The Quest for Immortality

Elder Shen remained silent, his expression solemn as he spoke indifferently:

”Our Qian Taoist Sect has developed from a minor sect into what it is today by virtue of our sect’s Taoist lineage and many disciples of extraordinary talent.”

”Spiritual Roots determine the talent of a disciple, the upper limit of their Tao cultivation...”

”A fine horse deserves a fine saddle, a precious sword belongs to the hero.”

”As Qian Taoist Sect is a top-tier sect, naturally, we also need disciples of top-tier talent.”

”Only the prodigies with superior grade Spiritual Roots are worthy of Qian Taoist Sect.”

”I do not understand what impropriety there is in this action that has caused Elder Zheng such distress, to utter such ’heretical and perverse’ words?”

Elder Zheng sneered and retorted, ”How many of our Qian Taoist Sect’s ancestors possessed superior grade Spiritual Roots?”

”Upper-middle, lower-upper, and even lower-middle grade ones existed...”

”By that logic, do our Qian Taoist Sect’s ancestors also not qualify to be disciples of our sect?”

Elder Shen frowned, ”You’re twisting the facts to suit your argument!”

He paced back and forth in anger before he finally said:

”Times were different then, the Great Dao evolves, what was cannot be compared to what is now, nowadays, cultivators with upper-grade Spiritual Roots are commonplace, so why can’t we...”

Elder Zheng questioned, ”Commonplace? Who is commonplace?”

Elder Shen was taken aback.

Elder Zheng’s gaze was sharp, ”Upper-grade Spiritual Roots are commonplace among Noble Clans, among ancestral families! Not among all cultivators of the world!”

Elder Zheng uttered word by word, ”Not among all cultivators of the world!”

”You’ve forgotten your roots!”

Elder Shen’s gaze flickered, and he remained silent.

Elder Zheng, though agitated, gradually calmed himself and slowly began:

”Our Qian Taoist Sect’s ancestors, when they established our sect amidst hardships, was it just for its expansion?”

”Yes!”

”But after its expansion, for what purpose?”

”To make us seek fame and profit, to rest on our laurels?”

”No!”

”It was to establish our sect and spread Taoist teachings, to disseminate Taoist skills across the world — this is the ’Qian Dao’!”

Elder Zheng’s voice trembled, ”The foundation of our Qian Taoist Sect is ’to establish the sect and spread the teachings’ ah...”

”To whom do we spread the teachings? To all cultivators of the world!”

”Only when we disseminate our teachings to all can Qian Taoist Sect have a foundation and a future; otherwise, merely expanding and pursuing private interests, no matter how wealthy and powerful our Qian Taoist Sect becomes, it will just be a tree without roots, a castle in the sky!”

Elder Shen was impassive, ”Elder Zheng, what you’re saying doesn’t contradict what I am doing...”

Elder Zheng looked at him, his gaze filled with extreme disappointment.

Elder Shen continued, ”The crux of the matter is, our Qian Taoist Sect can only teach a portion of cultivators, it’s not truly possible to spread the teachings to all cultivators of the world...”

”Since that’s the case, we should first teach the geniuses, then expand outward, seeking the welfare of the world.”

”Superior grade Spiritual Roots, that’s what constitutes a genius...”

Elder Zheng’s gaze was penetrating, ”What is a genius?”

Elder Shen was again startled.

Elder Zheng scoffed, ”Superior grade Spiritual Roots make a genius? What utter nonsense!”

”The truly talented are those who harbor aspirations for the world!”

”What kind of people is our Qian Taoist Sect fostering?”

”Geniuses who are cold and arrogant, seeking benefits only for themselves?”

”Kindered spirit with the world? Do they understand that; do they even know what the world is? Do they know the life cultivators of the world lead?”

”Their eyes only look to the skies, only caring for themselves; will they notice the dust at their feet?”

Elder Shen frowned, ”This has nothing to do with Spiritual Roots...”

Elder Zheng nodded, ”Indeed, originally this has nothing to do with Spiritual Roots, but...”

He pointed at Elder Shen and said, ”Are you not clear on what the Noble Clans have been doing?”

Elder Shen’s face twitched, a hint of ferocity showing through.

Yet Elder Zheng continued:

”What a scheme of Spiritual Root inheritance...”

”Noble Clans intermarry, their Spiritual Roots improving generation by generation.”

”Those of the lower echelons, to merely find sustenance and survive is already difficult, let alone Spiritual Roots?”

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”Give it a few hundred or a thousand years, the descendants of Noble Clans will all have upper or even superior grade Spiritual Roots.”

”The lower cultivators will only be fit to have middle-grade, or even inferior grade Spiritual Roots.”

”Quite the tactic...”

Elder Zheng’s voice carried a bone-chilling coldness, ”Then, we sects, with our Spiritual Root gatekeeping, all future admissions will be upper-grade Spiritual Root holders, all will be descendants of Noble Clans!”

”Those lower-class cultivators, born in poverty, they do not deserve to study, do not deserve inheritance!”

”In this world where cultivation is pursued for eternal life, they are only fit to toil away their hundred years of life!”

Elder Shen was furious, ”Nonsense!”

His gaze grew sharp, his tone cold, ”Are you implying, Elder Zheng, that those of Noble Clan descent are all selfish and self-serving, lacking in a sense of duty toward the world?”

”As I recall, you yourself, Elder Zheng, are also of Noble Clan descent, aren’t you?”

Elder Zheng replied, ”Human nature is independent of one’s background...”

”Of Noble Clan descent, naturally, there are those who bear aspirations for the world;”

”Of lower-class background, there are also those who are opportunistic and sycophantic;”

”But this nature of good and evil is disconnected from the cold reality of social stratification. While there may be some variations, the fundamentals do not change.”

”Those of Noble Clan descent naturally protect the interests of their clans;”

”Only those from the lower echelons, who have tasted hardship and witnessed the suffering of Loose Cultivators, might possibly think of protecting the interests of the world, of those without influence among the Loose Cultivators.”

”Today, our grand Qian Taoist Sect, a convergence of the world’s Taoist heritage, seeks private interests for Noble Clans and families, monopolizing Taoist knowledge, betraying the founding principles of the sect, failing the teachings of our ancestors!”

Elder Shen was unmoved, deflecting the issue, ”Elder Zheng, you are causing unnecessary alarm; the growth of Qian Taoist Sect until now shows that our dissemination of teachings is effective...”

”Effective?” Elder Zheng’s face showed anger, ”Our Qian Taoist Sect, no, the whole Qian Xue State Boundary, what are we teaching now?”