Wang Ping had actually suspected much of what Zi Luan and the others were saying. He had always thought these were secrets, yet he hadn’t expected them to be brought up so casually for discussion.

But on second thought, it made sense. Since the stability of the Inspiration Realm concerned the entire Cultivation Realm, everyone from the highest True Monarchs to the most common Qi Cultivators was unavoidably entangled in it.

The heritage of the Daoist Scripture Hall came from the Taiyan Sect. Perhaps this was the fundamental reason why the legacy of the Taiyan Talisman hadn’t been completely extinguished. Otherwise, the other four of the Five Profound Sects would surely not have passed up the chance to kick a man when he’s down.

Zi Luan sat up straight, his eyes on the room’s closed door, and said with a smile, "But everything in this world is in a constant state of flux. It won’t remain in a fixed state forever according to any single person’s will. Not even a True Monarch can achieve that, unless they replace every living being in the world with puppets."

"Someone has probably really thought of that!" Wu Quan interjected abruptly.

The words carried a terrifying weight, causing Zi Luan to falter.

"Perhaps, haha..."

Zi Luan laughed, picking up the thread of conversation, and continued.

"In this world, where there is yang, there is yin. Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is order, there is chaos. Among the Five Profound Sects, the Daoist Scripture Hall is tasked with maintaining the stability of Spiritual Energy. But many among us dislike stability, for what they cultivate is chaos. There are also many who, in their quest for promotion, walk other paths, resonating with Spiritual Energy at the cost of going half-mad or completely mad. These are the people we are meant to clean up."

"Si Ran, the one we besieged before, is one such person. He advanced to the Third Realm at the cost of going half-mad. At the time, we set up an array at the meeting place to force him to reveal his true form, but unfortunately, he escaped... You heard me right. He escaped. It wasn’t a case of the Daoist Scripture Hall showing mercy. After all, in some matters, face is also very important."

Wu Quan chimed in, "The schism in the True Yang Sect, the infighting between the various branches of the Earth Cave Sect, the two-faction struggle within the Taiyin Sect, and all the sordid affairs of the Yuqing Sect—at the end of the day, they are all just schisms born from the internal balancing of Spiritual Energy. Such differences are irreconcilable."

Hearing this, Wang Ping thought of the various factions within the Jimin Association. ’The situation is quite similar to what they’re describing.’

"But, in a sense, our conflicts indirectly maintain the balance of Spiritual Energy," Ganxing added.

A brief silence fell over the four of them.

In the end, it was Ganxing who broke the silence. He glanced at Zi Luan and said, "To be brutally honest, the True Monarchs we supply with daily incense offerings would much prefer it if people like us acted like obedient children, operating according to the rules of the world they’ve established..."

He trailed off, his gaze falling upon Wang Ping as he made his final point. "Conflict opens the channels for our advancement. Who knows, maybe one day I, too, will say ’no’ to the existing order!"

"Old friend, that was uncalled for," Zi Luan warned.

"Perhaps."

Ganxing stood up and casually cupped his fist toward Wang Ping. "Allow me to take my leave. If you need me for anything in the future, just write me a letter. I’m usually at my Dao Field in Fuming Prefecture. But if it’s too much trouble, don’t bother looking for me. I won’t show up even if you ask."

With that, Ganxing turned and left the room.

Wu Quan paid no mind to the departing Ganxing. He looked at Wang Ping and smiled. "Fellow Daoist Ganxing’s words might have been brutally honest, but they were the complete truth. Didn’t the Xiao Shan Lord just say ’no’?"

He set down his teacup, his smile never faltering, and said, "It is precisely because he said ’no’ that you, Fellow Daoist Changqing, have the opportunity to be sitting here with us. Otherwise, you probably would have had to wait in line for another four or five hundred years!"

"If you knew they were such loaded words, you shouldn’t have said them," Zi Luan said, seemingly expressing his displeasure, though there was no trace of anger in his voice.

Yu Lian discreetly slipped back into his sleeve and communicated with him in his Spirit Sea. "They’re trying to provoke you."

’I know!’

Of course, Wang Ping knew why they were saying such provocative things. To be honest, they had already halfway succeeded.

Wu Quan, however, ignored Zi Luan’s displeasure and looked at Wang Ping with a smile. "Fellow Daoist, have you understood the meaning of our conversation?"

"I am enlightened."

Wang Ping cupped his fist in response, his expression serene and his emotions composed.

Wu Quan observed Wang Ping for a couple of seconds, then a smile touched his lips. "I have said all I intend to say. When you compete for the third seat in the ninth month, I will certainly cast my vote for you."

With that, he too rose and walked toward the door.

After the two had walked a fair distance away, Zi Luan said, "Nanlin Road is only so big. These two are the only ones you need to watch out for. You can cooperate with them, but it’s also essential to keep them under surveillance. If anything comes up, you can come find me at my Dao Field."

He stood up as he spoke. "Now, let’s go see the most important place here."

...

The most important central hub of the Daoist Scripture Hall is its archive. In every region, the Hall’s archive is located in the centermost pavilion.

Its internal structure was no different from an ordinary archive: three floors. The first floor held official documents, the second floor housed time-sensitive intelligence compiled by dedicated personnel, and the third floor was a storage area for valuable items such as Spiritual Objects and Magical Artifacts.

There was also a subterranean level. Part of it was used to construct the Spiritual Energy Array that powered the entire Daoist Scripture Hall. The core area contained a Wood Spirit Barrier Array, and its deepest, darkest corners were where some of the Hall’s Entering Cultivators went into Death Seclusion.

Most of them had reached the end of their lifespans. By secluding themselves in the dark, subterranean area, they could act in concert with the Spirit Gathering Array.

"At all times, no matter what, a Patrol Envoy must be stationed in this pavilion. Currently, that’s Yunshan. Guarding this place is one of a Patrol Envoy’s responsibilities. I’ve been standing guard here in your place during your tenure as Patrol Envoy."

Zi Luan handed a Token to Wang Ping. "This is the key to the barrier formation here. Infuse it with Spiritual Qi, and you’ll know how to use it."

Wang Ping accepted the Token, feeling a bit sheepish. He first thanked Zi Luan, then tried infusing a trace of Spiritual Qi into it. He immediately sensed the entire structure of the subterranean array. In an instant, he could perceive the barrier region at the array’s core. He realized that if he were to activate the Array Core now, the barrier would envelop the Daoist Scripture Hall and a large portion of the surrounding area.

And just then, after he finished processing the entire array, a holographic panel inevitably popped up.

But at that moment, Wang Ping paid no attention to the panel. His Primordial Spirit had sensed a fleeting instant where, within his physical body’s head, countless fine, golden streams of light converged upon his eyes!

But the golden streams of light were gone in a flash. When Wang Ping used his Primordial Spirit to look again, he found nothing.

"What’s wrong?" Yu Lian’s question from within his Spirit Sea pulled Wang Ping back from his obsessive state.

"So? Pretty useful, isn’t it?" This came from Zi Luan, who had seen Wang Ping staring blankly and assumed he was just stunned by his observation of the Array Core.

Wang Ping steadied his mind, suppressing the fleeting nervousness in his heart. After a flurry of thoughts, he glanced at Zi Luan and smiled. "Truly ingenious..."

With that, he pretended to be observing the array again while actually looking at the holographic panel.

[Three Yin Spirit Gathering Array: Utilizes the clash between subterranean Yin Qi and surface Yang Qi. Void Yin Grass is ground into a powder to be used as the raw material for drawing the rune array that gathers spirit. This works in coordination with the inspiration generated by Entering Cultivators at the Eight Trigrams Positions to concentrate Taiyin Spiritual Qi within the core Barrier Formation.]

[Note 1: A complementary Two Yang Spirit Gathering Array must be constructed on the surface. Otherwise, the Taiyin Aura will infect all cultivators below the Entering Realm, turning them into walking corpses.]

[Note 2: The core energy-gathering region requires a complete Taiyin Energy Gathering Array. The Array Map is as follows...]

[Note 3: Each of the Eight Trigrams Positions requires a corresponding Taiyin Energy Gathering Array. The Array Map is as follows...]

[Note 4: It is best for each Entering Cultivator’s seclusion chamber to have a Taiyin Spiritual Qi conversion array. This array must resonate with the previous two arrays. The Array Map is as follows...]

[Note 5: Please avoid exposing the array to direct sunlight as much as possible.]

[Note 6: The overall structure of the array must be extremely precise. The following is a reference diagram...]

The array seemed ordinary, but it was actually meticulously designed, especially the integration between the three Spirit Gathering Arrays and the coordination with the ’Two Yang Spirit Gathering Array’.

As for the ’Two Yang Spirit Gathering Array,’ Wang Ping had obtained the plans for it at the Mozhou Road Daoist Scripture Hall when he was investigating the case of the stolen Corpse Soldiers right after he became an Entering Cultivator. He just needed to remove the Sealing Array from its subterranean section.

"This pavilion is an array in itself, and it’s linked to the array in the adjacent dungeon. You should be familiar with this from your time on Mozhou Road."

Wang Ping and Zi Luan were on the third floor. As Zi Luan spoke, he walked over to a window. From there, they had a clear view of the cluster of courtyards directly north of the pavilion. In the center of these courtyards stood another pavilion. It, combined with the surrounding courtyards, formed a hidden Spirit Gathering Array.

"Come, let’s go have a look. That over there is where our true assets are."

In his words, Zi Luan had used ’our,’ not ’the Daoist Scripture Hall’s.’ After speaking, his figure flashed and streaked across the sky, with Wang Ping naturally following close behind.

The interior of this pavilion was just as Wang Ping had imagined: hollow. The ceiling was formed from hundreds of giant logs, and the surrounding windows were inscribed with special Golden Spirit Arrays, ensuring that not a single gloomy corner existed within the building.

The Two Yang Spirit Gathering Array was set up inside the pavilion. At intervals of one zhang along the pavilion’s walls stood puppets, their entire bodies shimmering with flowing golden runes. They were all forged from Celestial and Earthly Treasures.

"This array also conceals a killing formation. If these puppets are activated, they will operate the array, igniting the Spiritual Qi in this space. The intense heat it generates can melt the Primordial Spirit of a Third Realm cultivator. But do not use it unless absolutely necessary, as it will disrupt the balance of the Inspiration Realm."

Zi Luan pointed to the puppets. "Normally, activating just one or two of them is enough to handle most situations."

Feeling the materials these puppets were made of, Wang Ping felt like a complete pauper. These weren’t things that could be bought with mere money; some of them had to be taken by force.

"Up above is a communication device personally installed by the Lord. He can use it to contact other Daoist Scripture Halls thousands of miles away, and we can use it to do the same."

As he spoke, Zi Luan flew toward the top of the pavilion.

Wang Ping was shaken. ’I’ve never even heard of a communication method like this.’ He couldn’t help but wonder about the principles behind it.