As spiritual energy revived, I, having acquired certain attributes, gradually ascended to immortalit

Chapter 103 The Exchange Meeting Begins

The next day, early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, Shen Qing and the others had already gotten up.

As officials responsible for maintaining order, they needed to go to Baiyun Temple in advance to make preparations.

It wasn't just Shen Qing and his group of ten.

After gathering in the lobby on the first floor, there were at least fifty or sixty people, including seven of them who were at the eighth rank. In terms of scale, it was even larger than their last assessment.

All personnel are centrally dispatched by headquarters to confirm patrol areas.

After arriving at Baiyun Temple.

Near the outer gate of the temple, security officers were already setting up warning tapes, and even early-rising tourists were taking photos with their mobile phones.

Shen Qing glanced around and immediately realized that the scale of this exchange meeting was larger than he had imagined.

The exchange meeting consisted of two sessions.

It wasn't the secretive competition one might imagine; instead, it was a grand affair.

People from all over the country come here, and Baiyun Temple is the ancestral temple of Taoism in the north, so there are usually many tourists, making it impossible to hide.

Since we can't hide it anymore, we might as well not hide it at all; the exchange will be open to the public.

In the morning, the representatives had an open exchange and competition, but it was just a competition between ordinary people, involving martial arts, and tourists were even allowed to watch.

The event is called the "Traditional Martial Arts Exchange Conference," and the posters have already been put up.

Shen Qing and his men also happened to watch the commotion while on patrol.

Baiyun Temple already attracts a lot of visitors daily, and when they heard there would be a martial arts performance, a large crowd gathered at the nearby stadium.

A dense crowd, at least a thousand people.

To the north is the viewing platform for tourists, while the other side is divided into more than ten areas, with disciples of Baiyun Temple leading representatives of various sects in one by one.

"Dragon Tiger Sect, Maoshan, Huashan, Wudang —"

Shen Qing leaned against the railing, watching the various delegations enter one by one, starting with the Taoists dressed in Taoist robes.

Next came the Buddhist monks, all except the leader, dressed in martial monk robes. Further on, there were also folk lineages dressed in various styles.

However, there was a clear sense of estrangement, and there was little communication between the different factions after they were seated.

It's not that there's any major conflict or irreconcilable differences between them, but since it's an exchange meeting, they're either from the same Taoist or Buddhist sect, so they're essentially one entity internally.

However, these have crossed factions and even included folk lineages, so there is still some sectarianism involved.

Shen Qing guessed that there must have been official intervention behind this.

The various religious sects wanted to discuss future developments and, incidentally, get to know each other better; the government did the same.

However, the morning's competition was just a regular contest; while it was certainly entertaining, it was only entertaining.

The main event is yet to come; the real exchange between the various religious sects will take place in the afternoon.

"Five eighth-rank officials and over thirty ninth-rank officials, no wonder—"

After patrolling the area, Shen Qing observed the situation of each sect. This was almost equivalent to the entire combat force of Binhai City. The headquarters could not arrange all the action teams from the capital at the exchange meeting, so they could only transfer manpower from the surrounding areas.

Time passes little by little.

In terms of pure performance and martial arts, Wudang and Shaolin are the most eye-catching, whether it is the performance of Tai Chi sword or the hard qigong of the monks.

After all, these two are the most famous in martial arts, but the outcome of the afternoon's competition is hard to predict.

In ancient times, sects known for their talismans, formations, elixirs, and incantations, and those with relatively complete traditions, were mainly the Longhu Sect, the Maoshan Shangqing Sect, and the Lingbao Sect.

The spiritual energy revival is also the fastest rising among these three schools. On the contrary, Wudang and Shaolin, which are more famous in recent years and mainly focus on martial arts, are much weaker in this aspect.

However, it has nothing to do with their official position.

"By the way, since we've come to the capital this time, aren't all the people from unofficial spiritual lineages participating in the exchange meeting? Aren't the officials here?"

A voice suddenly drifted into Shen Qing's ears.

"It seems that apart from Maoshan, who has some strength, the others are no match for my martial uncle. The official forces are just so-so, aren't they?"

"It's not just a feeling. Officials came to discuss things back then. I'll tell you a secret: that official sparred with my master and lost."

As eighth-rank supernatural beings, even though their voices weren't loud and there was noise around them, Shen Qing and Xie Chong could hear them clearly.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a Taoist disciple whose robe was embroidered with the three characters "Dragon Tiger Sect," and who appeared to be just coming of age.

The city where Longhu Mountain is located is not a provincial capital.

The Bureau of Foreign Affairs was first established in major provincial capitals and then gradually extended to surrounding cities.

Although the city where the Dragon Tiger Sect is located has already established a Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs, and is not weak, it is still a newly established branch bureau.

It's not surprising that they were at a disadvantage against the Dragon Tiger Sect, which has the strongest foundation.

"Holy crap."

Xie Chong raised an eyebrow. "Were we underestimated? Damn it, if we weren't involved in this exchange meeting, we would have shown them what we were made of."

Shen Qing shook her head, interrupting him.

"Alright, just be curious for a moment, but don't forget our mission."

They were there to maintain order, not to compete. Besides, what was there to compete between two young people who were just beginning to develop spiritual energy?

Shen Qing checked the time and, after the audience began to leave, said, "Let's go, it's about time to move on to the next venue after we have lunch."

Lunch was arranged by Baiyun Temple. However, since it is a Taoist sect of the Quanzhen lineage, although the food tasted good, there was no meat.

Shen Qing and the other ten people were all advanced-level supernatural beings, and they were far from full.

After having no choice but to apply, I went out for a meal, and as soon as I got back, I received new arrangements.

Perhaps because headquarters knew of Shen Qing's strength, his team was assigned to the innermost perimeter.

That is, maintaining order next to the afternoon exchange meeting.

The afternoon exchange meeting will no longer be open to the public. The location has been changed to Xiaopenglai, a quiet garden deep in Baiyun Temple.

Baiyun Temple also posted a notice early in the morning, announcing that it would be closed to visitors in the afternoon.

Everyone felt a bit more relaxed.

With some time to spare before the afternoon exchange meeting began, Shen Qing and his group took the opportunity to visit the site at their own expense.

As Chen Chen passed the foremost mountain gate, he suddenly stopped and moved closer to the relief sculpture on the east side.

"No, what are you doing?" Shen Qing stopped and turned to look at him.

Without turning his head, Chen Chen touched the stone carving and explained, "Isn't it said that everyone who comes here touches the stone monkey to observe the ceremony? There are three stone monkeys representing fortune, prosperity, and longevity, which bring good luck."

Looking in the direction of his hand, there was indeed a stone monkey on the relief, and it had even changed color, completely different from the colors of the surrounding reliefs.

It's probably due to being touched by tourists over the years.

"You still believe in this?"

As Xie Chong said this, he also went over and touched the stone monkey.

Once all three stone monkeys have been found, the exchange meeting will be about to begin.

When Shen Qing and his group arrived, they stood out conspicuously among the Taoist priests, monks, and folk practitioners dressed in all sorts of different styles.

Naturally, it immediately attracted everyone's attention.

However, after they learned that it was an official organization, apart from the host, the Taoist priest of Baiyun Temple, and a few leaders of major sects who came up to exchange a few words, no one else came up.

Shen Qing and the others were happy to have some peace and quiet, so they kept a watchful eye on themselves and took the opportunity to see the methods of each sect.

The exchange meeting finally began.