The dark clouds grew thicker as the pitter-patter of rain fell. The autumn rain brought with it a sense of coolness. It was a refreshing feeling.
Zhang Ling and the rest let them into the inner hall. Someone poured wine and explained, "This is a small banquet prepared by the True Sovereign for everyone. There's a pot of ginseng wine, which is good for relieving fatigue. There are also some side dishes."
Zhang Ling took a look and saw that it was a single person banquet. Everyone had a small pot of ginseng wine, which was golden in color. There were also eight dishes and a plate of rice, which smelled so good that it made one salivate.
Everyone was tired from the long journey, and thus they ate to their heart's content. Zhang Ling smiled and said, "This banquet is not bad. It's just that the True Sovereign seems to place a lot of importance on these items. If I had known earlier, I would have brought more over."
A Daoist official then replied, "Yes, when the True Sovereign arrives, I shall ask him which item he likes the most. That way, we will be able to target it."
The few of them had their own thoughts as they raised their cups.
At this point, the elegantly decorated room was slightly dark. There were many Daoists' personal belongings and low level magical weapons piled up in a pile. An oil lamp glowed dimly. Pei Zi Yun looked at the items and picked one by one. He then thought, "Killing Xie Cheng Dong this time was partly to gain control of the Dragon Veins and become an Earth Immortal. That was the most important thing."
"Secondly, it was to complete the mission. I wonder if after completing it, I would be able to obtain the Plum Blossom and no longer be restricted by the mission."
"As for the imperial court, the Emperor and the Crown Prince." Pei Zi Yun laughed. It was still the same thing. He wanted to live and develop within the system, but he knew his limits.
Su Shi had written a poem called "Washing My Son", "Everyone wishes for a son to be intelligent. I was misled by my intelligence. I only wish that my son was foolish and rude, and would not face any difficulties. "
Actually, he was just making sarcastic remarks while standing on the sidelines.
To Bai Shen, having no talent was the biggest sin. He would sink into the mud for the rest of his life. If he was not talented enough, or if he did not perform well, he would not have a good ending.
Su Shi was indeed foolish and rude. Not to mention becoming the Minister of Rites, he could not even leave the county. Even the bailiff could beat him to death. If he died, he died. He would sink into the mud like the rest of the commoners.
Moreover, if Bai Shen wanted to rise up, he naturally had to display extraordinary ability. Only then would he be able to distinguish himself and enter the eyes of those in power. If he were to hide his strength and bide his time, how would he be able to rise up?
If it wasn't for the fact that he had the ability to inherit two lives and the system's golden finger, he wouldn't have been able to become a High Scholar even if he worked his entire life.
Even if he was a High Scholar, if he did not display extraordinary talent, how could he have the title of a True Monarch?
If one was mediocre and incompetent, he would sink into servitude. If one was exceptionally talented, he would be filled with suspicion and jealousy. "Conforming to the norms, but still of great use", these eight words were the true key to being undefeated in the officialdom. But even if Bai Shen knew, how could he have such conditions?
If he didn't sharpen his edge and wasn't in a hurry, how would he have the chance to stand out?
For example, he didn't have to turn back or repent at all, and so long as he became an Earthly Immortal, he would be able to sweep through everything.
It was because he understood the system and politics too well that he understood the limits of the system and politics. Only then did he understand the critical point of breaking away from the system. Pei Zi Yun laughed, as several items appeared in his hands.
"Six pieces of Legacy." Pei Zi Yun laughed as he placed them under his pillow. He didn't use them immediately, but continued flipping through the Dao books.
"There are a total of three hundred and thirty-one scrolls of Dao books. Hm, they are all fragmented, and very few of them are systematic. If I had to study them myself, I don't know how much time and effort I would have to waste."
"This is the sincerity of the Dao Records Department."
"However, how could the Dao Records Department understand? I only want the basic parts."
Three hundred and thirty-one scrolls of Dao books were actually quite a lot. But with Pei Zi Yun's current level of attainment, he had already studied most of them. It was just like the curriculum of primary and secondary schools. Although the language used was different, and the expressions used were different, most of the principles were the same. Pei Zi Yun flipped through the books, and on average, he was able to flip through one book every minute.
By the time he had finished flipping through all the books, it was already nightfall. Under the candlelight, Pei Zi Yun let out a sigh of relief. The rain was still falling, and the entire place was extremely peaceful.
"Although it's just a copy, there are some obvious mistakes." Pei Zi Yun suddenly thought of how he had intentionally altered the mantra. He then laughed, "To an expert, this would not be able to fool anyone."
As he said this, he lay down on his bed. The moment his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep. After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes and felt around, "It's only been an hour?"
This time, it wasn't a dream. Instead, he had absorbed spiritual energy, and thus his speed was much faster than before. Perhaps it was because the level of the Plum Blossom had reached a higher level. He then called out, "System!"
A Plum Blossom appeared before his eyes as it grew bigger and bigger. It then transformed into a translucent information interface. It floated in front of his eyes, and a string of words appeared before his eyes.
"Mission: Kill Xie Cheng Dong, and obtain the Dragon Veins (Incomplete)"
Pei Zi Yun took a deep breath as he turned his attention away from the information interface and looked at the rest of the page.
"Yin Master: Ninth Level (62.7%)"
Pei Zi Yun laughed bitterly. His True Lord Feng Zhen had increased by 30%, and had reached the ninth level (55.2%). But after half a month, it had only increased by 7%!
"I can't maintain the popularity of the people!"
"When I was at a lower level, I could write books to increase my popularity. However, it wouldn't last long. When I was at a higher level, I could change the world. But even such a huge matter couldn't be maintained for long."
"A gentleman's reputation can't be maintained for long, let alone five lifetimes."
"The commoners are the most ungrateful race. They fear authority and have no morals. That's why only the system can last."
He then looked down. "Sword Techniques: Master (68.9%)"
"Dao Arts Principles: Advanced (87.5%)"
"Almost there. Just 12% more and I'll be able to max out my Dao Arts Principles. Once I'm done, I'll be able to stand firm."
"Spiritual Intelligence!" Pei Zi Yun tapped his finger on it, and a stream of white energy flowed into his forehead. His mind cleared up, and knowledge flowed into his mind. What was surprising was that the knowledge he had gained and the unfamiliar concepts and knowledge started to fuse together. In the blink of an eye, he was able to understand everything.
"What surprised me the most was not the secret manuals, but the knowledge of the demon race!" Pei Zi Yun could feel the spiritual energy getting denser and denser. Without hesitation, he used his spiritual intelligence.
90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%. His spiritual intelligence was being depleted rapidly. It was just a mere 12%, but the spiritual intelligence he had gained from the six Legacies was about to be used up.
"I hope I don't get stuck at the last point." Pei Zi Yun gritted his teeth and used all his spiritual intelligence. If he got stuck at the last point, he would be in grave danger.
"99%, 99.1%, 99.3%, 99.5%, 99.7%, 99.9%!"
“100%！” At that moment, a ray of light shone through his mind. All the knowledge in the world seemed to be in his hands, and he understood everything.
"Dao Arts Principles: Master (0.3%)" Seeing that his spiritual intelligence had been used up, Pei Zi Yun looked up and realized the changes, "I've reached Master."
He looked down and realized that there was a huge change.
"Dao Arts: 85 Types, Master (5.3%)"
"Dao Arts have indeed become Master." With just a thought, 85 types of Dao Arts appeared in his mind, as if everything was under his control.
"Stars Transposition: Level 4 (8.1%)"
"Stars Transposition was originally only at the third level, but now I've reached an unprecedented level. Let me think, even without any treasures or Imperial Qi, I can withstand the backlash of killing a sixth grade cultivator."
"Cloud Form Wind Body: Level 5 (1.3%)"
"My sect's Cloud Form Wind Body technique has reached the fifth level. This technique itself is only at the fifth level, and is only a step away from the full circle."
"Even without leveling up my Yin Master, the danger I feel has been reduced by half."
"It's a pity that the Plum Blossom Divination can only be used once a month, and I've already used it."
"It's just that I still need to take some risks. I have to kill Xie Cheng Dong and obtain the Immortal Dao Dragon Veins. When I level up, my foundation as an Earth Immortal would be complete."
"Men, I'm in a good mood today!" Pei Zi Yun shouted, "Bring some appetizers."
When he turned around, he saw that Zhang Ling was around as well. She looked as if she was about to speak. Pei Zi Yun laughed to himself and interrupted her, "You've come just in time. I've taken a look at the books, and it's very basic. However, there are twenty-three of them. Send someone to make a copy of them, and I want to bring them back to Free Cloud Sect."
Someone hurriedly agreed and left. Zhang Ling paused for a moment before replying, "It's only natural that True Immortal thinks that it's shallow. The Dao books that we've copied belong to the periphery of the Dao Sect. The true Dao Arts of the Inner Sect are both useless and hard to obtain."
"As for copying the books, that's easy. We've brought more than ten men with us. Each of us can copy one book, and it'll take us two to three days. True Sovereign, please tell us your names."
Zhang Ling was still explaining and testing Pei Zi Yun. Pei Zi Yun smiled as he watched the men carry them into the banquet. He then poured them some wine and said, "That's easy, I'll report the names to you now."
As he spoke, he spoke the name of the sect unhurriedly. Based on Pei Zi Yun's current knowledge, most of the Daoist sects shared the same basic principles.
Once he had copied these twenty-three manuals, he would have to edit them and edit them in the future. Then, he would have a complete set of Free Cloud Sect's Dao Arts. Thinking up to this point, Pei Zi Yun felt his entire body relax. He then thought to himself, 'Free Cloud Sect has finally paid its debts.'
Clapping his hands gently, a string instrument started to play, and the orchestra started to play. Following that, Pei Zi Yun only cared about drinking. Before long, he was drunk, and was clapping his hands and laughing. Zhang Ling saw Pei Zi Yun behaving this way, and couldn't help but feel suspicious. The Dao Officials on her left and right gave her a look, knowing that everything had been recorded down. She then said, "True Sovereign seems to be in a good mood today. It looks like these books and items are to your liking. True Sovereign, please give us some pointers. The next time we move here, we will be more specific."
When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he laughed and replied, "There's no rush. As you know, I'm under the Imperial Edict to annihilate Dark Altar Sect, and especially to cut off all contact between Dark Altar Sect and King Lu. This is the perfect opportunity. You've come at the right time, I'm lacking manpower. Once you've done this, it won't be too late for you to return."
As he spoke, he saw the cold rainwater dripping from the roof onto the ground. Zhang Ling was about to decline when she saw Pei Zi Yun's smile. He turned around and asked, "Why, you don't want to?"
Zhang Ling paused before replying, "This lowly official wouldn't dare to disobey. It's just that this is my job …."
"What job can be more important than carrying out an imperial edict?" Pei Zi Yun retracted his smile, "I'm the Imperial Envoy, and I have an imperial edict. I'm now conscripting all of you. Are you going to defy the Imperial Edict?"
Zhang Ling couldn't help but shiver as she stood up and bowed, "I wouldn't dare!"
"Good, that's more like it!" Pei Zi Yun threw his head back and laughed, causing Zhang Ling to break out in cold sweat. She waited until the banquet was over and found a chance to leave. She then called for someone, "Quick, go and report this to the higher-ups. Pei Zi Yun, something's not right."
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