Taoist Master Xuanhuang

"As expected of Lord Jiang, I am far inferior to him!"

When Confucius learned of Jiang Shang's new plan to confer gods in the Temple of Literature, he sighed in self-reproach.

"Teacher, what is our plan? Or how can we try to win him over?" Meng Ke asked.

"What is your opinion?" Confucius asked.

"My opinion is that we should not strive for it. Not striving is the best thing for us. Once we strive, we will be at a disadvantage," Meng Ke said.

"Oh? Tell me more." Confucius had a general idea, but many of his disciples were confused, so he guided them by saying something.

"Yes, teacher!" Meng Ke said, "This disciple believes that whether it is our Confucian Temple or the Martial Temple, we will inevitably be the target of everyone's attacks. This is unavoidable because of our special nature and our strength... We are also slightly different from the Martial Temple. After all, this plan was conceived by the Martial Temple, so even if they are targeted, it will be much better than for us."

"Hmm, that makes sense. Continue." Confucius sat down on the ground.

All the disciples sat cross-legged around him, just like the scene when he taught his disciples many years ago.

"If we fight for it, we will inevitably be targeted and attacked by many parties. Even if the Confucian school argues with reason, it will be of little help to us. So it is better not to fight at all. Not fighting is the greatest competition."

After he finished speaking, most of the saints understood what he meant.

"Senior brother, you have high hopes for the Realm?" Xun Kuang asked.

"Indeed, as the teacher said, the realm is a treasure trove that needs to be properly developed, just as the Dao Lord said that the strange and mysterious is a treasure trove that needs to be properly developed. Since the teacher's previous plan was also about the realm, we should remain unchanged in the face of all changes, and remaining unchanged is the greatest support."

"Excellent!" everyone agreed.

I won't try to get any divine position in heaven or earth. That's very difficult. Not only are there more wolves than meat, but given my status as a deity in the Confucian Temple, I certainly won't gain much.

It would be better to fight for territory.

Just as Confucius said before.

While divine positions in heaven and earth can be easily conferred, realms are not so easily obtained; acquiring a realm requires strength.

Even if the new Investiture of the Gods includes the realm, it doesn't really matter if it's included; do you have the power to refine the realm?

Apart from the two temples of civil and military affairs, no one else has this strength in the short term.

This is the plan of the Confucian Temple: instead of vying for the divine positions of Heaven and Earth, the right path is to refine the realm with one's own strength.

In this way, what seems like non-competition is actually the greatest effort to win.

They should strive for it through their own strength, rather than through words at the Investiture of the Gods ceremony.

"Are you so sure that the division of the territories won't be decided on the day of the conference?" Confucius asked with a smile.

"Teacher, it's fine if it's settled. Even if it's settled, people can still fight for it. Even if someone is assigned a domain seat, they can't refine it in a short time and can't take over. That can't be blamed on us, right? There will be a million reasons then. Once it's settled, people will only advise the losers to accept it and give up. Even if they curse and criticize the winners, it will be useless."

"Hehe..." Everyone laughed.

For example, even if the three supreme gods were confused and assigned ownership of the realms, apart from the deities of the Civil and Martial Temples, who could refine a realm in a short period of time?
Monks cannot do that.

What's wrong with seizing it now? There's no need to find a special excuse. Just say that this realm is destined for me. Or even more absurdly, say it's the will of Heaven. What difference would it make?
Therefore, their plan is not to compete for the divine positions that can be conferred, but to compete for the realms that cannot be conferred in the short term.

They are seizing territory, not divine positions.

Not competing is the greatest competition.

"Yes!" Confucius agreed.

He always advocated for unwavering determination despite difficulties. Once you've identified the path to refining the realm, you must firmly follow it. How can you succeed if you change your plans at the slightest sign of trouble?
Mencius's words were in line with his thoughts.

the other side.

The message was also received within the Martial Temple territory.

Jiang Shang was relieved; it had far exceeded his expectations.

His statement is correct; the Investiture of the Gods in the popular story was the will of the Dao Ancestor, carried out by the three great sages.

Unlike now, without such support, he himself would be far from sufficient.

Fortunately, things went as expected; there were some setbacks, but it continued.

“Teacher, it seems we’ve oversimplified things. Or perhaps we did take it seriously when Headmaster Sun Hui reminded us, but not to a certain degree. Our self-proclaimed freedom is worthless here,” Sun Wu sighed sincerely.

Looking back, I realize that I used to be picky and unwilling to be bound by anything, only wanting to be a carefree immortal.

Unexpectedly, so many people were scrambling for the divine positions of heaven and earth that they looked down upon.

It seems I'm overthinking it.

"What do you think?" Jiang Shang, like Confucius, didn't speak himself, letting his disciples elaborate.

"Teacher, we believe that once we have made up our minds, we must persevere, uphold our original aspirations, and remain steadfast in our resolve. Only in this way can we cultivate a pure and unblemished heart and pave a smooth path for our spiritual practice." This is their thought.

Like Mencius and others in the Confucian Temple.

They hadn't changed their minds; they didn't vie for divine positions in heaven and earth, and would continue to be carefree immortals.

We will continue on this path with unwavering resolve, embodying the unity of mind and body.

“Not bad, not bad, this will save us a lot of trouble, but... we should still fight for what we deserve. The divine position of heaven and earth and the carefree immortal are not in conflict. Combining the two is also a kind of Dao. Since it is a Dao, there is no distinction between high and low. It is suitable for those of you who are slightly less talented. You can discuss this among yourselves and put together a quota. Then you can cultivate both immortality and divinity.”

What's rightfully yours will be yours, and you should fight for it.

Not all disciples are talented enough to successfully navigate the cultivation system.

While all are sacred beings, some possess extraordinary talent, while others are less gifted than ordinary creatures, differing only in their noble birth or status.

For this sacred group, freedom is the greatest poison; their natural talents cannot sustain their free practice.

The divine position is actually a guarantee, a safety net mechanism, which can be used to advance progress when one's natural talent is insufficient to support further progress.

Unlike the Confucian Temple, their pursuit of such divine positions would certainly be targeted. As the proposer and builder, they have a legitimate right to demand some divine positions, and no one can find fault with that.

“Yes, teacher!” Sun Wu nodded.

"Phew!" With a long breath, some disciples clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

They considered themselves to be the kind of people who lacked natural talent, and like their fellow disciples, they cultivated on their own, lacking much confidence.

The teacher's plan is good; it's a safety net for them. They would rather cultivate both immortality and divine power than live the carefree life of an immortal.

Because of the state of the carefree immortal, it meant that they had fallen behind.

Let’s talk about the other side.

The three supreme gods gathered together once again, a rare occurrence, because the news reported by the four super-gods this time was too great.

It was so significant that they had to take it seriously.

The Lord of Heaven and Earth has arrived at this crucial moment as we enter the fourth stage. No matter how critical the moment, he must come, for it concerns his own rights.

The true self who merged with purgatory and entered the underworld also came; he came at a very crucial moment, no matter how crucial.

The Lord of All Beings was preparing to enter the fourth stage to undergo tribulation, and he hurriedly left his secluded cultivation place, also because it was too crucial. "You've all arrived," the Lord of All Beings said politely as the host.

"Alright, boss, stop talking nonsense. We brothers are all very busy. What do you suggest we do?" The Lord of Heaven and Earth was the most anxious.

Compared to the two of them, he had no foundation in the human world at all. Now that he was finally going to have his own foundation in the human world, how could he not be anxious?

"Second Brother is right. What do you suggest, Eldest Brother?" Even the True Self Lord was now addressing him as Second Brother.

Although he was indeed the third son, their way of addressing him wasn't as intense as that of the three Jianmu brothers.

"Oh dear, I'm too calculating. I'm afraid the three of us won't work hard enough. Look at this! This is what you call fratricide! You two are looking at me like you want to eat me alive. Is it really necessary?" the Lord of All Beings said aggrievedly.

One has to admire the wickedness of the person in question.

"Alright, brother, stop with the nonsense. We're family after all. Competition is determined by the will of the main body. Competition is competition, it's to conform to the general trend, but we are the unchanging family that depends on each other. Stop with these unrealistic ideas and get to the point."

The meaning is clear: competition is determined by one's own will.

It's not really a competition, or rather, it's a trinity where none of them can be missing. It looks like a brutal struggle, but like the Three Pure Ones, none of them can be missing.

The three are: one is the cause of the past, one is the effect of the future, and one is the foundation of existence in the middle.

The will of Xuanhuang governs their existence; they depend on the will of Xuanhuang for their existence. If we were to use Xuanhuang as a metaphor for a world, the will of Xuanhuang would be the will of heaven and earth, and they would be the Heavenly Dao, a combination of rules formed by that will.

Willpower is the fundamental basis for the existence of rules.

"Alright, alright, stop rushing us. How about we follow the suggestions submitted by the Four Supers?" said the Lord of All Beings.

"What?" The Lord of Heaven and Earth was taken aback.

"Ahem, brother, you're not joking, are you?" the Lord of Heaven and Earth said.

If we follow the suggestion submitted by the Four Supermen, that would be wonderful. It would mean that they would receive one-third of the divine positions in the mortal realm, and these divine positions would represent their people, which would give them one-third of the power in the human world.

How could I not be happy?

“But!” said the Lord of All Beings.

The two of them felt frustrated, knowing there would be a "but," that damned "but."

"But if I, as the elder brother, have opened up the mortal realm, shouldn't my second and third brothers also open up the various underworlds of heaven? Otherwise, it's not fair!"

This is what the Lord of All Beings wanted to say.

You can put your hands on my territory, but I will put my hands on yours.

"Brother, what do you mean? Are you even envious of your brother's meager possessions?" the Lord of Heaven and Earth said, feigning anger.

“That’s right, that’s right, big brother is too unfair. I’ve already given you my most precious assets, and you still want our meager possessions. That’s too much!” True Self Lord said angrily.

"Big brother, my third brother and I have done enough. In order not to compete with you for the family property, one of us went to the underworld to start our own business, and the other went to the heavens to fight for the world. You, on the contrary, not only sit back and reap the benefits, but now you want to plot against our foundation. This is very dishonest."

"Yes, brother, you are the eldest brother..."

"Stop, stop!" the Lord of All Beings exclaimed.

What are you trying to do, making yourself sound like you're the most heinous criminal?

It's obvious that you're trying to intrude on my territory, yet you accuse me of coveting your property. You're the ones who started this false accusation!

"If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have agreed. Even if you complained to me, it wouldn't change anything. It's impossible to expect benefits without giving anything in return. There's no such logic. The Martial Alliance and the Martial Temple both know that being too greedy will lead to ruin. You're even less capable than these cultivators."

“We didn’t have any family fortune to begin with, unlike you…”

"Our wealth is all thanks to our own hard work, what about you..."

……

You three brothers, wait a moment, listen to me!

suddenly,

At that moment, a voice came in.

"Who do you think you are? I'll listen to you, you decide..."

"Who gave you the right to try and mediate?"

"Who's spouting nonsense there..."

"Uh! I have met you!" The three supreme gods suddenly felt a chill run through them.

I felt frozen in place, my whole body felt cold.

Sure enough, it almost failed completely; if they kept criticizing it, it really would have failed.

It's not the fault of the three brothers; it's just that the main character appears so mysteriously.

"Let's all take a step back and do as Lao Liu said. This way, you'll have a goal to strive for. You can extend the Heavenly Dao to the Yellow Springs and the Heavenly Realm, forming a trinity... a grand cycle system of the Heavenly Realm, the Human Realm, and the Yellow Springs. Isn't that better than each of you being like misers, only able to manage your own territory?"

Xuanhuang made the final decision with a single hammer blow.

"This? It's not impossible."

"Hmm, it really is the real deal!"

"..."

The three divine masters suddenly had a flash of inspiration; it seemed that this grand blueprint was even better.

"Once the plan is finalized, not only will divine positions be conferred in the human realm, but also in the celestial realm and the underworld. This is equivalent to replacing the underworld's ability to nurture the divine, filling the void in the celestial realm's inability to nurture the divine on its own, and creating two more worlds where divine positions can be conferred. All you have to give up is the conferment of divine positions in the human realm, while the other two realms will be exclusively yours."

Xuanhuang offered them some advice.

"Ah, you can do that?" The three of them were surprised.

That means one-third has been sealed off, and the remaining two-thirds are up to you to decide.

After all, cultivators don't know these things. They are only vying for the divine positions in the mortal realm. Once they incorporate the Yellow Springs and the Heavenly Realm into their three-person Heavenly Dao system as the original body said, it is definitely achievable.

"A triune pantheon, for example, a god who holds a position in only one realm is called a subordinate god, a god who holds a position in two worlds is called a secondary god, and a god who is appointed in all three realms is called a true god. There is a clear path to advancement, so you can control it as you wish."

Xuanhuang continued to offer advice and suggestions.

The three divided spirits are ultimately not oneself; one would have done better if one were.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes!" The three divided spirits became more and more excited as they listened.

He thought to himself, "As expected of the original, he really knows how to play the game, he's just different."

"But the premise of everything is that the three of you cooperate. Once the three of you reach the fourth-order True King level, and with the Seventh Prince's status as the Heavenly Emperor and the Eighth Prince's possession of the seventh-order True Saint origin, it is possible to easily influence the two great realms of Heaven and Yellow Springs. Then, by persistently influencing the two great realms, not only will the Eighth Prince become the Lord of Yellow Springs, but the Seventh Prince will also become the Lord of Heaven."

Furthermore, they even included their future plans in the mix.

...(End of chapter)