From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 59 Defense
Inside the main hall of Nongling Temple, eight portions of the cultivation results of the Five-Colored Spirit Valley are neatly displayed on a long jade table.

One of the spiritual seedlings was particularly eye-catching. Not only was its bud tip more than an inch longer than the others, but its roots were also intertwined like dragon whiskers, and the spiritual energy of the five elements flowing through its body was perfectly balanced and abundant, with endless vitality.

In contrast, the remaining seedlings were either drooping or not, and four of them failed to sprout at all—three of them were from Dragon Tiger Blessed Land, and Teng Qi from Agricultural Academy was also among them.

The Taoist priests blushed with embarrassment. Despite their meticulous cultivation with the essence of the five elements, they had failed to even achieve the most basic sprouting.

Master Xuanji picked up the lone, outstanding seedling, his eyes gleaming: "Judging solely from its germination, the first champion has already been determined. The spirit grain cultivated by Qin Chuan has not only broken through the soil, but more importantly, its five elements are in harmony. If this method is continued, it will not be difficult for it to produce ears of grain."

He gently stroked the tender bud with his fingertips: "This plant deserves a perfect score."

Turning to examine Jing Shou's achievements at the Agricultural Academy: "The seedlings are half an inch short, but the metal element is too strong and the earth element is insufficient, so I rate them as eight out of ten."

Then he looked at Miao Yusheng: "The clouds and rain nourish the body, but the fire element is weak, seven points."

Finally, picking up the millet seedling of Renqiu, he shook his head slightly: "Forcing it to break through the shell with ripening techniques may result in sprouting, but it loses the true essence of the five elements. This seedling is destined not to bear ears of grain. Considering your painstaking efforts, I will give you six points."

With a flick of his sleeve, the remaining four unsprouted grain seeds instantly dimmed: "The rest are all zero points."

The four losers were struck dumb.

A score of zero on the first test means that even if you win the next two tests, your total score will be difficult to surpass the top four, and your chances of success will be cut off.

"Next, we will review the Daoist texts." Master Xuanji placed eight jade slips on the table. "To ensure fairness, the two deputy group leaders and Headmaster Ji will jointly review them, and all students may also view each other's texts."

As the titles were revealed one by one, ripples began to stir within the hall:
"The Five Elements Paradox of the Fruit-Ripe Season Technique: A Counter-Seasonal Growth Experiment Taking 'Nine-Turn Fire Spirit Jujube' as an Example" — Ren Qiu

"The Influence of Earth Vein Respiration on Soil Fertility: An Empirical Analysis Based on 3,600 Earth Atmosphere Inhalation and Exhalation Experiments" — Pu Hui

"A Study on the Correlation between Musical Frequency and Insect Resistance in Rice: On the Damage Reduction Effect of the 'Qingxin Pushan Mantra' in Rice Fields" — Gu Ling'er
"The Five Elements Variable Regulation of the Cloud and Rain Technique: On the Synergistic Precipitation Efficiency of Gui Water Spiritual Energy and Yi Wood Spiritual Root" — Miao Yusheng
……

These are all insightful discussions based on deep expertise in their respective fields.

When Qin Chuan's article, "A Brief Discussion on Taoist Arts as Productivity—Also Discussing the Advantages of Improving Agricultural Spirit Taoist Arts for the Productivity of Agricultural Spirit Crop Farming," was read, everyone present was astonished.

This article elevates the cultivation of agricultural arts to the level of governing the world and benefiting the people, and uses examples of the Heavenly Court's Great Dao as evidence, demonstrating a grand vision that is truly remarkable.

Ji Yuqi tapped the jade slip lightly with her knuckles, her eyes sparkling with wonder.

This insightful perspective on the topic alone transcends the ordinary cultivator's vision and subtly aligns with the grand and sweeping evolution of the Great Dao in the Heavenly Court today.

She couldn't help but secretly admire him: Xiao Qin is talented in governance, has a high level of understanding of doctrine and theory, and is exceptionally gifted.

The young people who have recently joined this chanting group have a bright future ahead of them.

Master Xuanji stroked his beard and pondered, “Your articles are all excellent. Why not conduct the third test of oral defense first, and then score them after we have fully understood your ideas?”

Outside the hall, clouds and mist swirled, and the fates of the eight Taoists, like the spiritual seedlings on the table, quietly diverged within this examination hall.

"Let's proceed according to age."

Master Xuanji slowly said:

"First, Miao Yusheng, in your article you mentioned the synergy between the Cloud and Rain Technique and the Yi Wood Spiritual Root, and you mentioned the mutual generation of water and wood. How do you understand the two great laws of water and wood? And how did you comprehend the mutual generation relationship between the Cloud and Rain Technique and the Yi Wood Spiritual Root?"

Miao Yusheng stood upright inside the hall.

His Taoist robe was spotless and without a single wrinkle. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "The ancient gods said: Heaven has five elements: water, fire, metal, wood, and earth. They are divided into seasons to nurture and create all things. Wood begins in Yin (3-5 AM), flourishes in Mao (5-7 AM), and connects with the earth's energy in Chen (7-9 AM)..." This was his first answer to the question about the five elements. Only then did he begin to answer his specific insights:
"Regarding the synergistic relationship between the Cloud and Rain Technique and the Yi Wood Spiritual Root, I have to thank Fellow Daoist Qin Chuan in my class. I got the inspiration from the Yi Wood Gathering Spirit Talisman he drew, and then privately pondered how to apply it to my few spirit orange trees. Sure enough, with the guidance of the Yi Wood Qi, the spiritual rain has the power to attract and generate each other, and its irrigation efficiency is several times higher than before..."

Miao Yusheng's answer was extremely standard, perfectly explaining his Taoist writings.

Next up were Teng Qi, Jing Shou...

One after another, they went through oral examinations and defenses, answering questions from Xuanji Zhenren, Feng He, Ji Yuqi, or Huo Yuanjue about the issues in their articles.

Soon, it was Qin Chuan's turn.

He stepped forward and stood in the hall, bowing to his four direct superiors before quietly waiting to be questioned.

Ji Yuqi asked directly:
What is Taoist arts?

It may sound like an ordinary question, but it tests whether the Taoist has a clear understanding of heaven and earth, the way of heaven, and what he has learned.

"People often say that the Way of Heaven is the general principle governing the operation of all things in the universe. It is formless and without appearance, and is therefore called the Way of Heaven. We cultivators comprehend the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth, which is called cultivating the Way. The various skills and methods created in accordance with the laws of the Way of Heaven are called Taoist arts, also known as magic arts."

Qin Chuan stood in the hall, speaking eloquently, with the five elements of spiritual energy subtly circulating in his sleeves.

Qin Chuan answered this question in a standard and acceptable manner.

Therefore, Master Xuanji raised a second question:

"You say that Taoist arts are a productive force. In your view, are Taoist arts a specific element in the production process? If so, at which stage or position? If not, then what are they?"

Qin Chuan immediately replied, "No, Taoist arts are not specific elements and do not exist in any link of the production process, but are dispersed in various links."

Ji Yuqi asked, "Since Taoist arts are not an independent element of productivity, why do you say they are also a form of productivity?"

Qin Chuan remained calm and composed. He lightly traced a line with his fingertips, and the True Qi of the Azure Heaven of the Wood element appeared in the air:

"Rongbing, like the Yimu Qingtian Jue, exists in the healing process of Lingcheng production."

With a tap of the fingertip, a cloud of rain appears:
"The Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique exists in the irrigation stage, while techniques such as the Five Elements Soil Turning Hand exist in the cultivation stage. If we go a step further, the result of the cultivation of the Spirit Orange needs to be transported. It requires the use of spiritual paths and spiritual arrays to transport it across space. After that, various processing techniques are needed, such as alchemy, medicine, or food."

In summary, Taoist arts exist in every aspect of developing productivity, and the improvement of one's Taoist cultivation has a fundamental driving effect on improving productivity throughout the world. Therefore, Taoist arts are the primary productive force.

Ji Yuqi and Xuanji Zhenren both nodded. This theory was completely in line with the current Heavenly Court's Great Dao. It was about developing spiritual energy, creating new Daoist arts, improving the livelihoods of all the people in the world, developing more spiritual energy, until the day when everyone could cultivate immortality and the whole nation could ascend to heaven.

It's hard to imagine that the writings of a Qi cultivation practitioner could possess such a high level of theoretical understanding and global knowledge.

Immediately, Ji Yuqi and Master Xuanji both felt that Qin Chuan's article alone was enough to secure his position as the top scholar in both trials.

Huo Yuanjue had even less reason to question his disciple's answer.

At this moment, however, a voice continued to probe deeper:

"Is there a hierarchy in the Way of Heaven?"

It's Feng He!
Upon hearing this question, Huo Yuanjue's expression changed drastically, Ji Yuqi's face also darkened, and even Xuanji Zhenren looked at Feng He with a hint of surprise, seeing that this was clearly a trap.

Qin Chuan was also slightly taken aback.

(End of this chapter)