A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

A little over a month later, Duan Rong and his group entered the Bodhidharma Academy.

Because he was maintaining and repairing magical artifacts, Duan Rong openly devoured a large number of artifact spirits within the Bodhidharma Academy.

More than two months later, they returned to the Craftsmen's Building from the Bodhidharma Academy. By then, Duan Rong had mastered almost all the profound secret techniques of the Faxiang Sect.

Some of these secret techniques are so profound that even though he has already reached the Cave-Ming Realm, he still needs to repeatedly study and comprehend them to fully understand them.

Half a year has passed since he returned from the Bodhidharma Academy. In total, Duan Rong has been in the Faxiang Sect for almost a year.

Craftsmen will take a holiday at the end of the year.

Duan Rong was already preparing to take advantage of the year-end to leave the Faxiang Sect.

Tang Xiong had already told Duan Rong the results of his inquiry into Yu Dai's intentions before they even entered the Bodhidharma Academy.

Na Yudai grew up in the Faxiang Sect, so his words are quite credible.

Duan Rong thought it was very likely, and his deduction was not wrong. Tens of thousands of years had passed, and the techniques beyond the twenty-fifth level of the Great Vajra Mandala might have been lost in the Faxiang Sect.

If that's the case, there's no point in him wasting his time here.

However, even though the later techniques were lost, his trip was not in vain. He not only obtained four levels of techniques, but also countless secret arts of the Dharma Aspect Sect.

Some of these secret techniques were quite wondrous, even to Duan Rong, who was at the Cave-Ming Realm level of cultivation.

Moreover, once Duan Rong returned to the Taiyi Sect and managed to cultivate the four-layered Great Vajra Mandala Technique, his spiritual power could rise by another four levels.

As his spiritual power further improves, he can resume his cultivation by absorbing the spirits of artifacts that contain the laws of incense and time.

A fourth level of cultivation technique might be enough for him to reach the Nascent Soul realm.

Having reaped enough gains, there was no point in waiting any longer, and with the year drawing to a close, Duan Rong felt it was time to leave.

After the year-end holiday, the Faxiang Sect used several Cihang boats to carry these craftsmen away from the Faxiang Sect.

The Faxiang Sect is located in the central part of the Moheyan Desert, a desolate place with endless yellow sand. These craftsmen are all ordinary people and cannot leave. Even if they ride camels with water and food, they will all die if they encounter a large sandstorm on the way.

Therefore, using the Compassionate Boat to carry them out of the Moheyan Desert is something that the Faxiang School does every year.

On this day, more than ten compassionate boats, gleaming with golden light, took off from the Faxiang Sect. Each boat was packed with people, making it quite crowded.

Unlike when Duan Rong and his group entered the sect, this time these Cihang boats only carried them to the Yumen Pass before dropping off the craftsmen.

As for the road from Yumen Pass to Xidu Prefecture, these craftsmen would have to go back on their own.

However, there are merchant houses at Yumen Pass that specialize in handling travel matters and offer carriages, horses, and camels for rent.

Duan Rong and Tang Xiong each rented a horse and rode along the official road towards Xidu Prefecture.

By the time they arrived at Xidu Prefecture, it was already late, and the city gates were about to close.

Duan Rong suddenly reined in his horse, glanced at Tang Xiong, and said, "Tang Xiong, I'm not going into the city. Farewell."

Tang Xiong also reined in his horse, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "My lord, take care!"

On the eve of embarking on the Compassionate Boat, Duan Rong had already told Tang Xiong that he was leaving.

Duan Rong hummed in agreement, then pulled on the reins, adjusted the horse's direction, and headed towards the other end of the official road.

Tang Xiong stood near the city gate for a while, and only when he saw that the city gate was about to close did he hurriedly enter the city.

Duan Rong traveled a long way along the official road and was already some distance from Xidu Prefecture. Moreover, it was already night, and the wilderness was pitch black and deathly silent.

Duan Rong suddenly reined in his horse, waved his hand, and unleashed a burst of power of law. The saddle, bridle, and other parts of the horse were reduced to dust and scattered in the night wind.

Duan Rong gently patted the horse's rump. "Go on your way."

The old horse, freed from its many restraints, felt instantly at ease. As if it could understand, it neighed once and galloped into the wilderness.

Duan Rong then transformed into a streak of black light, shooting into the sky and disappearing from sight.

After Duan Rong returned to Taiyi Sect, it happened to be the end of the year, so he spent the New Year with his family at the Lü family residence.

Now that he has returned, he will inevitably visit relatives and friends during the New Year. He personally visited Zhu He, while Ximen Kankan delivered gifts to his fellow disciples at Yunfu Peak.

After the New Year, Duan Rong went to the Court of Judgment and Clan Affairs.

After all, he was the head of the Court of Judgment and Justice. Although he had been away for a year and Fan Hongjiao was in charge here, he had at least returned, so we had to at least exchange greetings.

Duan Rong chatted casually with Fan Hongjiao and the others for a few minutes before sitting down in his room to drink tea. Duan Rong's main topic of conversation was that although he had returned, it was as if he hadn't returned at all. He didn't ask about anything else.

Fan Hongjiao gave Duan Rong a severe dressing down, but Duan Rong just chuckled and didn't retaliate or say anything. Fan Hongjiao tried everything she could, but to no avail, so she had to give up and let Duan Rong continue to be a hands-off manager.

While Duan Rong was drinking tea in his room, he had someone call Shen Mizhi over.

Shen Mizhi is currently very busy and can be considered Fan Hongjiao's most trusted confidante in the Court of Judgment.

Fan Hongjiao quite liked Shen Mizhi's temperament, not only giving her important responsibilities but also frequently guiding her in her cultivation. Ximen Kankan and Yang Yi, on the other hand, had been marginalized by Fan Hongjiao, only getting involved in trivial matters.

Duan Rong was unaware of this change. He sent someone to call Shen Mizhi, who took a while to arrive, but he didn't find it strange. He simply said, "Go to Tianzhu Peak and invite Jiang Hanyan over. Tell her I need to see her."

"Yes." Shen Mizhi clasped her hands in response and then turned and left the room.

Although she was busy with other matters, she couldn't refuse since Duan Rong had asked her to run errands.

In less than half an incense stick's time, Shen Mizhi returned to her room.

Duan Rong noticed that she was the only one who came in, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

Shen Mizhi said coldly, "She refuses to come."

Duan Rong asked, "What did she say?"

Shen Mizhi said, "We're even from last time, why bring this up again?"

Shen Mizhi didn't even blink when she said this.

Duan Rong sighed and said, "Go ahead."

Shen Mizhi turned and left.

Duan Rong finished his tea. He wanted to call Jiang Hanyan over because it would be more convenient to discuss matters with the Court of Judgment. Since she was unwilling to come, he would have to go there himself.

Duan Rong then transformed into a streak of black light, leaving the Judgment Bureau and heading towards Tianzhu Peak.

The disciples of Tianzhu Peak were all female, but even so, Duan Rong still hid in the valley and sent out his divine sense to cover the entire pavilion on Tianzhu Peak.

Naturally, he witnessed many enchanting and sensual scenes. However, peeping was merely a side effect; Duan Rong's main purpose was to investigate Jiang Hanyan's location within the pavilion, and also whether Lin Youjian was inside.

At this moment, Jiang Hanyan was sitting in her room, gazing into the distance. Lin Youjian, however, was not in the pavilion.

Duan Rong didn't choose to have the female disciples guarding Tianzhu Peak announce his arrival, because Jiang Hanyan might not want to see him. And at this moment, Lin Youjian was also not in the pavilion, making it a good time for him to go over.

Duan melted into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared into the pavilion.

With his current cultivation level, the female disciples guarding him wouldn't be able to detect him at all.

Duan Rong's figure blurred, and he appeared in Jiang Hanyan's room. Jiang Hanyan was still in a daze and did not notice him.

Just now, Shen Mizhi came over and said that Duan Rong wanted to see her, but Jiang Hanyan refused. Now, sitting here, she couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Although she regretted it, if she were given another chance, she would still refuse Shen Mizhi.

Duan Rong stood behind Jiang Hanyan and suddenly said, "Hanyan, I apologize for my intrusion." Upon hearing this, Jiang Hanyan's lips curled up slightly, but then she calmly turned cold, stood up, turned around and looked at Duan Rong with a cold face. After a long while, she said, "Elder Duan, you have great skills. You enter my Tianzhu Peak as if it were an empty place."

Jiang Hanyan's words contained both anger and sarcasm.

Duan Rong had no choice but to say, "I have no choice but to offend you in order to see you."

Jiang Hanyan snorted coldly and ignored him.

Duan Rong flipped his hand and grabbed the black-patterned token.

He walked over, held the black-patterned token in both hands, bowed to Jiang Hanyan, and said, "Thank you for the black-patterned token. The matter is now settled, and I have come to return it."

Jiang Hanyan was slightly taken aback. She had always thought that Duan Rong's recruitment of the Faxiang Sect's intelligence spies from her was at the behest of his master, Zhu He. But now that he had returned the Black Pattern Token, it was very likely that it wasn't Zhu He's doing.

If it were Zhu He, he would never spit out the fatty meat he had already eaten.

Jiang Hanyan took the black-patterned token, looked at Duan Rong with clear eyes, and suddenly asked, "What are you borrowing this intelligence from me for?"

Jiang Hanyan didn't expect Duan Rong to give a clear answer; she was just curious. Originally, she thought that using intelligence to spy was just Duan Rong's excuse, but now it seemed that he really had something to do.

Duan Rong said, "I used Cunmu Hall to enter the Faxiang Sect."

"You've joined the Faxiang Sect?" Jiang Hanyan's expression changed in surprise.

Duan Rong nodded.

Jiang Hanyan said, "Then you are really lucky to have come back alive."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "I have to give you a heads-up on this trip. Shuiyue, Yang Ruoshui, and Tang Xiong are all good. But Wang Xun, the owner of Cunmu Hall, is a careless and negligent man. You need to pay more attention to him if you need to hire people in the future."

Jiang Hanyan looked at Duan Rong with affection in her eyes and laughed, "You used someone else's things, and you're still so picky?!"

Duan Rong laughed and said, "I wouldn't dare. I was just saying it offhand."

Jiang Hanyan then brewed tea, and the two chatted and drank, completely resolving their past grievances.

Duan Rong left only after finishing the pot of tea.

After flying away from Tianzhu Peak, Duan Rong went directly to Yunfu Peak because he had something to discuss with Zhu He.

When he arrived at Yunfu Peak, he found that Zhu He was not in the room, but Wu Shidao was organizing documents in the room.

Duan Rong moved swiftly and appeared outside Wu Shidao's door. He knocked on the door.

Wu Shidao opened the door and, upon seeing Duan Rong, immediately bowed and said, "This subordinate greets Commander Duan."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Senior Brother Wu, there's no need to be so polite. By the way, Senior Brother, it seems that Master isn't on the peak right now?"

Wu Shidao gave a somewhat awkward smile and said, "The New Year has just passed, and today is the Elders' Council's annual meeting. The Sect Master should be at the Elders' Council right now."

Duan Rong responded with an "Oh." No wonder Lin Youjian wasn't in the pavilion at Tianzhu Peak earlier; he must have gone to attend the Elders' Council's annual meeting.

Duan Rong asked, "Senior brother, how long does the annual meeting of the Elders' Council usually last?"

Wu Shidao said, "The annual meeting usually only lasts one or two hours. I reckon it's about time by now."

Duan Rong clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Wu Shidao immediately returned the greeting, saying, "I dare not."

The next moment, Duan Rong's figure vanished on its own.

Wu Shidao glanced at the empty doorway, then closed it and went back to his room to continue organizing documents.

Duan Rong flew away from Yunfu Peak and went directly to Cuiwei Peak. He stood on a platform outside the gate of the Elders' Council, waiting for Zhu He to finish the meeting and come out.

He was worried that if Zhu He didn't return to Yunfu Peak after the meeting, he would be left waiting there in vain. Since Wu Shidao said the meeting would end soon, Duan Rong decided to come and wait for Zhu He.

In fact, Duan Rong was also an elder of the Elder Council and the head of the Judgment and Clan Affairs Department. He was fully qualified to attend meetings within the Elder Council.

But he preferred to wait there rather than go in and listen to those guys nagging.

Sure enough, the meeting ended not long afterward.

Zhu He was the first to step forward and immediately spotted Duan Rong.

Zhu He appeared beside Duan Rong in a flash, and said, "You weren't waiting for me, were you?"

Duan Rong said, "Nonsense. Who else would we wait for if not you?"

Zhu He asked, "What is it?"

Duan Rong said, "Let's go back to Yunfu Peak and talk."

The two transformed into two streaks of black light and arrived at Zhu He's room on Yunfu Peak.

On the table in the room, there were the documents that Wu Shidao had organized.

Zhu He sat there, not looking at the documents, and looked at Duan Rong, saying, "Speak."

He knew all too well that Duan Rong was the kind of person who wouldn't come to him unless he needed something, and who knew what he might want from him this time.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "I would like to recruit some craftsmen from the stonemasonry and weaponry workshops of the Imperial Stud."

Duan Rong was about to begin cultivating the four levels of the Great Vajra Mandala technique.

However, there are still quite a few things to prepare.

The Great Vajra Mandala and the Garbhadhatu Sutra are essentially the same set of spiritual cultivation techniques. Therefore, since Duan Rong has already mastered the first twenty-one levels, he can directly start cultivating from the twenty-second level. He also has Buddhist cultivation techniques.

However, there are two problems that need to be solved: one is the complicated rituals of cultivation, and the other is the painting of deity statues on the mountain.

Duan Rong sought out Zhu He to requisition the stonemasons' workshop and the weapons workshop of the Imperial Stud, precisely to solve these two problems.

Although the ritual for cultivating the Great Vajra Mandala is complicated, it is recorded in detail in the devouring techniques. The key is the crafting of various magical artifacts, which is quite troublesome. If he doesn't recruit artisans from the sect, he would have to work on it for ages.

Zhu He's eyes flickered, wondering what trick Duan Rong was up to now, so he asked, "Why are you conscripting those craftsmen?"

Duan Rong said, "Don't worry about that, I have my own uses."

Zhu He said, "Alright. It's not a big deal. I'll issue the transfer order to you today."

Duan Rong said, "There is one more thing."

Zhu He asked, "Is there anything else?"

Duan Rong asked, "Master, do you know about the mountain statues in our sect?"

Zhu He said, "I know. What's wrong?"

Duan Rong said, "I want to turn those four large mountain statues into painted deity statues."

Zhu He's face twitched, and he said, "What kind of madness have you gone mad with? How can you turn such a large statue into a painted one? No wonder you wanted to summon craftsmen!"

Duan Rong said in a deep voice, "I have my own reasons. Don't worry about it. Just tell me if this can be done?"

Seeing Duan Rong's serious expression, Zhu He was certain he wasn't joking. He thought for a moment; Duan Rong had always acted somewhat strangely, but he'd never acted recklessly before. He then said, "I'll arrange for the craftsmen to be recruited. But the large statue on the mountain is under Master Chu's jurisdiction. If you want it painted, you'll have to ask him first." (End of Chapter)