A Pawn's Passage

After leaving the residence of the Palace Master, they arrived at the living quarters arranged for the various Sages, each with a standalone courtyard. Zhang Yuelu’s and Qi Xuansu’s courtyards were right next to each other, making them neighbors.

By this time, some of the Sages had already moved in, though not everyone had been personally summoned by the Palace Master.

In the evening, all the Sages attending the advanced training had arrived. Ning Yuqing came to inform everyone to proceed to the grand hall in Qian Garden for the opening ceremony.

After Qi Xuansu arrived, he found that his classmates were all unfamiliar faces, yet he recognized many of those seated on the platforms. Aside from Great Sage Shi and Sun Hewu, Great Sage Jiang and Ning Lingge were also present.

Qi Xuansu thought to himself, Great Sage Jiang is truly a busy man. He’s everywhere!

Several prominent figures took turns giving speeches, emphasizing the importance of further studies.

In truth, most of the audience members had done similar things before. The only difference was their rank. When they spoke, a group of third-rank Youyi Daoists and fourth-rank Jijiu Daoists would be listening below. Today, it was first-rank Tianzhen Daoists speaking and second-rank Taiyi Daoists listening below.

After the formalities concluded, Ning Yuqing invited everyone to Kan Garden for a brief meeting. She introduced herself, explaining that she was mainly responsible for the daily needs of the Sages. Thus, they could bring up any requests, shortages, or necessities with her.

Then the various Sages took turns introducing themselves.

Although Qi Xuansu did not know the others, everyone else knew him and Zhang Yuelu. After all, their young age made them easy to identify.

Everyone present was a second-rank Taiyi Daoist with official duties, seasoned by experience. They valued interests and had honed the ability to bend and adapt, unlike younger people who still competed for pride or attention.

On the contrary, this period of advanced study was a rare opportunity to form bonds as classmates, which would translate into connections later on. After all, true connections went both ways. If one party lacked ability and could not help others, then it was not a true network and merely an acquaintanceship. Since all the trainees this time had bright futures, this posed no issue.

Thus, the atmosphere was especially harmonious.

Formal classes would begin the next day, with Great Sage Jiang as the main lecturer.

After returning to his residence, Qi Xuansu did not feel like sleeping. He intended to ask Zhang Yuelu to accompany him to see Great Sage Shi so that he could request authorization to enter the Tianshui Core Tower openly.

However, Zhang Yuelu was unwilling to go. That was because she had just told Great Sage Shi that she had no requests at all. So what would it look like if she went back to him with a request less than a day later?

Qi Xuansu had not spoken at the time, so it was reasonable for him to request something from Great Sage Shi.

Thus, Qi Xuansu decided to meet Great Sage Shi by himself. He would also need a legitimate reason to go there and could not fabricate one on the spot. After all, Great Sage Shi would not be so easily fooled like Little Yin. If he sensed insincerity, he might simply refuse authorization outright. It was best to tell the truth.

Qi Xuansu explained that he was very interested in Ancient Wuism. Due to the long passage of time, many texts related to it existed only as unique or rare copies, so he wished to view the collection in the Tianshui Core Tower.

After hearing this request, Great Sage Shi fell silent for quite some time, seemingly lost in thought. Just when Qi Xuansu felt that there was no hope, Great Sage Shi tossed him a jade token.

This was not the token forged by Yao Pei, but a genuine pass.

Then Great Sage Shi said, “That Yao girl sneaked into the Tianshui Core Tower and took the Staff of Merit. But since it originally belonged to the Quanzhen Sect and the Earthly Preceptor was backing her, I couldn’t say much. However, I have already moved the dragon elsewhere. Speaking of which, I heard the Yao girl had an accomplice. You were in the Upper Palace at the time, so do you know what happened?”

Qi Xuansu’s expression stiffened, and he feigned ignorance. “Something like that actually happened?! Su Yi is far too bold!”

Great Sage Shi added, “But I recall the accomplice is also a Qi.”

“Really?” Qi Xuansu had already regained his composure and replied without changing expression. “We share a last name? What a coincidence!”

Great Sage Shi looked at him with a specious smile. “Yao Pei’s senior brother was also a Qi. We suspected that Qi Jianyuan was the accomplice.”

Qi Xuansu gave a dry cough, unsure of what to say. He remembered clearly that the first time he entered the Tianshui Core Tower, he had done so with Sun Hewu. Great Sage Shi could not possibly have been unaware of this, yet he did not mention Sun Hewu at all. He mentioned only Yao Pei. After all, Yao Pei was the mastermind, and she was not from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Great Sage Shi merely reminded Qi Xuansu that he was well aware of the incident while he was away. But he had no intention of revisiting old accounts and waved him away.

Great Sage Jiang and Great Sage Shi admired Qi Xuansu. The former represented the Grand Master lineage and upheld neutrality among the Three Sects. Although Qi Xuansu belonged to the Quanzhen Sect, his position as the successor was not as strong because Yao Pei came first.

From Qi Xuansu’s perspective, if he wished to surpass Yao Pei, he would have to find another path. Thus, his relationship with the Zhengyi Sect was also good, and he had not fallen into serious conflict with the Taiping Sect either. This aligned perfectly with the stance of the Grand Master’s lineage.

If Great Sage Jiang were forced to choose one among the Four Prodigies to be the Grand Master, he would undoubtedly choose Qi Xuansu because the other three had too strong of a factional backing.

Great Sage Shi favored Qi Xuansu because Qi Xuansu came from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, considering him family.

Qi Xuansu had no clan backing, and the Wanxiang Daoist Palace was his home. The Wanxiang Daoist Palace had nurtured countless Daoists. Once these Daoists rose to high positions, they would inevitably repay the institution that raised them. This was simply human nature. Some people, after achieving success, would renovate ancestral graves, rebuild ancestral halls, or construct bridges and roads for their hometowns. So those without parents expressed their gratitude to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Naturally, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace welcomed this and placed great importance on these disciples. In fact, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace had already formed a faction of its own. Fellow alumni often helped one another.

After obtaining the jade token from the Palace Master, Qi Xuansu went straight to Gen Garden.

There were a total of 81 library towers here. Every nine towers formed a circle, and nine such circles nested within one another. Thus, the farther outward the library towers were, the greater the distance between them, so much so that from the front, one could not tell they formed circles at all. Only from a high vantage point could the circular layout be discerned. The closer to the center, the smaller the gaps between the towers.

The innermost nine library towers were almost pressed together, with only narrow alleys separating them—nine alleys in total. These alleys were sealed by visible spells, forming crystalline, semi-transparent walls. If one approached, the Eight Trigrams and the yin-yang symbol would appear on them. Moreover, the 81 library towers themselves constituted a formation, forbidding all teleportation and flight within this area.

The Tianshui Core Tower stood at the very center of the circles. It had been constructed by the Confucian School back when the Wanxiang Daoist Palace was the Wanxiang Academy. All the books housed within were unique or fine copies, mostly schools of thought that the Confucians deemed unfit for circulation. In addition to Daoist works, there were texts from the Military School, the Agrarian School, the Yin-Yang School, the Legalist School, and even the Mohist School—the Confucians’ mortal enemy—all gathered by Confucian sages and stored here.

In the past, students of the academy were forbidden from setting foot inside. The rules within the library towers were even stricter. Without the authorization of the Grand Libationer, no books could be taken out, no copies could be made, and even viewing time was limited. Moreover, the books themselves were bound by Confucian restrictions. Without permission, it was impossible to remove a book from its shelf.

Later, the Daoist Order converted the Wanxiang Academy into the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and constructed the Upper Palace, relocating this library tower from the Lower Palace to Gen Garden. Many improvements were made thereafter. Formations were established within the tower, linking it to the Daoist Canon Office far away in Jade Capital. Moreover, with the Tianshui Core Tower as the center, the subsequent 81 library towers were constructed, forming a protective encirclement around it.

Sun Hewu had once told Qi Xuansu that because the sealing of the tower had been too sudden, the books inside were never relocated. Judging by the current situation, Great Sage Shi had already made the appropriate arrangements. What remained unchanged was that the collection itself had still not been moved.

Since the Tianshui Core Tower had such a long history and the Confucian School’s restrictions in the past had been so stringent, it was highly likely that there were various records concerning Ancient Wuism preserved within.

Great Sage Shi agreed to let Qi Xuansu browse the books inside because he was now a Sage. In the past, Qi Xuansu’s position had been too low, so he was not privy to certain secrets. Now, Qi Xuansu’s status was no longer what it had once been.

Take the matter of Chen Shuhua as an example. Ordinary Daoists only knew that she had betrayed the Daoist Order. But they knew nothing of the details like how she refined the Longevity Stone, how many people she killed, how she stole dragon qi, and how she colluded with two Ancient Immortals. This was what constituted classified information.

But Qi Xuansu had even handled Chen Shuhua’s case personally. He was also involved in the Wuxing Mountain operation and Izanagi’s incident, among other classified events. This showed his deep involvement and high clearance level. Thus, many things no longer needed to be kept secret from him.

This was the real reason Great Sage Shi agreed to grant him access.

It was much like certain forbidden erotic books. Children must not read them, as they would affect their minds and bodies, but adults could read them freely.