Chapter 130: Altar Rituals

On the viewing stands, the senior figures of Sanqingshan, Gezaoshan, and Xishan cupped their hands and exchanged courteous nods with one another.

With the juniors below yielding to each other with grace and conducting themselves in an open and generous manner, these elders naturally felt a sense of pride.

Although the disciple from Bingfengshan had intended to seize the initiative, from another perspective, it also showed the courage to be the first. Furthermore, since he had truly delivered concrete results, the other three sects all offered their congratulations.

The people from Bingfengshan beamed with smiles, yet verbally they chided that they must surely go back and teach their disciples what modesty truly meant.

The atmosphere on the stands was harmonious; let us now turn our gaze below.

Cheng Xinzhan looked toward Hao Jianshi.

Hao Jianshi was a second-realm Daoist priest from the Sweet Dew Bureau of the Penglai Department under the Pivotal Mountain, sharing the same lineage as He Jiyuan. By seniority, he was actually He Jiyuan’s martial uncle.

When Cheng Xinzhan attended lectures at the Sweet Dew Bureau, his instructor was Daoist Master Jianping, who was He Jiyuan’s master and Hao Jianshi’s martial senior.

Having met Hao Jianshi a few times while on official outdoor duty, Cheng Xinzhan knew him to be young and talented; otherwise, he would not have been accepted as the closing disciple by the head of the Sweet Dew Bureau.

Cheng Xinzhan raised a hand and said,

"Please go ahead, Daoist Brother."

However, Hao Jianshi merely shook his head and said softly,

"Others might not know, but how could Xinzhan not know? Our Sweet Dew Bureau is responsible for bringing down rain, yet we do not know how to clear the skies. Draining water and relieving floods is the business of the Clear Sky Bureau. If I were to go first, this rain would never stop."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and nodded, well aware of the capabilities of the Sweet Dew Bureau.

With that, he cupped his hands toward the rest of the group and strode up to the ritual altar.

The entire audience watched him closely.

Cheng Xinzhan waited for a while. The last disciple from the Divine Firmament Sect had summoned clouds and rain, resulting in a drizzle that was dreary and clouds that looked desolate—falling scarcely enough to be of consequence, yet unable to scatter properly.

He had no wish to borrow the momentum of this bleak and bitter wind and rain.

Fortunately, the amount of rain summoned by that person was minimal, and today’s weather was one of warm, gentle spring sunshine. Cheng Xinzhan did not have to wait long before the sky overhead cleared up once again.

Facing north, he retrieved a long table from his spirit-storage cavern-stone.

The table was tall, reaching up to a person’s chest and abdomen. Its surface was charred black and covered with intricate, winding branch-like grain patterns; this was a ritual table made from thunder-struck jujube wood.

He had salvaged this table from the ruins of a collapsed Daoist temple in the wilderness of Jinyuan while traveling abroad.

There was a circular indentation on the tabletop; at a single glance, one could tell this was a ritual table placed before a divine statue to hold an incense burner, and that circular indentation was the mark left by the base of the incense burner over long years of placement.

Crafted from thunder-struck jujube wood and having absorbed the smoke of incense for who knows how many years, the table was imbued with a yang nature, which was why it had remained perfectly intact beneath the ruins of the Daoist temple.

Following that, he flicked out a scroll, which automatically unfurled and hung suspended in the air to the right of the ritual table. It was none of other than:

"Portrait Screen of the Twenty-Eight Constellation Lords of the Vast Heaven—Fragmentary Scroll—Chapter of the Seven Mansions of the White Tiger—Warring States Rubbing Edition."

This was Cheng Xinzhan’s very first visualization scroll.

Next, he hung another long scroll to the left, which was precisely:

"Portrait Screen of the Twenty-Eight Constellation Lords of the Vast Heaven—Fragmentary Scroll—Chapter of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon—Warring States Rubbing Edition."

He had purchased this from the library once he came into wealth.

Following that came two more scrolls, one after the other. The front one was the Chart of the Seven Mansions of the Dark Warrior, and the rear one was the Chart of the Seven Mansions of the Vermilion Bird.

These two fragmentary charts were not originally in Sanqingshan; he had asked Eleven-Niang to seek them out for him, thereby completing the full set.

"Xinzhan is setting up a ritual altar! Where on earth did he learn this?"

On the viewing stands, Ying Jingsong asked Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji shook his head and replied,

"Later on, he studied thunder techniques in the Five Thunders Courtyard; it must have been taught by the elders. To be honest, I have no idea how much stuff those elders have actually taught Xinzhan.

"In the past, I don’t know how many times I begged those elders, hoping to have them help mentor disciples for our manor, but they simply refused, claiming they didn’t know how to teach. Yet a few years ago, when they ran into someone with such exceptional talent as Xinzhan, they scrambled to teach him instead. I heard the elders even made a schedule among themselves!"

Listening from the side, Ren Wushi felt his inner resolve grow even firmer.

Down on the plaza’s ritual altar, Cheng Xinzhan produced a candlestick and an incense burner.

The candlestick had nothing particularly special about it—it was a candle from the Miao stockades. A Miao stockade could not be without candles; once darkness fell, every household would light them, using candles made from a unique tree oil native to that region.

The incense burner, along with the ritual table, had been obtained from the ruins of the Daoist temple in Jinyuan.

When first acquired, the incense burner had been battered and broken, but he had subsequently put it through the furnace fire of the Weaponry Courtyard, melting some refined gold into it. At this moment, it gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

Placed squarely within the deep circular mark on the long table, the incense burner fit the indentation without a fraction of a millimeter of leeway.

He inserted the incense—it was incense from Xiangzhang Town.

Following that, he placed a book upon the table, right behind the incense burner; the title was "Records of Thunder and Exorcism."

He then took out three sheets of paper bearing painted portraits, which were the character illustrations he had drawn when writing "Records of Thunder and Exorcism."

They were precisely the three figures: the Divine Might Exorcising Thunder-Breaking True Monarch holding a tablet, the Divine Thunder Official of Autumn holding a golden mirror, and the Water Thunder Official of Summer holding drumsticks.

That was still not all; he produced a bronze water-dropper.

This bronze water-dropper, known as the Star-and-Moon Dew-Gathering Dropper, was something he had picked up from a stall run by fellow disciples of the Eastern Heaven Dao. It was a ritual implement used by a disciple of the Dew-Receiving Valley, and its rank was not high.

Under a clear night sky, starlight and moonlight falling into the dropper would condense into dew, which upon consumption could fragrance the saliva and consolidate one’s vital essence.

At this moment, however, Cheng Xinzhan was putting it to a different use.

He unhooked the gourd from his waist and poured half a dropper of clean water into it.

Next, he bit his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall inside.

Upon entering the clear water, the drop of blood did not disperse; instead, it faintly transformed into the shape of a dragon.

When he pushed the water dropper beside the candlestick, the ritual table, the four cardinal constellation charts, the incense burner, the thunder deity paintings and books, and the water dropper all simultaneously emitted a brilliant glow.

The altar ritual was now formed.

He took out five blank taledict.

These were given to him by the elders of the Five Thunders Courtyard when they taught him altar rituals.

As for why the elders of the Five Thunders Courtyard had taught him altar rituals, it was because no one in Yingyuan Manor was willing to study such things anymore, whereas Cheng Xinzhan happened to be willing to study anything and learned everything with great speed.

The reason no one studied them was that the heavenly deities and earthly divinities of this realm were gradually fading into obscurity. Although the dao-marks of the deities' laws within heaven and earth still remained, executing an altar ritual required the altar master to be able to resonate with these divine law-marks. Consequently, performing an altar ritual was now countless times more difficult than it had been in ancient times.

He unfolded the first blank taledict, picked up the talisman brush, and wrote on the spot.

Everyone saw that the moment Cheng Xinzhan’s brush touched the paper, a gentle breeze began to rise across the plaza.

There were many deities in charge of the wind: the Wind Earl, Fairy Han, and Great Lord Xun, along with subordinate wind officers. In ancient times, Cheng Xinzhan would not have had to deliberate at all; he could have directly dispatched a taledict to the Ministry of Thunder, and the immortals of the Ministry of Thunder would naturally have issued orders to the Wind Department.

However, where was there any Ministry of Thunder left in heaven and earth at present? To summon the wind, one had to rouse the imprint left behind by the Wind God among mortals.

Although Cheng Xinzhan practiced wind techniques, he had not yet visualized the Wind God; thus, what he summoned this time was the Heavenly Sovereign Jianbing of the White Tiger of the West, who also governed the wind. Having held the "Chapter of the Seven Mansions of the White Tiger" in his hands for many years, he had naturally visualized the stars of the White Tiger.

He wrote the divine script in wind-grass script, raised the taledict high in sacrifice, then pointed his hand at the taledict and chanted,

"Wind, come!"

The taledict burned high in the sky, and the stars of the western seven mansions flashed across the heavens, forming the shape of a tiger.

Everyone faintly heard a tiger’s roar.

The tiger’s roar transformed into the howling of the wind.

Instantly, a fierce gale arose.

True to the saying: the wind follows the tiger.

Cheng Xinzhan’s robes fluttered wildly, and the flames of the incense burners at the four corners of the plaza flickered unsteadily.

Waves of sound surged through the pine trees across the mountains.

Inside the Golden Hall, the exalted true ones exchanged remarks.

"This is dispatching documents and burning taledicts! Duxing, I truly never imagined that there are still young people today who know how to perform such ancient-style altar rituals."

A majestic and lofty voice rang out.

The smile on Lu Duxing’s face could not be contained as he cupped his hands and replied,

"Celestial Master, this child is clever and studious; I have no idea where he learned these things."

The vice-leader of the Divine Firmament Sect sighed and said,

"Only this child has summoned genuine meteorological phenomena! There is moisture carried within the wind—look, the birds, smelling the moisture in the wind, are already heading back to their nests. Those summoned by the previous few were merely superficial, just going through the motions!"

Everyone nodded.

Indeed, swallows all over the sky, perceiving the damp wind, hurried to carry mud and return to their nests. These lovely spirits had no idea what was happening today, nor why the rain had come on and off several times—especially the previous few instances, when the rain arrived so abruptly that they were soaked to the skin. Fortunately this time, the wind had given them advance warning.

At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan began writing the second taledict. He had not visualized the various gods of the Cloud Department either; this time, what he summoned was the Heavenly Sovereign Mengzhang of the Azure Dragon of the East.

After visualizing the stars of the White Tiger, he had sought out the "Chapter of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon" in the library of Xiaowanshan and visualized the stars of the Azure Dragon. In addition to that, after returning to the mountain from the true-malignance-piercing acupoint of Lantaoshan, Red Wood Ridge and Azure Dragon Cave had sent congratulatory gifts; among the gifts from Azure Dragon Cave was the Eastern Azure Dragon Star Chart, which he had studied earnestly back then in order to practice the art of pacing the Dipper.

He wrote the prayer text in cloud-clerical script, raised the taledict high in sacrifice, pointed his hand at the taledict once more, and chanted,

"Clouds, rise!"

The taledict burned high in the sky, and the stars of the eastern seven mansions flashed across the heavens, forming the shape of a dragon.

With a dragon’s roar, cloud vapors spontaneously arose, exactly as clouds follow the dragon.

In a split second, day turned to dusk, and dark clouds billowed forth, blotting out the sky and sun as if night had fallen in an instant.

Black clouds pressed down upon the mountains.

The third taledict was written in thunder-seal script, and the deities it summoned were precisely the orthodox gods of the Ministry of Thunder.

The portrait of the Divine Might Exorcising Thunder-Breaking True Monarch flashed with thunderous light, and rising to the heavens along with the taledict were also the portraits of the Divine Thunder Official of Autumn and the Water Thunder Official of Summer.

He pointed his finger at the taledict and shouted in command,

"Lightning, flash! Thunder, rumble!"

The taledict and the portraits began to burn.

Amidst the black clouds, the phantom images of the Divine Thunder Official of Autumn and the Water Thunder Official of Summer flashed past. The Divine Thunder Official of Autumn held up his mirror, and boundless brilliant light burst forth from the mirror—this was the flashing of lightning. The Water Thunder Official of Summer beat his drum, causing the drum surface to vibrate with a booming sound—this was the rumbling of thunder.

It was as if fiery beasts had descended from the heavenly gates; purple snakes broke away from the Dipper Mansion, unleashing lightning and thunder with the force of a thousand jun.

Dark clouds, purple lightning, and howling winds made it seem as though the heavens were tipping over.

Whether it was the disciples of Mount Longhu who had taken the lead or the disciples of the Divine Firmament Sect who followed closely behind, upon witnessing such a spectacle at this moment, their expressions changed drastically.

Some even wondered if the weather had genuinely changed of its own accord, destined for a sudden downpour, and this fellow had simply happened to catch it by coincidence.

However, no words came out from the Golden Hall, so no matter how they guessed, it was useless. Therefore, they could only hope that this boy from Sanqingshan would bring down a heavy, uncontrollable rain shortly—no matter how grand the momentum, a loss was still a loss.

As for whether he could summon rain at all, no one entertained that thought anymore.

The fourth taledict summoned the Dragon King.

Before the brush touched the paper, he dipped the talisman brush into the water-dropper, using the blood-water imbued with dragon might as ink, and wrote the eulogy to the Dragon God in dragon-script.

He raised the taledict high and chanted,

"Rain, arrive!"

The taledict burned in the air, and its smoke and fire transformed into a divine dragon that wove through the dark clouds.

After a few dragon roars, a torrential downpour answered the call and fell.

As the saying goes: the heavenly Milky Way empties, white waves surge atop the mountain peaks; its momentum is like the overturning of the heavens, its urgency like a rushing sea.

The wind and rain naturally parted around Cheng Xinzhan. Gazing at the curtain of rain, he silently counted the tally in his heart.

Time slowly passed. The heavy rain poured down like water from an overturned vessel, splashing countless jasmine-like droplets upon the flagstones of the mountain-top plaza.

One inch;

Two inches;

Three inches;

Three inches and forty points.

He raised the fifth taledict. Need one guess who was summoned? Naturally, it was the Yang Lord, the Star Official of the Hairy Head.

Defying wind and rain, the taledict burned with golden flames in the air.

He shouted his command aloud,

"Rain, cease!"

The heavy rain stopped abruptly.

The very last raindrop struck the ground, and the tally measured precisely three inches and forty-eight points.

At this moment, lightning still flashed, thunder continued to rumble, the fierce gale blew unabated, and the ink-black clouds remained like a sea, awaiting Cheng Xinzhan’s command.

Cheng Xinzhan cast a Light-Brightening Talisman into the clouds and commanded,

"Wind, subside! Clouds, disperse! Thunder, withdraw! All deities, retire!"

Thus, the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Thunder Gods, and the Dragon King dissipated one by one.

Clear skies and a bright sun reappeared; spring swallows emerged once again from their nests.

On Flat-Top Mountain, a profound silence reigned, broken only by the chirping of spring swallows.

Everyone stared up at the meteorological phenomenon.

Calling the wind and summoning the rain—human will conquers the heavens!

Was this not precisely the true meaning of cultivation!

"Clap, clap, clap—"

The sound of applause drifted out from the Golden Hall.

Instantly, the guests on the viewing stands awoke as from a dream, standing up one after another to applaud and cheer. The sound was like thunder, lingering and unceasing.

Cheng Xinzhan put away his various ritual implements, bowed in salute to the four directions, and then stepped down from the ritual altar, preparing to walk back toward the Sanqingshan seating area on the viewing stands.

Hao Jianshi suddenly let out a hearty laugh. Instead of ascending the ritual altar himself, he caught up with Cheng Xinzhan, preparing to head back!

"This Daoist friend!"

A Daoist priest from Gezaoshan called out to stop Hao Jianshi and asked,

"Why is Daoist friend no longer competing?"

Hao Jianshi did not even look back, casually replying,

"With my thunder techniques left unswung, Xinzhan’s wondrous arts lead the way."

Hearing this, the Daoist priests of Gezaoshan and Xishan were stunned for a moment, and then they all burst into hearty laughter.

"Left unswung—well said! Left unswung indeed!"

Following that, not a single one of the remaining Daoist priests stepped onto the altar; all of them withdrew.

Since no one else stepped onto the stage, the Junior Celestial Master announced the rankings for this demonstration of praying for clear and rainy weather.

"The Daoist priest of Sanqingshan, who summoned rain and cleared the skies, whose commands were executed strictly, resulting in a rainfall of three inches and forty-eight points, takes first place!

"The Daoist priest of Bingfengshan, who commanded rain to arrive and slowly cleared the skies, resulting in a rainfall of four inches and fifty-five points, takes second place!

"The Daoist priest of Mount Longhu, who commanded rain to arrive and cleared the skies long after, resulting in a rainfall of eight inches and seventeen points, takes third place!

"The above three may enter the Hall of Conferred Seals in the Celestial Master’s Mansion after the ceremony to observe the ancestral Celestial Master’s legacy, the 'Seal of the Metropolis of Yangping'!"

Everyone had seen this demonstration of praying for clear and rainy weather with utmost clarity, and no one raised any objections.

Cheng Xinzhan returned to the viewing stands, greeted by the praises of his elders and the commendations of his fellow apprentices on every side.

This was already the third item of the Dharma assembly's agenda, and what followed was the fourth item.

Martial combat.

In previous years, this had always been the liveliest item, long since buzzing with boisterous noise. However, today Cheng Xinzhan’s display in praying for clear and rainy weather had been on too grand a scale; many people found it hard to recover their wits for a long time, so much so that even after the Junior Celestial Master announced the start of the fourth item, the plaza remained completely quiet.

After the auspicious signs of the ceremony played out once more, the crowd finally slowly came back to their senses.

The Junior Celestial Master also raised his voice to introduce the rules of the martial combat.

The martial combat was conducted in a ring system—consisting of challengers and defenders, divided into two separate matches for the first and second realms. Those who wished to participate should come down to the plaza and watch from around the ring. The winner remained, the loser stepped down, and new contestants took their places.

The top three of both the first and second realms would likewise be permitted to enter the Hall of Conferred Seals to view the seal.

Consequently, many people began to leave their seats. The Sanqingshan section was nearly emptied out; apart from the elders, only Fang Weimin and Cheng Xinzhan remained.

Fang Weimin had no fondness for combat spells and was obsessed solely with alchemy; it was normal for him not to go down. But why wasn’t Xinzhan going down either?

The elders questioned Cheng Xinzhan.

By this time, the people down on the plaza also noticed that Cheng Xinzhan was absent—he was neither among the crowd of the first realm nor among the crowd of the second realm.

What was going on? Wasn’t he peerless in both talismans and swords? Why wasn't he participating in the martial combat?

Everyone looked over one after another.

Faced with the inquiries of his elders, Cheng Xinzhan answered truthfully, saying softly,

"Since this disciple has already won first place in praying for clear and rainy weather and gained entry to the Hall of Conferred Seals in the Celestial Master’s Mansion to view the seal, I am already completely satisfied. Since the top three in the martial combat can also enter the Hall of Conferred Seals to view the seal, why should this disciple occupy another quota? It is better to yield it to others."

Hearing this, several elders exchanged glances.

This sounded like he was willing to yield one of the opportunities to view the seal, which showed a humble and yielding virtue. Yet, as the boy said these words, it was abundantly clear he was entirely certain that if he entered the arena, he would definitely secure a spot in the top three. It seemed rather arrogant indeed!

(End of this chapter)