I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 426: Chapter 145 New Leader

Fortune Pearl?

Zhou Heng took the Fortune Pearl offered by Bai Husheng, activated the “Celestial Man’s Observation of Qi Technique,” and immediately felt the extremely thick qi fortune contained within it.

It was almost comparable to the dynastic qi fortune he had seen in some minor worlds.

However, for Zhou Heng, this qi fortune was secondary. What was crucial was the method and means through which this pearl had gathered and condensed the qi fortune. It could provide him great inspiration in comprehending the Way of Qi Fortune.

He even had a feeling that if he thoroughly researched this Fortune Pearl, he could truly touch upon the laws of the Way of Qi Fortune and make substantial progress on the path of condensing the “Five Virtues and Five Fortunes Dharma Body.”

“I will accept this treasure,” Zhou Heng said without ceremony. Since Bai Husheng wished to express his gratitude, he took the Fortune Pearl and said, “Your crisis should already be resolved, I hope you live well with Yu He in the future.”

“I thank the Grandmaster for his kindness!” Bai Husheng knelt down again, thanking profusely and with utmost respect.

“Hmm.” Zhou Heng nodded slightly, then his figure streaked through the air, transforming into a beam of light as he flew into the courtyard, leaving only Bai Husheng behind.

“Thank you, Grandmaster.” Bai Husheng bowed toward the main gate of the courtyard once more in gratitude before turning into a wisp of green smoke and returning to his own home.

The brief turmoil in Huangtong Mansion City had thus come to an end.

Zhou Heng intended to comprehend the Fortune Pearl right there until the day of the 18th of April when he would attend the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer’s meeting.

But, unexpectedly, the next day, the newly appointed master of Huangtong Mansion, Huo Qingyun, came to visit.

“Grandmaster Zhou, I thank you for the life-saving grace and for saving the entire Huangtong Prefectural City,” Huo Qingyun immediately expressed his gratitude upon seeing Zhou Heng, “If not for the Grandmaster slaying that Loose Immortal, the citizens of this city might have all suffered.”

“Hmm, Huangtong Mansion is also my hometown. It was my duty,” Zhou Heng replied with a smile, having a good impression of the new Mansion Master.

It was rare for someone like Huo Qingyun to stand up for the safety of the citizens in the face of a Loose Immortal.

However, Zhou Heng’s reason for receiving him was not just because of this but also to ask Huo Qingyun some questions.

“By the way, Lord Huo, I would like to ask you a few questions,” Zhou Heng said, “May I?”

“Please speak freely, Grandmaster. I shall withhold nothing,” Huo Qingyun immediately replied.

“I would like to inquire about the current political situation in Da Qi’s Imperial Court and the state of administration across various regions…” Zhou Heng asked straightforwardly, “Is everything still normal?”

Since the Chongyang Wine Meeting, Da Qi’s Imperial Court had been increasingly disunited and disloyal, with diminishing control over the localities, and even now, some border regions had already begun to see the formation of nobility-run autonomies.

Such a vast Empire seemed about to fragment and collapse.

Yet, even so, no one from the Da Qi Royal Family had stepped forward, as if allowing these chaotic situations to spread unchecked.

Huo Qingyun seemed to be stumped by Zhou Heng’s question, falling into silence.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally sighed deeply and said, “As an official of the Imperial Court, I should not criticize the state affairs, but the current state of Da Qi, alas…”

“The true body of His Majesty the Emperor is fighting against the Evil Gods outside our domain, leaving only an incarnation in the human world who does not make daily decisions but only decides on major events. You should be aware of this, Grandmaster.”

“Therefore, over the years, it has actually been Crown Prince Zhao Zhen who has overseen the state affairs of Da Qi. But after that Sunrising Banquet, His Highness the Crown Prince passed away, and the imperial governance suddenly lost its guiding figure,”

“At that time, the external territories were facing troubles with Evil Gods and the forbidden lands of the West Wasteland, making it difficult for His Majesty to be distracted, so he had no choice but to temporarily assign the third prince to preside over state affairs,”

“But although the third prince ranks higher in the order of succession, he actually only has a superficial understanding of the political affairs. Thus, the state affairs of Da Qi became increasingly chaotic. If it weren’t for the support of the Prime Minister and the royal relatives, I’m afraid the world would have already descended into chaos,”

“No wonder Da Qi recently doesn’t seem like a normal country at all,” Zhou Heng also felt somewhat helpless, “It was Crown Prince Zhao Zhen’s own fault that he perished, but the assignment of his successor seems too arbitrary. Did the emperor of the Zhao Family really just make the assignment based on the order of succession?”

Among the Zhao Family princes, the Crown Prince is the eldest legitimate son, ranking first, followed by a princess who cannot take on the heavy responsibility, making the third prince the highest-ranking surviving prince in the Zhao Family.

“It seems so,” Huo Qingyun nodded, then added with a wry smile, “However, it may also be because my official rank and Martial Path grade are limited, so I don’t know much about the situation. The actual circumstances might not be as I described.”

“The real situation is probably not what you’re truly concerned about, Master Huo,” Zhou Heng smiled and said, “Since you’ve come to me, why not speak frankly about what you want?”

He believed that Huo Qingyun was indeed grateful to him and also believed that Huo Qingyun’s visit was to express his thanks. But if Huo Qingyun had come merely to express his gratitude, Zhou Heng would not believe it.

Huo Qingyun, as the head of a prefecture, may not hold a high official rank or Martial Path level, but his strong sense of responsibility was evident from his earlier actions. He must have something to discuss this time.

“Your insight is as sharp as a torch; you’ve seen right through my thoughts,” Huo Qingyun said with a bitter smile. He fell silent for a moment, then nodded, “I am indeed here to ask for your assistance,

“Nowadays, with the central Imperial Court’s power dwindling, not only do the states and counties govern themselves, but they also frequently engage in conflicts. Even the prefectures and counties have started to fight over territory…

“Compared to several of its neighboring prefectures, Huangtong Mansion is not considered strong but not weak either, but it is caught in the middle and lacks any powerful backing. It has been at a disadvantage in recent struggles and has had three counties taken away from it.

“I have come to request that you lend a hand to help Huangtong Mansion recover these two counties, so as to prevent the people of these two counties from being unfairly treated in other prefectural cities.”

Having said this, he fell silent, no longer speaking, and quietly waited for Zhou Heng’s response.

“I thought it was something serious,” Zhou Heng chuckled, casually taking out a paper figure and handing it to Huo Qingyun, “It possesses a part of my strength. If there is another dispute, just throw this paper figure into the air, and it will help you win any conflict.

“But, there’s only one use.”

His art of creating paper soldiers had long since been perfected, and the paper figures he now cut not only could he use himself, but he could also give them to others to use, without any decrease in effectiveness.

A paper figure with part of the current Zhou Heng’s strength was an extremely powerful trump card for most Grandmasters, and even for top Great Grandmasters.

Addressing the prefecture and county struggles as described by Huo Qingyun would be effortless.

“Many thanks, Celestial Man!” Huo Qingyun hurriedly gave thanks while bowing.

In his eyes, as long as Zhou Heng agreed to help, even just once was enough. This meant Zhou Heng had not forgotten Huangtong Mansion City and continued to support it.@@novelbin@@

Just this alone was enough to ensure that the people of Huangtong Mansion could live and work in peace, without having to worry about invasions from other prefectural cities.

Taking the paper figure with him, Huo Qingyun left full of hope, while Zhou Heng continued to study the Fortune Pearl.

Time quickly reached the eighteenth of April.

Zhou Heng left Huangtong Mansion City and entered the Purple Tenuity Palace using the nearest Starlight Bridge.

This gathering was extremely important and would even include the handover of the leadership position; therefore, all members, including Star Officers and Star Envoys, were required to attend.

Even if some members had important matters to attend to, or perhaps were still in other worlds and could not return, they still had to inquire about the meeting from other organization members afterward.

This was nearly the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer’s first semi-compulsory gathering.

…

…

Inside the Purple Tenuity Palace.

Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian were standing together as many organization members had already arrived in the great hall, almost all were present.

Only Tianyi and Azure Dragon, the two leaders, were yet to arrive.

Zhou Heng clearly felt that there were quite a few gazes on him within the hall, each containing different emotions, but fortunately none hostile.

Most of these gazes came from high-ranking Star Officers, who obviously must have received some insider news.

Some ordinary Star Officers and Star Envoys were somewhat bewildered and also nervous.

After all, an organization that did not previously compel attendance at gatherings suddenly calling for a semi-mandatory meeting without explanation, was unavoidably cause for concern.

Even some of the regular members of the organization showed signs of restlessness.

“It seems the news of your impending leadership succession has already spread within a small circle,” Cheng Jianjian sent his thoughts to Zhou Heng.

“Yes,” Zhou Heng responded, “It is difficult to keep this news a secret, and it’s not really a bad thing. At least it prepares people mentally.”

“That’s true,” Cheng Jianjian replied with a laugh, “Maybe this is also the intention of Tianyi and Azure Dragon. They’ve spread the news in advance on a small scale to avoid a too sudden impact when announcing it later.”

Hum!!

As they were conversing through divine sense, two beams of light descended inside the Purple Tenuity Palace and two figures emerged—it was Tianyi and Azure Dragon, the two leaders of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer.

All the Star Officers and Envoys bowed their greetings, and Tianyi and Azure Dragon returned the gesture.

Then, Tianyi stepped forward with a slight smile, “I was compelled to summon everyone to the meeting, please don’t blame me. There is actually a very important announcement to make.”

He began with an apology.

But this made some ordinary Star Officers and Envoys even more nervous, speculating in secret that there might be some great demon entity coming into existence or some other calamity descending.

“Presumably, you all are aware that recently an Evil God conspired with demon entities, leading several Evil Gods to invade. Although in the end we joined forces with our fellow Daoists to repel them, it has left some gaps in our external defenses.

“Therefore, from now on, Azure Dragon and I will no longer be able to preside over the meetings or continue to handle organizational affairs as leaders.

“However, communication through gatherings cannot be easily interrupted, and a large organization cannot exist without a leader. Hence, after careful consideration with Azure Dragon and consulting several veteran high-ranking Star Officers, we have decided to appoint a suitable person to take over the position of leader.”

The hall erupted into a commotion at this revelation.

Aside from a portion of the high-ranking Star Officers who were privy to the news, the rest of the Star Officers and Envoys were utterly shocked.

No matter what, they had not expected that this gathering would bring such a significant announcement—the changing of the leader.

At the same time, they all wondered who would be the successor to this position.

Was it someone who had long been Tianyi’s left hand and right arm, like the Ziwei Left Officer or the Ziwei Right Officer, or the one who has recently stepped into the realm of the Celestial Man but has already been a veteran high-ranking Star Officer for a long time?

Or perhaps the Celestial Man who had not been with the organization for long but had found favor in the Gou Chen Star position?

Or could it be the Ziwei Master whose cultivation had advanced rapidly and who is rumored to be the reincarnation of the Ziwei Emperor?

——Given Zhou Heng’s previous performance and the changes he brought to the Purple Tenuity Palace, rumors had already spread among the ordinary Star Officers that he was actually the reincarnation of the Ziwei Emperor.

Some other senior Star Officers, although they already knew the outcome, still felt a sense of strange anticipation until Tianyi officially announced it.

“The person is our Star Master.” Tianyi’s tone remained cheerful as he led the others with a bow to Zhou Heng, “Greetings to the leader, salutations to the Ziwei Master.”

Azure Dragon also bowed at the same time, “Greetings to the leader, salutations to the Ziwei Master!”

The high-ranking Star Officers settled their minds and bowed to Zhou Heng, “Greetings to the leader, salutations to the Ziwei Master!”

The ordinary Star Officers and Envoys then caught on and quickly followed suit with their greetings, “Greetings to the leader, salutations to the Ziwei Master!”

Although Zhou Heng had already known this outcome, he still felt a surge of excitement at this moment.

In the midst of everyone’s salutations, he stepped up onto the high platform of the throne at the front of the hall, took a deep breath, and spoke in a deep voice, “Thank you to Tianyi and Azure Dragon for their profound trust and to all fellow members for your faith.

“In fact, I don’t have much to say, only that I will do my utmost to lead the organization further and make us stronger, fulfilling the responsibilities of a leader.

“Besides, there is another announcement to make: Purple Tenuity Palace will activate several new functions.”

New functions?

As Zhou Heng spoke these words, even some high-ranking Star Officers were surprised, especially the veteran ones.

Having spent a long time with the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer, they knew how much effort Tianyi and Azure Dragon, the two former leaders, had made in unlocking more functions of the Purple Tenuity Palace, but to meager avail.

The Ziwei Master had previously enabled several new functions, and it had not been long since then, but now there were yet more new functions to be activated.

In that moment, many Star Officers and Envoys understood why the two former leaders, Tianyi and Azure Dragon, had chosen the Ziwei Master as the new leader.

Purple Tenuity Palace was the foundation of the Da Qi Zhou Tian Boundary Officer; the stronger and more functional the Purple Tenuity Palace became, the more they benefitted, and the overall organization would grow stronger as well.

Only the one before them could strengthen the Purple Tenuity Palace so swiftly, benefiting all members of the organization.

This was, without doubt, the best candidate for the new organizational leader.

And only he could so rapidly add new functionalities to the Purple Tenuity Palace, benefitting everyone in the organization.

“There are three new functionalities,” Zhou Heng extended his hand, surveyed the crowd, and held up three fingers, speaking in a profound tone, “They are ‘Information Announcement,’ ‘Mission Deployment,’ and ‘Merit Exchange.'”