Chapter 84: Chapter 84: The Postponed Dharma Assembly

After returning to the Mountain Peak Dojo, Wang Ping’s life returned to its peaceful state.

「One month later.」

The twenty stalks of Centennial Iron Bamboo he had ordered all arrived. They were of the highest quality; some were even several hundred years old. The Daoist Scripture Hall had acquired them through the Northern Council on the Far East Continent.

Of course, they weren’t cheap, as each stalk cost thirty percent more than usual.

Iron Bamboo, as its name implied, was as hard as iron yet possessed the flexibility of bamboo. To be made into a Magical Artifact, however, it had to be refined with True Essence. This step wasn’t particularly difficult, just rather time-consuming.

The hundred-day refining process mentioned on the glowing panel was merely the basics. After a successful refinement, the artifact needed to be nourished daily with Spiritual Qi. Only after a long period of accumulation would it become attuned to its user’s will.

The seven Longswords were shaped in less than two days. Since Wang Ping didn’t need them for direct combat, he designed them with the plainest possible blades and the simplest of hilts.

Wang Ping eagerly sealed one of them into a Sword Talisman to test it out, but the moment he summoned it, the Longsword shattered into bamboo splinters.

Tongyu Taoist retorted, "There are no shortcuts in cultivation, and the same goes for Artifact Refining. You have to refine it first. Otherwise, not even Centennial Iron Bamboo can withstand the True Essence pressure of an Entering Cultivator."

So, Wang Ping began refining the seven iron bamboo swords while he waited for the Daoist Scripture Hall’s assembly.

However, just three days before the Daoist Scripture Hall’s assembly was scheduled to begin, he received an official document. It bore the seal of the Daoist Scripture Hall and the signature of the Xiao Shan Lord, formally announcing that the assembly was postponed until the following year.

Wang Ping first sent Zhao Qing to inquire about the situation, then reported his findings to the Yu Cheng Taoist.

「Five days later.」

News trickled back. It turned out that the list of candidates for promotion to the fifth seat consisted entirely of cultivators from lineages of the Five Sects of Xuanmen. There wasn’t a single person from a heterodox path.

This immediately drew the ire of the Heterodox Cultivators. Some Third Realm Cultivators even wrote letters or paid personal visits to demand an explanation.

The answer they received after an investigation was that there truly were no Heterodox Cultivators who currently met the required standards. This was an awkward truth, so the only option was to postpone the assembly until next year. It might even be postponed indefinitely until enough suitable candidates from the heterodox paths emerged.

It was worth noting that "heterodox paths" referred to sects completely unrelated to the lineages of the Five Sects of Xuanmen. In fact, strictly speaking, Qianmu Temple would also be considered a heterodox path.

"Master, everyone talks about the Five Sects of Xuanmen. I know of the True Yang Sect, Lishui Prefecture, Jinshan Temple, and the Earth Cave Sect. Which sect does our Taiyan Talisman tradition belong to?"

Wang Ping asked the question he had always wanted to ask.

"My grand-master once said that our lineage comes from the Taiyan Sect. Since the heritage of the Taiyan Talisman now resides within the Daoist Scripture Hall, the Hall is tacitly considered one of the five sects. But this is only an unspoken agreement, not an official declaration."

...

「A little over three months later.」

Wang Ping successfully refined his first Longsword. He eagerly sealed it within a Sword Talisman and summoned it. There was no profound sensation, except that it felt much smoother to wield.

He went to a South Sea Island to test its power...

Hmm, when he struck something, the feedback that returned to his soul felt more substantial, not as faint as before. Its power had increased a little as well.

Before he knew it, winter had arrived.

Once winter set in, Zhao Qing brought Wang Ping specific news from Mozhou Road. A faction of Cultivators supporting the Rebel Army there had defected mid-battle, leading to a major defeat for the rebels. General Niu Man had seized the opportunity.

The Rebel Army had since fled south, stealing ships to escape to the sea and become pirates.

The turmoil in the south seemed to be completely resolved by this one battle. After news of the victory reached Shangjing, commendations were immediately issued. Niu Man became the Xia Dynasty’s first Duke from the Demon Race, and his demon army also received numerous rewards. Half a month after the investiture, he and his army were transferred to Shangjing.

When Wang Ping heard this news, he wasn’t as indifferent as he had been before. He knew that Wen Yang and Yuan Zheng had been plotting behind the scenes, and behind them were the schemes of the True Yang Sect and the Xiao Shan Lord.

’And the Xiao Shan Lord supported the Rebel Army,’ he thought. ’This defeat definitely won’t be the end of it. I’m afraid there will be even greater chaos in the future.’

"Brother Su was appointed General of the Nanlin Road Governor’s Office, making him the second-in-command there," Zhao Qing said. "If he can pull some strings with the Court, he might even become a Governor himself. Then, when he’s around sixty, perhaps he could enter the capital and serve as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War."

Zhao Qing’s voice was filled with admiration.

Less than a month after Zhao Qing’s remarks, Wang Ping saw Su Dun. He had come with his family in tow, bringing his two youngest sons and six young grandsons.

The reason...

...was that he wanted Wang Ping to see if any of them had the aptitude for cultivation.

"You’ve changed so much, I almost don’t recognize you." Wang Ping sighed wistfully at the sight of Su Dun. The man’s face was now etched with deep lines, his temples were streaked with white, and his beard was patchy and thin.

Su Dun looked at Wang Ping, who was still brimming with vitality and appeared to be in his twenties, and said enviously, "Maybe I never should have left the mountain!"

"If you had the patience for that, you wouldn’t be Su Dun!"

"That’s true!"

The two of them sat in the courtyard while the younger generation stood by respectfully. Su Dun pointed to his sons and grandsons. "I’ve come to ask another favor of you, my brother. Could you see which of these little ones might be able to stay?"

But Wang Ping didn’t look at Su Dun’s descendants. Instead, he asked, "Do you want them to devote their lives to cultivating the Dao, or just to build up their bodies before returning to secular life?"

"It would be best if one or two could stay to cultivate!"

"Then leave them all here for now. We’ll place them in the outer sect for a period of observation. Those who can endure hardship and bear the solitude will stay. The rest can go back where they came from." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"And if none of them make it?"

"Then we’ll wait a few more years!"

"Alright..."

Su Dun had arrived in a hurry, and he left in an even greater one. After all, as a Governor General of a whole road, he couldn’t be as idle as he once was. Before leaving, he also donated five thousand taels of incense silver.

Soon, another Spring Festival arrived.

Wang Ping spent a few days at the Yu Cheng Taoist’s small courtyard as usual. Just after he returned to the Mountain Peak Dojo, Zhao Qing came to find him with a young boy in tow.

He was the one barely qualified boy selected from among Su Dun’s descendants. His name was Su Hai, the thirteen-year-old son of Su Dun and one of his concubines.

Wang Ping kept his promise and accepted him as a nominal disciple, but he entrusted the boy’s care and instruction to Liu Shuang.

Then, just as Wang Ping successfully refined his third iron bamboo sword, another message arrived from the Daoist Scripture Hall: this year’s assembly was also being postponed until the next.

This time, Wang Ping couldn’t even be bothered to send Zhao Qing to gather information. Zhao Qing, however, was proactive. Or perhaps it was simply the Inner Courtyard’s own intelligence network reporting to him periodically. Ten days later, he came to the Mountain Peak Dojo to deliver his report.

"The Daoist Scripture Hall postponed the assembly this time because the White Water Sect reported that you organized a force to surround and kill their disciples during the war at Yongming Port!"

"That was years ago, wasn’t it?"

"A disciple from Sanhe Temple couldn’t keep his mouth shut. But for something like this, as long as they didn’t find any concrete evidence at the time, the most an investigation now can do is cause us some trouble."

"Mm."

Wang Ping nodded, indicating he understood, and he appeared perfectly calm.

After Zhao Qing left, however, he frowned. ’This White Water Sect... they’re getting extremely annoying.’

"What’s wrong?" Yu Lian sensed Wang Ping’s frustration and stirred from her spot on the eaves.

"Thinking about how to deal with our enemies..."

All sorts of thoughts flashed through Wang Ping’s mind like lightning. In just a moment, a particularly vicious idea began to form...