The Celestial Master succession ceremony was widely announced, attracting numerous guests from far and wide—a grand occasion indeed.

As fellow Taoist Holy Lands, both the Pure Yang Palace and Mount Shu had representatives present.

"Daoist He, it has been a long time," Elder Lü Jinduan of the Pure Yang Palace greeted Elder He Dongxing of Mount Shu.

He Dongxing smiled. "Daoist Brother Lü, I trust you are well? And how is Daoist Brother Huang of your esteemed sect?"

Lü Jinduan said, "After the battle in the Western Regions, our Sect Leader suffered severe injuries and has been in quiet recuperation. Although there has been some improvement recently, we cannot afford to be negligent. If not for this, he would definitely have come in person to today's grand event at the Celestial Master Mansion. Now I must attend on his behalf."

He Dongxing nodded. "Daoist Brother Huang is a cornerstone of our Taoist Sect; he must take great care."

"It is regrettable," Lü Jinduan said.

He Dongxing said, "A slight regret, I am sure the brethren at the Celestial Master Mansion will understand."

The relationships among the three great Taoist Holy Lands are somewhat delicate.

However, Sect Leader Elder Huang of the Dan Ding Pai Chunyang Palace is highly esteemed; even the Refinement Sect's Mount Shu and the Talisman Sect's Celestial Master Mansion speak of this elder with great respect.

"How is Sect Leader Fu of your sect?" asked Lü Jinduan.

He Dongxing answered, "The Sect Leader is tirelessly preoccupied and simply cannot be in two places at once. Otherwise, he surely would have personally come to Dragon Tiger Mountain to offer congratulations."

Lü Jinduan remarked, "Sect Leader Fu is a talent of a generation; I have always admired him greatly."

Fu Dongsen, the current Sect Leader of the Mount Shu Sect, is a controversial figure. As the leader of the Mount Shu reforms, it was through his persistent efforts that the Mount Shu Sect, which had been relatively isolated, began to increase engagement with the outside world. Over the years, the Mount Shu Sect's influence gradually extended beyond Bashu, with increasingly frequent interactions with places all over the land. Resources and talents from throughout the land continuously entered Bashu, and the local produce of Bashu was circulated to every corner.

Of course, as a consequence, the Mount Shu Sect's exposure to outside influence was also growing. This led to a great deal of unrest and dissatisfaction among the conservative forces within the Mount Shu Sect, resulting in a particularly fierce internal conflict a few years ago. In the end, the reform faction led by Sect Leader Fu Dongsen won out, decisively purging the conservatives. Those within the sect who had maintained a neutral stance also became divided.

Since the internal strife, the Mount Shu Sect had gradually unified its internal voice, but it had remained relatively low-key in recent years, constantly recuperating and regenerating. The recent turmoil in the Great Tang had also influenced Mount Shu to some extent.

While Lü Jinduan and He Dongxing were conversing, Lü Jinduan's gaze drifted, as if unintentionally, to one side.

There, a young Taoist and a middle-aged Taoist sat side by side, attending the ceremony together. The young Taoist, like Lü Jinduan, wore the classic black and white Taoist Robe of the Pure Yang Palace disciples. He was Yue Xiling, the leading figure of the younger generation of the Pure Yang Palace, who had come with Lü Jinduan to Dragon Tiger Mountain to offer congratulations and observe the ceremony.

The other middle-aged Taoist was dressed much more plainly, in coarse hemp clothing, with his hair simply tied up with a wooden hairpin—a typical dress style for a Taoist of the Mount Shu Sect. However, this middle-aged Taoist also attracted attention due to his other identity: Ye Dongming, an Elder of Mount Shu and a member of the Ye Clan from Jinzhou.

Within the Mount Shu Sect, he was a staunch supporter of Sect Leader Fu Dongsen. Apart from him and Lin Xinran from the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou, there were other disciples in the Mount Shu Sect with similar backgrounds. The Mount Shu Sect's orientation towards the world beyond Bashu and the deepening of its internal and external connections were characteristic features, and thus, sources of considerable controversy.

However, Ye Dongming seemed completely unaware of this, representing the Mount Shu Sect with He Dongxing, leading a delegation to Dragon Tiger Mountain to congratulate the new Celestial Master on her accession. At the moment, he sat together with Yue Xiling from the Pure Yang Palace, chatting and laughing with ease.

"So young!" Ye Dongming remarked, looking at Tang Xiaotang draped in the Nine-colored Cape. "This must be the youngest Celestial Master in the history of the Taoist Talisman Sect, right?"

Yue Xiling replied, "The youngest Celestial Master in the history of the Taoist Talisman Sect prior to this was probably around thirty years old. Celestial Master Tang has not yet officially turned thirty-one, so the difference may only be a few months. Today, even if Celestial Master Tang isn't the absolute youngest, she is, if not the youngest, then certainly the second."

He Dongxing glanced at Yue Xiling. For Yue Xiling, and indeed for the entire Pure Yang Palace, Tang Xiaotang held a special significance. Still, at this moment, Yue Xiling remained as composed as ever, his emotions showing no ripples, his mind steady.

Lü Jinduan was not worried about Yue Xiling. As a leading figure in the younger generation of the Pure Yang Palace, Yue Xiling had his own exceptional qualities. Towards Tang Xiaotang, Yue Xiling's opinion was actually similar to that of Lü Jinduan, filled more with regret that such a talented individual, who seemed a perfect match for the Pure Yang Palace, was not affiliated with them, having instead entered the Celestial Master Mansion.

Looking at Tang Xiaotang, who had entered the Celestial Master Hall to become the new Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Lü Jinduan sighed inwardly.

"Speaking of youth, there is another person who is also very young," said Yue Xiling, observing the tall and upright figure among the Celestial Master Mansion's disciples.

Ye Dongming nodded. "Lei Jun, Lei Chongyun." Recalling his brief encounter with Lei Jun at Ba Shu Rain Mountain, he smiled. "Currently, he must be the youngest of the new generation of Elders in the Celestial Master Mansion, right? The Longhu Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion is truly enviable with such successors."

Yue Xiling, beside him, nodded slightly.

Historically, Lei Jun was not the absolute youngest Elder of Dragon Tiger Mountain, but in the current era, there was no doubt. At thirty-three years old, he was an Elder of the Celestial Master Mansion. If one disregarded the special case of Tang Xiaotang, he was the youngest of his contemporaries, with only Xu Yuanzhen having taken up a post at an even younger age. The other three individuals who were ordained alongside Lei Jun, although considered upcoming talents within the Celestial Master Mansion, were in fact significantly older than Lei Jun.

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