A Pawn's Passage

The Wanxiang Daoist Palace had deep roots and a solid foundation, with a first-rank Tianzhen Daoist master at its helm. As such, this procedural investigation could hardly cause any real disruption. Before long, the investigation team departed without much commotion.

There were no overt movements from any faction, but there were certainly covert maneuvers laying the groundwork for the next confrontation.

In the blink of an eye, it was already mid-September, marking the end of the three-month advanced training at the Upper Palace.

Between the Zhongyuan Festival and September 15th was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Though it was not a traditional Daoist holiday, it was a major festival among the common folk, ranking alongside the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival. However, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace held deep reservations about this holiday centered on family reunions. After all, it was home to many orphans, so a festival like that was bound to evoke painful memories. Therefore, unlike the Zhongyuan Festival, the Wanxiang Daoist Palace did not officially celebrate it, though private observances were permitted.

Qi Xuansu did not care for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so on August 15th, he spent the day in the library at Gen Garden.

After experiencing his rebirth, Qi Xuansu found that cultivating the Demonic Blade became much more effortless. Now, out of ten attempts, nine succeeded smoothly. By mid-September, he had finally reached a level where his mastery of the Demonic Blade was considered competent and refined.

This was expected. After undergoing the Rogue Cultivator’s Minor Rebirth in the Cicada Shedding Realm, Qi Xuansu’s natural aptitude had nearly caught up to that of a Banished Immortal. Moreover, the Demonic Blade was a fast-track, unorthodox perfected method. With his advancement to the Xiaoyao stage of Heavenly Beings, his cultivation had soared to a whole new level. Reaching basic mastery within three months was impressive, but not unprecedented.

By mid-September, regular classes had ceased, and the students began packing their belongings. They had to handle certain procedures in preparation for leaving the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace. Meanwhile, the palace began preparing for the final conferment ceremony.

Within the Daoist Order, there were two hierarchical systems: one based on official positions and the other based on Daoist ranks.

There was a correlation between the two. Certain positions required a minimum Daoist rank, while some positions were strictly bound to specific ranks. For example, the position of Deputy Grand Master was exclusively reserved for first-rank Tianzhen Daoist masters. There had never been a precedent where a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master held the role.

However, lower-ranking positions were typically more flexible. For instance, Deputy Palace Masters could range from second-rank Taiyi Daoist masters down to fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters. Higher-ranking positions, such as Hall Masters, Daoist Mansion Masters, and Palace Masters had a minimum requirement of being at the second rank, though first-rank Tianzhen Daoist masters were also eligible to apply.

Command tokens and badges corresponded to specific positions. Beyond identifying rank, they also granted various privileges and access to locations due to their additional function as a key. The command token in Sun Hewu’s possession belonged to the Palace Master. Anyone holding this token could unlock all restrictions within the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

This upcoming conferment ceremony was for the Daoist rank. Only upon reaching the level of a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master would one obtain a license that was exclusive to each individual, not just based on official position. A fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master was given the Novice License; a third-rank Youyi Daoist master was presented the Intermediate License; a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master was offered the Shangdong License; an Omniscient Sage was granted the Taixuan License; a first-rank Tianzhen Daoist master was awarded the Taishang Merit License; and the Deputy Grand Master was bestowed with the Taishang Moral License.

Logically, the titles of Omniscient Sage and Deputy Grand Master should not be classified under Daoist ranking, as they were official positions rather than mere titles. However, due to their special status, they had effectively become distinct ranks.

An Omniscient Sage was superior to an ordinary second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, just as a Deputy Grand Master was above a regular first-rank Tianzhen Daoist master. Therefore, these ranks had specific licenses assigned to each individual.

The Grand Master did not belong to this system, with no command token, insignia, or license. Instead, the Grand Master only possessed the Three Treasures Scepter. It was both a symbol of supreme authority and a key that could activate or seal off Kunlun Cave. At the same time, it served as proof of identity, much like an emperor’s Imperial Seal.

The emperor had six jade seals that were used for different functions, like granting titles to nobles and officials, issuing official decrees, endorsing military campaigns, summoning ministers, discussing diplomatic matters, or approving rituals concerning the heavens, spirits, and ghosts.

Similarly, the Grand Master did not rely solely on the Three Treasures Scepter as their symbol of authority. They also had their own official seals, though not as many as the emperor. Instead, the Grand Master had three scepters that corresponded to the creation project, mortal affairs, and supernatural matters.

At the moment, these exclusive artifacts of the Grand Master were sealed within Zixiao Palace, awaiting their next rightful owner.

Even setting aside its symbolic significance, the Three Treasures Scepter was an immortal object. Before the unification of the Daoist sects, the Holy Xuan and his wife often used it as a weapon, wielding it like a hammer. The Confucian Grand Libationer once had his skull shattered by this scepter. Many Immortals had also suffered great losses at its hands.

Subsequent licenses were all modeled after the Three Treasures Scepter. In addition to serving as a token of identification and granting certain permissions, they could also be used as weapons and magical artifacts.

For example, the Taishang Moral Licenses held by the three Deputy Grand Masters granted access to specific caves, like the Demon-Vanquishing Cave, the Demon Suppression Tower, and the Dragon Cave. They could delegate a portion of their license’s authority to others, allowing specific people to assist in managing these important places.

Beyond its administrative functions, the Taishang Moral License could also be wielded as a semi-immortal object, akin to the Staff of Merit. Each of the three licenses was unique, corresponding to Heaven, Earth, and Human.

However, due to the three Deputy Grand Masters’ rare involvement in combat, the full extent of their licenses was still unknown.

Similarly, the Taishang Merit License of a first-rank Tianzhen Daoist master not only bestowed various permissions but could also function as a semi-immortal object, akin to the Amorphous Paper.

By extension, the Taixuan License of an Omniscient Sage corresponded to a top-grade treasure; the Shangdong License of a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master corresponded to a high-grade treasure; the Intermediate License of a third-rank Youyi Daoist master corresponded to a mid-grade treasure; and the Novice License of a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master corresponded to a low-grade treasure.

Since these licenses were personally crafted by the Daoist Order, they were a matter of prestige, so there were no substandard treasures among them.

In other words, high-ranking Daoists would be gifted a free treasure during the conferment ceremony. Naturally, this was a tremendous benefit.

However, these licenses could not be privately bought or sold. If such violations were discovered, the punishments were severe. At best, one would have their license confiscated, and at worst, their Daoist rank would be demoted.

If a downgrade occurred due to a major offense, the original license had to be returned and replaced with one of the corresponding ranks.

That being said, the distribution and management of licenses fell under the jurisdiction of Ziwei Hall. This was also why Ziwei Hall was considered the head of the Nine Halls.

The conferment ceremony was held in the Grand Hall of Qian Garden. The Palace Master usually did not attend in person, instead he would delegate the duty to Sun Hewu or Ning Lingyun. Strictly speaking, the Palace Master would first entrust the ceremony to Sun Hewu, and whether Sun Hewu personally conducted it depended on his mood. If he was inclined, he would grant the licenses himself. If not, he would push the responsibility further down to Ning Lingyun, his junior.

Ning Lingyun, however, had no one else to delegate to. This meant that his authority was entirely dependent on the moods of these two elders. When the two old Sages did not want to get involved, Ning Lingyun’s power was nearly equivalent to that of the Palace Master. But when both actively managed affairs, he would simply return to his proper role as the third-in-command.

This year was a special case, so Sun Hewu decided to personally conduct the conferment ceremony.

On the day of the ceremony, everyone attended in formal attire. After a brief speech summarizing and encouraging the attendees, the fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters lined up in order.

Sun Hewu started from the rightmost position, accompanied by two Special-Rank Golden-Purple Instructors—one carrying a magical receptacle from Ziwei Hall and the other responsible for handing the elderly Sage the Novice Licenses.

The first in line was Yao Pei. Sun Hewu handed her the Novice License and sighed. “The last time I conducted this ceremony, Miss Zhang was the one standing here. Now, you’re taking her place. I suppose the next time I preside over this, that Li boy will likely be in your position.”

Yao Pei accepted the Novice License with both hands, her face expressionless as usual. “Thank you for granting me the license, Sage Sun.”

Next in line was Qi Xuansu. Sun Hewu stepped in front of him but did not immediately take the Novice License from the Special-Rank Golden-Purple Instructor. Instead, he sized Qi Xuansu up and down and praised, “A Heavenly Being before the age of 30—truly remarkable! Your future is limitless.”

Qi Xuansu lowered his head slightly, momentarily unsure of what to say.

Sun Hewu reached out and patted Qi Xuansu’s shoulder and smiled. “Miss Zhang came from the Dazhen Mansion, Miss Yao came from the Chongyang Palace of Immortality, and the Li boy came from the Zhenjing Courtyard. Though they’ve come to the Upper Palace for advanced training, they’re not truly from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. Only you hail from our palace. If you can make a name for yourself, it will bring honor to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. So work hard, my boy. Walk the righteous path and do not go astray.”

Qi Xuansu straightened his posture. Many words ran through his mind, but in the end, he could only reply with a single word, “Yes.”

Only then did Sun Hewu take the Novice License from the Special-Rank Golden-Purple Instructor and handed it to Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu received it with both hands, solemnly saying, “Thank you for granting me this license, Sage Sun.”

Sun Hewu smiled faintly and moved on to the next person in line.

Qi Xuansu carefully examined the Novice License in his hands. It was essentially a specialized talisman, but it resembled a scroll that could be rolled up. A silk cord was used to bind it together, making it convenient for hanging at the waist.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu’s waist was adorned with various small objects—a decorative jade pendant, the Nine Yang Fiery Dome Replica, his Ziwei Hall Superintendent badge, and now, the Novice License.

The functions of a license could be continuously stacked. In other words, the Intermediate License encompassed all the functions of the Novice License while adding new abilities. This pattern continued, and by the time one reached the Deputy Grand Master’s Taishang Moral License, it not only possessed unique functions but also included the capabilities of all preceding licenses.

The primary function of the Novice License was not for combat. Instead, it served as a reusable mother-child talisman with no time limit. However, its drawback was that it could only be bound to one person, and that person must also possess a license from the Daoist Order.

Naturally, Qi Xuansu would bind his license to Zhang Yuelu’s. However, as he considered further, he realized that with Madam Qi’s capabilities, she might also have a license. If he bypassed her in this matter, his mother would undoubtedly be jealous. He felt a headache just thinking about how he should balance this delicate scale between his mother and his future Daoist companion.