From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 91 Wandering Heavenly Eye
The day was sunny and breezy.

The three copies of the document were then delivered to Nongling Temple, the Special Envoy Class, and Qin Chuan.

……

Dongsheng Heavenly Court, Jiuchuan County Temple, Zhuoxian Terrace, Celestial Office Documents
Subject: Regarding the appointment order for Qin Chuan, who was transferred from Nongling Temple to Jianxian Division.
To the esteemed officials of Nongling Temple, Jianxian Division, and the Jiuchuan County God Temple:
According to the "Laws on the Transfer of Immortals in Dongsheng Shenzhou" and the "Regulations on Personnel in Jiuchuan County," and after deliberation by the Jiuchuan County Promotion and Appointment Committee, and with the approval of the County Temple, the transfer is hereby announced as follows:
I. Reasons for the transfer

Qin Chuan, a ninth-rank celestial official of Nongling Temple, has been diligent and conscientious in his duties since taking office. He has repeatedly demonstrated his sincerity in various matters such as the cultivation of spiritual plants and negotiations with the heavens. In particular, he made a name for himself by introducing the "Liuxiang Orange" and winning fame at the Wantian Expo, showing that his talent and knowledge are worthy of great use.

In response to the Heavenly Court's order to "eliminate demons and eliminate evil," the Department of Immortal Inspection, which is responsible for inspecting Taoists and investigating illegal activities, is currently in need of personnel. Therefore, Qin Chuan has been transferred to this department to strengthen its capabilities and hone its skills.

II. Transfer Matters

Original position: Celestial Affairs Officer of Nongling Temple – Granted the title of Ninth-Rank Child Spiritual Scripture Register
New Position: Deputy Spirit Officer of the Immortal Inspection Bureau's Traveling Spirit Hall – Granted the title of Eighth-Rank Traveling Spirit Officer
Arrangements for Conferring the Register: The conferring ceremony will be held tomorrow at 3:45 AM at the Jiuchuan Zhuoxian Terrace, where the Eighth Rank Heavenly Register will be conferred and the Immortal Inspector's Office talisman will be issued.

Upon assuming office: At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM) the day after tomorrow, report to the Immortal Inspection Office to assume your duties without delay.

III. Delivery Matters

Nongling Temple should settle all official matters concerning spiritual plants and spiritual seeds under Qin Chuan's jurisdiction by today, and have the head of the temple sign and confirm them. Qin Chuan must return the official seal and receive the official robes of Nongling Temple before receiving his ordination, and change into the official robes of the Immortal Inspectorate the following day, carrying a sword and taking up his new post.

May Qin Chuan live up to the cultivation of the Immortal Court, uphold righteousness and keep a pure heart, diligently cultivate the laws of Heaven, and in his post as the Inspector of Immortals, be discerning and protect the people, thus demonstrating the integrity of our Eastern Victory Immortal Class.

Issuance:

The proposals for the promotion of Jiuchuan to Xiantai and Jiuchuan County Temple and Government Office were seconded.
March 18th, 9729th year of the Heavenly Venerable Calendar.

………………

Inside Nongling Temple.

All the Taoist priests in Nongling Temple, including Ji Yuqi, offered their sincere congratulations to Qin Chuan:

"Qin Lingguan, congratulations, congratulations!"

Especially those Taoists who were transferred from the Dragon Tiger Blessed Land, their envy upon seeing Qin Chuan's transfer document was beyond words.

Originally, they were doing well in Longhu Blessed Land, so why did they come to Jiuchuan to help research agricultural economic crops? It was because this was an opportunity; if they did well, they could potentially be promoted to the rank of Guan-level Daoist.

Now, we have indeed achieved some results, but if we want to be promoted to a higher position, it will probably take another year or two. Only when all the agricultural economic crops under the leadership of the Agricultural Economic Specialist Team have achieved results will there be any hope.

After all, this team doesn't specialize in researching spirit oranges; they also have yams from their blessed land of dragons and tigers, as well as other spirit plant crops. They are responsible for coordinating the agricultural and spiritual economy of the entire Jiuchuan region.

Now, they still have to keep working hard for the team, and the result...

Qin Chuan, the youngest among them, has already become a rising star. At less than nineteen years old, he was promoted to the position of deputy director and served as a wandering spirit official in the county's Immortal Inspection Division. He was an important military officer who patrolled the county to investigate good and evil and to punish those who violated the heavenly laws.

Although they all knew that Qin Chuan's exceptional promotion at such a young age was due to his outstanding contributions, they still couldn't hide their sour feelings.

"Do we have to hand over the work today?" Qin Chuan looked at his teacher Huo Yuanjue and said, "Then I can only leave the rest of my work to you, teacher. I will write down the 'Withering and Flourishing Finger Technique' for you so that you can continue to do your job well."

Within this special training program, only the teacher possesses such abilities; the others neither believe in them nor are willing to teach them.

After all, this was his own secret technique.

“It’s not that urgent. Actually, didn’t you notice the transfer criteria on the document? It only transfers your status as a Celestial Affairs Officer and Celestial Daoist in Nongling Temple, not your status as a specialist in this Nongling Special Task Force. So, we might need to consult you again about the work here in the future,” Ji Yuqi said meaningfully.

Qin Chuan's heart stirred. If others said this, he might think they were trying to take advantage of him or treat him like a laborer, but when a fellow practitioner in the chanting group said it, he immediately understood the deeper meaning.

First of all, this Agricultural Spirit Special Task Force was a temporary team. Although it had great power, it did not have a real official position or celestial register. It was composed of a group of people temporarily drawn from various celestial offices by the County God.

Since there is no established staffing quota, there is no possibility of transferring staffing quotas.

In other words, even if he leaves Nongling Temple and goes to Jianxian Division to become a wandering spirit officer, his status as a specialist in the special task force will still be retained, and even... if there are any achievements or merits in the special task force in the future, he can still get a share.

Ji Yuqi's words implied to him that his current promotion was only due to the efforts of Tianwai Xingyi. His contribution to the research on 'Sangnan Fragrant Orange' would continue to be accumulated in the special task force and would be included in his resume when the task force settled accounts at the end of the work period.

This is both a hint and a guarantee.

After all, Qin Chuan was the biggest contributor to the Lingcheng Project from beginning to end. Others benefited from Qin Chuan's success in the Lingcheng Project, so they should also get a share of the profits after Qin Chuan leaves and their subsequent yam and other agricultural promotion projects are successful.

Qin Chuan understood that whether or not he retained his status and position as a specialist in the special task force was ultimately a matter of Sun Qinghan's word. Now it seemed that Sun Qinghan was intentionally laying the groundwork for his future promotion.

Since that's the case, Qin Chuan didn't say anything more. He simply taught the Withering and Flourishing Finger Technique to his teacher and then instructed him, "Teacher, you are quite old. If you can find a better successor in the future, you can pass this technique on to him as well."

His teacher passed on the Yi Wood Azure Sky Technique to him, which helped him get to where he is today. This Withering and Flourishing Finger Technique is just a small token of his gratitude to his teacher.

"You've put your heart into this." Huo Yuanjue knew the role of this Taoist technique in agricultural spirits, which allowed Taoists to continuously experiment and make mistakes in the process of researching spiritual plants. Although he was already old and would never reach the threshold of the temple-level Golden Core in this lifetime, he could use this method to cultivate a batch of great agricultural spirit talents.

Not only could he retain his status as a farmer after he retired, but he might also be able to cultivate several more "junior brothers" and "followers" who would be of great use in the future for his beloved disciple Qin Chuan.

He looked at Qin Chuan and sighed, "Back then, I was merely a teacher, imparting knowledge and guiding you. I never imagined that you would be able to forge such a great path through your own understanding and opportunities. Your achievements now far surpass what I could have seen or imagined back then. To see you soaring among the clouds of the heavens fills me with pride."

This is what a master craftsman is most proud of.

The young phoenix's voice is clearer than the old phoenix's.

"Teacher, I will come to see you often."

After handing over his work, Qin Chuan bid farewell to Teacher Huo Yuanjue and his colleagues, and then went home that evening to bathe, change his clothes, and burn incense to purify his mind and body.

Only on the second day could one go to the Shōsendai to receive their ordination ceremony.

........................

The Eastern Heavenly Court did not hold any grand ceremonies for bestowing titles and ordination certificates to those below the eighth rank, because Taoists below the eighth rank did not hold any heavenly duties, but only had to perform tasks. The ordination could be completed in the personnel department of their respective celestial offices.

However, if it involves the personnel arrangements of Taoist priests of the eighth rank or above, or the conferment of ordination titles and immortal positions, then a formal conferment ceremony must be held.

This ordination ceremony requires the presence of three masters: the ordination supervisor, the transmission master, and the recommendation master, who are all from the temple or monastery where the ceremony is held.

When Qin Chuan first arrived at the ordination altar in Jiuchuan County Temple.

Upon entering, in front of a massive temple, a Taoist priest recognized him as the newly appointed deputy abbot, a mere nineteen-year-old. No one dared to neglect him. After being received and allowed to rest for a while, he was informed that the ordination ceremony was ready before setting off to the foot of the steps of the Altar of Heaven.

"Please invite the Taoist priest Qin Chuan, who has been ordained, to ascend the altar."

As Qin Chuan heard the magnificent celestial sound coming from the Altar of Heaven, he took a deep breath, kept his mind serious, lifted his Taoist robe, and stepped up to the Altar of Heaven. There he saw three white-bearded old Taoist priests sitting upright on auspicious clouds.

"I am Zhang Shouyan, the ordination supervisor of the ordination altar." "The ordination master is Li Cizhou." "The recommender is Yan Zhengxin."

Qin Chuan immediately performed the Taoist rituals with utmost respect, bowing to each of them and addressing them as seniors, showing particular respect to Yan Zhengxin.

The recommender, Yan Zhengxin, was the deputy head of the Zhuoxiantai (a platform for selecting candidates for promotion), and the one who had come to chat with him and inspect his work. At this moment, he had a kind face and nodded slightly to him.

Among them, he holds the highest and greatest celestial position.

With a wave of his hand, he signaled the commencement of the ordination ceremony.

Then they saw the ordination master, Li Cizhou, facing the heavens, reciting scriptures:
"I humbly request the Patriarch of the Southern Hua Dao that Qin Chuan, a Daoist from the Jiuchuan County Temple in the blessed land of Lushan Mountain in Chaisang Cave, is performing the ordination ceremony. I humbly request the Heavenly Mandate to manifest and bestow upon him the Heavenly Register of the Eighth Rank, the Wandering Spirit Official of Dongsheng."

One word fell.

It seemed as if thousands of Taoist priests were chanting scriptures in unison.

Qin Chuan suddenly seemed to vaguely see a magnificent Dao Palace appearing on the layers of clouds in the sky.

Immediately,

Within the silent underground palace, a blue indigo jade tablet slowly descended.

"Those who are granted the ordination will have their names recorded in the Heavenly Court."

However, after the master of ordination wrote Qin Chuan's name on the blue jade tablet, he raised his hand and pointed at Qin Chuan:
"Qin Chuan, you are now bestowed with the rank of 'Eastern Victory Wandering Spirit Official' of the eighth grade. You should know that this talisman is no ordinary thing. The innate supernatural power within the talisman, 'Water Mirroring Technique,' is based on water and uses a mirror to form a 'Reflective Water Mirror.' When you use it, you must follow the Heavenly Laws to summon it. It can reflect the people, things, and events you wish to see."

Qin Chuan immediately felt a powerful Heavenly Dao Law flowing into his brow, towering above the Heavenly Daoist talisman above him, forming a hierarchical structure like a pyramid.

At the same time, he also sensed a mysterious divine power of the Heavenly Dao, which arose along with this celestial register.

"A water mirror for reflection?" Qin Chuan murmured, gently touching his brow.

At the same time, he also sensed a brand new world opening up before him, which... was the foundation-building gate that meant a longer lifespan.

"Qin Chuan, as the head of the Youyi Temple within the Jianxian Division, the Youyi Spirit Official has the responsibility to patrol and inspect the good and evil within his jurisdiction and to correct any wrongdoing. The Heavenly Dao Divine Powers within this Heavenly Register are public instruments of the Heavenly Court. You may only use them for official business and must not use them to pry into the privacy of others. Otherwise, you will be breaking the law knowingly, and your crime will be of the highest consequence," the Register Altar Supervisor said coldly.

Qin Chuan solemnly replied, "I will remember this!"

It turns out that he had been given a supernatural ability like a third eye.

This is indeed a good match for the Jianxian Division.

(End of this chapter)