"Old sir..."
Lin Zhao frowned, feeling he had received the gift for no reason. Accepting the Hao Ran Golden Token was for the sake of the world, which was understandable, but accepting the old sir's gift felt less proper.
"I know what you're thinking."
The Supreme Sage Master smiled gently and said, "Little Zhao, you are Suihan's disciple, and Suihan is my disciple's disciple. Therefore, you are my disciple's disciple's disciple. It is only reasonable for me to bestow a sword tip upon my disciple's disciple's disciple. Take it."
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao knelt again and took the sword tip from the Supreme Sage Master. He felt a vast, righteous energy from it, even more potent than the righteous energy of the Han Jian's tip or the Flying Sword Hao Ran. After all, Mr. Qin was merely a Confucian Sage, while the old sir was the Supreme Sage Master, and their seniority was vastly different.
"The origin of this sword tip is a very ancient matter."
The Supreme Sage Master helped Lin Zhao to his feet and chuckled, "Back in my day, I was actually a swordsman. I once aspired to travel through the various kingdoms with my sword. My cultivation had even reached the Guizhen realm of sword cultivation. But later, I discovered that what the world lacked most was not swordsmanship, but knowledge. Thus, I transformed from a sword cultivator into a scholar."
He looked at the sword tip held in Lin Zhao's palm and smiled, "During a great battle against enemies, my sword was broken. I never reforged it. I made this sword tip into a carving tool and used it to engrave bamboo slips and pursue my studies. This has been many years, and the sword tip, nurtured by literary fortune, has transformed into a sacred artifact."
He looked at Lin Zhao and chuckled, "This sword tip may not be extraordinarily powerful, but it is more than sufficient as your fourth natal flying sword. It can be used to champion the weak and oppressed, or for inscribing bamboo slips. It is incredibly convenient."
Lin Zhao couldn't help but chuckle. He respectfully said, "Lin Zhao thanks the teacher of your teacher of your teacher."
The old sir put a hand to his forehead. "That's quite a mouthful..."
"Should I call you Grand-Master?" Lin Zhao asked.
"That's not great either."
The old sir smiled, "Let it be a mouthful. It makes it feel more intimate."
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao respectfully nodded.
In truth, although the Supreme Sage Master advocated for teaching without discrimination, there were still distinctions of closeness. For instance, among his direct disciples, his favorite was the elder Mr. Fu Sheng, whom he considered his true heir.
As for Mr. Fu Sheng, his favorite disciple was Qin Suihan, and Qin Suihan's only disciple was Lin Zhao. Therefore, in the eyes of the Supreme Sage Master, Lin Zhao was the closest among the third generation of disciples to him.
Moreover, he was Lin Baiyi of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, the young man who had severed thirteen realms with his sword, defeating Bai Lan. Thus, both in reason and in character, the Supreme Sage Master still favored Lin Zhao the most among the third generation disciples.
"Little Zhao."
The Supreme Sage Master suddenly sighed, "In this calamity of the fallen divine mountain, you placed yourself and the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool at the forefront. Did you ever consider that you might die?"
"I did."
Lin Zhao frowned and said, "But... if the world truly needed Lin Zhao to die, Lin Zhao would not hesitate. After all, that is what you did back then."
"Good."
The Supreme Sage Master smiled in approval, then his gaze drifted towards the distant mountains. He said softly, "Of course, if you can avoid death, you should. I still want to visit your Villa on the Summit again and taste your cooking with Dongcang!"
"Understood, Lin Zhao will do his best!"
"Alright, it's time to go."
The Supreme Sage Master's body slowly levitated, without much fanfare. In the air, he bowed to Lin Zhao.
Lin Zhao reciprocated the bow, his waist bent very low.
In the next moment, the Supreme Sage Master transformed into a golden ripple and vanished into the wind, having ascended back to the Upper Realm. There was no grand spectacle; the ascension of a fifteenth-realm cultivator was silent and subtle, truly embodying the saying "the Great Dao is simple."
Lin Zhao looked up, his heart filled with longing. When would he reach the thirteenth realm, to be able to visit the Upper Realm at will? Then he could visit his master, his senior brothers, his senior sisters, and even visit the teacher of his teacher, and the Supreme Sage Master himself.
Alas, the Great Dao was distant and ethereal. He hadn't even reached the eleventh realm, let alone the thirteenth.
...
Some time later.
Huang Tingyu, Xu Zhi, Tang Guangjun, and Lin Zhujie ascended the mountain. Huang Tingyu cupped his fists and said, "Mountain Master, someone from the Great Shang Dynasty has arrived. The Eldest Princess Zhao Shutong's spirit vessel wishes to dock directly at the summit. Is that permissible? Princess Zhao Shutong is here to see you."
"Permissible."
"Understood."
Huang Tingyu turned and transmitted his thoughts to the distance.
Soon after, Xu Zhi dispelled the summit's restrictions. A spirit vessel broke through the clouds and descended beside the summit. On the deck of the spirit vessel, the Eldest Princess Zhao Shutong, in a long gown and carrying a long sword, gracefully landed on the summit. Behind her, a retinue of officials from the Great Shang Dynasty disembarked, supported by accompanying cultivators.
The lowest-ranking of these officials was at least from the second rank. Ministers such as Li Chunyang, Lin Yan, and Zhao Qiyang were all present. However, Wen Hao, the Assistant General of State, who held the first rank, was not among them.
The reason for this was either his shame in facing Lin Zhao or his lack of substantive power. Therefore, Zhao Shutong, leading the group to the Villa on the Summit, had not included him.
In the blink of an eye, over twenty high-ranking civil and military officials of the Great Shang Dynasty stood on the mountain. Even the heads of the six great halls, Chen Xi, Lin Ruo, and Lü Fengxian, were present. Zhao Shutong stood at the forefront and asked, "Marshal Lin, has the Supreme Treasure of the Confucian Literary World... the Hao Ran Golden Token been officially bestowed upon you?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhao brushed his palm, and a Hao Ran Golden Token, imbued with profound literary fortune, appeared in his hand, making the entire mountaintop shimmer and exude literary energy.
"As expected..."
Zhao Shutong's heart pounded incessantly. At this moment, she finally confirmed that Lin Zhao had indeed received the endorsement of the four great ancestral courts of the Upper Realm and was truly the Human Marshal. Not to mention the Lower Realm, if he wished, he could even intervene in the battles of the Upper Realm from afar.
"Everyone, what are you waiting for?"
The Eldest Princess glanced at the people behind her, then was the first to kneel on one knee, cupping her fists respectfully. "Zhao Shutong, greetings to Marshal Lin!"
Behind her, a multitude of civil and military officials knelt down in unison, cupping their fists. "Greetings to Marshal Lin!"
Lin Zhao had witnessed such a scene once a hundred years ago. However, the authority of his title as Marshal back then was nowhere near as great as it was today. With the Hao Ran Golden Token in hand, he could command not only the secular dynasties of the human world but also the cultivators on the mountains. Calling him the Lord of the Human World would not be an exaggeration.
The reason Zhao Shutong had brought the officials of the Great Shang Dynasty to pay homage here was likely due to the counsel of the Confucian Academy. If the Great Shang Dynasty were to bow down, other forces in the world would naturally follow suit, serving as a warning to the cultivators on the mountains.
"Marshal Lin!"
Zhao Shutong said respectfully, "Currently, we are mobilizing a large number of mountain cultivators to construct a grand ceremony platform, and a Marshal's Investiture Platform has been moved from Baidi City to Ziyun Mountain. The investiture ceremony should be held as soon as possible, preferably today. All officials of the Great Shang Dynasty ranked second or above will be present. Shall we proceed to Ziyun Mountain now to prepare for this afternoon's investiture ceremony?"
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao blinked. "Do we still need to go through all these formalities?"
"Yes."
Zhao Shutong smiled. "The Hao Ran Golden Token bestowed by the Confucian Literary World is an investiture by the mountains upon Marshal Lin. The investiture by the human world must also be extremely grand. His Majesty cannot attend as he must remain in the capital. This grand investiture ceremony will be presided over by Zhao Shutong on behalf of His Majesty. Preparations are hasty, so I hope Marshal Lin will not find the ceremony to be too modest."
"Marshal Lin."
Chen Xi cupped his fists and said, "This catastrophe may descend at any moment, so time is of the utmost importance to us. After the investiture ceremony is completed this afternoon, Marshal Lin can assume his post and begin planning for our human realm's strategy and deploying troops."
Lin Ruo nodded as well, his eyes filled with excitement. As a member of the Lin family, Lin Ruo was the happiest to see Lin Zhao reach the pinnacle. And today's Lin Zhao surpassed the Lin Baiyi of a hundred years ago!
As for Zhao Qiyang, Lin Yan, and the others, their expressions were inscrutable; no one knew what they were thinking.
However, regardless of their previous machinations, the news of the fifteenth-realm Supreme Sage Master personally descending to bestow the Hao Ran Golden Token upon Lin Zhao had spread throughout the mountains. At this moment, no one in the human world would dare to oppose Lin Baiyi directly, as that would be to oppose all the scholars in the world, and they would surely gain no advantage.
Lin Zhao turned and looked at Huang Tingyu and the others. "Old Huang will remain at the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Xu Zhi, Yu Wanning, and Lin Zhujie will accompany me to Ziyun Mountain to attend the investiture ceremony."
"Yes!"
Xu Zhi, Yu Wanning, and Lin Zhujie all smiled broadly.
Huang Tingyu grumbled, "Why am I not allowed to go? Is my sword not sharp enough?"
Tang Guangjun, with his arms crossed, said, "Old Brother Huang, stop complaining. Don't you see the Mountain Master's intention? He's only bringing those stunningly beautiful women and the seemingly pure Lin Zhujie. This way, it won't embarrass the Villa on the Summit. As for us ugly ones..."
"Enough, enough. I don't want to hear it."
Huang Tingyu's Dao heart was close to collapsing.
Zhao Shutong, Chen Xi, Lin Ruo, Lü Fengxian, and the others all burst into laughter. The atmosphere at the Villa on the Summit was indeed quite pleasant.
...
In the morning, everyone proceeded to Ziyun Mountain.
Not only had a magnificent Marshal's Investiture Platform been moved to Ziyun Mountain, but countless tents had also been erected outside the Mountain God Temple not far from the platform. The Imperial Kitchen seemed to have been relocated, with spirit vessels constantly arriving from the teleportation array of Fusu Great Wall, delivering various ingredients. Before the investiture ceremony, entertaining everyone was a necessity.
Lin Zhujie chuckled secretly and whispered to Lin Zhao, "Mountain Master, does this mean... we'll be able to eat the cuisine of imperial chefs for lunch today?"
"Look at your ambition," Lin Zhao said with a hint of disdain.
Lin Zhujie smiled sheepishly, feeling a bit embarrassed. Although he knew it wasn't appropriate for a twelfth-realm Great Sword Immortal, he was truly looking forward to lunch. Imperial cuisine combined with an outdoor picnic – who could resist such a treat?
Near the Marshal's Investiture Platform, a command tent had been set up.
Lin Zhao, accompanied by Xu Zhi, Yu Wanning, and Lin Zhujie, took their places in the command tent. As he sat by the command desk, he felt a sense of exhilaration he hadn't experienced in a long time.
By noon, the number of guests arriving to offer congratulations and witness the ceremony grew. Not only were there numerous princes and ministers from the secular dynasties, but many great cultivators from the mountains also arrived, including Lin Wanhua, Long Dongjun, Xiao Muhan, and Chen Mengjun.
Now, these great cultivators were seated nearby, waiting for the banquet.