Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 347 Chongyang Palace Map Version Update

“When the heavens and earth give rise to strange phenomena, it is likely that a sage will be born. Our Quanzhen Sect should immediately leave the mountains, find the sage, and listen to his teachings. But now we are trapped in the mountains... What should we do?” An elderly Taoist priest said, shaking his head.

This Taoist priest was one of the Taoists who had followed Wang Chongyang up the mountain. Although his abilities were average and his skills were limited, he was always content with his lot and did not care about fame or fortune. Therefore, after Wang Chongyang established the new dynasty, he did not follow him down the mountain to seek an official position.

"I'm afraid it may not be a sage appearing. If this phenomenon only occurs near my Zhongnan Mountain, that's fine. But if it's larger and affects the balance of power in the world, I'm afraid the people will suffer again," the young Taoist priest said.

Although the surge of primordial energy unleashed by Qiu Chuji basically covered the entire world, it spread outwards from the Qinling Mountains as its core. However, these ordinary Quanzhen disciples did not have the ability to see a thousand miles or hear the wind. Although they could see the clouds covering the sky, they did not know where the clouds had spread to, nor could they know that this was a major change affecting the entire world.

"Brother Zhibin's concerns are not without merit. However, once the sect leader opens the door, we will be able to descend the mountain and, with our swords, stabilize this bright and peaceful world! This will also fulfill the ambitions of us brothers!" another young Taoist said with high spirits.

These words immediately drew the approval of many young Taoists, who cheered them on, while the older Taoists frowned and sighed repeatedly, but said little.

Most of the conversations in Chongyang Palace were like this.

The older, more experienced Taoist priests mostly associated their thoughts with deities and ghosts, and many harbored anxieties about the future. In contrast, the younger, newly initiated Taoist priests were full of confidence.

This is certainly due to the fact that older people are mature and prudent, while younger people are lively and energetic.

However, this was also because most of the older Taoist priests were ordinary people who had followed Wang Chongyang up the mountain to make a living in the past, and they had already been screened several times. Anyone with some ability and ambition had already followed Wang Chongyang down the mountain to show their skills in the new dynasty. This included most of the Taoist children of the same age as Qiu Chuji and others.

Although Zhongnan Mountain is beautiful and is known as the most blessed land and the first immortal mountain in the world, it is still a place of simple food and daily life of chanting scriptures, worshipping Taoist ancestors, and diligently learning martial arts. Compared with the colorful world down below the mountain, it is still quite different.

Conversely, most of the young Taoist priests came from extraordinary backgrounds. They were elite disciples selected by various powerful families and clans and sent to Zhongnan Mountain after the establishment of the new dynasty. They already had remarkable ambitions and had also cultivated the superior martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect. Their cultivation in Zhongnan Mountain progressed by leaps and bounds, and as a result, they naturally developed some arrogance.

The gloom and the vibrancy clearly coexist within Chongyang Palace, yet they do not conflict or contradict each other.

Actually, it's just right.

The composure of the older generation can counteract some of the impulsiveness of the younger generation, while the activity of the younger generation can prevent the Quanzhen Sect from becoming stagnant.

Master Ma Yu quickly entered the hall. Seeing the chattering crowd, he gestured for them to quiet down, and the scene immediately fell silent.

"Everyone! Everyone!"

"Although this strange phenomenon came suddenly, our Quanzhen Sect was not unprepared. As for the obstruction of the passages up and down the mountain, it is nothing."

"Please ask your Uncle Qiu for clarification on these details," Ma Yu said, then vacated the central seat.

Everyone was still wondering, since only Ma Yu had clearly arrived, where was the legendary Uncle Qiu?
In a flash, the spot that Ma Yu had vacated was now occupied by a young Taoist priest wearing a blue robe. He had a dignified face and a tall, upright figure, as lofty and substantial as the azure sky, yet he inspired a sense of approachability and longing.

Pairs of eyes were fixed on Qiu Chuji, scrutinizing him closely, trying to figure out who this legendary 'Uncle Qiu' was, who had single-handedly elevated the Quanzhen Sect to its current position.

Most of the young Taoist priests in the mountain gate today have been disciples for less than five years, and naturally none of them have ever seen Qiu Chuji before.

As for the earlier group of disciples who joined the Quanzhen School, most of them have already been arranged to go down the mountain to establish Taoist temples in various parts of the new dynasty to serve as patrol officers.

This was the "national policy" initially agreed upon by Qiu Chuji and Wang Chongyang: Taoist priests do not hold power, do not manage finances, and do not command troops. They have no authority to investigate or arrest, but they possess the highest supervisory authority. Furthermore, the Taoist priests stationed in various regions are rotated regularly to prevent them from colluding with local officials.

If it is discovered that local officials are abusing their power for personal gain or even persecuting the people, how should the Taoist priest extricate himself from the situation and report back?

That relied on the sword in his hand and his extraordinary martial arts skills, far surpassing those of ordinary martial artists.

This is also one of the foundations for the Quanzhen School to maintain its transcendent status.

Now that the world has changed dramatically, ordinary martial artists will also receive an epic boost. Although the Quanzhen Sect still has an advantage in the accumulation of martial arts, this advantage will gradually be erased.

After all, with the increase in the concentration of primordial energy, corresponding martial arts and divine skills will also emerge.

Qiu Chuji's appearance at Chongyang Palace this time was not only to provide some simple explanations, but also to enhance the Quanzhen Sect's superiority and to act as a stabilizing force.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master Qiu!" Some clever fellow shouted first and knelt down in the crowd. Then the other young disciples followed suit, which made the Taoists who were of the same generation as Qiu Chuji or even a generation older than him very embarrassed.

They wanted to join in the worship, but if they did, it would not only embarrass them but also put Qiu Chuji in a difficult position. So they could only stand there with their eyes downcast, like wooden stakes.

"Alright! No need to be so polite!" Qiu Chuji raised his hand, and everyone was lifted up by an invisible force, involuntarily standing up.

"This extraordinary phenomenon was indeed caused by me. It is a great opportunity for heaven and earth, and also a great opportunity for all of you fellow practitioners."

"Although the path to immortality has not been fully opened, the upper limit of the path of martial arts is no longer limited. One can enter the Dao through martial arts, condense the golden elixir, cultivate the primordial spirit, gather the five elements, and temper the Dao body... Those who achieve success in their practice can obtain a lifespan of three hundred, five hundred, or even more than a thousand years." Qiu Chuji's words immediately caused an uproar among the Daoists in the hall.

It's not that they're rude, they just really can't help it.

The highest level of cultivation practice in the Quanzhen Sect of this world today is the Dragon Gate Qi and the Heavenly Gang Technique left behind by Qiu Chuji. As for the Heart Lake Technique, it is for building a foundation, and anyone who formally enters the sect can learn it directly.

Even if one has mastered the Dragon Gate Qi and the Heavenly Gang Technique, at most one would only be a little above the pinnacle of the martial arts world, possessing some extraordinary abilities beyond ordinary martial arts methods. There has never been any special mention of lifespan.

Of course, if one masters the Dragon Gate Qi and pays attention to health maintenance, living past one hundred years old is not a problem.

While centenarians have been rare throughout history, they have not been nonexistent; even among ordinary people who never practice cultivation, there have occasionally been a few.

Where can anything compare to the exaggerated and miraculous lifespan of three hundred, five hundred, or a thousand years?

In fact, Qiu Chuji's classification of the various realms and cultivation practices did not involve any strict lifespan planning.

The lifespans of three hundred, five hundred, and a thousand years that he mentioned are merely the lower limits within a certain realm.

Aside from excessive self-depletion or accidents, normally, once one's practice reaches a certain level, the vitality of life will be maintained for a sufficiently long time.

Theoretically speaking, there is no fixed upper limit to this level.

For example, Qiu Chuji, who initially condensed his martial arts golden core, estimated that his physical vitality at that time was enough for him to live for more than a thousand years. As for now?

Qiu Chuji's physical body has been completely shattered and rebuilt, and its vitality will almost never fade.

The reason why he cannot be called a "living golden immortal" is entirely because Qiu Chuji's primordial spirit does not yet possess the immortal golden nature. Although his physical body will not age, rot, or wither, his primordial spirit will gradually become numb, stiff, and lifeless after being washed away by a long period of time.

If the primordial spirit decays, then no matter how robust the physical body is, it is nothing more than a beautifully grown ancient tree.

Qiu Chuji did not interrupt the commotion. He waited until they had been discussing and getting excited for a while before answering the questions that some people had raised.

"I know you may not believe it, but it's the truth, and time will tell."

"But... in order to achieve longevity, diligent cultivation and a path to climb are indispensable!"

"I have already left a hundred scriptures in the library, as well as many auxiliary methods of alchemy, formation, weaponry, and talisman. If you wish to go down the mountain, you may wish to go to the library to find the answers."

After Qiu Chuji finished speaking, he prepared to leave.

Before he could even say goodbye, a young Taoist priest called out, “Uncle Qiu! Your disciple Wang Zhiyu, my master is the Jade Yang Immortal. I have always heard him say that you are incredibly powerful, a thousand times, ten thousand times more powerful than him. I admire you greatly, but I have never had the chance to meet you. Now that you are here, Uncle Qiu, why not let your disciples broaden their horizons?”

"Wang Chuyi?" A smile appeared in Qiu Chuji's eyes.

Wang Chuyi and Liu Chuxuan were among his earliest companions.

They were the two of them who dug the hole and buried him, and they were also the ones who dug him out of the hole.

The three fought against the evil Taoists together, hunted wild game on Zhongnan Mountain to satisfy their young bodies' craving for meat, and even fought against the Jin soldiers and dealt with their search of the mountain.

Looking back now, it feels like a lifetime ago.

Now that Wang Chuyi has also taken on disciples and is respectfully addressed as "Old Man Wang," Qiu Chuji couldn't help but chuckle twice as he recalled the disheveled look on that guy's face with a full "beard" when he ate roasted yam.

"Very well! Then I will teach you a skill and leave it on a pillar inside the main hall of Chongyang Palace. If anyone can glean anything from it, that would be a great opportunity."

Qiu Chuji originally did not intend to personally transmit the Dharma, but once he was of one mind, he did not hesitate to change his original intention.

Then, turning to Ma Yu beside him, he said, "Senior brother, may I borrow your sword?"

Qiu Chuji could condense his true qi into a sword, but such a precious sword would have unparalleled sharpness. If even a slight leak of his aura were to occur, it would be beyond the ability of these young Taoists to withstand. In order to avoid causing any accidents, Qiu Chuji would rather practice with a sword forged from ordinary iron.

Moreover, the sword that he used to wield the sword technique was destined to transform into a divine weapon in this world, and could be considered a 'treasure' with inherent inheritance. Qiu Chuji borrowed Ma Yu's sword, also intending to leave some tokens of leadership for the Quanzhen Sect.

Ma Yu immediately took the sword with both hands, went to Qiu Chuji's side, and handed the sword over.

At this moment, Ma Yu was also very excited. Although he did not know how strong Qiu Chuji was now, he could tell from the few bits and pieces he had seen and felt that Qiu Chuji was so powerful that he had to look up to him with great admiration.

Qiu Chuji's practice of martial arts was naturally of great benefit to him as well.

Holding a sword, Qiu Chuji did not manipulate the true qi within his body, but merely guided his primordial spirit, drawing out different martial arts intentions, thoughts, and concepts.

Immediately, everyone saw figures emerge gracefully from Qiu Chuji's body and begin to display different sword techniques and moves.

Some of these sword techniques are in line with what they have learned and know, but they are more advanced, more ethereal, and more unfathomable. Some movements that seem unreasonable have an indescribable charm when Qiu Chuji performs them, making everyone who sees them deeply aware of them. Even if they can only imitate a little bit of the basics, it is enough to raise their sword techniques by at least one or two levels.

Besides these more 'traditional' sword techniques, there are some that completely overturn their values ​​and perceptions.

The longsword weaves around the body, which can be seen as a microcosmic and macrocosmic sword technique, but the sword moves like a dragon, coming and going freely, and can even transform into a dragon shadow to follow, which is a bit beyond their imagination.

Wind and fire follow each other, the five elements breathe in and out, and the rosy light reflects off the sword... all sorts of extraordinary phenomena dazzle and mesmerize the onlookers.

When all the swords returned to their source and their sword light burst forth like a torrential downpour, everyone in the hall felt as if the clouds had parted and they had seen the true sun of the sky, the eternal blue sky.

Today, they finally realized that such swordsmanship truly existed in this world.

The legendary immortal swordsmanship truly exists, capable of killing from a thousand miles away and defeating ten thousand cavalry with a single sword strike.

"This... how can this still be considered swordsmanship?"

"Is this really a sword technique that a human could use?"

Everyone is asking themselves these questions.

At this moment, the older Taoist priests truly disregarded their status and knelt before Qiu Chuji!

They had worshipped the Taoist patriarch for half their lives and cultivated immortality for decades. Now that they had met a true immortal, how could they care about being reserved?

At this point, the young Taoist priests became even more assertive.

They saw hope and a future!
Perhaps one day, they too can be like Uncle Qiu, drawing their swords to transform into dragons, carrying ten thousand swords with them, and with each strike, the sky will open up and the sun will rise.

The figures did not return to Qiu Chuji's position, but instead plunged into the pillars, transforming into different sword-wielding human figure sculptures.

At first glance, it doesn't seem like anything special; it's basically no different from the little figures practicing sword moves in the sword manual.

But if you look closely, you'll see that each human figure sculpture is constantly changing, and if you talk to them, you'll discover that everyone sees different changes.

(End of this chapter)