, scant support.

This is one of the reflections of one's fortune.

Furthermore, according to the Master of the Way of Peace, the fortunes of heaven and earth are predetermined, and powerful beings are assigned specific roles and responsibilities.

Every great being possesses great fortune and perseverance. The human fortune of the Central Plains has been almost entirely exhausted, insufficient to support the birth of another great being. To achieve greatness:

Either kill one and take their place, or find another way and acquire them from elsewhere.

The Lord of Taiping suggested that he either wait or sneak into the Four Directions Beyond the Realm to absorb its fortune. The Four Directions Beyond the Realm was weak, while the Central Plains was strong. As for the Night Demon Ancestor who was suppressed under Chaofeng City, he shouldn't even think about it.

That was the opportunity left by the Phoenix Clan to the Wutong Tree God.

Xuanming originally shared the same idea as the Lord of Taiping Dao, but after seeing the underdeveloped Heavenly Dao and Earthly Dao, and consulting the classics, he learned that there was no Underworld in this world, so he changed his mind.

After returning from the Heavenly Realm, Xuanming planned to use the Four Prefectures' Soul-Soothing Offices as a foundation, and with the help of the power of the Taiyi Salvation Heavenly Venerable, open the Netherworld Passage, occupy a piece of land in the Netherworld, and establish the Netherworld Soul-Soothing Office.

Using this as a base, they will gradually encroach upon the Netherworld. Thus, it will be imperative to condense the Dharma image of the Earth Goddess.

However, Xuanming did not act immediately.

Good things come to those who wait, there's no rush.

On the 18th of March, an auspicious day, Xuanming went into seclusion.

The gates of the Daoist Temple were tightly closed. He sat cross-legged on a futon, took out a wisp of Xuanhuang Mother Qi, and swallowed it into his stomach.

He activated a secret technique, transforming his magical power into yin essence, which merged with the primordial energy of Xuanhuang. He then focused on reciting the Houtu Precious Proclamation and the Earth Scripture.

---

Time flies, spring ends and summer arrives.

The Seven Mysterious Immortals have gone into seclusion and will not emerge.

The Qiuzhen Temple reopened and began accepting disciples, with the fourth-generation master in charge and the fifth-generation Taoist assisting.

This time they encountered a thorny problem: the Great Xuan royal family sent people to seek their apprenticeship. Other princes and nobles were easy to deal with, but what about the royal family members?
Moreover, the one who came was the eldest son of Prince Jingtian, Zhao Ye.

The previous Jingtian King was the current emperor of Da Xuan, which shows Zhao Ye's status in the Da Xuan royal family.

Calling him a hidden heir wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Even the sect leader, Changchunzi, was troubled about how to handle the situation. He did not disturb the elders, but instead summoned the other disciples to discuss it. Since they were in power, they had to set an example.

If one relies on elders to solve everything, how can the Seeking Truth Temple stand out among the top Taoist lineages?

After several discussions, they came up with a feasible solution: to treat the noble grandson of the emperor equally.

Those who pass the test are accepted into the sect as ordinary disciples, without any preferential treatment; those who fail are sent back home. They return to where they came from.

Even the Great Xuan royal family had nothing to say.

"Since everyone agrees on this matter, then..."

"I disagree."

Just then, Li Zizai returned and stepped into the Xuanfa Hall to express his attitude, stating directly:

"Since ancient times, the imperial court has been a place of gathering desires, deceit, treachery, and ruthlessness, making it extremely troublesome. Our Temple of Truth has not achieved its current foundation with great difficulty, so we must try to stay away from the disputes in the court to avoid being dragged into the vortex."

Especially avoid any association with the royal family.

Thinking of that imperial grandson, he continued:
“We can try to treat the imperial grandson with a normal attitude and regard him as an ordinary disciple, but what about the fifth-generation Daoist? What about the sixth-generation disciple?”

Their cultivation is not yet advanced enough; can they really be indifferent to the fact that the prince is a grandson of the emperor? If the prince is allowed to hide his identity and blend into the disciples under an assumed name, will he need special treatment if something happens to him in the future?

What if he manages to win over the other disciples? Will the next generation of masters be unaffected?
Instead of racking your brains to prevent all sorts of possibilities, it's better to be straightforward and refuse.

Cut off the root of the problem, and you'll solve it once and for all.

Looking around at the assembled masters, he added, "I know that some of you may think that I am being too pessimistic, or perhaps you may think that the mortal world is a test of character, and if one is to be unwittingly drawn into court disputes, one's cultivation will greatly improve if one can transcend them."

Some of the real people, their thoughts exposed, looked away, not daring to meet Li Zizai's gaze. He sneered:

Throughout history, countless cultivators have held similar ideas, and some have even joined the imperial court. But how many have truly transcended these limitations?

Extremely rare, few and far between.

Even a powerful cultivator like Lian Shen was trapped and killed, and the forces behind him were also dragged into the mire, suffering terribly, and even being wiped out.

I will absolutely not allow this to happen.

If any of you have objections and want to get involved, ask the sword in my hand first if it will allow it!

Li Zizai made no attempt to hide his aversion to the royal family, not only because of his childhood experience with his master on the Divine Path Great Wall, but also because he had traveled alone for more than a decade, cultivating Taoism in the mortal world, and had become accustomed to the coldness and warmth of human relationships in the court. He knew that it was a great melting pot that would affect the cultivation of Taoists seeking truth and affect his own carefree life.

---

The Xuanfa Hall remained silent.

All the immortals remained silent.

Some bowed their heads in deep thought, while others felt a sense of fear.

Master Changchun sat at the head of the table and took the lead in expressing his opinion: "Brother Changyi is right. Starting a business is not easy, and maintaining it is even more difficult. It is not easy for Qiuzhen Temple to have its current status. Taoists need to be pure in their cultivation."

"The Imperial Court, our Seeking Truth Temple will not interfere."

Most of the people present nodded in agreement.

Even if a small number of real people have objections, the overall situation has already been decided, and they can only go along with the crowd and agree.

Am I really going to get a lesson?

Li Zizai was satisfied. He bowed to Changchun Zhenren, turned and left. Before stepping out of the main hall, he warned:
"I advise you all that if you have other intentions, it would be best if you left my Seeking Truth Temple and established your own sect. If you are outwardly compliant but inwardly disobedient, do not blame me for being ruthless and cleaning up your sect."

A small number of quick-witted people turned green with envy.

Seated at the head of the table, Master Changchun took in the entire scene below. After the event, Chang'anzi and Changning remained, looking at Master Changchun. Chang'anzi said:
"The rise of the Seeking Truth Sect has been too rapid, and people's hearts have begun to waver. It's time to make changes. If the sect wants to go further, everyone must be of one mind. Otherwise, it will only be a flash in the pan."

Master Changchun: "Rest assured, I will take action to improve the sect's rules and regulations and properly prune some of the miscellaneous branches so that the tree can grow stronger."

The door to the Daoist Temple opened.

An old Taoist priest with white hair came out.

The moment Li Zizai set foot on Fuyun Mountain, he knew about what had happened at the Xuanfa Hall.

Xuanming was pleased with this.

He had no intention of getting involved; he left it to the younger generation to handle, so that the younger generation could take on more responsibility.

Seniors should enjoy life more.

After summoning Li Zizai, the master and disciple reminisced and he gave Xuanming some guidance on his cultivation. Xuanming then relaxed for half a month.

During his rest period, Qiuzhen Temple officially announced that it would no longer accept members of the royal family or nobles, which caused a great deal of discussion. Xuanming ignored these troublesome matters, since the court did not dare to break off relations for the time being.

After the Seven Immortals of Xuanxu emerged from seclusion, he raised his hand to summon back the Map of Mountains and Rivers and headed straight for Qingming.

(End of this chapter)