811: Chapter 283 Speech by the Heavenly Emperor at the Conference 811: Chapter 283 Speech by the Heavenly Emperor at the Conference The first segment of the grand assembly at the Holy Mother Palace lasted for two days and two nights.
After three rounds of assessments, a total of over seven hundred Yuan Immortal Realm Qi Cultivators and over two hundred Heaven and Earth Bridge Realm Qi Cultivators remained outside the Holy Mother Palace.
The whole process was entirely fair and open;
The eliminated Qi Cultivators evenly fell out during the tripartite assessments, either because their cultivation was padded, artificially boosted by Elixir Pills and the like, or because they made the wrong decisions in the Illusionary Realm, or their morals were inadequate.
All in all, as Heavenly Emperor, Li Ping’an was quite satisfied with this.
After bustling about the examination site for two days, Li Dazhi was still spirited at this moment.
He held up the hem of his Daoist Robe with his left hand, and with his right hand, he carried the Jade Talisman roster of these nearly a thousand ‘young Qi Cultivators’.
He rode the clouds forth from the Holy Mother Palace, arriving at the centrally located Cloud Platform with a beaming smile.
Li Dazhi called out loudly.
Li Ping’an’s expression was somewhat indescribable.
“Just call me by my name when it’s just us,” Li Ping’an said, “there’s no need to exert the majesty of the Heavenly Emperor on one’s parents.”
Li Dazhi winked at him, then, holding the Jade Talisman, he bowed to the Holy Mother, the Human Emperor, and the esteemed experts of the Three Teachings of the Taoist Sect and leaped toward Li Ping’an.
Xuan Du Da Fa Shi watched the father and son with curiosity.
Li Dazhi spoke gently: “During official business, it’s appropriate to use official titles.
This is the first stage of the examination; the selected nearly thousand individuals, their specialties, birthplaces, and backgrounds have all been noted.”
While speaking, Li Dazhi casually handed another Jade Talisman to Li Ping’an.
Upon examining it with his Immortal Consciousness, Li Ping’an saw that it contained the arrangements for what would follow, as well as the ten-thousand-word speech his father had drafted.
Sure enough, all he really needed to do was to make an appearance.
Old Comrade Li had already arranged all subsequent matters.
Was this speech too formulaic?
It started with the line: “Today, the sun shines bright, the sky is high and the air is crisp, and I am heartened to see such gathered talents enter the Holy Mother Palace to participate in this selection for the Heavenly Court immortal officials.”
Li Ping’an shook his head inwardly, deciding to improvise a bit later on, surely it had to be better than this line.
“Heavenly Emperor, your servant takes his leave.”
Li Dazhi bowed properly in the Taoist manner, retreating a few steps before turning and quickly walking away.
Li Ping’an sighed inwardly, deciding that later on, he would have to find a way to appoint his father to a high position in the Heavenly Court; it wasn’t proper to always receive bows and be addressed as ‘Your Majesty’.
He wasn’t in a hurry, instead carefully examining the two Jade Talismans in his hands.
Above and below, inside and out, the gaze of millions converged upon him, all falling upon his somewhat lean figure.
Li Ping’an felt tremendous pressure;
in those gazes, he sensed expectations, respect, caution, and even some who were there for the spectacle, among other emotions.
But this pressure wasn’t difficult to alleviate, he only had to tell himself:
“If it doesn’t go well, just let it fall apart; letting the Heavenly Dao develop on its own would also be considered a peaceful inaction.”
Instantly, the pressure was halved.
Moments later, holding the two Jade Talismans, Li Ping’an turned to bow to Shengmu Nuwa.
“Gracious presence of the Holy Mother, the gathered talents of our Human Race convene here, and the first stage of the selection has drawn to its close.”
Nuwa spoke slowly: “The Heavenly Emperor should encourage these talents to understand the principles of the Heavenly Court.”
“Yes,” Li Ping’an bowed again, a white cloud formed under his feet, and he turned to float towards the crowd of Qi Cultivators.
Li Ping’an’s gaze swept over them.
The young people below varied in character; some met his gaze openly, their eyes even burning with fervor, while others quickly averted their eyes after a brief encounter, slightly embarrassed.
The ratio of men to women here was about seven to three.
Any female who had passed this examination would be trained as a Heavenly Court immortal official, rather than being recruited as a Maid Immortal into the Heavenly Court.
Li Ping’an stood with his hands clasped behind him, the white cloud descending nearly to the ground, a faint golden light blossoming in his eyes, revealing the unusual above the heads and around the bodies of the nearly thousand people.
Li Ping’an took a closer look:
The destiny of these immortals here was at least pale purple;
The majority of these immortals’ merit and karma were positive, with only a handful being particularly weak in both, likely because they had been diligently cultivating in seclusion.
Li Ping’an cleared his throat silently, raising his breath to the tip of his throat, and spoke out loud:
“Today, the sun shines bright, the sky is high and the air is crisp, and I am heartened to see such gathered talents enter the Holy Mother Palace to participate in this selection for the Heavenly Court immortal officials!”
Ah, he had inadvertently recited the script his father had given.
No matter, he would follow it; it was simpler that way.
Li Ping’an continued:
“Those of you standing here can’t be said to be the cream of the crop of the Human Race’s young Qi Cultivators of this generation, but rather, you align more closely with what the Heavenly Court requires in an immortal official.
“Heavenly Dao is vast, the Way of Humanity uncertain; the Holy Mother’s great virtue, Human Emperor’s great wisdom.
“Since the Human Race emerged in ancient times, it has faced numerous hardships, and now finally sees a time of great prosperity.
Yet, of course, you must have noticed that on the path to the Human Race’s rise, there are many obstacles.”
Li Ping’an glanced at his speech.
In this part, his father had actually sketched it out briefly, as openly criticizing certain Sect Hierarchs publicly could have uncontrollable repercussions.
But Li Ping’an felt that it needed to be mentioned, and those who should be cursed must be cursed, not avoiding talking about them just because they are Sect Hierarchs.
Sect Hierarchs are not Saints, and even if they were Saints of the Heavenly Dao, he, as the future Heavenly Emperor, would still have the right to scold them.
Thus, Li Ping’an said, “Do you know what obstructions the Human Race faces, fellow Daoists?”
The gathered talents pondered.
On the Cloud Platform, Immortal Taiyi who had been dozing, suddenly perked up, grinning as he looked toward Li Ping’an’s back.
Suddenly, a lovely young woman spoke out:
The obstacles of the Human Race arise from the great demons who caused chaos in ancient times!
They devour human souls to cultivate themselves, even though they are entwined with karma, yet still, they roam freely between heaven and earth!”
Another man with a square face added: