Ordination Ceremony, Dragon Tiger True Disciple

Ordination Ceremony, Dragon Tiger True Disciple

The formal date of the ceremony was January fifteenth.

But the ceremony had officially begun on the evening of the fourteenth, the day before.

Lei Jun did not know the procedures of the Taoist ordination rituals on Blue Star before his transmigration.

But in the Celestial Master Mansion of this world, one of every Dao Child Courtyard disciple's lessons was to memorize the procedures and rites of the Ordination Ceremony until they knew them by heart.

The evening of the fourteenth proceeded in four steps.

First came the Water Purification Altar.

This meant using pure, tranquil flowing water to sweep clean the Dao Field, wash away dust, and drive off demons and evil.

When Purple Robe elders such as Yuan Mobai performed it, flowing water shrouded the starry sky, seemingly forming an independent barrier that made the Dao Field into a world of its own.

Second came Paying Homage to the Dipper.

Dipper lamps were lit, and beneath the night sky they paid homage to the stars. The dancing flames could be seen echoing the Milky Way and its host of stars.

Then came Cultivating the Fast and Inviting Masters.

The masters and disciples together built the ritual altar, with the central, left, and right sections each establishing places for the various patriarchs of the Taoist Sects.

Lastly came the Evening Opening Ritual.

The High Merit Dharma Master presiding over the ceremony offered worship and made the opening declaration.

In Lei Jun's understanding, it was much like a prayerful announcement, giving advance notice.

Only when January fifteenth arrived did they formally ascend the altar and begin.

They offered Incense of Ten Directions and burned Summoning Talismans.

They offered Incense of the Original Position and proclaimed the ritual incantations.

The Dharma Drum, bell, and chime rang out.

The High Merit Dharma Master held an incense burner and performed the Lighting the Furnace rite, completing the final preparations before the ritual.

Though little Dao Children like Lei Jun merely needed to follow the procedures, the string of rituals still sorely tested their patience.

Fortunately, practicing such things was one of their lessons at the Dao Child Courtyard.

By the time all the preliminary preparations were complete and the ordination ritual formally began, it was already the evening of January fifteenth.

At this time, guests observing the ceremony took their seats one after another outside the ritual altar, their gazes assessing the Celestial Master Mansion's new generation of true disciples and immortal seedlings.

There were no lack of mighty cultivators among them, those of high realms.

Lei Jun spotted people wearing official robes among the crowd.

The world he now inhabited had a nominal ruler of all under heaven: the Great Tang Dynasty.

In this world where cultivators roamed freely, the Tang Emperors of every generation had also been powerful cultivators.

Under Great Tang rule, there had always been numerous powerful clans, while in recent years, the great sacred lands of cultivation had risen one after another.

The relationships among them were tangled and complicated, impossible to explain in a few words.

For a grand occasion such as the Celestial Master Mansion's Ordination Ceremony, it was only natural that outstanding figures would gather to observe.

But to the little Dao Children, those spectators were distant at present. Everyone focused their minds and proceeded according to the ritual procedures.

The formal rites that followed were roughly divided into three parts: the First Offering, Second Offering, and Final Offering.

For the First Offering, tea and wine were presented, proclamations were recited and burned, and Heaven, Earth, and the patriarchs were respectfully informed.

The Second Offering was the core stage. Masters and disciples stood in opposing rows as the High Merit Dharma Master presiding over the ceremony read out the Ten Precepts. Then the Ordination Masters and disciples performed the rite of Dividing the Ring and Breaking the Contract.

They divided the Silver Rings and broke the Written Contracts.

The Silver Rings had prescribed dimensions, generally two cun and four fen in diameter, with an Engraving Master marking them in advance.

The Written Contracts recorded the names and Dharma ranks of the Past Patriarchs, as well as the disciples' basic personal information.

...All of Lei Jun's information was true, save that his body had transmigrated here, leaving him with no place of birth or family origin to speak of. Xu Yuanzhen, who had brought him back to the mountain, had filled in that entry for him.

The result was that no one on the official side questioned it, and Lei Jun himself mentioned it even less.

During the ritual, Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai jointly took up their brushes to write memorials, respectfully informing Heaven, Earth, and the patriarchs. They then separately stored away the rings and contracts.

The meaning of the ritual was that after dividing the rings and breaking the contracts, the Ordination Master could not conceal truth and present falsehood, while the disciple could not betray the Dao or turn against his master.

This was called: "Once the rings are divided, the covenant shall never be broken; once the contract is torn, the oath shall never be betrayed."

The Final Offering rites were the various concluding procedures.

Sending Off the Deities, Returning to the Office, Restoring the Furnace, Exiting the Hall.

The High Merit Dharma Master presiding over the ceremony worshipped the Past Patriarchs and delivered words of thanks to the masters.

After the formal rites concluded, disciples such as Lei Jun left the fasting altar with their respective masters.

Yuan Mobai smiled and beckoned to Wang Guiyuan, who had been standing attentively at the side.

Wang Guiyuan smiled as well, holding a set of ritual robes and a ritual box, which he handed to Lei Jun.

With the ceremony over, the master and his two disciples returned together to their residence within the mansion.

From this day onward, Lei Jun would formally bid farewell to his glorious identity as a Dao Child.

Next, he could move house.

He would leave the Dao Child Courtyard at the foot of the mountain and move into the Main Mansion of the Celestial Master Mansion halfway up the Main Peak, where he would live and cultivate.

The Main Mansion overflowed with spiritual energy. Though it was likewise on Dragon Tiger Mountain, as a treasured ground for cultivation, it surpassed the Dao Child Courtyard below the mountain by who knew how much.

Rows upon rows of Dao Palaces had been built against the mountainside, and there were likewise many independent residences around the outskirts.

The courtyard Lei Jun chose was near Yuan Mobai's residence, making him neighbors with his fellow disciple and senior brother, Wang Guiyuan.

Once he had some free time, he could return to the Dao Child Courtyard to move.

For now, Lei Jun first changed clothes, replacing his gray robe with an Apricot Yellow Taoist Robe and donning a black Taoist crown. Outwardly as well, he had formally entered the Taoist path, changing from a Dao Child into a Taoist priest.

He recalled that some Celestial Master Mansion true disciples at the ceremony had worn Deep Red Taoist Robes.

That represented the second great threshold after Chuan Du Initiation: receiving talismans.

Now that he had changed from a Dao Child into a Taoist priest, he could begin looking ahead to the higher-level talisman-receiving ceremony.

After changing clothes, Lei Jun left the small courtyard, met up with Wang Guiyuan, and headed together to their master Yuan Mobai's residence.

"Your generation is the Chong generation."

Yuan Mobai smiled gently. "Generally speaking, one takes a character from a disciple's given name and combines it into a Taoist Name.

"However, when I presented memorials to Heaven, Earth, and the patriarchs today, I felt something in my heart. You have an affinity with clouds, so I have used the character yun, cloud, to form the Taoist Name Chongyun for you.

"I hope you will inscribe the Three Caverns in cloud script and soon attain Supreme True Orthodoxy."

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this Taoist Name."

Lei Jun's expression remained unchanged, but a thought surfaced in his heart:

Heavy clouds lock deep; their thoughts are hard to fathom... Could Master be teasing me?

And if I let my thoughts wander further—Lei Chongyun, thunder gathering silently in the clouds, yet no one knows when a single clap will shake Heaven and Earth... Lei Jun stopped his wildly running thoughts and felt that his master was overthinking things.

In the Celestial Master Mansion of Dragon Tiger Mountain in this world, believers with affinity had to take refuge in the Three Treasures before they could enter the mountain, but they were only Dao Children.

Only after Dao Children underwent Chuan Du Initiation could they be called Taoist priests and formally become true disciples of the Celestial Master Mansion. They would have their own lineage, Taoist Name, and receive cultivation methods, magical artifacts, and other things formally bestowed by their masters.

Lei Jun opened the ritual box and found several items inside.

First was the Ordination Certificate that proved his identity and lineage.

Then came the first volume of the Great Dao Scripture of True Orthodox Dharma, the cultivation method for formal Celestial Master Mansion disciples after entering the path—the true orthodox teachings of the Taoist Talisman School.

Lastly came the ritual magical artifact.

"Master..."

Lei Jun looked at the short rod in the box. It was entirely black and emitted a faint golden radiance, about one and a half chi long, thick at one end and thin at the other.

He grasped the thinner end, which fit perfectly in his hand, and took out the short rod.

"I saw that the magical artifacts of the other senior brothers and junior brothers were command tablets, magic rulers, magic swords, and the like. What is ours?"

Lei Jun subconsciously gave it a swing.

It was rather handy.

"This is Golden Bamboo, which Master encountered in the Purple Bamboo Forest when he entered the Supreme Clarity Thunder Mansion Grotto-heaven in his early years."

Wang Guiyuan explained eloquently from the side. "After Master picked it, he combined it with many other rare treasures and refined it through sacrifice over many years. It has many wondrous properties. When Junior Brother Lei entered the path, Master spent a long time carefully choosing before finally deciding to bestow this Golden Bamboo upon you as a magical artifact."

Yuan Mobai smiled and nodded.

Lei Jun reversed the short rod in his hand, gripping its thicker end as he examined it anew.

"So its original form was a Bamboo Shoot?"

Wang Guiyuan corrected him. "A Bamboo Shoot unlike any other in the world, which Master has nurtured and refined through sacrifice for many years with great supernatural magic power."

Yuan Mobai's smile did not diminish.

Lei Jun looked at the short rod in his hand.

Could this be the Fourth Grade Opportunity mentioned by his Sign Fortune?

He switched back to gripping the thinner end with one hand, swung the short rod twice through the air, then put it away. "Thank you, Master, for bestowing this magical artifact."

Yuan Mobai said, "After today's ceremony, it is already late. Tomorrow, Chongyun will move into his new residence. The day after tomorrow, I will transmit the Dharma to you both."

He looked at Lei Jun. "You should prepare for Foundation Establishment."