A Pawn's Passage

In front of Yuxu Palace lay a vast white jade square. Four Omniscient Sages stood together, with numerous Sages and third-rank Youyi Daoist masters behind them, followed by fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters and a group of young fifth-rank Daoist priests.

Since the Upper Palace’s Young Talents Program was still in its pilot phase, not all Prospective Mages participated in the advanced training.

Soon, under the guidance of the Daoist receptionists, the representatives of the Confucian School and the Buddhist Sect also arrived before Yuxu Palace.

The Confucian School was led by the Great Master, while the Buddhist Sect was led by a Venerable Master, positions equivalent in rank to a Daoist Great Sage.

However, the Daoist Order held the highest status. With the Grand Master standing above the leaders of the Confucian School and the Buddhist Sect, Daoist officials were, by extension, ranked higher than their counterparts in the other two religions.

An Omniscient Sage was already on equal footing with a Confucian Great Master or a Buddhist Venerable Master. Moreover, since the next Grand Master would likely be chosen from among these three Omniscient Sages, they could not be treated lightly.

After the six highest-ranking individuals present had exchanged some pleasantries, Ning Lingge waved his hand. The Daoist disciples behind him immediately moved in perfect unison, parting to either side and forming a clear path leading directly to the grand entrance of Yuxu Palace.

Sage Donghua, as the Chief Omniscient Sage, gestured in invitation. The six leaders walked side by side toward Yuxu Palace, followed closely by those qualified to participate in this Three Religions Assembly.

Inside Yuxu Palace, everything had been meticulously arranged. As the Primordial Daoist Ancestor advocated compassion and frugality, the palace was not overly extravagant but grand and spacious. If used for a banquet, it could accommodate hundreds of guests at once. If the tables were removed, there was ample space to host martial arts contests without feeling cramped.

Back then, it was within this very hall that Donghuang had single-handedly defeated 13 elite experts from the Confucian School and the Buddhist Sect, securing victory for the Daoist Order in the martial arts segment.

The four Omniscient Sages and the two distinguished guests took the upper seats, each occupying an individual place of honor. The rest were seated in rows along the lower tiers. In the past, the right side had been considered the place of honor, but in this era, the left side held that distinction. Thus, as the hosts, the Daoist disciples sat on the left, while the Confucian and Buddhist representatives took their places on the right.

The foremost seat on the left was occupied by a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master who was currently the Chief Deputy Ciji Hall Master. The second seat belonged to Zhang Yuelu, a position that should have originally been reserved for Yao Pei.

The foremost seat on the right was occupied by a monk whose skin had a golden sheen and whose expression was as still as a Buddha statue. It was clear that he was not here for the debate but for the martial arts competition.

In recent years, the Confucian School and the Buddhist Sect have developed an unspoken understanding in the Three Religions Assembly—the Buddhists would handle the combat, while the Confucians focused on verbal argumentation. After all, Confucian scholarly gentlemen preferred to argue with words, not fists.

The second seat was taken by an impossibly handsome man, whose skin was as smooth as jade. His eyes shimmered like the stars, yet without a trace of effeminacy. His brows were thick and sharp, and he carried himself with an air of valiance that was both imposing and extraordinary. Most women would fall for such a heartthrob at first sight. Even without power or status, a man like this would have no shortage of admirers willing to throw themselves at him.

Men who saw him either envied, admired, resented, or felt inferior to him. In some cases, even men were captivated by his charm. Few could remain indifferent in his presence.

This was none other than Qin Lingge, renowned as the most handsome man in the world.

As the group entered Yuxu Palace, Qin Lingge immediately captured all attention, becoming the most dazzling presence in the hall.

Qin Lingge’s face bore little arrogance. He was calm and gentle, with a faint, barely perceptible smile that made him seem approachable. However, how could such a genius lack pride? It was merely concealed, not flaunted.

Like the noble scions of prestigious families, true nobility never boasted about their wealth outright—that was the behavior of the nouveau riche. Instead, true nobility revealed their status subtly through finer details, allowing others to infer their disparity without making it too obvious.

Many were secretly observing this widely celebrated prodigy.

After sizing up Qin Lingge, Zhang Yuelu pulled a booklet from her sleeve and began flipping through it. This was a set of notes she had spent the entire night before, which still carried the faint fragrance of ink. If there was ever a definition of sharpening one’s blade at the last moment, this was it.

Zhang Yuelu had no choice. Debate was not her strength. It was not because she did not understand the material, but rather, she had never organized her thoughts into a structured, coherent argument. In a debate, oral presentation was just as crucial as one’s knowledge.

The others had no idea what Zhang Yuelu was reading. No one would have guessed she was cramming at the last moment. Considering her arrogance, they assumed she was looking at something else to kill time. Some even thought she was reviewing Tiangang Hall’s official documents and assumed that she did not regard today’s opponents as worthy at all.

Yet no one knew that Zhang Yuelu was actually taking today’s debate extremely seriously. That was because if she was going to do something, she would do it well.

While Sage Donghua spoke formal pleasantries, Sage Cihang glanced at her disciple out of the corner of her eye. With her superior vantage point and exceptional eyesight, she could clearly make out the contents of the notes and could not help but chuckle softly.

Most things in the world could not stand up to true dedication. Seeing this, Sage Cihang believed that even if Zhang Yuelu did not win the debate, she would not lose too badly.

Zhang Yuelu immersed herself in reviewing her notes, her focus bore a striking resemblance to Qi Xuansu’s when he practiced the Demonic Blade. They completely shut themselves out, paying no heed to worldly distractions and focusing solely on the material in front of them.

Qin Lingge’s gaze naturally fell upon Zhang Yuelu. He had long heard of this Banished Immortal and her many legendary accomplishments. However, he had not expected their first meeting to occur under such circumstances, nor that this Banished Immortal would be so different from his imagination. Her demeanor was even more unconventional than he had anticipated.

In the Confucian School, which placed great emphasis on rules and etiquette, there was little room for a woman like her.

As the senior figures concluded their formal pleasantries, Ning Lingge spoke up. “I hear that a young gentleman from the Qin family is also present today.”

Qin Lingge rose and bowed. “Greetings, Sage Ning. I am Qin Lingge.”

Ning Lingge smiled. “I, too, am called Lingge—what a rare coincidence! May I ask what your courtesy name is?”

Qin Lingge replied, “My courtesy name is Yu Ting.”

“Yu Ting, it’s fortunate that our courtesy names are not the same as well.” Ning Lingge chuckled.

Qin Lingge returned a faint smile and said no more.

Though this was not exactly disrespectful, it did seem somewhat bold in the presence of an Omniscient Sage.

Ning Lingge gestured for Qin Lingge to take a seat before continuing, “As the saying goes, we should always try to solve conflicts with words first before getting physical. Thus, we will start with the debates today and continue with the martial arts competition tomorrow.”

A look of undeniable confidence appeared on Qin Lingge’s face as he swept his gaze across the Daoist disciples opposite him. Aside from a few Sages, the younger disciples avoided his eyes, clearly lacking confidence in debating against him.

Sage Donghua and Sage Qingwei maintained their smiles, showing no obvious reaction, though they were not entirely unaffected. Beyond some slight displeasure, there was also a hint of regret. After all, Yao Pei and Li Changge were absent.

They were not underestimating Zhang Yuelu. It was more so because many Sages had commented that her strengths lay in action rather than rhetoric. In other words, she was not naturally inclined toward verbal sparring, making this a rather forced situation for her.

However, Ning Lingge thought otherwise. Looking toward Zhang Yuelu, his most promising former subordinate, he remained quite confident.

Eventually, Qin Lingge also looked toward Zhang Yuelu, noticing that her lips were moving slightly as if she were silently reciting something. She remained fully focused on her notes, paying no attention to Qin Lingge’s gaze, which only made her seem even more dismissive.

Qin Lingge’s expression grew cold, with irritation flickering in his eyes. However, he quickly composed himself again.

Even if the Daoist disciples were no match for him, their affiliation with the Daoist Order alone gave them an inherent advantage. After all, this was their turf.

Sage Cihang finally said softly, “Qing Xiao.”

Her voice was not loud, but she utilized the Morning Bell Technique from the Cihang Sword Sequence—an extraordinary skill that awakened Zhang Yuelu without startling her. The technique’s subtlety and precision were truly top-notch.

Hearing her cue, Zhang Yuelu put away her notes, adjusted her expression, and looked at Qin Lingge sternly, as if preparing for an important examination.

Since this was a seated debate, Qin Lingge did not stand. Instead, he saluted Zhang Yuelu and said, “I have long heard of your illustrious name, High Mage Zhang. I shall seek your guidance today.”

Zhang Yuelu replied, “Young Master Qin, as our guest, you may choose the classical reference.”

This was the rule of the debate—one party posed a question, and the other answered. The question could not be arbitrary. It had to be based on classical references, with proper reasoning and justification.

Since this was the Three Religions Assembly, the references could be drawn from either Daoist, Confucian, or Buddhist classics or famous quotes from the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, the Confucian Sage, or the Buddha.

If one failed to recognize a given classical reference and responded off-topic, it would be considered an immediate defeat without contest. This made the debate segment a true test of scholarly breadth and depth, setting a high bar for participation.

Without hesitation, Qin Lingge responded. “Very well.”