Immortal Dao is dead, I am the mastermind behind it all.

Along the air route, the monks came and went in a hurry.

Xu Mingxuan, carrying Shen Moyan, rode a flying boat through layers of pavilions in the sky.

"Kongsang County is the second largest gathering place for cultivators in Langya Prefecture. Most of the Purple Mansion True Persons and Gui Cang True Monarchs are here. So you need to be more careful in your actions here in the future."

The flying boat passed over layers of pavilions in the sky and suddenly the view opened up, arriving at the center of Kongsang County's main city, the Gaoshengtian Tower.

Shen Moyan was observing the scenery around him when a stone tablet suddenly caught his attention.

The stone tablet stood atop the Heavenly Tower, and none of the cultivators flying around it exceeded its height.

"That is a stone rubbing of the [Origin Preaching Stele]. It's a replica. There are several in each state, after all, that stele is the foundation of the Daoist tradition. Never fly higher than it in the city, or you will be punished by heaven."

"Passage is prohibited within a hundred feet of the stone tablet. Only those who have rendered meritorious service in the Holy Court or those from the Academy may bring their students near it."

"If there are mortals with a firm will and a single-minded pursuit of the Tao, they can also admire the stone tablet from afar and establish a relationship with it through their will, but such people are very few."

Shen Moyan nodded, making sure to remember these things.

"By the way, since there are very few sects under the Holy Court's rule, how do the people of the Three Thousand Provinces obtain cultivation techniques?" Shen Moyan asked the question that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.

The Holy Court monopolizes the vast majority of the world's resources, and its cultivation techniques and knowledge are firmly controlled by cultivators in small towns, preventing ordinary people from coming into contact with the Dao.

However, in social development, the lower classes are the foundation; if classes are clearly defined, the society becomes stagnant. While this might prevent resistance from the lower classes, it would hinder the positive development of the cultivation world.

However, Shen Moyan saw that the social classes in this world were not completely fixed, and ordinary people had room for advancement. After all, there were also ordinary people like Meng Chen who started their cultivation from nothing.

"Junior brother, the Dao of Immortality is different from the Dao of Immortality. All cultivation methods in this world evolved from the original methods on the Origin Transmission Stele."

"In the past, when the Immortal Path collapsed, our Sword Sect's unfathomable ancestor was forced to refer to the Dao on this Origin Transmission Stele in order to preserve the lineage, and revised and rewrote the 'Azure Sun Rising Technique,' changing the Immortal Path to the Mortal Path."

Xu Mingxuan's words were full of respect for the Dao.

"The origin of the Origin Preaching Monument is unfathomable. There is an official position in the Holy Court called the Monument Keeper, who is responsible for maintaining the Origin Preaching Monument itself. Although few people dare to damage it, this position has continued to this day since the birth of the Dao."

"In their view, the stone tablet that spans heaven and earth is the manifestation of the Great Dao itself; otherwise, it would be impossible to explain its miracle of enabling all races to embark on cultivation."

"All races? Demons can cultivate too?" Shen Moyan asked in surprise, but quickly accepted it. After all, the protagonist of the second chapter of "The Chronicles of Mountains and Seas" was not a human, but a small quail.

"That's right. The so-called 'Great Dao' shines like the sun high in the sky, illuminating all living beings and spirits, treating everyone equally."

"Everything has its shadow, and the Great Dao is no exception. As day and night alternate, as long as the shadow of the stone tablet covers a mortal, that mortal can instantly comprehend a unique cultivation technique in their mind."

"However, since it is only a shadow of the Great Dao, the cultivation technique obtained is incomplete. It stops at the Transcendent Realm. If you want to obtain a higher level of cultivation technique, you need to cross the Pilgrimage Steps and personally pay homage to the original body of the Preaching Stele."

Shen Moyan quickly realized what was happening.

"So, the Holy Court's headquarters are located in the region where the [Origin Preaching Monument] itself is situated?"

"That's right, you need the Holy Court's permission to approach the Preaching Monument."

With that stone tablet there, the existence of the sect is completely unnecessary.

Sects exist to monopolize either cultivation techniques or people and resources. But now everyone can have their own unique and most suitable cultivation technique, so the path of monopolizing cultivation techniques is cut off. As for resources, the Holy Court controls 90% of the world's resources. If you don't join it, who will you join?

For ordinary cultivators to even consider establishing their own sects and factions is utterly pointless. They'd be better off raising a city of mortals and harvesting ginseng to improve their own cultivation.

Those twenty-one immortal lineages, with their unfathomable foundations and unparalleled techniques, are nothing more than clinging to the rubble of the old immortal path, stubbornly refusing to let go.

Having thought this through, most of Shen Moyan's doubts were dispelled.

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, senior brother."

"We're all from the same sect, it's only right that we help each other." Xu Mingxuan waved his hand and smiled warmly.

As they traveled, the two discussed various matters concerning the Great World of Mountains and Seas, and soon arrived at the Examination and Merit Office.

The Examination and Merit Office is the institution that recruits independent cultivators into the Holy Court, and it is responsible for the city and county examinations in various regions.

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Xu, here to recruit new members?" As soon as the two entered the company and disembarked from the flying boat, an old man with gray hair stood at a distance to greet them.

"This is Deng Jinhua, the deputy director of the Examination and Merit Department. Fellow Daoist Deng," Xu Mingxuan introduced.

"He Liang, a reclusive cultivator from the countryside, greets Steward Deng," Shen Moyan said, bowing respectfully.

Seeing that Shen Moyan had successfully connected with Deng Jinhua, Xu Mingxuan's lips curled up slightly.

"Alright, next he will explain in detail how to carve the Nine Songs Seal. Also, I'm leaving my affairs to you. You must start working within seven days." Xu Mingxuan didn't linger, landed Shen Moyan, turned the flying boat around, and hurriedly left.

"Is this your first time visiting Kongsang County, fellow Daoist?"

"That's right."

Upon hearing Shen Moyan's answer, Deng Jinhua smiled and looked at him with delight.

"Fellow Daoist, since you were recommended by Fellow Daoist Xu, you can naturally be trusted. Please follow me."

Shen Moyan followed Deng Jinhua deep into the Examination and Merit Bureau.

With a wave of his hand, Deng Jinhua sent a roster flying into his hand.

"Fellow Daoist He Liang, right?"

"Exactly."

Deng Jinhua found a suitable place on the roster and wrote down the name He Liang.

"One more drop of soul blood."

"promise."

Deng Jinhua then poured the soul blood into a lamp, and the lamp began to burn brightly.

While the other party was busy, Shen Moyan leaned closer to the roster and was startled.

The roster contained the words "temporary dispatch personnel".

He couldn't help but recall the Transcendent Realm cultivators he had encountered on the road to Kongsang County. They were probably just nominally affiliated with the Holy Court, without any real power, and could come to the Performance Evaluation Office every month to collect a small, negligible salary. But they had to do hard and tiring work for the Holy Court.

This is a real bull or horse!

Has the Holy See become so corrupt?

"Fellow Daoist He Liang, you are truly lucky. So many people want to get into this position, but they have to take a long and complicated route."

"The ink used for just a few words is very precious." Deng Jinhua patted her sleeves and rubbed her hands together in front of him.

Shen Moyan's lips twitched, understanding the unspoken meaning.

Damn it, not only do they treat me like a beast of burden, they also want to charge me spirit stones.

"We'll be colleagues from now on, so I'll have to guide you a lot in the future." Shen Moyan suppressed his resentment, took out the amount of spirit stones that Xu Mingxuan had told him to give him from his storage ring, and handed it to the other party.

"Oh, no problem, no problem." Deng Jinhua accepted the spirit stones, a smile playing on her lips, her wrinkled face shrinking into a ball.

"Then the Nine Songs Seal..."

"This is the seal and your token. The seal is for one-time use; just stamp it on the back of your hand. Once your name is engraved on the token, you can use it to collect your salary from the office. I have other important matters to attend to, so I won't keep you company any longer." With that, Deng Jinhua tossed a jade seal to Shen Moyan, then hurriedly left with the spirit stones in her pocket.

Shen Moyan examined the jade seal in his hand, his divine sense enveloping it.

Feeling there was no problem, he imprinted the jade seal on the back of his right hand.

Please enter your name.

Five words flashed through Shen Moyan's mind: He had already connected to Jiuge.com.

But Shen Moyan didn't answer immediately. After a moment of stunned silence, he looked puzzled.

"This Nine Songs Seal is just a special totem. You only need to imprint it on your hand and activate it with magic power."

A familiar feeling entered my mind; this was the great power of the Nine Songs Immortal Lord in conveying the Dao through literature.

This Nine Songs Network was set up by the Immortal Lord.

Shen Moyan fell into a misconception: only by joining the Holy Court could he enter the Nine Songs Network.

That's not actually the case. As long as a cultivator in the Transcendent Realm imprints the totem of nine Xuan Birds with their magic power, they can enter the Nine Songs Network!