The wind in Doushuai Palace was quite peaceful today, except…

Why was there a smell of roasted cow dung?

Grand Master Xuandu glanced at the two young boys squatting in another courtyard refining pills, then at the old blue ox lying panting under the tree, shaking his head with an odd expression, and said:

“Little Gold, Little Silver, don’t refine pills recklessly and disturb Lord Lao’s peaceful cultivation.”

The two boys hurriedly stood up and obediently agreed several times.

Grand Master Xuandu didn’t lecture them further.

Since he had been awakened, he performed his routine divination, checking what major events had happened in the Great Wilderness recently that were related to his Taoist Teaching.

Since Master had thrown all these teaching affairs to him, he could only worry more about them.

The first thing he calculated was naturally the [Three Teachings Origin Conference] that he had calculated many times before.

The Three Teachings Origin Conference was fine, but the Taoist Teaching had too few lineages, making them seem weak when they attended…

That little disciple favored by Master actually wanted to fake illness to avoid going!

How could that be allowed?

The Grand Master knew that those favored by Master must be similar to Master – he himself was an example.

Fortunately, Grand Master Xuandu discovered it in time. When this little disciple was secretly making various preparations, he had determined this little disciple was going to use the method of faking injury, so he quietly made some corresponding arrangements…

This was truly:

A foot higher in the Dao, three zhang higher in the waves.

“Little Changshou, if you don’t come to Doushuai Palace, how can I go be carefree and unfettered?”

The Grand Master thought of this and immediately smiled slightly, continuing to calculate matters related to the Taoist Teaching.

Soon, the Grand Master had some findings…

‘Third Master Uncle’s Zhao Gongming has been unusually active in recent years, constantly smashing people’s cave dwellings in Western Oxhead Continent and chasing after Western Teaching experts.

But surprisingly, these matters haven’t escalated, with the beaten party often choosing to let things rest.’

“What does this have to do with our Taoist Teaching?”

The Grand Master casually summoned the Taiji Diagram’s virtual image and carefully calculated, but gained little.

Supreme Elder disciples would all have their fate concealed by Supreme Elders’ intervention. Although Supreme Elder Tongtianjiaozhu ranked last among the Three Pure Ones, his insights into the Heavenly Dao were among the top three among Supreme Elders!

By the way, the Dao sect Supreme Elders swept the top three positions.

Moreover, though the Four Demon-Slaying Swords and Green Ping Sword couldn’t suppress destiny, they were better at severing fate, so the Taiji Diagram also couldn’t deduce matters related to Zhao Gongming.

So…

“What exactly does this have to do with our Taoist Teaching?”

The Grand Master was somewhat puzzled, but remembering Supreme Elder Master’s instructions, he had to stand up.

This matter, he had to go see for himself.

[Zhao Gongming, a famous expert from the end of ancient times, joined Supreme Elder Tongtianjiaozhu along with his three sworn sisters. The four were already famous in their own right before becoming disciples, with their personal Dao already established, so they were listed as the four great outer disciples, receiving treasures and teachings from Supreme Elder Tongtianjiaozhu, but not cultivating the ‘Upper Clarity Great Dao’.]

With the Taiji Diagram’s assistance, though Grand Master Xuandu couldn’t deduce the karma involved, he could barely calculate Zhao Gongming’s location…

The heavenly patterns were full of Zhao Gongming’s [footprints]!

Exiting the Western Heavenly Gate, crossing Middle Kunlun.

At the edge of the great continent, he saw a Daoist.

In just a moment, Grand Master Xuandu arrived at the scene, detecting Zhao Gongming’s aura from tens of thousands of miles away through his divine consciousness.

But Zhao Gongming was currently hiding within several great arrays, doing something unknown.

The Grand Master quietly approached, borrowing the majesty of the Taiji Diagram’s projection, not revealing half a sound, arriving near the great arrays and seeing straight through the several layers.

He saw…

Zhao Gongming was currently spitting blood foam, his Dao body trembling slightly, pointing at the Western Teaching expert covered in wounds before him, gritting his teeth in anger:

“This poor Daoist was inexplicably wounded by your spirit treasure today, and likely won’t recover for several tens of thousands of years… cough, cough cough!

Come with this poor Daoist to Spirit Mountain, this poor Daoist isn’t finished with you today!”

Grand Master Xuandu frowned deeply, immediately about to rush into the array to protect the Dao sect expert, but quickly discovered something was off.

Zhao Gongming didn’t seem to be truly injured…

Afterward, Grand Master Xuandu got quite an eye-opener.

Within the arrays, both sides traded verbal barbs for half an hour, with Zhao Gongming skillfully circling around, leading the other party into a ‘comparing miseries’ segment;

After the other party had beaten themselves up for a while, Zhao Gongming then took out an image-recording sphere, quickly subduing them…

Though this whole process was several times more troublesome than the first time, Zhao Gongming still executed it smoothly and systematically!

Nothing else, just pure skill from practice.

Then Zhao Gongming was heard confidently chuckling:

“Fellow Daoist, shall we settle this privately, or shall we spread this material throughout the Great Wilderness?”

Several black lines slowly appeared on Grand Master Xuandu’s forehead as he watched this, suddenly understanding something.

Could it be…

The Grand Master didn’t immediately reveal himself;

After Zhao Gongming finished today’s business and that Western Teaching expert had finished making all those oaths before leaving dejectedly…

Grand Master Xuandu pretended to encounter him by chance, meeting with Zhao Gongming.

After exchanging pleasantries, Grand Master Xuandu asked about his inner doubts:

“Junior Brother Zhao, have you perhaps recently met someone from our Taoist Teaching?”

Zhao Gongming was stunned for a moment, then understood that what he had just done had been witnessed by this Dao sect Senior Brother;

Zhao Gongming’s old face immediately reddened, somewhat embarrassed, and explained:

“Senior Brother, please don’t blame me. That person, before the Six Origin Conference, had bullied my good friend. Today I was just getting some revenge.”

Six Origin Conference…

Xuandu nodded with a smile, then tried another angle, “Junior Brother Zhao, have you recently met the South Sea God?”

“Senior Brother truly knows past and future.”

“Then that’s someone from our Taoist Teaching,” Xuandu inwardly sighed, saying “as expected.”

Thinking of the scenes just now, and of the complicated oaths that Western Teaching person had just sworn, Xuandu had already made up his mind…

He needed to find a way to make this little disciple his own junior brother!

If he joined the Taoist Teaching’s orthodox lineage, becoming someone by Grand Master Xuandu’s side, when his cultivation was higher and he handled Taoist Teaching affairs, what would he need his senior brother for?

“Senior Brother…” Zhao Gongming found a topic, “For this Three Teachings Origin Conference, will Senior Brother make an appearance?”

Grand Master Xuandu was about to casually say ‘still have important matters.’

For this kind of troublesome matter, he had already persuaded his ‘future junior brother’ to go, so naturally he didn’t need to go himself.

Just give ‘future junior brother’ some room to perform, let Master have early thoughts of accepting disciples.

The words were already at Grand Master Xuandu’s lips, saying: “I still have…”

[Go].

An enlightenment arose in his heart, and Grand Master Xuandu’s words at his lips also changed to: “I still have some important matters, but after handling them, I’ll go take a look.”

Zhao Gongming’s eyes immediately lit up, making a Daoist salute to Grand Master Xuandu, saying: “Junior Brother will definitely have them prepare in advance, awaiting Grand Master’s grand arrival!”

Grand Master Xuandu: …

The script seemed to be repeating.

…

Meanwhile, at Little Jade Peak.

Li Changshou flew at a medium height, returning from Baifan Palace.

Actually, Supreme Elder had given him a hint at the very beginning, so he knew he must go to this ‘Three Teachings Origin Conference,’ without needing to secretly influence the entire sect’s upper echelons to shake him like this.

Li Changshou quickly dispelled the thoughts in his heart – privately criticizing Supreme Elder in his heart was truly a dangerous thing.

Just like that memorable saying from his previous life that Li Changshou remembered clearly – ‘If you don’t really like it, who would want to be a backup?’

If the Great Wilderness wasn’t so dangerous, who would…

No, we’re very happy to run errands and do small tasks for Supreme Elder!

Supreme Elder telling him to go to the Three Teachings Origin Conference must have reasons.

Thinking carefully, it did make some sense.

The Dragon Clan and the West seemed to be matters outside the Dao sect, but actually…

Actually…

“What kind of influence would this have?

Would the Dao sect become more prosperous because of this? Make the West speed up steps to incorporate the Dragon Clan?

Or would the West scheme against this conference?

Then what could I, a small Taoist Teaching disciple, do by going?”

Li Changshou muttered continuously, pacing back and forth in the underground secret chamber.

He kept thinking but could never establish logical support points, could only categorize it as —

Since it was Supreme Elder’s arrangement, there must be reasons he couldn’t see.

Li Changshou felt he might just be a wedge in a non-critical position on a wooden bridge – without him, the bridge would still work, just slightly less stable.

Li Changshou had already read half of the “Supreme Clarity Dao Containment,” whose main tenets were stability, staying home, laziness…

Ahem, whose main tenets were peaceful inaction, not being stained by karma!

Peach Stability Home Laziness!

Li Changshou looked at the huge character for “stability” that he had also hung on the secret chamber wall, feeling somewhat emotional inside.

In this Dao, he was far inferior to Supreme Elder Taiqing…

Since going was unavoidable, then make thorough preparations.

Various poison pills and miniature array plates were naturally essential for going out;

More new paper dao clones needed to be made next, first placed under the [Human] organization, leaving one each as backup by Master and junior sister’s side.

Two more needed to be made, placed under the [Sea] organization, sent to guard the South Sea God Teaching.

He also needed to bring two [Divine] new paper dao clones himself, ensuring he had more initiative when encountering danger.

If only making new paper dao clones didn’t consume so much time, and Li Changshou had to spare most of his time for comprehending the “Supreme Clarity Dao Containment” and suppressing his own realm.

Before departing, slightly increasing his own actual strength would also add some more safety guarantee.

He checked several times his anti-divination outfit, soul-preserving reincarnation outfit, and newly refined and recolored poison-avoiding treasure pearl, spirit treasure sword, and other defensive spirit treasures…

Carefully organizing the various large and small treasure bags on his person, counting the various items that could be called trump cards, his heart finally had a bit of peace again.

Those two jade tablets with Grand Master Xuandu’s remaining aura were actually life-saving talismans themselves, and Li Changshou naturally wouldn’t forget to bring them.

Recently he had also gained inspiration, finding a way to consume his own merit to pretend to have a merit golden body, also adding it to his life-saving trump card library…

While organizing what to bring when going out, Li Changshou also thought of a simple ‘stability Dao exam question.’

Question: When facing one enemy versus hundreds of enemies, what differences would there be in reactions?

Correct answer: What is heard by ears and seen by eyes would all be different.

“Stability Theory” theoretical support: Choose between the most secretive earth escape or water escape, or the fastest wind escape or fire escape.

Li Changshou laughed lightly, restored his stable state of mind, and continued preparations.

A few days later, he began continuously comprehending the “Supreme Clarity Dao Containment,” while also calculating his realm increase speed, continuously implementing and stabilizing each small realm.

The Dao foundation was like a tall tower.

Li Changshou’s tower foundation before becoming immortal had already reached 9.9 points of stability, but after becoming immortal, his realm soared, crossing the Element Immortal and True Immortal two great realms…

In Li Changshou’s view, this large section of Dao foundation actually wasn’t stable at all.

Now he could only continuously strive on the higher tower levels, gradually reinforcing and tamping down the foundation below.

The road ahead still had the Long Life Tribulation, this tribulation would only end in ashes.

Li Changshou had already begun preparing tribulation-crossing plans, with the two most reliable being merit protection and Taoist Teaching achievements.

So, regarding cultivation realm, he wasn’t in a hurry to step forward…

He even wanted to stay in place.

[Should I create a new version paper person incarnation that’s only at the Return to Dao realm to go to the Three Teachings Origin Conference?]

After serious consideration and analysis of pros and cons, Li Changshou quickly rejected this idea.

Wouldn’t that be deliberately perfunctory in handling Supreme Elder’s assigned task?

How many dishes, stories, and drinking companions would it take to get drunk enough to dare do such a life-threatening thing!

After Li Changshou handled his personal matters, he also made some other small preparations.

For example, the currently half-empty — Taoist Teaching expert statistics table, with options like temperament, background, preferences etc., which would rely on the Wind Communication Spell to gather this intelligence later.

Secondly, Li Changshou also prepared some ‘little toys for martial aunts and uncles’, ‘some emergency countermeasures for elders’.

To fully take on the responsibility of team leader and ensure Du Xian Sect’s group wouldn’t cause or create trouble, Li Changshou also spent considerable effort making a “Du Xian Sect Disciples Conference Participation Behavior Manual.”

This manual would later be given to Uncle Master Jiu Wu, to be presented to the sect in Uncle Master Jiu Wu’s name.

The reward naturally followed the old rule – fifty-fifty split.