Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology

"Treasure-seeking in the Western Regions? How far is it from the Central Plains?"

Jin Bifeng asked.

Jin Bifeng was utterly baffled. Suddenly, it dawned on him—he had been outmaneuvered by the Emperor.

The Emperor likely had no genuine intention of suppressing Buddhism; he just needed an excuse to summon him out.

If he truly wanted to suppress Buddhism, he wouldn't have waited until now.

"A hundred and eighty thousand li."

Emperor Yongle replied.

"I hereby appoint you two as the Heavenly Master of the Great Ming Country and the State Preceptor of the Great Ming Country, with Song Lin as the Guardian Taoist of the Great Ming Country. Once the court assigns troops and generals, you shall set out immediately."

"As for the route, it is via waterways. Both the State Preceptor and the Heavenly Master are well-versed in traversing the four continents, so you must already know the route to the Western Regions."

At this moment, Heavenly Master Zhang unfurled a nautical map.

On it, various routes were marked with circles and lines, with small annotations noting countries or geographical features.

The illustrations were simple yet clear at a glance.

"The embarkation point is the Yangzi River, followed by passing through Red River Mouth and White Dragon River. Beyond that lies the vast ocean, marking the exit from the Southern Continent. Following the route through Liuqiu and Guangzhou, one traverses the eight-hundred-li Soft Water Ocean, and then Magnetic Ridge."

Soon, Song Lin and the others drafted a proposal for the expedition, which was submitted to the court for troop assignments and official seals.

Song Lin recommended that the Three Treasures Eunuch, Zheng He, lead the fleet.

The proposed roster included one Western Expedition Grand Marshal, one General, one Vice General, two vanguard officers, five Five Army Commanders, one hundred commanders, one hundred and fifty household leaders, and five hundred centurions, plus an army of thirty thousand heroic troops.

The logistical personnel included one official from the Ministry of Revenue for provisions, ten interpreters, one hundred medical officers, three hundred support staff, five hundred Taoists, and two hundred craftsmen...

In total, there were over thirty thousand people.

The treasure ships were under intense construction.

It was estimated that thirty-six treasure ships would be forty zhang long and eighteen zhang wide, one hundred and eighty warships would be eighteen zhang long, three hundred passenger ships would be twenty-four zhang long, seven hundred horse ships, and three hundred supply and cargo ships.

This would amount to an invincible fleet of over a thousand ships at sea.

Emperor Yongle reviewed the list of officials' names on the proposal but noticed that Song Lin and his two companions were not listed.

"Are the three masters not going to leave your names or take official seals?"

"This old monk has no use for vanity. Doing this as an act of merit is enough."

Song Lin and the other two also expressed no need for recognition.

Inside the grand hall, the Three Treasures Eunuch Zheng He gazed at Song Lin in astonishment.

Having entrusted him with this important task, Xuantian God clearly valued his abilities.

Now seeing Song Lin, Zheng He immediately realized it was Song Lin's influence.

If not for the solemnity of the grand hall, he would have expressed his gratitude on the spot.

"It may still take two years of preparation. This expedition to the Western Regions could consume the annual tax revenues of eighteen provinces."

Emperor Yongle mused.

"Two years? This differs from the historical record. It seems this world's story has once again diverged."

Song Lin thought to himself.

One cannot draw direct conclusions from the storyline; sometimes, one's very presence can alter the narrative.

With such lengthy preparations and such a large number of people, it might take decades to complete.

Soon, Song Lin and the others returned to their residence for rest.

"Taoist, your skills are impressive."

Zhang Yinhua smiled, showing no trace of concern over his earlier failure in Taoist Skill.

He had actually noticed that Song Lin had been supporting him. If not for Song Lin's intervention, Jin Bifeng's subordinates would have completely overwhelmed him.

As the leading sect of the Taoist School in the world, Dragon Tiger Mountain would have faced countless storms.

"It was no trouble."

Song Lin replied modestly.

Heavenly Master Zhang was indeed powerful, but Jin Bifeng's origin was unclear.

Had he known beforehand, he might not have been caught off guard.

Song Lin had merely relied on the advantage of his spells. When it came to cultivation, he might lag slightly behind Jin Bifeng.

However, in a life-and-death battle, Song Lin was confident he could prevail.

In this sort of world, the suppression of cultivation levels wasn't terribly pronounced.

Much relied on duels of spell, magic treasure, and array.

Such was the case in "Journey to the West," and likewise in "Western Ocean Record."

In worlds like this, it was hard to gauge someone's true strength without seeing them in action.

Furthermore, cultivation levels were often crudely defined.

Purple Mansion cultivators were referred to as Independent Immortals; those with official status were Heavenly Immortals. Tribulation crossing cultivators were Taiyi Heavenly Immortals; those without official positions were Taiyi Loose Immortals.

The two conversed casually as they walked.

Zhang Yinhua showed some curiosity about overseas Taoist practices.

Learning that Song Lin practiced more than ten different Taoist traditions, and that the Heavenly Court did not have an Old Heavenly Master, he couldn't help but be amazed, "Then doesn't that mean your disciples must endure extreme hardships? It might take decades, even centuries, to achieve minor mastery."

"More or less."

"Oh, it's quite different from our Dragon Tiger Mountain."

His tone did not betray condescension toward Song Lin.

As a thousand-year-old sect, Dragon Tiger Mountain had nurtured countless Immortals who ascended to the Heavenly Court. Its sect's foundations were unimaginably deep, and, paired with the Heavenly Court's Chuan Du liturgy system, its cultivation process was significantly faster compared to ordinary sects lacking such heritage.

Generally, after two or three years of assessment and acceptance into the liturgy, disciples could wield powerful spells or even take command of troops.

This was the fundamental difference between orthodox Taoists and overseas Loose Cultivators.

Orthodox Taoists couldn't be judged solely by their cultivation. Who knew where they might call reinforcements from?

"Admirable! I must certainly visit your sect someday."

Song Lin replied sincerely.

The Taoist lineage of this world's Dragon Tiger Mountain might be a bit simpler, but its system was commendable.

Its cultivation was relatively effortless, and its spells were highly potent.

The initial years of cultivation focused primarily on tempering one's mind; only after proving one's mindset did they undergo the liturgy and begin their true path of cultivation.

There were also masters to watch over them, ready to summon reinforcements at any moment.

It was far easier than starting cultivation from scratch.

Their approach was akin to a "simple mode," while Donghua Jungle's path resembled a "hell-difficulty mode."

However, such a system often bred exclusivity.

They could not easily accept new Magic Veins, as their upper-tier practitioners lacked external support and had to independently explore new paths. Over time, this led to rigid and exclusionary practices.

If Song Lin were to imitate this model, he would have to address this issue.

"Hold on a moment, Taoist!"

Jin Bifeng suddenly called out to Song Lin.

"Would the Taoist be willing to return the Water Spirit to this monk?"

"..." Song Lin's expression grew slightly awkward; he had hoped the matter might pass unnoticed.

With a flourish!

A transparent jade bracelet materialized in his palm.