The World's Number One Dharma Idol Assembly

At the first light of dawn, Sun Chao'en had already finished washing up. Holding a bowl of hot congee, he sipped it while checking a map against local gazetteers from across the State of Ji. Just then, the study door pushed open, and Cai Miao walked in carrying a bowl of ginseng soup. Taking the congee bowl from his hands, she said, "You rank as a senior third-grade official now, so why are you still eating thin congee for breakfast? I prepared some old-hen ginseng soup for you. Drink it while it's hot." Sun Chao'en thanked her, took it, and downed it in one gulp, never taking his eyes off the gazetteer. Cai Miao sat quietly beside him without speaking until the chime marking the hour rang out. Sun Chao'en closed the book, and only then did Cai Miao ask, "Why do you still work so hard?" Sun Chao'en sighed. "Power and authority are like flowers in a mirror or the moon on the water, like morning dew and fleeting mist—gone in an instant. If I don't work hard now, it will be too late for regrets once I fall from power." Cai Miao was delicately pretty and slender. Hearing this, she sighed as well. "True enough. That is how I ended up here, and now I even have to follow along with you in these absurd antics. What do you want this power for anyway?" Sun Chao'en chuckled. "For the common folk. Do you believe that?" Cai Miao shook her head. "I don't! The only person I know who is truly doing it for the common people is your real master." Sun Chao'en laughed aloud. "Well said! What I really want is simply to overturn everything above my head. As for what to do after overturning it, to be honest, I haven't thought about it, nor do I have the capability to plan it. Having that person is enough." Cai Miao bit her lip. "I hate this world too! Shall we strive together?" Sun Chao'en glanced at her in slight surprise. "How shall we strive?" "Over this period, I've come to understand the King of Ji's temperament very well, but I need to bring down that slut Xu Shang first. Come, let's get in a session of 'homework' before your morning court assembly. It's best if you can show up for court sporting two dark circles under your eyes!" As Cai Miao spoke, she swept the clutter on the desk aside and prostrated herself across it. … When the supervising eunuch chanted the words to dismiss the court, Sun Chao'en finally breathed a sigh of relief. By now, he was dead tired, almost yawning several times. Cai Miao cultivated secret techniques as well; each "lesson" with her doubled the gains, but the toll was doubled too. Sun Chao'en's Dharma Idol could barely hold up, truly unable to endure missing neither morning nor evening lessons. As the officials withdrew, a supervising eunuch called out to Sun Chao'en, announcing that the King of Ji had summoned him. A moment later, Sun Chao'en entered the imperial study. The King of Ji nearly stood up the moment he saw him, but slowly sat back down and asked with concern, "Beloved Minister Sun, why do you look so exhausted today?" Sun Chao'en sighed. "The woman at home is insatiable. She wouldn't even let me off this morning, making me do some 'homework.'" The King of Ji's breathing grew slightly heavier. After chatting idly about a few military matters of state, Sun Chao'en offered a suggestion: a detachment could be ordered out of the pass to wage guerrilla warfare and pin down the rebel army's main force; if the rebels turned back, the detachment would withdraw behind the pass; if the main force did not turn back, they could raid their rear. Yet the King of Ji was visibly distracted, merely humming in acknowledgment a few times before having Sun Chao'en escorted out. When Sun Chao'en returned to his manor, sure enough, Cai Miao had already been picked up by people from the palace, and she was not released back until dawn the next day. Upon her return, Cai Miao looked like a crumpled ragdoll, barely able to stand, yet her eyes shone with triumph as she shook her fist at Sun Chao'en! Sun Chao'en had no time to say much to her, but he knew she had definitely won a round against Noble Consort Xu—and scored a resounding victory at that. Sun Chao'en changed into his court robes and hurried to the palace, only to be informed that the monarch would not hold morning court today. Inside the palace at that moment, the King of Ji was yawning incessantly, staring blankly at Cangwu across from him. Disgust written all over his face, Cangwu tossed a pill box in front of the King of Ji. "Inside are three pills. Take them as you see fit; one will sustain you for ten days. I remind you once again: do not waste so much effort on that woman Cai Miao. She is a relative of Jin's Left Prime Minister, while Sun Chao'en is deeply entangled with Wei Yuan. They did not necessarily come here with good intentions." The King of Ji picked up the pill box, toying with it in his hands as he said slowly, "Sun Chao'en caters to my pleasures, so he certainly harbors motives. But does this king fear his motives? Among all the civil and military officials in court, is there a single one without motives? You say he harbors ill intent, Immortal Lord, yet I have yet to see any ill intent; at the very least, he has brought me plenty of pleasure first. "On the other hand, you recommended five generals in succession, losing a total of ten thousand li of territory and five hundred thousand troops. Had I not employed Minister Sun's strategy, the rebels would probably be knocking at the city walls again by now. You possess cultivation in vain, Immortal Lord, but lack the eye to judge people!" Fury flashed across Cangwu's face. "Why would I care about the petty trifles of mortals? As for the repeated defeats on the front line, weren't they caused by you directing operations from afar, air-dropping imperial edicts every day? You executed a distant descendant of mine in the mortal world, and I said nothing of it!" The King of Ji sneered. "That descendant of yours wanted to usurp my place. I would gladly have abdicated the throne to him, but the question is, would he have dared to sit on it?" Cangwu's face turned livid. If his descendant had truly taken the throne of the King of Ji, and if it were traced back to him, the contingencies left by the Martial Ancestor would trigger. Even as an immortal, he would drop dead on the spot, denied reincarnation. Mortal king and immortal stared at each other, neither yielding, before finally realizing that neither could do anything to the other. Cangwu said slowly, "If you ruin the grand design, I doubt you can bear the consequences." The King of Ji replied calmly, "Since you must also do other people's bidding, Immortal Lord, are the lord or lords behind you really so easily deceived, listening only to your one-sided account? If this matter is botched, who do you think will be punished more severely? Besides, how many years do I have left to live anyway? Do you think I fear such threats? If you people truly allow me to achieve Scenery Command, only then would this king be afraid." Cangwu snorted, suppressing his temper. "In battles against the rebels, victory or defeat does not matter at all, so long as the population is cleared out. The first step is to reduce the population of the four western commanderies to under ten million so the grand formation can be completed. The second step is to clear out the ten western commanderies, and then the great undertaking will succeed. As for your Scenery Command, by that time, it will merely be a matter of a single immortal pill." The King of Ji said, "Now isn't that better? You still have ten thousand years to live, Immortal Lord. Why look for trouble and insist on holding sway over a mortal king like me? You pursue your grand design, and I will continue my pleasures. Isn't it wonderful when each stays in their own lane? "Besides, this king has heard that upon ascending to immortality, one must sever mortal ties. You have no prominent clan, Immortal Lord, so why keep propping up your mortal bloodline? Wouldn't that just be handing others a weapon to use against you?" Cangwu snapped, "Cultivators generally have some bottom line. Why would they casually strike at mortals?" The King of Ji said meaningfully, "You aren't the only ones in this world who know how to be shameless!" Cangwu swept his sleeves and departed. … Wei Yuan was currently inside the Splendor of the Many Realms. Addressing the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning, he said, "Life has been rather dull lately. Following the past customs of the major immortal sects, aside from Immortality Ascension Grand Ceremonies, there are often events like Dharma Idol Grand Ceremonies or Scenery Command Grand Ceremonies to display prestige and gather popular acclaim. "After much thought, I would also like to host a Dharma Idol Grand Ceremony to celebrate my breakthrough to the Dharma Idol realm's perfection. What does everyone think?" The cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning fell silent for a moment before chiming in with their opinions. Xiaoyu: "Have you no shame?" Heavenly Demon: "...Try acting like a decent human being!" After listening to everyone's opinions, Wei Yuan readily followed good advice and decided to hold the Dharma Idol Grand Ceremony three months later in the sixth month, while simultaneously convening a new session of the Dao Foundation Grand Ceremony in celebration. Having reached a decision, Wei Yuan asked further, "There's someone from the Sword Palace named Su Xuejing. How is he doing now?" The Sword Palace currently maintained close ties with Qingming, so someone replied, "His opportunity arrived a while ago, and he has already entered seclusion to advance to Scenery Command. Before entering seclusion, he said he would remain in closed-door cultivation for twelve years." Wei Yuan's spirits lifted immediately. "Then we have the theme for this Dharma Idol Assembly: All Dharma Idols under heaven are trash!" Once again, the cultivators were rendered speechless. In the end, Xiaoyu spoke up: "Are you even at the Dharma Idol realm right now? Can we... show a little shame? Really, just a tiny bit!" Wei Yuan remained unmoved. "Of course I'm at the Dharma Idol realm. Look, the Heavenly Demon is still here, so my Scenery Command Tribulation isn't even finished yet. Besides, the statement isn't wrong either—if I were at Scenery Command, wouldn't all Dharma Idols under heaven look like trash to me?" The Heavenly Demon protested, "I'm here to work!" Wei Yuan did not reply, simply pointing toward the heavens. Large patches of festering purple blemishes still marred the firmament, but warning signs had been set up around them. At regular intervals, flying platforms shuttled back and forth, ferrying newly advanced cultivators into the battlefield to gain experience fighting against extraterrestrial demons. The intensity of a Heavenly Demon Tribulation depended on the Heavenly Demon itself; however strong the demon was, it could summon extraterrestrial fiends of a corresponding rank. Now, the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World had become the Splendor of the Many Realms, the grotto-heaven had been furnished with sun and moon, and Xihe had taken up residence to preside over it. If nothing else, the worldly power of the Splendor of the Many Realms alone could suppress the strength of the incoming extraterrestrial fiends to half their original level. Thus, what was meant to be a fatal tribulation was turned into a training ground. In the end, Zhang Sheng could watch no longer and said quietly, "Speak properly." Wei Yuan cleared his throat and first glared at the Heavenly Demon. The Heavenly Demon immediately shrank back and pulled back the appearance of the Sixth Princess. When no one was around, this Heavenly Demon wore Xiaoyu's face, but whenever it appeared before the crowd, it was unpredictable—sometimes Princess Ningguo, sometimes the Sixth Princess. Its malicious intent deserved death. It was only because it had never seen Imperial Consort Yuan, or it would be all the more damnable. Having intimidated the Heavenly Demon, Wei Yuan turned solemn: "The path of cultivation is a struggle against heaven and earth. To take another step forward, one cannot merely cultivate primordial spirit, Dao power, and the dharma body—karmic luck is equally vital. Needless to say, our Palace of Grand Beginning's Dao arts are unrivaled under heaven; as for the dharma body, we now have the Desolate Realm, which can always elevate each of us to our respective limits. Only karmic luck has yet to be properly planned for. "With my recent advances in cultivation, I have gained new insight into the four words: 'the convergence of all hopes.' These words represent the quintessential secret to gathering karmic luck, and it applies to Dharma Idols as well. Our Dharma Idols each possess unique wonders, rare in the world, yet we remain confined to this corner in Qingming, unknown to the realm. It is truly a pity. "Therefore, I plan to organize a 'World Dharma Idol Assembly,' widely inviting Dharma Idols across the world to gather in Qingming to exchange insights and trade what they have. We will also invite Patriarch Yanshi, Palace Master Bai of the Sword Palace, the Bao family's Immortal Ancestor, and others to evaluate and critique, redefining the standards for immortal idols, selecting the Twelve Immortal Idols, and publishing them in a booklet distributed across the world. Doing so will surely harvest an immense amount of karmic luck, allowing all of us to breach the Immortal Gate together!" Hearing this, the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning were thoroughly tempted! This Dharma Idol Assembly would be the stage for the younger generation of the Palace of Grand Beginning to reclaim the title of number one under heaven, crushing all dissent among their peers! Through this, they would demonstrate to the world that the Palace of Grand Beginning was not only the foremost immortal sect today, but would remain the foremost immortal sect in the future! Any genius born in the same era as these cultivators might as well start training the next generation early, giving the clumsy birds a head start. Murdering the body and crushing the spirit—it was nothing more than this. Xiaoyu cleared his throat, wanting to say something, but finding himself at a loss for words. Normally, he would resolutely oppose anything Wei Yuan supported, but this time... it resonated far too deeply with this fish's heart. While Xiaoyu stammered for half a day without uttering a word, Star Lord Shaoyang could no longer hold back and manifested, uttering only two words: "Capital idea." With that, the matter was settled. Zhang Sheng then slightly altered the assembly's name, changing it to the "World's Number One Dharma Idol Assembly." With the addition of the words "Number One," the atmosphere among the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning abruptly shifted, laced with a dangerous edge. Wei Yuan supported everything Zhang Sheng did unconditionally, immediately making the executive call to lock down the name. He then said to the cultivators, "After this assembly, not only will our Dharma Idols shake the world with renown, but we will also go down in history. By then, everyone's Dao hearts will be crystal-clear and free of regrets, and we can plan for Scenery Command together. "At that time, you can cultivate Scenery Command first, while I find ways to elevate the younger Dao Foundation disciples in our palace, lest there be no one to take the reins at the next Dharma Idol Assembly." The cultivators all voiced approval and immediately began discussing the fine details. This step, however, was not what Wei Yuan had envisioned. Nor did the cultivators intend to consult him—within a few sentences, they revealed their true colors. The focus of their discussion: What defines the number one Dharma Idol? Everyone agreed that Dharma Idols had to follow certain rules; not any messy hodgepodge could be called a Dharma Idol. Only a single, unified idol qualified to be judged as the number one Dharma Idol. Any idol that contained multiples—say, three figures representing old age, middle age, and youth—was disqualified from participating. As for a certain someone at Dharma Idol perfection, that went without saying. What decent person hung multiple grotto-heavens onto their Dharma Idol?