Chapter 518 — The First Primordial Spirit Council

The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping thought it over. Ever since Shen Mu had forced him into becoming a Heavenly King of the Heavenly Sacred Sect, it did seem that he had done very little for the sect; it was Shen Mu and the Heavenly Sacred Sect that had helped him without any reservation.

The sect's ideals clashed with his own in nothing, and since he had received its grace, he was of course bound to repay it.

He escorted Shen Mu out of the Imperial Preceptor's residence and halted outside the gate. "Sect Master Shen, as the Holy Master of the sect, you too seem to spend little time within it; you are forever loitering about outside, without even time to cultivate. Do not let it delay your progress in cultivation. In this age of great change, the Way and its divine arts are shifting, renewing with each passing day. Even I, since returning to Jingping not long ago, have been learning the new divine arts of the Way that have appeared in Jingping.

Cultivation is a boat rowed against the current: without learning, one falls back.

Bear that in mind, Sect Master. " Shen Mu's heart stirred faintly. "You are already a deity. Do you too need to learn the newly appeared divine arts of the Way of Jingping? " The Imperial Preceptor nodded.

"Among the young masters of your generation there is no shortage of men with ideas. As for sword arts, I have already made public the three newly added basic sword forms, and your Eighteen Forms of the Sword have been made public by me as well.

Four new basic sword forms alone are enough to breed countless new sword moves across the world's sword-path divine arts. And what is more, once the cultivation method of the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit is spread abroad, it will change the divine arts of the Way far more.

Four new basic sword forms change only sword arts, but a change in the cultivation system itself makes for far greater upheaval.

" Shen Mu deeply agreed.

To create a sword art is hard, but to alter the foundations is harder still; once the foundations alter, countless people are given the chance to reform and innovate, and one might say a great host of opportunities lies before them. The Primordial Spirit Guide that he and Ling Yuxiu had created had changed the foundations of cultivation, and once the foundations changed, endless possibilities opened up; more and more people would apply their wisdom and talent upon that ground, making the divine arts of the Way leap forward, and bringing forth Grand Masters beyond counting. Yet even he, the reformer, had need to learn and adapt to the new divine arts. "I suggest you go to the Grand Academy and the Four Great Academies, and stay a while in each, exchanging ideas with those young men. " The Imperial Preceptor was full of feeling. "The divine arts of the Way change with each passing day, and the young pour out ideas without end.

In a few months I have felt myself grow old, fallen behind the times, in need of learning from these young people.

In the years to come, those of the younger generation who cultivate to the divine realm will surely be very many.

Two days before you came to the capital, Daoist Master Lin Xuan led the young generation of the Daoist sect to the Grand Academy to exchange divine powers and arts, and I too was there in the Grand Academy studying the divine arts those young ones had created and talking with him, and it stirred many feelings in me.

Yesterday Ma Rulai also arrived with many monks and demons to discourse on the Way at the Grand Academy; only I had no leisure to go. " "Lord Huo has come to the capital as well? " Shen Mu was delighted, and asked abruptly, "Imperial Preceptor, how many gods and demons are there in Jingping at present?

" The Imperial Preceptor was slightly taken aback.

"Why do you ask? " Shen Mu recounted what he had seen in the darkness of the Waste and the conjecture of the Demon King Dutian, then said, "The collision with the other world may happen tens of thousands of years from now, or it may happen tomorrow, so we must prepare early.

The more gods and demons Jingping has, the better; otherwise there will be no resisting them at all. " The Imperial Preceptor pondered a while, then said doubtfully, "You can enter the darkness? " Shen Mu hesitated, then told him the truth. "I was born in Youdu.

Yama says I can enter the darkness of the Waste and take no hurt from it.

I take him to mean that I may be half a Youdu demon. " The Imperial Preceptor did not ponder this deeply.

"If Heaven means to destroy Jingping, there is nothing to be done about it.

The Emperor has already crossed the Divine Bridge, and there are more than ten other deities within the realm. I told the Emperor that every god and demon must be recorded in the registers, and the Emperor has done so.

But against so vicious a demon world, Jingping will not have the strength to resist within several decades. If that day truly comes.

.

.

" He smiled, and said calmly, "I leave what comes after me to you. " Shen Mu was deeply shaken, knowing he had the resolve to die for his country. "The demon race has been attacking that other world in the darkness for twenty thousand years without breaking through; there is no reason it should be broken through tomorrow.

Do not take it to heart, Imperial Preceptor.

Building the road is what matters. " The two took their leave.

Shen Mu brought the dragon qilin and the chest to the Grand Academy, and found it more clamorous than ever, filled with divine-power adepts from every place, and not a few even from the grasslands and the ice plains.

Emperor Yanfeng had ordered the Four Great Academies established to share the Grand Academy's burden: the Jiangling Academy, the Yong River Academy, the Lan River Academy, and the Heavenly Sacred Academy. The Four Great Academies were thriving now as well, with a great many scholars, though compared with the Grand Academy they still fell a little short. "Sect Master Shen! " "Grand Libationer Shen!

" Word of Shen Mu's arrival spread through the Grand Academy at once. Soon Daoist Master Lin Xuan came with a great many Daoists, Ma Rulai with a great many monks, and Pei Wujiu with a great many scholars of the Grand Academy, while old friends of the Academy came forward too; Shen Mu hurried to return their greetings, and the Grand Academy was in an uproar.

"Grand Libationer Shen was once a scholar of the Scholars' Lodge of the Grand Academy. Even then I saw that he was no creature to stay in a pond, but would rise one day and become a true dragon!

" Pei Wujiu's face shone with glory.

"Who would have thought that the Scholar Shen of those days would become the Grand Libationer of the Heavenly Sacred Academy among the Four Great Academies?

I count myself honored as well! " Shen Mu laughed heartily.

"Lord Gu, I have come to study a second time; I am still your humble scholar!

" Pei Wujiu was much moved.

"Say no such thing, Lord Shen; this old man is truly unworthy. We have been old friends for many years.

When I first laid eyes on you at the Dragon Palace of the Xiong River, I knew you were no ordinary man, or I would never have given you the Chubao Sword. Truly, a keen eye knows a jewel and a fine sword goes to a hero: the bond between Lord Shen and me began at the Dragon Palace of the Xiong River!

Hahaha! " When the clamor had run its course, Shen Mu greeted Ma Rulai, Lin Xuan and the rest, and exchanged pleasantries with Wei Yong, Yun Que, Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong and the others; Zhankong the Dark Ape Demon was among them too, and the din was beyond measure.

Wei Yong, Shen Wanyun and other old friends had spent the past two years training in the army, and their cultivation had advanced swiftly; they had grown into men able to hold their own, and Shen Mu rejoiced for them.