Baiyun Mountain, Main Peak Plaza.
The morning class had already begun, but the Dao Bell did not ring. A few elders walked out of the Dao Palace and looked at the chaotic disciples in the plaza. They asked, "What's going on?"
A disciple said in fear, "Elder, the Dao Bell, the Dao Bell ran away!"
The elder's expression changed. "What?"
The Dao Bell was an important treasure of Baiyun Mountain. For thousands of years, it had saved the Ancestral Court from danger several times. Fu-lu School had always treated it like an ancestor. If anything happened to the Dao Bell, the entire Baiyun Mountain would experience an earthquake.
The elders asked in unison, "Where did the Dao Bell go?"
A disciple pointed in a certain direction and said, "I saw the Dao Bell go that way just now …"
The elders flew up at the same time and flew in the direction that the disciple pointed.
When they passed by Baiyun Mountain, they suddenly heard a crisp and cheerful bell ring from below. They immediately stopped.
Hearing the Dao Bell ring again, everyone was relieved. They flew down Baiyun Mountain to investigate.
The Dao Bell flew away from the Main Peak during the morning class. This had never happened in decades.
They floated in the air and saw a young man standing in the courtyard of the small building on Baiyun Mountain. The Dao Bell had shrunk to the size of a palm and was flying around him. It looked extremely cheerful.
When they saw the young man's appearance, everyone was stunned.
Yesterday, the Dao Bell was so scared that it hid in the clouds and did not dare to come out. Why did it become like this today? They had been on Baiyun Mountain for decades, but they had never seen the Dao Bell so close to anyone.
The thoughts of a spiritual treasure were truly difficult to guess.
However, it was fine as long as the Dao Bell was still in Fu-lu School. An elder looked down and said, "Senior Dao Bell, the disciples on the Main Peak are still waiting for you."
Li Mu looked at the Dao Bell and said, "That's all for today. I'll continue to help you another day."
The Dao Bell reluctantly flew around Li Mu a few times. Then, it drew an arc in the air and flew towards the Main Peak.
Several Elders nodded to Li Mu in the sky, then left with doubtful looks on their faces.
The Dao Bell held an extraordinary significance to Fu-lu School. Anything related to the Dao Bell was no small matter. After the morning class, in the Dao Palace on the main peak, several elders immediately reported this matter to the Headmaster.
"Dao Zhong left the morning class for no reason. This has never happened in the past few decades. There must be something fishy going on."
"Yesterday, it was very afraid of Fellow Daoist Li, but today, it has become so close. There must be a reason."
"This is an important matter. Sect Leader, you must pay attention to it …"
…
On the main seat, the white-haired old man pinched his fingers and calculated. Then, he said, "He should have something to hide the secrets of the heavens. I can't calculate the relationship between him and the Dao Bell."
One of the Elders said doubtfully, "Why would he have such an item for no reason? He has approached Fu-lu School several times. There must be some unspeakable secret between him and the Dao Bell. Could he be a spy from the Demon Sect who approached Fu-lu School with ill intentions towards the Dao Bell?"
Another Taoist priest said, "Elder Xu, you think too highly of the Demon Sect. Not only is he Junior Sister Liu's future Daoist companion, but he is also the Empress' favorite minister. Do you think the Empress of Great Zhou would treat a spy from the Demon Sect as her favorite minister?"
"That's true." Elder Xu shook his head and asked, "But what happened between him and the Dao Bell? I have been in the sect for several decades, but I have never seen such a phenomenon."
The Fu-lu School's Head Teacher's lips trembled slightly. A moment later, the Dao Bell flew in from outside.
It circled the Fu-lu School's Head Teacher and buzzed for a while. The Fu-lu School's Head Teacher stood up and observed the cracks on the Dao Bell. Not long after, a look of surprise appeared on his face. He muttered, "There's such a thing …"
Everyone rarely saw such an expression on the Head Teacher's face. They asked curiously, "Head Teacher, what happened?"
The Head Teacher said, "He is helping the Dao Bell repair the cracks on it."
The Elders could not help but be shocked when they heard this.
"How is that possible? Repairing the Dao Bell requires the Origin Energy of Heaven and Earth!"
"The Origin Energy of Heaven and Earth is extremely rare. It can only be produced in large quantities when a new Daoist technique is produced. Once the Origin Energy is produced, it will dissipate soon and cannot be stored. How can he have it?"
"What method did he use to help the Dao Bell repair it?"
…
The Dao Bell buzzed a few more times. The Fu-lu School's Head Teacher revealed a look of understanding. He said, "I see …"
A moment later, they learned the whole story. In the Dao Palace on the main peak, the Elders looked at each other in shock.
Li Mu really was using the Origin Energy of Heaven and Earth produced when a new Daoist technique was produced to repair the Dao Bell. This matter was far more unbelievable than him being able to repair the Dao Bell.
There was no way to verify how the earliest Daoist techniques were created.
Most of the Daoist techniques that the current cultivators practiced were inherited from the ancients. However, in every era, there was no lack of outstanding people who could create their own Daoist techniques. These people were often the brightest stars in the night sky of that era.
Even the Head Teacher could not compare to these people.
It was not just the Head Teacher. The Transcendents of the Six Daoist Sects, the Four Buddhist Sects, the Ten Demonic Path Sects, the Deans of the Great Zhou's Four Great Academies, and even the Empress of the Great Zhou — these were the strongest people known on the continent. But they were far from being outstanding.
They were able to advance to the Transcendence realm by relying on the legacies of their sects, academies, and the imperial court. They relied on the influence of their predecessors and did not rely on themselves.
The imperial family had the Emperor's Qi. The academies and the various sects also had their own legacies.
Strictly speaking, they could not be considered true Transcendents.
A true Transcendence expert was someone who transcended the rules and traditions. They created their own Daoist techniques and were able to embark on their own path of cultivation.
Li Mu was clearly not such a genius. If he could create a Daoist technique of this level, a great phenomenon would descend on Mount Baiyun. At that time, everyone would be able to sense it.
Even so, the fact that he was able to innovate and innovate within the traditional framework was not something an ordinary cultivator could do.
At least, no one in the Fu-lu School could do it.
In the current cultivation world, perhaps only some of Xuanzong's seniors had such abilities.
The Fu-lu School was dedicated to researching Fu-lu. Xuanzong was passionate about researching Daoist techniques.
For thousands of years, Xuanzong had made many improvements to the existing Daoist techniques. For example, they shortened the incantations, simplified the hand seals, sped up the casting time, increased the power of the Daoist techniques, and so on. Li Mu had done these.
Of course, his Daoist techniques, incantations, and hand seals might not be shorter or fewer, but they were still considered new Daoist techniques.
He used this method to obtain the origin power of heaven and earth to help repair the Dao bell.
Elder Xu praised, "Even so, it's very rare for him to have such an understanding of Daoist techniques at such a young age."
Another Taoist priest said, "If Senior Miao Dun of Xuanzong knew about this, she would probably regret it very much. Last time, she invited Fellow Daoist Li to join Xuanzong. After being rejected, she did not insist. If Fellow Daoist Li joins Xuanzong, he will definitely become a prodigy of Xuanzong in the future …"
The Fu-lu School's Headmaster's eyes lit up. He said, "I'm afraid that in the future, a true Transcendence expert will appear in Great Zhou."
The Sect Master's words caused the elders to be extremely astonished.
Everyone knew very well what a true Transcendence expert meant. It had been too many years since a true Transcendence expert appeared in the cultivation world. A powerhouse who relied on his own strength to step into the Upper Realm without relying on an inheritance was far stronger than an ordinary Transcendence expert.
They did not expect the Headmaster to have such a high evaluation of him. At first, they felt that it was too much. Thinking about it carefully, when others cursed the heavens, there was a certain possibility of being struck by lightning. The scene of him cursing the heavens was earth-shattering. Even the Dao bell cracked because of it. Although his cultivation was not high, in terms of understanding of the Heavenly Dao, there were probably not many people who could compare to him.
Elder Xu thought for a moment and said, "If such a person can stay in our Fu-lu School, it's very likely that he will become a pillar of the Ancestral Court in the future."
Another elder sighed and said, "It's too late. Half a year ago, it was still possible. Now, he's already one of the Empress' people. If we keep him in the Fu-lu School, even if he's willing, the Empress won't be willing. Moreover, he has refused to join the sect twice. This time, he probably won't agree."
Elder Xu thought of something and said with a smile, "It's fine. With Junior Sister Liu here, he's already half a member of the Fu-lu School. As long as we treat him well, he'll always treat our Fu-lu School differently. In addition, he's a favored official of the Empress. Perhaps he can further deepen our relationship with the Imperial Court …"
…
After the Dao bell left, Li Mu waited on Baiyun Peak.
According to his guess, the Main Peak would send someone over soon.
The Dao bell was the most important treasure of the Fu-lu School. They would definitely not let Li Mu seduce it. They would definitely come to ask about it.
In this short period of time, Li Mu had even prepared an excuse.
If they asked, he would say that these spells were all inherited from his master. Although they might not believe him, they would not search his soul to confirm it.
Not to mention that searching his soul was useless, even if the Fu-lu School was one of the Six Great Daoist Sects, they would not dare to treat him this way.
Now, he did not represent himself alone. Behind him stood the Empress and the Imperial Court. In the Great Zhou, the most powerful force was not the Demonic Path, nor the Six Schools and Four Great Sects. It was the Imperial Court.
Sure enough, as Li Mu expected, after only an hour, someone landed on Baiyun Peak.
Li Mu opened the courtyard door and saw an elder standing outside. Li Mu knew that this person's surname was Xu. He was an elder of the Main Peak.
Elder Xu smiled and asked, "Lord Li, are you used to living here?"
Li Mu nodded and said, "The scenery here is pleasant and quiet. It is a good place for cultivation."
Elder Xu smiled and said, "That's good. If Lord Li has any requests, you can tell me. I will arrange it for you as soon as possible."
The Talisman Puppet Sect elder's attitude towards him seemed to be better than before. A trace of suspicion surfaced in Li Mu's heart as he asked, "Elder Xu, is there anything important that you're here for?"
Elder Xu smiled again and said, "I am here on the orders of the Headmaster to thank Lord Li for helping to repair the Dao bell."
Li Mu said, "It is my duty. The Dao bell was damaged because of me. I will do my best to restore it to its original state."
Elder Xu shook his head and said, "Lord Li did not mean to damage the Dao bell, but you did mean to repair it. Whether you can repair it or not, the Fu-lu School owes you a favor …"
Elder Xu's attitude surprised Li Mu. If the Fu-lu School's attitude towards him before was polite, then this time, it was warm.
Not only that, he did not ask about anything else. The reason Li Mu had prepared was useless.
Before Elder Xu left, he had actually left behind some gifts. There were some Spiritual Jades of good quality, some alchemical pills that could recover one's magic power, and also talismans that could gather Spiritual Qi. When Li Mu and the Empress were chatting that night, they brought up this matter. The Empress was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Could it be that the Talisman Sect is trying to rope you in?"
Li Mu said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I am loyal to Your Majesty. I only have Your Majesty in my heart. I will not join the Fu-lu School."
Zhou Yi did not seem to be worried about this. He only asked, "Then when will you be back?"
Li Mu had three months of leave. He had only been away for half a month. Liu Hanyan still had not come out of seclusion. He would need at least two months before he could return.
But the Empress's tone made Li Mu feel like he was a little wife who did not plan to return home after returning to her mother's home. He could not say that he would return in two months. He could only say, "I will be back as soon as possible …"
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