This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 119 Zhong Bai Enters Foundation Establishment, Shaking the World

News about Zhong Bai spread extremely quickly, fueled by Maoshan's efforts.

Shijian Temple.

When Shi Jian saw the letter in his hand, his mood was not affected at all. It might not be true to say that he was completely calm, but he had expected Zhong Bai to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Junior Brother Qianhe, I think you can break through to the Foundation Establishment stage within a year of returning to Maoshan."

At first, I thought it was a little strange…

Shi Jian smiled slightly, "So, Junior Brother Qianhe, you've been holding back a big move! Choosing to build a foundation only at the twelfth level of the Dao Platform, tsk tsk tsk, I have to say, in Maoshan, perhaps only Junior Brother Qianhe has such courage and ability!"

Shi Jian held Zhong Bai in his heart as a blessing. He had washed away the superficiality of the past and was no longer the Shi Jian who always strived to be first and feared being surpassed by his fellow disciples. Now, Shi Jian had let go of his obsessions.

Originally, Shi Jian thought that he might be gradually caught up in cultivation after letting go of his obsession. However, after his state of mind changed, Shi Jian's cultivation level never fell behind. He is now at the early stage of the seventh level of Qi Refining, and he will soon be at the middle stage of the seventh level of Qi Refining.

The yin-yang colored Taoist robe fluttered in the wind on Shi Jian's body, and the long hair at his temples, bound by the purple-gold crown, made Shi Jian look radiant.

He was over thirty years old. Touching his beard, which he had grown for several years, Shi Jian looked in the direction of Maoshan.

“Master, in another ten years, I may be able to achieve Foundation Establishment and return to Maoshan…”

After muttering to himself a few times, Shi Jian's figure became increasingly blurry in the darkness.

In the same scene, Lin Fengjiao from Renjia Town was also surprised when she learned that Zhong Bai had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, unlike Shi Jian's relief and Si Mu's complicated emotions, Lin Fengjiao had long since let go of Zhong Bai. To put it bluntly, Zhong Bai was not even human, so how could they be compared?

"Tsk tsk tsk, Junior Brother Qianhe, you've reached the twelfth level of the Dao Platform. If you can form your Golden Core in the future, the world will surely undergo a major transformation!"

Lin Fengjiao was thinking far ahead. When Zhong Bai was at the Qi Refining stage, he was already able to fight against evil spirits like the Silver Armored Corpse King and the Giant Turtle Demon General, who were comparable to Foundation Establishment True Persons. Who knows if Zhong Bai will be able to kill Foundation Establishment evil spirits as easily as slaughtering dogs after he breaks through to Foundation Establishment True Person?

Zhong Bai is a god of death who falls upon evil spirits. So what if the world is in chaos? Lin Fengjiao can already imagine the scene: the day Zhong Bai achieves the Golden Core will be the day the chaos ends and evil spirits perish.

"Master, what are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed."

Lin Fengjiao lay on the recliner, and when she heard Wen Cai's question, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "I'm so happy! Your Uncle Qianhe has broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. From now on, when you see your Uncle Qianhe, you will need to address him as 'True Person'!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Cai was somewhat bewildered. His talent was too poor, and he had not yet reached the first level of Qi Refining. Therefore, he had never paid attention to the difference between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Qi Refining cultivators.

Of course, Wencai will definitely understand in the future, but... when he sees Zhong Bai again then, he doesn't know whether to call him "True Man" or "True Lord".

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

Longhu Mountain.

Tianshi Mansion.

Zhang Zhiwei was happy to end his seclusion, as he had just broken through the shackles of the eighth level of Qi Refining and reached the ninth level.

"This time, we've gotten a little closer to Fellow Daoist Qianhe."

However, it's strange. Judging from Fellow Daoist Qianhe's speed, it shouldn't have taken three years to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Oh well, why think about that..."

Shaking his head, Zhang Zhiwei planned to tell his master, Lingxiao Tianshi, the good news that he had broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

As soon as Zhang Zhiwei stepped into the Celestial Master Hall, he heard the discussions and exclamations of the elders inside.

"Incredible! The Maoshan Daoist has been in seclusion for three years, building the foundation of the twelfth level of the Dao Platform. It seems that the reason why there has been no movement for three years is that the Maoshan Daoist has been using the time to break through and build the Dao Platform."

"That's not all. According to rumors from Maoshan, the Maoshan Daoist only spent one day breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. The three years were actually spent constructing the twelve-story Daoist platform."

Upon completion of the Dao Platform, without any pause, it directly drew upon the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth, achieving Foundation Establishment in one fell swoop!

"Could this Maoshan Taoist be the favored son of Heaven and Earth?"

The elders of Longhu Mountain were all talking at once, which made Zhang Zhiwei feel extremely cold inside. He finally understood why Zhong Bai hadn't broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage in three years. It turned out he was pursuing the twelfth level of the Dao Platform.

"Disciple Zhang Zhiwei greets Master and all fellow disciples!"

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Zhiwei suppressed his emotions. Since he was already here, he naturally couldn't let his Dao heart become unbalanced and leave just because he heard the news of Zhong Bai's breakthrough. Wasn't this something he had expected?
Upon hearing Zhang Zhiwei's voice, the chatter in the hall immediately ceased. All the elders of Longhu Mountain looked at Zhang Zhiwei and, seeing that he had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, the elders, who had been feeling sour, finally felt some relief.

Well, Zhang Zhiwei from Longhu Mountain is no less impressive. They are both once-in-a-century geniuses, two heroes of the Taoist sect, which is already quite remarkable.

"Hahaha, nephew, come in quickly! Oh my, nephew, you've broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining! Not bad, not bad! We uncles are so proud of you!"

Hearing the elders' praise in the hall, Zhang Zhiwei smiled in response, while Lingxiao Tianshi, sitting at the head of the hall, remained expressionless. Although Lingxiao Tianshi admired Zhong Bai's breakthrough, he was not so much as to lose his composure because of it.

"You've finished your seclusion?"

Lingxiao Celestial Master asked the question, and Zhang Zhiwei answered solemnly.

"Reporting to Master, I have lived up to your expectations and have reached the ninth level of Qi Refining."

Seeing that Zhang Zhiwei was relatively calm, Master Lingxiao nodded, "Not bad. I thought you would have some reservations after hearing the news of the Maoshan Daoist's breakthrough, but it seems that you have truly let go and found peace."

This is actually quite normal. No one in the world is number one. There's always someone better. The comparison isn't about short-term progress, but about long-term results.

Remember, even a drop of water can wear away a stone!

"Disciple understands and will follow Master's teachings!"

Zhang Zhiwei truly understood the deeper meaning behind his master's words. Perhaps his speed was not as fast as Zhong Bai's, but as long as they could both reach the top, whether he was first or second did not really matter.

"Good to know. Maoshan Daozi has broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. You will represent Longhu Mountain and embark on a journey through Maoshan."

Let's present our congratulatory gift from Longhu Mountain. It'll also be a good opportunity for you to get to know the Maoshan Taoist priests better.

Normally, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage wouldn't require congratulations from other sects. However, Zhong Bai is a special case; he's a disciple of Maoshan, representing the entire Maoshan sect. The three sects share a common lineage in talismans, so sending a congratulatory gift is quite normal under these circumstances. "Disciple obeys!"

Zhang Zhiwei smiled. It just so happened that he hadn't seen Zhong Bai for three years. Zhang Zhiwei wanted to see if Zhong Bai could kill Foundation Establishment evil spirits as easily as cutting melons and vegetables after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The Taoist sect readily facilitated Zhong Bai's breakthrough, while the Buddhist sect remained silent after learning of Zhong Bai's situation, as if they had never paid any attention to him.

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

Capital.

The Empress Dowager Cixi was in a state of utter confusion. She had just subdued a group of rebels who were planning to implement reforms last year, and now her health was deteriorating.

However, she also heard news about the Taoist sect. After learning that Zhong Bai, the Taoist who had slaughtered countless Eight Banner soldiers, had become the youngest Foundation Establishment True Person in the Taoist sect, the old lady's eyes were filled with uncertain emotions.

"It seems it's time to accelerate the plan!"

Orders were issued from the capital, and the Qing court actually intended to bring all the royal bloodlines buried outside the capital back to the capital for processing.

This order was strange, but it was not a big deal for the crumbling Qing Dynasty.

Maoshan.

At this moment, in the main hall of the sect, when Zhong Bai and his master, True Man Qian Yuan, arrived, all the elders had already taken their places.

When Zhong Bai arrived, he originally planned to stand at the back, since those in front were his senior uncles. However, he was forced to stand at the very front by his senior uncles and senior masters.

Their reasoning was compelling: Zhong Bai was not an ordinary Foundation Establishment disciple of Maoshan, but a Maoshan Daoist, making him far more important than the elders.

Helpless, Zhong Bai could only stand behind his master...

A divine light flashed by, and the sect leader, Xuanmingzi, appeared at the head of the table.

"We greet our Headmaster!"

"Disciple greets Master Master!"

With a slight smile, Xuanmingzi waved his hand, "Alright, everyone, no need to be so polite. We're all fellow disciples, and there are no outsiders here, so please make yourselves at home."

After speaking, Xuanmingzi looked at Zhong Bai.

“Junior Nephew Zhong Bai, from now on, you can be considered a Foundation Establishment True Person of Maoshan.”

If my nephew doesn't have the identity of a Maoshan Taoist, he can be temporarily assigned to another hall as an elder while waiting for the change of leadership in each hall.

But now... hehe, I would like to hand over the position of sect leader to you, but the patriarch of the underworld below will not allow it. Of course, you still need time to gain experience.

so……"

At this point, everyone knew the gist of it, but they had no idea what Xuanmingzi was going to say next.

"Therefore, after discussions between the Third Uncle and myself, and with the consent of the Underworld Ancestor, Nephew Zhong Bai, from this day forward you will be the Law Enforcement Elder of Maoshan!"
Although there have been three elders in the Maoshan Law Enforcement Hall over the years, they have many things to manage and can hardly keep track of the specific situation of the Maoshan elders and disciples. Admittedly, we all hope that all Maoshan disciples will abide by the Maoshan precepts, but the weakness of human nature is that it is impossible for things to go exactly as we want them to!
Therefore, from this day forward, Junior Nephew Zhong Bai, you may monitor all the elders and disciples of Maoshan.

Anyone below the Foundation Establishment level who commits crimes and uses magic to harm living beings may be killed on the spot by the master or nephew!

"Above the Foundation Establishment stage, even among the elders present, this junior disciple could easily capture him on the spot and send him back to Maoshan for punishment."

Upon hearing this, the elders were quite surprised. There used to be law enforcement elders in Maoshan, but as the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators decreased, the Law Enforcement Hall could only manage the entire Maoshan in a general way, and the supervision was practically non-existent.

Now that a young Foundation Establishment cultivator like Zhong Bai is serving as an enforcement elder, it's conceivable that the other elders are unaffected.

However, Zhong Bai did not stay on the mountain forever, so the Maoshan disciples at the foot of the mountain had to be on their toes. From now on, a sharp sword was officially hanging over their heads!
"What do you fellow disciples think?"

Before leaving, Xuanmingzi didn't forget to ask for the opinions of the elders.

"Hahaha, Headmaster, what objections could we possibly have? To be honest, although the Enforcement Hall has tried to supervise the disciples down the mountain over the years, it is ultimately beyond our reach. It is quite normal for some Maoshan disciples to go astray."

Now that Zhong Bai, the junior disciple, happens to be capable of serving as the Maoshan Law Enforcement Elder to supervise these disciples, it's generally a good thing.

“That’s right, Junior Brother Changsheng is absolutely right. Some time ago, we heard on the channel that some Maoshan disciples were using the name of corpse driving to secretly sell some shady things with corpses.”

And to make matters worse, he's not even a disciple of Maoshan; he's just using their name. This kind of person needs to be taught a lesson to prevent the reputation of us Maoshan disciples from being tarnished!

Lin Junmen's words drew nods of agreement from the elders, but Qian Yuan Zhenren, the chief elder of the Enforcement Hall, hesitated to speak out.

As Zhong Bai's master, it would be best for him to avoid any appearance of impropriety in this matter...

But Lin Junmen just happened to mention him unintentionally.

"Senior Brother Qian Yuan, you are the chief elder of the Enforcement Hall. You should know that what Junior Brother is saying will only make things worse, right?"

"Forehead……"

Master Qian Yuan was somewhat embarrassed, but after thinking about it, he decided to tell the truth.

"This situation is quite common and definitely needs to be addressed properly."

Seeing Qian Yuan Zhenren's hesitant expression, the elders couldn't help but burst out laughing.

They were well aware that Master Qian Yuan was trying to avoid suspicion, but there was really no need for that. They had all been fellow disciples for decades and understood each other.

Sigh, I hope everyone had a great May Day holiday.

Waaah, writing novels is such a dismal job! So few monthly votes, so few subscriptions... hehehe, finding joy in hardship, haha, 10,000 words a day!



(End of this chapter)