20demayo Chapter 139 My first challenge is Shen Jizhou!!
Chapter 139 My first challenge is Shen Jizhou!!
Lu Yuan's voice wasn't exactly a roar, but it was like an invisible hammer that slammed into the hearts of everyone in the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony Square.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
The wind stopped.
The snow has stopped.
The astonishment, confusion, and mockery on the faces of thousands of people in the sect all froze.
The square fell into a more profound and eerie silence than when Lu Yuan launched the "Challenge to Heaven" earlier.
A deathly silence that can devour your heartbeat.
For the first time, a crack appeared on Shen Jizhou's usually impassive face.
The icy pool in his eyes shattered instantly, replaced by an extreme, unbelievable astonishment.
He even suspected there was something wrong with his ears.
The intentions behind Lu Yuan's choice of He Cheng and He Xun are quite obvious.
Squeeze the weak, find someone on your side to go easy on them.
This is the safest, and also the most shameless, way to win, as everyone anticipated.
But now...
Shen Jizhou?
Everyone's mind went blank; they couldn't understand what Lu Yuan was trying to do.
This is no longer a challenge.
This is suicide!
"You're insane!!"
Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable was the first to awaken from his petrification. His eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at Lu Yuan below, his voice trembling.
"Stop messing around!!"
"Think carefully about who you've chosen!!"
"Think carefully before you decide whether it's Shen Jizhou or Shen Shulan!!!"
After regaining his senses, the high-ranking Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable looked down at Lu Yuan and shouted angrily.
What?! Are you kidding me?!
At this point, the best choice should be Wuqing Temple and Shen Shulan!
Should we choose Shen Jizhou?
This is the true pillar supporting the heavens of the Daoist sect outside the Great Wall, the highest mountain within it!
Even if Li Xiuye came, he would be no match for Shen Jizhou!
Shen Jizhou would be the last person they choose!
Choosing Shen Jizhou is suicide!
If you choose Shen Jizhou, then there's absolutely no chance of winning the "Quest for Heaven Challenge"!!
Choosing Shen Jizhou means a death sentence!
Choosing Shen Jizhou means that all of Lu Yuan's tricks will be ineffective!
Lu Yuan has absolutely, absolutely, absolutely no chance of successfully challenging Shen Jizhou!!
Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable hoped that Lu Yuan had just been confused.
Because he kept thinking about what happened with Shen Jizhou that day, he accidentally blurted out Shen Jizhou's name! So, Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable quickly tried to make amends.
Choosing Shen Jizhou would be the end of everything!
Choosing him is like personally putting an end to your "Challenge to Heaven"!
Not only did He Xun think this way, but everyone around him also pondered the same idea.
For other Taoist sects, this was just something to watch and enjoy.
They naturally couldn't fathom why Lu Yuan was so desperate to "challenge the heavens," but that didn't matter.
At least we can enjoy the spectacle.
But if Lu Yuan chooses Shen Jizhou...
Then there's really nothing interesting to see here.
For a time, some people started making trouble, saying that Lu Yuan had chosen the wrong person and that he should choose again.
Lu Yuan simply looked at the extremely anxious Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable from above, bowed slightly, and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Uncle-Master, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"How could I possibly choose Senior Sister Shulan?"
His voice was calm and earnest, and every word was clearly delivered to everyone's ears.
The roar of the Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable abruptly ceased.
He was stunned.
The commotion below seemed to be choked by an invisible hand, gradually dissipating.
This……
What does this mean?!
Are you really not choosing Shen Shulan?
Is she really planning to choose Shen Jizhou?!
Everyone stared intently at Lu Yuan, at his serious face.
Everyone wanted to know what Lu Yuan was thinking, or rather...
What exactly are they trying to do?!
Lu Yuan's gaze pierced through the sea of people, past the blank faces.
Finally, it landed on Gao's moon-white figure.
Shen Shulan stood there, the wind blowing through her hair, her face as pale as paper, her eyes already red-rimmed.
She looked at Lu Yuan, her lips trembling slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't say anything.
For Shen Shulan, the most difficult thing in the world has happened.
The conflict between Lu Yuan and his father made it impossible for Shen Shulan to maintain her previous aloofness.
Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze, looked up at the seven figures above, and gazed at Shen Jizhou, who was at the head of the table.
His voice suddenly rose to a high pitch, like a resounding bell, shaking the entire audience!
"It seems everyone here has forgotten what criteria the Celestial Venerable uses to select his officials!"
"It relies on the will of the people!"
"It's because of the Taoist sect's recognition!"
"More importantly, it's thanks to the achievements they've made for the people of this region beyond the Great Wall over the past five years!!"
"Senior Sister Shulan has more Jade Beans for the 'Ten Thousand People's Letter' than I have, making her the top contributor in the 'Ten Thousand People's Letter' segment of this Heavenly Venerable Ceremony—this is the support of the people!" "Her reputation within the Daoist sect is also that of a leading figure among the younger generation—this is recognition!"
"As for their achievements, their actions in Yangshadi, suppressing a century-old scourge, are evident to all!"
"From any rule's perspective, Senior Sister Shulan's election as Heavenly Venerable is well-deserved and entirely justified!"
At this point, Lu Yuan abruptly changed the subject, his eyes suddenly sharpening like a blade piercing Shen Jizhou!
"And my 'Challenge to Heaven' is a challenge to those who are unworthy of their positions!"
"It's those who hold positions without doing any work!"
"They are those hypocrites who, by virtue of their seniority and power, have stolen the name of the Celestial Venerable!"
"So, no matter how I choose, I can't choose Senior Sister Shulan!!"
His words were powerful and resounding!
An eerie silence fell over the entire room once again.
Countless members of the Daoist sects looked at each other, their eyes revealing sudden realization and deep thought.
To be honest, regarding the Celestial Venerable Ceremony...
Most people have forgotten how the selection process for the Celestial Venerable Ceremony was conducted…
Everyone seems to have forgotten what the selection criteria for this Celestial Venerable Ceremony are...
Now, Lu Yuanyi said...
The crowd was somewhat dazed.
yes……
The Celestial Venerable Ceremony is held every five years, and the selection of a Celestial Venerable is not based on a person's strength or background...
This person doesn't even have to be a member of the Taoist sect; they could even be an ordinary person.
As long as what he does in these five years is worthy of the four words "protecting all living beings with the Dao", that's enough.
It seems that everyone... has really forgotten for far too long.
If we follow the most basic rules...
Of this generation's Celestial Venerable, Shen Shulan is actually the most deserving one.
As for the others...
Lu Yuan's words left many people momentarily lost in thought and contemplation.
If we follow Lu Yuan's suggestion...
No, to be precise, if we follow the original rules of the Celestial Venerable Ceremony...
Apart from Shen Shulan, none of the other seven people seem to be worthy of becoming the Celestial Venerable of this generation.
For the past five years, the area outside the Great Wall has been relatively peaceful, and the people have lived and worked in peace and contentment.
The other six people mentioned above have basically done nothing in the past five years...
These five people are all abbots, who usually sit high in the temple hall...
Above, Shen Jizhou stared coldly at Lu Yuan, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
Shen Jizhou naturally understood what Lu Yuan meant by those words.
These words, without mentioning him in a single sentence, were all directed at him and were a direct insult.
Basically, they were pointing their finger at Shen Jizhou and saying that he was not worthy of becoming the current Heavenly Venerable.
Logically speaking, Shen Jizhou should be angry right now.
I'm so angry!
But the strange thing is...
Shen Jizhou was not angry at all; in fact, he was inexplicably happy!
As for Shen Jizhou, he didn't care at all whether Lu Yuan said he was worthy of the Heavenly Venerable.
Who does Lu Yuan think he is? What right does he have to boss Shen Jizhou around?!
But Shen Jizhou cares about his daughter!
This year's Heavenly Venerable Ceremony is clearly different from previous ones.
The difference lies in Shen Shulan.
A contemporary Celestial Venerable who is twenty-six years old, and a contemporary Celestial Venerable whose realm is only one-star Celestial Master.
He knew better than anyone how Shen Shulan had obtained his position as Heavenly Venerable.
He had used the prestige of Wuqing Temple accumulated over hundreds of years to forcefully secure the position, even forcing the originally designated Yuxiao Temple to back down. To be honest, in Shen Jizhou's view, his daughter was somewhat unworthy of the title.
If Shen Jizhou is thinking about this kind of thing, then others are even less likely to think about it!
I wonder what I should think about this privately!
Despite being intimidated by the strength of Wuqing Temple, the Taoist sects outside the pass dared not openly criticize it.
But that doesn't mean people won't talk about it in private.
What is the most frightening thing about this kind of behavior that is almost like that of a dictator?
What I fear most is people gossiping about me behind my back.
What I fear most is people talking behind my back.
In other words, Wuqing Temple cannot have absolute power outside the pass, otherwise...
Shen Jizhou really wouldn't mind replicating the literary inquisitions of the Qing Dynasty.
Do you dare to say it?
I'll just lock you up!
But Wuqing Temple couldn't do that, so Shen Jizhou was genuinely quite afraid!
When Lu Yuan suddenly stood up and said he wanted to take on the "Challenge of Heaven," Shen Jizhou's heart skipped a beat.
Because at the time, Shen Jizhou thought that Lu Yuan would target his daughter!
If Lu Yuan really did that...
That's really a bit of a joke...
The "Challenge to Heaven" is something we haven't seen in centuries.
If this happened this year, the Heavenly Venerable position that I had painstakingly helped my daughter attain would be challenged on the very same day!
It's good that my own daughter won.
What if we lose...
That would be the biggest joke Wuqing Temple has ever made in a century.
But now...
Lu Yuan's words were tantamount to personally vindicating Shen Shulan in front of the entire Guanwai Dao Sect!
He pulled Shen Shulan out of the mire of being a "connected person" and praised him highly!
This made her the most legitimate and blameless among the current Celestial Venerables!
This silenced all the gossip outside the pass!
Naturally, Shen Jizhou wasn't angry at all about Lu Yuan's sarcastic remark that he wasn't worthy of being the current Heavenly Venerable.
On the contrary, I'm happy!
As for why Lu Yuan said that...
What is the purpose of doing this...?
To be honest, Shen Jizhou was also a bit confused and couldn't understand what Lu Yuan was trying to do.
Could it be...?
Is this kid trying to make friends with me?
Are you trying to use this to get yourself to lower your hand too?
Uh……
Shen Jizhou felt...
It shouldn't be...
If Lu Yuan really intends to do this, shouldn't he at least discuss it with me first?
First, talk to yourself before doing this, instead of suddenly doing this.
Besides that...
Shen Jizhou didn't have much contact with Lu Yuan; to be precise, it was only for a few short hours when Lu Yuan came to deliver the magic sword that day.
But Shen Jizhou felt that Lu Yuan's temperament was the same as his master Li Xiuye's...
Given Li Xiuye's temperament, it definitely couldn't be any attempt to curry favor...
But what you just said...
For a moment, Shen Jizhou was completely dumbfounded.
What the hell is this kid trying to do?!
Could it be...?
Is it really all for that ridiculous notion of fairness?
He couldn't understand or see through the young man in front of him.
Lu Yuan had stopped paying attention to Shen Jizhou's reaction.
Lu Yuan's gaze was like a sharp ruler, sweeping over the seven figures high above.
The names Beidou Temple's Crane Cheng, Tianlong Temple's Crane Xun, and Wuqing Temple's Shen Jizhou... have been decided.
The fourth one...
His gaze passed over Qingfeng Temple and finally landed on Hezhu, the abbot of Nanlin Temple.
This was a candidate that Lu Yuan had already decided on beforehand.
but……
Just as Lu Yuan was about to start selecting people...
A voice, calm and unhurried, broke through the deathly silence of the hall and clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Since you've chosen Wuqing Temple and Tianlong Temple from the top three sects, there's no reason for you to leave out our Riyue Temple, is there?"
"Perhaps..."
"Choose my Sun and Moon Temple as your last opponent!"
The source of the sound is high above.
An old Taoist priest dressed in a black and white Tai Chi robe calmly gazed at Lu Yuan below.
This person is none other than He Ming, the abbot of the Sun and Moon Temple!
Lu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly; he remembered this person.
On that day, it was this person who single-handedly interrupted the earth-shattering battle between He Xun and He Zhen.
His true strength is unfathomable, on the same level as his master, He Xun, making him a true top-tier Grand Celestial Master!
Perhaps outside the Great Wall, he is currently only weaker than Shen Jizhou!
At this moment, He Ming suddenly jumped out...
Before Lu Yuan could speak, He Xun, who had just come to his senses, was about to turn around and berate He Ming for taking revenge on his personal behalf.
It was all to get revenge for what he said when he fought with Tsuruma here last time!
This is someone who wants to take revenge on Lu Yuan, on himself, and on Li Xiuye's apprentice.
But………
Crane Celestial Venerable, who usually has the most explosive temper and is the most prone to cursing, had these curses on the tip of his tongue.
Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable, however, did not know how to express himself.
Ultimately, it turned into a long, bitter sigh.
What are you cursing about?
What's the point of it then?
What's wrong?
Do you really expect Lu Yuan to successfully challenge Shen Jizhou?!
What I just said has already made myself very clear.
When Lu Yuan shouted the name "Shen Jizhou," the outcome of this "Challenge to Heaven" was already sealed.
In front of Shen Jizhou, Lu Yuan, a one-star Celestial Master, no matter what schemes or preparations he had, had absolutely no chance of succeeding!! In fact, one could even say…
Even if Lu Yuan revealed all his cards from the start, even if Shen Jizhou underestimated his opponent.
Even if all the scheming and luck were on Lu Yuan's side, Lu Yuan still would never win!
The chasm between a one-star Celestial Master and a Grand Celestial Master can never be bridged.
not to mention……
Shen Jizhou is no ordinary Grand Celestial Master!
He is the highest mountain in the Daoist sect outside the Great Wall!
A one-star celestial master challenges him?
It's like fireflies trying to outshine the bright moon.
No way!
Lu Yuan has absolutely no chance of beating Shen Jizhou!
If we can't beat Shen Jizhou, what's the point of talking about the future?
Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable is tired and doesn't want to talk anymore...
At this moment, Lu Yuan looked up at He Ming, who was staring at him from above.
Lu Yuan stared intently at He Ming, as if trying to discern something from He Ming's eyes.
He Ming, on the other hand, quietly looked down at Lu Yuan, his face expressionless.
A moment later, Lu Yuan shifted his gaze away from He Ming and turned to the red-robed old Taoist priest presiding over the ceremony, his voice resounding throughout the hall.
"Fourth, I choose Sun and Moon Temple, Heming!"
Before he finished speaking, Lu Yuan took a deep breath, as if he wanted to inhale all the wind and clouds in the world into his chest.
Immediately afterwards, Lu Yuan suddenly raised his hand and pointed upwards, directly at the figure at the highest point, and made a shocking announcement!
"Now, let's get started!"
"My first opponent."
"Shen Jizhou!!"