Searching for the best path, starting from Renjia Town

Chapter 79: Granting the talisman!

On the 15th day of the seventh month, the Ghost Festival, the Earth God pardons sins.

Before noon, a ceremony to bestow ordination was held at the Heavenly Master's Mansion of the Successor Han Dynasty in Longhu Mountain.

Zhang Zhiwei, Li Kunshan and Lu Ming, the three people who participated in the ordination ceremony, were led by a Taoist boy to a courtyard located on the west side of the Tianshi Mansion.

It faces south and has five main halls, three side halls on the east and west sides, and a gatehouse in front, forming a quadrangle. In the middle of the courtyard is an altar.

One hundred and thirty-eight bronze statues, including the Three Pure Ones and Four Emperors, the Three Officials and Five Elders, the Northern and Southern Dippers, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, and the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals, are enshrined in the altar.

"This is the Ten Thousand Laws Altar..."

Looking at the ancient and solemn altar, Li Kunshan felt a sense of awe in his heart.

Originally, Zhengyi had four major altars, namely Zhang Daoling's Zhengyi Xuantan on Mount Longhu, the Shangqing Altar of the Three Mao Zhenjuns on Mount Mao, the Lingbao Xuantan on Mount Gexuan, and the Jingming Altar of Xu Jingyang on Mount Xishan.

Later, because the Three Mountains were rarely passed down, Zhang Tianshi was ordered to lead the Taoist affairs in the south of the Yangtze River during the Yuan Dynasty, so the talismans of the Three Mountains were all taken back by Longhu, and the Yixuantan was changed to Wanfa Zongtan.

To this day, the Wanfa Zongtan is the highest Dharma altar and common ancestral altar of Zhengyi Dao, where all gods gather.

The ordination ceremony of the ancestral temple is held at the Wanfa Zongtan.

Boom~!

The time has come. As the bells rang, Li Kunshan and the other two sat cross-legged on the altar as instructed, waiting to be ordained.

Around the altar, in addition to the instruments and props needed for the ritual, there are thirty-six boys standing in different directions, each holding a sacred banner.

After everything was ready, the three masters took the stage.

The so-called three masters, the transmission master, the recommending master and the supervising master, are responsible for preaching the sutras, giving precepts and performing the Dharma, and all of them are high-ranking monks from Mount Longhu.

During the fasting ceremony, he sits high in the center, and has the highest Taoist merit, so he can be called a high-level practitioner.

In the current Zhengyi Dao, only those who have been granted the "Shangqing Five Thunder Sutra" can be called high-level practitioners.

"After receiving the dharma, one must observe the Three Refuges, Nine Precepts, and Twelve Vows."

"The Three Refuges are taking refuge in the Three Treasures: the Path, the Sutras, and the Teacher."

"The first of the Nine Precepts is respect and humility, filial piety and caring for one's parents. This is the first true precept."

"The second is to be diligent and loyal to the king, which is the true precept."

"The third is not to kill, to be compassionate and to save all living beings; this is the true precept."

……

After the ordination master gave the lecture, the sponsor began to preach the precepts.

Li Kunshan and others were already familiar with these from their respective teachers.

But he did not neglect it, instead his expression became extremely serious.

The Three Refuges, Nine Precepts, and Twelve Vows are not as simple as they sound.

It was fine before being ordained, as mortals could do whatever they wanted. But once ordained, one would be listed in the heavenly court and be protected by the gods, and would have to strictly observe the precepts.

As the saying goes, there is a god above your head. Once you disobey, you will be punished by heaven. At the very least, your Taoist power will be reduced, and at the worst, your golden talisman will be taken away.

It may sound a bit too harsh, but fortunately, the Zhengyi precepts are not very harsh, and the nine precepts are all basic moral principles such as not killing, not committing adultery, not being angry, and not stealing.

Another thing is that there are some small taboos in daily life, such as not eating beef, dog, goose, blackfish, etc., which is not a difficult thing.

The most important point is that unlike Quanzhen monks who are not allowed to marry, Zhengyi monks are allowed to marry.

If not for this, Li Kunshan would never have become Uncle Jiu's disciple, let alone taken the trouble to come and receive the ordination.

Boom~!

After the precepts are spoken, the Dharma is performed, and when the performance is finished, another bell is sounded.

The third master lit three pieces of yellow paper on which were written the names, hometowns, and birth dates of Li Kunshan and the other two, and reported them to the gods.

If there are no questions above, you can be ordained.

However, there will generally be no problems for newly appointed minor officials of the sixth or seventh rank.

As for Uncle Jiu's promotion, it was a setback for his three despicable disciples, and the situation was quickly resolved, with no real consequences. Only promotions like the "Shangqing Three Caves Five Thunders Scripture"—a second-rank divine position—hold extremely high standards for the recipient, requiring not only a clean character but also high moral standing. Those without virtue and good fortune who aspire to a high position will only be condemned by the heavens.

Boom~!

I couldn't help but have wild thoughts in my mind, when suddenly a faint roar pierced through my head.

"This is……"

Li Kunshan couldn't help but be stunned, as did Zhang Zhiwei and Lu Ming beside him.

Just now, they were recognized by the Heavenly Court and have already entered the Heavenly Court!

As the priesthood was added, a divine power descended, causing the three of them to be reborn in an instant.

"...Five floors."

Coming back to his senses, feeling the divine power gained from the ordination, Li Kunshan pondered in his heart.

This divine power did not transform his body, but simply gave him a strength. Roughly speaking, it was equivalent to the fifth level of refining essence into qi.

"It's really good."

It was just the first time he was taught, but it was equivalent to the fifth level of refining essence into qi. Li Kunshan couldn't help but be amazed at this result.

You know, inner alchemy practice is not easy. Just building the foundation has stopped countless people. After that, refining the essence into qi is a painstaking process that requires day and night.

As for the Zhengyi ordination, one only needs to greet "the one above" to obtain this power.

I have to say that compared to Quanzhen, being a Zhengyi Taoist is indeed much easier.

Of course, everything has its pros and cons. Although this kind of power comes easily, it is borrowed and therefore has many limitations.

For example, one's physical fitness has not improved.

Furthermore, since it is a loan, one must abide by the rules, that is, various precepts.

Once violated, power may be weakened or even withdrawn.

"also!"

All in all, it’s pretty good and worth all the efforts made during this period.

Li Kunshan calculated that his inner alchemy was at the third level of refining essence into qi, and with the additional divine power from being ordained, it was now equivalent to the sixth or seventh level of refining essence into qi.

In this way, in terms of Qi alone, he far surpasses ordinary newly ordained Zhengyi Taoist priests.

Of course, if the other party is like him and also practices inner alchemy, such as Zhang Zhiwei, then it is a different matter.

In addition, although both were newly ordained, Zhang Zhiwei's position in the Thunder Department was of the seventh rank, one rank lower than Li Kunshan's, so the divine power he obtained was only equivalent to the fourth level of Refining Essence into Qi.

By the same token, if a person is promoted later, then a fourth or fifth-grade priesthood official will be able to reach the eighth or ninth level of refining essence into qi, which is already the limit of this realm.

And if one is granted the third-grade divine position, he can break through the realm of refining essence into qi and enter the realm of refining qi into spirit!
"so smart."

Thinking of this, Li Kunshan couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Uncle Jiu has only been promoted to the fourth rank now, while Shi Jian has been promoted to the third rank. Doesn't this mean that Shi Jian's strength has reached the level of refining Qi and transforming into a spirit!
I have to say, he is worthy of being the eldest senior brother of Maoshan.

The Dharma is not passed on lightly, and the ordination is not granted lightly. Those who can be promoted are basically the old men of the previous generation, such as the three high-ranking masters who are presiding over the ordination ceremony at this time.

Adding up the talismans of the Three Mountains, there are only about twenty people who have been promoted to high-level masters!

"Receive the certificate."

While he was thinking, the ritual continued. By this time, the ordination ceremony had basically ended.

After being ordained, one becomes a Zhengyi Taoist priest and can perform rituals.

In addition to the certificates and scriptures, the necessary instruments such as the seals, swords, command flags, rulers, and even the Taoist robes and hats will be awarded at this time.

Li Kunshan and the other two took them one by one with serious expressions.

Boom~!

Near noon, a bell rang, and the ordination ceremony was successfully concluded.

(End of this chapter)