March 5th, Northern Pole Hall.
The North Pole Heavenly Emperor, wearing a crown and a robe adorned with myriad stars, sat upon a throne of seven stars, with a blazing golden wheel behind him.
This statue of the Northern Emperor was cast from a mixture of gold and bronze. It stands two zhang tall and has a majestic and extraordinary appearance.
The offering table was fully stocked with fruits, grains, fresh flowers, and other sacrificial items, while Law Artifact such as the Tianpeng Ruler and the Demon-Subduing Bell were arranged in an orderly fashion, and incense burned slowly in the incense burner.
The two ever-burning lamps emitted steady flames, illuminating the main hall brightly.
The seven bronze furnaces were arranged according to the positions of the seven stars. Yizhen star crown, a purple-gold robe, and held Seven Star Sword, exuding an air of authority.
As the temple master, Yizhen possessed profound Daoist skills, and his mastery of rituals was unparalleled in the Lower Court.
The transmission of ordination and bestowal of regalia by Yizhen was conducted with strict adherence to rules and rituals in every action and word.
Zhou Wuji knelt before the incense table, devoutly reciting the " Supreme Mysterious Spirit Northern Dipper True Scripture ".
This scripture is also the fundamental text of the Northern Pole Sect. Although it does not involve specific practices, it is equivalent to the Northern Pole Sect's theory of practice and is of utmost importance.
Zhou Wuji knew that there were many people watching the ceremony. He didn't need to turn around to know that Yiping Uncle Yiping was standing in the crowd with Shangxing and Yang Tie Ying.
He could also sense the presence of Wuming and Li Ruyi.
There was also the host, Zhiyuan, whose aura was deep and unfathomable, and whose "flavor" was completely different from everyone else present. Only Zhiyuan, whose cultivation had reached the Fifth Rank, could have such a level of cultivation.
The rest of the people are unknown, but they are presumably elites from the Lower Court.
Yiping had told him that there were also several outstanding individuals among the Wu generation in the Lower Court.
Wuai, the best Swordsmanship, and Wujing, the best Law Technique, both advanced to the Seventh Rank before the age of twenty. Now, after years of immersion in the Seventh Rank, they are only one step away from the Sixth Rank.
Uncle Yiping advised Zhou Wuji not to be too assertive, Lower Court was rife with factions, and if things really got out of hand, he wouldn't have much he could do.
Zhou Wuji didn't care about this. As long as someone was within the Seventh Rank, he was confident he had no rivals.
The Lower Court was surrounded and beaten by a group of people instigated by the Zhang Household, and even the Five Dragons Gang couldn't suppress them. What were they fighting amongst themselves?
The spectators stood on both sides, most of them seeing Zhou Wuji for the first time, and their gazes towards Zhou Wuji were full of curiosity and scrutiny.
If the host hadn't Zhiyuan attended the ceremony, there would inevitably have been some gossip among the people behind the scenes.
Zhiyuan was standing at the front, everyone else could only keep their thoughts to themselves.
Standing Zhiyuan is the Daoist Yiding Stillness, also known as the Head of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Lower Court, responsible for upholding the precepts, monitoring the conduct of the people, and enforcing punishments.
The Daoist Yiding was thin and withered, with gray hair and beard, and his narrow eyes gleamed with a sharp light. His expression was cold and stern.
Although the Lower Court is large, the status of the Daoist Yiding is extremely high, second only to the abbot, the hall master, and the steward.
Hearing that Zhou Wuji receive his ordination and advance to the Seventh Rank, he couldn't help but be curious. He brought his most outstanding disciple, Wuai, to witness the ceremony.
Wuai watched very attentively. While others called him the best Swordsmanship in the Lower Court, Zhou Wuji was known for his superb Swordsmanship.
Everyone, including Zhiyuan Yizhen, held Zhou Wuji in extremely high regard.
He was certainly very Qi Ingestion with Zhou Wuji. Zhou Wuji had indeed been ruthless in killing many rebel soldiers, but it was not necessarily true that Zhou Wuji's Swordsmanship was superior to Zhou Wuji's!
Everyone else was looking at Zhou Wuji, but Wujing was observing Wuai.
As Yizhen's eldest disciple, Wujing possessed extremely high attainments in Law Technique, making him virtually unmatched among his peers.
He had heard his master talk about Zhou Wuji before, so now he was very curious about Wuai's attitude.
Sure enough, Wuai's eyes gleamed with a sharp light, his face full of Qi Ingestion.
Wujing found it somewhat amusing. Wuai had always been against him, and he was quite happy to see Wuai clash with Zhou Wuji, so he could sit back and watch the two tigers fight.
This guy who suddenly appeared overshadowed them, which made him very uncomfortable.
He didn't believe that someone who had just advanced to the Seventh Rank could be that strong!
But he didn't need to be the villain. Jingzhu must know that these people had always been at odds with his master, and the talents promoted by his master would inevitably be targeted by them.
Factional struggles are that simple. Newcomers from opposing factions are enemies and must be suppressed through various means.
Conversely, they wouldn't be polite to the Daoist Yiding priests either.
Of course, everyone is competing, but there are limits.
Wujing wants to see just how capable Zhou Wuji really is!
Another point is that Wujing really dislikes Zhou Wuji's suave and charming appearance, which has his junior sister completely infatuated with him; it's disgusting.
Wuming didn't even look at her senior brother Wujing beside her; her gaze was fixed on Zhou Wuji. Because of her nervousness, she kept gripping Li Ruyi's hand.
Wuming wasn't particularly close to Li Ruyi; she simply brought Li Ruyi along to broaden her horizons and let Li Ruyi know about her close relationship with Senior Brother Wuji.
She had forgotten all that at this moment, fearing that Zhou Wuji might encounter some problems during the transmission.
The Yizhen who presides over the ordination ceremony only cares about the rituals and has no regard for the people around him.
As the ritual reached its final step, Yizhen used the Seven Star Sword to pierce through the Oath Gold Record and the Spiritual Rune Scroll. Under the activation of Law Technique, the sword blazed brightly, and the burning Oath Gold Record and Spiritual Rune Scroll were thrown into the incense burner.
With the formal altar established and the statue of the Northern Emperor above, all rituals were completed, and the incense was placed in the censer, which was equivalent to presenting it to the North Pole Heavenly Emperor.
Those who attain the Seventh Rank must receive the Ultimate Perfection Precepts, which are very strict and are important precepts that are commonly observed by all Daoist practitioners.
Yizhen recited the Ultimate Perfection Precepts, and as he recited a line, Zhou Wuji followed suit.
The last sentence, like Middle Perfection Precepts's, is "If I break my promise, I will willingly become the Xuanxian (a high-ranking official in charge of military affairs)."
The Daoist Yizhen drew the Seven Star Sword from the incense burner and gently touched Zhou Wuji's brow, chanting softly, "Upholding the precepts without transgression, the Heavenly Emperor bestows blessings—"
This is also the final ceremony for the transmission of ordination and the bestowal of talismans. Now, Yizhen, representing the Heavenly Emperor, bestows the " Northern Pole Heavenly Pivot Divine Thunder Scripture Talisman " upon Zhou Wuji.
Strictly speaking, the " Northern Pole Heavenly Pivot Divine Thunder Scripture Talisman " is not Law Technique, but rather a qualification for using Thunder Method.
Essentially, it involves praying to the North Pole Heavenly Emperor through rituals, and upon receiving his approval, granting Zhou Wuji the Scripture Register, which means granting him the authority to use the North Pole Heavenly Emperor's Thunder Method.
The Northern Pole Heavenly Pivot Divine Thunder Scripture Talisman" is roughly equivalent to an official seal.
With this sutra, Zhou Wuji could also mobilize the eight classes of Daoist soldiers from the Northern Pole Sect Sect's altar.
The invisible talisman condensed from hundreds of runes into a point of golden light, which flowed through the Seven Star Sword to Zhou Wuji's brow, where it naturally merged with the Heavenly Pivot True Qi contained within his brow's Divine Aperture, transforming into a stable, radiant talisman, like a shining blue star.
Through this blue star, Zhou Wuji sensed the aura of the stars above the nine heavens and the powerful and profound aura emanating from the Northern Emperor statue in front of him.
The Celestial Heavenly Pivot Divine Thunder Scripture Talisman the Northern Pole is like an invisible chain, connecting him with the statue of the Northern Emperor and the spiritual energy of the stars above the Nine Heavens.
The ancient and profound starry sky, the majestic and sacred statue of the Heavenly Emperor, all converged through the sutras into the depths of his brow, becoming closely connected to his consciousness.
Zhou Wuji's study of the Green Satchel Scripture gave him a profound understanding of the Northern Pole Tianshu Scripture and a preliminary comprehension of his own Dao.
At this moment, his Tao and the millennia-old tradition of the Northern Pole Sect converge and merge.
Through this mysterious method, Zhou Wuji also confirmed his understanding of the Dao, and his heart toward the Dao became even more determined.
Through a profound resonance, Zhou Wuji knew that the ordination ceremony was about to end; he had indeed sensed the wondrous unity of Celestial Person.
The Lower Court is like a massive magic array, with the statue of the Northern Emperor at its center. Through this array, he establishes a closer and more profound connection with the stars in the heavens.
At that moment, he felt as if he had transformed into a star in the heavens, looking down upon the endless earth and his own insignificant body on it.
No matter how insignificant it may seem, this body is the most real and stable coordinate between him and the heavens and earth, and all living beings; it is the foundation of his existence.
At this mystical moment, Zhou Wuji opened the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment in his sea of consciousness.
The two Sixth Rank Ghost Soldier, one from the Yin Yang Dao Devil Cultivator and the other from the Cold-Blooded Twin Fiends, each Ghost Soldier four taels and one mace.
There was another evil spirit, which came from the Heavenly Puppet and was killed by him with the Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Sword. It weighed four ounces and seven coins.
According to the rank from low to high, Zhou Wuji transformed the Sixth Rank Ghost Soldier and evil spirits into Origin Xuan one by one.
The Northern Pole Tianshu Scripture at the Transformation Realm level allows Zhou Wuji to operate the Origin Xuan more efficiently.
The mysterious Origin Xuan of change, in turn, strengthens his profound connection with heaven, earth, all things, and all living beings.
Zhou Wuji was completely absorbed in the flow of energy, in a state of Celestial Person.
He could not see the radiant light emanating from the statue of the Northern Emperor, nor could he see the invisible starlight gathering and shining above the hall.
At that moment, everyone in the hall seemed to see the Heavenly Pivot Star high in the sky, the first star of the Big Dipper Seven Stars shining brightly.
The Yizhen presiding over the initiation was startled, but he quickly realized that this had triggered a resonance between heaven and earth.
To put it more mystically, it was a blessing from the North Pole Heavenly Emperor.
As the host, Yizhen naturally absorbed the profound changes, and even with his cultivation level, he benefited from them.
Although the onlookers could see the unusual phenomena of the changing spiritual energy, they were ultimately excluded from these changes and could not perceive the true transformations, let alone benefit from them.
The presiding monk Zhiyuan, had a somewhat complicated expression. The last time Zhou Wuji received ordination, he had been blessed by the North Pole Heavenly Emperor.
He did not observe the ceremony in the main hall, but he sensed the unusual movement of spiritual energy through the Heart-Questioning Mirror.
He came to observe the ceremony for two reasons: first, to show his respect for Zhou Wuji, and second, to prevent any accidents from happening during the ordination ceremony.
Most importantly, he wanted to see the Heavenly Emperor bestow blessings!
Being in the main hall is actually less effective than using the Heart-Questioning Mirror to gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
However, being close to him allowed him to sense more subtle changes in spiritual energy and Zhou Wuji's state.
Zhiyuan did not sense the will of the Northern Emperor; he only sensed the unusual movement of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the abnormal burst of spiritual energy within Zhou Wuji's body.
He was also puzzled by this. Zhou Wuji's state did not seem like he had taken some kind of spiritual substance or elixir. It was more like he had suddenly resonated with heaven and earth and absorbed the most refined and pure spiritual essence from them.
There is no other explanation.
Shouldn't Zhou Wuji be considered a cultivation genius? Why didn't he show it in the first ten years?
Zhiyuan still had some doubts: the higher one's cultivation level, the calmer one's attitude towards deities became.
He was not without faith, but he did not simply attribute the unusual occurrence of the initiation ceremony to a blessing from the Heavenly Emperor.
Regardless of whether Zhou Wuji is exceptionally gifted or what, this is a good thing.
This time, he insisted on getting a Seventh Rank position from the Upper Court. With the blessing of the Heavenly Emperor, at least he could shut up those in the Upper Court who had objections.
The others, lacking the wisdom and insight Zhiyuan comprehend it, were all astonished by the strange occurrence before them.
This was the first time they had ever seen the Heavenly Pivot Star Heavenly Pivot Star directly, and to see it fall so directly upon them.
Such a mysterious and unusual movement of spiritual energy greatly astonished the many Daoist priests who were attending the ceremony.
Even the Daoist Yiding all had serious expressions and intent gazes.
Daoist Yiding actually disliked Zhou Wuji very much. This man was simply a jinx, having caused the death of his master and killed countless people along the way.
In just a few months, he rose from the Subordinate Ninth Rank rank to the Seventh Rank and entered the Lower Court.
Yizhen's efforts to promote Zhou Wuji only fueled his disgust.
He watched coldly, knowing that the Heavenly Emperor's blessing might not be a magic act, but Zhou Wuji's resonance with the primordial energy of heaven and earth was undeniably real.
On this point alone, Zhou Wuji does indeed possess some talent for cultivation.
The more this happened, the more disgusted and resentful the Daoist Yiding became.
The ordination and conferment of rank is the most important inheritance ceremony in a sect. Yizhen helped Zhou Wuji receive ordination and rank, and from then on, Zhou Wuji was equivalent to Yizhen's disciple.
For whatever reason, Zhou Wuji broke away from Yizhen's faction.
The emergence of a powerful figure from the opposing faction is a major problem for him.
His graying eyebrows were furrowed, and his gaze toward Zhou Wuji's retreating figure grew increasingly profound.
Daoist Yiping wasn't paying attention to anyone else; he was so excited that his eyes were red.
The Heavenly Emperor bestowed blessings once again, proving Wuji's talent and showing that his senior brother has a worthy successor.
Given time, Wuji is very likely to advance to the Fifth Rank or Fourth Rank, or even enter this academy!
He prayed silently, thinking that if his senior brother were watching from heaven, he would surely be pleased to see Wuji's success.
Neither Shang Xing nor Yang Tie Ying had ever seen such a scene before, and they were both wide-eyed and mouths agape, completely losing their composure.
On the other side, Wuming's face was full of joy, and in her excitement, she gripped Li Ruyi's hand even tighter.
Li Ruyi felt nothing at this moment; she stared intently at Zhou Wuji figure, thinking that this was the transmission of ordination, this was the blessing from the Heavenly Emperor, and that she too would receive such a blessing in the future.