Journey to the West: I have Nine Golden Crows Inside Me
Chapter 1164: Let’s talk about the future prospects of disciples_2

Chapter 1164: Let’s talk about the future prospects of disciples_2

Indeed, although Jiang Chen was the founding patriarch of Shangqing Palace, not many of his disciples had actually seen him.

Because he was often away and seldom at Shangqing Palace, even if he did return occasionally, he would either leave in a hurry or enter secluded cultivation in the Shangqing Hall, rarely interacting with his disciples.

It could be said that the growing prosperity and fame of Shangqing Palace today were all due to Zhang Daoling. It was he who widely opened the sect’s doors, spreading the Tao across the land and vigorously preaching, thus attracting over ten thousand Shangqing Palace disciples.

For Shangqing Palace, Jiang Chen had done three things in total: the first was establishing Shangqing Palace. The second was taking Zhang Daoling as his disciple. The third was the reshaping of Cang Mountain.

The rest, such as developing Shangqing Palace, recruiting disciples, and teaching them, were all handled by Zhang Daoling.

The vast Shangqing Palace had Jiang Chen’s disciple Zhang Daoling as the only one; all the other disciples were either his direct pupils or his subsequent generations of apprentices.

This clearly showed how irresponsible Jiang Chen was!

The fact that these few disciples recognized Jiang Chen indicated that they had been Zhang Daoling’s disciples in their lifetimes, and belonged to the first cohort that had had the privilege of meeting Jiang Chen with Zhang Daoling—an opportunity exclusive to the first batch of disciples.

If they were from the second batch, they might really not have seen Jiang Chen at all.

As for why it is said "in their lifetimes," that’s naturally because they had already died. Frankly, the majority of Zhang Daoling’s first batch of disciples were of mediocre ability, with only a rare few having good aptitude.

The reason is quite simple: before joining Shangqing Palace, Zhang Daoling was but a solitary cultivator who couldn’t compare to those great and established sects. Naturally, he couldn’t recruit many talented disciples. Anyone even remotely passable would be admitted, which led to this group of disciples having low potential and limited chances of great achievements in the future.

However, from the second batch of disciples onwards, things were different. Zhang Daoling became prosperous, becoming a disciple of Jiang Chen, a grandchild of the Upper Qing Saints.

Therefore, the standards for accepting disciples became higher: those with poor aptitude were not accepted; those with low talent were unwanted.

This stark polarization resulted in two scenarios: after hundreds of years, most of the second batch of disciples had made achievements in the Immortal Dao and were able to wander freely in the mortal world. In contrast, many of the first batch of disciples died due to their limited abilities, with their souls returning to the Netherworld.

Nevertheless, despite their limited talents and abilities, these disciples were fortunate, being Zhang Daoling’s first batch of disciples who had shared hardships together—how could there be no affection?

Moreover, they were also the first batch of disciples of Shangqing Palace. If they were all to perish, it would not reflect well on the Saints’ reputation.

Therefore, considering various factors, Zhang Daoling specifically asked Jiang Chen for a favor, to give them another chance.

Since he was his only disciple, Jiang Chen was willing to give this face. Thus, after some consideration, he gave them two options.

The first was to allow them to be reincarnated with the Dao Rhyme of Shangqing, ensuring that in their next lives, their new bodies would definitely possess the innate potential for immortality. At that point, Shangqing Palace disciples would step forward to retrieve and guide them back to the path of immortality.

In this way, once they had cultivated successfully, they could recover the memories of their past lives.

Basically, this was the arrangement all major Immortal Dao sects made for disciples who could not attain immortality. After all, generation after generation, who could guarantee that every disciple would become an immortal?

Reincarnation offered them a safety net: if not this life, then the next; if not the next, then the life after. . . .

The sect would not abandon you, ensuring that eventually, you would attain immortality.

This is the benefit of joining a great sect: not only do they protect you for one lifetime but for every lifetime to come. If it were you, would you refuse to join a major sect?

The second choice Jiang Chen offered to those deceased disciples was to switch to practicing the Divine Dao and join the Yin God System.

At that time, Jiang Chen was conducting a pilot reform of the Chenghuang system within the territory of Shangqing Palace and had yet to find suitable candidates. Unquestionably, these deceased disciples of Shangqing Palace were the best choices.

Back then, the options Jiang Chen presented to them were to stay in the mortal world as city gods to protect their region, or go to the Wrongful Death City to manage the multitude of ghosts.

Whether to opt for reincarnation or switch to the Divine Dao, that was the question. In the end, a small part of that batch of disciples chose reincarnation to continue on the path of immortality. The majority, however, chose to remain and switched their practice to the Divine Dao.

They had given up on themselves, believing that their aptitude was just as it was, and that they would not be able to attain immortality in this lifetime, nor would the next be any more promising. Since that was the case, they might as well switch to the Divine Dao and give it their all.

Anyway, as the founder of their sect, there was no need to deceive them. Of course, if he did deceive them, wouldn’t that be even better? For the sake of his own reputation, the founder would provide them with ample compensation afterward!

In the Prehistoric World, disciples despising their masters was considered contemptible, and the reverse was equally detestable—masters who did not regard their disciples as human were also scorned.

...

"You may rise," Jiang Chen said with a wave of his hand, signaling them to stand. He then asked with genuine concern, "How have you been faring here? Have you encountered any troubles?"

"To report to the founder, we are doing very well here!"

"As for troubles, with the support of the lofty ones from the Netherworld, no power dares to come here and provoke us!"

The five disciples inside the hall exchanged glances, and finally, the eldest amongst them stepped forward to report to Jiang Chen.

Shangqing Palace was but a newly established power, and even with the name of the Upper Qing Saints attached to it, it could not disguise the essential weakness of its influence. Others might not vocalize it, but they certainly looked down upon it in their hearts.

And yet, despite Wrongful Death City occupying such a precious location, blocking the passage between the human world and the Netherworld, no other forces had come to vie for it. Why do you think that is? Is it out of respect for the Upper Qing Saints, or is Jiang Chen’s reputation too grand?

Neither!

The main reason was that Wrongful Death City was listed under the jurisdiction of the Netherworld authorities. Fengdu was a force established by the Fengdu Great Emperor and was the most openly powerful entity in the Netherworld at the time. Even though the Fengdu Great Emperor had fallen, there were still two Quasi-Saints presiding within the Netherworld.

With such strength, it was enough to deter all quarters. As Wrongful Death City was under the Netherworld’s watch below and under Jiang Chen’s watch above, naturally, no one dared to cause trouble.

One of the two remaining Quasi-Saints of the Netherworld was from the Human Race and, moreover, had connections with the Jiang Family, which indicated the level of support the Netherworld had for Wrongful Death City.

Jiang Chen was aware of all these details, but he still asked these questions. His primary aim was to express his concern for Wrongful Death City. Or rather, to make these five disciples feel his concern for Wrongful Death City.

Human hearts are fickle. These disciples were loyal now, but what about the future? Who could guarantee they wouldn’t change?

What if they thought that Jiang Chen, who seldom visited Wrongful Death City, didn’t care about it, and thus, they became lax in their management, leading to great chaos? Wouldn’t that be causing trouble for Jiang Chen?

Therefore, Jiang Chen occasionally expressing his concern for Wrongful Death City served as a warning to them, telling them that he really did care about the city, and they shouldn’t mess things up.

With this understanding, the disciples would be more cautious in their actions going forward, not daring to easily meddle with the baseline.

"Hmm, the current matter-handler of the Netherworld is indeed a senior of our clan. With him there, Wrongful Death City certainly won’t face problems. But relying on others or heaven is not as good as relying on oneself. You must diligently practice and strive to take on the responsibility of protecting Wrongful Death City at an early date."

After issuing the warning, Jiang Chen began to entice them with prospects. To have your subordinates follow you wholeheartedly, it’s not enough for them to just fear you; they also need to see a bright future.

Jiang Chen was now assuring them that as long as they managed Wrongful Death City well, they would definitely have a promising future to look forward to.

"Thank you, founder!"

"We will definitely manage Wrongful Death City well and ensure that no chaos arises."

The five disciples understood Jiang Chen’s implication and were moved to express their heartfelt gratitude.

Subsequently, Jiang Chen first encouraged the five of them earnestly, then asked about the situation within Wrongful Death City, and ultimately, he wanted them to show him around the city.

But it was at this moment that an unexpected event occurred.