From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 30 Banquet
To thwart the county magistrate's plans?
This young pyrotechnician really knows how to make a big deal out of nothing!

The Taoist priest was startled and immediately remembered that there was indeed such a matter in the temple. However, a month or two had passed, and it had not been discussed in any important meetings in the temple for a long time, so many people had overlooked it and forgotten about it.

The thought immediately jolted me awake, and I immediately approached the matter with the utmost caution.

But, looking at the application on the paper...

Qin Chuanshen's items were all valuable pieces from the temple, and he wanted so many at once. How could he dare to make the decision? He stammered, "You..."

—They want too much.

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Chuan said calmly, "The other day, I applied for all the spiritual rain I needed from the county temple's Wind and Rain Bureau to take care of Lingcheng, and it was all approved. Now, our own temple's ritual implements are being held up and not approved... If this gets out, I wonder if you can bear the consequences?"

He revealed a hint of threat once again.

The clerk was shocked—it turned out that the extra spiritual rain quota in the temple a few days ago was applied for by this kid!

At that time, one-fifth of the land was indeed allocated to the observation fields, and the rest was kept in the warehouse.

If this is true, it means that this guy might have some powerful connections behind him, which is why the approval was granted by the Wind and Rain Bureau and why they have the ability to deal with him, the warehouse manager.

He dared not oppose him any longer, and could only try to change the subject:

“Since it’s an assignment from the County God, I’ll naturally do it. But all the villages and towns are waiting to borrow these ritual implements, and right now only the Sun-Shining Mirror is available in the storeroom. Why don’t you take it and use it first, and then apply for it again after the other ritual implements are returned?”

Qin Chuan hadn't expected to approve them all at once. In addition, he was thinking that if he encountered the same magical artifact, he could "refine one and remelt the other," so submitting them in several batches would suit his needs perfectly.

Before long, after signing and affixing his seal, Qin Chuan had a magic mirror in his hand.

Item: Sunglasses

[A ritual implement of the Nongling Temple, capable of mimicking the nourishment of spiritual plants by sunlight, containing a 'Minor Sunlight Technique' which can be refined or recycled into 50 Dharma Essence]

After receiving this ritual implement.

Qin Chuan immediately returned to his spiritual field, found a high place, and hung a sun-illuminating mirror in his hand, which suddenly brought a lot of light into the cloudy field.

Visibly, the spiritual plants in those spiritual fields began to shake as if they had a spirit, their leaves slowly undulating and absorbing the power of the sunlight.

Meanwhile, he was not idle.

[Rework]

The most important thing for the survival of Lingcheng is the spiritual energy in the soil and water, that is, rainfall and fertile soil. It does not have too much demand for sunlight.

Therefore, Qin Chuan did not rush to use the Lesser Sunshine Technique contained within it, and chose to first refine the magical essence contained within it.

Half a day later.

[The furnace master receives: 50 Mana]

[—53 points of Dharma essence remaining]

I saw that the Dharma essence was in my hands.

Qin Chuan didn't hesitate to add points to his newly acquired Burning Wood Fire Technique.

Click!

Accompanied by a conservative infusion of 20 points of Dharma essence.

Burning Wood Separation Technique! Breakthrough! Second Level! Third Level! Fourth Level! Fifth Level!

He suddenly succeeded in cultivating a fire-attribute true energy that was no weaker than the fifth level of the Green Wood Vitality Technique.

"If we add a little more, it should be able to break away from the basic technique of the Azure Wood Vitality Technique and transform into a technique like the Azure Wood Heaven Technique."

Qin Chuan muttered to himself:

"If the Dharma is not sufficiently developed, we can extend it to the sixth level."

That day, he used 50 points to cultivate from the fifth level of the Azure Wood Vitality Technique to the sixth level of the Azure Wood Heaven Technique. He would probably need to deduce the higher level of the Burning Wood Fire Technique, which would consume the same amount of energy, or even more.

Plus……

"Old Master Huo said that according to the Five Elements theory of mutual generation and restraint, I use wood to generate fire, and it is best to make the fire weaker than the wood, with wood as the main element and fire absorbing the wood, so as not to cause an imbalance of wood and fire in my body." If the fire element is stronger than the wood element, then I will have to find the water element to suppress it.

Thinking of this, Qin Chuan felt that the fifth level of the Burning Wood Fire Technique was just right, and there was no need to deduce to an unprecedented higher level now.

Instead, he chose to mobilize the true energy of wood and fire and began the cultivation of vital energy.

Indeed, it greatly helps in increasing one's Qi cultivation level!
……

While Qin Chuan was diligently cultivating his skills in the fields, a completely different scene unfolded in the private room of the Huicui Building in the county town.

"Since Elder Huo has already spoken, isn't it just a matter of sending a message to the county temple, asking the county god to take a look? What's so difficult about that!"

A portly middle-aged Taoist priest raised his wine cup and said with a smile.

"In that case, thank you very much, Abbot Chen." Huo Yuanjue raised his glass in a toast.

Having lived to this age, with his exceptional skill in cultivating spiritual plants, he could have had a smoother path in his cultivation.

Unfortunately, he was too ambitious when he was young, disdaining to curry favor or curry favor, and unwilling to climb the social ladder. As a result, even in his old age, he was still only at the deputy director level.

In contrast, Guo Shanshan, who had worked under him in the past and was considered his fellow disciple, rose rapidly to become the head of Nongling Temple.

Now that he's old, he's finally figured it out, but he's long since lost the will to improve himself and is about to reach retirement age.

But now, he's actually willing to break an exception for a promising cultivator he's taken a liking to.

There's no other reason than that I've never seen such a genius in my entire life!

The atmosphere at the dinner table was lively, with toasts exchanged and drinks flowing freely.

This Abbot Chen is the deputy abbot of the county temple's administration office, a position equivalent to a deputy temple-level deity.

Many years ago, Huo Yuanjue saved a precious third-tier spiritual herb for him, and they became friends. Huo Yuanjue was the highest-ranking immortal official that Huo Yuanjue could connect with.

"I'd like to offer another toast to Master Chen," said Old Master Huo, raising his glass once more.

Host Chen smiled, clearly enjoying himself.

Over the years, countless people have sought his favors and given him gifts. He may not remember who gave what, but he knows exactly who didn't.

If this old man had been willing to seek my help when he was becoming a full-fledged abbot, and let me mediate and put in a good effort, how could he still be a deputy abbot now?
In the end... the old man, who considered himself superior, remained stagnant.

Host Chen has always disliked such aloof and arrogant people.

But now, Huo Yuanjue, whom he remembered so clearly, had come to him seeking favors—this made him feel happier than receiving ten gifts.

After a hearty meal, Huo Yuanjue watched the other party leave, sighing inwardly, "Qin Chuan, this old man has gone to great lengths to help you this time because I don't want a genius like you to waste your life like I have."

If Qin Chuan hadn't been exceptionally talented, how could he have been moved to recall his life of ups and downs in officialdom?
That's why he understood even more:

In the Heavenly Cultivation World, talent, when combined with "benefactors," "luck," and "background," becomes a winning hand.

The only thing you can't play alone—playing alone means you've got a bad hand!

Meanwhile, after leaving Huicui Tower, Abbot Chen was also pondering what Huo Yuanjue was asking for.

This is easy to do, of course.

He could see County God Sun Qinghan every day, and by simply finding an excuse to ask about the progress of the county's spiritual plant project, he could lure people over.

The problem is... the relationships within this Taoist temple in Jiuchuan County are incredibly complex, so he has to think twice.

If the request for County God Sun to inspect Nongling Temple was merely for the sake of promoting a minor cook to a permanent position, why would he need to lower himself to beg this stubborn old man, Huo Yuanjue? What obstacle had he encountered?
What is the attitude of the fellow practitioners at Nongling Temple?

After all, in a monastic community, many people's backgrounds and relationships are intertwined, and some consequences must be carefully considered.

Ultimately, Abbot Chen decided that before reporting to Sun Qinghan, he should first try to find out the details of Nongling Temple, so as not to offend other fellow Daoists.

So, a talisman was sent to a Taoist priest he knew at Nongling Temple to inquire about the situation.

(End of this chapter)