Chapter 120: The Grand Examination of the Ancestral Master
Qin Mu asked, puzzled: "The Ancestral Master has never had this thought?"
The young Ancestral Master was silent for a moment, then sighed: "I do. Your head stays on your neck for now—continue."
Qin Mu continued: "I observe the actions of the National Teacher of Yan Kang, and some of them align with the teachings of our Holy Cult. They are the ways of sages, applied for the common people. If our Holy Cult were to attach itself to the nation of Yan Kang, not only would we not decline like other sects, but we could grow and prosper. That is the first point."
He paused, then continued: "The elementary schools, academies, and the Grand Academy of the National Teacher of Yan Kang have flaws—great flaws. These flaws may not be visible in the short term, but within two to three hundred years, they will surely come to light."
The young Ancestral Master showed a look of curiosity: "What flaws?"
Qin Mu asked: "May I ask the Ancestral Master, how many of the scholars in the Grand Academy come from poor families?"
The young Ancestral Master smiled, clearly knowing what he was about to say: "One in ten."
Qin Mu continued: "In recent years, how many of the young officials of Yan Kang came from the Grand Academy?"
The young Ancestral Master said: "Seven out of ten came from the Grand Academy. The other old ministers came from various major sects, and some climbed up step by step."
"Based on my speculation, two hundred years from now, all officials in the realm will come from the Grand Academy, and among the Grand Academy's students, those from poor families will be one in a hundred—if that!"
Qin Mu saw the float sink, but instead of reeling in immediately, he waited a moment, then said: "Two hundred years from now, the poor will remain poor for life, and the rich will remain rich for life. Resentment will accumulate day by day and inevitably erupt. The wealthy aristocratic families will seize the opportunity to rise up and overthrow the court. That will be the time for our Holy Cult to unify the realm—an unstoppable tide that no one can resist, no one can block."
He lifted his rod. A large fish was hooked, but the fish's strength was immense. With a snap, the line broke, and the big fish plunged into the water and vanished.
The young Ancestral Master sneered: "You want to rebel, dragging our Holy Cult into injustice. I should cut off your head!"
Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then said: "Ancestral Master, don't be silly."
The young Ancestral Master was speechless. He too had a fish on his line—a small one—and he reeled it in with a single lift, saying: "Fine, let's talk business. Two hundred years from now, you make the Holy Cult into another Yan Kang. Then what? A great war will cleanse the realm, destroying the old aristocratic families, and then two hundred years later, new aristocratic families will form, and someone else will come to overthrow our Holy Cult's rule. How do you solve that?"
Qin Mu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "I haven't considered what happens after two hundred years. Please enlighten me, Ancestral Master."
The young Ancestral Master broke off a willow branch, threaded the fish through it, and stood up: "I can't see what happens after two hundred years either. Young Cult Master, at such a young age, you can already see two hundred years ahead—you are already a qualified Cult Master. You've passed. My thoughts differ from yours. What I think about is the doctrine of our Holy Cult."
Qin Mu's heart trembled slightly as he looked at this young old man.
The young Ancestral Master said leisurely: "The way of sages is no different from the daily needs of the common people. Anything that differs is heresy! Acting according to one's nature, following what is natural—that is called the Dao. When the National Teacher of Yan Kang rose to prominence, I sensed his grand ambition. He came to ask me about the Dao, and I told him this sentence from the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture. What he is doing now is exactly this sentence."
Qin Mu's soul was shaken. He bowed in reverence: "The Ancestral Master is wise and enlightened—already a sage. You want to subtly transform Yan Kang into the Holy Cult. If Yan Kang achieves the way of sages, then Yan Kang itself will be the Heavenly Sage Cult!"
The young Ancestral Master shook his head: "Neither Yan Kang nor the National Teacher can achieve the way of sages, and neither can I. As you said, within two hundred years, power and resources will be seized by aristocratic families. The poor will grow poorer, the rich richer. This is not the way of sages of our Heavenly Sage Cult. I wanted to influence the National Teacher of Yan Kang to influence Yan Kang itself, but now it seems I have already failed. I am old. This burden will be passed to you. What I can do for you is to hold the fort for a few years."
He carried the fish, his rod on his back, and Qin Mu followed behind him. The old man found a mountain hollow, and there—at this supreme sacred site in the hearts of all the people of Yan Kang—he set up a pot, added water and lit a fire, scaled and gutted the fish, and tossed it into the pot.
The young Ancestral Master looked at the water in the pot, then took some seasonings from his sleeve and sprinkled them in, saying: "In a few more months, I will resign from my position as Grand Sacrificial Official. I am old. In these last few years, I want to travel. There are many places in this world I have not yet visited. The Holy Cult will be handed to you. After I resign, I will preside over an enthronement ceremony. I want to see with my own eyes you becoming the Cult Master of the Holy Cult."
Qin Mu looked troubled: "I am still at the Five Luminary realm. Isn't it too early for me to take over the Holy Cult now? Will I be able to command respect?"
The young Ancestral Master gestured for him to sit. Qin Mu sat cross-legged before the pot just like him, inhaling the fragrance of the fish soup.
The young Ancestral Master said: "The Holy Cult is actually quite loose. The masters of the three hundred and sixty halls are scattered across the land, and the followers are spread throughout Yan Kang. Even the elders and heavenly kings rarely gather together. You can easily be a hands-off Cult Master. And if worst comes to worst, am I not still alive? As long as I live, no one dares to touch you—not even the National Teacher of Yan Kang."
Qin Mu's heart stirred, and he probed: "The National Teacher of Yan Kang should want to control our Holy Cult, right?"
"Of course he does. But you can put his mind at ease."
The young Ancestral Master tasted the fish soup, felt it wasn't ready yet, and continued adding firewood: "You must understand, you are young and your cultivation is low. He won't take you seriously. He will think he can control you. If he can achieve the way of sages, then letting him control you and the Holy Cult is no great matter. If he cannot, then you take his place."
He spoke as if it were a trivial matter—yet this very matter was the great affair of changing dynasties!
Qin Mu tasted the fish soup, finding it delicious and refreshing, and couldn't help but praise it.
Suddenly, something occurred to him. He quickly said: "Ancestral Master, is the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture missing its cultivation method? In my days of study and contemplation, I have not found in the scripture a method that can unify all other techniques."
The young Ancestral Master reached into the air and grabbed—from who knows where—two bowls and a ladle. Qin Mu took them and began to serve the soup.
That spell of grabbing from the air was recorded in the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture. It was called the Five Ghosts Transport Technique, capable of stealing things from afar without anyone knowing.
"The unifying method of the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture is passed only to the Cult Master, handed down from Holy Cult Master to Holy Cult Master."
The young Ancestral Master took a sip of the fish soup, let out a satisfied breath, and said: "Everything in the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture can be passed on to others, except the unifying method, which only the Cult Master may cultivate. When you are enthroned as Holy Cult Master, Li Tianxing will pass it to you."
Qin Mu was stunned. Hadn't the previous Cult Master Li Tianxing already died?
But from the young Ancestral Master's tone, it sounded like Li Tianxing was still alive.
He drank the fish soup, finding it more and more delicious, and quickly asked: "Ancestral Master, what kind of fish is this?"
The young Ancestral Master said: "The aura of nine dragons gathers here, forming this lake. The fish absorb the dragon aura, so they are called Nine Dragon Crucian Carp. This fish is all hard bones with little meat—good only for stewing, but the stew tastes especially fine."
Qin Mu mused: "Is the Ancestral Master telling me to be a Nine Dragon Crucian Carp with hard bones?"
The young Ancestral Master shot him a glare: "Overthinking it, aren't you? Why would anyone want to be a fish instead of a human? Do you want to be stewed? I was just craving the taste, so I brought you here to drink fish soup."
Qin Mu was deeply embarrassed. It seemed the old man really was just craving fish soup.
The two sat there, slowly sipping the fish soup, enjoying themselves.
Qin Mu took a fish bone and drew on the ground, sketching the Six Harmonies realm circulation chart of the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Technique. He said: "Ancestral Master, I saw this circulation chart in the Qingyang Hall, but there was no preceding section. May I ask if you have seen the first part of this chart?"
The young Ancestral Master looked closely, surprised: "Why do you want the circulation chart of this technique? Do you recognize it?"
Qin Mu nodded: "This is the Six Harmonies realm circulation chart of the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Technique."
The young Ancestral Master's expression turned strange: "Even I don't know this is the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Technique. Who told you?"
"The Village Chief told me."
The young Ancestral Master was stunned for a moment, then sighed with deep emotion: "That old fellow is still one step ahead of me after all. I couldn't recognize this technique or know its name, but he could. Impressive. So this technique is called the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Technique—that old man truly is knowledgeable. This circulation chart, I found it in an ancient ruin. Besides this chart, there were several other fragmentary charts. I saw that the cultivation mysteries in the chart were vast and profound, extraordinary in their subtlety, so I memorized it and carved it into the Qingyang Hall. The techniques in the Qingyang Hall are all fragments, and this chart is the finest among them."
He paused, then said: "Is this the technique you cultivate?"
Qin Mu nodded: "I have cultivated the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Technique since childhood."
The young Ancestral Master hesitated for a moment: "Strictly speaking, you should cultivate the unifying method of our Holy Cult. But that old fellow from your village had you cultivate this Overlord Body Three Elixirs Technique—there must be a reason. He is profoundly knowledgeable, and yet he did not pass on his own technique to you. This shows that the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Technique surpasses even his own. Good techniques always share common principles. Why not cultivate both? It might even aid your practice."
Qin Mu acknowledged this, saying: "I have not found the first part of the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Technique. Without the Five Luminary realm method, I cannot continue cultivating."