A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu had just turned 30.

Back in the 41st year of the Jiushi Era, he had been 25 years old and a seventh-rank Daoist who had arrived alone in Jade Capital, where he joined the Tiangang Hall and began his ascent within the Daoist Order.

Now, in the 45th year of the Jiushi Era, Qi Xuansu had become a second-rank Taiyi Daoist and firmly established himself among the upper echelons of the Daoist order, with a faction of his own.

Qi Xuansu had advanced five ranks in 5 years, nearly one rank per year. Such a rate of promotion was truly astonishing within the Daoist Order.

If Qi Xuansu could successfully enter the Nine Halls next year and assume the position of Chief Deputy Hall Master, it would mean that he stood a chance of becoming an Omniscient Sage before the age of 40, making him the youngest Omniscient Sage in the entire Daoist Order.

There were still two major thresholds to cross from Mansion Master to Hall Master, and then to Hall Master of one of the Three Great Halls. Even if it took ten years to cross one threshold, it should not be overly difficult to become the Hall Master of one of the Three Great Halls by 60.

By any measure, Qi Xuansu would be a strong contender for the position of eighth-generation Grand Master.

Although, in theory, any Omniscient Sage was qualified to compete for the position of Grand Master, the candidates were almost always drawn from among the Three Great Hall Masters. Nearly every Grand Master had presided over one of the Three Great Halls. Some had even rotated through all of them.

At 30, it was typical for one to establish a family and career.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu’s marriage was set. All that remained was for both of them to return to Jade Capital for their wedding ceremony. Qi Xuansu would return as early as next year, while Zhang Yuelu might be a bit later, perhaps by half a year or a full year.

However, given their circumstances, even after becoming Daoist companions, they were destined to spend little time together. If they were both stationed in Jade Capital, they could still live together. But once Qi Xuansu took up a post as a Mansion Master, they would then be separated across vast distances.

This was the downside of being evenly matched, as neither could truly yield their career for the other.

Due to this, many high-ranking Daoists simply married partners of lower standing so that wherever they went, their Daoist companions would follow.

Zhang Yuelu was only a year younger than Qi Xuansu. In an ordinary household where girls married at 14, Zhang Yuelu would already be considered an old spinster at 29 years old.

However, within the Daoist Order, this was hardly considered a major issue. There had even been absurd cases of people marrying only after reaching 100 years old. Or rather, for Daoists, whose minimum lifespan was 100 years, deciding the course of the next several decades at the very beginning of life was an irresponsible thing to do.

Last year, Qi Xuansu absorbed the Xuan Jade of Life and successfully advanced to the Zaohua stage.

When Qi Xuansu first entered the Wuliang stage, seven totem pillars were lit. The Wu Yang, Wu Xian, Wu Xiang, and Wu Luo totems were at the sixth level; the Wu Zhen and Wu Gu totems halted at the fifth level; only the Wu Peng totem rose to the seventh level.

This meant that Qi Xuansu was at the Rogue Cultivator’s Wuliang stage, the Banished Immortal’s Xiaoyao stage, the Diviner’s Guizhen stage, and the Shaman’s Xiaoyao stage.

Among these, his Martial Arts Practitioner lineage was simultaneously influenced by the Wu Xiang and Wu Gu totems, so it was also at the Wuliang stage. Although the Qi Refiner lineage was also influenced by the Wu Xiang totem, Wu Xiang leaned more heavily toward the Martial Arts Practitioner lineage, so his Qi Refiner lineage failed to reach the Wuliang stage and remained at the Xiaoyao stage.

After Qi Xuansu absorbed the Xuan Jade of Death, the Wu Zhen totem rose to the sixth level, while the Wu Lu totem rose from zero to the sixth level in one leap.

As a result, Qi Xuansu’s Diviner lineage leaped directly from the Guizhen stage to the Wuliang stage, skipping the Xiaoyao stage altogether.

Since the Wu Lu totem also corresponded to the Shaman lineage, its rise to the sixth level benefited that lineage as well. However, Qi Xuansu’s Shaman lineage had not yet reached the Wuliang stage.

The Wu Peng totem, corresponding to the Rogue Cultivator lineage, also rose by half a level, entering a bottleneck, just one final step short.

In addition, the Wu Yang totem, corresponding to the Banished Immortal lineage, also made progress. However, for the Banished Immortal lineage to advance, at least three lineages had to be at the Wuliang stage, but one was still missing.

The last Xuan Jade of Death acted like a foundation. On the surface, its impact did not seem great, yet it was indispensable. Without a solid foundation, no tall building could be raised. This new Xuan Jade of Life was that tall building.

The Wu Gu totem rose to the eighth level, while the Wu Fan totem, which previously had no mark at all, rose to the fifth level. This brought Qi Xuansu’s Martial Arts Practitioner lineage into the Zaohua stage.

The Wu Luo totem rose to the seventh level and, under the influence of the Wu Fan totem, finally allowed his Shaman lineage to advance into the Wuliang stage.

Qi Xuansu was familiar with the Shattered Void Realm of Martial Arts Practitioners and the Heaven-Earth Manifesting Realm of Shamans because he had experienced them through the Scripture of Zuriel.

Coupled with the Diviner lineage, which had previously already advanced to the Wuliang stage, Qi Xuansu finally met the conditions for the Banished Immortal lineage to advance. As a result, the Wu Yang totem rose to the seventh level, signifying that the Banished Immortal lineage had entered the Wuliang stage’s Three Flowers Gathering Realm.

In this realm, the range of application for one’s true essence became far broader. Thus, the number of perfected methods one could learn increased. One would also gain the Joyous Cloud Shield, which was capable of defending against the vast majority of attacks.

As a result, the Qi Refiner lineage fell behind at the Xiaoyao stage because the Wu Xian totem remained at the sixth level.

However, the Wu Peng totem corresponding to the Rogue Cultivator lineage reached the eighth level, which was the Zaohua stage’s Liberation Realm.

In summary, Qi Xuansu’s Martial Arts Practitioner and Rogue Cultivator lineages were both at the Zaohua stage.

The Martial Arts Practitioner’s Shattered Void Realm was an ultimate offensive method. However, this realm spanned the Zoahua stage, the Pseudo-Immortal stage, and the Immortal stage. At present, Qi Xuansu was still only at the early phase of the Shattered Void Realm, able merely to shake the void, but not yet shatter it completely.

The Rogue Cultivator’s Liberation Realm allowed one to condense an external incarnation, which had many uses. However, it relied on external objects as an anchor and could not compare to the Banished Immortal’s Three Corpses Severance Realm. After all, the Rogue Cultivator lineage mainly existed to pave the way for manmade Banished Immortals. Viewed on its own, it felt incomplete, so the presence of certain flaws and gaps was only natural.

In any case, Qi Xuansu had finally reached the Zaohua stage. His cultivation now matched the authority he wielded.

Over the following year, Qi Xuansu began cultivating the pseudo-ascension method taught by the Heavenly Preceptor. However, with so many affairs occupying him over the past year, he did not rush to head for the Lingshan Paradise.

No one knew what the situation inside Lingshan Paradise was like now. If Qi Xuansu were unable to come out for a time, it would be troublesome if no one could find him. Once exposed, he would be charged with dereliction of duty.

There was an even worse possibility, that Qi Xuansu might accidentally be trapped inside. After all, the Lingshan Paradise was on the brink of collapse, so nothing that happened within it would be surprising.

Thus, Qi Xuansu needed to make thorough preparations before entering the Lingshan Paradise.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu was in the Tianfu Palace.

The Nanyang United Trading Company’s shareholders’ meeting had concluded the day before yesterday. Today, Chen Shuwen was here negotiating business with a group of Western merchants.

Ordinarily, routine business did not require Qi Xuansu’s personal involvement, as Chen Shuwen could handle it himself. But today’s business was different. It was an arms deal.

With the three kingdoms at war, the consumption of military equipment was astonishing. When logistics and supply could not keep up, the Westerners began purchasing firearms from the Poluo Daoist Mansion due to its proximity.

The Poluo Daoist Mansion specifically sought instructions from the Golden Tower Council on this matter. The Golden Tower Council gave its approval because money like this would be wasted if it were not earned.

Thus, the Poluo Daoist Mansion joined forces with the Nanting Protectorate to refurbish certain decommissioned old weapons and sell them to the Westerners at a markup.

If it were a time of peace, the Westerners, whose firearms technology did not lag behind that of the Daoist Order, would certainly have looked down on such secondhand goods. But now, with the war raging and military demands urgent, beggars could not be choosers, allowing the Daoist Mansion to reap enormous profits.

However, matters like this still required a degree of outward discretion. It was inconvenient for the Daoist Mansion to act directly, so the task was handed to the semi-private Nanyang United Trading Company. In name, it was the Company that sold the weapons.

Across the table, Chen Shuwen was negotiating the details with the representative of the West Shakya Company. Today, he was the one truly in charge. Xie Jiaofeng was by his side, while Qi Xuansu was responsible only for giving the final approval.

It was at this moment that Chen Jianchou and Han Yongfeng arrived.

In a low voice, Chen Jianchou asked the two Daoists guarding the door, “Is the Chief Deputy here?”

The Daoist replied softly. “Yes, he’s inside discussing business.”

Chen Jianchou hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should go in.

Fortunately, Qi Xuansu had already heard Chen Jianchou’s voice and spoke up, “Is that Chou Zheng? Come in.”

Hearing his courtesy name, Chen Jianchou hurried inside. By now, the relationship between the two had reached a point where formalities were unnecessary. After all, they saw each other every day.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu was merely sitting on a chair by the wall with his eyes closed, resting his mind without participating in the discussion. Hearing Chen Jianchou enter, he asked, “How is the situation?”

Chen Jianchou answered in a low voice, “Terrible. I made a rough estimate. The actual numbers may be more than double.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Xuansu opened his eyes. There was little expression on his face as he said, “Alright.”

Chen Jianchou said nothing further.

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment, then instructed, “Write up the specific situation in a formal memorandum. I’ll find a time to deliver it to the Mansion Master.”

Chen Jianchou bowed and replied, “Yes, sir.”

He then remembered something else. “Oh, right. Second Deputy Zhang said she would come by. She should be arriving soon.”