Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 245 A Shocking Turn of Events in the Hall, A Revolution of Thunder and Fire

"Thank you for your kind offer, former president. I am unworthy to accept this seal."

From this day forward, I will always keep my word, never waver in my commitment, and never break my oath!

Wang Cheng accepted the Imperial Seal of the Year, bowed respectfully to the south, and acknowledged the old man's favor.

The number of the three classes of Heaven, Earth, and Water varies, and sometimes a class of classes loses its lineage while a new class of classes is born.

However, the number of "Directors of the Court" under the three classes is fixed, with thirty-six in each class.

There are two main ways of passing on knowledge:
"One type is those whose moral character is extremely high, and who, through the interaction between heaven and man, are granted a position by the Water Official."

The second method is the intergenerational transmission within each lineage of the Water Sect. Successors who meet certain requirements and adhere to corresponding taboos and rules can inherit the position. This is the origin of what Wang Cheng and Shen Yueye often refer to as "receiving disciples."

Given Wang Cheng's seemingly kind but actually ruthless nature, he may never become a moral saint who moves heaven and earth in this lifetime; don't even think about the first method.

Fortunately, the Mountain and Sea Society is the headquarters of the thirty-six halls of the Water Sect. Many lineage holders and senior hall officials sent their lineages there to avoid entrusting their legacy to the wrong person after their death.

Old Master Diao naturally had quite a few precious seals available for redistribution.

Now that there is an additional position for a court official, Wang Cheng and Shen Yueye, the senior and junior siblings, no longer need to argue about who is better or worse, or whether the young master is ill or whether you need to encourage him.

Wang Cheng made a vow in front of everyone, and suddenly felt something in his heart. He looked up and gazed into the depths of the void above his head.

His consciousness soared rapidly along with the precious seal, and in an instant he arrived in an ancient ancestral hall that stretched from the sky to the earth.

The surrounding area was filled with swirling clouds and the ethereal energy of Tao.

The wheels of time have left deep marks on the thick white jade walls of the ancestral hall. The colorful roof tiles have long since lost their glaze and are covered with a layer of gray-green moss. Nine weathered and blurred stone beasts perch on the eaves.

Above the mottled black lacquered gate hangs a golden plaque that reads "Water Official," and the hall is filled with wisps of smoke and incense, proving that it has not yet fallen into disrepair.

The floor below the hall was densely covered with thick layers of green rattan paper, all folded into the shape of copper coins, resembling a unique layer of copper coin floor tiles.

"This is.?"

Wang Cheng carefully examined the gold characters written on the copper coin and suddenly realized:

"...Actually, all of these are the memorials submitted by all the water officials in the world during their ordination and rank-listing ceremonies. After submitting these memorials, they all came here?"

He also instinctively sensed the two memorials that his master, Shen Yuting, had presented to him when he was ordained and was in the ranks of the disciples, which he found particularly intriguing.

Looking up, one can see numerous jade ancestral tablets in the hall, arranged in three tiers: upper, middle, and lower, each representing a different rank or position.

However, they are not classified according to the order of spiritual practice, but according to their positions.

The thirty-six officials in charge of the year are on the lowest level, with white jade plaques, closest to the entrance of the ancestral hall, as if they are guarding the gate of the hall.

His place of origin, official rank, name, courtesy name, and so on all appeared on a blank memorial tablet at this moment: "East Sea Kingdom, Pinghu Port, Water Balance Commandant, Wang Cheng, Wang Yanqing."

Wang Cheng was taken aback when he saw the last part:
"It's one thing for you to use the nickname 'Fugui' (富贵), but who gave me the pen name 'Yanqing' (晏清)? I don't know anything about it!"

"Even this supposedly prestigious water class has shady dealings, allowing others to get in through back channels?"

Frowning, he continued looking upwards. The jade tablets in the middle layer belonged to the ghosts and gods who had achieved success in their cultivation. Only those who reached the upper three ranks and were offered sacrifices after death, and who did not perish, could be included among them.

The memorial tablets of the late father, Prince Jing, and Lord Yan were placed in very high positions, second only to the Heavenly Consort, who held the highest rank.

However, most of the spirit tablets on this floor have lost their divine light and have vanished into oblivion.

This means that the owner of the memorial tablet was both dead and gone, just like any other mortal, a fleeting visitor in this world.

It is only because their achievements were so great that they are forever remembered by this land that they have left their memorial tablets in the hall, unlike the ancestral tablets of the officials who are removed after their death.

The top layer was shrouded in thick smoke, making it impossible to see what was behind it.

Wang Cheng couldn't help but wonder if that place wasn't exclusively for the supreme [Water Official]? A wild ambition sprouted in his heart:
"As we all know, the Water Official Heavenly One Water Golden Toad Qi is a certain aspect of the Heavenly Way, the rule of the world's operation, and it has no self in itself."

If, and I mean if, a divine official could sit at the highest position in that Water Hall, would it be possible for them to exclusively possess the Heavenly Water Toad Qi and achieve a supreme rank above the first grade?

Thinking about this, Wang Cheng's heart couldn't help but pound.

However, even with his keen eyesight, he could vaguely sense that there seemed to be more than one memorial tablet at the very top of the water column, and he suspected that things might not be as simple as he had imagined.

I was just thinking of trying out the "Sihai Tongbao" coin, but the idea had barely formed in my mind.

Behind the wisps of smoke rising from the hall, it seemed as if a greedy, bloodthirsty eye suddenly opened and gave him a deep look.

Yellow curtains fluttered and rustled in the hall.

"Hiss—! What is that?"

A tremendous sense of crisis suddenly struck, and Wang Cheng felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his brain, as if pricked by needles.

Although he was mentally prepared that something bad might happen if he couldn't control his strong curiosity, he didn't expect this kind of unexpected turn of events.

It was one thing for Wang Cheng to have encountered the "book's completion startling even ghosts and gods" back in his own palace, but now, in the supreme hall of the Water Class, one can only imagine the horror in his heart.

Even if the highest-ranking officials did not take any further substantial action, he dared not linger any longer.

Upon seeing his name fully displayed on the third-level ancestral tablet, his consciousness quickly withdrew from the Shuiban Temple and returned to his body.

He was only stunned for a moment, and no one noticed that his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

"What exactly is that being that occupied the first floor and glanced at me?"
I can say with certainty that it is not a water official; it has its own emotions!

Also, are the same rules applied to the Heavenly and Earthly branches? Or is the lowest-ranking Water Branch the exception?

A secret from Zheng He's treasure map that Wang Cheng had once seen resurfaced in his mind:
"In the late Yankang era, immortals vied for the throne!"

In the mortal realm, demons run rampant, reincarnations are ingenious, disbelief in the Great Way prevails, simplicity and purity are scattered, the three and five principles are lost, and humans and ghosts are in disarray.
The six-day-old aura, referred to as "official title."

He can't help but wonder now what position the immortals are fighting for.

Why could the Three Officials' Righteous Qi replace the Six Heavens' Ancient Qi? What exactly happened back then?
The more he experienced, the more questions arose. He had only managed to ascend to the position by taking over as the "Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices," and was not even a living deity; he was far from qualified to uncover the secrets of the court.

It was simply planting a seed to make him more careful and cautious in his actions.

Outsiders only saw a flash of golden light on Wang Cheng, signifying his appointment as a senior official, and his every move exuded authority and majesty.

It was as if it had transformed into a thunderbolt that shook the heavens. Once mortals angered the wrath of heaven, it would seek out injustices in the world and blast them all to pieces.

When they looked at Wang Cheng, they would subconsciously lower their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.

At this moment, Sun Tianba took the Qiankun bag from his companion, put on a new set of clothes, and transformed back into human form.

Somewhat hesitantly stepped forward, gritted his teeth, and knelt down before Wang Cheng with a "plop." He first explained the current predicament of the Shan Hai Society, and then proposed to follow him to "learn the superior techniques of the barbarians to control the barbarians":
"I beg Your Highness to accept me as your disciple."

At the same time, he winked at his cousin Shen Yueye beside him:

"Ruyi, please help me persuade my brother-in-law!"

Wang Cheng was brought back to his senses when Shen Yueye tugged at his sleeve.

Since he was a relative and there was a legitimate reason, it wasn't a big deal, so I helped him up.
“Senior Brother Sun, I’m not even twenty yet. It’s too early for me to take on a personal disciple. Besides, according to Ruyi’s lineage, we’re still a generation apart.”

However, our East China Sea Nation established a naval academy—Pinghu Maritime University.

It is a comprehensive university that teaches everything from mathematics, geography, astronomy, navigation, naval warfare tactics, battlefield medicine, agriculture and animal husbandry to many other subjects.

I'll arrange your enrollment tomorrow.

Sun Tianba was initially disappointed when he heard that he would not accept personal disciples, but he was overjoyed when he heard that he could still learn the knowledge he wanted at the university.

He quickly bowed again:

"Master, please bow to me, my disciple."

Wang Cheng helped her up again:

"Stop, stop, stop. You don't need to call me master then. There are many students in the school, and they all call me headmaster."

From now on, in private, I'll call you Senior Brother Sun, and you can call me Headmaster like they do.

Pinghu Maritime University has been operating for some time now.

The Confucian ideals of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism still exist, but their proportion has decreased significantly.

The school's philosophy has also changed from the "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness" that Xu Youde often talked about, to "morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor."

In other words, humanities subjects were drastically reduced, while science subjects were elevated to the top.

Moreover, Wang Cheng felt that calling him "principal" was not very auspicious, so he uniformly stipulated that students could call him "headmaster" during peacetime.

Sun Tianba readily agreed and was willing to humble himself.

"Okay, Headmaster."

I genuinely think this brother-in-law is a really good person.

Wang Cheng then summoned Xu Youde and asked him to greet his brother-in-law, whom he had acquired through marriage, and arranged to invite him to the palace for a banquet the next day.

He seemed to suddenly have some urgent matter to attend to, and pulled Princess Shen Yueye beside him, turning around and leaving.

This is because the gains this time went far beyond simply resolving the issue of arms patent rights.

The officials in charge of the year have the power to impeach, punish, and carry out punishments on behalf of Heaven.

The moment he attained this position, all of Wang Cheng's unique skills and techniques related to lightning were enhanced, and his understanding of the [Thunderfire Cardinal] was also instantly realized:
"The Thunderfire Cardinal should essentially be called the Yin-Yang Cardinal. Following the principle of 'one begets two, two begets three,' it can transform any form of energy in the world into other usable forms."

For example, it can transform solar flames, lightning, tides, and so on into thunder and fire, propelling the Heavenly Treasure Ship to sail swiftly.

It can also power various weapons and replace water power to drive large machines, setting off a revolutionary change in the world!

The biggest problem right now is that we need to find materials that are both yin and yang in opposition and complement each other, in order to serve as the two poles of the formation.

The first thought that popped into Wang Cheng's mind was: Yin: evil spirits; Yang: scum of the immortals!

Most evil spirits are spiritual entities that are difficult for ordinary people to see directly. They are formed by the fusion of a person's soul and thoughts with various old objects, animals, corpses, weapons, and so on.

Immortal scum, on the other hand, are mostly flesh and blood, combinations of human beings and other creatures: human-snake combinations, human-frog combinations, human-various fish combinations.
Although evil spirits and scum of the immortals are often confused and both are called "evil spirits," they both have an almost fanatical appetite for humans.

But in reality, one is the combination of human "nature" and all things in nature, while the other is the combination of human "fate" and all things in nature. There is an essential difference between the two.

All of this is the cultivation of both body and mind, which involves the interplay and mutual support of yin and yang, just like the "Golden Chamber Techniques of the Bedchamber" they practice.

Wang Cheng's heart was burning with passion:

"The limited version of the Mirage Cloud Dragon Ship is too restricted by the lack of a power system. Once a suitable [Thunderfire Cardinal] is built, it will be completely transformed."

But where can we find suitable materials for these two poles?
Evil spirits roam the ocean, but scum of the immortals are hard to find inside the walls.

However, the most crucial reason he was so eager to begin constructing the [Thunderfire Cardinal] wasn't because of the Heavenly Craft Treasure Ship, but because...
Boom!

They had just stepped into the palace gates when a bolt of lightning struck Wang Cheng hard on the head.

After subduing the retainers of the Ōtomo family and the original powerful clans of the seven provinces, he lent these second-class citizens tangible and intangible things such as spiritual light, cultivation, unique skills, extraordinary arts, magical money, and power.

Let these consumables bear the burden of a "nine out, thirteen back" interest rate, which is equivalent to about 44.44%, to deal with the troublemakers in the newly occupied areas, and then they can play the good guy.

Naturally, this triggered the forbidden rule of the Thunder God: "The stronger the divine sword and the more it is borrowed, the greater the probability of being struck by lightning!"

Then today, another notice suddenly appeared: "Officials in charge of the year should set an example in upholding fairness, or their chances of being struck by lightning will double!"

(End of this chapter)