Chapter 120: The Patriarch's Examination
Qin Mu said, puzzled, "The Patriarch never had such a thought?"
The young Patriarch was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I did. Keep your head on your neck for now and continue."
Qin Mu went on, "I observe the actions of the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor. Some of them align with the teachings of our Sacred Sect—both are the Way of the Sage, meant for the common people. If our Sacred Sect were to attach itself to the Yan Kang Kingdom, not only would it not decline like other sects, but it could grow and prosper. That is the first point."
He paused, then continued, "The Imperial Preceptor's elementary schools, higher schools, and Grand Academy have flaws—major flaws. These flaws won't show in the short term, but within two or three hundred years, the consequences will become clear."
The young Patriarch looked curious. "What flaws?"
Qin Mu asked, "May I ask the Patriarch, what proportion of students in the Grand Academy come from poor families?"
The young Patriarch smiled, clearly knowing where this was going. "One in ten."
Qin Mu pressed on, "And in recent years, what proportion of the Yan Kang Kingdom's young officials have come from the Grand Academy?"
The young Patriarch replied, "Seven out of ten come from the Grand Academy. The remaining veteran ministers come from various major sects, and a few have climbed the ranks step by step."
"According to my speculation, in two hundred years, all officials in the realm will come from the Grand Academy, and among them, students from humble backgrounds will be fewer than one in a hundred!"
Qin Mu saw the float sink but didn't rush to lift the rod. He waited a moment and said, "In two hundred years, the poor will remain poor for life, and the rich will remain rich for life. Resentment will accumulate day by day and inevitably erupt. The wealthy aristocratic families will seize the opportunity to rebel and overthrow the court. That will be the time for our Sacred Sect to unify the world—an unstoppable tide that no one can resist."
He lifted the rod. A large fish was hooked, but its strength was immense. With a snap, the fishing line broke, and the big fish plunged into the water and vanished.
The young Patriarch sneered, "You want to rebel, dragging our Sacred Sect into disloyalty. I'll have your head!"
Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then said, "Patriarch, don't be difficult."
The young Patriarch fell silent. He also had a fish on his line—a small one—and he lifted it with a single stroke. "Alright, let's talk business. In two hundred years, you'll make the Sacred Sect into another Yan Kang Kingdom. Then what? A great war will cleanse the old aristocratic families, and in another two hundred years, new ones will form. Someone else will rise to overthrow our Sacred Sect's rule. How do you solve that?"
Qin Mu was taken aback. He shook his head. "I haven't thought about what happens after two hundred years. Please enlighten me, Patriarch."
The young Patriarch broke off a willow branch, threaded the fish through it, and stood up. "I can't see beyond two hundred years either. Young Sect Leader, at your age, being able to see two hundred years ahead already makes you a qualified leader. You've passed. My thoughts differ from yours. I focus on the teachings of our Sacred Sect."
Qin Mu's heart trembled. He looked at this young old man.
The young Patriarch said leisurely, "The Way of the Sage is no different from the daily needs of the common people. Anything that deviates is heresy! Acting according to one's nature, purely following the natural course—that is the Way. When the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor rose to power, I sensed his grand ambitions. He came to seek the Way from me, and I told him this phrase from the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture. What he does now is exactly that."
Qin Mu's soul was shaken. He bowed in reverence. "The Patriarch is wise, already a sage. You want to subtly transform the Yan Kang Kingdom into the Sacred Sect. If the Yan Kang Kingdom achieves the Way of the Sage, then the Yan Kang Kingdom itself will be the Heavenly Sacred Sect!"
The young Patriarch shook his head. "Neither the Yan Kang Kingdom nor the Imperial Preceptor can achieve the Way of the Sage, and neither can I. As you said, in two hundred years, power and resources will be monopolized by aristocratic families. The poor will grow poorer, the rich richer. That is not the Way of the Sage of our Heavenly Sacred Sect. I wanted to influence the Imperial Preceptor and through him the Yan Kang Kingdom, but now it seems I have failed. I am old. This burden I pass to you. What I can do for you is to hold the fort for a few years."
He carried the fish and the rod on his back. Qin Mu followed behind him. The old man found a hollow in the mountain, set up a pot in this place—the highest sacred ground in the hearts of all Yan Kang Kingdom's people—added water, lit a fire, scaled and gutted the fish, and threw it into the pot.
The young Patriarch looked at the water in the pot, then took some seasonings from his sleeve and sprinkled them in. "In a few more months, I will resign from my post as Grand Sacrificial Official. I am old. In these last few years, I want to travel. There are many places in this world I have not yet seen. The Sacred Sect I leave to you. After I resign, I will preside over an enthronement ceremony. I want to see with my own eyes as you become the Sect Leader of the Sacred Sect."
Qin Mu looked troubled. "I am still at the Five Luminaries Realm. Taking over the Sacred Sect now—isn't it too early? Will I be able to command respect?"
The young Patriarch gestured for him to sit. Qin Mu sat cross-legged before the pot, just like him, inhaling the fragrance of the fish soup.
The young Patriarch said, "The Sacred Sect is actually quite loose. The three hundred and sixty hall masters are scattered across the land, and the followers are spread throughout Yan Kang. Even the elders and heavenly kings rarely gather. You can be a hands-off leader. If things go wrong, I am still alive, aren't I? As long as I live, no one will dare touch you—not even the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor."
Qin Mu's heart stirred. He probed, "The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor must want to control our Sacred Sect, right?"
"Of course he does. But you can set his mind at ease."
The young Patriarch tasted the fish soup, found it not ready yet, and added more firewood. "You must understand: you are young, your cultivation is low. He won't take you seriously. He will think he can control you. If he can achieve the Way of the Sage, letting him control you and the Sacred Sect is no big deal. If he cannot, you will replace him."
He spoke as if it were a trivial matter, yet this matter was nothing less than the changing of dynasties!
Qin Mu tasted the fish soup. It was delicious and refreshing. He couldn't help but praise it.
Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly said, "Patriarch, is the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture missing a cultivation method? I've been studying and contemplating it these days, but I haven't found a method that unifies all the techniques."
The young Patriarch reached into the air and, from somewhere, grabbed two bowls and a ladle. Qin Mu took them and began to ladle the soup.
The spell the young Patriarch had just used was recorded in the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture as the Five Ghosts Transport Technique, which could steal things from afar without being noticed.
"The unified cultivation method of the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture is passed down only to the Sect Leader, from one Sacred Sect Leader to the next."
The young Patriarch took a sip of the fish soup, let out a satisfied breath, and said, "The contents of the Great Nurturing Demon Scripture can all be passed on, but only the unified method is for the Sect Leader alone. When you are enthroned as the Sacred Sect Leader, Li Tianxing will pass it to you."
Qin Mu was stunned. Hadn't the previous Sect Leader Li Tianxing already died?
From the young Patriarch's tone, it sounded as if Li Tianxing was still alive.
He drank the fish soup, finding it more and more delicious. He quickly asked, "Patriarch, what kind of fish is this?"
The young Patriarch said, "The Nine Dragons' Qi gathered here to form this lake. The fish absorbed the dragon energy, so they are called Nine Dragon Crucians. This fish is all hard bones, with little meat. It's only good for soup, but the soup is especially delicious."
Qin Mu mused, "Is the Patriarch telling me to be a hard-boned Nine Dragon Crucian?"
The young Patriarch shot him a glare. "Overthinking it, aren't you? Why would anyone want to be a fish? Do you want to be made into soup? I was just craving it and brought you along to drink some fish soup."
Qin Mu felt ashamed. It seemed the old man really was just craving fish soup and nothing more.
The two sat there, slowly sipping the fish soup, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Qin Mu took a fish bone and drew on the ground, sketching the Six Harmonies Realm cultivation diagram of the Overlord Body Three Dantian Art. "Patriarch, I saw this cultivation diagram in the Azure Sun Hall, but it had no preceding section. Have you ever seen the upper part of this diagram?"
The young Patriarch looked closely and said in surprise, "Why do you want the cultivation diagram of this technique? Do you recognize it?"
Qin Mu nodded. "This is the Six Harmonies Realm cultivation diagram of the Overlord Body Three Dantian Art."
The young Patriarch's expression turned strange. "Even I don't know this is the Overlord Body Three Dantian Art. Who told you?"
"The Village Chief told me."
The young Patriarch was taken aback, then sighed with deep emotion. "That old fellow is still one step ahead of me. I couldn't recognize this technique or its name, but he could. Impressive. So this technique is called the Overlord Body Three Dantian Art. That old man truly has seen much and knows much. This cultivation diagram came from an ancient ruin I once explored. Besides this one, there were a few other fragmentary diagrams. I saw that the cultivation mysteries in the diagram were vast and profound, extraordinary, so I memorized it and carved it into the Azure Sun Hall. The techniques in the Azure Sun Hall are all fragments, and this diagram is the best among them."
He paused, then asked, "Is this the technique you cultivate?"
Qin Mu nodded. "I have cultivated the Overlord Body Three Dantian Art since childhood."
The young Patriarch hesitated for a moment. "In principle, you should cultivate the unified method of our Sacred Sect. But that old fellow from your village must have his reasons for having you cultivate this Overlord Body Three Dantian Art. He is knowledgeable and didn't pass on his own technique to you, which shows that the Overlord Body Three Dantian Art surpasses even his. Good techniques always have commonalities. You might as well cultivate both methods simultaneously. It might aid your cultivation."
Qin Mu agreed. "But I haven't found the upper part of the Overlord Body Three Dantian Art. Without the Five Luminaries Realm method, I cannot continue cultivating."