Chapter 617: Investiture as Taiyi True Person

On this day, on a painted boat upon Xianghu in Jingcheng.

Li Jiyeh, as the Son of Heaven, spoke at length with Li Yi—from daily matters to cultivation futures; having been apart for so many years, this open conversation dissolved much of their estrangement and drew them much closer, so the day passed swiftly.

After deliberation, the father and son formulated a rough plan.

When the plan took shape, Li Jiyeh, as the Son of Heaven, departed, for he must now begin executing it.

Li Yi did not idle either; he waited quietly for the right moment.

He had already absorbed a day's worth of incense belief power, so after his father left, he resumed cultivation, using this power to open new acupoints and preparing for the coming plan.

After all, the stronger one's power, the more secure the aftermath.

At this moment, Li Yi had opened twenty-four acupoints using incense belief power—this was the limit, the maximum his title of Taiyi Immortal could currently draw; to go further, he must receive imperial investiture.

"Though I've opened so many acupoints, my power has increased only slightly, for these acupoints remain unfilled—the Metal Qi is still being refined."

He held a seven-colored stone in his hands.

Streams of golden energy flowed into Li Yi's body, while his entire frame was wrapped in crimson aura, blazing like a roaring fire; beneath this heartfire's heat, the golden energy grew purer and denser, absorbed into his lung acupoint.

At this moment, strands of golden light coalesced upon Li Yi, interweaving with the crimson flame—extraordinarily divine.

Even with the aid of the seven-colored stone, which made gathering Metal Qi easy, Li Yi had filled only one acupoint over these two days—he had not yet reached the fullness of the Five Qi Realm's second layer.

Yet over these two days, Li Yi had devoured all his Spirit Blood; his vital energy surged, his Dragon-Tiger divine strength now more terrifying than before, granting him considerable progress.

On the morning of the fourth day.

At this moment, Li Yi inside the painted boat suddenly opened his eyes, awakening from cultivation.

Simultaneously,

A royal imperial procession departed from the palace, entering Jingcheng along the Imperial Road—horn blasts and grand music echoed along the way, while a carriage drawn by five steeds approached, flanked by Imperial Guards; the drivers were two women, dressed in palace attire, dignified in bearing, their pale golden eyes radiating sacred majesty.

These were the Emperor's Golden Iris Guards.

"What major event has befallen the court? Such a grand display—what are they doing?"

"Unclear, but look at that carriage—drawn by five steeds; that's the honor reserved for princes. As the saying goes, the Son of Heaven rides six, feudal lords ride five—it seems someone has been enfeoffed as a prince."

"It must be one of the Emperor's sons granted a princedom—I've seen investiture processions before, but never with this splendor."

Nobles, officials, merchants, and commoners near the Imperial Road all began whispering.

But soon,

A rumor spread like wildfire through Jingcheng.

"Not a princely investiture—the Emperor is appointing a State Preceptor! Do you remember that Taiyi Daoist who appeared in Jingcheng? He's been named Taiyi True Person, State Preceptor."

"Taiyi True Person, State Preceptor? Is this a joke? A Daoist just ascended to the highest rank overnight?"

"What Daoist? He's a true immortal—didn't you see the starfire lighting up the sky the other night? That was Taiyi True Person performing magic. Go to Xianghu now—those houses destroyed by flood were rebuilt overnight by him. Isn't that the work of a god?"

"Wait—how do you know so much? What's your name?"

"I'm Shui Jun. I have matters to attend to—farewell." The man hurried away.

With the court's backing, now no one in Jingcheng was unaware of the name Taiyi True Person.

Though not yet formally invested, a vast tide of incense belief power surged from all directions, rushing straight toward Li Yi on the painted boat.

Li Yi felt as if sandalwood incense had permeated his entire being; his soul floated, weightless, on the brink of ascending to immortality—a profound, indescribable sense of fullness and power filled him, as if even without his body, his soul alone could crush the world with the might of the Dragon and Tiger.

"Quantitative change leads to qualitative transformation—indeed, when incense belief power reaches sufficient scale, nothing is impossible. My soul's strength is increasing at an unimaginable pace, and with it, my cultivation speed soars."

For the first time, he truly felt the joy of becoming a god through incense belief.

The speed of growth—like lying down and rocketing upward—was undeniably intoxicating.

He attempted to invoke the Great Method of Gathering Heaven and Earth Qi.

Instantly,

The spiritual energy within a hundred li of Jingcheng surged wildly toward him; his heartfire erupted skyward, and after a single refinement, a pure stream of Metal Qi was swallowed into his belly and absorbed into an acupoint.

Though one acupoint remained unfilled, with this cultivation pace, he would reach fullness in the Five Qi Realm's second layer within three days—and easily break into the third, even fourth layer.

As incense power continued to gather, Li Yi's soul was entirely enveloped by incense belief, resembling a god of incense—yet far stronger than ordinary incense gods, for his soul was that of an Evolver and Daoist, capable of manifesting power far beyond ordinary incense deities.

But with so much incense surrounding him, an odd phenomenon occurred.

Above Li Yi's head, a phantom, crystalline flower slowly grew, beginning to bloom.

Xiang Xiangzi's Primordial Spirit flower had originally been a seed planted within him; now, bathed in incense belief, it began blooming prematurely, before Li Yi had reached the Five Qi in Harmony realm.

Yet it was only beginning to bloom.

This incense power was still insufficient to fully revive the Primordial Spirit flower of a former Three Flower Realm master.

Even so, it was astonishing—if this continued, Xiang Xiangzi would likely return soon.

At this moment,

The imperial procession had halted on the Imperial Road, nearest to Xianghu.

A golden-eyed female official, holding the imperial decree, arrived near the painted boat under escort of armored soldiers.

Every word, every stroke, every character—perfectly clear!

"Is the Taiyi Daoist aboard the boat in the lake's center?" the golden-eyed official asked.

The next instant,

A young Daoist stepped onto the deck of the painted boat—black hair flowing past his shoulders, clad in a crimson jade Dao robe, draped in Dragon-Tiger aura streaked with silver lightning, stepping upon a golden auspicious cloud as he drifted slowly forward.

Many had never seen the Taiyi Daoist, yet upon seeing him, their eyes widened in shock—he was truly a divine being, radiating an indescribable aura; as he drew near, their bodies trembled inexplicably.

As if he were inherently superior, beyond comparison to ordinary mortals.

The golden-eyed official delivering the decree was deeply startled—whether illusion or not, the aura and sensation emanating from this Taiyi Daoist bore uncanny resemblance to the Emperor's own; though differing slightly in detail, their essence was identical.

"Has he also cultivated the Evolution Method?"

The golden-eyed official was born of the Golden Iris Guards; she herself had undergone Evolution—otherwise, her eyes could not have turned golden. But according to her knowledge, the Evolution Method was taught only by the Emperor to the Golden Iris Guards and Embroidered Uniform Guards—it could not have leaked out. Moreover, this Taiyi Daoist's life tier had reached an extraordinarily high level.

The vast disparity between life forms made her tremble, as if facing a sacred entity.

"T-Taiyi Daoist, the Emperor has issued an edict," the golden-eyed official forced herself to steady her nerves and spoke.

"What is the edict?" Li Yi bowed calmly.

The golden-eyed official then unrolled the decree and read aloud: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Son of Heaven decrees: I have heard of a cultivated master in Jingcheng named Taiyi, possessing the art of eternal life, the power to summon clouds and rain, and the virtue to save all beings. I now appoint Taiyi Daoist as State Preceptor, bestowing upon him the title Taiyi True Person, to safeguard the state's destiny. So be it."

"This humble Daoist Taiyi receives the edict. Thank the Emperor," Li Yi accepted the decree, knowing this was merely the first step of the plan.

As he took the decree and received the court's investiture, bearing the title Taiyi True Person, an even greater tide of incense belief power surged from three hundred li of Jingcheng and surrounding towns, rising like a tidal wave toward him.

"Here it comes."

Li Yi's eyes flickered as he gazed upon the overwhelming incense belief power.

He knew the incense belief gained during this first investiture would be the greatest; thereafter, it depended on his own stewardship—whether he could win the people's hearts and earn their worship.

As this incense belief power flowed into him,

Li Yi instantly felt his potential boundless—merely by thought, spiritual energy from all directions rushed to him; golden Qi from every quarter flowed automatically into his acupoints; and the Primordial Spirit flower above his head fully bloomed, within which a woman resembling an infant, asleep, gradually materialized.

This incense belief was too vast—he could not yet fully digest it, so like other incense gods, he could only crudely use it, attaching the power to his body to induce minor changes.

"Taiyi, have you achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown?" A woman's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Xiang Xiangzi's spiritual awareness had revived—though not yet fully gestated, her consciousness had returned.

"No, no—you haven't reached Three Flowers Gathering. What power is this? How can it make my Primordial Spirit seed bloom again? My Primordial Spirit is recovering… Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable." Xiang Xiangzi's tone turned shocked; she realized her Primordial Spirit was gestating at an astonishing speed.

This speed was unbelievable, almost illusory.

"Immortal Lady, I have entered a new world—a world where incense belief creates gods. But now is not the time to explain. Immortal Lady, observe slowly, understand gradually—you will soon comprehend everything." Li Yi replied, then followed the golden-eyed official toward the Imperial Road.

There, a golden and magnificent carriage awaited him.

Li Yi would ride this carriage into the palace to meet the Emperor—though this was merely ceremonial, its true purpose was to allow him to walk openly in court later, laying groundwork for the next phase of the plan.

(End of Chapter)