Chapter 518 — The First Primordial Spirit Council
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 1 of 5
The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping thought it over. Ever since Shen Mu had forced him into becoming a Heavenly King of the Heavenly Sacred Sect, it did seem that he had done very little for the sect; it was Shen Mu and the Heavenly Sacred Sect that had helped him without any reservation.
The sect's ideals clashed with his own in nothing, and since he had received its grace, he was of course bound to repay it.
He escorted Shen Mu out of the Imperial Preceptor's residence and halted outside the gate. "Sect Master Shen, as the Holy Master of the sect, you too seem to spend little time within it; you are forever loitering about outside, without even time to cultivate. Do not let it delay your progress in cultivation. In this age of great change, the Way and its divine arts are shifting, renewing with each passing day. Even I, since returning to Jingping not long ago, have been learning the new divine arts of the Way that have appeared in Jingping.
Cultivation is a boat rowed against the current: without learning, one falls back.
Bear that in mind, Sect Master. " Shen Mu's heart stirred faintly. "You are already a deity. Do you too need to learn the newly appeared divine arts of the Way of Jingping? " The Imperial Preceptor nodded.
"Among the young masters of your generation there is no shortage of men with ideas. As for sword arts, I have already made public the three newly added basic sword forms, and your Eighteen Forms of the Sword have been made public by me as well.
Four new basic sword forms alone are enough to breed countless new sword moves across the world's sword-path divine arts. And what is more, once the cultivation method of the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit is spread abroad, it will change the divine arts of the Way far more.
Four new basic sword forms change only sword arts, but a change in the cultivation system itself makes for far greater upheaval.
" Shen Mu deeply agreed.
To create a sword art is hard, but to alter the foundations is harder still; once the foundations alter, countless people are given the chance to reform and innovate, and one might say a great host of opportunities lies before them. The Primordial Spirit Guide that he and Ling Yuxiu had created had changed the foundations of cultivation, and once the foundations changed, endless possibilities opened up; more and more people would apply their wisdom and talent upon that ground, making the divine arts of the Way leap forward, and bringing forth Grand Masters beyond counting. Yet even he, the reformer, had need to learn and adapt to the new divine arts. "I suggest you go to the Grand Academy and the Four Great Academies, and stay a while in each, exchanging ideas with those young men. " The Imperial Preceptor was full of feeling. "The divine arts of the Way change with each passing day, and the young pour out ideas without end.
In a few months I have felt myself grow old, fallen behind the times, in need of learning from these young people.
In the years to come, those of the younger generation who cultivate to the divine realm will surely be very many.
Two days before you came to the capital, Daoist Master Lin Xuan led the young generation of the Daoist sect to the Grand Academy to exchange divine powers and arts, and I too was there in the Grand Academy studying the divine arts those young ones had created and talking with him, and it stirred many feelings in me.
Yesterday Ma Rulai also arrived with many monks and demons to discourse on the Way at the Grand Academy; only I had no leisure to go. " "Lord Huo has come to the capital as well? " Shen Mu was delighted, and asked abruptly, "Imperial Preceptor, how many gods and demons are there in Jingping at present?
" The Imperial Preceptor was slightly taken aback.