Several days later.
Under the azure sky.
A white-crowned, black-winged eagle swooped down from the sky and flew towards the Heavenly Treasure Palace.
Chirp chirp.
Suddenly, a Xiao Hong Bird flew from the side, parallel to the eagle.
Two birds, one large and one small, were flying towards the Great Capital.
The eagle quickly spotted Xiao Hong beside it.
It soared tens of thousands of meters high, the king of birds, yet some bird dared to stand on equal footing with it? Immediately, it became displeased.
Xiao Hong looked at the eagle curiously and chirped a greeting to it.
It hadn't been trained long and hadn't seen many birds of prey. It thought the world was beautiful.
The black-winged, white-crowned eagle's eyes turned cold, its body tilted, and it slapped Xiao Hong with one wing.
The large wings, like palm-leaf fans, slammed hard against Xiao Hong.
Screech! ~~~ A scream rang out, Xiao Hong, looking completely bewildered, hadn't even had time to react before plummeting diagonally, falling straight down from the sky.
The eagle watched Xiao Hong fall with satisfaction, then proudly continued flying towards the Heavenly Treasure Palace.
*** Heavenly Treasure Palace.
The deep, resonant sound of the morning bell slowly echoed throughout the entire Dao Palace complex.
There are ten morning bells at the Heavenly Treasure Palace, distributed throughout the palace complex.
On the opposite side of each location, there is also the same evening drum.
The bell rang three times.
This indicates that the three Palace Masters are about to hold a small meeting.
Fang Zhiyun white Yin-Yang Daoist robe, held a golden whisk, and strode into the Tai Xuan Hall.
The other two Palace Master also strolled in through the other two entrances.
The Daoist priests following behind the three left on their own, closing the door behind them and not allowing anyone to approach.
Tai Xuan Hall is enshrined Taiqing Moral Celestial Venerable, one of the Three Pure Ones.
Although the Great Dao Sect worships the Yujing Hanshi Celestial Lord, it still makes offerings to the Three Pure Ones, who are recognized as saints by the Daoist Sect.
In fact, many people believe that Yujing Hanshi Celestial Lord is one of the incarnations of Taiqing Moral Celestial Venerable.
This view was quite popular during the time of the Fifth Patriarch.
Inside the temple, the unique triangular ceiling features long, slanted skylights.
Sunlight streams through these linear skylights, falling onto the ground like golden crystal walls.
Fang Zhiyun, Xie Ling, Lin Qinghong.
All three of them now focused their attention on the center of the temple.
On the purple coral branch display there stood a huge eagle with black wings and a white crown.
The eagle occasionally tilts its head to preen its feathers.
A bamboo tube, about the thickness of an ordinary candle, was tied to its legs.
"It's Decree issued by the Grand Master."
Lin Qinghong stepped forward, approached the eagle, and extended her hand.
He had some prepared diced meat in his palm. While the eagle lowered its head to peck at the meat, he quickly swiped his finger and removed the bamboo tube.
He tossed the bamboo tube to Xie Ling.
"You take it apart."
Xie Ling nodded, took the bamboo tube, quickly opened it, and poured out the silk cloth inside.
The silk cloth was unfolded, and it was covered with densely packed small characters.
"The sect leader's decree: The matter of Zhang Ying of the Golden Wing Tower need not be discussed further."
Zhang Ying was originally a genius sent out by our Great Dao Sect. Now that he has finished his infiltration, he should return.
Recognizing his extraordinary talent and sincere Daoist heart, he finally reached the Nascent Soul Realm at the age of thirty-five. Despite going through countless hardships, he still Guardian and remained true to his original aspirations.
In June of 1185, it was proposed to accept Zhang Ying as the second Final Disciple of the Chong Xuan Sect.
This order must not be circulated outside. (End of order.)
After Xie Ling finished reading, she looked a little dazed.
Thirty-five years old? Nascent Soul??
Is this the result after the Grand Master personally examined it? Wasn't it supposed to be Golden Core stage?
She was a little incredulous, so she carefully read the Decree again from beginning to end.
I looked at the Nascent Soul several times to make sure I wasn't mistaken before I came to my senses.
"Could it be that the Grand Master made a mistake in identifying a 35-year-old Nascent Soul?" she asked hesitantly, somewhat shocked.
Lin Qinghong's expression changed slightly when she heard it for the first time.
"It's unlikely. The Grand Master would never Decree specifically for a thirty-five-year-old Golden Core. Therefore, this matter is very likely true!"
He clenched his hands slightly, then relaxed them, feeling a faint sweat seeping from his palms.
Thinking back, they almost expelled such a Civilian Skill genius from the palace.
He felt a lingering fear.
If a genius Civilian Skill have reached such a level were to be taken in by the True One Sect, then in the future, when that Zhang Ying grows up and the two sects clash, he and Xie Ling would likely be forever nailed to the Pillar of Shame! "Brother Fang," Lin Qinghong said, her voice somewhat hoarse, as she looked at Fang Zhiyun, "You were so protective of this person before, did you already have some information about it?"
Fang Zhiyun also came to his senses, gave a wry smile, and shook his head.
"If I had known earlier, why would I have argued so bitterly and brought it to this point? But..."
He sighed; some things are better left unsaid.
He was finally able to repay the Heavenly Maiden's kindness in saving his life.
"No wonder," he sighed. "No wonder Zhang Ying's martial arts are all based on our sect's Talisman Art. Now it seems that this was one of the Hidden Hand planted by the Grand Master himself. The Grand Master is truly learned Celestial Person, his skills are beyond creation, far surpassing our expectations!"
The other two nodded.
"Yes, there are no coincidences in this world. Such a genius must have been trained by the Grand Master from the very beginning. No wonder, no wonder," Lin Qinghong sighed.
"No wonder what?" Xie Ling asked.
"No wonder the Grand Master hasn't gone out to look for new Final Disciple."
"Now it seems that the disciples had been sent out long ago to undergo trials and tribulations and safely pass the Nascent Soul."
Nascent Soul Early Stage must undergo tribulation.
All three people present knew this.
Upon hearing Lin Qinghong's explanation, Xie Ling and Fang Zhiyun.
"Indeed, the Nascent Soul Early Stage is fraught with danger. The Four Tribulations of Earth, Water, Wind, Fire are extremely perilous; I almost perished during the Earth Tribulation back then."
The so-called "Earth Tribulation" refers to the Nascent Soul Early Stage, when all the blood in the body rushes into the dantian to nurture a new body. As a result, one often feels unsteady when walking, which can lead to Osteoporosis and frequent falls and fractures.
Even martial artists are like this; at most, martial arts training makes their bones, flesh, and skin tougher, allowing them to last longer.
However, if it cannot be sustained for long, it will become completely useless.
"I almost perished in the Wind Tribulation back then," Xie Ling recalled, still feeling lingering fear.
When Wind Tribulation blows, especially in the Nascent Soul Early Stage when Qi and blood are concentrated and the body's resistance in other parts of the body is greatly reduced, one can easily catch a cold or fever and become infected with wind-cold if one is not careful.
Lin Qinghong fell silent for a moment.
"I was subjected to Fire Tribulation back then. It was truly unbearable."
Fire Tribulation is caused by internal heat, with symptoms such as mouth ulcers, sore throat, hot hands and feet, and persistent forgetfulness.
He almost became mentally impaired at that time.
The three exchanged glances and then understood the Grand Master's good intentions.
Releasing this disciple now means that Zhang Ying has definitely passed the Nascent Soul Early Stage and entered a stable mid-stage.
"A thirty-five-year-old Nascent Soul Middle Stage is truly a blessing from heaven for my Great Way." Fang Zhiyun sigh of relief.
"If it weren't for Brother Fang's insistence on his opinion, we would have regretted it for eternity," Xie Ling said gratefully.
She and Lin Qinghong almost expelled Zhang Ying from the Dao Palace. If they had done that, the Grand Master would probably have slapped them across the face later.
At that time, whether they can keep their positions as Palace Master is another matter entirely.
Immediately, Lin Qinghong and she exchanged a glance, a deep sense of lingering fear rising in their hearts, and then they both bowed Fang Zhiyun.
"Thank you so much, Brother Fang, for saving me!"
"Why are you two in this situation!" Fang Zhiyun stepped forward to help them up.
"Moreover, this apology should not be directed at me, but at that Zhang Ying," he said earnestly.
Both Palace Master nodded in agreement.
He thought to himself that he would definitely find a way to make it up to this person.
***In a small building filled with black and white portraits.
Zhang Rongfang changed into a pure white Daoist Robe, wore the token given to him by Chong Xuan Daoist close to his body, and then put on a black One-Character Headband.
The so-called "One-Character Headband" is a black ribbon with a jade buckle.
Daoist Sect do not allow any disciple to enter the temple without wearing hair ornaments, so Daoists generally need to wear Daoist Headcloth Daoist Crown.
As for whether to choose Daoist Headcloth or Daoist Crown, that depends on personal preference. Different sects and regions have their own variations.
The reason why the One-Character Headband is black is because Daoist Sect is also called Mysterious Sect.
Xuan means black.
After entering the small building, we went up to the third floor.
He immediately spotted the old Daoist priest Yue Dewen standing on one leg, his eyes half-closed, seemingly practicing martial arts.
His movements were slow and graceful, hopping around like a white-feathered bird, his posture awkward and funny.
But the expression on his face was extremely serious.
Zhang Rongfang waited silently to the side.
He was completely convinced of the old Daoist priest before him; Heavenly Maiden couldn't discern his true age and cultivation level.
The old Daoist priest figured it out clearly in just over ten minutes.
Without a doubt, this Chongxuan is definitely a top-tier master.
Furthermore, the Great Dao Sect was far more complex than it appeared on the surface, so he immediately bowed down without hesitation.
These days, in this world, there are just too many strange and bizarre things.
That kind of Spirit Vein Worship God looks very dangerous. At his current level, if he doesn't find a powerful patron to rely on, he'll feel somewhat uneasy.
Zhang Rongfang always felt confused about the state of the world.
Whether it's the Soul Society, Tantric Buddhism, the spiritual network of worshipping gods, or the extreme limits of human potential, all give people a feeling of being shrouded in mystery.
Therefore, he desperately wanted to find a breakthrough to understand and figure out how he should move forward in order to avoid those potentially huge sinkholes.
It lasted for more than ten minutes.
Yue Dewen slowly withdrew his fists and feet, stood on the ground, and opened his eyes.
He let out a long breath. His enormous belly swayed back and forth, which was quite comical.
"You're here?"
"I've arrived, disciple Zhang Ying greets Master." Zhang Rongfang was still somewhat unfamiliar with this Chong Xuan Daoist, so he was very courteous.
"Yes. I've arranged things for you. Because of your background and the fact that you're Spirit Envoy of the Golden Wing Tower, your role from now on will be that of an undercover agent for my Great Dao Sect within the Golden Wing Tower."
Don't be surprised. Anyway, you're proficient in all the martial arts of our sect, but you don't know any of the Golden Roc Secret Record from the Golden Wing Tower. I can tell that much.
Besides, you came to the Heavenly Treasure Palace to break through to the Ninth Grade Talisman Art and enter the Super Grade, right?
Zhang Rongfang's mouth was slightly open, and the turmoil in his heart was comparable to the shock he felt when his age was revealed before.
"Master, how do you know all this???"
This is the first time for him.
For the first time, I felt completely overwhelmed and utterly seen through by someone in front of me.
Even the Heavenly Maiden of yesteryear was far inferior to this old Daoist priest before her.
In an instant, the image of Chong Xuan Daoist in his mind began to rise infinitely, becoming shrouded in mist and mysterious.