Chapter Ninety-seven: Passing Down the Scriptures

When Ye Hua arrived at the Ninth Teaching Pavilion, Daoist Shou Chang had been waiting for some time. Ye Hua bowed respectfully and asked, "I do not know why the Daoist Ancestor has summoned this disciple."

Daoist Shou Chang looked at Ye Hua with deep meaning. "Although you come from a prestigious background, this Jinghua Martial Hall gathers the most brilliant talents and cultivators from across the land, all of whom possess the potential of dragons and phoenixes. You should act with restraint and not stir up trouble arbitrarily."

Ye Hua was startled, thinking to himself, "Could this be about what just happened? My clash with that pockmarked youth surnamed Kong was truly a last resort! If anything, it was mostly on your behalf that I struck back."

He replied immediately, "Yes, Ancestor, this disciple will keep your words in mind." Daoist Shou Chang smiled slightly and said, "I have summoned you to pass on the *Secret Scroll of the Heavenly Theory of the State Doctrine*. I hope you will study it well. This 'Heavenly Theory' is merely a guiding text; it uses the doctrine of 'No-God' to open up a brand new realm of cultivation. In the future, your path to enlightenment will depend entirely on your own exploration."

Ye Hua bowed and said, "Thank you, Ancestor! This disciple will remember."

Daoist Shou Chang nodded and opened his right hand. Amidst a shimmer of rosy light, a scroll appeared. "I am bestowing this copy of the *Heavenly Theory* upon you. While it is not forbidden to share, its 'No-God' doctrine runs contrary to the taboos of our fellow cultivators and will not be tolerated by other factions. You must be careful."

Ye Hua stepped forward and received it respectfully. Daoist Shou Chang nodded again. "I heard from Brother Qing Ling that you are staying at the Zhang family residence in the Zhang Grotto-Heaven. Starting tomorrow, you may take up long-term residence in the Great Sutra Pavilion of the Jinghua Martial Hall. That pavilion contains the Red Chamber Grotto-Heaven, which manifests a hundred thousand Sumeru mustard-seed worlds. With such divine art, you can practice in peace."

Ye Hua nodded. "Thank you, Daoist Ancestor! I shall come to practice tomorrow."

Daoist Shou Chang nodded. "Since that is settled, I am at ease." He paused for a moment, and with a flash of white light, a silver token appeared before him. He handed it to Ye Hua. "This is a soul-token I have personally refined, capable of transmitting sound across a thousand miles. I am going away tomorrow for anywhere from ten days to several months. If you have an urgent matter, use this to contact me."

Ye Hua stared at the silver token in his hand. It was the size of a palm, with strange, unknown patterns carved on the front. When he flipped it over, the back appeared as a pitch-black void, like a swirling cloud of dark mist, shifting and blurred. A single glance caused his soul to feel dizzy, and he was startled. He quickly turned his head away and said to Daoist Shou Chang, "Thank you, Ancestor!"

Daoist Shou Chang said, "Very well, you may leave." Ye Hua tucked the token away, bowed, and slowly retreated.

By the time he got outside, it was already noon. Ye Hua thought to himself, "I hope Brother Ma Fei and the others aren't worried. Since the Daoist has given his orders, I will head to the Great Sutra Pavilion tomorrow as planned. For now, I should go to the Martial Exhibition Field to find my brothers." With that, he set off toward the edge of the Jinghua Martial Hall.

He walked quickly, and in less than half an hour, he could hear the faint sounds of shouting from the distant Great Martial Exhibition Field. Ye Hua was curious: "The competition must be spectacular, otherwise, why would the crowd be cheering so loudly? I wonder who is competing down there?" He quickened his pace.

Ascending the hillside to the summit, the view opened up. The ground below, which had seemed like an empty plain, was now a sea of people. One slope of the hill had been carved into terraced steps, partially surrounding a circular field of several dozen acres. Two people were locked in a fierce battle.

Ye Hua found the spot where he had first arrived and scanned the area. A few dozen yards ahead, Ma Fei, Shi Lei, and the others were sitting together, whispering to one another.

Ye Hua was delighted. He wove through the crowd and called out, "Brother Ma! Brother Shi!"

Zhang Lan heard him and turned around. Seeing Ye Hua walking over with a smile, she smiled back. "Brother Zhang, you have returned?"

Ye Hua blushed slightly and nodded. "Sister Zhang!"

Ma Fei saw Ye Hua and asked with a grin, "Brother Ye, were you able to meet Daoist Qing Ling?"

Ye Hua nodded. "I did."

Shi Lei laughed, "Brother Ye, I imagine the Daoist has already passed on some cultivation technique to you. Won't you let your brothers have a look?"

Ye Hua smiled. "Of course! When we return to the Zhang residence, you are all welcome to examine it."

The group was surprised. They thought to themselves, "Could it be a secret technique from the Great Sutra Pavilion? Anyone in the Jinghua Martial Hall can read those, and outsiders can view them with a little effort. If that's the case, Brother Ye has been shortchanged!"

They assumed Brother Ye must not know this yet and was still happy about it. Thinking this, they looked at him with a mixture of pity and regret.

Ye Hua, sensing their reaction, was confused. "Brothers, is there something wrong with that?"

Ma Fei shook his head and gestured toward the field. "Brother Ye, what do you think of the technique that man is using—the one from the Langya Platform of Langya Mountain in Mizhou?"

Ye Hua looked at the field. A fierce-looking man was fighting a Daoist nun who wielded a sword. After watching for a moment, he saw that although the man had no magical artifacts, his palms glowed with a silver light, emitting a foot-long aura like steel blades. He slashed and hacked, and the nun’s sword could not break through his defense.

Ye Hua shook his head. "Forgive my ignorance, but I have never seen the technique that man is using! Brother Ma, what kind of palm technique is that? It is incredibly overbearing!"

Ma Fei laughed. "Brother Ye, that man is not using a Langya Platform technique. The Langya Platform is famous for its 'Soft-Gong'; they are typically restrained, killing enemies silently with their palms. It is never so open and aggressive as this. The palm technique he is using is the 'Haoqing Fierce Palm,' which originates from our very own Jinghua Martial Hall! Judging by his attire, he is neither from our Hall nor from the Qing Hall."

Ye Hua had a realization and smiled. "Brother, are you implying that the technique bestowed upon me by Daoist Qing Ling is not a secret, but rather one that anyone can learn from the Great Sutra Pavilion?"

Shi Lei said in surprise, "Brother Ye, so you already know about the Red Chamber in the Great Sutra Pavilion? That is good. You must know that the techniques stored there are never forbidden to anyone."

Ye Hua shook his head. "You misunderstand, brothers. This technique cannot be found in the Great Sutra Pavilion! Yet, it is not forbidden to share either."

"Oh?" Zhang Ke asked curiously, "Is that what Daoist Qing Ling said?"

Ye Hua replied, "It was a gift from Daoist Shou Chang, who told me as much."

"Daoist Shou Chang!" Zhang Ke seemed to realize something. "His reputation is even greater than that of Daoist Qing Ling! But it is said that his dozens of disciples are all followers of a heterodox sect." He frowned, his face showing a hint of disdain.

Gu Yunqi nodded from the side. "That is true. I have heard that the dozens of disciples in the Ninth Teaching Pavilion are followers of a 'Secret Sect.' It is rumored that they originated from the Demon Realm of the Western Regions and constantly propagate some 'No-God' theory. They claim that the mandate of the Great Jade Emperor, who rules over our sacred Divine Land, is nothing but a baseless lie meant to fool the ignorant and oppress their fellow cultivators. Is this not treason and rebellion?"

Zhang Ke sighed. "Brother Gu, you shouldn't be so quick to judge. These are only rumors. You have not seen or heard them yourself. Besides, there are many rebels in the world; how could they ever shake our Sacred Emperor's Divine Land?"

Yunqi nodded. "Brother, your words are true."

Listening to this, Ye Hua felt a great disturbance in his heart. "Just as Daoist Shou Chang said, this 'No-God' theory is treated like a venomous snake or a fierce beast. Should I really show this *Heavenly Theory* to them? They seem to reject it so strongly; this will be difficult!" With this thought, he hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.