Chapter 224: Starting Up in a Deathly Illness, Only to Find the Fool is Me?
In the Dragon Country, wanting to see Zhang Yangqing in person was even harder than winning the lottery.
This year, it was Mount Wudang’s turn to host the Daoist Conference. The area around Mount Wudang was already packed with people.
Experts from various major sects had gathered near the main hall of Mount Wudang.
The reason they were near the hall, not inside it, was simple: the inside was already crammed full. Those who couldn’t squeeze in had to stay outside.
Only those so-called major sects with formal invitations had the qualification to enter the main hall.
Even so, these smaller sects waiting outside had no complaints.
Even if they had to stand until nightfall, just getting a glimpse of Zhang Yangqing would be worth it.
To avoid awkwardness, members of these sects were also exchanging pleasantries with each other, acting as if they were familiar when, in reality, most didn’t know one another.
Furthermore, those who came here were all people of status from various sects. Everyone had donned their finest, most luxurious robes that they usually couldn’t bear to wear.
After all, at such a grand event, they couldn’t let other sects look down on them.
In the Dragon Country, there were quite a few sects with long histories. They usually cultivated in their own territories. Sects capable of organizing such a grand gathering were few, and those able to command the respect and attendance of so many sects were even fewer.
Mount Wudang had always been a major, prestigious sect, with its popularity remaining high since ancient times.
As the host of this Daoist Conference, it naturally commanded the respect of other major sects.
This was also why Su Muyu had turned down many invitations but specifically passed this one to Zhang Yangqing.
The entire Mount Wudang was bustling and lively, with a constant stream of people coming and going.
Without some skill, it was impossible to squeeze to the front.
Down the mountain, a large crowd of reporters was packed tightly.
But with the appearance of one person, the noisy scene instantly fell silent.
The crowded path immediately cleared, opening up a wide passageway.
The most heavyweight figure of this Daoist Conference had arrived: the contemporary Heavenly Master, Zhang Yangqing.
Zhang Yangqing’s abilities were clear for all to see, both in the Strange Tales World and in reality.
He was an existence capable of shattering heavens and destroying earth, an insurmountably high mountain for many.
Today, he wore simple Heavenly Master robes, followed by Xiao Xuan in green Daoist attire.
While changing clothes this morning, Xiao Xuan had been worried that his sect’s Heavenly Master, dressed in such plain robes, might be outshone by others.
After all, he could guess that fellow Daoists at the scene would have worn their sect’s best, most impressive outfits just to show off.
Sect Leader Qingxu of Mount Wudang had even worn the Jade Purity Lotus Crown.
Wearing our usual clothes like this, wouldn’t it be a bit embarrassing?
That’s what Xiao Xuan had been thinking this morning.
However, this morning, Zhang Yangqing had said, “We are guests. We shouldn’t upstage the host. Casual wear is fine.”
Xiao Xuan thought that made sense.
But when they arrived, he realized that wasn’t quite the case.
Even though Zhang Yangqing was dressed the most casually among everyone present, there was no doubt he was also the most dazzling.
No matter what others wore, they appeared dull and dim in front of him.
Surrounding Zhang Yangqing were extraordinary celestial phenomena, a natural, special aura.
Coupled with his transcendent, otherworldly temperament and his peerless, divine appearance, wherever he went, he commanded the reverence of thousands and the worship of all beings.
As for Xiao Xuan behind him… it wasn’t that he received no attention; he simply had zero presence.
People even thought Zhang Yangqing had come alone.
Xiao Xuan, who had worried all morning, now realized: Starting up in a deathly illness, only to find the fool is me?
So after all this, nobody cares about me, right?
Naturally, the one acting as Zhang Yangqing’s guide was the Sect Leader of Mount Wudang, Qingxu.
Along the way, Zhang Yangqing didn’t hold back his praise for Mount Wudang’s current development.
He even expressed admiration for Sect Leader Qingxu’s excellent management of the mountain.
Hearing such words from Zhang Yangqing, Sect Leader Qingxu’s inner joy naturally overflowed.
But he kept modestly claiming it was thanks to Heavenly Master Zhang’s influence, even saying Mount Wudang’s disciples were foolish and not as outstanding as Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s disciples.
This made the nearby Mount Wudang disciples speechless. They had worked themselves to the bone preparing for the conference these past few days.
They had trimmed trees, cleaned the sect grounds, even wiped every nook and cranny spotless.
Still, hearing praise from Heavenly Master Zhang and other sect leaders was satisfying.
Most importantly, praise from Heavenly Master Zhang made them feel all their effort hadn’t been in vain.
In the Dragon Country’s cultivation world, receiving Zhang Yangqing’s affirmation was basically something you could brag about for a lifetime.
You could tell everyone what Zhang Yangqing once said to you.
One could say that Zhang Yangqing’s affirmation carried no less weight than winning a championship at some martial arts conference.
However, so far, very few had received Zhang Yangqing’s affirmation.
But when it came to receiving Zhang Yangqing’s否定 (negation/disapproval), Xiao Xuan was in a league of his own.
He was the one Zhang Yangqing had called ‘useless’ the most times, bar none.
As Zhang Yangqing followed Sect Leader Qingxu into the main hall, various lights and camera flashes went off.
Especially many sect leaders, to prove they had some standing, were practically begging to take a group photo with Zhang Yangqing.
Because the level of a sect could be judged by the circle of friends its leader had.
Just knowing Zhang Yangqing wasn’t enough—anyone could claim that.
But having a photo with Zhang Yangqing was sufficient proof of their prestige.
Thus, requests to take photos with Zhang Yangqing came one after another, even pushing Sect Leader Qingxu out of the way.
This left Sect Leader Qingxu baffled. I’m the Sect Leader of Mount Wudang. It’s fine if you don’t want photos with me, but you won’t even let me stand to the side?
Does having me in the photo lower your standards or something?
But with so many people here, he couldn’t very well say anything. He could only wait for these enthusiastic sect leaders to finish their photos before proceeding with the next steps.
After all, some sect leaders had arrived last night and had been waiting here for seven or eight hours—it wasn’t easy for them.
Simply kicking them out would lead to complaints about Mount Wudang’s poor hospitality.
Since they were all insiders, Zhang Yangqing, though unfamiliar with many, didn’t refuse.
With so many people, there were basically no one-on-one photos; it was groups of ten or more at a time.
But these sect leaders who got photos all did the same thing when developing them.
They either directly photoshopped out everyone except themselves and Zhang Yangqing, or pixelated the others.
Only then could the ‘core figures’ in the photo be highlighted.
Those who got photos were naturally satisfied, but many didn’t even have a chance to get close to Zhang Yangqing.
Chu Yiyi from the Yuqiong Sect was one of them. Early in the morning, she had changed into her most beautiful Daoist robes.
She hadn’t even dressed this beautifully on her birthday.
Her goal was naturally to take a photo with her idol, Heavenly Master Zhang.
But who were the people able to squeeze close to Zhang Yangqing?
They were basically the leaders of major sects, experts who had cultivated for decades.
With Chu Yiyi’s level, she definitely couldn’t squeeze in.
Perhaps in the世俗 world, Chu Yiyi was a big star.
But here, who cared about some big star? Kids, go play somewhere else.
In the cultivation world, Chu Yiyi had no say at all.
Being a girl, she was too embarrassed to push through the crowd and could only watch from the back.
At this moment, she thought of her devoted admirer, Zhao Kai, wanting him to help her get inside.
But who would have thought that when Zhao Kai saw Zhang Yangqing, he too went crazy, desperately pushing his way in.
It was a classic case of: Sorry, usually you’re my goddess, I’d go through fire and water for you, but when Heavenly Master Zhang is here, who do you think you are?
Zhao Kai also went through great pains, managing to squeeze to the front.
During the group photo, he only managed to show half his head before being pushed away.
But at least he got a bit of face time, leaving a precious photo of himself with Zhang Yangqing at Mount Wudang on his phone. Zhao Kai was also satisfied.
It made him happier than if he had actually won over his goddess.
No matter how Chu Yiyi scolded him beside him, he didn’t care, not even bothering to retort.
This left Xiao Xuan a bit confused. We’re both from Dragon-Tiger Mountain. Why is nobody asking for photos with me? Is it because I’m not handsome enough?
There were even people telling him, this irrelevant person, to step aside.
Actually, Xiao Xuan was quite angry, but these were all seniors in the cultivation world, leaders of various sects.
He couldn’t very well say anything and really had to step aside.
However, he had underestimated Zhang Yangqing’s influence in the Dragon Country. Because he was Zhang Yangqing’s fellow disciple and saw him every day, he naturally didn’t find it remarkable.
People outside couldn’t even get a glimpse—it was just too difficult.
The photo sessions delayed things for quite a while, but Zhang Yangqing had given everyone plenty of face.
Then these sect leaders began burning the bridge after crossing the river, clearing a path for Zhang Yangqing to enter the main hall sooner.
Under the guise of: Everyone, don’t delay Heavenly Master Zhang from participating in the Daoist Conference.
In reality, they just wanted to leave a good impression in front of Zhang Yangqing.
This infuriated those who hadn’t gotten photos, accusing them of being utterly lacking in manners and morals!
“Heavenly Master Zhang, it seems you’re quite popular,” Sect Leader Qingxu said, stroking his beard, somewhat envious of Zhang Yangqing’s popularity.
“Not at all, not at all. It’s just that Mount Wudang’s scenery is nice, so everyone wanted to take a photo with me,” Zhang Yangqing engaged in another round of mutual flattery.
But upon entering Mount Wudang’s main hall, the leaders of various major sects who had been waiting there immediately came up to exchange pleasantries with him.
However, these people were much calmer than those outside. Those who had received invitations were already considered prestigious sects within the Daoist community and couldn’t possibly act as wildly as the sect leaders from smaller sects outside.
But one could see a glint of pride in their eyes at being acquainted with Zhang Yangqing.
The leaders of the major Daoist sects here didn’t ask for photos but exchanged contact information with Zhang Yangqing.
Wasn’t this also a form of ‘photo,’ but one that could better enhance their prestige?
Being able to obtain Zhang Yangqing’s contact information meant one was no ordinary cultivator.
After some casual chatting, everyone proceeded to the back mountain of Mount Wudang to set up the altar.
The Daoist Conference had certain procedures.
First, they definitely had to perform the Zhai Jiao rituals.
Even Zhang Yangqing had to take this seriously.
There were many types of Zhai Jiao rituals. There were Ji Gu rituals for transcending the souls of the deceased across the land.
There were also rituals for celebrating the birthdays of patriarchs: Birthday Celebration rituals and Qing He rituals.
Additionally, there were rituals for welcoming the Jade Emperor, known as Jie Jia rituals.
Through these rituals, they respectfully faced the altar, inviting the Jade Emperor to descend to the mortal world to bestow blessings, avert disasters, prolong life, and increase longevity.
There were many such Zhai Jiao rituals.
For any large-scale ritual site, a Patriarch Altar was always set up.
At the beginning of the ritual, the presiding priest respectfully faced the Patriarch Altar, reported to the Three Masters (founders), and requested their protection—this was called Qi Shi.
When descending from the altar, it was necessary to thank the Three Masters to show one never forgot their kindness—this was called Xie Shi.
These rituals were often completed through a series of ceremonies: building the altar, setting up ritual implements, chanting scriptures and confessing sins, stepping the Dipper Steps (Tian Gang Bu Dou), forming hand seals and reciting incantations, etc.
Of course, the main busywork fell to Mount Wudang. The steps were carried out by Sect Leader Qingxu. Other Daoist sects were only there to observe the rites and offer incense during the Heaven Worship ceremony.
But there were many etiquettes involved in offering incense. However, those present were all leaders of major Daoist sects; these things were ingrained in their bones.
By the time all the ceremonies were completed, it was already noon.
Mount Wudang had prepared a sumptuous feast for everyone.
Zhang Yangqing had been keeping a very low profile this time. After all, everyone present was a sect leader.
During the meal, there weren’t too many formalities. He took Xiao Xuan to a relatively secluded table to eat.
But that’s how people are. No matter where he went, he was surrounded by others.
It seemed everyone arranged themselves around Zhang Yangqing for the meal. The closer one could get to Zhang Yangqing, the higher one’s status in the Daoist community.
Of course, Sect Leader Qingxu had a seat next to Zhang Yangqing.
After all, he was the host and a respected sect leader.
Zhang Yangqing was speechless. Can’t we just have a proper meal?
Do we have to compare even this?
When I sleep, will you also compete over who gets to lie next to me?
This Daoist Conference wasn’t just about holding some Zhai Jiao rituals.
In the afternoon, the leaders of various Daoist sects gathered in Mount Wudang’s council hall.
Upon arriving, everyone had heard some rumors; Sect Leader Qingxu had leaked a bit of information in advance.
Some people with good relationships were discussing the core issue of this conference.
Zhang Yangqing truly didn’t know. Having just come out of the Strange Tales World yesterday, he knew very little about current Daoist affairs.
He asked Xiao Xuan beside him, who then explained.
Due to Zhang Yangqing’s recent high activity, the number of people wanting to join various Daoist sects was countless.
But each sect’s resources were limited; they couldn’t possibly accept so many disciples.
Moreover, Daoist sects also required character assessments when selecting disciples; it wasn’t just about laying down the butcher’s knife.
This easily left many sincere individuals with a desire to cultivate the Dao without a place to practice, potentially wasting talent.
The core purpose of this Daoist Conference was to address this issue.
Hearing this, Zhang Yangqing roughly understood.
In the end, it was still a resource problem. Once disciples were accepted, they needed to be provided with certain cultivation resources.
Otherwise, having disciples just do chores at the mountain gate would be misleading them.
As a sect leader, Zhang Yangqing understood this all too well.
In the past, Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s resources could barely support a hundred disciples.
Even with his current fame, it still couldn’t accept more disciples.
If not for the special resources obtained from the Strange Tales World, Dragon-Tiger Mountain wouldn’t have expanded to over three hundred people.
But if they wanted to expand further, Zhang Yangqing would have to continue acquiring resources from the Strange Tales World; otherwise, accepting new disciples would be impossible.
Due to the Dragon Country’s public enthusiasm for Daoism, all major sects were already saturated.
Moreover, each disciple selection process was very troublesome because so many people applied, from all walks of life.
It consumed a lot of manpower and material resources, which was indeed a headache.
Therefore, Sect Leader Qingxu sincerely invited all the leaders to hold a meeting here to find a solution to this problem.
After all, this was an unprecedented flourishing age for Daoism brought about by Zhang Yangqing. No one wanted to miss this opportunity to expand Daoism’s influence.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Sect Leader Qingxu proposed his idea in the council hall.
“Esteemed colleagues, I believe we could jointly establish a Daoist Academy. This would allow for better selection of disciples and prevent wasting those excellent seedlings with cultivation potential.”
Sect Leader Qingxu was also someone who kept up with the times. He had been pondering this issue recently.
If a single sect tried to establish an academy, the burden would be too great.
Establishing a Daoist Academy wasn’t simple; it required selecting a location, funding, and so on.
Of course, many large enterprises and conglomerates wanted to undertake these tasks, but Sect Leader Qingxu had refused them all.
Daoist matters should naturally be resolved by Daoists, without external interference.
In the past, Daoist sects were poor. But now, with Zhang Yangqing’s increased fame, the revenue from tourism at various Daoist scenic spots had also skyrocketed. One could say they had some financial foundation now.
It was absolutely correct to say this was thanks to Zhang Yangqing’s influence.
After all, wasn’t it the same for the neighboring church? With the excellent performances of Cardinal Ge Lieke, many followers had come.
Every day, people flocked to the church’s seminaries for advanced study.
The so-called seminaries were places for clergy to pursue further studies.
Sect Leader Qingxu, having observed this, thought that Daoism could also establish a Daoist Academy.
This could solve many problems. Sect Leader Qingxu listed them one by one.
All those present were sect leaders and might have encountered certain difficulties.
For instance, a disciple might pass the pre-entry tests, but later abandon cultivation for various reasons.
Such as psychological issues, family emergencies, getting tired of the dull cultivation process, lacking willpower, or having only three-minute enthusiasm.
Such problems didn’t affect many disciples, but every sect had them.
Moreover, these disciples also wasted a lot of the sect’s cultivation resources.
Everyone present deeply understood this point, even Zhang Yangqing knew it.
The Daoist Academy proposed by Sect Leader Qingxu could solve these problems.
The Daoist Academy would offer many foundational courses and various assessments.
This would allow ordinary people to understand what cultivation truly entailed.
Graduates who could persevere and performed well could then proceed to advanced studies at major sects.
Those truly unsuited for cultivation would also be identified.
This way, it wouldn’t waste the energy and resources of major sects.
Furthermore, each major Daoist sect could send representatives to serve as instructors.
But since it was establishing a Daoist Academy, everyone would need to periodically provide certain resources to sustain the disciples’ daily cultivation at the academy.
This was Sect Leader Qingxu’s proposal, relatively innovative, something many hadn’t considered for thousands of years.
The sect leaders present began discussing his proposal. The opinions of over twenty Daoist sect leaders were not unified.
The conservative faction felt this went against the rules passed down by ancestors. Selecting disciples should be done individually; only then could disciples develop a sense of belonging to their mountain gate.
The reformist faction believed this could increase the Dragon Country’s public enthusiasm for Daoism and also select better cultivation talents, allocating truly useful resources to those who needed them.
The wait-and-see faction thought they could give it a try but weren’t optimistic about Sect Leader Qingxu’s proposed Daoist Academy.
Everyone debated for a long time but couldn’t reach a unanimous conclusion.
After all, many in Daoism were old-fashioned, adhering to the traditional ways passed down through generations.
Sect Leader Qingxu also knew his idea was somewhat ahead of its time and difficult to unify the opinions of various major Daoist sect leaders.
It wasn’t just this time. Every time someone raised an issue, some agreed, some opposed.
No one could convince the others; everyone had their own reasons.
Moreover, this time, many didn’t support Sect Leader Qingxu. After all, if it was just about money, everyone could contribute.
To put it bluntly, resources were something everyone lacked. Asking them to periodically donate some resources made many sect leaders inwardly cringe.
At this moment, Sect Leader Qingxu glanced at Zhang Yangqing and asked, “Heavenly Master Zhang, what is your view on this matter?”
This was asking for Zhang Yangqing’s opinion.
Everyone also looked at him, wanting to hear whether Zhang Yangqing supported or opposed it.
They even wanted to know how Zhang Yangqing would convince those who disagreed with him.
Zhang Yangqing simply said, “I support Sect Leader Qingxu’s proposal!”
All the sect leaders present drew a sharp breath. Good heavens.
You don’t even give a reason, just straight-up support?
Since you’ve said that, what could we possibly say?
Other sect leaders also began expressing their views.
“I think Heavenly Master Zhang is right. Our Daoism also needs to keep up with the times. Always holed up in remote mountains and forests for cultivation is why we declined. Now with such a great opportunity, why not expand our influence a bit?”
“I have studied ancient texts and traveled in the West. I think if we remain conservative, others will copy our things again, change the names, and claim they are theirs.”
“I deeply understand this point. The church can establish churches and seminaries all over the world, precisely to increase their influence. We can do the same.”
“We can preserve traditional elements but also need to absorb new things. Even if some disciples cannot cultivate the Dao, we still have areas like medicine, feng shui, etc., for them to learn. Disciples can still make a living after learning these.”
Just moments ago, everyone held their own opinions. Now, it was completely one-sided.
Thus, this proposal that most sect leaders had opposed, simply because Zhang Yangqing said “I support,” suddenly had no one daring to oppose.
After all, this top-tier figure supported it. Who would dare oppose and directly contradict him?
Everyone wasn’t very familiar with Zhang Yangqing, but they all knew his temperament: he meant what he said, disliked arguing, and didn’t like reasoning with others.
This was everyone’s stereotype of Zhang Yangqing, also the deterrence brought by his various acts of slaughter in the Strange Tales World.
To put it bluntly, for the word ‘awe’ to make people admire you, they must first fear you.
Without absolute武力 (force/might), who could command obedience from the masses?
The reason there were so many differing opinions here was precisely because no one individual could make others sincerely submit.
When this individual with absolute might spoke, then others had no further objections.
Whether it was not daring to argue with Zhang Yangqing or simply giving him face, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Zhang Yangqing’s vote carried unparalleled decisive authority.
Everything else, no matter how argued, was just opinion.
As long as they thought this way, the persona Zhang Yangqing had established was firmly in place.
He didn’t speak much on such grand occasions, but one sentence from him was enough to make everyone sincerely accept.
Sect Leader Qingxu also hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly. However, there was one thing he couldn’t understand.
This was my proposal. Why are you all praising Heavenly Master Zhang?
