Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 327 Tianjing Manor, Dharma Assembly Begins [Please Subscribe]

Jiufengling.

When Zhou Chun came to visit Zhou Mingde with an invitation to the Heavenly Mirror Immortal's sermon, Zhou Mingde was quite shocked by the matter.

Although Zhou Mingde lived two hundred years longer than Zhou Chun, he never participated in a sermon by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

The last time a Golden Core cultivator in Jingguo successfully shattered his core and formed his nascent soul was more than 500 years ago.

The last time a Golden Core cultivator in Feng Kingdom successfully shattered his core and formed his nascent soul was more than four hundred years ago.

Moreover, these newly promoted Nascent Soul stage cultivators all come from major sects in both countries. Even if they hold sermons, they are only for their own disciples, and at most they will invite some of the sect's vassal families to attend.

A rogue Nascent Soul cultivator like Master Tianjing is extremely rare, even in the entire cultivation world.

This has not happened in the history of Yasukuni for at least several thousand years!

Therefore, the fact that Master Tianjing held a sermon at Tianjing Manor and invited three thousand cultivators to attend is undoubtedly a great opportunity for those invited cultivators.

Even a cultivator like Zhou Mingde, who was at the Purple Mansion stage, was equally fascinated by it.

However, Zhou Mingde and Zhou Chun both knew that Master Tianjing's high-profile actions were likely driven by something far-reaching.

It's very likely that what they feared most will actually become a reality!

Therefore, whether the Zhou family should participate in this sermon is debatable.

"Let's see how Qinglian Temple and other families behave. According to Yan Chu, Tianjing Manor definitely didn't just send invitations to our Zhou family; most other major cultivation families in the surrounding states will probably receive them as well."

"If the Xie family and other major cultivation clans in Lianzhou have also received invitations and will send people over, then we shouldn't miss this once-in-a-millennium opportunity. Let's go!"

After some thought, Zhou Mingde offered his opinion.

Following the crowd doesn't necessarily bring success, but it usually also means you won't bear the responsibility, making it the safest choice.

In particular, since the Zhou family was not a direct descendant of the Qinglian Temple, they would find it difficult to receive the treatment due to direct descendants, so there was no need for them to deliberately show anything at this time.

If you overdo it and become a target for others to make an example of, then the problem will be serious.

Therefore, Zhou Chun agreed with Zhou Mingde's words.

Zhou Daoyi had no objections.

So, half a month later, Zhou Chun and his Daoist partner Su Yuzhen visited the Xie family in Lianzhou to inquire about Qinglian Temple's attitude toward the "Heavenly Mirror Dharma Assembly".

By this time, half a month had passed, and all the invitations had been sent out long ago; everyone who was supposed to receive them had already received them.

The invitation for the "Tianjing Dharma Assembly" is scheduled for less than three months.

Therefore, Zhou Chun did not spend much effort to obtain accurate information after visiting the Xie family.

Qinglian Temple did not intend to prevent its affiliated cultivation families from sending people to participate in the "Heavenly Mirror Dharma Assembly," and even sent thirty cultivators to participate in the assembly themselves.

However, according to the Xie family, they will only send the clan leader and some elders and core clan members to participate in the Dharma assembly; the clan's supreme elders will not go.

This gave Zhou Chun a better understanding of the situation.

Upon returning to his family, he immediately informed the two elders of the outcome of his trip.

"Since Qinglian Temple isn't stopping us, what else is there to say?"

"In that case, apart from me and Daoquan staying behind to guard the family and Longxing Valley, Daoyi, you will personally lead the team and bring Zhengchun and the others to participate in this Dharma assembly."

Zhou Mingde immediately made the decision and arrangements.

Then, after a moment's thought, he continued, "Well, don't take the Azure Dragon with you. I'll give you the Fire God Jackal, just in case!"

Zhou Daoyi was well aware of his concerns and immediately nodded in agreement.

Then Zhou Chun was asked to arrange the people to travel with the team.

Going to listen to a Nascent Soul stage cultivator preach is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, and naturally many Zhou family cultivators want to go.

However, there are only ten spots available, and very few will actually be able to go.

After some research and discussion, Zhou Chun finally decided that only two elders would go, and the remaining five spots would be given to the younger generation of the family.

This is for safety reasons.

Although nothing bad should happen at this Dharma assembly, a family or power should always be prepared for any eventuality.

Therefore, the family elders certainly cannot all go out to participate in one thing, otherwise, if something goes wrong, it will lead to the interruption of the family line.

The Zhou family currently has six elders. Excluding Zhou Jiapeng and Zhou Zhengyong, who are stationed at the reclaimed stronghold and Longxing Valley, among the four elders in the family, Zhou Jiarui is the best candidate to act as the clan leader in Zhou Chun's absence. It is inconvenient for him to go out with Zhou Chun. Zhou Xinlan has just successfully established her foundation and has not yet completed the transformation of her cultivation technique, so there is no point in her going to participate in the Dharma assembly at this time.

Therefore, the two positions for elders were easily determined: Zhou Jiahe and Zhou Zhengyuan.

The other five juniors are Zhou Zhengqing, Zhou Xindie, Zhou Xintie, Zhou Xinyi, and Zhou Zhengbo.

Naturally, the five juniors who were able to attend the "Heavenly Mirror Dharma Assembly" were all outstanding individuals of the Zhou family, and could even be said to be the most promising Foundation Establishment candidates among their peers.

With these two Foundation Establishment elders, five Qi Refining stage juniors, plus Zhou Daoyi, Zhou Chun, and Su Yuzhen, there are exactly ten people.

It's worth mentioning that the Su family of Jiangzhou was not among those invited by Master Tianjing.

Not only was the Su family of Jiangzhou excluded from the invitation, but also the direct descendants of the Moon Wheel Sect and the Flame Sun Sect's Golden Core families were not included in the invitation.

On the contrary, the Li family, specializing in alchemy, and the You family, specializing in formations, both families specializing in Golden Core cultivation, received invitations, and the number of people invited to attend the Dharma assembly was as high as twenty!

This special treatment also seems to convey some kind of signal.

Time flies, and the "Heavenly Mirror Dharma Assembly" is just around the corner.

On this day, Zhou Daoyi personally led the group, and the Zhou family members each displayed their skills as they flew together to Tianjing Manor.

In the sky, Zhou Daoyi flew ahead alone, while Su Yuzhen and Zhou Chun, the Daoist couple, sat on the back of a golden-winged tiger. Zhou Jiahe and Zhou Zhengyuan each rode a red-eyed dragon-eagle, with a junior Qi Refining cultivator on board. The remaining three junior Qi Refining cultivators rode together on a red-eyed dragon-eagle.

As the group flew through the air, it attracted the attention of some cultivators along the way.

Upon seeing the golden-winged tiger and the red-eyed dragon vultures behind it, any cultivator who had heard of the Zhou family instantly recognized the group's origins.

"So it's the Zhou family patriarch, Zhou Zhengchun, and his wife traveling together. No wonder they're making such a grand entrance!"

"The Crimson-Eyed Dragon Vulture possesses the bloodline of a dragon. One can carry three to five people and travel three thousand miles a day. It's truly a wonderful creature!"

"The Zhou family of Lanzhou, with their family tradition of beast taming, boasts three members at the Purple Mansion level—one a dragon, the other a jackal—truly living up to their reputation as the foremost family below the aristocratic clans!"

From Lanzhou to Lingzhou, every cultivator who saw the Zhou family and their group along the way discussed it animatedly and sighed with admiration.

Although the Zhou family has been in Jingguo for less than a century, their name is already widely known throughout the country.

Especially in the states under the jurisdiction of Qinglian Temple, there are few cultivators who do not know the name of the Zhou family of Jiufengling in Lanzhou.

When the group arrived outside Tianjing Manor in Lingzhou, many cultivators who had interacted with the Zhou family came forward to greet them and pay their respects.

At this time, Tianjing Manor had become the most dazzling place in Jing Kingdom.

Hundreds of cultivators from various states of Jing Kingdom, including Lingzhou, Lanzhou, Yunzhou, Lianzhou, and Cangzhou, gathered here.

Its liveliness was second only to the "Hundred Clans Conference" held by the three major powers.

The influx of a large number of cultivators made the originally spacious Tianjing Manor suddenly feel quite compact and cramped.

"Have you all heard? It's said that none of the people sent by the three major powers this time are Golden Core cultivators. They've only sent a few core disciples at the Purple Mansion stage, leading a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators to participate in the Dharma Assembly!"

Inside a small courtyard of Tianjing Manor, Zhou Chun was having a gathering with some patriarchs of cultivation families when someone suddenly uttered something mysterious that made him and many of the patriarchs pause in surprise.

He turned his head and saw that the person speaking was a short old man with the cultivation level of the late Foundation Establishment stage. He was not tall and his appearance was somewhat sleazy.

It is truly astonishing that such a person could be chosen as the head of a family.

However, Zhou Chun realized that he did not recognize this person, and the other party should not be a cultivator from Lanzhou, Lianzhou, or Yunzhou.

Just as Zhou Chun was wondering who to ask about this person's background, another cultivator suddenly said in a deep voice, "The various sects of the upper sects have their own considerations for how they act; we'd better be careful what we say!"

Zhou Chun recognized the cultivator who spoke this time; he was the patriarch of a direct descendant family under the Qingyun Temple.

Because of his position, after he said that, no one else discussed the matter anymore.

However, everyone couldn't help but ponder what the old man had said.

If that's true, then the intentions of the three major sects are quite intriguing.

Two more days passed quickly, and on the day of the "Heavenly Mirror Dharma Assembly," Zhou Chun and the other cultivators were guided by the people of Heavenly Mirror Manor to a blue stone square deep within the manor.

This bluestone plaza is circular, with a diameter of 500 zhang. In the center is a circular stone platform with a diameter of 3 zhang and a height of 30 zhang.

Surrounding the circular stone platform in the plaza are thousands of smaller stone platforms scattered throughout.

There are three types of small stone platforms: one type has a diameter of one zhang and a height of ten zhang, totaling twenty-four; another type has a diameter of seven chi and a height of seven zhang, totaling three hundred; and the third type has a diameter of three chi and a height of three zhang, totaling several thousand.

According to the cultivators of Tianjing Manor, the three types of stone platforms correspond to cultivators at the Golden Core, Purple Mansion, and Foundation Establishment stages, respectively.

Because there weren't many Foundation Establishment cultivators, even Qi Refining cultivators could climb onto the smallest stone platform.

This is perhaps the rather awkward situation for Tianjing Manor.

After all, they were not as powerful as the three major sects. Even though they had the protection of True Person Tianjing and had gathered hundreds of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, they were still far inferior to the three major sects.

In today's context, this means that none of the many stone platforms originally prepared can be filled with cultivators of the corresponding cultivation level.

On those twenty-four level-one stone platforms, only eight Golden Core cultivators were seated. Most of the visitors were leaders of Golden Core families like the Li family of pills, whose ties with the three major sects were not very deep.

On the three hundred level-two stone platforms, only sixty-odd cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage were seated, including more than ten cultivators who were originally from Tianjing Mountain Villa.

On the remaining three-tiered stone platforms, there were fewer than four hundred actual Foundation Establishment stage cultivators seated.

This visibly awkward situation was only made possible by the fact that the cultivators from Tianjing Manor were able to remain calm and sit on the corresponding stone platforms according to their cultivation levels.

Zhou Chun, along with the other Zhou family cultivators, sat down cross-legged on the third-level stone platform.

In front of him was the area where the second-level stone platform was located, where Zhou Daoyi and Su Yuzhen were sitting.

Once all the invited cultivators were seated in the plaza, a golden beam of light suddenly descended from the sky and shone on the high platform in the center of the plaza.

Then, amidst the attention of the crowd, an elderly man in white robes with white hair and a youthful face descended from the sky and landed on the high platform in an instant.

"Greetings, Ancestor Tianjing!"

It was unclear which cultivator from Tianjing Manor shouted out, but all the seated Tianjing Manor cultivators and many independent cultivators put their hands in front of them, one hand pressing down on the other, their foreheads touching the backs of their hands, and performed a deep bowing ceremony.

In contrast, the invited cultivators, including Zhou Chun, simply bowed and said respectfully, "Greetings, True Person Tianjing!"

"Fellow Daoists, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise!"

A majestic and powerful voice resounded from the high platform, as if possessing a peculiar power that reached straight to the heart and was irresistible.

"Thank you, Ancestor!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Everyone thanked them and stood up, their attitude extremely respectful.

Then, the Heavenly Mirror Master sat cross-legged on the high platform and slowly said, "Today, I am giving a sermon here, following ancient rites and traditions, teaching without discrimination. Regardless of one's background, origin, or cultivation level, anyone who comes here may listen!"

"The Great Dao is boundless, and the methods are countless. The methods I speak of represent only my own perspective. Fellow Daoists, please listen to them with a grain of salt. If you have different opinions, do not be troubled or doubtful. Just follow your heart and act accordingly!"

This statement also surprised Zhou Chun.

He never expected that True Person Tianjing, a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, would be so humble.

"No, this is not humility, but rather reverence for the Great Dao!"

Even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator is merely a seeker on the path of cultivation. Before truly attaining the Great Dao of Immortality, no one dares to claim that their path is the path to heaven!

Zhou Chun suddenly realized something and understood the true meaning of Master Tianjing's words.

Meanwhile, Master Tianjing had already begun his lecture.

"Heaven and earth possess spiritual energy, and human beings possess spiritual roots. Only those with spiritual roots can absorb spiritual energy, condense magical power, and lay the foundation for their Dao..."

Starting with the initial cultivation process of a cultivator, Master Tianjing slowly revealed his understanding of the Qi Refining stage of cultivation.

Although Zhou Chun and other Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion stage cultivators had long passed this stage, they still gained a lot from listening to a Nascent Soul stage cultivator explain these things, and discovered many details that they had never noticed or understood before.

If they had discovered these things back then, their cultivation speed during the Qi Refining stage could have been much faster.

This made them even more eager for Master Tianjing's explanation of the Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion stages.

At the same time, Zhou Chun was also carefully memorizing what Master Tianjing was saying, preparing to use it in the future to enlighten the Qi Refining stage cultivators of the Zhou family who were not present.

However, he was also well aware that even if he memorized every word of what Master Tianjing said now, it would not be as effective as when he told it to his family's younger generations.

When a Nascent Soul stage master preaches, the listeners are guided by him and fall into a special state.

In this state, the cultivator has a very clear understanding of his own situation and can easily verify whether what the other party says is effective for him.

Zhou Chun, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, did not possess such abilities!

I can only update once today, but I'll try to update twice tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)