Chapter 154: 善用法宝人者……

The wind in the Tushita Palace today was quite peaceful, except...

Why does it smell like roasted cow dung?

The Grand Master of Xuan Du glanced at the two young boys squatting in another courtyard, refining pills. Then he looked at the old green ox panting under a tree. With a strange expression, he shook his head and said,

“Xiao Jin, Xiao Yin, don’t refine pills carelessly; you’re disturbing the Lord Laozi’s peaceful cultivation.”

The two boys quickly stood up and obediently agreed.

The Grand Master of Xuan Du didn't scold them further.

Since he had been awakened, he habitually performed a divination to see what major events had recently occurred in the Great Desolation that were related to his Human Teaching.

Since his master had entrusted all these administrative duties to him, he could only worry more.

What he divined first, naturally, was the Tri-Sect Origin Assembly, which he had divined many times before.

The Tri-Sect Origin Assembly was fine, but the Human Teaching lineage was too small; attending would make them appear weak and isolated...

The young disciple favored by his master even planned to feign illness to avoid going!

How could that be allowed?

The Grand Master knew that those favored by his master must be close to him; he himself was an example.

Fortunately, the Grand Master of Xuan Du discovered this in time. As the young disciple secretly made various preparations, he concluded that the disciple intended to feign injury, so he quietly made some corresponding arrangements...

This was truly:

For every foot the Dao rises, the waves rise three zhang.

“Little Changshou, if you don’t come to Tushita Palace, how can I be free and at ease?”

Thinking of this, the Grand Master smiled slightly and continued to divine matters related to the Human Teaching.

Soon, the Grand Master gained some insights...

‘Zhao Gongming, from Third Martial Uncle’s lineage, has been unusually active in recent years, constantly destroying others’ caves and chasing down Western Sect masters in Xi Niu He Zhou.

Surprisingly, none of these incidents escalated; the injured parties often chose to settle the matter peacefully.’

“How is this related to my Human Teaching?”

The Grand Master casually summoned a phantom image of the Taiji Diagram and carefully divined, but gained very little.

The heavenly secrets of Saint disciples are often obscured by the Saints themselves. Although the Grandmaster of Heaven ranks last among the Three Pure Ones, his comprehension of the Heavenly Dao is among the top three Saints!

Incidentally, the Daoist Saints occupy the top three positions.

Furthermore, although the Four Swords of Zhuxian and the Qingping Sword cannot suppress luck, they are adept at severing heavenly secrets, which is why the Taiji Diagram also could not divine anything about Zhao Gongming.

So...

“How is this truly related to my Human Teaching?”

The Grand Master was somewhat puzzled. Remembering the Saint Master's instructions, he had no choice but to stand up.

He had to go and see about this matter.

Zhao Gongming, a renowned master from the late ancient era, along with his three sworn sisters, became disciples under the Grandmaster of Heaven. The four were already famous before their apprenticeship, having established their own Grand Dao, and were thus listed as the Four Great Outer Disciples. They received treasures and teachings from the Grandmaster of Heaven but did not cultivate the ‘Shangqing Grand Dao’.

With the help of the Taiji Diagram, although the Grand Master of Xuan Du could not divine the exact cause and effect of the situation, he could barely pinpoint Zhao Gongming’s location...

Within the heavenly secrets, there were footprints of Zhao Gongming everywhere!

He left the Western Heaven Gate, stepping over Central Kunlun.

At the edge of the continent, he saw a Daoist.

In just a moment, the Grand Master of Xuan Du arrived at the scene. From tens of thousands of miles away, his immortal sense detected Zhao Gongming’s aura.

However, Zhao Gongming was currently hidden within several grand formations, and it was unclear what he was doing.

The Grand Master quietly approached, using the power of the Taiji Diagram's projection to remain completely silent. He arrived near the grand formations and saw through several layers of them directly.

He then saw...

Zhao Gongming was spitting blood foam, his Dao body trembling slightly. He pointed at the heavily scarred Western Sect master in front of him, gnashing his teeth and angrily cursing:

“This humble Daoist was inexplicably injured by your spiritual treasure today. It might take tens of thousands of years to recover… cough, cough!”

“Come with this humble Daoist to Mount Sumeru! This humble Daoist isn't done with you today!”

The Grand Master of Xuan Du frowned deeply, about to rush into the formation to protect the Daoist master, but he quickly realized something was amiss.

Zhao Gongming didn't seem truly injured...

Subsequently, the Grand Master of Xuan Du had his eyes opened.

Inside the grand formation, both sides exchanged taunts and curses for half an hour. Zhao Gongming skillfully circled the conversation, drawing the other party into a ‘pity competition’ segment;

After the opponent berated himself for a while, Zhao Gongming took out a recording orb and swiftly suppressed the opponent...

Although this whole process was several times more troublesome than the first time, Zhao Gongming executed it smoothly and flawlessly, with every step perfectly linked!

Simply due to his extensive practice.

Zhao Gongming chuckled confidently:

“Fellow Daoist, tell me, shall we settle this privately, or should I widely circulate this item throughout the Great Desolation?”

Several black lines slowly appeared on the Grand Master of Xuan Du's forehead. Seeing this, he suddenly understood something.

Could it be that...

The Grand Master did not reveal himself directly;

After Zhao Gongming concluded his business for the day, and the Western Sect master finished making his string of vows, he dejectedly departed...

The Grand Master of Xuan Du feigned a chance encounter and met with Zhao Gongming.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the Grand Master of Xuan Du voiced the doubt in his heart:

“Junior Brother Zhao, have you recently met someone from my Human Teaching?”

Zhao Gongming paused, then understood that the Grand Master of the Dao Sect had witnessed his recent actions;

Zhao Gongming’s old face immediately flushed red. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he explained:

“Senior Brother, please don’t be offended. That person just now bullied a friend of mine six Yuan Hui ago. I merely sought to get some revenge today.”

Six Yuan Hui...

Xuan Du nodded with a smile, then changed his approach: “Junior Brother Zhao, have you recently met the Sea God of the South Sea?”

“Senior Brother is truly prescient.”

“Then that’s someone from my Human Teaching,” Xuan Du sighed inwardly, realizing he was right.

Thinking of the scene he had just witnessed, and remembering the complex vows the Western Sect member had made, Xuan Du had already made up his mind...

He had to find a way to make this young disciple his junior brother!

If he joined the orthodox Human Teaching and became someone close to the Grand Master of Xuan Du, once his cultivation rose, he could handle Human Teaching affairs. What would the Grand Master himself need to do then?

“Senior Brother…” Zhao Gongming found a topic, “Will you be appearing at this Tri-Sect Origin Assembly?”

The Grand Master of Xuan Du was about to casually say, ‘I have other important matters.’

For such a troublesome matter, he had already persuaded his ‘future junior brother’ to go, so he naturally didn't need to attend himself.

This would provide a stage for his ‘future junior brother’ to showcase himself, prompting his master to consider taking him as a disciple earlier.

The Grand Master of Xuan Du’s words were already at the tip of his tongue. He was about to say, “I still have...”

A flicker of realization arose in his heart, and the words on the Grand Master of Xuan Du’s lips changed to: “I still have some urgent matters to attend to. Once they are handled, I will go and observe.”

Zhao Gongming’s eyes immediately lit up. He bowed to the Grand Master of Xuan Du and said, “Junior Brother will surely have them prepare in advance and respectfully await your esteemed presence!”

The Grand Master of Xuan Du: ...

The script, it seems, has been repeated.

Meanwhile, on Little Qiong Peak.

Li Changshou flew at a moderate height, returning from the Hall of Hundred Mortals.

Actually, if the Saint Lord had given him even a slight hint from the beginning, he would have known he had to attend this ‘Tri-Sect Origin Assembly,’ without needing to secretly influence the entire sect’s high-ranking members just to make him waver like this.

Li Changshou quickly dismissed the thought. Secretly criticizing the Saint Lord in such a clandestine manner was truly dangerous.

Just like that famous saying from his past life that Li Changshou remembered vividly—‘If one didn’t truly like it, who would be willing to be a backup?’

If the Great Desolation weren't so dangerous, who would...

No, I am quite willing to run errands and do small tasks for the Saint Lord!

If the Saint Lord told him to go to the Tri-Sect Origin Assembly, there must be a reason.

Upon careful thought, it did make some sense.

The Dragon Race and the West, seemingly unrelated to the Dao Sect, but in reality...

In reality...

“What kind of impact would this have?

Would the Dao Sect become more prosperous because of this? Would it make the West hasten their efforts to absorb the Dragon Race?

Or would the West scheme against this assembly?

And what could I, a mere young disciple of the Human Teaching, do by going there?”

Li Changshou muttered continuously, pacing back and forth in his underground secret chamber.

He pondered constantly, but could never establish a logical foundation, so he could only categorize it as—

Since it was the Saint Lord’s arrangement, there must be a reason he couldn’t see.

Li Changshou felt that he might just be a non-critical wedge in a wooden bridge; without him, the bridge could still be used, but it would be slightly unstable.

Li Changshou had already read a small portion of ‘Daoist Doctrines of Grand Purity,’ which advocated stability, reclusion, and indolence…

Ahem, what it actually advocated was tranquility, non-action, and non-involvement in karma!

Nonsense, stability, reclusion, and indolence!

Li Changshou looked at the large character ‘stability’ that he had also hung on the wall of his secret chamber, feeling a slight pang of emotion.

In this regard, he was far inferior to the Saint Lord of Grand Purity…

Since he inevitably had to go, he might as well be fully prepared.

Various poison pills and miniature array plates were naturally essential for leaving home;

He needed to make several more new paper effigies, first under the 'Human' categorization, leaving one each beside his master and junior sister as backup.

He also needed to make two more, categorize them under 'Sea', and send them to guard the Sea God Sect of the South Sea.

He also needed to carry two 'God' categorized new paper effigies himself, to ensure he had more initiative when encountering danger.

If it weren't for the time-consuming process of making new paper effigies, and the fact that Li Changshou had to dedicate most of his time to comprehending ‘Daoist Doctrines of Grand Purity’ and suppressing his own cultivation level.

Before heading out, slightly increasing his own strength would provide a greater guarantee of safety.

He double-checked his anti-divination suit, his soul-preserving reincarnation suit, as well as the re-refined and color-changed anti-poison treasure bead, spiritual treasure longsword, and other spiritual treasures for self-defense...

He carefully sorted through the various large and small treasure pouches on his person, and counted the different items he possessed that could be called trump cards, finally feeling a sense of ease again.

The two jade tokens, which bore remnants of the Grand Master of Xuan Du’s aura, were in fact life-saving talismans themselves. Li Changshou naturally wouldn't forget to bring them.

Recently, he had also had a sudden inspiration, finding a way to expend his own merit and feign having a merit-imbued golden body, which he also added to his life-saving trump card arsenal...

While organizing the items he needed to carry for his outing, Li Changshou also came up with a simple ‘Dao of Stability Quiz Question’.

Question: When facing one enemy versus hundreds or thousands of enemies, what are the differences in response?

Correct Answer: What you hear and what you see are completely different.

Theoretical support from ‘On Stability’: Choose to use the most secretive earth escape or water escape, or the fastest wind escape or fire escape.

Li Changshou chuckled softly, restored his calm state of mind, and continued with his preparations.

A few days later, he began continuously comprehending ‘Daoist Doctrines of Grand Purity,’ calculating his cultivation growth rate, and steadily solidifying each minor realm.

His Dao foundation was like a tall pagoda.

Before becoming an immortal, Li Changshou’s pagoda foundation was already 99% solid, but after ascending to immortality, his cultivation soared, surpassing two major realms: Mortal Immortal and True Immortal…

In Li Changshou's view, this large section of his Dao foundation was actually not very stable.

Now, he could only continuously work on the higher levels of the pagoda, gradually solidifying and tightening the foundation below.

Ahead lay the Longevity Tribulation; failing it meant turning to ash.

Li Changshou had already begun preparing his tribulation-crossing plan, with the two most reliable methods being: first, merit for protection; and second, contributions to the Human Teaching.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry to advance in his cultivation realm…

He even wanted to remain stagnant.

Should he create a new version of a paper effigy avatar, one that was only at the Dao Return realm, to attend the Tri-Sect Origin Assembly?

After careful consideration and analysis of the pros and cons, Li Changshou quickly dismissed this idea.

Wouldn’t that be deliberately perfunctory about a task assigned by a Saint?

One would need to have had several dishes, several stories, and several drinks with companions, reaching a certain level of drunkenness, to dare to do something so reckless!

After Li Changshou handled his own matters, he also made some other small preparations.

For instance, the Human Teaching Lineage Master Statistics Form, which was still mostly blank at the moment—it had options for temperament, background, preferences, etc., and he would rely on the Wind Whisper Spell to gather this information then.

Secondly, Li Changshou also prepared some ‘small trinkets for his martial uncles’ and ‘some emergency countermeasures for the elders.’

To fully undertake his responsibility as leader and ensure that the contingent from Immortal Du Sect caused no trouble and avoided any incidents, Li Changshou also put in considerable effort to create a ‘Handbook for Immortal Du Sect Disciples Attending the Assembly.’

This handbook would later be handed over to Martial Uncle Jiu Wu, to be presented to the sect in Martial Uncle Jiu Wu’s name.

As for the rewards, it was the usual rule: a 50-50 split.