A Pawn's Passage

Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu arrived at the classroom in Kan Garden, where he ran into Ning Yuqing, who was carrying a stack of books.

“Why haven’t I seen you around these past few days?” Ning Yuqing asked.

“I’ve been learning from Sage Sun these days.” Qi Xuansu immediately used the elderly Sage as a shield.

Ning Yuqing remarked with a smile, “Sage Sun has been giving you special tutoring, huh? Not many people catch his attention.”

As they spoke, Yao Pei walked over alone, exuding an aura that discouraged strangers from approaching.

Ning Yuqing had other matters to attend to, so she stopped chatting with Qi Xuansu and took her leave.

Yao Pei acted as if she did not see Qi Xuansu. She neither greeted him nor made eye contact, brushing past him and walking straight into the classroom. No one would have guessed that the two had any familial ties.

Qi Xuansu also entered the classroom.

By this time, several people were already seated inside, engaged in casual conversation.

These fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters came from all over. Some had never received formal training, surviving through sheer grit and crawling out of heaps of corpses—they were the definition of true wild Daoists.

Others were merely flowerbed Daoists, having never seen a cult demon, let alone personally killed one. The disparity between the two groups was immense.

Qi Xuansu took his seat, where the required books had already been placed. He picked up one and quickly flipped through the table of contents, finding the material to be dry and theoretical.

The books provided a broad discussion of Daoist governance and detailed explanations of handling various affairs. As expected of high-level Daoist courses, they were completely different from what he had studied in the Lower Palace.

After a while, those willing to attend class had mostly arrived, filling roughly two-thirds of the seats. Many seats remained empty, indicating that quite a few, like Qi Xuansu, missed classes for various reasons.

Then, right on cue, Ning Yuqing stepped into the classroom, not to lecture them, but to announce the course schedule.

Ning Yuqing wasted no time and announced, “Starting today, there will be seven days of lectures by several Sages. On the 21st of June, Deputy Palace Master Sun will lecture on the self-cultivation of high-ranking Daoists. On the 22nd of June, Deputy Palace Master Ning will present a summary of the Golden Tower Council’s resolutions for the first half of the year. On the 23rd of June, Deputy Palace Master Zhang will discuss an overview of trade relations with Fenglin.

“On the 24th of June, Deputy Palace Master Yao will lecture on the summary of the Western Region’s war and future projections for the Grasslands. On the 25th of June, Deputy Palace Master Zhou will cover the history of the Western Continent’s nations and the Holy Court. On the 26th of June, Deputy Palace Master Xu will discuss the post-classical developments of Mohist thought.

“The Palace Master was originally scheduled to deliver a lecture personally on the 27th of June, but as he is still in Jade Capital with no set return date, the topic has yet to be determined and will be decided based on the situation. Does anyone have any objections?”

The course schedule had already been set. Unless there was a significant reason, it would not be changed. Asking for opinions was merely a formality, so naturally, no one objected.

Ning Yuqing nodded and continued, “I hope everyone will prepare seriously so that you can ask high-quality questions during the Deputy Palace Masters’ lectures. If you have any other concerns beyond the coursework, you can come to me.”

After that, Ning Yuqing did not linger and turned to leave the classroom. Not long after, Sun Hewu entered. Since it was June 21st, he was the first to lecture, delivering the topic on self-cultivation for high-ranking Daoists.

One must self-cultivate before doing great deeds, so placing this course at the beginning was reasonable. However, how much impact it would actually have depended on the students themselves.

Qi Xuansu took out the relevant textbook and began listening attentively.

In the following days, Qi Xuansu maintained a disciplined routine. He attended lectures during the day, handled daily affairs, dedicated the first half of the night to practicing the Demonic Blade, and rested in the latter half.

Qi Xuansu had considered reaching out to Madam Qi or Zhang Yuelu, but he soon realized that the Wanxiang Daoist Palace had blocked out all external communications.

Once the formation was activated, even the mother-child talisman would not work. Only some permanently active rapid post talismans remained connected to the outside world. So, he had to give up on the idea of contacting the two most beloved women in his life.

During this time, Yao Pei kept up her promise and did not interact with Qi Xuansu at all, as if they were complete strangers. Naturally, Qi Xuansu did not take the initiative to approach her either.

Putting aside the fact that Zhang Yuelu had warned him not to flirt around, Qi Xuansu was also not the type to fawn over others for their status and power.

During this time, Ning Yuqing invited Qi Xuansu to a home-cooked meal. Qi Xuansu initially wanted to decline, but considering Ning Lingyun’s presence, he reluctantly accepted the invitation.

It was only then that Qi Xuansu realized that the woman he had seen practicing with the Sun-Shooting Rifle on his first visit to Sun Hewu was actually Ning Yuqing.

However, since she usually wore the formal Daoist attire, he could not recognize her when she was wearing sunglasses and a straw hat. It was only today, when she changed into casual attire, that Qi Xuansu finally recognized her.

The meal was uneventful. Ning Lingyun only asked some casual questions, such as whether Qi Xuansu had adapted to life at the Upper Palace and what books he had been reading recently. The Sage was tactful not to mention a single word about Qi Xuansu’s connections with the Pei and Zhang families.

Qi Xuansu also learned from Ning Yuqing about some recent developments in Jade Capital.

Ning Lingge had been appointed as the Ciji Hall Master. Zhang Yuelu had won the debate against Qin Lingge from the Confucian School during the Three Religions Assembly. However, her radical statements sparked considerable controversy within the Daoist Order. While this was not enough to formally accuse her of wrongdoing, it still created a troublesome situation that overshadowed her promotion to the third rank.

Without a doubt, someone was manipulating events behind the scenes, deliberately targeting Zhang Yuelu.

Furthermore, Li Changge unexpectedly appeared on the second day of the martial arts competition. Since both Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei were already Heavenly Beings, everyone assumed that Li Changge had also advanced.

Even his name had been removed from the Ruyi Leaderboard published by the Qingping Society. However, it turned out that Li Changge was still at the Guizhen stage. This also explained why Li Changge did not attend the training at the Upper Palace.

Li Changge single-handedly defeated all the young experts from the Confucian School and the Buddhist Sect, securing victory for the Daoist Order in the martial arts competition. His performance was nearly a reenactment of Donghuang’s glory in the past.

What was even more astonishing was that during the battles, he demonstrated the mystical abilities of Qi Refiners, Diviners, Martial Arts Practitioners, and Shamans, seamlessly integrating the Five Lineages into one.

With the Li family’s efforts in building his reputation, Li Changge’s fame soared with this martial arts competition, overshadowing Zhang Yuelu’s victory. Praises such as Li Changge being the “best among the younger generation,” “a man who lives up to his fame,” “Donghuang’s legacy,” and “the heir of the Holy Xuan” echoed everywhere.

It was clear that this was a promotional campaign to elevate Li Changge’s status.

This was not just an idle move. When electing the Grand Master, apart from the power struggles among the three major Daoist sects, there was also a significant number of people who remained neutral. Most of these people were fence-sitters, swaying wherever the wind blew.

Simply put, when a Grand Master was in power, they followed his commands but did not follow the Grand Master’s ancestral sect. They formed an independent faction to ensure that the Grand Master’s decrees extended beyond Zixiao Palace. This faction reached its peak during the Holy Xuan’s reign and the fifth-generation Grand Master’s era. However, the Grand Master’s faction fell to its lowest point during the sixth-generation Grand Master’s tenure.

When there was no Grand Master, this faction simply supported whoever had the strongest lead. This was why building one’s rapport and launching targeted political attacks were so crucial to winning the election.

By tarnishing Zhang Yuelu’s reputation while boosting Li Changge’s, they employed a two-pronged approach with immediate results.

Since they were building rapport with the masses, they could not afford to do it last minute when Li Changge was already competing for the position of Grand Master. After all, influence was not built in a day but cultivated subtly and consistently.

Naturally, they had to plan ahead, ensuring that Li Changge frequently appeared in the public eye, with various positive news circulating about him. Over time, when the topic of selecting the Grand Master arose, people would naturally think of Li Changge, making everything fall into place seamlessly.

Moreover, after the martial arts competition, Li Changge became a Heavenly Being, demonstrating that he could advance to the next stage whenever he wished.

Following this, Li Changge was promoted to the fourth rank and would participate in next year’s training at the Upper Palace.

It was a matter of gains and losses. Since Li Changge wanted to seize the opportunity to shine at the Three Religions Assembly, he had to forgo this year’s training at the Upper Palace, falling a step behind.

Yao Pei, on the other hand, did the opposite. She voluntarily gave up her spot in the debate against the Confucians, not only advancing one step ahead but also subtly avoiding Li Changge’s spotlight.

After all, only one person could stand out at the Three Religions Assembly.

In the blink of an eye, July arrived.

During this period, Qi Xuansu felt as if he had returned to the Lower Palace, rekindling the familiarity of the past. Every day was a repetition of a similar routine. It was structured and peaceful, devoid of the many dangers and uncertainties he had grown accustomed to after graduation.

Previously, Qi Xuansu had only learned the skills of a foot soldier—how to wield firearms and crossbows, how to sail and ride, all without needing to understand the reasons behind them because he only had to follow orders. Now, he was beginning to grasp the art of command, learning to think from a strategic, overarching perspective.

This newfound perspective stirred deep thoughts within Qi Xuansu.

Reflecting on the series of events he had experienced, he found that many things he previously could not understand or needed Zhang Yuelu and Madam Qi to explain now made sense in a completely new light.

The establishment of Tiangang Hall’s Yaoguang Division, the incidents at Kunlun Pass, Yishan City, and Cuowenbu, the cases at Purple Immortal Mountain, Jiangling Prefecture, and Jinling Prefecture, all the way to the ongoing Three Religions Assembly, seemed unrelated on the surface. Yet, they all revolved around a single, unchanging objective.

All of this was like a game of Go, and everyone involved was a mere chess piece, forming two massive interwoven dragons of black and white that were locked in a deadly struggle on the board. Places like Jinling Prefecture were mere corner battles, while Jade Capital was the central battlefield. Pieces were constantly being captured, while new ones were continuously played. Even outside the board, the bowl still held many unplaced pieces waiting for their turn.

This game was far from reaching its end; it would continue for a long time. To claim victory, one could not be overly concerned with the gains and losses of a single region. A broader vision was required.

Some people would inevitably become sacrificial pieces, discarded by the players in pursuit of triumph.

Qi Xuansu had already been drawn into this immense vortex, unable to extricate himself. However, he did not want to become a sacrificial pawn.

Suddenly, he recalled something Zhang Yuelu once said, “May we never regret anything by the time we reach the end of our journey.”

Once in the game, there was no turning back.