260: Fifth Incarnation: Heavenly Physician (Fifty-two)

Immortal Master Xuanji's words were forceful, carrying an unquestionable mockery as they echoed across the empty Cloud Platform.

As soon as he finished speaking, Immortal Master Changqing, who sat opposite Immortal Master Qingwei, stroking a Green Jade Ruyi and possessing the appearance of a youthful elder with white hair, slowly shook his head and spoke in rebuttal, his voice gentle yet possessing an undeniable power:

"Junior Brother Xuanji, these words of yours focus a bit too much on the outward appearance of 'power'."

"There are ten thousand paths to the Dao; how can they all be generalized?"

"The core of this child's Dao might not be the stacking of mundane thoughts, but rather the guidance of 'momentum' and the construction of 'order'."

"In that Spiritless World, he appeared to borrow the strength of the masses, but in reality, he used his own ideals as a guide to establish rules and build consensus, weaving the scattered sands of people's hearts into a single rope, turning disorder into order, and only then did he have the ability to slay the Dragon Vein."

"This insight and application of 'order' and 'collaboration' have value even in our cultivation world. In terms of Sect management, resource allocation, large-scale Battle Formation calculations, and even exploring certain ancient Secret Realms, who dares say it is definitely useless?"

"Does Senior Brother Changqing want us Fruit Position True Persons to learn from those mortal emperors and play at the balance of power?" Immortal Master Leijun's voice was like a resonant bell, carrying obvious disapproval. "The path of cultivation is the true path to heaven, where great power belongs to oneself! Relying on external things and gathering sand to build a tower is ultimately a heterodox path, difficult to prove immortality! In my view, this path might have some minor clever tricks, but for the cultivation of the Great Dao, it is no different from putting the cart before the horse!"

"It is not power politics, but legal principles and mutual covenants."

A crisp voice rang out, coming from the mouth of Immortal Master Chizi, whose face was as youthful as a child's. He had opened his eyes at some unknown time, his gaze as clear as water, seemingly able to reflect the human heart.

"This path is fundamentally different from the ancient Way of the Gods."

"The Way of the Gods gathers faith into power and is subject to its followers; what it seeks is 'power'. But this child's Dao, as I see it, has its core in 'principles' and 'common action'."

"He does not pray for faith but guides all living beings to follow a certain consensus, each performing their duties and working together toward one goal. The act of slaying the Dragon is clear proof. If this path continues to develop, it might become a... 'framework' that allows those of different cultivation levels and different natural talents to transcend barriers and collaborate efficiently."

"Its potential is not necessarily below that of individual martial prowess. However..."

He changed the subject, looking down at the quiet room, a trace of gravity appearing on his youthful face that did not match his appearance: "This path is also one of great danger. Guiding the will of all living beings is like driving a surging flood; it can carry the boat if handled well, but capsize it if handled poorly. If one's resolve is slightly weak or their ideals slightly biased, it will result in a backlash against oneself, leading to the disaster of the Divine Soul being completely extinguished. Furthermore, if this path is widely spread, it will inevitably shake the existing order where power is respected, and whether that brings fortune or calamity is hard to predict."

At this moment, the Sect Leader, Immortal Master Profound Subtlety, who was seated in the main position, turned his gaze toward Jiang Tingyun, who had remained silent: "Junior Brother Jiang, this child is your personal Disciple. What are your thoughts on this?"

"Senior Brother Xuanji says that in the cultivation world, great power belongs to oneself, which is naturally correct."

"However, we Cultivators are not hermits living alone in the wilderness. With Sects standing tall, strict laws, exchanges between fellow Daoists, and exploration of Secret Realms, where is 'collaboration' and 'order' not needed?"

"My Disciple's Dao might be just the thing to strengthen this aspect. Its power might not be evident in individual combat, but if it can be used to integrate resources, mediate conflicts, and unify the will of the Sect members, allowing my Zhenyan Lineage and even the Shangqing Dao Lineage to be directed as easily as one's own arm, exerting a collective force far beyond simple addition, how can its value be measured by mere combat power?"

"Moreover, there are ten thousand paths to the Dao, and all need to be verified."

"The prototype of this path has just appeared. Whether it is superior or inferior, orthodox or unconventional, although it still needs time to be observed, in my opinion, this child Su Yuan might one day stand among us."

As soon as Jiang Tingyun said this, the Cloud Platform suddenly fell silent.

"Stand among us?" Immortal Master Xuanji was the first to react, and a layer of frost covered his already rigid face. "Junior Brother Jiang, you are overestimating this Disciple of yours far too much!"

"The difficulty of reaching the Fruit Position is harder than ascending to the blue heavens! How many brilliant and talented people are stuck at the Late Golden Core Stage, unable to find the way in for their entire lives! That Su Yuan only has a Foundation Establishment cultivation. Relying on tricks and taking risks in the Spiritless World, he luckily stirred up some trouble, and now he dares to speak arrogantly of the Fruit Position? It's simply a pipe dream!"

Immortal Master Qingwei also frowned slightly, a trace of confusion in his gaze as he looked at Jiang Tingyun: "Junior Brother Jiang, the heart of a loving teacher is understandable, but the matter of the Fruit Position is not to be spoken of lightly."

Even Immortal Master Changqing and Immortal Master Chizi, who had spoken up for Xu Yuan just now, remained silent.

Although they were optimistic about the potential of Xu Yuan's Dao, the evaluation of "achieving the Fruit Position" was simply too high—so high that they even wondered if Jiang Tingyun had lost his composure due to the master-Disciple bond.

After all, of the seven people present, who hadn't gone through thousands of tribulations and dangers to be able to sit on these Jade Thrones on the Cloud Platform?

And this was even with the seven lineages each having their own Legacy; if one were to achieve the Fruit Position by opening a new Dao, even looking at the entire Shangqing Dao Lineage, no one had managed to do so for ten thousand years.

Facing everyone's doubts and mockery, Jiang Tingyun's expression remained unchanged. He simply met Immortal Master Xuanji's gaze calmly: "Senior Brother Xuanji, when we Cultivators were at the Foundation Establishment stage back then, did we ever think we could sit here today?"

"Under the Great Dao, all things are possible. This child Su Yuan's Heart-Nature, Comprehension Ability, and resilience are all top-notch. What's even rarer is that although his Dao is unconventional, it has a solid Foundation and is not a rootless floating weed."

"I say he has the potential for the Fruit Position, not asserting that he will definitely achieve it, but rather believing that he possesses a certain... possibility to step onto this difficult path."

He paused and looked at Senior Brother Xuanwei, his tone turning solemn: "Senior Brother Xuanwei, just as the Fruit Position is difficult, any glimmer of possibility is worth cherishing. If my Kunlun and I Ching Dao branch can add another new Dao Fruit Position with 'order' and 'common covenant' at its core, how significant would that be for the Dao Lineage?"

"Even if it ultimately fails, during the process of this child exploring the path, his thoughts and ideas might also bring new inspiration to us. Therefore, I believe it is worth investing resources to observe and support him."

Immortal Master Profound Subtlety stroked his beard and listened, his face showing no joy or anger. It wasn't until Jiang Tingyun finished speaking that he suddenly laughed heartily, his voice like gold and jade, dissipating the tense atmosphere from before:

"Good! Junior Brother Jiang having such confidence is a blessing for your Zhenyan Lineage and also a stroke of luck for our Kunlun and I Ching Dao! If it truly turns out as Junior Brother says and our branch can produce another Fruit Position, you, Junior Brother, shall take the primary credit!"

After laughing, Immortal Master Profound Subtlety's expression became solemn, and his gaze swept across the room: "Since Junior Brother Jiang holds such high hopes for this child, and the path this child follows is indeed unique and difficult to judge by common logic, then a hasty evaluation, whether praise or criticism, would likely be biased."

"In that case, the evaluation of this child Su Yuan at this Minor Derivation Dharma Assembly will be temporarily set aside."

"Wait until the other Dao Seeds have finished their Dharma Derivation, observe his entire performance and final results, and then conduct a comprehensive evaluation to determine his ranking."