From his seat, Real Man Chonghua bowed toward the Heavenly Master and said, "Heavenly Master, regardless of the circumstances, Ming nearly brought about the ruin of our Tianji Sect, and countless believers perished. We must give an account to the faithful."
Long Xian chimed in, "Indeed. A wisp of Ming's spirit qi still lingers within the Tianji Plate. How should it be dealt with?"
Heavenly Master Lu nodded. "This matter should be brought to an end."
He flicked his horsetail whisk. In the center of the Tianji Great Hall, radiant light welled forth, accompanied by the sound of flowing water, as though subterranean currents were surging up from below.
Where the luminous mist gathered, the stone flags dissolved to reveal an opening, out of which floated an octagonal golden plate inscribed with numerous mystic talismans.
This was one of the Tianji Sect's greatest treasures: the Tianji Plate, which governed the esoteric rituals of the thirty-six seats and seventy-two scenic sights.
The object turned in midair and settled onto Heavenly Master Lu's palm. With a gentle flick of his whisk, a wisp of spirit qi was nudged out from within. It drifted onto the hall and instantly coalesced into Ming's figure.
Without looking around, Ming silently bowed to Heavenly Master Lu on the dais, then stood there in silence.
His fellow disciples in the great hall turned their gazes toward him, their eyes filled with varied emotions—hatred, pity, or sorrowful sighs.
Heavenly Master Lu said, "Ming, the Tianji Sect's tribulation has passed. Your calculations are exhausted, and your mystic workings shattered, bringing about the deaths of many innocent believers. This cannot be overlooked. Yet mindful that you bore the tribulation with your own person, your name shall remain recorded among the sect; you will not be expelled, though you shall receive no offerings. You may release yourself."
Ming looked up at the Heavenly Master, then at the others seated around, before his gaze finally settled on Chen Chuan. As their eyes met, a wisp of spirit conveyed a message across.
This action was done without concealment; Heavenly Master Lu and the three Real Men witnessed it, yet none spoke a word.
Chen Chuan sensed the spirit projected to him. Examining it, he realized Ming had transmitted an esoteric secret technique.
It was the rainbow luminescence Ming had wielded at the very end. Judging by the meaning embedded in the transmission, it had not been bestowed by Lord Anshi. Rather, after obtaining that formless body, Ming had derived this self-defense art in an instant, drawing upon his own prior knowledge and the remnant memories left by Lord Anshi.
Had Ming been given the chance, he could have continued developing it further. Though he had failed to transcend the heavenly workings, he wished for this esoteric art to be preserved and perfected.
Chen Chuan reviewed it and grasped the technique in its entirety within moments. However, its style did not truly align with his own cultivation system, so at most he could use it for reference rather than adopting it outright.
Yet he felt Ming harbored other intentions as well. With a shift of thought, some conjectures formed, but since he could not verify them right now, he would have to look into them later.
At the same time, Chen Chuan sent a thought back, indicating that he had committed the esoteric art to memory and would seek to pass it on if he encountered a suitable person in the future.
Receiving his reply, Ming bowed to Chen Chuan, turned back, and gave another formal bow toward the center of the dais.
Straightening his posture, his figure grew increasingly faint and dim. Then, with a sudden flash of clear light, he dissolved into a thin wisp of white cloud-mist, which drifted away and vanished on the draft sweeping in from outside the hall.
With his spirit qi dispersed, the person known as Ming ceased to exist from that moment onward.
The three Real Men on their seats sighed softly, each silently chanting the name of the Mysterious Ancestor.
Real Man Gao Xu thought for a moment, then bowed toward the dais. "Heavenly Master, your disciple has a doubt. Had the Heavenly Master not tended to matters beyond, but focused solely on the inside, could this tribulation have been dispelled?"
Heavenly Master Lu nodded slightly. "Had we not dealt with matters beyond the heavens, forsaking this karmic burden to guard only the within, perhaps half of this tribulation could have been averted. But that is not the way of our Tianji Sect.
"I ventured beyond the heavens to eliminate demons, an undertaking that can sustain the Mystic Ring for at least three more years. For the sake of these three years, what does it matter if our Tianji Sect shoulders half as much tribulation again?"
Chonghua, Gao Xu, and Long Xian could not help but nod in profound agreement.
The way of the Tianji Sect lay in seeking a sliver of heavenly opportunity to cross over. If they acted solely to save themselves, it would ultimately degenerate into mobilizing the sect's full might to ferry a mere handful—or even a single person—while leaving everyone else stranded.
By setting aside such selfish designs and instead shielding the people of the world, the Tianji Sect gained hope of enduring; had they harbored narrow self-preservation, they would never have lasted. Just as in the present crisis, it was precisely because of the Tianji Sect's righteous deed that help arrived in their hour of peril, and a sliver of heavenly grace came to their rescue.
Listening from his seat, Chen Chuan felt the Tianji Sect was not purely sacrificing themselves for others; rather, they merged saving oneself with shielding the world into a single path.
Yet regardless of their philosophy, what they had accomplished had genuinely benefited everyone under the sun.
According to Heavenly Master Lu, they had bought three years. Three years might not seem long, but across the entire world, countless heroes and talents could seize the momentum to rise.
Judging by the current pace of technological development, three additional years of preparation could allow countless emerging technologies to break through bottlenecks, which would drastically alter the situation.
To put it bluntly, had it not been for what the Tianji Sect did sixty years ago, the Great Impact might well have arrived already.
Thus, leaving aside what the Heavenly Master had accomplished just recently, the merit earned sixty years ago alone meant they should never have been subjected to such treatment this time.
After turning the thought over, something else occurred to him. Looking up, he asked, "May I ask the Heavenly Master, do the heavenly workings have a fixed destiny?"
Heavenly Master Lu answered, "When speaking of human affairs, success lies in human effort; the heavenly workings are never fixed. When speaking of the heavenly order, heaven moves with constancy; the heavenly workings never change."
Chen Chuan nodded, retrieved the golden seal script book, and flipped through it until he reached the final passage.
"Do the concluding lines at the back mean that predecessors had already divined the actions of future generations?"
Heavenly Master Lu glanced at it and smiled. "Where human affairs are concerned, the reflection of the heavenly workings is never fixed. One can only deduce the overarching tide; specific details cannot be examined minutely.
"One must understand that the human heart is fickle and resolve hard to preserve. Others may guide and nudge, but how you act, honored guest, rests entirely upon your own will. No one can dictate it, much less predetermine it."
Chen Chuan nodded. This was essentially consistent with his conjecture. The verses inscribed within were not divined long ago; rather, as he resonated with the heavenly workings and his aura communed with them, they had manifested on their own.
Thus, it could be said that they were not written by another, but recorded and written by himself.
Looking toward the seat of honor, he gave his thanks. "Thank you, Heavenly Master, for dispelling my doubts."
Heavenly Master Lu smiled. "Think nothing of it. If our honored guest has any further questions, please feel free to ask."
Chen Chuan's heart stirred slightly. This was a rare opportunity to consult directly with someone who wielded upper-tier power.
The most pressing matter was naturally how to cultivate going forward. So after a brief thought, he asked, "I would like to seek guidance from the Heavenly Master: how should I proceed in my next step of cultivation?"
These words also caught the attention of the other Real Men. Attaining upper-tier power had always been what they pursued as well.
Stroking his beard, Heavenly Master Lu said, "Our Tianji Sect mostly practices the methods of the Divine Visage, whereas our honored guest follows the path of the Visage of Man. On this path, I cannot say too much to you, yet I can speak of a few key cruxes.
"The Visage of the Divine questions the void to verify the Dharma; the Visage of the Aberrant traces back along ancient bloodlines; the Visage of Man clings to the self to seek truth. How one cultivates lies in questioning oneself."
Chen Chuan fell into contemplation. "Questioning oneself?"
Heavenly Master Lu nodded. "The realm of Bearing the Mysterious Mechanism lies in 'Preserve the True Form, Gather the Spiritual Visage.' These six words express the true essence. The spiritual visage is not an instrument of combat, but a raft to ferry oneself across. All three paths require its aid for cultivation. For the Visage of Man, once the spiritual visage is gathered, one must first attend to 'inquiring the name.'
"When you know the name of your spiritual visage, you will know what you seek and why you seek it. From that point on, you will naturally understand how to cultivate.
"I cannot elaborate further on this, lest it work to your detriment."
Chen Chuan pondered this and roughly understood what the Heavenly Master meant. Since the spiritual visage was a reflection of oneself, the thing that knew oneself best was one's own spiritual visage.
Therefore, what he sought could seemingly be sought from the spiritual visage.
The spiritual visage was not fundamentally a weapon of war, but a tool for cultivation. When it came to concrete practice, he might need to use the world across to perceive and comprehend at all times, so as to learn what he needed and how to proceed.
Heavenly Master Lu then spoke again: "Observing our honored guest, it seems your cultivation method also carries secret transmissions of our Xuan Cult?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "I have also received guidance from elders of the old faiths and seniors of the Xuan Cult."
Heavenly Master Lu smiled slightly. "In that case, our Tianji Sect possesses a scripture vault housing numerous methods and scriptures. I can lend them to our honored guest for perusal; perhaps they may offer some inspiration."
Real Man Chonghua said, "The vault contains vast collections of scriptures, not a few of which are treatises penned by ancient masters outside our sect. They cannot be fully reviewed in a brief moment. Why does our honored guest not stay with our sect for a few more days?"
Chen Chuan considered this and nodded. "Very well. Then my thanks to the Heavenly Master. I shall stay at the Tianji Sect for a few days before departing."
Heavenly Master Lu laughed heartily. Turning his gaze, he saw a bright-feathered silhouette wheeling and soaring high outside the great hall.
He asked, "Is that avian beast brought by our honored guest?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "Its name is Chaoming."
Heavenly Master Lu smiled and said, "'Facing the morning sun, its cry rings across the four quarters.' A fine name. Looking at your avian companion, it seems an opportunity of destiny resides within it, yet that opportunity has long remained unfulfilled. Does there appear to be some reservation?"
Hearing this, Chen Chuan knew immediately what he meant. Without concealing anything, he replied, "Indeed. Back then, a deity of the First People bestowed a gift upon me, but unable to resolve the trouble within it, I have temporarily left it untouched."
Saying so, he produced the red round stone that Ikus had given him.
With a single glance, Heavenly Master Lu recognized its origin—it had indeed come from that entity—and simultaneously understood Chen Chuan's reservations.
Smiling slightly, he said, "If our honored guest is willing, I can cleanse the impurities and taint from within it for you. Thereafter, you may employ it without concern. What does our honored guest think?"
Hearing this, Chen Chuan's eyes brightened. He would naturally not turn away such a generous offer, so he cupped his fists and said, "Then this junior thanks the Heavenly Master in advance."
At that moment, a chirping call drifted in from outside, as if echoing gratitude as well. The Real Men present looked surprised, all sensing that Chaoming was possessed of extraordinary spiritual sentience.
Seeing this, Heavenly Master Lu smiled too. Stroking his beard in brief thought, he said, "Our honored guest's avian beast possesses remarkable intelligence. As such, I shall add another gift for it. Long Xian, go and fetch my Ming Dan."
Long Xian rose at once, bowed, and acknowledged the order. Turning to Chen Chuan, he said, "Please wait a moment, honored guest. I will return shortly." With that, he departed the great hall in high spirits.
Chapter 1332