Jinghong

In just a few words, True Person Chonghuan laid bare the entire plight of the Immortal Foundation, "Autumn Moon Osmanthus"!

Lin Tongjiang, who stood beside him, remained silent. Ever since he had received his master's transfer order in the grotto-heaven, he had known that trouble had landed on the two of them.

Another student, personally selected by Huaqi to cultivate the Autumn Moon Frost Osmanthus Qi Condensation Method, had come to Lüyu to report for school. Lin Tongjiang still remembered that an esteemed figure in the grotto-heaven had advocated pushing this child north!

That had infuriated his master, who had personally transferred him out of the grotto-heaven to escort and protect the child. Whether he succeeded or not, they couldn't let Jiang Wangxuan be killed while still in the Qi Refining Stage!

Jiang Wangxuan's "brain" raced. Only after he had more or less analyzed the risks hidden behind these secrets did he ask, "Principal, the Southern Fire Rebellion three hundred years ago was immense, drawing in nearly half the Xuantian in Qinghuan. I can understand, more or less, how one of our Xuantian True Persons could have fallen in it!"

"But what did you mean when you said Senior Wei Jinghong disappeared in Jiangnan sixty years ago?"

Are you saying a Grand Yin Foundation Establishment cultivator who was about to ascend to the Purple Mansion disappeared in Jiangnan? What, is Jiangnan no longer under the jurisdiction of Qinghuan's Dao lineages?

Big Fat Fish had been spinning in circles for quite a while without producing any relevant conclusions!

True Person Chonghuan looked at the Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus outside the window and said, somewhat wistfully, "When Wei Jinghong returned to Lüyu from Jielin Hall, I hadn't yet cultivated my second Divine Ability!"

"Back then, he was at Foundation Establishment Perfection, full of vigor and ambition. He said he was about to seek confirmation of a Divine Ability here in this separate courtyard, and even joked that perhaps the osmanthus could take a great step forward along with him!"

"But for some reason, just before it was time to enter seclusion, he hurried down from Xuantian, saying he had a few mundane matters to deal with, right there in Jiangnan!"

At this, True Person Chonghuan's face was full of regret. "Wei Jinghong, like you, came from a poor family. Once one prepared to enter seclusion for a breakthrough, even ten years was considered very little. I myself took a full sixteen years back then. At the time, we all thought the mundane matters Wei Jinghong mentioned must have been the loose ends he needed to settle for his family!"

"But he left, and never came back!"

The Plain Shadow Cold Moon Osmanthus outside the window rustled in response, and a lonely chill descended from the high terrace, filling the entire separate courtyard!

"The matter was brought before the Mysterious Heaven Joint Consultative Conference. True Lord Chengyue fell out with several esteemed figures from the north on the spot, and I heard they nearly came to blows!"

"What was even more inconceivable to the many True Persons was that the matter of Lin Jinghong actually became an unsolved case, with no further developments to this day!"

Jiang Wangxuan and Lin Tongjiang looked at each other. How could something like that remain an unsolved case?

After a long while, Lin Tongjiang finally said, "I see. That explains why, back then, some of our Grand Yin lineage went north and some stayed in Jixia, while only a few Qi Refinement cultivators remained in Lüyu in the end."

True Person Chonghuan stood with his hands behind his back and let out a long sigh. "The matter of Lin Jinghong angered True Lord Chengyue, and he no longer wished to concern himself with the Grand Yin lineage. At the time, both Lüyu and the grotto-heaven punished quite a few Purple Mansion True Persons over it. After more than ten years, the matter became a taboo in the grotto-heaven!"

"The Grand Yin lineage in Lüyu went their separate ways, and the True Lord did not blame them. Lord Miaoyuan even came forward personally and gave them quite a few Law Artifacts and pills as they left."

Then True Person Chonghuan looked at Jiang Wangxuan meaningfully. "I never expected that, in just sixty years, our Lüyu would forge another Autumn Moon Osmanthus Immortal Foundation. I can hardly wait to see the looks on the faces of those at Vast Cold Heaven and Jielin Hall!"

"Jielin Hall boasts of being the orthodox Grand Yin lineage, yet it has its disciples cultivate the fourth-grade Jade Toad Edict, which isn't even as good as Vast Cold Heaven's Cold Moon Farewell. Those old things have lived so long they're going backward!"

This time, it was Lin Tongjiang and Jiang Wangxuan's turn to lower their heads. Since the matter concerned Purple Mansion True Persons and a True Lord, they had to be extra careful about what they said and did!

"All right, both of you, raise your heads. It's not your place to comment on the affairs of those above you. But we all belong to Qinghuan's Xuantian, so there are some things you should understand!"

True Person Chonghuan walked to the window and gazed at the distant grotto-heaven beyond the separate courtyard. After a long spell of thought, he said slowly, "Jiang Wangxuan, now that you know these things, there are certain decisions you must make!"

Here it comes! Jiang Wangxuan realized that this was the purpose of True Person Chonghuan's visit today!

"You have two choices. First, Yuanhuai Heaven will step forward and sell you, as a complete package, to Jielin Hall. From then on, the esteemed figures over there will pave the way for your future Dao Path! All ties between you, Lüyu, and Yuanhuai Heaven will be severed!"

Lin Tongjiang's face turned as black as the bottom of a soot-covered pot. He was about to argue, but a sharp look from his master silenced him.

"Personally, I support this choice. The Autumn Moon Osmanthus is a matter of great importance, and Yuanhuai Heaven no longer has a Grand Yin senior who can teach you. If you go to Jielin Hall, you can naturally claim the position of their Dao child. I'll negotiate the matter."

True Person Chonghuan then turned around, pride on his face. "Although you've only just reached Foundation Establishment, your understanding of the Autumn Moon Osmanthus is already no less than Wei Jinghong's was back then. Such talent must never be buried. Whatever decision you make, your own Dao Path must come first."

"Selling you to Jielin Hall as a package is also a way of taking responsibility for your safety. No matter what, your personal safety will be guaranteed in Jielin Hall. Removing your name from Lüyu's rolls will also put an end to the petty designs of certain people in Jielin Hall!"

Now that he had said so much, Jiang Wangxuan naturally understood True Person Chonghuan's painstaking intentions. From any angle, being sold to Jielin Hall was the best path open to him!

For him, his own Dao Path mattered most! Only by getting a seat at the table first would he have the right to speak loudly! In this world of Attainment-Status Immortal Cultivation, Jiang Wangxuan could see clearly what was fundamental!

Unfortunately, if not for that White Hair Moon-Illuminating Pill, Jiang Wangxuan would certainly have agreed to the deal. The mere fact that Jielin Hall had Grand Yin teachers to guide him made its terms far superior to what Lüyu currently offered!

But the White Hair Moon-Illuminating Pill concealed a Grand Yin lunar phase that had fallen onto a deviant path. For someone capable of such a feat, the greatest suspicion instead fell on fellow practitioners of Grand Yin; at the very least, the mastermind had to be within the Three Yins' Dao lineages!

From obtaining the pill to transporting it, then having Teaching Assistant Lin sign for it in Lüyu, and finally delivering it into my hands, how many stages had it passed through, and how many people had handled it?

Jiang Wangxuan had no idea whether the pill itself had been flawed or someone with an ulterior motive had tampered with it along the way!

But Jiang Wangxuan understood one thing: those in the same trade were all great benefactors. After something like this, he no longer dared trust outsiders, especially fellow practitioners of the same path!

Seeing that Jiang Wangxuan remained silent and showed no sign of joy, True Person Chonghuan instead looked gratified. "Many things become minor problems once you reach another realm. If you can attain a Purple Mansion Divine Ability in the future, you'll naturally have far greater freedom in how you deal with others. You should know-"

"Principal, I'd like to hear what terms Yuanhuai Heaven is offering me." Jiang Wangxuan suddenly interrupted what True Person Chonghuan was about to say.

True Person Chonghuan paused, an indescribably grave look on his face. He asked his disciple beside him, "Lin Tongjiang, who else knows that Jiang Wangxuan has successfully reached Foundation Establishment?"

Lin Tongjiang cupped his hands and replied, "I, Tongjiang, report on my name that, at present, you are the only person in Yuanhuai Heaven besides me who knows!"

True Person Chonghuan nodded in satisfaction, then said solemnly to Jiang Wangxuan, "Today, I, True Person Chonghuan, in my capacity as principal of Luyu University, speak with you as follows on behalf of Yuanhuai Heaven and Luyu University!"

He held up one finger. "The terms are very simple. There is only one: you, Jiang Wangxuan, must take me, Chonghuan, as your master!"

Lin Tongjiang's expression changed drastically. How is that possible? Master cultivates Kan Water. How can he take a Grand Yin Foundation Establishment cultivator as his disciple? Once this gets out, Master will inevitably be called to account by many people!

A Dao lineage was a matter of great importance, and disputes over fate could also be involved. How could they act so recklessly?

Yet after only a few breaths, Jiang Wangxuan understood what True Person Chonghuan really meant. "Principal, you want me to take you as my academic advisor at Luyu University?"

"A child worth teaching!" True Person Chonghuan replied with just those four words!

Only then did Secretary-General Lin finally catch on. "That's right! By going through Luyu University's teaching system, you won't have the title of master and disciple, but you'll have the substance of teacher and student! In present-day Qinghuan, a teacher-student relationship recorded in the system is actually more binding under convention!"

Master and disciple, teacher and student: the difference of a single character reflected the changes in Qinghuan's immortal path over the past few centuries. In the past, few people had Spirit Apertures, but Spirit Root Seeds had now been in widespread use for hundreds of years, and their upper limit had continued to expand. More and more students sought the Dao, but accomplished teachers were always in short supply.

If they continued with the old one-on-one model of masters passing on their teachings to disciples, they could not keep pace with an age in which Spirit Root Seeds were becoming widespread. The teacher-student relationship arose in response!

As the various Xuantian established their own comprehensive universities, the teacher-student relationship became the mainstream.

When Purple Mansion True Persons or Foundation Establishment cultivators wanted disciples to inherit their mantle, they mostly chose from among their own students. Such students were often the so-called direct disciples!

But having a Grand Yin Foundation Establishment cultivator take a Purple Mansion True Person as an academic advisor was still unprecedented.

"What's even better is that you've been at Lüyu for exactly six years, Jiang Wangxuan, so it's time for you to choose an advisor anyway. It's just that others choose advisors in hopes of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, while you're choosing one to catch a glimpse of the Purple Mansion."

Lin Tongjiang clapped his hands and laughed. "That complies with Lüyu's procedures and leaves outsiders no room to criticize!"

True Person Chonghuan couldn't bear to look at his direct disciple. Lin Tongjiang was actually already outstanding among the disciples of his fellow disciples, the kind of disciple others held up as an example. But compared with Jiang Wangxuan, True Person Chonghuan felt he still fell far short!

"Jiang Wangxuan, if you take me as your advisor, the greatest benefit is that you'll be relatively free. After all, you've already completed your Foundation Establishment coursework. But you won't receive any fewer resources than you should. You'll have far more than Lin Tongjiang."

"But there's one thing I must make clear to you. Even if you don't want to go to Jielin Hall, once you have confirmed a Divine Ability, you can only obtain one of the subsequent Purple Mansion Cultivation Methods from Huaqi. The remaining methods are controlled by Jielin Hall!"

"So think carefully. If you take me as your advisor, you'll certainly offend Jielin Hall!"