Chapter 48: As a Teacher

“Not my problem!” Zhang Sheng cried inwardly.

But he could not move, could not speak; his consciousness was being erased, piece by piece, of all its Dao methods and divine arts.

True Person Fenhai noticed something amiss and flew forward to block Zhang Sheng, but the flames erupting from his body vanished instantly upon meeting the giant bird’s gaze, leaving his chest and abdomen exposed within moments.

At that moment, a giant hand, dozens of zhang tall, suddenly reached down from the sky and seized the bird’s head!

The three-headed bird let out a furious roar, reluctantly vanishing within the giant hand, and the shadow in the full moon finally dispersed.

The giant hand released its grip; three fingers—the pinky, ring finger, and middle finger—suddenly changed color, then crumbled to dust. True Person Xuan Yue let out a soft hum and retracted the hand.

All the True Person were stunned; they had never imagined the celestial fortune so formidable—even a mere phantom projection was beyond their ability to resist. Even True Person Xuan Yue had been injured, and not lightly. Had True Person Xuan Yue not intervened, everyone present would have perished on the spot!

True Person Xuan Yue lowered his gaze to Zhang Sheng and asked: “Why does this celestial fortune cling to you so persistently?”

Zhang Sheng was equally vexed and replied: “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just unlucky?”

True Person Xuan Yue pondered for a moment, then said: “That’s quite possible. After this, go to the Heaven’s Mechanism Hall and have them realign your fortune.”

Zhang Sheng said: “I have no silver!”

True Person Xuan Yue fell silent, and the matter was dropped.

In the heavens, the colossal Jade Toad watched True Person Fenhai with cold eyes. True Person Fenhai glanced at the Jade Toad, then at True Person Fenhai, then back at the Jade Toad, then again at True Person Fenhai.

True Person Fenhai flew into a rage: “Why are you all staring at me?”

Someone immediately said: “Congratulations, True Person, on acquiring such a fine disciple. But the materials for his Body Casting are surely beyond what your disciple can provide. As his Grand Master, you ought to contribute your share.”

True Person Fenhai glared and spread his arms: “That outstanding disciple is also a disciple of Tianqing Hall and Shuixue Hall! Everyone must contribute—no one gets to escape!”

“What does this have to do with Shuixue Hall?”

True Person Fenhai pointed at the towering Jade Toad and said: “This bottomless pit is so vast—how can I fill it alone? We must all contribute; it’s only right for fellow disciples!”

The True Person immediately began to dodge, some even trying to slip away quietly.

True Person know value when they see it. The size of an observation map is no trivial matter—it cannot be arbitrarily large. Wei Yuan’s map exceeds a hundred zhang; even if its texture is insubstantial, the spiritual energy needed to fill each square zhang is less than for an ordinary disciple, but still half as much. When fully filled and Wei Yuan completes his Body Casting, the materials consumed will likely suffice to cultivate several hundred ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Even the most ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator is beyond the means of any True Person to support in the hundreds—neither even the Ancestral Masters of Tai Chu Palace could manage it.

This is no ordinary bottomless pit; everyone naturally avoids it. The True Person all strenuously refused, yet their eyes were fixed on True Person Xuan Yue, waiting for his word.

But True Person Xuan Yue said: “Everyone chip in a little.”

Though the Zhenjun had spoken, the matter was too grave. One True Person from Shuixue Hall said: “To fully fill this foundation, we’d likely have to drain most of Tianqing Hall’s reserves. But celestial fortune is elusive—what kind of foundation it will form remains uncertain. If Wei Yuan’s foundation turns out mediocre, won’t Tianqing Hall’s centuries of accumulation be wasted? Though Tianqing Hall has been poorly managed, spending more than it earns, its reputation in tatters, creditors knocking daily… still, a hundred-footed insect dies but doesn’t rot—it still has some reserves left.”

True Person Fenhai flew into a rage: “What do you mean ‘poorly managed, spending more than it earns’?”

The Shuixue Hall True Person replied coldly: “I mean exactly what the words say. If Brother Fenhai has read few books, I can spare half a day to explain it to you.”

Another True Person from Tianqing Hall said: “You speak of Tianqing Hall as if it’s yours alone. Don’t you know that under Ancestral Master Xuan Yue, both halls are one? Cultivating Wei Yuan is naturally Shuixue Hall’s responsibility too.”

A female True Person from Shuixue Hall immediately said: “You keep calling him your Tianqing Hall disciple—what has that to do with my Shuixue Hall? Then let him become a disciple of Lady Lan Hua. We might consider it.”

“Dream on!”

Several True Person bickered fiercely, refusing to yield. True Person Xuan Yue remained unseen, lost in thought. The True Person of both halls grew louder, on the verge of coming to blows.

Tianqing Hall had produced talent for a hundred years, but its consumption was immense—it truly spent more than it earned. Though ranked high among the Twelve Halls, its hidden dangers were severe. Shuixue Hall followed a different path: steady, methodical, with annual surpluses, gaining a small step in strength every two or three decades. Though ranked lowest among the halls, its upward momentum was clear. In terms of spiritual silver income, Shuixue Hall utterly surpassed Tianqing Hall.

Filling Wei Yuan’s bottomless pit was no task for one or two True Person—it would profoundly affect the cultivation of every True Person in the hall. After all, Tai Chu Palace only cultivated a hundred or so Foundation Establishment cultivators every five years. Thus, the Tianqing Hall True Person wanted to drag Shuixue Hall into it, while Shuixue Hall was determined to distance itself entirely.

Then, after long silence, True Person Xuan Yue finally spoke: “Zhang Sheng—he is your disciple. What do you say?”

Zhang Sheng walked silently to the center of the hall, knelt, and pressed his forehead to the ground: “I pledge my Dao path and Foundation as guarantee—I beg the Ancestral Master to give Wei Yuan a chance! Whatever achievements Wei Yuan attains, I will repay every material consumed on his behalf!”

“What if I refuse?”

Zhang Sheng fell silent, then said: “Then I will earn the materials myself—I have one, he has one.”

True Person Xuan Yue sighed: “You yourself have a path to the heavens—why burden yourself thus?”

“As a teacher, one must do so!”

True Person Fenhai’s eyelid twitched. He stepped beside Zhang Sheng, bowed deeply, and said: “I too pledge all my materials—what is mine belongs to Wei Yuan!”

But a giant hand descended from the air, seized True Person Fenhai, and hurled him aside: “Hasn’t Tianqing Hall’s chronic deficit been your doing all these years? Your annual stipend has already been withheld until fifty years from now—what materials do you still have?”

Several True Person fixed their gazes sharply; though they took pleasure in his misfortune, they all noticed the descending hand was the left hand—not the right hand that had seized the bird’s head.

True Person Fenhai stammered, at a loss for words. For years, Tianqing Hall’s greatest expenditure had been compensating those True Person he had injured.

True Person Fenhai glanced at Zhang Sheng, still prostrate on the ground, gritted his teeth, and fell to his knees: “I pledge to serve the Palace for a hundred years—through fire and water, without hesitation! I beg my Master to grant me this chance!”

At this, all the True Person were moved.

True Person of the Dharma Form hold exalted status; within Tai Chu Palace, they need never kneel except on the Master’s birthday or during ancestral rites. True Person Fenhai, whose combat prowess was supreme and whose status within the Palace was great, now knelt!

True Person Fenhai’s temper was as fiery as flame—he would never kneel for himself. This bow was half for Zhang Sheng, half for Wei Yuan.

Upon hearing the word “Master,” True Person Xuan Yue fell silent for a long while. True Person Fenhai was his final disciple—he had watched him grow up. In a flash, both were old.

True Person Xuan Yue sighed and said: “When you first entered the Palace at seven, you were a scrawny child—now you have a disciple’s disciple. Rise.”

A gentle force lifted True Person Fenhai and carried him aside, leaving only Zhang Sheng kneeling in place.

True Person Xuan Yue said: “Zhang Sheng, since you pledge your Dao path as guarantee, I ask you once more: no matter what kind of foundation Wei Yuan eventually forms, the materials consumed will be borne jointly by you and Wei Yuan. This is no small matter—are you willing?”

Zhang Sheng did not hesitate: “I am willing!”

“Very well. From now on, the Palace will supply all that Wei Yuan requires from the public treasury. If the treasury lacks it, everyone shall contribute from their private reserves.”

Every True Person felt the gaze from above—even the three True Person of Shuixue Hall. Since True Person Xuan Yue had decided, though each felt pain in their heart, none dared object. The matter was settled. Now, when they looked at the Jade Toad, they found it less pleasing.

Someone suddenly said: “This observation map doesn’t seem to have any strange phenomena?”

True Person Fenhai snorted coldly: “At this scale, what strange phenomena do you still expect?”

The True Person had no rebuttal—after all, even the most miraculous ant is still crushed beneath an elephant’s foot.

The Jade Toad still gazed at the full moon above, but within its eyes was the image of Zhang Sheng kneeling.

With the matter settled, True Person Xuan Yue’s aura faded, and all dispersed.

(End of Chapter)