Chapter 65: Lazy Fish
Chapter 65: Lazy Fish
Two choices lay before them: one offered immediate strength, the other a chance for greater power in the future. It was like choosing between immediate wealth or future possibilities—a million coins now or a hundred million later. Most would grab the present reward, distrusting the uncertainties of tomorrow.
The two cowherd boys chose differently. Clever Du Chong picked the Martial Arts Manual from the sloppy Daoist’s hands, while Du Fan left his home to follow the old Taoist priest in pursuit of the Way of the Immortals.
“Master, where are we headed?”
Du Fan adjusted the pack his parents had prepared, trailing the sloppy Daoist westward.
“To the West Extremes—the Tai Chu Immortal Gate.”
“What’s the Tai Chu Immortal Gate? Can we learn cultivation there?”
“It’s a sect for Immortal Cultivators. Of course you’ll learn…”
As the pair journeyed west, countless others across the land began the same pilgrimage. The Tai Chu Immortal Gate was openly recruiting!
Unlike semi-cult organizations like Cold Mountain Temple or Ask Immortal Pavilion, this was the first true orthodox cultivation sect—a sacred sanctuary. To spread its influence, Zuo Meng had tasked the Emperor of Chu with issuing royal decrees announcing the sect’s establishment, even granting the imperial family the privilege to recommend disciples.
Capital City, Prince Xing’s Residence
Zhao Zheng hurled the bamboo scroll to the floor, his palm smashing the table to splinters—a display of formidable strength.
“This insult goes too far! I’m denied even the right to study the Supreme Heavenly Book!”
The Supreme Heavenly Book was the imperial family’s supreme cultivation method, practiced by the Emperor of Chu himself. Legends claimed it could lead practitioners directly to the Transformation God Realm, transforming them into earthly immortals. Other nobles’ cultivation methods paled in comparison, rarely advancing beyond the Golden Core stage, let alone touching the Nascent Soul. As a prince, Zhao Zheng should have qualified—yet scheming officials had stolen his rightful spot.
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“Rage suits the weak.”
A middle-aged man in embroidered robes entered.
“Father.”
Zhao Zheng hastily bowed.
Prince Xing dismissed the servants before speaking. “Still brooding over the quota?”
“This son wouldn’t dare.”
“Your ‘daring not’ implies you do.” Prince Xing sighed. His favorite heir reminded him painfully of his younger self.
“Immortal cultivation isn’t the simple path you imagine.”
Having witnessed cultivators butcher each other during the recent imperial city riots, Prince Xing understood the brutal reality better than most nobles. Inner demons, deadly rivalries—he’d shielded his heir from this darkness, yet…
“Father, you taught me never to retreat when great tides shift. This is that tide! I can’t—won’t—step back.”
Kneeling with iron resolve, Zhao Zheng embodied the family’s future. Prince Xing recognized the truth: aging and cultivationally stagnant, his house needed new leadership.
“Your decision stands?”
In his son’s stubborn posture, Prince Xing saw his own reflection from decades past—and finally understood why this child had always been his favorite.
“If we don’t reach the Transformation God realm within a century, our Prince Xing’s estate will vanish from the capital.”
The capital’s struggles were brutal, its power webs tangled. A single misstep could spell eternal ruin.
“Transformation God… isn’t exclusive to the Supreme Heavenly Book,” Prince Xing stated.
“But currently, only a handful of cultivation methods can achieve Transformation God. Setting aside Cold Mountain Temple and Ask Immortal Pavilion, the Supreme Heavenly Book is my sole option. As for the National Master’s methods – they’ve never been shared. I hold no illusions.”
“Do you know the origin of this world’s mightiest cultivation method?”
“The mightiest?”
Zhao Zheng frowned. Hadn’t Great Chu always proclaimed the Supreme Heavenly Book as supreme?
“In Great Chu’s West Extremes lies a mountain. Upon it stands Tai Chu Immortal Gate. If you seek immortality, go there.”
With those words, Prince Xing rose and departed.
Tai Chu Immortal Gate?
Zhao Zheng recalled the royal court’s recent proclamations about it, though he’d dismissed them. Like most commoners, he’d assumed it was just another dime-a-dozen sect. The Dragon Guards had absorbed countless minor clans – Tianya Pavilion, The Immortal Palace – all grandiose names masking feeble realities, weaker than any Dragon Guards captain.
But Prince Xing, a noble, knew secrets beyond ordinary ken. His endorsement meant something.
“Tai Chu Immortal Gate? I’ll investigate.”
Trusting his father’s judgment, Zhao Zheng resolved to depart immediately. With the Supreme Heavenly Book closed to him, seeking new paths made sense.
At Tai Chu Immortal Gate’s White Jade Pavilion,
Zuo Meng stood like a frost-feathered crane, white robes fluttering. He’d lingered here days, sensing world-shifts, memorizing details, refining his self-created Transcendent Cultivation Method to ensure readiness upon awakening.
“Headmaster,” Zhang Tu bowed, “The sect-founding ceremony approaches in three days. With disciples to recruit – what standards for the entrance examination?”
Zhang Tu, Yu Ruyi, and others now served as Tai Chu Immortal Gate’s elders.
Entrance examination?
Zuo Meng blinked. Right – founding a sect required proper formalities. Credibility mattered.
“Decide the criteria with Yu Ruyi.”
He delegated instantly. Selecting disciples was mere cabbage-chopping – adequate specimens sufficed.
“Understood.”
Zhang Tu sighed. Even as Headmaster, Zuo Meng remained a lazy fish. Should’ve heeded Zhi Hua’s advice – no use consulting the shiftless.