Chapter 545

“The matter doesn’t end there—the Celestial Master’s Mansion has suddenly announced it will hold the Luotian Da Jiao.”

Xu Si exhaled a smoke ring and continued.

“Luotian Da Jiao?”

Upon hearing this news, Xu San’s expression shifted sharply.

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Wang Qinnuo compiled the “Ritual of the Luotian Da Jiao,”

formally establishing the three grand rites: Putian, Zhoutian, and Luotian.

“Luotian” means encompassing all heavens and earth—the highest realm above the Three Realms.

The Luotian Da Jiao is the highest-ranking, largest-scale, and most elaborate sacrificial ritual in Daoist liturgy,

intended to pray for national peace, favorable weather, longevity, and guidance for the departed.

In the cultivation world, the meaning of the Luotian Da Jiao is even more significant—

it is an event hosted by the Celestial Master’s Mansion, the most powerful faction in the cultivation world, signifying its absolute seriousness toward the matter.

“The sixty-fifth Celestial Master, Zhang Zhiwei, believes he is growing old and hopes that through this grand ceremony,

he may select the most outstanding young cultivator to inherit the title of Celestial Master.”

As Xu Si spoke, his fingers holding the cigarette trembled slightly.

“The old Celestial Master is old—he wants to find an heir? What kind of hellish joke is this?”

Xu San nearly laughed in anger.

Who is the old Celestial Master?

He is the one who has dominated the entire cultivation world for nearly a century—even the rising “Two Heroes,” like Hu and Ding Jiang’an,

dare not challenge him, let alone stand against him—he is the “Supreme Peak”!

Such an unparalleled master, the only one since the Wudang founder, the unkempt Zhenren Zhang Sanfeng, who might have ascended to immortality,

people would believe if he said he would attain the Dao and fly to the Immortal Realm to stand shoulder to shoulder with ancient sages.

Unless he truly ascends, who in the entire cultivation world dares to underestimate him?

Besides, selecting a Celestial Master is the Celestial Master’s Mansion’s own affair.

Though not all Celestial Masters over the past two millennia have been blood descendants of the founding Celestial Master,

many were disciples of extraordinary talent who were granted the surname “Zhang,”

yet every single one of them was a disciple of the Celestial Master’s Mansion!

That means the claim that they are selecting young talents from across the cultivation world to become the heir

is almost certainly an excuse to conceal something else!

Thinking this, Xu San and Xu Si’s gazes fixed on Zhang Chulan.

Zhang Chulan, seated at the very end, grew flustered under their stares and stammered:

“Th-Third brother, Fourth brother, you—you don’t think the Celestial Master’s Mansion is holding this Luotian Da Jiao because of me, do you?

I—I’m not worthy of such attention! I—I’m sure it’s just a coincidence!”

As he spoke, large beads of cold sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead.

The waters here run too deep—he’s just an ordinary college student; he can’t possibly grasp this!

“If this is a coincidence, it’s far too much of a coincidence.”

Xu Si spoke with a cold, humorless smirk.

Just before, Zhang Chulan’s family secret had been exposed to Quanxing,

and now the Celestial Master’s Mansion announces the Luotian Da Jiao—if there’s no trickery here,

I’ll swallow this cigarette whole, ash and filter included.

Moreover, although the old Celestial Master is indeed very old—nearly two full cycles of sixty years—

Longhu Mountain is not unprepared; that cold, aloof, yet extraordinarily gifted disciple,

Lingyu Zhenren, whom the old Celestial Master broke tradition to take as his final pupil, has strong support as the heir.

With such a gifted disciple, why would the Celestial Master’s Mansion need to seek out and select young talents from other factions?

“Jie Ge, what do you think?”

Seeing Xu San and Xu Si both convinced the Luotian Da Jiao was about him, Zhang Chulan turned to Zhang Jie with a pleading look.

The Luotian Da Jiao and the Celestial Master’s Mansion were too massive—he simply couldn’t bear this burden!

“As far as I know, the old Celestial Master’s master, Zhang Jingqing, took only three direct disciples:

the current old Celestial Master, the mysteriously vanished Zhang Huaiyi, and Elder Tian Jinzhong.

The three brothers were deeply close; after Zhang Huaiyi disappeared, both the old Celestial Master and Elder Tian Jinzhong

descended the mountain repeatedly to search for him, and Elder Tian suffered a grievous, incurable injury in the process.

If your grandfather is indeed that vanished Zhang Huaiyi,

then given the old Celestial Master’s deep sense of loyalty and righteousness, he would do something like this.”

Zhang Jie stroked his chin, analyzing calmly and methodically.

Of course, as a reader who had crossed into “One Person Against the World,” he could state with certainty

that the old Celestial Master was not holding this Luotian Da Jiao solely for Zhang Chulan.

To protect Zhang Huaiyi’s grandson in a legitimate way, he had gone to great lengths.

“Jie Ge…”

Feeling betrayed by Zhang Jie, Zhang Chulan’s eyes went dull.

This wasn’t the answer he wanted!

“Chulan, haven’t you always wanted to know the truth behind why your grandfather hid his identity?

This is your chance to find out.”

Seeing Zhang Chulan slump like a defeated rooster, utterly dispirited,

Zhang Jie had to speak up to encourage him.

As the protagonist of this world, Zhang Chulan couldn’t just give up.

If he did, how would his unfinished mission ever be completed? And where would Zhang Jie find entertainment?

Hmm, the entertainment was just incidental—he simply didn’t want to see Zhang Chulan fall into despair.

“Truth?”

At the mention of the truth behind his grandfather Zhang Xilin’s hidden identity, Zhang Chulan snapped awake, instantly energized.

Years of hiding and running had been suffocating—he clung desperately to the truth.

“Excellent! Full of spirit!”

Watching Zhang Chulan’s renewed vigor, Zhang Jie involuntarily recalled the senior at the Iwato Naval Academy in Japan—

that legendary senior who always said, “Full of spirit!”—the words nearly slipped out.

But Zhang Jie suppressed them with immense willpower; it was only a few years now,

the internet had advanced rapidly, but it hadn’t yet reached the era of the 2020s where meme culture ran rampant,

so probably no one but him would understand this reference.

Multitasking was easy for Zhang Jie now; though his inner monologue burned fiercely,

his face remained calm and composed:

“Whether or not your grandfather Zhang Xilin is the vanished disciple Zhang Huaiyi,

if you want to uncover the truth, you must achieve a high ranking in this Luotian Da Jiao.

After all, who better understands what happened during that time than the old Celestial Master himself—

someone who lived through it, possesses extraordinary strength, and has the Celestial Master’s Mansion as his eyes and ears?”

“Jie Ge, you’re right.”

Zhang Chulan’s eyes hardened instantly:

“I will achieve a top ranking in this Luotian Da Jiao—if not top four, then top two; if not top two,

then first place—I will stand before the old Celestial Master and ask him face to face!”

“Zhang Chulan, I’ll help you.”

Feng Baobao, who had been standing alone by the window since arriving at the office, had somehow sat beside Zhang Chulan.

“Th-thank you, Bao’er Jie.”

Zhang Chulan hadn’t expected Feng Baobao to be the first to stand by his side—he was moved to incoherence.

Though Bao’er Jie deceived him, nearly becoming his half-sister,

and was suspected of being a nocturnal grave-digger who dug up his grandfather’s tomb,

he knew—Bao’er Jie was truly a good girl…