Chapter 751: Knowing the 'Rules'

Chapter 752: Understanding the 'Rules'

The Immortal Gate Conference began and concluded as scheduled.

Elderly and experienced high-ranking officials, including Lin Daoming, the Immortal Affairs Hall Master, Gongye Zhixu, the Vice Hall Master, and Wang Shuye, a member of the Kaiyuan Hall's Rotating Committee, all announced their retirement during this conference.

Ying Guanghua, the Righteous Law Hall Master, was elected as the new Immortal Affairs Hall Master through a vote by over three hundred members of the Kaiyuan Hall.

Narcissus, the former Vice Hall Master of the Righteous Law Hall, was promoted to become the new Righteous Law Hall Master.

Qi Yuheng, the Kaiyuan Hall Master, was re-elected, maintaining his position.

Following the three Hall Masters were the three Vice Hall Masters.

Bo Xiangqian, the Minister of the Finance Department, with his background from the Butian Daoist Academy and extensive experience, defeated three competitors to become the Immortal Affairs Hall Vice Hall Master with 86 votes.

Gongsun Jielu, the former Head of the Law Enforcement Department, was promoted to Vice Hall Master of the Righteous Law Hall, receiving 76 affirmative votes.

Ye Yun'e, the Kaiyuan Hall Vice Hall Master, was also re-elected.

The positions of the three Hall Masters and their Vice Hall Masters were thus finalized after a vote by all members of the Kaiyuan Hall.

Next came a new round of personnel transfers within the three halls, which fell under the authority of the respective Hall Masters. Soon, a series of appointments and transfers appeared on the Immortal Gate's official website for public knowledge.

In the past, such announcements would have caused a significant stir among the populace, as these changes were closely related to their lives. However, this time, the Immortal Gate public's attention was entirely captivated by one particular event: Chen Mobai and Wenren Xuewei had both mastered "Void Walking" at the Core Formation stage!

It was this event that popularized the term "Void Walking" among the three hundred million cultivators of the Immortal Gate. After learning the immense significance of mastering Void Walking at the Core Formation stage, discussions and speculations about the two individuals' talents became the hottest topic on the internet during that period.

Most people no longer doubted their potential for Soul Transformation. However, a small minority of "sober" pessimists believed that Chen Mobai should first achieve Nascent Soul. After all, Wenren Xuewei had cultivated the Evergreen Cultivation Method, making her breakthrough to Nascent Soul a certainty. But Chen Mobai's path was not yet guaranteed! Talent was one thing, but if it wasn't realized, it would ultimately just lead to a forgotten grave.

The history of the Immortal Gate recorded a Void Spirit Body who also mastered Void Walking at the Core Formation stage but became stuck at the Core Formation Perfection realm. He never achieved Nascent Soul throughout his life and died in regret. These "sober" individuals used this example to express their pessimism about Chen Mobai's future. Although they were quickly flooded with tens of thousands of critical comments online, their warnings did make people aware of that genius, Lan Ding, a graduate of the Kunpeng Daoist Academy, who had failed to realize his Void Spirit Body talent. He was once hailed as a genius with Soul Transformation potential, regarded as the second Ancestor Yuanyang. Unfortunately, his journey ended prematurely, stopping just before the Nascent Soul stage.

Chen Mobai, however, paid no mind to these discussions. But his daughter, Chen Xiaohei, was displeased. She spent her days online, anonymously engaging in arguments with these self-proclaimed "sober" netizens on his behalf.

"Dad, you don't know how disgusting these people are. They keep bringing up Lan Ding's ending every day, wishing you'd end up like him too. It must be people from Kunpeng Daoist Academy stirring trouble…" Chen Mobai was on the phone with his daughter, chatting about family matters, in the Immortal Welcoming Hotel.

"There's no need to care about them," Chen Mobai said. "You can't silence everyone. Even if I reach Nascent Soul, they'll still say 'just a Nascent Soul, not as good as Ancestor Yuanyang'…" When he was younger, Chen Mobai was also an active internet user and understood the nature of such people; there were always some who liked to take contrarian stances to highlight their uniqueness and perceived clear-headedness.

"Hmph, just wait until you become one of the three Hall Masters, Dad! Then I'll see who dares to say such things!" Chen Xiaohei retorted angrily, eliciting a silent chuckle from Chen Mobai.

"Alright, don't dwell on these things. I'll be back soon. This New Year, let's take the family to visit your grandparents…"

"Okay, Dad. Mom will definitely be very happy."

After finishing the call with his daughter, Chen Mobai gently put down the phone, a soft smile on his face. He then checked the time, changed his clothes, and after a brief wait, departed with Wenren Xuewei for an appointment. Venerable Yunhai was set to leave the Wangwu Grotto-heaven tomorrow and had invited them for a farewell meal. Yan Qiongzhi personally came to pick them up.

The meal was a pleasant affair, enjoyed by both hosts and guests. No specific agreements were reached, but at the very least, future public servants from the Natural Learning Palace who wished to align with either of their factions would no longer face direct refusal from Wenren Xuewei, unlike before.

"While power is sometimes important, at its root, the Immortal Gate's ultimate authority lies with the Soul Transformation Ancestors," Venerable Yunhai, a gentle and scholarly-looking middle-aged man, said, offering a rare piece of wisdom to Chen Mobai and Wenren Xuewei. "The current Immortal Gate and its era of peace exist solely because 'rules' are necessary. Therefore, you two must not become obsessed with power games; you should prioritize improving yourselves."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai sighed faintly. "Venerable speaks wisely, but in my 'Dance Artifact' lineage, I am the only one capable of stepping forward now, which is why I had no choice but to enter public service." He was known in the Immortal Gate for his ascetic persona, returning to his hometown after graduation and only moving from his spiritual vein cultivation every ten years for official reporting.

"Ah, that is indeed true," Venerable Yunhai mused. "Perhaps the Butian and Kunpeng lineages also recognized this and therefore tried every means to compel you into office. After all, your cultivation speed is remarkably fast, and they are somewhat fearful that you might suddenly achieve Nascent Soul, thereby disrupting the current structure." These words from Venerable Yunhai seemed to contradict his Kunpeng affiliation, but at his level of cultivation, he was already considered one of the Immortal Gate's unspoken rulers and truly had no need for such considerations.

"Reaching Nascent Soul isn't that easy," Chen Mobai sighed again. "If only I cultivated the Evergreen Cultivation Method." Wenren Xuewei, listening beside him, smiled faintly without speaking. She simply handed the freshly brewed tea to Yan Qiongzhi, who then delivered a cup to Venerable Yunhai and one to Chen Mobai.

"Nevertheless, it's good that you entered service early. Since you cultivate the Pure Yang Scroll, only the three Nascent Soul spiritual medicines from the Three Halls are beneficial to you. You need to accumulate work experience in worldly affairs. Moreover, if you truly achieve Nascent Soul during your tenure, your compatibility with 'the Rules' might be very high, giving you greater hope for Soul Transformation in the future."

On Diyuan Star, besides the three Nascent Soul spiritual medicines, there were also some rare heavenly treasures in the oceans that could be refined into spiritual waters useful for achieving Nascent Soul. However, these were generally only suitable for cultivators with water spirit roots. Venerable Yunhai himself had obtained his Nascent Soul opportunity in the ocean, as had Venerable Beiming of the Kunpeng Daoist Academy. This was precisely why the Kunpeng Daoist Academy historically had the highest number of Nascent Soul cultivators. It was only in the last millennium, due to Ancestor Qianxing, that the Butian lineage saw a surge in power, producing five Nascent Souls with the aid of Qianxing's Square Inch Book, which forced the Kunpeng lineage to retreat to the Kaiyuan Hall.

"What are 'the Rules'?" Chen Mobai asked, having heard something he didn't understand in Venerable Yunhai's words.

"This is something only Immortal Gate Nascent Soul cultivators are permitted to know, but your identities are special, so telling you in advance is acceptable…" As he spoke, Venerable Yunhai waved his hand towards Yan Qiongzhi, who promptly and discreetly withdrew. Chen Mobai noticed Wenren Xuewei's composure, suspecting that she might already know what "the Rules" were.

"The Rules are a 'Fruit of Dao Law'…"

When Venerable Yunhai finished speaking, Chen Mobai's expression was one of shock. He had never imagined that the Immortal Gate possessed such a profound foundation. No wonder Soul Transformation Ancestors continued to emerge generation after generation in this seemingly barren land of Diyuan Star!

"May I ask which two Ancestors previously refined 'the Rules'?" Chen Mobai, filled with curiosity, couldn't help but ask.

"One was True Lord Taiyuan, and the other was True Lord Xuanwu!" Venerable Yunhai did not conceal the information and stated it directly. True Lord Xuanwu was a Soul Transformation True Lord from Chen Mobai's own Dance Artifact lineage, and the second genius after Ancestor Yunya to achieve Soul Transformation with the 'Can Tong Qi'.

"The Evergreen Cultivation Method has the potential for infinite trial-and-error. Can it not be used to attempt refining 'the Rules'?" Chen Mobai thought of another point and couldn't help but ask Wenren Xuewei beside him.

"The power of the Evergreen Cultivation Method lies in our ability to draw upon the strength of the Great Chun Divine Tree. However, infinite physical trial-and-error does not mean the spirit can do the same. Rather, it is precisely because of the body's eternal immortality that our spirit relatively becomes a flaw and weakness," Wenren Xuewei explained the reason. Refining 'the Rules' relied on spirit and will. Failure to refine it meant direct assimilation, loss of self, and becoming part of 'the Rules.' In such a situation, a practitioner of the Evergreen Cultivation Method would have their body alive, but their spirit would be dead!

There was once an Evergreen Cultivation Method practitioner, who was also the Immortal Affairs Hall Master before Lin Daoming, who attempted to refine 'the Rules.' His physical body is still preserved in the Jumang Daoist Academy, used for dissection and various experiments in accordance with his last wishes by medical researchers. Venerable Sanjue's achievement as the Immortal Gate's foremost medical expert owes a great deal to this body, which could be experimented on infinitely.

Chen Mobai's expression cleared with understanding upon hearing this. At the same time, he secretly admired the Immortal Gate's transparency. In Tianhe Realm, the Dao Children and Saintesses of major holy lands would certainly never reveal the weaknesses of their cultivation methods in such a manner. However, it was precisely for this reason that the Evergreen Cultivation Method could only guarantee a Nascent Soul, but not Soul Transformation!

"Among the current fourteen Venerables in the Immortal Gate, is there no one capable of refining 'the Rules'?" Chen Mobai asked again.

"Yuanxu and Qi Yuheng have similar probabilities, but both are too proud and wish to break through to Soul Transformation based on their own talent," Venerable Yunhai said, revealing secrets known only at the Nascent Soul Venerable level.

"What a pity. I wonder when I'll be able to reach Nascent Soul and learn about 'the Rules'?" Chen Mobai mused. If cultivators from Tianhe Realm knew about the existence of 'the Rules,' even the holy lands would probably go mad trying to seize it. As for the side effects of 'the Rules,' they were completely acceptable compared to the realm of Soul Transformation, the pinnacle of both worlds.

Oh, Venerable Yunhai just mentioned that the Immortal Gate exists to cultivate 'the Rules.' So, is there a possibility that if he governed the Eastern Desolation according to the Immortal Gate's system and laws, he could cultivate similar "Rules" there?

"May I ask where these 'Rules' are currently stored? After hearing you, Venerable, I'm quite eager to witness them." Chen Mobai's words were met with a shake of the head from Venerable Yunhai, indicating that he shouldn't entertain such thoughts.

"'The Rules' are of immense importance, the very pillar of the Immortal Gate. Therefore, they are naturally kept in the hands of the two Ancestors of the Five Peaks Immortal Mountain. Ever since Ancestor Baiguang of your Dance Artifact lineage entered seclusion, this item has remained at Ancestor Qianxing's Juxian Peak."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai wasn't disappointed. After all, he wasn't seeking the Immortal Gate's existing 'Rules,' but rather wanted to know how to *create* "Rules." He spoke again, asking Venerable Yunhai.

"I haven't delved into that, as I have no affinity with 'the Rules,' so I haven't put effort into that aspect. However, I do know that the Immortal Affairs Hall Master oversees the entire realm, serving as the foundation for 'the Rules' to be maintained and continuously grow. You can ask Ying Guanghua, or the recently retired Lin Daoming; they certainly know."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai felt a slight headache. He had only met Ying Guanghua once, and by accepting Narcissus's recruitment, he had, in essence, declined this new Immortal Affairs Hall Master. As for Lin Daoming, there was even less to say; he was currently Chen Mobai's imagined biggest enemy in the Immortal Gate.

However, there was no rush to inquire about the method of the 'Rules.' Next year, once he officially joined the Righteous Law Hall and took charge of the Butian Group, he could use the pretext of communicating with Lan Haitian to see if he could subtly glean this information from him. Although Lan Haitian didn't directly leap to the position of Immortal Affairs Hall Vice Hall Master after the conference, he was arranged by Ying Guanghua to be his personal secretary. All previous Immortal Affairs Hall Vice Hall Masters had served in this role. Ying Guanghua's intention to groom him was overtly clear. Moreover, because Lan Haitian graduated from Kunpeng, the Kunpeng lineage was also pleased with this arrangement. Compared to Chen Mobai and Wenren Xuewei, Lan Haitian's beginning in the Three Halls was exceptionally auspicious.

(The author regrets that today's writing is not going well, leading to fewer words.)