"Without the accumulation of virtuous deeds over lifetimes, and without the great perseverance to resonate with the heavens and earth, no matter how long one toils, they cannot compete for those few coveted spots."
Xie Qiongke's mind cleared in an instant.
From eradicating corpse demons, rescuing the Central Province, to extinguishing the Ghost Law and nurturing the lands of Beijing and Tianjin... everything the Great Luo Sect did was to accumulate meritorious achievements.
Combining this with the profound connections between the Great Luo Sect Leader and the celestial beings above, Xie Qiongke suddenly felt he understood the meaning of the word destiny.
If it is indeed as he thought, then the Great Luo Sect before him might very well be the opportunity for him to take the final step and leave the mortal world behind.
However, speaking realistically, what Zhang Pingsheng mentioned was merely a one-sided claim and could not be fully trusted.
If the Great Luo Sect truly did not have a deep background, nor the silent approval of the Celestial Emperor, wouldn't he be stepping right into a fiery pit?
Moreover, the timing of Zhang Pingsheng's sudden visit seemed odd to Xie Qiongke.
Yet, before he could think it through, Zhang Pingsheng, who had come as a guest, stood up on his own, intending to take his leave.
"Recently, this poor Daoist was following the Sect Leader to Yaozhou to quell the harm of the Yin River Witch Festival and Witch Qi. If not for passing by your Daoist temple, I would not have stopped to linger."
"It's late now, and I shouldn't delay any longer. When the disasters end and the tribulations pass, it won't be too late for us to meet again!"
Xie Qiongke was caught off guard.
How can you just leave like this?
Logically, shouldn't you first extend an olive branch to invite me to join the Great Luo Sect?
Zhang Pingsheng looked perplexedly at Xie Qiongke, who blocked his way.
Who said I was here to invite you? I simply told you there's a chance to join the Great Luo Sect, but whether you can join depends on whether you qualify!
Zhang Pingsheng adeptly used the methods taught to him by Xu Qing.
According to the Sect Leader, things given freely are never cherished by others; only what is earned through effort is truly valued.
If the Great Luo Sect were to choose, it would definitely be on an elite path, at least on the surface, to show others that only those with comprehensive excellence in credentials, virtue, and Daoist cultivation have the chance to join the sect.
Those who cannot join are simply ordinary cultivators who are not outstanding enough to qualify as elites and are not eligible to join the Great Luo Sect.
Xie Qiongke was anxious: "This poor Daoist is a disciple of Lü Zu, originally from the orthodox Daoist sect, and all the magical practices I've learned are righteous divine techniques. Even when it comes to Daoist cultivation, I am not inferior to others, so why am I so lacking in your eyes?"
Zhang Pingsheng shook his head and said: "What you say is naturally not wrong, but you only speak of your cultivation in Daoist practice and have not mentioned what virtues you have accumulated. Our Great Luo Sect prioritizes virtue, and if you do not meet this criterion, you are not qualified to join our sect."
"According to you, do all four Altar Masters in the Great Luo Sect meet these requirements?"
Zhang Pingsheng smiled slightly: "That is, of course!"
"This poor Daoist once entered the world to punish and eradicate evil for sixty years, encountering demons and vanquishing them, encountering monsters and eliminating them, until my merits were complete, which allowed me to reincarnate and cultivate anew."
"And then there's Master Xinyuan, who wandered the world, rescuing and enlightening people everywhere. The Three Definitions Master of today, teaching people to do good with Buddhist principles, is a direct disciple of Master Xinyuan."
Xie Qiongke felt frustrated but was not willing to give up.
As a Primordial Spirit True Man with a clear background rooted in a reputable lineage, how can I not meet the entry qualifications for the Great Luo Sect?
If, in the future, when the great tribulation ends and the seniors of his sect in the higher realm find out, wouldn't it be a disgrace to Lü Zu?
"According to your words, does this poor Daoist truly have no chance of joining the sect at all?"
Zhang Pingsheng pondered: "Do you usually help and rescue people, widely accumulating virtuous deeds?"
"..."
Xie Qiongke, who had been avoiding worldly affairs, couldn't think of any virtuous deeds he had accumulated.
However, when he unintentionally glanced at the Incense Burner in front of the hall, he suddenly found a direction.
"This poor Daoist has accumulated the incense offerings of a hundred thousand in the temple, is this merit sufficient?"
"Combined, altogether one hundred thousand?" Zhang Pingsheng looked at Xie Qiongke with a strange expression.
"More than a hundred thousand!"
Looking at the still somewhat proud Xie Qiongke, Zhang Pingsheng left a message: "Wait a moment, this poor Daoist will be right back!"
"Where are you going?"
"This poor Daoist is going to find a Daoist child by the Sect Leader's side, who is a disciple of the Sea Meeting Great Sage mentioned before."
As he watched Zhang Pingsheng leave, Xie Qiongke finally revealed a relieved smile.
In his view, the other party must have been astonished by the one hundred thousand incense offerings accumulated in his Daoist temple, which evidently exceeded what they could handle, hence requiring the Daoist child by the Great Luo Sect Leader's side to personally come and welcome him into the sect.
Soon enough, Xie Qiongke indeed saw Zhang Pingsheng bringing a Daoist girl to the outside of the hall.
The Daoist girl was dressed in a lotus fairy attire, her lips red and teeth white, closely resembling the legendary appearance of the Sea Meeting Great Sage.
Xie Qiongke felt quite proud in his heart and immediately stepped forward, intending to negotiate thoroughly.
However, before Xie Qiongke could speak, Zhang Pingsheng signaled for Shiyue to step forward first.
Without another word, young Shiyue opened her Dharma Realm, revealing an immense amount of incense offerings of at least a million.
And Shiyue displayed this amount of incense offerings five or six times over.
"..."
The divine technique of three heads and six arms, each arm holding incense offerings ten times the merit of the Cloud Platform Temple.
The key was that this opponent was a child who had been cultivating for less than a hundred years.
Xie Qiongke, as a Primordial Spirit True Man, felt utterly ashamed.
At this moment, it wasn't that he only had the incense offerings of a hundred thousand—even a million didn't seem enough for him to join the Great Luo Sect!
At the same time, Xie Qiongke was convinced of one thing.
The background of the Great Luo Sect is undoubtedly true, and the iconic lotus body and divine technique of three heads and six arms of the Sea Meeting Great Sage cannot be faked.
This means that if he can join the Great Luo Sect and accumulate enough credentials, when the great tribulation ends in the future, he will most likely be able to fulfill his destiny, gain the Celestial Emperor's favor, and be counted among the immortals alongside his grandmaster.
After making up his mind, Xie Qiongke was determined to accompany Zhang Pingsheng to visit the Great Luo Sect Leader at any cost.
"This poor Daoist is also abhorrent of the Yin River monsters, but due to inadequate Daoist techniques, I cannot fight them. Now, this poor Daoist has realized that as long as us cultivators unite and work together, we need not fear any powerful demons!"
"I implore you to introduce me to the Sect Leader so that we may meet face to face. If my virtues are insufficient, I am willing to be an outsider disciple and enter the world to accumulate meritorious achievements."
Zhang Pingsheng appeared troubled, while Shiyue timely spoke: "This Daoist has some incense offerings in his temple, which shows he is a person of virtue. Master Zhang might as well take him along to Yaozhou, and then the Sect Leader can decide whether he stays or leaves."
"Very well! Besides, considering our past acquaintance, otherwise I absolutely wouldn't make an exception."
Xie Qiongke showed a grateful expression: "Thank you, my friend."
The Complete Biographies of Immortals, Volume Seven, briefly notes: Liu Xuanying, styled Haichanzi, originally named Cao, served as chancellor for Liu Shouguang. One day, a Daoist suddenly arrived, requesting ten chicken eggs and ten coins. He placed one coin on the table and stacked the ten eggs on top of it, resembling a pagoda. Haichanzi was astonished and said, "How precarious!" The Daoist said, "Those who revel in positions of honor and are ensnared in worries face perils far greater than this." Reflecting on these words, Haichanzi was enlightened and retired to beneath Mount Zhongnan. There, he achieved the Dao and shed his mortal form. White mist emerged from the top of his head, transformed into a crane, and ascended to the heavens. Xie Qiongke shown a grateful expression: "Thank you, my friend."
The Complete Biographies of Immortals, Volume Seven, briefly notes: Liu Xuanying, styled Haichanzi, originally named Cao, served as chancellor for Liu Shouguang. One day, a Daoist suddenly arrived, requesting ten chicken eggs and ten coins. He placed one coin on the table and stacked the ten eggs on top of it, resembling a pagoda. Haichanzi was astonished and said, "How precarious!" The Daoist said, "Those who revel in positions of honor and are ensnared in worries face perils far greater than this." Reflecting on these words, Haichanzi was enlightened and retired to beneath Mount Zhongnan. There, he achieved the Dao and shed his mortal form. White mist emerged from the top of his head, transformed into a crane, and ascended to the heavens.