Purple Firmament Palace Discusses the Dao! KPIs Before a Sage!

It was a rainbow bridge condensed from the very laws of the Great Dao itself.

Beneath the bridge, the Sea of Chaos churned.

Above the bridge lay the sole path to the pinnacle of power in the Primordial World.

Chen Changsheng, holding the jade scroll in his hands, stepped onto it.

Five indescribable wills instantly projected from the far end of the rainbow bridge, from that eternal, unchanging palace.

One was like an ancient divine mountain, lofty and aloof, filled with the coldness of judgment and order.

One was like a sea of suffering and extinction, seemingly compassionate, yet searching every corner for "fated ones" to deliver.

One was like the creation of all things, balanced and serene, carrying a faint trace of curiosity.

One was like pure and effortless, akin to a breeze brushing over a mountain ridge, touching no karma at all.

The last was filled with defiance and exhilaration, bearing an undisguised intent to protect.

These were the gazes of saints.

For an ordinary Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, under such scrutiny, they would likely be unable to take even a single step before their Dao heart shattered and their Primordial Spirit turned to dust.

Yet Chen Changsheng walked steadily on.

He did not activate any divine power, nor did he reveal any extraordinary phenomena.

He simply walked.

Each step's distance was precise, without a hair's breadth of error.

Each breath's rhythm was calm and unvarying.

He treated himself as a project manager about to enter the highest-level meeting room, reporting to the board of directors.

And those saintly wills were merely the pre-meeting pressure tests from the various board members.

His calm was the best response to this test.

The rainbow bridge was not long, yet it felt as if an entire Yuanhui had passed.

When Chen Changsheng finally set foot on the square paved with Chaos Divine Stones, the rainbow bridge behind him had silently dissipated.

The path of retreat was gone.

Ahead stood a palace whose material was impossible to discern, yet which seemed more ancient than the entire Primordial World itself.

Zixiao Palace.

The palace gates were wide open, within which purple qi swirled thickly, revealing nothing, yet seeming to contain all the "Dao" and "Principles" of heaven and earth.

Chen Changsheng straightened his robes, held the Purple-Gold Jade Scroll, and stepped inside.

The hall was vast, grand, and silent.

Six prayer mats were arranged below a high platform.

Five figures were already seated upright upon them.

At the first seat on the left, Primordial Heavenly Venerate's face was as heavy as water; between the opening and closing of his eyes, scenes of the Creation of Heaven and Earth arose and perished. Simply by sitting there, the order of the entire Zixiao Palace seemed to freeze into eternal, unchanging profound ice.

At his side, the two saints Jieyin and Zhunti—one with a countenance of suffering, the other with a Dignified Appearance—both kept their eyes on their noses and noses on their hearts, as if utterly uninterested in the outside world.

On the right, Saintess Nuwa wore a detached expression, her gaze fixed on the void, lost in thought.

Sect Leader Tongtian sat at the last seat. When he saw Chen Changsheng enter, a glimmer of encouragement flashed in his eyes, before he quickly resumed his usual unruly and defiant demeanor.

Only the topmost prayer mat, which should have belonged to Senior Uncle-Master Grand Supreme Moral Heavenly Venerate, was empty.

Chen Changsheng did not look sideways. He walked straight to the center of the hall and, facing the five prayer mats on the high platform and the empty one, respectfully performed a deep bow of ninety degrees.

"Disciple of the Jie Sect, Chen Changsheng, by the decree of the Dao Ancestor, attends this assembly."

His voice was not loud, yet it echoed clearly within this utterly silent hall.

No one responded.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate's gaze was as cold as a Pangu Banner about to be drawn from its sheath, as if the next moment he would completely erase this ant daring to disrupt the saints' agenda.

Sect Leader Tongtian raised an eyebrow, about to speak.

Just then.

A figure appeared without warning on the empty prayer mat.

Still in that same plain hemp robe, still with that look as if he might fall asleep at any moment.

Grand Supreme Elder Lao.

The moment he appeared, Primordial Heavenly Venerate's sharp and extreme Pressure melted away like spring snow meeting the sun, vanishing without a trace.

"All are here."

Elder Lao spoke slowly, his voice as calm as an ancient well.

"Then let us begin."

The moment his words fell—

At the highest point, upon that platform which had always been empty, light and shadow shifted.

A figure slowly materialized.

He seemed to exist, yet also seemed not to exist.

You could not make out his features, yet you felt he contained all the faces in the world.

He was the Dao.

He was Hongjun.

"Sit."

A single syllable emerged from Hongjun's mouth.

At Chen Changsheng's side, the seventh prayer mat silently coalesced into being.

Chen Changsheng bowed once more, then calmly sat cross-legged on that prayer mat, which represented both supreme glory and endless storms.

"Today, I summon you all here. You must already know the matter at hand."

Hongjun's voice carried no emotion, as if the Heavenly Dao itself were speaking.

"The Investiture of the Gods matter—the process was flawed and must be reconsidered."

He spoke no nonsense, cutting straight to the heart.

"Taiqing, this matter began with you. You speak first."

Grand Supreme Elder Lao did not even lift his eyelids, merely speaking flatly.

"This humble one believes that the previous contract had unclear objectives, unclear rights and responsibilities, and uncontrolled risk. It should be voided."

"Goodness."

Hongjun nodded, his gaze shifting to Primordial Heavenly Venerate.

"Yuqing, what is your view?"

Primordial Heavenly Venerate let out a cold snort, and the temperature of the entire Zixiao Palace plummeted.

"Senior Disciple Brother's words are mistaken!"

His voice was filled with unquestionable authority.

"The Investiture of the Gods is the momentum of the Heavenly Dao. Those who follow Heaven prosper; those who defy Heaven perish! What is this talk of 'process'? It is merely Jie Sect disciples, trying to escape the Killing Tribulation, using clever words and seductive rhetoric to deceive Senior Disciple Brother!"

His gaze, like two sharp swords, stabbed straight at Chen Changsheng.

"A mere third-generation disciple—how is he worthy to sit here with us and recklessly discuss the Heavenly Dao? This is the greatest absurdity under heaven!"

"Senior Disciple Brother!"

Sect Leader Tongtian slammed the table, Immortal Slaying Sword Qi surging skyward.

"Wuwei is the Dao Protector of our Jie Sect, and a participant personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor! Are your words questioning the Dao Ancestor himself?!"

"Enough."

Hongjun spoke calmly, and Tongtian's Sword Qi vanished instantly like smoke.

His gaze, for the first time, fell upon Chen Changsheng.

"Chen Changsheng."

"Since you believe the process was flawed, then in your view, how should this Investiture of the Gods 'follow the process'?"

Here it was.

The ultimate test had arrived.

Chen Changsheng stood up, bowed once more to Hongjun on the high platform and the six Sages to his left and right.

He felt no tension or fear.

He simply held up the Purple-Gold Jade Scroll in his hands, which contained the concentrated efforts of the entire Jie Sect over three days, and spoke calmly.

"Replying to the Dao Ancestor, and to all Sage Senior Disciple Uncles."

"This disciple believes that to establish a new process, one must first clarify the 'core objective' of the project."

"Dare I ask, what is the most fundamental demand of the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation?"

At these words, Primordial Heavenly Venerate showed disdain, while a gleam of light flashed in Daoist Zhunti's eyes.

Hongjun's voice remained flat.

"To fill the three hundred and sixty-five official positions of righteous gods for Haotian's Heavenly Court, thereby rectifying the order of the Three Realms."

"Goodness."

Chen Changsheng nodded. This answer was exactly as he had anticipated.

"Since the core objective is to 'recruit personnel' for the Heavenly Court, then our previous approach contains a fundamental logical error."

He swept his gaze across the room, his voice growing clear and forceful.

"We should not use 'killing' as the method to decide who makes the list. Because those who excel in combat are not necessarily qualified true gods. This violates the basic principle of 'being responsible for the Heavenly Court.'"

"We should use a more scientific, more rigorous, and more efficient method to complete this 'recruitment.'"

"Recruitment?"

Saintess Nuwa spoke for the first time, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Exactly."

Chen Changsheng slowly unfurled the Jade Scroll in his hand with his magical power, suspending it in the center of the great hall.

Light flowed, and lines of clear text appeared before all the saints.

"This disciple presumes to propose a new set of performance evaluation standards for this Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. Its core consists of only four words."

"Position, Matchability."

He looked at Primordial Heavenly Venerate's increasingly cold expression, unmoved, and continued his explanation.

"The three hundred and sixty-five divine positions on the Investiture of the Gods should not be punishments, but rather... three hundred and sixty-five positions open for public recruitment across the Three Realms."

"Each position has its clear job description and qualification requirements."

He reached out and lightly tapped the Light Screen.

[Position Name: Director of the Thunder Department, Grand Tutor Wen] [Job Responsibilities: Administer thunder punishments, punish evil and wickedness, uphold the dignity of the Heavenly Dao.] [Job Requirements: 1. Cultivation not lower than Primordial Unity Golden Immortal. 2. Character upright and incorruptible, abhorring evil as a personal enemy. 3. Possess extensive team management experience and decisive judgment in large-scale battles. 4. Those with profound merit and free from karmic sin are given priority.]

"All disciples of the Three Sects may be regarded as 'candidates' for this recruitment."

"The Tribulation is the interview."

"Every action of the candidates during the Tribulation—their displayed cultivation, character, ability, and even karma—will be recorded by the Heavenly Dao and automatically converted into a 'Matchability Score' for each position."

"When the Tribulation ends, the one with the highest score will automatically ascend to the list and take office with honor!"

Chen Changsheng's voice rang out with conviction.

"In this way, being listed is no longer a disgrace of Death of Dao, but an honor of having one's ability recognized by the Heavenly Dao!"

"The Killing Tribulation transforms into a grand path for all disciples to leap over the dragon gate and attain true fruition!"

"This is the true meaning of following the Heavenly Dao and letting each find their rightful place!"

As his voice fell.

The entire Zixiao Palace fell into a deathly silence.

Sect Leader Tongtian's eyes blazed with divine light, almost unable to resist clapping and laughing aloud.

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, seeing in each other's eyes extreme shock and... ecstasy!

Saintess Nuwa's beautiful eyes shimmered with brilliance.

Even Grand Supreme Elder Lao's half-open, half-closed eyes seemed to crack open a sliver.

Only Primordial Heavenly Venerate.

His face had turned from cold to livid.

He suddenly rose from his Prayer Mat, his saintly Pressure erupting uncontrollably, shaking the entire Zixiao Palace with a resonant hum!

"Utter nonsense!"

His furious roar, like Chaos Divine Thunder, struck directly at Chen Changsheng.

"The Investiture of the Gods is a great killing tribulation set by the Heavenly Dao to settle karma and eliminate those with shallow fortune! How dare you, a beardless youth, use a set of so-called 'position matching' to steal the concept!"

"Turning the Heavenly Dao's trial into a mundane recruitment?"

"This is... the greatest blasphemy against the Heavenly Dao!"

If you find this book enjoyable, to avoid losing it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf.