novelraw Chapter 251 : Zhong Ming Has Hope
Chapter 251 : Zhong Ming Has Hope
Chapter 251: Zhong Ming Has Hope
Scholars always liked to assign elegant names to mundane things.
With the Dao Ancestor bestowing seals, even ordinary items were given poetic names.
Chu Huaixu, thick-skinned as ever, showed no hesitation in revealing his ignorance and immediately asked what "【Pure Monarch】" meant.
In the end, he received an answer that left him at a loss between laughter and tears.
"So it's a broom!"
—Pure Monarch sweeps the floating dust, Cool Companion summons the clear breeze.
Here, Pure Monarch referred to a broom, and Cool Companion referred to a fan.
He never would have imagined that the grand Little Martial Uncle of the Dao Gate, a figure renowned across the land, the apparent strongest within the Dao Gate, would have his Dao Seal turn out to be... a broom?
Chu Huaixu could already picture it: the unyielding Jiang Zhi's expression turning stormy the moment he received his Dao Seal.
And the laughter from that generation of senior brothers and sisters from the Gentleman Temple would be thunderous!
"Forget them, even I feel like laughing just hearing this!" Chu Huaixu thought.
He couldn't help but say aloud, "Among the Three Thousand Dao Seals, how could there be something like a broom?"
"There are even stranger ones!" Chu Yinyin replied with a giggle.
If an ordinary person received such a seal, it would be mildly amusing. But consider this: Jiang Zhi's most prominent trait was—vanity.
An obstinate, self-important, extremely vain man receiving the title Pure Monarch... it was likely he rarely ever used the Dao Seal's power at all.
Enforcement Elder Lu Pan, always impartial, spoke up: "Among the Three Thousand Dao Seals, the Dao Ancestor has his reasons. One mustn't look down on the title 'Pure Monarch'."
"The Dao Ancestor's accompanying phrase for these two words is: 【Pure Monarch bears plain snow, sweeping away the dust of the Nine Heavens.】"
Chu Huaixu roughly understood the meaning: the falling snow was likened to the Pure Monarch. As the snow fell, it swept away the dust in the skies, symbolizing the purification of heaven and earth.
Upon hearing the phrase, his brow furrowed slightly as he said, "It matches quite well with our Grandmaster's sixty-year campaign against demons."
"Indeed, indeed," Xiang Yan echoed.
"Evil Cultivators are filth upon this world. Since Little Martial Uncle vowed to purge them for a full sixty years, it naturally fits the deeper meaning of 'Pure Monarch'." The Sect Master smoothed things over.
There was another darker implication, so none of them mentioned it aloud.
Among Jiang Zhi's generation from the Gentleman Temple, all had either died or gone mad. Only he remained.
In more superstitious regions, someone like that would be considered to have jinxed their entire family—a broom star!
Listening to all this, only one thought filled Chu Huaixu's mind: "All of these interpretations of the Dao Seals… are they just us overanalyzing things? Imagining meanings? Or is the Dao Ancestor really this divine?"
Was it really like fortune-telling?
For a moment, not just him, but even the naturally aloof Big Ice Block and the silly Little Xu felt immense curiosity and anticipation toward the Dao Seals bestowed by the Dao Ancestor.
The three newly initiated True Disciples of the Gentleman Temple each began to wonder:
"Then, what characters will the Dao Ancestor grant me?"
Within the Purple Bamboo Forest, they chatted a bit more with Shen Man, and seeing she remained laconic and slightly aloof, they led the three newcomers toward the Gentleman Temple.
A thousand years ago, the Dao Ancestor had been a mere junior Daoist within this very temple.
The current Gentleman Temple largely retained the architecture from back then, only slightly renovated.
Before the Dao Ancestor rose to fame, this temple was an obscure and humble place.
There was little incense offering, and it looked rather simple.
At the temple gates hung a couplet, said to be written by the Temple Master during the Dao Ancestor's youth:
Upper Line: The Gentleman surveys the stars upon the firmament.
Lower Line: The Son guards the Primordial Mystery, knocking upon Heaven's Gate.
Chu Huaixu, not much of a scholar, couldn't judge its merit, but he could tell that the first characters of each line formed the word "Gentleman".
He did know one thing: the phrase "knocking upon Heaven's Gate" implied ascension.
Yet in the Xuanhuang Realm, ascension was more a fantasy than reality.
Even in the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven, where cultivators claimed to seek immortality, there was no true ascension. Reaching the Heavenly Dao Fruit Position in the Soul Transformation Stage was the peak.
Xu Ziqing was already quite familiar with the Gentleman Temple. Chu Huaixu had also secluded himself here before. Han Shuangjiang, however, was relatively unfamiliar with the place.
The three quickly selected their residences.
For now, Chu Huaixu and Xu Ziqing shared a room, while Han Shuangjiang had one to herself.
Afterward, Xiang Yan looked at them and said, "I know you must be eager to receive the Dao Ancestor's Seal."
"Then we won’t summon your senior brothers and sisters from this generation just yet. When the time for your Seals comes, they’ll naturally come out to watch. You can get acquainted then."
"Alright," the three responded in unison.
Then Xiang Yan waved his sleeve and led them to the Dao Bell.
The so-called Dao Bell looked like nothing more than a simple, ancient bronze bell.
"It's said that when the Dao Ancestor was still a junior Daoist in the temple, he was often in charge of ringing the bell," Xiang Yan explained with a smile.
"Later, he sealed all Three Thousand Dao Seals he had refined into this bell. That's why we call it the Dao Bell."
"When the two of you received Dao Seals in the Inheritance Secret Realm, the bell rang—twice, three times."
After speaking, he turned to Lu Pan. "Senior Brother, I leave it to you."
Lu Pan nodded and stepped forward.
He approached the Dao Bell and said to the three, "Each of you, offer a drop of blood from your fingertip."
The three did so immediately.
Three drops of blood floated toward the Dao Bell and merged into it.
Immediately, three wisps of green smoke drifted out from the bell.
They slowly floated toward Chu Huaixu and the others, each merging into their bodies and flowing into their Sea of Consciousness.
Chu Huaixu controlled the black small sword within his Sea of Consciousness, preventing it from resisting the green smoke.
The green smoke settled inside the Sea of Consciousness, gradually expanding and spreading like a thin mist.
Strangely, no System Task was triggered.
After this process, Lu Pan instructed, "You may now head to the inner sect’s Disciples’ Courtyard to receive appropriate Demon Purging Missions."
"Remember: you must slay an Evil Cultivator of a realm higher than your own, and do so alone."
"Yes, we obey," the three replied in unison.
But soon, Chu Huaixu said, "According to the schedule, I should visit the Fifth Martial Ancestor for treatment. Afterward, I’ll descend the mountain."
"Very well," Lu Pan replied with a smile.
However, everyone’s smile froze quickly.
Because Chu Huaixu then asked, "Which master is willing to accompany me this time?"
Zhong Ming, after all, was a Ninth Realm madman. Despite the many restrictions in place, it was still unsafe for someone with Chu Huaixu's modest cultivation to go alone.
Jiang Zhi had long instructed that someone must accompany him each time.
But that also meant someone had to eat the dreadfully awful Ding-sheng Pastry.
Previously, Chu Huaixu and Jiang Zhi had agreed: next time, he would focus on channeling the power of 【Southward Sunlight】, while the companion did the eating.
The Fifth Martial Ancestor enjoyed silently watching others eat the pastry, which aided the treatment process.
"Whose turn is it this time?" Enforcement Elder Lu Pan asked sternly, sweeping his gaze over the crowd.
Dead Gambler Li Chunsong stepped forward helplessly, forcing a smile. "It’s my turn to eat."
"Then, Sixth Junior Brother, let’s go," Xiang Yan said with a grin.
The two quickly made their way to Zhong Ming’s courtyard.
Li Chunsong devoured pastries nonstop while Chu Huaixu channeled the power of 【Southward Sunlight】.
To him, the Fifth Martial Ancestor hadn’t shown much improvement.
At best, he no longer had sudden violent episodes, but still remained dull-witted.
"Is this just treating the symptoms, not the root?" Chu Huaixu began doubting himself.
Or more precisely, doubting the Dao Seal bestowed by the Dao Ancestor.
Yet after this session, the System suddenly issued a prompt:
"[【Current Treatment Progress: 1%】]"
His eyes lit up!
"There’s progress—then it means it’s working!"
"Maybe it didn’t show before because the effect hadn’t even reached 1%?"
Chu Huaixu had a positive attitude. He wasn’t disheartened by how many times he had come and the meager progress.
"At least it proves I’m not wasting effort!" He was genuinely excited.
As his strength increased, the progress would surely accelerate.
He even felt a sense of accomplishment.
When he exited the courtyard, he was all smiles. Meanwhile, Li Chunsong looked utterly miserable.
"Why does it feel like Fifth Martial Uncle's pastries are getting worse?" he muttered.
Next, Chu Huaixu and the others bid farewell to Xiang Yan and promptly headed to the inner sect’s Disciples’ Courtyard to receive sect missions.
Due to the bizarre actions of the Black Moon Sect, Evil Cultivators had been appearing en masse.
As a result, demon-purging missions in the Disciples’ Courtyard surged in number. The Dao Gate dispatched experts in movement and stealth techniques to patrol the lower mountains, gathering intel on Evil Cultivator activity and attempting to brand them with Tracking Seals.
"Well, that just makes our mission easier," Chu Huaixu thought.
They browsed through the missions, but found none perfectly suitable.
Ideally, there would be a mission with three Fourth Realm Evil Cultivators, plus some First and Second Realm lackeys—but no such luck.
Eventually, Chu Huaixu’s gaze settled on the 【West Gorge Mountain】 mission.
It involved five early Fourth Realm Evil Cultivators, along with multiple Third Realm ones.
"How about this one?" he suggested.
"Each of you take one; I’ll handle the other three." Chu Huaixu began assigning roles.
Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing exchanged glances.
To leap a major realm and take on three foes?
If it were anyone else, they’d say he was mad.
But if it was Chu Huaixu... let him be!
To Dead Fox, these were all walking Experience Points.
He even felt like staying in the Disciples’ Courtyard long-term, taking missions daily.
"Thanks to the Black Moon Sect Leader for the offerings."
As for the numerous Third Realm Evil Cultivators, Chu Huaixu didn’t care how many there were.
To him, they were appetizers. The sword energy stored in his scabbard 【Ding Fengbo】 could easily slay them—one strike per enemy.
Meanwhile, everything the three did was being observed through divine sense by Xiang Yan and the others.
"He’s pretty gutsy," Zhao Shuqin commented.
One kill would have sufficed, yet he chose to take on three.
Even Xiang Yan was a little amused. "Before entering the Origin Spirit Realm, Little Martial Uncle and I specifically sent him down the mountain to temper his killing intent."
"Now, it seems his killing intent is a bit excessive—rather like Little Martial Uncle."
After accepting their missions, Chu Huaixu and company immediately mounted their Swift Movement Steeds and descended the mountain.
Within the Gentleman Temple, Sect Master Xiang Yan glanced at everyone and said, "Things down the mountain are far from calm lately."
"This Black Moon Sect Leader is likely no ordinary man," he said gravely.
Upon hearing this, Lu Pan volunteered, "Allow me to make a trip and accompany them."
"Alright," Xiang Yan nodded.
The Eighth Realm Enforcement Elder transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the clouds.
Xiang Yan lifted his head, looking in the direction his senior brother had departed.
To him, that senior brother was the most reliable, the most reassuring.
He still remembered the accompanying phrase bestowed upon Lu Pan with the characters "Pine" and "Cypress" from the Dao Ancestor:
—Pine and cypress uphold the heavens with iron bones, facing gale-force winds from all eight directions.