Imperial Cultivation

44: Chapter 42 True One

44 -42 True One

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Gao Lingfeng entered with four clerks carrying several black boxes.

Square boxes made of black iron, each one meter in length and width, dark as pitch, exuding a sense of solidity and weightiness.

They made several trips in and out, bringing in a total of thirteen boxes.

Accompanying them was a middle-aged man with a long, horse-like face and another with a round face.

The middle-aged man with the long face had small but energetic eyes, wore a fawning smile upon entering, cupping his fists and bowing, “Princely Heir.”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, “Master Ma, thank you for your trouble.”

“It is my honor to be of service to the Princely Heir!” Ma Tianhe wore a fawning smile, blooming like a chrysanthemum.

Beside him, the round-faced middle-aged man was quite reserved, merely cupping his fists in greeting without uttering a word.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slightly without speaking further, stepping closer to this pile of secret boxes to take a look.

Ma Tianhe and the round-faced middle-aged man each took out a long key, simultaneously inserting them into the slots, and opened these black iron boxes one by one.

Zou Fang handed each dossier to him, and he quickly browsed through them.

After reading each one, he placed it on the desk.

After finishing all the dossiers in the boxes, Ma Tianhe neatly organized them, placed them back into the sealed boxes, and he and the round-faced middle-aged man closed the boxes, inserting the keys and twisting them in reverse, sealing them completely.

Chu Zhiyuan went through all the dossiers one by one, closed his eyes for a thoughtful moment, then nodded with satisfaction and nodded at Ma Tianhe and the round-faced middle-aged man.

The two of them instructed the clerks who followed them to start moving the sealed dossier boxes back out.

After sending Ma Tianhe and the round-faced middle-aged man away, Chu Zhiyuan paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back.

…

The previous generation’s Sect Hierarch of the Thick Earth Sect had two sons, Feng Yan and Feng Chang.

Both sons were prodigious talents of their time, highly gifted, and each preached in different regions.

On his deathbed, the old Sect Hierarch’s younger son, Feng Chang, failed to return in time, with only the elder son, Feng Yan, by his side.

Thus, he passed the position of Sect Hierarch to Feng Yan.

This Feng Yan became the Sect Hierarch of this generation.

The younger son, Feng Chang, was actually ambushed by assassins hired by Feng Yan with silver from the Biluo Building midway, sustaining serious injuries that nearly cost him his life.

By the time Feng Chang dragged his severely injured body back, the dust had settled, and the new Sect Hierarch had already ascended.

Feng Yan assumed the Sect Hierarch position, while Feng Chang became an Elder.

Feng Chang, with his astonishing talent, held a high prestige within the sect,

which naturally made Sect Hierarch Feng Yan uneasy.

He constantly sought ways to undermine his prestige and power, which eventually provoked Feng Chang into stealing the Earth Dragon Pearl and disappearing.

Even without the Earth Dragon Pearl, the Thick Earth Sect did not decline; it grew even stronger.

A hundred years later, today, the Earth Dragon Pearl has resurfaced.

The Thick Earth Sect immediately began its pursuit to recover it.

Despite having just passed through the hands of the Great Grandmaster of the Flying Flower Sword Sect, they did not abandon their pursuit, trying every possible means to reclaim it.

These were all records from the Inspection Department.

The ownership of the Earth Dragon Pearl is indeed troublesome.

The Earth Dragon Pearl is one of the symbols of a Sect Hierarch, theoretically it should be returned, but of course, one could negotiate certain benefits when returning it.

However, it was Feng Chang who stole it, and ultimately, someone coincidentally stumbled upon it.

It’s already a step removed, not something they stole, merely a fortunate encounter, and since Feng Chang noted it should be left for a destined person, there’s no need to return it to the Thick Earth Sect.

Each has their own reasoning, depending on which side one stands.

…

The Inspection Department’s dossiers also noted the daily interactions of key disciples from the Thick Earth Sect, and who they have close relations with.

It reveals that the high-ranking members of the Thick Earth Sect have close interactions with the high-ranking members of the Court, the cause being the Prince Huai’s mansion.

The daughter of the Sect Hierarch of the Thick Earth Sect is favored by Prince Huai, often by his side, and by extension, is also favored by the Thick Earth Sect.

It’s said she might become a Concubine of Prince Huai.

Those officials closely connected with Prince Huai naturally have a good relationship with the Thick Earth Sect and frequently communicate.

Apart from the officials aligned with Prince Huai, the Thick Earth Sect also maintains good relations with the Four Great Sects, with many disciples from the Thick Earth Sect having friendships with those from the Four Great Sects.

Chu Zhiyuan seemed to see a vast web.

Unbeknownst, the Thick Earth Sect has woven a vast net, encompassing both court officials and the Four Great Sects.

Chu Zhiyuan grew even more curious.

Did the two disciples from the Thick Earth Sect cripple the disciples of the Flying Flower Sword Sect to force them to return the Earth Dragon Pearl, or was it to undermine the Flying Flower Sword Sect’s prestige?

Unfortunately, the dossiers did not contain more details about the Earth Dragon Pearl, only that it was one of the Sect Hierarch’s symbols, without mentioning its wondrous properties.

Now it’s known as a valuable aid for cultivation, a significant treasure for the Thick Earth Sect, more than just a Sect Hierarch’s symbol.

A genius like Feng Zhihao, with the assistance of the Earth Dragon Pearl, would undoubtedly progress by leaps and bounds, especially after being defeated by himself, Feng Zhihao would likely desire the Earth Dragon Pearl even more.

The Thick Earth Sect will certainly not let this go.

On one hand, they may directly coerce, and on the other hand, they may attempt to exert pressure on the Flying Flower Sword Sect through the Court or the Four Great Sects.

If the Flying Flower Sword Sect can withstand this time, can they withstand the next?

If Song Feiqiong knew all these, would she still take action?

The Earth Dragon Pearl, everything is because of this Earth Dragon Pearl.

Indeed, treasures will provoke stormy battles.

He pondered and pondered, and suddenly a peculiar intuition emerged within him, that this Earth Dragon Pearl could be very useful to him.

He was instantly invigorated.

He possessed both the Earth Origin and Heavenly Yuan Techniques, the Earth Dragon Pearl should not be of much use to him, so why such a peculiar intuition?

Trusting his intuition, he developed a desire to see this Earth Dragon Pearl for himself.

…

“Master!” Gao Lingfeng called out from outside the room.

“Come in,” Chu Zhiyuan replied.

Gao Lingfeng entered, carrying a dossier sealed in wax, presenting it with both hands, “This is an official letter transferred from the Military Suppression Department.”

Zou Fang stepped forward to receive it, opened and inspected it, and then presented this stack of correspondence to Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan accepted and reviewed them one by one; a total of thirteen testimonies, in addition to four people who were arrested, there were eyewitnesses from that time.

The accounts of these thirteen individuals documented everything that transpired back then in detail, including every sentence that was asked.

Through these records, the scene at the time was vividly reconstructed.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

According to what was written, it was indeed the disciples of the Thick Earth Sect who provoked first, but it didn’t seem inappropriate.

After all, anyone in that situation wouldn’t be able to hold back their anger, feeling as if they had been cuckolded, who can endure that?

It even mentioned the Earth Dragon Pearl, although not by name, calling the Flying Flower Sword Sect thieves over it.

This implies it wasn’t to undermine the Flying Flower Sword Sect’s reputation but for the Earth Dragon Pearl.

That’s a bit more reassuring.

In the thirteen testimonies, the Military Suppression Department specifically inquired about the disciples of the Four Great Sects, none of the thirteen saw any disciples of the Four Great Sects in the Treasure Pavilion.

This preliminary indicates there are no traces of the Four Great Sects behind this.

Thus, it is purely a struggle over the Earth Dragon Pearl.

This relieved him somewhat, avoiding a confrontation between Song Feiqiong and the Four Great Sects, and avoiding a violent upheaval within the Court.

If there were personal vendettas among the Great Grandmasters, the impact would be too large and far-reaching.

Now that it’s clear this is only a dispute over the Earth Dragon Pearl, it becomes more manageable.

He thought for a moment, then took his seat behind the desk, and asked Zou Fang to grind some ink.

Picking up the pen, he effortlessly wrote out a few sheets, dried them, and sealed them with wax.

Finally, handing them to Gao Lingfeng, he said, “Master Gao, present my report to the Junior Minister.”

“Understood.” Gao Lingfeng nodded solemnly, accepting the envelope, cupping his fist and departing.

Chu Zhiyuan sighed with relief.

Involving a Great Grandmaster, as just a Junior Minister, he couldn’t act on his own accord.

Having clarified the ins and outs of this matter and presented it to his superior, he had fulfilled his duty as a Junior Minister.

He left the Ministry of Rites office with his hands behind his back, casually strolling, and found himself on an unfamiliar street.

Sanfu Street.

The disciples of the Flying Flower Sword Sect were temporarily residing here.

On his way here, Chu Zhiyuan took a detour to come near the site where the teaching altar of the True Unity Sect was located.

He always wanted to figure out whether these sects secretly practiced the Incense Fire Path, potentially violating the Court’s taboos.

The teaching altar of the True Unity Sect was a large compound, no less expansive than the Thick Earth Hall, bustling with people.

The followers revered the one true Great Dao.

The ultimate unity of all things in heaven and earth.

The True Unity Sect pursued the eternal Way, the true origin of all things, the one that gave birth to two, two to three, and three to all things.

Everything in the world is merely a facade, and to find the true one, one must discard appearances, return to the essence, and seek the purest, truest one within the essence.

And the method of pursuing the true one is through the Observation Method.

Taking the Bright Moon as its spiritual focus, observing the present, observing the sea of consciousness, observing the soul, thereby peeling away the facade layer by layer to unveil the myriad phenomena, finally seeing the singular one.

And this method of observation involved the visualization of a Bright Moon as the spiritual focus.

Within that teaching altar, a Bright Moon was enshrined.

What Chu Zhiyuan saw was a Bright Moon identical to the one in the night sky.