A Pawn's Passage

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.

The second-generation Sage Cihang married Yan Feiqing, the only non-Zhang Heavenly Preceptor of the Zhengyi Sect. Another Sage Cihang became the wife of a Grand Master. The current Sage Cihang remained unmarried, but she was one of the candidates likely to become the next Grand Master.

Ordinary Daoist disciples naturally hesitated to even consider pursuing such excellent women, lest they invite ridicule upon themselves.

Of course, there were always a few reckless individuals unaware of the situation—such as Qi Xuansu, who was currently training in the Upper Palace of Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Qi Xuansu had charged ahead heedlessly. Whether he would end up rejected or miraculously marry the beauty was something only the heavens knew.

In some ways, the threshold set by Sage Cihang might not be any lower than that of Tantai Qiong. It might even be higher. However, Sage Cihang never made this threshold explicit, nor did she directly interfere. She simply liked to give young people a chance.

The women following Sage Cihang kept their hands folded before them, walking gracefully in small yet quick steps, looking as if they did not have to lift their feet. Their robes flowed beautifully without excessive swaying. Even when walking briskly, their elbows remained still, and their steps remained straight and steady—embodying the propriety detailed in the Book of Rites.

Beautiful as it was, it was undeniably tiring.

Among them was a conspicuous oddball—one with her wide sleeves billowing, arms relaxed and swinging freely as she walked. She moved naturally, as she always did, showing little regard for rigid formalities.

She was like an eagle among swans. It was not that the eagle was unattractive—it was even more majestic than the swans—but it simply looked out of place.

Intrigued by the sight, some Confucian and Buddhist disciples inquired about this eagle’s identity from the Daoist disciple leading them. The Daoist disciple was used to such scenes, informing them that said eagle was Zhang Yuelu, the youngest Deputy Hall Master in the Daoist Order and the youngest third-rank Youyi Daoist master, also colloquially known as the Junior Tiangang Hall Master.

The Confucian and Buddhist disciples immediately understood—so it was her.

They had long heard of Zhang Yuelu’s reputation. She had been involved in multiple major Daoist cases, clearly a figure of sharp acumen. Talented people often carried pride, and her independent demeanor was only to be expected.

In truth, Zhang Yuelu never deliberately sought to be different. Although she was nominally a disciple of the Cihang lineage, she had spent her childhood living in Yunjin Mountain.

At that time, Sage Cihang was still the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master and frequently visited the Dazhen Mansion for official matters, using the opportunity to guide Zhang Yuelu in the Cihang Sword Sequence. As a result, Zhang Yuelu had never even visited the Cihang lineage’s stronghold—Putuo Island.

As she grew older, Zhang Yuelu went straight to Jade Capital. Whether by deliberate maneuvering from ill-intentioned individuals or sheer coincidence, she ended up in Beichen Hall under the control of the Taiping Sect.

Thus, Zhang Yuelu learned little of the Cihang lineage’s traditions but picked up many of the Li family’s habits instead.

In some ways, Zhang Yuelu resembled a daughter of the Li family. After all, not all members of the Li family were ruthless schemers—the Holy Xuan himself had come from the Li family.

When Sage Cihang initially took Zhang Yuelu as her disciple, she did not intend to make the latter her successor. It was more of a political alliance. Since the Cihang lineage was a part of the Zhengyi Sect, Sage Cihang took in a Zhang family member to strengthen the bond between their factions.

However, Zhang Yuelu’s subsequent performance far exceeded everyone’s expectations. The young girl even gained the Earthly Preceptor’s attention and subsequent favoritism.

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.