Sage's Approval: This Process Can Be a Model for the Mystic Sect!

"Process is 'life.'"

"It is the... instruction manual of the Heavenly Dao's operation."

Chen Changsheng's words, like a speck of dust, gently fell into that dead, silent Dao sea named "Wuwei."

They stirred not a single ripple.

The entire thatched hut sank into an even deeper, purer stillness.

Grand Supreme Elder Lao remained with eyes closed, as if his spirit had long wandered the Great Void, utterly oblivious to the outside world.

But Zhao Gongming, standing behind Chen Changsheng, felt his Primordial Spirit being crushed inch by inch.

It was not Pressure, but a dissolution of the Dao itself.

Before this ultimate "Wuwei," all his Divine Abilities, all his magical power, all his thoughts, seemed superfluous, as if they should not exist.

He even had the illusion that if he lingered one more breath, he would be completely assimilated by this stillness, turning into a wisp of green smoke, returning to the Great Dao.

Even Grand Master Xuandu, standing nearby, showed a trace of gravity deep within his calm, well-like eyes.

He looked at that young Junior Brother, who still stood with a straight spine, seeming both merged with this stillness and independent of it, and for the first time, the words "cannot see through" arose in his heart.

Within the entire field, only Chen Changsheng remained unaffected.

He stood calmly, waiting.

As if waiting for the final result of an interview.

He knew he had already submitted that ultimate answer sheet named the "Process Dao."

Now was the time to await the examiner's review.

Time, within this small thatched hut, lost all meaning.

Perhaps only an instant passed.

Or perhaps an entire Yuanhui had gone by.

Finally.

The old man seated on the cattail cushion slowly opened his eyes.

What kind of eyes were those?

No sun or moon revolving, no stars being born or dying.

Only a chaotic, empty void, as if containing everything, yet holding nothing at all.

The moment those eyes opened, Zhao Gongming felt his crushed Primordial Spirit instantly reassembled.

He gasped sharply, the Daoist robe on his back already soaked through with cold sweat.

Grand Supreme Elder Lao's gaze did not fall on Chen Changsheng.

Instead, it turned to the half-man-tall Alchemy Furnace in the corner of the hut, where a gentle flame was burning.

"That 'instruction manual' of yours is quite interesting."

The Elder's voice was as calm as an ancient well, as if it came not from a throat, but from the origin of the Great Dao in all directions.

"But the Dao, in the end, must unite knowledge and action."

He extended a withered finger, pointing from afar at the furnace.

"Inside this furnace is a batch of Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, soon to be completed."

"This elixir is not for cultivation, but to Sort Out a lingering cause-and-effect between the Heavenly Court and the Duke of the East's old subordinates—a matter delayed for three Yuanhui."

"Yet, at the moment of completion, it requires the unity of Heaven's timing, Earth's advantage, and Human harmony—the Three Talents returning to one. Its 'process' is so intricate that the slightest misstep will ruin the entire batch and invite cause-and-effect backlash."

The Elder's gaze finally shifted slowly to Chen Changsheng's face.

"Now, Human harmony has not yet arrived; the final link is missing."

"Can your process complete it?"

This was a test.

A test that seemed plain but held boundless lethal intent.

If Chen Changsheng spoke grandly of Supreme Principles of the Great Dao, he would be indulging in empty talk, falling to the lower level.

If he tried to show off by discussing alchemical methods, it would be even more laughable—using his weakness to challenge a Sage's strength.

Zhao Gongming's heart instantly leaped to his throat.

Grand Master Xuandu's breath also paused, almost imperceptibly, for a moment.

Yet Chen Changsheng merely bowed respectfully to the Elder once more.

"In reply to Senior Uncle-Master."

"Your disciple does not understand alchemy."

"But your disciple understands process."

With that, he did not approach the furnace. Instead, he turned to Grand Master Xuandu.

"Grand Master, may I borrow a jade slip and jade pen?"

A flicker of surprise passed through Xuandu's eyes, but he still nodded, withdrawing a set of blank jade slips and a jade pen from his sleeve, handing them over.

Chen Changsheng took them, but did not write immediately.

Instead, he turned to face Grand Supreme Elder Lao, like the most meticulous project manager, and began a requirements survey.

"May I ask, Senior Uncle-Master, does this alchemy session have a project code name?"

Grand Supreme Elder Lao: "..."

Grand Master Xuandu: "..."

Zhao Gongming nearly choked on his breath, on the verge of fainting on the spot.

On Elder Lao's eternally unchanging face, there seemed to appear an extremely subtle, fleeting... moment of bewilderment.

But he was, after all, the Supreme One.

He was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"Let it be called... 'Karma Resolution.'"

"Understood."

Chen Changsheng lightly tapped his jade pen, writing at the top of the jade slip a line of large characters: [Regarding the Standard Operating Procedure for the Final Phase of the "Karma Resolution" Project].

"What is the core objective of this project? Can it be quantified?"

"To resolve karma, to smooth the ripples of the Heavenly Dao."

"Good."

Chen Changsheng recorded swiftly.

[KPI: Heavenly Dao Karma Resolution Rate 100%, related karmic debt cleared to zero.]

"Who are the project stakeholders? And who is the final acceptance authority?"

"This poor Daoist, the Jade Emperor, and the Heavenly Dao."

"Good."

Chen Changsheng's pen raced like a dragon.

[Project Initiator (Party A): Grand Supreme Moral Heavenly Venerate. Project Executor (Party B): Eight Views Palace. Project Supervisor: Heavenly Dao.]

One by one, titles that could make even a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal tremble in the Primordial World were transformed under Chen Changsheng's pen into the Party A and Party B of a standard project document.

Zhao Gongming had gone numb.

He even felt that if his junior brother were to pull out a Project Outsourcing Contract the next moment and ask Senior Uncle-Master to sign it, he wouldn't find it the least bit strange.

A full incense stick's time passed.

Chen Changsheng continued this kind of jaw-dropping "Q&A."

He broke down the final step of alchemy into dozens of standardized process nodes.

From "Final Pressure Reading Confirmation of the Alchemy Furnace" to "Pre-Opening Ambient Spiritual Energy Purity Inspection" to "Emergency Contingency Plans A, B, and C for Unexpected Situations."

Every single item was clear, rigorous, and filled with a cold, logical beauty.

Finally, he stopped his pen.

A thick jade slip, shimmering with a faint divine light, had been completed.

He did not touch the alchemy furnace.

Instead, holding the jade slip, he walked before Grand Supreme Elder Lao, respectfully presenting it.

"Senior Uncle-Master."

"The process has been completed."

"For this pill to succeed, only one final step remains."

"The project's highest responsible person must affix their seal and confirmation at the end of this <Standard Operating Procedure Execution Confirmation>."

The entire thatched hut fell into a deathly silence.

Grand Master Xuandu stared at the "Confirmation" presented before his master, its format so standard it was almost offensive, and felt his Dao heart humming and buzzing.

Zhao Gongming had given up thinking.

He only wanted to know whether, after today, he would be stuffed into the Eight Trigrams Furnace along with his junior brother by Senior Uncle-Master, or if this experience would shock him into instantly severing his Three Corpses and attaining the Quasi-Saint realm.

Grand Supreme Elder Lao looked at the jade slip presented before him.

In his chaotic, primordial eyes, for the first time, a truly meaningful... smile appeared, one that seemed to see through the ages.

That smile was faint, yet it seemed to brighten the entire hut.

He did not speak.

He only slowly extended a finger.

At its tip, a wisp of the supreme Taiqing Immortal Light silently coalesced.

He did not brush the alchemy furnace, nor did he employ any divine ability.

He merely tapped lightly on the signature line at the end of that "confirmation document."

A single character—ancient, mellow, and imbued with supreme Dao Charm—the word "Goodness," leaped onto the Jade Slip.

The instant that "Goodness" character took form!

Hum—!

In the corner, the long-silent alchemy furnace suddenly erupted with a clear, piercing hum!

The furnace lid shot into the air!

Nine dazzling beams of golden light burst forth from the furnace, transforming into nine dragon-eye-sized, perfectly round pills, suffused with natural Dao Charm, suspended in midair!

Each golden pill was wreathed in a pure, serene aura, as if it could wash away all karma in the world.

At that moment, the Heavenly Dao descended boundless Mysterious Yellow Merit Qi, completely enveloping the nine golden pills.

It was done!

The pills had truly been made just like that!

Not because of any incantation, nor any divine ability.

Simply because a single procedure had received its final "signature"!

Grand Master Xuandu's pupils abruptly contracted.

Zhao Gongming felt as if his worldview had been utterly shattered by a supreme force called "procedure," then reassembled in a way that was even more absurd, yet more solid.

"Your procedure is indeed beyond the scope of the One, Two, or Three."

Grand Supreme Elder Lao slowly withdrew his finger, a trace of subtle approval in his voice.

"The Great Dao has fifty paths, Heaven's evolution takes forty-nine, and man escapes with one."

"This 'one' is the variable, the chance for life, and also... order."

"Today, it seems, it is 'procedure.'"

He looked at Chen Changsheng, his chaotic eyes seeming to reflect the future of all realms.

"Since you are the Flow Official, I shall also entrust you with a 'project.'"

Chen Changsheng's heart tightened, and he quickly bowed.

"Please instruct me, Senior Uncle-Master."

Grand Supreme Elder Lao reached out and lightly brushed the nine golden pills.

The pills instantly transformed into nine streaks of light and vanished.

Only then did he speak slowly, in a tone as casual as discussing the weather, yet his words nearly made Zhao Gongming, who had just calmed his mind, lose his Primordial Spirit again.

"The Investiture of the Gods Tribulation is decreed by the Heavenly Dao, and it is also the largest 'project' jointly signed by me, your master, and your uncle-master."

"However, as it stands now, this project has chaotic procedures, uncontrolled risks, unclear KPIs, and is destined to be a mess of an account."

The Elder Lao looked at Chen Changsheng and said slowly, in that same flat tone.

"Go."

"Write a... Standard Operating Procedure for this Investiture of the Gods Tribulation."