A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 520: Yuxu Palace

Chapter 520: Yuxu Palace

A crimson sun rose from the sea of clouds, illuminating half the sky.

Accompanied by a clear, loud cry, 999 white cranes ascended in formation, rising alongside the sun. They circled above Jade Capital, their calls echoing continuously, while a rainbow stretched across the sky over the city.

These white cranes were a unique breed carefully cultivated by the Daoist Order. They were unafraid of the frigid weather atop Yuxu Peak and resistant to the harsh winds. They could fly freely above the peaks of Kunlun and were used exclusively for grand ceremonies and festivals.

The majestic Kunlun Mountain was covered in snow all year round. It was only perpetually spring within Jade Capital.

In theory, such temperature-control formations were not difficult to set up. Any of the Three Religions could achieve them. The key, however, was maintaining such an enormous formation over the entire Jade Capital and keeping it active all year round without interruption.

This required a significant expenditure of resources. In many cases, financial strength equated to power, and power equated to status. Undoubtedly, this was the Daoist Order’s way of asserting their dominion over the world.

Those visiting the Jade Capital for the first time were invariably awestruck by the grandeur of this White Jade Capital in the sky.

Today marked the official commencement of the Three Religions Assembly’s debate and martial arts competitions.

In fact, members of the Confucian School and Buddhist Sect had arrived as early as the previous day, lodging in Dongling Place of the Upper Eight Blocks in the Jade Capital. It was only today that they proceeded to Yuxu Palace, which was in the Purple Mansion.

Yuxu Peak and Yuxu Palace shared a similar name, leading many to mistakenly believe that Yuxu Palace was the core of Jade Capital. In reality, it was not.

It was akin to the Fengtian Hall in the Imperial Capital. Many assumed it was used for imperial court sessions, but in truth, it was reserved for grand ceremonies such as the Emperor’s ascension, royal weddings, the Empress’s enthronement, and the New Year celebrations.

Similarly, Yuxu Palace, sharing its name with Yuxu Peak, was the largest palace in Jade Capital. However, it was primarily reserved for grand ceremonies. In addition to hosting the debate and martial arts competitions, it was also the venue for the Grand Master's inauguration and the three major Daoist celebrations, which were the Shangyuan Festival, Zhongyuan Festival, and Xiayuan Festival. It remained largely unused in ordinary times.

The true core of Jade Capital was in Zixiao Palace and the Golden Tower. If the ruling Grand Master was strong-willed, like the fifth-generation Grand Master, then Zixiao Palace was the core. If the Grand Master was weaker, like the sixth-generation Grand Master, then the Golden Tower became the center of power. In any case, Yuxu Palace had little to do with the actual governance of the Daoist Order.

Sage Cihang led a group of disciples from Tiangang Hall to Yuxu Palace, drawing quite a few curious gazes along the way.

Aside from Sage Cihang’s prestigious status, another reason for the attention was that the Cihang lineage had always been female-dominated, with few male members. Even when men were present, they were often peripheral figures.

Since this entire procession consisted of women, it naturally became a striking sight. Many Daoist disciples thought that marrying one of them would be a divine blessing.

That being said, while the Cihang lineage never forbade marriage, marrying one of its disciples was no easy feat—especially the exceptional ones, who historically wed extraordinary figures.

For instance, the first-generation Sage Cihang since the revival of the Daoist Order married the founding emperor of the Great Xuan Dynasty, becoming his empress and the mother of Emperor Taizong, as well as the stepmother of the Holy Xuan’s wife.

In the past, if the Earthly Preceptor personally promoted a young disciple from another faction, people would inevitably suspect ulterior motives, and the disciple’s loyalty would come into question.

But now, with the alliance between the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect, the Earthly Preceptor’s endorsement seemed perfectly natural. As such, Zhang Yuelu’s identity suddenly became special. She was no longer just an ordinary Zhang family disciple, but a symbolic figure representing the cooperation between the two sects.

As long as their alliance remained intact, her unique status would remain unshaken.

Sage Cihang had always been fond of Zhang Yuelu, so she changed her mind and went along with the flow, pushing Zhang Yuelu into the position of her successor. This, in turn, forced the Zhang family to consider whether they would allow a woman from a minor branch to take charge of their household.

Since Sage Cihang had never originally intended for Zhang Yuelu to be her successor, Zhang Yuelu had never gotten the chance to live with the other disciples of the Cihang lineage, making her fundamentally different from the group.

Lacking the shared experiences of her fellow sistren, Zhang Yuelu naturally stood apart from them. This was also why, when she visited Bai Yingqiong, their conversation remained mostly polite formalities. They simply were not familiar with each other.

However, Sage Cihang never fussed over such trivial matters with Zhang Yuelu and simply let things take their natural course.

If Zhang Yuelu could become a Deputy Grand Master or even the Grand Master, soaring beyond such traditions would no longer be an issue.

To put it bluntly, though perhaps unjust, rules were meant for ordinary people.

Gazing ahead, Sage Cihang spoke to Zhang Yuelu, who was trailing a step behind her. “Though the Daoist Order has won in most of the past Three Religions Assemblies, that does not mean the Confucian School and Buddhist Sect are content to serve as mere foils. They may not be able to surpass us in dominance over the world, but they will seek victory in other matters.”

Sage Cihang paused slightly before continuing, “Those who come are not well-intentioned, and those with good intentions do not come. In this debate, you must be cautious of the other two seizing the opportunity to criticize our Daoist system.

“After all, the Grand Master’s position has been vacant for too long, and the competition among the Three Religions has grown increasingly fierce. These are open and unavoidable issues. If we make any missteps at such a critical juncture, they will undoubtedly exploit our weaknesses. Soon, people will start claiming that the Daoist Order is following in the footsteps of the Confucian School’s past decline.”

Zhang Yuelu frowned but remained silent.

After the death of the Confucian Sage of Philosophy, the Confucian School had been left without a unifying leader, with the Grand Libationers and Great Masters governing separately. This created a rare opportunity for the Daoist Order to rise to prominence.

Now, with the Grand Master’s seat left vacant for so long, regardless of the actual reasons, the situation on the surface bore an unsettling resemblance to the Confucian School’s past leadership crisis.

Thus, if someone were to use this as a point of attack, the Daoist Order could refute it, but such a rebuttal would not be very effective. The best counterargument would be to promptly elect a new Grand Master to unify the Daoist Order once again.

As they spoke, Yuxu Palace came into view from a distance.

Apart from Sage Cihang, Sage Donghua, and Sage Qingwei, the newly appointed head of the Ciji Hall—Ning Lingge—was also attending the Three Religions Assembly.

However, the three Deputy Grand Masters and the other Great Sages had chosen not to appear, leaving the stage to the youngsters.