The bronze statues of the Three Pure Ones of Taoism are placed at the end of the main hall.
The prayer cushions used for worship in front of the Three Pure Ones statue have been removed and replaced with a sandalwood armchair. Two rows of seats are arranged on the left and right sides in front of the statue, and tea tables are placed between the seats, with two cups of tea and a teapot on each table.
Those summoned by Qiu Chuji entered the main hall and sat down in the seats that had been arranged beforehand, while Qiu Chuji sat on a sandalwood armchair in front of the statues of the Three Pure Ones.
Those who were called quickly all arrived. When Li Boyang, Jueyuan, and Shen Wansan arrived, the two rows of seats for the Three Pure Ones statues were almost full. Jueyuan's seat was very close to the front, just to the left below Qiu Chuji.
Shen Wansan's seat was quite far back, at the very last position on the right. Li Boyang was in an even more awkward position; just by looking at the arrangement of the chairs, he knew his guess was correct.
In the last seat of the left row, there was a chair that was clearly different from the others. It was obviously added on his deathbed, and that was his seat.
"That's fine, at least sitting here will keep us away from Qiu Chuji."
Li Boyang muttered something to himself, silently walked to his seat, picked up his teacup and took a sip. He knew very well that he was only there to listen in on the meeting; he would offer his opinion if asked, and remain silent if no one asked.
After everyone was seated, Qiu Chuji began by saying, "I am grateful to all of you for gracing Zhongnan Mountain with your presence to celebrate my birthday."
"In the past thirty years, the martial arts world in the Central Plains has been able to develop steadily under the pressure of the Great Yuan Dynasty, thanks in large part to the suppression by Master Qiu. How could we not come to celebrate your 100th birthday?"
"If it weren't for Master Qiu suppressing the martial arts world for thirty years, the Central Plains martial arts world would probably have been wiped out during the Yuan Dynasty's heyday."
That's right. Qiu Chuji was a figure who suppressed half an era. Sixty years is a cycle, and only when it exceeds sixty years can one be considered to have suppressed an era. Therefore, Qiu Chuji can only be considered half an era.
What is the era of suppression? It is when one person's power forces the imperial court to refrain from easily taking action against the martial arts world of the Central Plains.
The martial arts world has always been a thorn in the side of the imperial court. In the decades following the fall of the Song Dynasty, the most outstanding masters in the Central Plains died of old age, and the martial arts world in the Central Plains was in a period of transition with no outstanding masters to suppress it. Meanwhile, the Yuan Dynasty had only been established for a short time, and its national power was growing stronger day by day, with a constant stream of masters emerging in the imperial court.
That was the stage before Qiu Chuji had grown up. The Yuan Dynasty had repeatedly ravaged the martial arts world, turning the martial arts world into a plaything of the imperial court, which could mold it however it pleased.
After Qiu Chuji reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, Genghis Khan visited him. At that time, the new emperor had just ascended the throne. Qiu Chuji broke into the palace several times at night to assassinate the new emperor.
Although the attempt to stop Qiu Chuji failed due to the obstruction of the Yuan Dynasty masters, it made the Yuan Dynasty extremely wary of him and dare not take action against the martial arts world again. This led to the flourishing development of the martial arts world and the emergence of many masters over the past thirty years.
This situation gradually changed after Shi Le succeeded his grandfather in martial arts and was able to compete with Qiu Chuji.
Not only the Yuan Dynasty, but every dynasty in history has experienced a strange cycle: when the dynasty is at its peak, the martial arts world declines, and when the martial arts world is at its peak, it is basically during a period of dynastic change.
The difference is that a martial arts world with a peerless master to suppress it will not allow the imperial court to act too openly, while a martial arts world without a peerless master to suppress it will be bloodily tamed.
In fact, after Qiu Chuji's death, the next figure to suppress the era in the martial arts world was Zhang Sanfeng, who was also Jueyuan's disciple Zhang Junbao.
Zhang Sanfeng was even more extraordinary than Qiu Chuji. He was a truly ruthless figure who suppressed the era. He single-handedly suppressed the era for 70 years. Even after Zhu Yuanzhang rose to power, he dared not take action against the martial arts world. This can be attributed to Zhang Sanfeng alone.
"You're too kind, everyone."
Qiu Chuji cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the surroundings, his expression slightly solemn, and said:
"The main reason I invited you all to Zhongnan Mountain is to discuss with you the matter of supporting the uprising army."
The real drama is finally here. In reality, the prayer ceremony was all a charade. Qiu Chuji invited the leaders of various martial arts sects to Quanzhen Temple for this very purpose.
Nowadays, those who eat and drink outside are not qualified to participate in the discussion of this matter. They can come to the prayer meeting, but they are just joining in the fun.
Don't underestimate the power of a sect. The saying goes, "The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts." Disciples within a sect can be elites compared to ordinary people, and they also have complex social connections.
Moreover, each sect wields immense influence within its territory, and its disciples possess exceptional martial arts skills, enabling them to assist the rebel army in training troops and even devise strategies.
However, most sects do not directly participate in the process of vying for supremacy. Instead, they choose to support a force and reach an agreement with the supported party. If the supported party eventually wins, the sect will prosper in return.
Although the world is in chaos now, with various rebel armies rising up in rebellion, each of these armies is supported by a sect or faction.
It is precisely because the power of the sects is so great that each founding emperor, after ascending the throne, regards the martial arts world as a major threat and uses every means to suppress it.
Bai Yujing, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, sneered and said, "What Master Qiu means is..."
In fact, everyone here knows what the Quanzhen Sect really means. They simply want to integrate the strength of various forces and jointly support one entity.
Qiu Chuji said in a deep voice, "Although the world is in chaos now, the various rebel armies cannot unite as one. If we can combine the strength of all factions, we can probably end this chaotic world sooner."
Although the country was in great chaos, the various rebel armies mostly acted independently and had friction with each other. Therefore, although the Yuan Dynasty was in turmoil, it never fell.
Li Boyang, who was listening from the sidelines, finally understood the significance of this meeting. It turned out that they wanted to decide which sect belonged to which sect, and he gained a new perspective on the strength of the sects in this era.
At this moment, Yue Ling, the head of the Huashan Sect, asked, "May I ask what Master Qiu's opinion is? If someone is chosen, let's hear it."
Today, Mount Hua is the most revered of the Five Sacred Mountains. It has integrated the strength of the Five Sacred Mountains sects and can be considered one of the top sects in the martial arts world.
Qiu Chuji smiled faintly and said, "Since I, Qiu, brought this up, the candidates should naturally be nominated by you all. Otherwise, it would seem that I, the Quanzhen School, am arrogant. Let me make it clear first that the candidates I support will only be chosen from among your nominees."
That may be true, but the reality is not necessarily so. There are only a few powerful rebel armies in the lower realms now, and no matter how the people in the main hall choose, they will only have those people. It is impossible to support someone who has no foundation.
Now, some of those rebel armies have secretly contacted several sects, and no one knows that the Quanzhen Sect has been in contact with those rebel armies.
"Master Qiu is indeed wholeheartedly concerned for the common people. In that case, my Emei Sect will go first."
The head of the Emei Sect, Abbess Wuyun, first offered a compliment, then slowly revealed the candidate supported by the Emei Sect.
“Red-skinned Mingyu Zhen is respectful and courteous to scholars, and is exceptionally handsome and talented, making her a worthy candidate.”
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Chapter 100 Who Will Rule the World?
“Ming Yuzhen is nothing but a complacent and self-satisfied person, and he is merely Xu Shouhui’s subordinate. What ability does he have to shoulder great responsibilities?”
The speaker was Qixiazi, the leader of the Kongtong Sect. The Kongtong Sect also had its own preferred candidates, and naturally would not allow Emei to get away with it.