Immortal Mystery Sequence: I Establish a Divine Duty for Heaven and Earth

Time flies, and years pass silently.

In the 49th year of the Jingtai reign, on the day of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects).

In mid-spring, the first thunder rumbles, and greenery flourishes as grass grows and orioles sing.

Outside Yingfeng City, hundreds of thousands of fertile fields have been sown, with new shoots and green leaves. Farmers are working hard between the ridges, and occasionally a newly arrived farmer squats on the edge of the field, examining the soil with his hands, his expression serious.

The total number of agricultural cultivators in Yingfeng City has now exceeded two hundred. From time to time, agricultural cultivators are selected by the Taoist sect for training and leave, which arouses envy and resentment from many people, and also inspires more people to strive for learning.

The long street in front of Rongzhai was more than ten times more bustling than usual.

A few years ago, the place was deserted and pedestrians would detour, but now there is a constant stream of carriages and horses. Many farm children carrying their belongings on shoulder poles come to study and spend the night on the street with a devout heart. There are also local gentry who deliver grain in oxcarts, and farmers who gather in twos and threes to exchange farming tips.

The house has four gates, and the plaque above the gate reads "Rongzhai Agricultural School," making it a core location in Yingfeng City.

Today's lecturer is Hu Ting, one of the three masters.

He sat at the head of the table, with a huge farming map hanging behind him, marking the planting seasons and taboos for various common crops and herbs.

The hall was packed with people, ranging from young boys of thirteen or fourteen to elderly farmers with gray hair, numbering at least four or five hundred.

Outside the hall, a large number of people squatted or stood around the corridor, peeking inside, constantly taking notes, thinking, and exchanging whispers. There were more than a thousand people inside and out, but the atmosphere was harmonious and rigorous, dense yet orderly.

"The special nature of superior seeds is something that only our agricultural cultivators can cultivate. They are different from ordinary crops and herbs, each with its own unique habits. Some prefer shade and some prefer sun, while others are intolerant of waterlogging or drought... All superior seeds possess a spirit, and one must first perceive their temperament before sowing... During the planting period, frequent communication is also necessary to address their specific needs, otherwise, it is highly likely that there will be no harvest at all..."

"Master Hu! How do you sense the temperament of a superior breed?"

"With my cultivation of the agricultural path and a calm mind, I will give it to you. If you are sincere, you will receive a response... In farming, sincerity is the most important thing. If you have respect for it and for the earth, it will not treat you unfairly. It will become an extension of you. This is the most profound gift that the earth has given to me, a cultivator of the agricultural path."

The students bowed their heads to take notes, while the farmers occasionally whispered to each other, sometimes arguing heatedly before backing down and continuing to listen to the lecture.

The relationship between teachers and students is harmonious, with teachers offering earnest guidance and students flourishing.

Amidst the bustling scene of preaching, two figures stood out from the crowd, quietly dressed in simple Taoist robes, their demeanor naturally elegant. Strangely, none of the students noticed them, their gazes sweeping over them as if they were nothing and never lingered.

It turned out to be Dongdaozi and Qingshuzi after they came down the mountain.

The two had been observing at the Rongzhai Agricultural School for two days and had listened to the general lessons for quite some time.

"Brother Dao, what is your opinion on the agricultural science of Yingfeng City?"

Dong Daozi stroked his long beard and said calmly, "It seems that the teachings of these three farmers are still in their infancy. They mostly teach common agricultural knowledge, which is shallow but practical, and is sufficient for teaching and spreading the Way... Hu Ting and Zhang Guangdao are diligent and good at learning, and their knowledge is sufficient. As for Rong Yidao, he is not very talented and his writing lacks any wit. He also likes to play with cats and birds and does not do his job properly. When he teaches, he just reads from the book. His only advantage is that he entered the Way early. Otherwise, he is not worth mentioning."

Uncle Qing nodded slowly.

The two walked side by side out, through halls and courtyards, with students coming and going in the corridors, none of them noticing that the Taoist master was right beside them.

"Compared to the agricultural schools of Tianwu and Yuanjiang, Yingfeng Agricultural School still lags behind," said Uncle Qing. "The garrison commanders of those two cities have been promoting the method of mentoring new students in their teachings, and have clearly grasped the essence of the agricultural tradition. The teachers and students learn from each other, and their cultivation improves."

"For this reason, the agricultural development of those two cities has been the most rapid. In five years, each city has produced hundreds of agricultural cultivators, who have been continuously used for our Daoist sect's century-long plan... Chen Shidao of Tianwu City has already vaguely sensed the loosening of the three realms, which seems to be a sign of breaking through the barrier."

Dong Daozi smiled faintly: "The strategy of differentiation has been implemented for five years. The agricultural path in all directions seems to be thriving, but no one has broken through the third realm yet. Even if they touch the threshold, it is nothing but a mirage."

Qing Shuzi nodded: "This is precisely the beauty of differentiation! Tian Jun is scattered in all directions. The inheritance obtained by one person in opening a school is ultimately limited. He cannot comprehend the more profound methods. Even if someone occasionally touches the third realm, without a predecessor to guide him, he can only sigh at the door... Not to mention that no one has broken through the third realm, in the past five years, no new Tian Jun has been born in the four directions. They are all at the bottom first realm."

"This differentiation will slow down the development of agriculture by at least several decades, or even a century!"

The two exchanged a glance, laughed loudly, and went out the door.

Swish!

The two figures vanished into thin air, leaving only a wisp of pale golden Daoist charm that slowly dissipated into the wind.

Across the street, a little bluebird tilted its head and pecked at its wings, seemingly aware of something yet also oblivious.

Birds are so cute, how could they possibly have any bad intentions?

……

……

After a while.

Yingfeng City, a stronghold of the Daoist sect.

Qi Kaizhen knelt and kowtowed: "Disciple Qi Kaizhen greets Master and Uncle!"

Dong Daozi raised his hand in a gesture of support, and a gentle stream of true energy lifted him up lightly.

"Kaizhen, there's no need for such formalities. Your master and I were just passing through Jiangzhou Daoist sects, overseeing agricultural practices in all directions. We were simply taking a look around. Yingfeng City's agricultural education is developing steadily and spreading its influence far and wide. Your secret oversight has been invaluable! When you return to the mountain after this experience, I will personally bestow upon you the Dao three times."

"I deeply thank my esteemed teacher for his guidance and teaching!"

Uncle Qing glanced at him and asked casually, "You've been monitoring the city for many years, have you noticed anything unusual?"

Qi Kaizhen seemed to be thinking about something, and carefully replied truthfully: "Reporting to my uncle, everything has been normal in recent years, but looking back, when Rong Yidao first came, he was arrogant and domineering, bullying men and women, and his bad reputation was notorious. The people of Yingfeng City dared not speak out against him, until he received the sect's decree and then restrained himself."

"In my opinion, allowing such a despicable person to govern a city is a disgrace to the reputation of our sect!"

"Even though he has somewhat restrained himself over the years, he still occasionally succumbs to lust and harasses respectable women. He also secretly continues to extort money and accept bribes. Whenever I see this, I am filled with indignation!"

Dong Daozi smiled and waved his hand: "Kaizhen, it's good that you have a pure heart, but you must understand that not everyone in this world has integrity and moral character. People like Rong Yidao, who become arrogant after gaining power, are just like everyone else, and they are actually the easiest to control!"

"If he has greed, he has a weakness; if he has evil deeds, he has a handle to use against him. Give him a sweet treat and he will do things. Once you have his vital point, it will be difficult to turn him away from you. The way to use people is not based on their moral character or ability, but only on whether they are under your control."

Qing Shuzi chimed in, "If it weren't for Rong Yidao's evil, how could the benevolence of our Daoist sect after issuing the imperial edict be highlighted? The people are ignorant and foolish. In their eyes, they first see evil people committing crimes, and then the Daoist sect upholding justice. The way to govern is nothing more than a balance of strictness and leniency, a combination of kindness and severity, which is the right way."

Qi Kaizhen was taken aback, lowered his head as if deep in thought, and then became solemn and respectful!

"I see! This disciple has learned a lot! So the use of petty people was to highlight the grandeur of our Taoist sect. How brilliant, how brilliant!"

Dongdaozi patted him meaningfully: "Kaizhen, remember this: from the day you entered the Dao, you have been different from ordinary people, and even more different from those vulgar farmers! There is no need to argue with them, nor to care about their life or death."

"To put it bluntly, what is the value of a mortal's life? Even without illness or disaster, it is only a short hundred years. What is the use of living, and what is the regret of dying? As long as they do not tarnish the dignity of our Taoist sect or harm our interests, let them be."

"This disciple will remember it!"

The two immortals said no more. After surveying the city of Yingfeng, they suddenly vanished on the wind, like a dragon whose head appears but not its tail. Their aura as immortals was truly awe-inspiring.

Swish swish!

Yingfeng City continued to shrink, with fields like chess pieces and rivers like lines, and the land of Jiangzhou slowly unfolded amidst the hazy clouds and mist.

The strategic locations in all directions, from east to west and north to south, are all within sight.

Uncle Qing stood with his hands behind his back, soaring through the clouds for a while, looking down. Just as he was about to turn his gaze back and continue on his way, having visited seven or eight tenths of Jiangzhou and presided over the gathering of people from all directions of the Daoist sects, he suddenly noticed a twitch between his brows.

"Brother Dao, wait a moment!"

"What is it?"

Uncle Qing pointed to an inconspicuous village on the south bank of the river, frowning as he said, "Just now, I saw a flash of inspiration; that rural place... seemed to hold the essence of agriculture, but it vanished in an instant!"

Dong Daozi looked in the direction he indicated and saw a flat plain with villages scattered among the fields. Upon closer inspection, there was nothing unusual. However, he knew Qing Shuzi's character well, and since he had spoken, he was probably not speaking without reason.

"This place is only a few hundred miles from Yingfeng City and a few hundred miles from Dajiang New County. It's not surprising that there's the aura of the Agricultural Dao here. However, it seems that the spread of the Agricultural Dao hasn't reached this small place yet... Well, since we've noticed it, let's go down and take a look!"

Swish!

Two streaks of light, like rainbows piercing the sun, swept down from the south and north respectively, and landed outside Xiaopei County in the blink of an eye.

In spring, the new rice sprouts, and a gentle breeze ripples through the green waves. In the distance, houses are scattered in an orderly fashion, crisscrossed by paths, and wisps of smoke rise from chimneys—a typical rural scene, seemingly without any abnormalities.

……

……

Huai Shu Village, Xiaopei County.

Jiangzhai.

Jiang Tu felt a cold sweat break out on his back, and his mind became alert.

In the past two days, he has frequently felt the Sequence Gold Strategy tremble inexplicably, as if some great danger is lurking in it. Some powerful consciousnesses are floating around him, rising and falling. He vaguely senses that the source of the danger is in Yingfeng City, and he dares not underestimate it.

He used the senses of the Myriad Man Grass Man to transform and observe.

A moment ago, he could clearly sense that there were two extremely terrifying auras hidden inside the Rong residence, containing powerful and domineering Daoist true energy, and this had been going on for two days.

Strangely, no matter how he synchronized his senses with the Myriad Manifestations Grass Man to look around, he couldn't see any Daoist experts hidden inside the Rong Mansion; he simply couldn't find them!

He dared not alert the enemy, so he could only remain vigilant and pretend to be calm and indifferent.

Now that those two powerful auras had disappeared from the Rong residence and could not be found, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The sequence of gold strategy panels appeared before my eyes—

Lifespan: 53/139

"Cultivation Level: Rank 7 - Imperial Herbalist (1491/15000) → (4582/15000)"

Rong Yidao's identity has indeed brought him huge rewards!

Since he secretly took charge of the harvest in Yingfeng City under the guise of Rong Yidao, and widely promoted education through the Rong residence's agricultural school, his cultivation speed has improved faster than imagined. Not only does he receive a huge boost every year during the harvest, but he also directly benefits from educating every ninth-rank farmer who awakens!

Even though he deliberately concealed his true abilities and only taught basic agricultural science, not daring to teach the real stuff, and even though he used straw figures to teach remotely without direct transmission, his cultivation level still increased by more than three thousand over five years.

The accumulation of causal value is even more substantial. The feedback from Yingfeng City alone over five years has added over a thousand causal points to his accumulating points, not to mention the growing number of students and farmers who have been learning and teaching in all directions.

Indeed, education is the right path for cultivating the agricultural way!

After decades of hardship, he finally embarked on the right path of cultivation while ensuring his own safety. Now, his cultivation has reached the middle stage of the seventh rank, which is comparable to Luo Jin's state during the evolution process, enough for him to reap the benefits of the new round of evolution.

It's time to start the fourth evolution!

Just then—

Buzz!

The sequence of gold trembled violently! This was followed by continuous oscillations and fluctuations.

The terrifying aura that had just dissipated suddenly descended from the sky again, crashing down like two towering mountains outside Xiaopei County!

Jiang Tu's pupils contracted; this time, the source of the Daoist aura wasn't Yingfeng City! It was right next to him!

It's in Xiaopei County!

How could that be?

Could it be that they've sensed something unusual about this place?!

He suddenly withdrew all his energy, held his breath, and became as still as a rock.

Outside the courtyard.

Silent footsteps approached, and no one spoke, yet it almost made his heart stop!