From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 22 Infuriating
Qin Chuan returned the refined Rain Token to Elder Huo.

As for the rain slip, since the quota of spiritual rain within it has been exhausted, it has become a blank document and is no longer of any use, so there is no need to return it.

When returning the rain decree, he took the opportunity to present his own written "Application for Ordination and Register".

Old Master Huo accepted it without saying much, only nodding before telling Qin Chuan to go back to his work.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The monthly longevity meeting of Nongling Temple is held in the temple's largest longevity hall.

The hall is neatly enshrined with ten longevity tablets—also known as longevity and fortune tablets, but practitioners usually refer to them simply as "longevity tablets."

These ten auspicious positions, arranged in order, represent not only status, but also the order of power and cultivation:
At the front of the list were Guo Shanshan, the abbot of Nongling Temple, and Liu Shichang, the deputy abbot; followed by Hong Xi, the abbot of the Public Affairs Office; Yu Liben, the abbot of the Daoxintai Temple; Zhou Jingfu, the abbot of the Caibotang Temple; and Tang Xinhong, the abbot of the Qinglutang Temple.

These six are all celestial beings of the Zheng Guan level.

Although they are both at the Zheng Guan level, their powers, responsibilities, and cultivation levels are quite different.

Guo Shanshan, the abbot of the temple, is undoubtedly the head of the temple, wielding great power and possessing the cultivation level of the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

The order of longevity and official rank is a direct reflection of power and strength.

After the six, there are four more:
The Water Palace Supervisor Liao Yunxi, who controls the spirit beasts of the Water Palace; the Array Constructor Zhang Xuan, who is in charge of agricultural construction in villages and towns; the Observer Bai Tian, ​​who is in charge of identifying the quality of spiritual medicines and agricultural products; and the Field Garden Director Huo Yuanjue, who is in charge of observing experimental fields and cultivating new seedlings.

Of these four, two held the rank of deputy director but enjoyed the treatment of a director. Old Huo was one of them.

Only those who can enter the Hall of Longevity and be ranked in the Longevity Position can be considered truly influential figures in Nongling Temple.

Only they have the right to decide on the promotion and dismissal of personnel within the temple.

The regular meetings proceeded in sequence.

Abbot Guo Shanshan spoke first, summarizing the temple affairs of the previous month and leading the study of the spirit of the new Heavenly Laws.

After everyone had finished speaking, Huo Yuanjue took out Qin Chuan's "Application for Ordination and Conferment of Daoist Register" and said slowly:
"There is a Taoist priest named Qin Chuan who works in the field. Although he has only been working for a little over a month, he is quite talented and has already reached the second level of Qi Refining, and is close to the third level."

He is currently in charge of the important task of selling spirit oranges assigned by the county god. He is diligent in his work and is a native of Jiuchuan, a Taoist school with a clean background.

Today, I am presenting his application for formal appointment; I request your discussion.

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall immediately became subtle.

The gazes of the several longevity-level individuals exchanged subtle glances.

Guo Shanshan had already discussed the "Lingcheng Project" with them privately, and the tone was clear: not to seek merit, but to avoid mistakes, and not to invest too many resources.

If a problem arises, it can be blamed on that temporary worker who took the blame.

But what does it mean that Huo Yuanjue suddenly wants to grant him ordination and official status?
Once you've entered the path, the next step is naturally to become a legitimate member.

If accountability is truly required in the future, pushing a fully-fledged Taoist priest who has entered the Daoist path to take the blame—if word gets out, it will naturally involve too many people. Not only will Nongling Temple lose face, but if investigated further, they will also be implicated.

After all, a temporary worker can be excused by being unfamiliar with the job; but if the head Taoist priest is negligent, then there is a problem with the entire Nongling Temple system.

Even if Guo Shanshan, as the person primarily responsible, cannot escape blame, every single one of you present will be implicated and will at least receive a collective reprimand within the Taoist community.

Soon, someone coughed lightly and said:

“I understand the pyrotechnician’s feelings, but this is not wartime, and there is no rule for granting official status. In my opinion, we should test him for a while longer.”

“What the host said makes sense. Young people, it’s never a bad thing to gain more experience.”

“Old Huo values ​​talent, we understand. Reaching the second level of Qi Refining in just over a month is indeed a remarkable achievement, but the more so, the more you need to steady your mind.”

"Agreed. There's no need to rush the process of granting official appointments."

With everyone chiming in, their attitudes became clear. Huo Yuanjue's heart sank.

Although I had expected it, I was still disappointed when the moment actually came.

After all, this is the world of cultivation.

Finally, Guo Shanshan picked up his teacup, looked around the room, and slowly began to speak:
"It seems that everyone agrees. In that case, this fellow Daoist's application for formal ordination will be postponed for now. There will always be opportunities. If he makes meritorious contributions in the future, formal ordination will naturally follow."

The implication is: What merit can a mere fire worker have at this point?

Old Huo knew perfectly well that, in the end, it was just a matter of "one person, one job".

Since Qin Chuan has already filled the pit in Lingchengtian, who would be willing to pull out their own people and plant them in again?
After a moment of silence, Huo Yuanjue finally sighed:

"In that case, I reserve my opinion and will abide by the decision of the sect."

…………

Qin Chuan was naturally unaware that his application for official ordination had been completely rejected by the Longevity Society.

He hadn't seen Old Master Huo for several days and had nowhere to inquire about his whereabouts.

In the past few days, he has carefully examined the two acres of orange trees. After three days of continuous rain, the orange trees have recovered some vitality, but some plants are still diseased.

It seems there's no other way; I'll have to take good care of her every day from now on.

He steeled his resolve and silently chanted, "Add some points, Green Wood Vitality Technique!"

In an instant, a full 50 points of Dharma essence shattered and transformed into a powerful and pure source of Dharma nature, which surged into the "Green Wood Vitality Technique" which had been cultivated to the fifth level of perfection!
boom--

[The Green Wood Vitality Technique has broken through to the sixth level!]

At the very moment of breakthrough, the five characters "Azure Wood Vitality Technique" on the panel shifted and changed, quietly transforming into—

Yi Mu Qing Tian Jue!

At the same time, a vast amount of spiritual plant healing experience flooded into his consciousness, as if all the insights gained from four or five decades of diligent farming and miraculous healing had been fully integrated.

Furthermore, a gentle yet vibrant energy flowed from the dantian, rapidly circulating throughout the body.

He was already at the peak of the second level of Qi Refining, and when stimulated by this wisp of pure "Yi Wood True Qi", he immediately reacted violently, like brine curdling tofu!
However, Qin Chuan still followed the old practice and suppressed the urge to make an immediate breakthrough.

After finishing work, he went straight back to the He family compound.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I met He Xingchen, who had also just returned.

The other person's eyes lit up as soon as they saw him: "Brother Qin, you've returned just in time! There's news about what we talked about last time. We'll reunite for the chanting ceremony tomorrow, and I'll introduce you to Fellow Daoist Lin Xiaoheng..."

Before he could finish speaking, He Xingchen suddenly noticed that Qin Chuan's aura was fluctuating, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and his expression immediately hardened:
"Brother Qin, your aura..."

Qin Chuan said succinctly, "Brother He, I'm sorry, I must go into seclusion immediately. We can discuss the rest later."

He Xingchen immediately understood: "Go quickly!"

Qin Chuan said no more, turned and went into the room, closed the door and sat cross-legged.

He calmed his mind and guided the newly generated "True Qi of Wood" within his body into his meridians.

The spiritual light, which was already overflowing, was nourished by the vibrant true energy and immediately began to circulate on its own like a rushing spring river, repeatedly impacting that invisible barrier.

Where the true energy of Yi Wood passes, the meridians become moist and unobstructed, and bottlenecks gradually loosen.

(End of this chapter)