High above the nine heavens, within the collapsing Human Way Heavenly Court, in the central imperial palace district.
The Director of Celestial Observation of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty appeared above the palaces, facing Liang Ruiqin, Liang Ruijian, and the Phoenix Dharma Aspect.
Unlike the Imperial Academy, which trained numerous cultivators to serve as impartial officials throughout the provinces and commanderies of the realm, and had long been devoted to promoting a public education system of County Academies, commandery academies, and Imperial Academies across the Immortal Dynasty—thus enjoying widespread renown and being known to most cultivators of the dynasty's great clans and families—
The Directorate of Celestial Observation had always remained deep within the Heavenly Capital. Many county magnates, prominent commandery clans, and countless cultivators across the Immortal Dynasty knew very little about it. Many had never even heard of this department.
Yet in truth, its role was even greater and more important to the dynasty's central authority and imperial house than that of the Imperial Academy.
For the Directorate of Celestial Observation's chief duty was to monitor the Human Way Destiny of the realm and oversee the sorting out and maintenance of the Immortal Dynasty's Spirit Cauldron Grand Array.
It could be said that the Directorate of Celestial Observation had always had few cultivators, but nearly all of them were grandmasters of the Dao of formations.
It was precisely because this department was so important, directly concerning the Immortal Dynasty's foundation—Human Way Destiny—that its Director had always been served by a formation Dao grandmaster from the imperial house.
Before them, this Director of Celestial Observation born of the imperial house looked exceedingly aged. Yet he had served as Director of the central Directorate of Celestial Observation for nearly a thousand years. He had personally witnessed—and even assisted—the Human Emperor's