A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 18: Nine-Rank System

In the Daoist Ancestral Court, the most terrifying entity for Daoist priests at all levels was not the Ziwei Hall. In the worst case, they would be dismissed from their office and sent home to live with their families. The Tiangang Hall was only frightening for outsiders because it dealt with external matters, not internal affairs.

The most terrifying entity was the Beichen Hall, which was equivalent to the Ministry of Justice in the Imperial Court. Functionally, it was more akin to the Green Phoenix Guards, which had the power to interrogate Daoist priests below the third rank.

With the approval of the Golden Tower Council, Beichen Hall could interrogate third-rank Youyi Daoist masters. If Beichen Hall had authorization from the Zixiao Palace, they could even interrogate second-rank Taiyi Daoist masters.

Fourth-rank Daoist priests were called Jijiu Daoist masters, also known as Mages to the world. They were either responsible for a county or held important positions in the West Kunlun Ancestral Court. They were also qualified to accept disciples.

Third-rank Daoist priests were called Youyi Daoist masters, also known as High Mages to the world. They were either responsible for a prefecture or held a deputy master position in the Nine Halls of the Ancestral Court.

Second-rank Daoist priests were called Taiyi Daoist masters, also known as Sages. They were superior to most people. Whether they held an official position in the Ancestral Court or were responsible for a state, they were highly influential and even had the power to elect the Grand Master.

First-rank Daoist priests were called Dacheng Sages, also known as the Great Sages. Among them, the three Deputy Grand Masters were also the leaders of their sects. They were known as the Great Sages of the Taiping Sect, Quanzhen Sect, and Zhengyi Sect.

The Great Sage of the Zhengyi Sect resided in the Dazhen Mansion on Yunjin Mountain, while the Great Sage of the Quanzhen Sect lived in the Chongyang Palace of Immortality on Zhongnan Mountain, and the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect stayed in the Zhenjing Courtyard on Penglai Island.

The Ancestral Court was comprised of the Jade Capital, Xuan City, Purple Mansion, and Golden Tower. Comparing the Ancestral Court to the Imperial Court, Jade Capital was equivalent to the outer city of the Imperial Capital, and Xuan City was the inner city of the Imperial Capital. Within the inner city, the Purple Mansion was akin to the Imperial Palace, and the Golden Tower was equivalent to the Golden Hall within the Imperial Palace.

The Golden Tower was where the 36 Sages discussed matters, and the Purple Mansion was where the Grand Master resided.

The Beichen Hall obeyed the direct orders of the 36 Sages and the Grand Master. Its power was far superior to that of the other six halls. It was as important as the Ziwei Hall and the Tiangang Hall. This trio was often referred to as the Three Great Halls.

With the position of Grand Master vacant, the Nine Halls, directly subordinate to the Grand Master, temporarily obeyed the three Deputy Grand Masters.

The existing situation remained balanced, with the Great Sage of the Taiping Sect controlling the Beichen Hall, the Great Sage of the Quanzhen Sect controlling the Ziwei Hall, and the Great Sage of the Zhengyi Sect controlling the Tiangang Hall.

The three Deputy Grand Masters took turns being the Great Sage Lunzhi, a title for the acting Grand Master. This title allowed one to assume the highest authority in the Daoist Order for a fixed term. However, all three Deputy Grand Masters would make major decisions together.

This year marked the 41st year of the Jiushi Era. In the first half of the year, from the 1st of January to the 30th of June, the Great Sage of the Zhengyi Sect would assume the authority of the Grand Master. In the second half of the year, from the 1st of July to the 31st of December, the Great Sage of the Quanzhen Sect would exercise the authority of the Grand Master.

It was currently the 15th of July, which was known as the Hungry Ghost Festival. Thus, it was the Great Sage of the Quanzhen Sect’s turn to assume power.

......

A large number of high-ranking Daoist priests who were not usually seen have gathered outside the Chiming Palace within the Purple Mansion.

The most eye-catching among them was Zhao Jiaowu, a third-rank Youyi Daoist master who assisted Sage Feiling in presiding over the Daoist mansion in the Western Region. He was a seventh-generation Quanzhen Daoist disciple.

Although Zhao Jiaowu was still one step away from being a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master, he was still in his prime and not yet in his fifties. Everyone believed that he could be promoted to a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master before he turned sixty.

Sage Feiling, who was also from the Quanzhen Sect, was very optimistic about Zhao Jiaowu and believed that he could successfully take over the responsibility of presiding over the Western Region Daoist Mansion and take charge of the Daxue Mountain Palace.

Just like the Luzhou Daoist Mansion that was set in the Taiping Palace on Taiping Mountain, the Western Region Daoist Mansion was located in the Daxue Mountain Palace. The Jade Pond that Daoists often referred to was the Western Region Daoist Mansion.

Many fourth-rank disciples from the Quanzhen Sect surrounded Zhao Jiaowu. Since this was the Ancestral Court, the most abundant type of disciple was the fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist masters.

The second-most eye-catching person was the Deputy Hall Master of Duzhi Hall, Li Mingzhi, who was also a third-rank Youyi Daoist master. The Li family had a rule that descendants of each generation must share a word within their names.

The first ever Grand Master, who was known as the Holy Xuan, hailed from the Li family and belonged to the Ru generation, while Li Mingzhi was from the Ming generation. This meant that Li Mingzhi was the fifth-generation direct descendant of the Holy Xuan.

Another circle of Taiping Sect disciples formed around Li Mingzhi. They were incompatible with the disciples of the Quanzhen Sect. Both parties were even hostile to each other.

In addition, there were two other groups of people.

One group was composed of disciples from the Zhengyi Sect. However, they were quite restrained and not as aggressive as the disciples from the other two sects.

The other group consisted of those directly subordinate to the Grand Master. They initially held the highest position in the Ancestral Court, but with the position of Grand Master vacant and the three Deputy Grand Masters taking turns in power, they were put in an awkward situation. These people maintained a clear distance from members of the other three major sects and remained silent.

“Why hasn’t that young lady arrived yet?”

“Women always like to be fashionably late.”

“Brother, you should keep your words to yourself. We’ll get in trouble if she gets wind of this. As the saying goes, one shouldn’t look down on those weaker than them because times will change and the tables will turn. I hope you won’t regret what you say today.”

“Not even 25 years old, but already a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master who has been bestowed with a semi-immortal item. What a bright future!”

“If the Grand Master were still around, he would have kept that prodigy as a direct disciple.”

“Yeah. If you could climb to the position of fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master before thirty, you’ll also enjoy this treatment.”

“How could I even compare to someone who has been handpicked by several Sages? I’m so envious!”

As they waited, the disciples began to talk in hushed voices.

The person they were gossiping about was the star of the day, the Daoist prodigy whom even Qi Xuansu had heard of when he was far away from the Ancestral Court. The prodigy, not even 25 years old, rose to be a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master, served as an official in the Beichen Hall, and was bestowed with a semi-immortal object.

Without incident, this prodigy would most likely be guaranteed a spot among the exclusive 36 Sages.

Suddenly, everyone could hear footsteps from a distance.

“The Sage is here!”

“Silence!”

The real big shot had arrived.

Everything returned to silence.

The Hall Master of Tiangang Hall and the Deputy Hall Master of Beichen Hall walked over slowly and arrived at the steps of the Chiming Palace.

No one knew the true age of the Tiangang Hall Master, but from his appearance alone, the Sage was probably in his forties. He had a long beard and a peculiar face. He wore a loose robe and assumed a leisurely demeanor.

The Deputy Beichen Hall Master was similar to the Tiangang Hall Master, but the former looked more vicious.

Although Daoist priests had techniques to reverse the aging process, they generally did not want to make themselves look too young. Most of them liked to maintain a youthful appearance of around forty years old because it would show that they were experienced and respectable elders.

Zhao Jiaowu and Li Mingzhi bowed humbly in greeting.

There was a big gap between a fifth-rank Daoist priest and a fourth-rank Daoist master, just like there was a threshold between a third-rank Daoist master and a second-rank Sage. Only second-rank Sages were qualified to participate in discussions and be involved in major decisions of the Daoist Order.

The true big shots of the Daoist Order gestured for everyone to rise before walking up the steps. The gatekeeper quickly pushed open the gate of the Chiming Palace, allowing the Sage to enter first.

The crowd followed closely behind and entered the Chiming Palace one after another.

......

The Purple Mansion was a collective name referring to the countless palaces in the Ancestral Court. Newcomers were easily lost in it.

Even after living there for several years, no one would dare claim that they were completely familiar with all the paths in the Purple Mansion. In addition, it was prohibited to fly, jump, or walk on clouds within the vicinity of the Purple Mansion. Thus, it would be difficult to find the right path again after losing one’s way.

At this moment, Zhang Yuelu found herself in an extremely embarrassing situation.

Zhang Yuelu was named after one of the 28 constellations, the fifth star of the Southern Seven Constellations.

As a Superintendent of the Beichen Hall, Zhang Yuelu accidentally got lost on her way to Chiming Palace to attend a meeting presided over by the Sage of Tiangang Hall. This meeting was about the demon uprising in the Western Region.

Zhang Yuelu took out an old pocket watch, opened the cover, and glanced at the time. It was already half past seven.

If nothing unexpected happened, the meeting had already begun. Although she did not want to admit it, she was already late to the meeting.

That was not the worst part. She also stood a Sage up.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuelu subconsciously pursed her lips. However, her face remained calm and composed, showing no signs of panic.

......

Lin Yongbai was an inconspicuous seventh-rank Daoist priest. After leaving the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, he was assigned to work in the Ancestral Court’s Daoist Canon Division.

Together with other disciples, Lin Yongbai was responsible for maintaining 100,000 Daoist Canons. It was not a tough job, but it wasn’t exactly easy either. Every month, he received 10 Taiping coins and three vacation days.

The annual assessment in the Daoist Canon Division was not difficult, so he excelled in it. According to the rules of the Ancestral Court, a new disciple could be promoted to a seventh-rank Daoist priest if they excelled in the annual assessment for three consecutive years. This was how Lin Yongbai was promoted from a ninth-rank Daoist priest to a seventh-rank Daoist priest.

He was definitely much better off than some of his peers, who had to kill and fight their way to a promotion. When Lin Yongbai first joined the Daoist Canon Division, he often fantasized about being accepted as a disciple of an extraordinary Daoist master disguising himself as a commoner in the Daoist Canon Division. If so, he could finally escape from his ordinary life and even obtain the Sword of Wisdom one day.

However, after nearly ten years in the Daoist Canon Division. Lin Yongbai still did not meet an extraordinary master. With his fantasy shattered, he became content with the status quo, going to the Hall of Archives every morning and leaving in the afternoon, day after day, year after year.

That day, Lin Yongbai was running a bit late due to some trivial matters. As he was speed-walking toward the Hall of Archives, he turned a corner and saw someone in his path.

He was startled, so he stopped and focused on the person. It was a young woman in a simple Daoist robe that did not reveal her rank.

When Lin Yongbai’s gaze fell on the woman’s face, he felt his heart tremble.

Lin Yongbai had seen many female disciples in the Ancestral Court, but it was at that moment that he truly realized what it meant to be astonishingly beautiful.

Although the woman’s features were not the best he had seen, her aura was incredibly enchanting.

Lin Yongbai suddenly had an idea. He would not exchange any rank, even a position as a Sage, if it meant that he could spend his lifetime with a woman like her.

The woman asked politely, “Excuse me, which way is the Chiming Palace?”

Lin Yongbai instinctively pointed in the right direction. “Go straight ahead and turn left at the second intersection. After about 300 steps, head west for about 300 more steps, and you will be able to see the Chiming Palace.”

“Thank you.” The woman walked quickly in the direction he pointed.

The two passed by each other.

Lin Yongbai turned back to watch her retreating figure, unable to hide the feeling of loss in his eyes.

Anyone who could go to the Chiming Palace was at least a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master. That was something he could not dream of.