Taishan was the same as ever—a portly figure with a mouth that never stopped talking.

But Wang Ping was different now. At the very least, he no longer had to worry about getting into trouble for talking too much with Taishan, so their idle chat became especially pleasant.

"Ningzhou Road might be a bit poor, but it’s full of beautiful scenery. I even found a wild Earth Spirit Vein in the northern mountains! And the annual tributes from the Demon Race... it’s more money than I can count."

As Taishan spoke of these things, the smile on his face grew wider. Then he turned to Zi Luan. "I have my Senior Brother to thank for getting to go to Ningzhou Road."

Hearing this, Zi Luan laughed. "If today wasn’t Fellow Daoist Changqing’s big day, I’d make you suffer for saying that."

"It’s not like you’d see me on any other day!"

Taishan disliked Zi Luan through and through. His dislike wasn’t born of any particular grievance or hostility, but a heartfelt conviction that Zi Luan was all talk and no substance, a man who possessed a title and nothing more.

"There’s something else. I discovered the Demon Race has a special method for artificially ripening Spirit Wood. I’ve seen them pass off several-hundred-year-old Spirit Wood as Thousand-Year Spirit Wood. A lot of it gets sold to Nanlin Road."

"Don’t you worry about that. The Daoist Scripture Hall was faking things when those demons were still playing in the mud," Zi Luan scoffed at Taishan for making a big deal out of nothing. "Most of that Spirit Wood is sold to the wealthy households in the various prefectures. It’s not like they’re short on money."

"You’re the truly wicked one!" Taishan jabbed.

"You’ve earned your fair share too. Don’t act so righteous," Zi Luan retorted sarcastically.

"What is the method? Can we learn it?" Yu Lian asked the crucial question.

"It’s an array. The array itself is simple, but it’s fueled by various Spiritual Creatures from the mountains. The Demon Race divides them into three grades. First-grade creatures are superior and can be trained as assistants for Cultivators, so they’re sold at a high price. Second-grade ones have some intellectual deficiencies but are full of spirituality, so they become the spiritual source for the array. Third-grade creatures possess only spirituality with no intelligence to speak of. They often go mad and attack people indiscriminately, so..."

Taishan paused, realizing that Yu Lian was also a Spiritual Creature. But he only hesitated for a moment before continuing, "The third grade becomes food. Some are used as medicinal catalysts. Eating them can increase one’s spiritual nature, making it easier to absorb Spiritual Qi during Qi Cultivation."

"Are they tasty?" Yu Lian, completely uninhibited, asked.

"Quite delicious." Taishan suddenly found that this Spirit Snake was very much to his liking.

"Where can I buy them?"

"When I go back, I’ll have someone prepare some and send them over."

"That’s wonderful!" After her burst of excitement, Yu Lian turned to Wang Ping. "Is that okay?"

"Thank you for the trouble, Fellow Daoist." Wang Ping clasped his hands in thanks.

"Don’t mention it!"

The three chatted for a while longer before Zuo Xuan came in. He looked at Wang Ping and said, "The hour has come. The guests have more or less all arrived."

"Let’s head over. We shouldn’t keep the guests waiting!"

It was Zi Luan who rose first. He was, after all, still the Pacification Envoy. Wang Ping followed suit, subconsciously straightening the blue Daoist robe he was wearing.

They stepped out of the main house.

The guests in the small courtyard outside had already been escorted out, leaving only Wang Ping and Zi Luan’s disciple. Only one of Zi Luan’s disciples was present: his third disciple, who had been pre-appointed as a Patrol Envoy, with the Daoist name Hongyuan.

He was a taciturn Borrowed Fortune Realm Cultivator. His silence didn’t seem arrogant, but rather gave off a sense of humility and modesty. Like Wang Ping, he favored a simple blue Daoist robe and wore his hair up with a jade coronet. He was just a bit gaunt, which made him look like an easy target.

"Fellow Daoist, after you."

Wang Ping stopped and gestured for Zi Luan to proceed.

Zi Luan didn’t stand on ceremony. He really did have to go first, as he needed to arrive and placate the guests who had been waiting for a long time. Then, he would introduce the day’s guests to Wang Ping and take the opportunity to announce the new appointment for the Daoist Scripture Hall.

「...」

In the grand hall.

The Entering Cultivators who had come to witness the ceremony had all found their seats.

Yunshan, as a Patrol Envoy of the Daoist Canon, stood at the very front of the seats on the left, though he maintained a distance of about ten feet to set himself apart.

With a patter of footsteps, Zi Luan and his disciple Hongyuan arrived one after the other. Zi Luan strode confidently to stand beneath the portraits of the two Saints, while Hongyuan stopped about thirty feet away, positioning himself just behind Yunshan.

Just as everyone in attendance rose to pay their respects, Wang Ping emerged with his disciples.

Zi Luan politely pulled Ganxing and Wu Quan, who were at the front, over to introduce them to Wang Ping. No one would trade insults on an occasion like this; they were all respectable people, after all.

Taishan, who had followed them in, immediately snatched the seat of a Second Realm Cultivator next to Ganxing. The seating then shifted down one by one, and the last person was forced to move to a long bench at the back. This was perhaps the only unpleasant moment of the event.

Wang Ping suppressed the pride and joy in his heart. He knew he was in this position because the Xiao Shan Lord needed him here. If it were truly a matter of strength, Ganxing and Wu Quan were far more qualified than he. However, one was a Loose Cultivator, and the other belonged to the Earth Cave Sect.

He listened to the clamor in the hall and watched the seemingly heartfelt smiles on everyone’s faces. He suddenly realized that even after cultivating the Dao for several hundred years, he still hadn’t escaped the sea of suffering.

The scene at this moment was identical to the secular sea of suffering he had witnessed at the gates of Yuanning County when he first left home.

’It’s as if I’ve been running in place, yet I’ve also come so far.’

"Since the Taoist Ancestor authored the *Human Dao*, we have passed through more than a thousand years of the Warring States period and seen the Five Profound Sects attain their True Monarch Positions, sharing in the world’s prosperity to this day. Through all this, you, Fellow Daoist, are perhaps the first great talent to reach the Taiyan Three Realms in less than three hundred years, are you not?"

Daoist Wu Quan’s voice was steady but boomed through the hall. He had linked Wang Ping’s promotion to the legends of the Taoist Ancestor himself. It was hard to tell if he was offering praise or deliberately setting him up for a fall.

"It is all thanks to the support of my seniors. Without them leading the way, I might have struggled to even enter the path of cultivation," Wang Ping demurred, unwilling to accept the title of ’great talent.’

"Fellow Daoist is too humble." Ganxing’s gaze burned as he looked at Wang Ping. He held a strong grudge over Qianmu Temple monopolizing the land of two prefectures, but he swallowed the words that were about to follow.

"Alright, now. We’ve waited a long time for this auspicious hour. Let’s not miss it."

Zi Luan waved his hand dismissively. He had no intention of introducing anyone else to Wang Ping. As the crowd of Cultivators retreated to their positions after his gesture, he produced an appointment decree written on Xuan paper and mounted on southern brocade.

"This old man has been in the Pacification Envoy’s seat for far too long—so long that it’s started to displease some people. Fortunately, I’ve now received the Lord’s decree, so it’s a good time to step down and rest for a while."

He finished speaking with a broad smile and unfurled the document in his hands.

"I can’t be bothered to read this whole thing. Just remember this: from now on, if anything major happens in the Nanlin Road Cultivation World, you are to consult with Daoist Changqing."

With that, he handed the appointment decree to Wang Ping. He then stepped aside, pulling Wang Ping to stand beneath the portraits of the two Saints. Looking out at all the Cultivators present, he announced, "Everyone, come and greet Daoist Changqing!"

After speaking, he retreated to the left side and took the lead, clasping his fist in his palm. "Congratulations, Daoist Changqing! May your path of cultivation prosper!"

His voice was loud and his words were crisp.

Following his lead, everyone behind him, including Ganxing and Wu Quan, had no choice but to clasp their fists, bow, and repeat the sentiment: "Congratulations, Daoist Changqing! May your path of cultivation prosper!"

The chorus of congratulations echoed throughout the Daoist Scripture Hall, reaching its every corner. Finally, the ancient bell on the top floor of the hall’s main building chimed nine times, its sound piercing the veil of space to resonate across the entire Jinhuai Prefecture City.

"Thank you all for your kind regard. This humble Daoist will do his utmost to maintain the stability and order of the Jinhuai Prefecture cultivation world." Wang Ping returned the gesture, clasping his fist as well.

After this ceremony, Zi Luan came over, took Wang Ping by the arm, and introduced him one by one to the Cultivators who were important enough to be seated in the Grandmaster’s Chairs.

Among them were the familiar Elder Wu, and Qiuwang, the newly promoted Second Realm Sect Leader of the Single Saber Sect. In Wang Ping’s presence, Qiuwang acted little better than a sycophant, earning a snort of contempt from Ganxing, who was also an Artifact Cultivator.

But Qiuwang paid it no mind. The Single Saber Sect had made mistakes in the past, and on the grounds of righteousness, Wang Ping could find a reason to extinguish his sect’s lineage at any time.

After the introductions were finished, Zi Luan led Wang Ping, along with Ganxing and Wu Quan, up the stairs on the right to the second floor.

The other Cultivators watched their backs as they ascended the stairs until they disappeared from view. At that moment, a dashing, seemingly upright gentleman next to Qiuwang lowered his voice and said, "Fellow Daoist Qiuwang, care to have a cup of tea together later?"

"Of course!"

On the other side of the room, a crowd had gathered around Liu Shuang, most of them old friends. Meanwhile, two members of the Demon Race congregated around Hu Qianqian. They were both Fake Pill Realm demons registered with the Daoist Scripture Hall—an Ox Demon and a Tiger Demon. Although they and Hu Qianqian all cultivated in Nanlin Road, this was the first time they had met.

As for Zuo Xuan and Hongyuan, few people approached them, as they were now Patrol Envoys. The two exchanged a few words with Yunshan before heading toward the rear courtyard.

In a luxurious meeting room on the second floor.

Zi Luan voluntarily offered the main seat to Wang Ping, who was now the master of this place. He himself took the secondary seat, followed by Ganxing and Wu Quan in descending order of precedence.

Once the four of them were seated, Zi Luan wasted no time and got straight to business. "The duty of the Daoist Scripture Hall is to maintain order," he began, addressing Wang Ping directly. "But a more accurate description is that it must uphold the laws of spirituality in the world, while also preserving the strength and stability of the spirituality in each jurisdiction."

At this, Wu Quan sighed. "Although the Third Realm allows one to escape the crisis of being assimilated by their internal Spirit Vein Consciousness, it makes one especially sensitive to the Inspiration Realm..." He looked at Wang Ping and continued, "Fellow Daoist, after advancing to the Third Realm, you must have seen the spirituality that permeates the world. Most of this spirituality is gathered from all the living beings in the world, including ourselves."

"Look at this prosperous world. The reason so many Entering Cultivators can emerge is because this spirituality is stable."

Ganxing chimed in, "Look..."

He extended his right hand and made a gentle flicking motion. Spiritual Energy from the Inspiration Realm crossed over and appeared in the physical world. "We must keep the Spiritual Energy from running rampant. Otherwise, things from beyond our domain will descend from the Cosmos like mad, which would affect the Divine Souls we cultivate and the Primordial Spirits you cultivate."