The road is vague

Chapter 218 Qingming Hall
Inside the cave, Li Mo continued to study the Shadow Line Technique.

A few more days passed.

A communication talisman flew in from outside the cave. He casually summoned it and infused it with some magic power.

"Li Mo, the instructor of the Guardian Hall's military formations, is hereby commended by the Imperial Court as an undercover envoy from the Road Passage Office. Come to the Qingming Hall to receive the imperial edict."

This was none other than the communication talisman of Sima Fu, the acting sect leader.

Upon hearing this, Li Mo immediately stood up.

Most likely, the information he had provided regarding the Nine Nether Soul Refining Array and the Nine Nether Soul Stones had been reported back to the imperial court, so he quickly left the cave and hurried towards the Qingming Hall.

After a while.

Li Mo arrived at the Qingming Hall at the summit of Qingming Peak.

This was his first time here.

I thought I would have to wait two more days to enter the main hall for the first time when I attended the annual meeting, but I never expected to arrive here ahead of time in this way.

The white jade staircase in the main hall has eighty-one steps.

On both sides of the steps are carved dragons and phoenixes, flowers, birds, fish and insects, mountains, seas, lakes and rivers.

It is said.

All the sects in the Great Qian Kingdom were established with funding from the imperial court.

Leaving aside other sects for now, let's just talk about the Lingmu Sect of Qingming Mountain.

More than a thousand years ago.

Lingmu Zhenren was merely a rogue cultivator from Zhongshan Kingdom who accidentally attained enlightenment and advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.

The reason why Master Lingmu was able to establish the Lingmu Sect and become the founding patriarch of the Great Qian Kingdom was inseparable from the support of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Otherwise, establishing the protective array of Qingming Mountain and the Qingming Hall, which is etched with countless runes and restrictions, would not have been something that a mere rogue cultivator could accomplish.

The protective array of the Lingmu Sect is composed of more than three thousand top-grade magic artifacts, including dozens of offensive magic treasures as array cores. This is a huge sum of money, costing millions of spirit stones. Even so-called super sects would find it difficult to come up with such a huge sum of money at once, let alone an individual.

That's why.

The Great Qian Dynasty's control over various sects is far beyond what other countries can match.

Other countries treat the various sects within their borders more like a tribal alliance.

The main hall of Qingming is thirty feet high, and its floor is smooth and shiny.

One hundred and eight white jade pillars stand tall, supporting the Jade Peak, exuding solemnity and majesty. Milky white spiritual energy appears and disappears among the clouds at the top of the mountain.

Humans are exceptionally insignificant in this world.

Li Mo looked at the two figures deep inside the main hall.

The high platform is a position that only Nascent Soul cultivators are qualified to ascend. At the height of the Lingmu Sect, four True Persons once sat here, overlooking nearly a hundred Golden Core cultivators on the platform.

The two men stood below the high platform, looking towards Li Mo at the gate.

One of them was Sima Fu, the acting sect leader.

The other person was an elderly man with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles. He was dressed in an official's formal suit that Li Mo had never seen before, and he looked at him with a smile.

"Come, Instructor Li, let me introduce you. This is Lord Zhong."

Sima Fu's voice echoed solemnly in the hall.

Li Mo strode forward.

"I am Li Mo, paying my respects to the Acting Sect Leader and Lord Zhong."

The elderly man surnamed Zhong looked at Li Mo, nodded repeatedly, and smiled.

"As expected of the genius of the Lingmu Sect, you are truly a formidable young talent. Instructor Li, listen to my command."

As Lord Zhong took out the golden imperial edict from his bosom, Li Mo felt a surge of righteous energy rushing towards him, as if he were being scrutinized by tens of thousands of knowledgeable people, and his face immediately showed surprise.

"The Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty decrees: Li Mo of the Lingmu Sect has rendered meritorious service by presenting the Nine Nether Soul Refining Array. He is hereby granted a Jingzhao Rank, which allows him to submit memorials to the central government directly. He is also granted a pot of Jade Marrow Liquid, which, when applied externally, can temporarily transform him into a Jade Marrow Body, increasing his chances of forming a Golden Core. He is further granted a high-grade spirit stone and his official rank is promoted to the sixth rank. In the future, he will be granted the salary and authority of a centurion. This is the imperial decree."

The power structure of the Daqian Dynasty can be divided into the emperor, the cabinet, and the three ministries and six departments.

The emperor refers to the Qian Yuan Sheng Jun, who possesses supreme power.

As for the Central Cabinet, it is composed of ordinary court officials and Nascent Soul stage cultivators. It is the central institution of the court, consisting of seven people, all of whom are first-rank officials of the Great Qian Dynasty, who discuss important national affairs.

Below this, the Three Offices and Six Ministries, whether the Three Offices' Director of Fate or the Six Ministries' Ministers, were all second-rank officials, only responsible for the specific affairs of their respective departments.

As for the top-grade spirit stones as a reward...

Besides serving as the core of an array and an energy source for puppets, it is also an auxiliary means to break through the bottleneck of the Golden Core stage. Coupled with the so-called Jade Marrow Liquid reward, the court's expectations for Li Mo are self-evident: to advance to the Golden Core stage as soon as possible.

"Li Mo thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."

He took a deep breath and accepted the imperial edict, the token, the jade bottle, and the jade box.

Even Sima Fu, who was standing to the side, was taken aback.

No wonder the imperial court just issued that edict to Lingmumen, reducing a large amount of taxes.

In the past, this would have been a tremendous event, a cause for celebration for the entire family. But for the Lingmu Sect now, alas…

After the elderly man surnamed Zhong left, Sima Fu looked at Li Mo with a complicated expression.

"Instructor Li, our sect has also received commendation from the imperial court because of you. The sect's annual meeting is in a couple of days, and I will recommend you to be a model member so that you can receive the sect's reward and commendation. What do you think?"

"I will follow the arrangements of the acting sect leader."

Upon hearing Li Mo's answer, Sima Fu nodded, indicating that Li Mo could leave.

Two days later, nearly a hundred members of the Lingmu Sect gathered in the Qingming Hall.

The crowd was divided into two rows, sitting opposite each other, with each person about ten feet apart and a temporary chair provided, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Li Mo, who was seated in the central area of ​​the main hall, first looked at the empty seat of the sect leader on the high platform.

This sect leader has been a legend ever since he joined the sect, and it was a pity that we couldn't meet him at this meeting.

He then looked down at the two acting sect leaders seated on the left and right sides of the platform.

Following closely behind were the hall masters and deputy hall masters. He had met many of them before, and some were familiar to him, but many others were completely unknown to him.

"The Spirit Eye Sect only has thirty-two Golden Core stage cultivators left."

This is a far cry from his peak, which made him sigh with regret.

The number of Golden Core stage cultivators in a sect can basically represent the sect's current state of strength.

"I wonder what kind of splendor those super sects must have when they hold meetings. Among the six sects in the east, it is said that the Wind and Fire Sect has even more Nascent Soul stage cultivators than the Holy Cauldron Sect. During the Hundred Years' War, they not only did not weaken, but they also made further progress, with as many as nine Nascent Soul stage cultivators. It is a pity that they have never produced a Deity Transformation stage cultivator."

Both the Shengdingmen and Lingmumen sects declined during the Hundred Years' War.

However, the main cultivation method of the Wind and Fire Sect seems to be more suitable for the needs of chaotic warfare.

During the Hundred Years' War, although the Wind and Fire Sect lost two Nascent Soul stage cultivators, it also promoted four Nascent Soul stage cultivators, which was quite incredible.

Therefore, some people made inferences.

The main cultivation method of the Wind and Fire Sect is more adapted to the chaos of war. Strength can be quickly converted into strength through resources, which then support the disciples to plunder during war and further strive for opportunities.

The techniques of the Holy Cauldron Sect and the Spirit Eye Sect are more suitable for peacetime, and can be improved by focusing on comprehension and fully utilizing one's talents.

Below the hall masters and deputy hall masters are the high-ranking cultivators of each hall and the high-ranking cultivators of the secret pavilion.

The three chief military advisors, five military formation instructors, ten chief captains of the Heavenly Stems of the Dharma Protection Hall, and several other high-ranking officials in charge of logistics and armory all attended the regular meeting.

Other branches also have similar positions, such as the head of the enforcement team in the enforcement branch and the centurion in the special operations branch.

Chen Rong and Jiang Feiyan both attended this meeting.

The atmosphere in the main hall was solemn and dignified.

Chen Rong was not far from Li Mo.

Jiang Feiyan was from the outer sect, so she was ranked last. She entered the main hall with Li Mo. When she noticed Li Mo looking at her, she winked at him playfully.

Li Mo was lost in thought.

Chen Shouyi and Sima Fu, the two acting leaders, stood up at the same time to preside over the meeting.

"Everyone, our sect leader is still in seclusion. This is now the twentieth year. So, as is customary, the two of us will be in charge of presiding over this annual meeting."

"As is customary, let's first notify those who were unable to attend the regular meeting."

After criticizing those who were unable to attend the conference by name, Sima Fu praised two departments that had performed exceptionally well last year: the Enforcement Department and the Special Operations Department, and explained the specific reasons for their absence.

Ye Shoutian and Lu Qi went up on stage to receive their awards.

Li Mo and Jiang Feiyan were quite excited to see their master show his face.

At the same time, Li Mo also paid special attention to this Golden Core stage senior uncle named Ye Shoutian.

This man was short and stocky, with an honest and simple face. He didn't look like a genius or prodigy at all. In fact, if he weren't wearing the crane cloak of a Golden Core cultivator, he would hardly stand out in the main hall. But Li Mo knew that this man was from a powerful family that Lu Qi was extremely wary of.

If we only consider combat strength, Ye Shoutian, Lu Qi, and Qian Jing are ranked equally among the Lingmu Sect.

However, Ye Shoutian, the head of the Law Enforcement Hall, and Bai Jingjing, the deputy head of the Special Operations Hall, were a couple who cultivated together. They were extremely skilled in combined attack techniques and could be considered the pinnacle of Golden Core cultivators in the Lingmu Sect. During the Hundred Year War, they briefly confronted a Nascent Soul cultivator without being at a disadvantage and eventually escaped safely, becoming a legendary tale.

Followed by.

Chen Shouyi commended individuals who had performed outstandingly last year.

A female cultivator who was the captain of the law enforcement team was not far from Li Mo. After being called upon, she stepped forward and received a reward from Chen Shouyi.

"Ye Zhaojun, the captain of the Enforcement Hall, faced threats and incitement from a traitorous disciple, but she insisted on fulfilling her mission and led her team to kill seven people and capture the traitorous disciple. Her achievements are truly remarkable. Let us give her encouragement!"

Then a manager from Jubaotang stepped forward to receive the commendation.

Last year, this person received a spiritual herb that was three thousand years old, which reminded Li Mo of the Hundred Joy Flower in his spatial ring, which was also three thousand years old.

"Li Mo, instructor of the Guardian Hall's military formation."

"The disciple is here."

Li Mo, whose name was called, immediately got up and walked forward.

Just as the legends said, the so-called commendation from the sect was limited to the upper echelons.

In other words.

The contributions of some grassroots disciples are also counted within the power structure of these high-level personnel, and those present are responsible for receiving the rewards, rather than delegating them to the grassroots.

For example, when he served as deputy commander and commander in Bai'an County, most of the commendations he received were received by the then centurions Duan Shu and Jiang Feiyan.

Chen Shouyi took out several items and looked at Li Mo.

“Instructor Li, your contribution to the sect this time is far beyond what these rewards can repay. I have already converted it into a reward for your contribution to the sect.”

In Li Mo's hands appeared a bottle of Spirit Gathering Pills, a cloak, a manual on the "Spirit Light Armor" technique, and a storage bag containing three thousand spirit stones, which floated neatly in the air.

"Thank you, Acting Sect Leader."

After receiving the reward, Li Mo thanked everyone present, following the previous procedure.

(End of this chapter)