A Pawn's Passage

A fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master might seem like a high-ranking position, but in reality, they had just crossed the first threshold. In the Imperial Court, it was equivalent to having an official position.

There was only a difference of three ranks from a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master to a first-rank Tianzhen Daoist master, but in reality, it was much more than that.

To rise in these ranks, the Golden Tower Council would have to be involved. The Golden Tower Council was the highest authority of the Daoist Order, apart from the Grand Master and the few Great Sages.

The 36 Sages, who were all second-rank Taiyi Daoist masters, were part of the Golden Tower Council. They were known as the Omniscient Golden Tower Council Sages, or, for short, the 36 Sages or Omniscient Sages. If they resigned or were dismissed from the council, they would still retain their rank as second-rank Taiyi Daoist masters, but they would just be known as regular Sages.

This meant that there were far more than 36 second-rank Taiyi Daoist masters in the Daoist Order. However, only the 36 Omniscient Sages in the Golden Tower Council held the most power.

Similarly, the Great Sages of the three major sects who held the titles of Heavenly Preceptor, Earthly Preceptor, and Imperial Preceptor were also the Deputy Grand Masters. If they retired or resigned from their role, they would give up the position of Deputy Grand Master, but they would still retain the title of the Great Sage.

In general, unless it was for major crimes like treason or rebellion, the Daoist Order would not strip someone of the Great Sage or the Sage title.

Ordinary Sages had the right to observe the Golden Tower Council meetings. On the other hand, ordinary Great Sages had the right to participate in those meetings because their status was above that of the 36 Sages.

To distinguish the Great Sages from Deputy Grand Masters, they were called the Virtuous Great Sages of the Golden Tower Council, abbreviated as the Virtuous Great Sages. They were supposed to govern the people to achieve social harmony and ensure the continuous teaching of virtues and etiquette.

In summary, the upper echelons of the Daoist Order could be further subdivided into six levels.

The single highest position was that of the Grand Master, who was the most revered figure as the leader of the Daoist Order. Next were the three Deputy Grand Masters, who were also the Great Sages of the three major sects. They wielded great power, with thousands of subordinates, but they only had to answer to the Grand Master.

Below the Deputy Grand Masters were the Virtuous Great Sages of the Golden Tower Council. The number of Great Sages in this position was variable because it included the founding members of the Daoist Order, the elders, and venerable figures with great prestige and numerous disciples. Although they had retired from official duties, they still held great influence over the Daoist Order.

Following that were the 36 Omniscient Sages of the Golden Tower Council. These sages were pillars of the Daoist community and pragmatic figures. They were mostly leaders of the Nine Halls and the Daoist Mansions.

Lastly, there were the ordinary Sages, whose numbers varied as well. Although they were not as influential as the 36 Omniscient Sages, they should not be underestimated because some of them held important positions or commanded considerable respect. If there was a vacancy among the 36 Omniscient Sages, then that position would be filled by these ordinary Sages.

Looking at it from another perspective, there were distinctions even among first-rank Tianzhen Daoist masters or second-rank Taiyi Daoist masters. Setting aside the Grand Master who ruled above all, an ordinary second-rank Taiyi Daoist master actually belonged to the fourth level. Subsequently, fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters were considered the sixth level.

The fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master was at the bottom tier, still far from climbing the ladder of the Daoist Order.

From the Grand Master at the very top to the ranks below the fourth rank, the Daoist Order had nine ranks but twelve levels.

This was no secret. As soon as someone attained a certain rank, it became public knowledge. After all, if one did not know these fundamental facts, there was no point in advancing ranks within the Daoist Order.

The reason Zhang Yuelu was feared by many noble families was not only because of her own abilities, but also because she caught the attention of two Deputy Grand Masters. Although outsiders could not speculate on how much these Deputy Grand Masters valued Zhang Yuelu, their attitude alone was enough to deter any petty actions.

However, Sages with real power were not intimidated. They could even discern the truth of the matter, but they had no reason to get involved in the squabbles of the youngsters. Even powerful Sages like the Tiangang Hall Master admired Zhang Yuelu as a junior.

It was evident that Zhang Yuelu’s status was high within the Daoist Order.

On the other hand, Qi Xuansu, a menial seventh-rank Daoist priest, had to respectfully bow to Sun Yongfeng, a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist priest. Qi Xuansu was not even qualified to sit and have a cup of tea with him.

In this aspect, Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu were not that far apart. The gap between Zhang Yuelu and the Grand Master was several times greater than that between Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu.

That was because any rank lower than a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master could still rely on recommendations. A promotion was just a matter of words if someone of influence admired them. However, after breaking through the fourth rank threshold, it was a zero-sum game. If someone was promoted, another had to be demoted. After reaching the second rank, the power one held depended on one’s backers. Everything was intricately tied together, so a slight disturbance could affect the whole system.

As for the positions of the three Deputy Grand Masters and the Grand Master, no one would expect the Primordial Daoist Ancestor to promote them.

That was close to impossible.

There was a saying in the Daoist Order that ascending to heaven was easy, but becoming the Grand Master was difficult.

One lifetime of cultivation was not enough to become the Grand Master. It might actually take several lifetimes of cultivation.

When Zhang Yuelu mentioned her desire to become the Grand Master, it was considered boastful, even if she were an unparalleled genius or a reincarnated celestial being. People who heard this would mock her for being delusional.

Such was the position of the Grand Master in the Daoist Order.

The position of Grand Master had been left vacant for a long time. The Golden Tower Council convened twice about this without reaching a conclusion each time. Thus, the three Deputy Grand Masters had been taking turns exercising the authority of the Grand Master. The acting Grand Master was given the title of the Great Sage Lunzhi.

This was also public knowledge.

There were even rumors that the three Deputy Grand Masters were intentionally not nominating a new Grand Master because they did not want to relinquish their new-found power. If a new Grand Master were to take over, they would inevitably consolidate power, and the three Deputy Grand Masters would not only lose the rotation of authority but also be subject to the commands of the new leader. Thus, it was more beneficial for them to maintain the status quo.

These rumors became so malicious that some even speculated that the three Deputy Grand Masters conspired to murder the previous Grand Master, forcing the Ancestral Court to issue orders to apprehend those who spread false rumors.

However, these rumors had already gained traction. Despite being far from the Ancestral Court for years, Qi Xuansu had also heard these rumors. To Qi Xuansu, these rumors seemed rather suspicious, perhaps involving internal power struggles within the Ancestral Court. Someone might be using these rumors to create widespread discussion, pressuring the three Deputy Grand Masters to nominate a new Grand Master as soon as possible.

As for why none of the three Deputy Grand Masters would become the Grand Master, it was because there was an unwritten rule within the Daoist Order that the Grand Master must be elected from among the 36 Omniscient Sages. It was similar to a royal succession, which primarily followed a father-to-son inheritance instead of a sibling succession.

Even if the three Deputy Grand Masters wanted to break this tradition, they would not be able to agree among themselves. They would counterbalance each other, and anyone seeking to become the Grand Master would face opposition from the other two.

So, only one person among the 36 Omniscient Sages could be nominated as Grand Master. The requirements for the position of Grand Master were extremely high. The Sage had to be at least 60 years of age to command the respect of all the young sages.

Sage Tiangang was now in his sixties. While this age might be ordinary among the Sages, it was relatively young compared to the Deputy Grand Masters. Similarly, a 30-year-old Daoist priest would be considered old in the seventh rank but young in the fifth rank.

Zhang Yuelu was not even 25 years old yet. According to an average five-year advancement system, she would ascend to the third rank by 30, the second-rank ordinary Sage at 35, the second-rank Omniscient Sage at 40, and the first-rank Virtuous Great Sage at 45. She would have to wait until she was 50 to become a Deputy Grand Master.

In reality, it was impossible for advancement to occur every five years. Sage Tiangang only became one of the 36 Sages when he was 50 years old. Ten years later, he was still in the same position. Aside from some role rotation, Sage Tiangang stayed stagnant in the same rank.

Without any fortuitous changes, he might still remain in the same position a decade later. He would probably only ascend to become a Virtuous Great Sage after he turned 80.

From this perspective, a 60-year-old Deputy Grand Master was considerably young.

Qi Xuansu’s lifelong dream was to wield the Sword of Wisdom and ascend to the second rank. He would be satisfied even if he could not be an Omniscient Sage and was just a regular Sage.

However, it was extremely difficult for him to reach that level. That was why he called it a dream—it was difficult to achieve, perhaps even impossible.

On the other hand, it was almost a certainty that Zhang Yuelu would become a Sage. At worst, she would be a regular Sage wielding the Sword of Wisdom. If everything went smoothly, she should ascend to become one of the 36 Omniscient Sages, so her dream was to become the Grand Master.

What Qi Xuansu aspired to achieve was actually just the starting point for Zhang Yuelu to reach her own goal.

Qi Xuansu was not a fool. He discerned this fact from Zhang Yuelu’s attitude and words.

For a moment, both of them fell silent.

They were strangers who shared a drink and probed each other after meeting again. Some things that neither of them had paid attention to gradually surfaced to form an invisible barrier between them.

The slight romantic thoughts that Qi Xuansu harbored for Zhang Yuelu disappeared in an instant. He was not a free-spirited wanderer or a reckless libertine. He was just a struggling individual at the bottom rung of the Daoist hierarchy.

Therefore, for the sake of survival, he would not do anything outrageous, like disregarding ranks or believing that his fate was entirely in his own hands. Those ideas were perhaps liberating and appealing, but they were not possible, at least not at the moment.

Zhang Yuelu also sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere between them. She stopped and said, “It looks like our encounter today ends here.”

"Today’s encounter?” Qi Xuansu keenly noticed Zhang Yuelu’s choice of words.

Zhang Yuelu spoke in a mysterious tone, reminiscent of a fortune-teller. “Our fate for this month has yet to end. We shall meet again.”

Qi Xuansu’s mind raced. “Are you referring to working together in Tiangang Hall? But I’m not sure if I can get in yet.”

Zhang Yuelu stared intently at Qi Xuansu and said confidently, “I guarantee that you’ll be able to enter the Tiangang Hall. Even Sun Yongfeng can’t object to it.”

Qi Xuansu was shaken. He probed. “As far as I know, the newly appointed Deputy Hall Master is of a similar age to you, Miss Tantai. Are you acquainted with Deputy Hall Master Zhang? Do you intend to put in a good word for me?”

Zhang Yuelu walked away without looking back. “Brother Tian Yuan, if I say you can enter the Tiangang Hall, then you will definitely get a position there.”

Qi Xuansu stood in place watching Zhang Yuelu’s departing figure, lost in thought.