NOVEL WEB Chapter 73 - First-Rank Masters of the Age
The power of qi-fortune across the realm is of a fixed quantity, intricately linked to a nation’s prosperity; when the populace enjoys well-being, the economy flourishes, the national military stands formidable, and exceptional talents emerge in abundance, the power of qi-fortune thereby nurtured grows ever more robust.
In essence, it stands in direct proportion to a nation’s comprehensive might.
As for institutions like their Celestial Master’s Mansion, or the Tianlong Temple west of the capital—though they refrain from meddling in secular affairs—their willingness to aid the Dawu dynasty in safeguarding the realm stems from the privilege of partaking in a portion of this qi-fortune.
Precisely because the power of qi-fortune holds such paramount significance, even the First-Rank powerhouses of the age must engage in the secular fray to vie for its mastery.
This was why Xuan Zhenzi harbored such profound bewilderment—whence had Xia Chen acquired it?
“Even if his fate has been altered, some trace ought still to be discernible.”
The Elder Celestial Master spoke deliberately.
“This Xia Chen harbors a profound secret—either he possesses an artifact capable of obstructing the mechanisms of heaven, yet I perceive that he more closely resembles an anomaly, the very one that has slipped away!”
A startling brilliance erupted within the Elder Celestial Master’s eyes; standing atop the Star-Plucking Tower, he gazed toward the inner city of the capital, as though seeking to pierce the void and pinpoint Xia Chen’s location.
“The one that has slipped away?”
“The Dao of Heaven encompasses fifty, the Great Expansion comprises forty-nine, and humankind eludes one; all things in the world are bound by predetermined fates, yet it is precisely because of that one which has slipped away that the possibility of altering destiny emerges!”
The Elder Celestial Master expounded slowly, his voice resonating like the sound of the Great Dao; Xuan Zhenzi listened intently to his teachings.
“You mentioned earlier that, in a fleeting haze, you glimpsed a nine-clawed golden dragon of qi-fortune spanning boundless horizons, accompanied by a towering column of purple qi?”
The Elder Celestial Master turned, gazing upon Xuan Zhenzi, who knelt before him.
“Yes—yet when I endeavored to observe closely, it seemed as though my eyes had deceived me!”
“You are a master of physiognomy, having reached the pinnacle of this art; at that moment, amidst your drinking, your spirit was in perfect clarity, attuned to the Great Dao—thus, perchance, you glimpsed that obscured fragment!”
Xuan Zhenzi’s heart recoiled in shock at the Elder Celestial Master’s words!
“Yet such a phenomenon is the visage of an emperor—when I beheld His Majesty, I could only discern half a zhang of purple qi and three zhang of qi-fortune emanating from his form.”
Xuan Zhenzi couldn’t restrain himself from speaking; he had perused Daoist scriptures, which recorded that the golden dragon of qi-fortune was a form coalesced from the fusion of qi-fortune and national destiny—only when an emperor amassed ten zhang of qi-fortune behind him might there be a chance for it to manifest as a golden dragon of qi-fortune.
The Elder Celestial Master fell silent upon hearing Xuan Zhenzi’s words, for he too could offer no explanation!
Xuan Zhenzi pressed on.
“You have said that Yaoguang’s fate is exceedingly exceptional—at her birth, she was innately accompanied by ten zhang of purple qi, with two-tenths of Dawu’s national destiny autonomously merging into her being.
In the future, she may surpass all emperors of ancient and modern times, achieving an unparalleled legacy—unifying the realm, consolidating all the qi-fortune of the world under Dawu’s banner, thereby successfully coalescing a true dragon of qi-fortune.
Should that come to pass, you, bearing the qi-fortune of this grand unification, might well shatter the constraints of the Heavenly Dao, stepping into the legendary realm beyond the First Rank!”
Xuan Zhenzi’s tone grew increasingly solemn as he spoke.
“But now an anomaly has emerged—will this not disrupt your designs, Elder Celestial Master? Should we not seize this moment, while he remains weak, to rectify this variable?”
By the end, Xuan Zhenzi’s voice brimmed with a chilling intent to kill.
When Yaoguang was born, the entire capital had been suffused with purple qi; clouds of violet hue drifted across the horizon—an extraordinary spectacle that brought the people of the capital to their knees in awe.
At the time, the court’s civil and martial officials deemed it a celestial omen heralding victory in the southern frontier campaign, a testament to His Majesty’s merits rivaling those of ancient sage-kings.
His Majesty, overjoyed, had even proclaimed a general amnesty across the realm.
Yet Xuan Zhenzi knew this celestial phenomenon had been triggered by Yaoguang’s birth.
He had been utterly astonished—for a mere princess’s arrival to elicit purple qi enveloping the entire capital was a marvel unprecedented in history; even founding emperors born with vast destined fortune and imperial fate paled in comparison to Yaoguang.
Xuan Zhenzi knew this because the Elder Celestial Master had uncovered this secret all those years ago; skilled in physiognomy, Xuan Zhenzi had been covertly brought into the palace by the Elder Celestial Master to mask the newborn Yaoguang’s physiognomy, lest others discern her extraordinary nature…
“Were an anomaly so easily rectified, it would not be an anomaly!”
“If you were to act personally—as a First-Rank powerhouse—aside from the other four First-Rank masters, who could stand in your way?”
Xuan Zhenzi spoke earnestly, brimming with confidence in the Elder Celestial Master’s prowess.
“Hahaha—before an anomaly, who can claim absolute certainty? Moreover, who can assert with confidence that no other First-Rank master has taken note of this Xia Chen?”
The Elder Celestial Master burst into hearty laughter, his aura serene and benevolent, akin to a kindly elder.
Yet Xuan Zhenzi knew the Elder Celestial Master was no soft-hearted soul.
In his youth, the Elder Celestial Master had ventured alone to the Eastern Wastes, wielding the Xuanwu Sword to purge demons and eradicate evil!
“Are you suggesting, Elder Celestial Master… Abbot Long Shu?”
Xuan Zhenzi’s expression shifted subtly—the contemporary leader of Buddhism, the foremost figure of the Buddhist faith in the Central Plains!
He couldn’t help but recall the Literary Gathering—Master Tianhai had主动 sought out Xia Chen for conversation; had their exchange truly been mere idle chatter?
“Hahahahaha—I know not! The affairs of the realm are manifold and vast; I am but a mortal—how could I comprehend them all?”
The Elder Celestial Master laughed with candid mirth; gazing toward the distant horizon—blue skies and white clouds stirred by a gentle breeze—he smiled once more and spoke again.
“There is no necessity to harbor thoughts of slaughter—since an anomaly exists, there must assuredly be a rationale for its presence; as for the affairs of the future, no one can calculate them with absolute precision and without error.
Even I cannot truly see through it all—the emergence of an anomaly does not necessarily herald ill fortune.
Perhaps, because of this anomaly, we may reap unforeseen gains—who can say? Such is the Dao!
Within the vast unknown, heaven’s will prevails; we are but mortal frames, unable to contend with the heavens—let all unfold as it may!”
The Elder Celestial Master stood at the forefront, with no railing to bar his path; one step further, and he would plummet—yet Xuan Zhenzi harbored no concern that the Elder Celestial Master might fall.
Gazing upon him, Xuan Zhenzi perceived an ethereal仙气, a figure melded with heaven and earth, his form wreathed in a wondrous charm of the Dao.
Xuan Zhenzi sighed inwardly—herein lay the chasm between him and the Elder Celestial Master, not merely in cultivation realm, but in temperament and comprehension of the Dao.
“Since it was you who encountered him, perhaps this signifies a fated bond within the vast unknown—seek to engage with him, free of ulterior motives; let all proceed as it will, just as with Yaoguang. Plant a seed today, and in time it may take root and sprout. I, too, shall seek an opportunity to meet this young man in person, to discern what profound enigma resides within him!”
The Elder Celestial Master stood with his back to Xuan Zhenzi—seemingly turning away from all sentient beings—as though he might meld into the Dao itself, his presence elusive and unfathomable.
“Yes!”
Xuan Zhenzi bowed his head in salute; when he raised it again, he found himself standing on the ground floor, before the Star-Plucking Tower.
A technique of the Celestial Master’s Mansion—Shifting Stars and Turning the Big Dipper!