A Pawn's Passage

Among those present were many of exceptional cultivation. Several of the elders without generational names were either Pseudo-Immortals or at the Zaohua stage, so they could naturally detect the unusual shift in Zhang Yuelu at a glance.

The Heavenly Preceptor flicked his finger, and a spark of spiritual light shot forth, landing on Zhang Yuelu. It not only concealed the changes in her aura, preventing it from affecting others, but also shielded her from any external interference.

Zhang Yuelu felt all things in the world drifting away from her. Her surroundings turned hazy and indistinct, as if she had been peeled away from reality and no longer existed in the present world.

She closed her eyes and began focusing fully on advancing her realm.

Qi Xuansu suddenly felt that the glutinous rice ball he had eaten was a bit much, as his lower Dantian felt bloated.

Since the disappearance of mind cultivators, many Daoist incantations have become simpler and more straightforward.

To put it plainly, Zhang Yuelu’s breakthrough required her to fuse the three flowers into one. For ordinary people, this might be difficult, but for Banished Immortals, it truly was not. So long as there was no malicious interference, failure was virtually impossible. Some exceptionally gifted individuals could even forcibly break through at the brink of life and death.

Now, under the Heavenly Preceptor’s very nose, who would dare interfere with Zhang Yuelu?

Seeing this scene, Zhang Jucheng was filled with mixed emotions.

Reaching the Wuliang stage before thirty meant Zhang Yuelu might enter the Zaohua stage by thirty. Then what? Become a Pseudo-Immortal by forty? An Immortal by fifty?

How could any other Zhang family member of the Yue-generation hope to compete with her?

Qi Xuansu was not worried about Zhang Yuelu. He only regretted eating too quickly. Though he had tasted the glutinous rice ball’s flavor, it now felt difficult to digest.

The Heavenly Preceptor had already shifted his gaze and was slowly eating his glutinous rice ball.

One of the elder Zhang family members was surprised and remarked, “That’s a remarkably pure Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method. Where did she learn it from?”

Several elders of the same generation glanced toward the Heavenly Preceptor in unison.

The Heavenly Preceptor simply bowed his head and continued eating his glutinous rice ball.

Although the earliest version of the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Method had been passed to Zhang Yuelu by True Lord Ziguang, it was the Heavenly Preceptor’s favor that gave Zhang Yuelu the opportunity in the first place. So, one could say the Heavenly Preceptor had simply used True Lord Ziguang’s hand to indirectly grant her the technique. There was no real issue with that.

The Heavenly Preceptor remained silent, and the others dared not ask directly. All they could do was lower their heads and quietly eat their glutinous rice balls.

The yield of Red Fruit was extremely limited. Even powerful figures within the Zhang family could not just eat it whenever they wished.

The Heavenly Preceptor’s old peers were the true core of the Zhang family’s main branch. Without their support behind Zhang Jucheng, he and the younger generation would not dare negotiate with the Heavenly Preceptor. The eldest among them had been in secluded cultivation for many years. Before his retreat, he had already reached the Pseudo-Immortal stage.

Among them was one named Zhang Wuliang, one of the seven managers of the Taiping Bank, whose influence rivaled that of an Omniscient Sage. Zhang Wuliang represented the Zhengyi Sect within the Taiping Bank, and among his colleagues was a member of the Li family representing the Taiping Sect, named Li Changsheng.

This gave rise to an internal joke within the Taiping Bank. Old Zhang was named Wuliang, symbolizing the Wuliang stage of Heavenly Beings, and Old Li was called Changsheng, symbolizing the Changsheng stage of Immortals. So it was no wonder the Li family now outshone the Zhangs.

Yao Pei’s father was also a manager in the Taiping Bank, representing the Quanzhen Sect. The Taiping Bank formed its own system. Its seven managers were Omniscient Sages equivalent in rank to the Palace Masters, though they had no voting rights in the Golden Tower Council.

To be fair, the elders of the Zhang family were not weak. Even without Zhang Wuhen, they remained the second-largest Daoist family. But like the Confucian School in its later years, they had fallen into a period of generational decline, with few among the younger ones fit to shoulder great responsibility.

In this turbulent age, they could no longer afford to wait, so they could only let Zhang Yuelu take the helm.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu felt as though a volcano had erupted in his belly.

If it were churning seas, the energy would move downward, but this was a volcanic eruption, so the energy was fiercely pushing upward.

Moments later, Qi Xuansu finally could not hold it in and burped. A surge of intense heat burst from his mouth, erupting into flames.

At a glance, Qi Xuansu looked just like a street performer breathing fire.

At that very moment, Zhang Yuelu opened her eyes and softly said, “I’ve entered the Wuliang stage.”

“Congratulations,” Qi Xuansu said, covering his mouth.

Since it was expected, neither of them showed much excitement.

The banquet quickly drew to a close. The Heavenly Preceptor rose from his seat, walked to the hall entrance, and stood atop the steps, gazing into the distance.

A gust of night wind swept in, causing the Heavenly Preceptor’s wide sleeves to flutter dramatically behind him.

The others stood up one after another, and several of the unnamed elderly figures moved directly to stand behind the Heavenly Preceptor.

Outside the palace gates, fireworks filled the sky, and colorful lanterns adorned the Dazhen Mansion in a scene of festive auspiciousness.

The Heavenly Preceptor’s voice took on a gentle warmth. “The Shangyuan Festival is a time for family reunion. I am but a lonely old man with no descendants, yet I am blessed with so many companions to share this familial joy. You all have children and grandchildren, so don’t stay here with me and go home to celebrate the festival with your families.”

“Sure.” The few Zhang family elders responded in unison, then turned and left the hall.

Only the Ju-generation and a few of the Yue-generation remained.

The Heavenly Preceptor kept his eyes on the backs of his old companions until they disappeared from view. Then he slowly turned to face the younger ones and said, “You all should go too. Xuansu and Yuelu will stay behind to keep me company.”

Everyone understood the Heavenly Preceptor’s intent. He wanted to dismiss them so he could entrust Zhang Yuelu with something in private. Though none dared voice disagreement, some hesitated.

The Heavenly Preceptor waved his hand again. “Go on.”

“Yes, sir.” Zhang Jucheng responded on behalf of the others, and they left the hall one after another.

Only Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu remained.

The Heavenly Preceptor said nothing more, leading the two of them through a side door to Weiyu Study.

Tang Jiaohua had been standing guard and now stepped forward to greet them.

The Heavenly Preceptor gave a brief explanation and said, “These two will accompany me, so you may go home and enjoy the festival.”

“Yes, sir.” Tang Jiaohua responded respectfully and turned to leave.

The Heavenly Preceptor seated himself behind the desk. “Have a seat.”

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu exchanged a glance and sat down side by side.

The Heavenly Preceptor looked at the two with gentle eyes, which made Qi Xuansu feel a bit uneasy.

After a while, the Heavenly Preceptor finally spoke. “The future of the Zhang family will depend on you two.”

Qi Xuansu hurriedly replied, “I dare not accept such responsibility.”

The Heavenly Preceptor paused, then said with a teasing smile, “You’re probably silently cursing me for being thick-skinned, giving you nothing yet expecting you to shoulder the entire Zhang family, huh?”

Qi Xuansu was already used to the Heavenly Preceptor’s humor, so he did not respond with panic or excessive humility. He simply replied, “I dare not entertain such thoughts.”

The Heavenly Preceptor turned to Zhang Yuelu and said, “Yuelu, when you knew that Li Changge and Yao Pei each had at least two semi-immortal objects, did you ever resent me?”

Zhang Yuelu lowered her gaze and replied, “I dare not.”

The Heavenly Preceptor waved his hand. “You two—enough with all this ‘dare not this, dare not that.’ Just speak freely. Do you really think an old man like me will hold a grudge against you children?”

Only then did Zhang Yuelu speak. “I never resented you, Grandpa. But I do sometimes feel envious...and a little disappointed.”

“It’s human nature. This means I haven’t done enough.” The Heavenly Preceptor sighed. “I called you here to talk about this very matter.”

Qi Xuansu perked up.

From the Heavenly Preceptor’s tone, it sounded like he was going to make it up to Zhang Yuelu.

The Heavenly Preceptor spoke slowly, “There aren’t too many semi-immortal objects in the Zhengyi Sect, but not too few either. Among the more well-known ones in the Cihang lineage—aside from Yuelu’s Amorphous Paper—there are the Dharma Lotus and the Six Mantra Sword, all suited for combat. The Dazhen Mansion also has some similar artifacts, though most are in the hands of my fellow brothers.

“As the Heavenly Preceptor, I can’t rely solely on Sage Cihang. Yesterday, I went to Xuanwu Hall to take stock of the remaining semi-immortal objects. There were indeed a few left, but none suited for Yuelu. For instance, there’s the Haotian Mirror, once used by Patriarch Yan. But it can only be wielded by an Immortal. If held still in meditative focus, it can project a mirror image thousands of kilometers away with 80% of the wielder’s power. Artifacts like this are rather useless to youngsters like you. So after much thought, there is only one artifact suitable for the two of you.”

Qi Xuansu’s heart stirred. The Heavenly Preceptor included me too! Could this be a semi-immortal object that took two people to use?

With a sweep of his sleeve, a pair of sheathed longswords appeared atop the desk.

In that instant, both Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu held their breath, vaguely guessing what the pair of swords signified.

The Heavenly Preceptor leaned back against the chair. “These are the famed Heavenly Preceptor’s Twin Swords: the feminine sword, Purple Afterglow, and the masculine sword, Green Cloud. Together, they form an immortal object. Separated, they’re equivalent to two semi-immortal ones. If I were to give away both, Yuelu wouldn’t be able to manage since her current cultivation is insufficient to wield an immortal object. If I give her just one, the other is of no use to me. So I might as well go all the way and gift them both.”

It was a long moment before Zhang Yuelu finally said, “These are your swords, Grandpa. I cannot accept them.”

The Heavenly Preceptor replied, “At my position, I rarely have cause to get involved in battle anymore. These Twin Swords are merely decorations in my hands, their sharpness wasted. It’s better to give them to you two so that you can slay a few more Wokou with them in the Fenglin battlefield.”

Still, Zhang Yuelu firmly declined.

The Heavenly Preceptor had to relent a little. “Very well—let’s say I’m only lending them to you. When I need them again, you may return them to me.”

Only then did Zhang Yuelu agree. She proposed, “I want Green Cloud, since my courtesy name is Qing Xiao, and Qing means green.”

Qi Xuansu objected, “But I want Green Cloud...it’s a masculine sword.”

In the end, the Heavenly Preceptor made the final decision. “Xuansu should wield the masculine sword, Green Cloud, and Yuelu should wield the feminine sword, Purple Afterglow.”