Ren Qing's half-body phantom enveloped the sky above Zhili Palace, while dozens of bamboo tables appeared upon the dream platform, along with three or four jars of Drunken Dream, Mortal Life.
The cultivators looked at each other, and the Yang Spirit Realm cultivators were the first to fly toward the platform.
Song Zongwu, Li Tiangang, Li Yaoyang, Daoist Taihan, and Corpse Ghost, a total of five people, took seats at the foremost bamboo tables.
After them came the Yin Difference Realm cultivators and the leaders of each branch. Xiao San'er was also among them by virtue of his status as the chief artificer.
Among them, the leaders of the demon-kind and the Cocoon Folk were still only at Ghost Envoy Realm perfection due to their shallow foundations, still half a step away from the Yin Difference Realm.
It wasn't because they lacked resources, but because the risk of breaking through was beyond description.
Hu Wen of the Demon Vein had already reached Ghost Envoy Realm perfection fifty years ago, yet he never dared attempt a breakthrough, fearing that if he died, the demon-kind would split into warring factions.
Although the Demon Vein was second only to the Soldier Vein in numbers, they had only recently escaped the predicament of having no capable subordinates. Their lifespans were longer than cultivators of the same realm, but breaking through bottlenecks was correspondingly more difficult.
The Cocoon Folk were the exact opposite. Sen Sheng had indeed received a certain degree of preferential treatment in resources. That much was obvious from his five hundred layers of human skin.
His appearance resembled a man weighing several hundred pounds, yet his movements were incomparably agile. Even at the Ghost Envoy Realm, he already gave off the impression that all techniques were unable to affect him.
Only the remaining bamboo tables were left for the core disciples of the various branches.
They looked at Ren Qing with solemn expressions. Even though they had no chance of obtaining an Immortal Office, they found it impossible to suppress their yearning for immortality.
"Having bathed and changed clothes, offered incense at the golden tripod, poured wine and presented flowers, circled the altar three times, and bowed before proclaiming the decree."
Ren Qing recited the opening words Jiang Ziya had once used during the Investiture of the Gods, drawn from the depths of his soul's memories.
The cultivators only felt a refreshing breeze brush across their faces before gray Daoist robes, complete with crowns and hairpins, appeared on their bodies. The garments seemed naturally formed, fitting snugly against their souls.
The robes were all transformed Dreamflowers and counted as protective Dharma artifacts bestowed by Ren Qing.
A three-legged cauldron rose from the center of the dream platform, wisps of smoke drifting from within, making the surroundings appear less like the mortal world and more like an immortal court.
The cultivators within Dream City held their breath as they witnessed the beginning of the immortal enfeoffment ceremony.
Feeling that his methods were already impressive enough, Ren Qing stopped dragging things out and directly took out a delicate miniature jade seal.
The jade seal measured three cun on each side and two cun and one fen in width. A mythical beast was carved atop it, while the four characters "Human Immortal Office" were engraved below.
"Song Zongwu, I bestow upon you the Human Immortal Office."
With a flick of Ren Qing's hand, the jade seal landed in Song Zongwu's grasp. The translucent Karmic Fire covering his body immediately subsided by more than half.
Song Zongwu nodded slightly and hung the seal at his waist. His expression remained calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed that his Heavenly Dao Transformation had been suppressed.
"Li Tiangang, I bestow upon you the Human Immortal Office."
Li Tiangang accepted the seal and immediately felt a cool current surge from the top of his head down to the base of his spine. The problems he had encountered in cultivation were instantly resolved.
The improvement wasn't obvious, but at least it gave him hope of advancing another step.
"Great Dream True Person, I bestow upon you the Human Immortal Office."
Ren Qing tried to contact Great Dream True Person. Originally, it was merely meant as a formality, but the Great Dream True Person, whom he hadn't contacted in over a decade, actually projected a thought into Zhili Palace.
The phantom of Great Dream True Person appeared beside the front bamboo tables, reached out to accept the seal, then vanished again in a daze.
Ren Qing was slightly surprised. It felt as though Great Dream True Person had come here deliberately. Had he already escaped the deeper layers of the dream?
He used Zhili Technique again, only to find that he could no longer locate Great Dream True Person.
Ren Qing sighed helplessly. It seemed Great Dream True Person's situation was even more complicated than he had imagined.
"Each branch will nominate one person."
After a brief discussion, the candidates were quickly decided.
Representing the Soldier Vein was Li Yaoyang, the Demon Vein was Hu Wen, the Corpse Vein was Corpse Ghost, and the Cocoon Vein was Sen Sheng. None of these choices surprised Ren Qing.
The remaining Winged Vein and Insect Vein, however, did.
The Winged Vein's representative was Qingsongzi of Wuwei Daoist Temple. His cultivation had remained stuck at the late Nascent Soul bottleneck for a hundred years without making any progress.
Although Qingsongzi could have used the Immortal Office to fight for a sliver of hope at breaking through, he instead gave the opportunity to Han Li, who had only recently entered the Yin Difference Realm.
Even so, Han Li truly deserved it. As the foremost talent of Wuwei Daoist Temple, it would be difficult for any branch to find someone of the same generation capable of matching him.
The Insect Vein selected Jade Splendor, who had reached Yin Difference Realm perfection, rather than the Yang Spirit Realm Daoist Taihan.
It was clear that Daoist Taihan knew how to judge the situation. Compared to his somewhat awkward position, Jade Splendor enjoyed far greater trust within the Restraint Officers' Hall.
By taking a step back now, he ensured that the next immortal enfeoffment would certainly include a place for him.
Ren Qing deliberately guided the Heavenly Dao's favor toward them. Hu Wen and Sen Sheng's auras immediately began to fluctuate, and under the protection of the Heavenly Dao, they broke through into the Yin Difference Realm.
The two of them dared not delay. They quickly sat cross-legged at their bamboo tables, suppressing the restless weird objects within their bodies.
After witnessing this, not only those upon the platform but even the cultivators watching from Dream City realized just how miraculous the Immortal Offices truly were.
The six representatives refined their Ghost Immortal Offices, leaving only five remaining.
Ren Qing bestowed them upon Muyi, who had toiled within the Longevity Restricted Zone for over a century, Xiao San'er, the chief artificer, and the chief alchemist, an old Daoist named Danchenzi.
Danchenzi appeared to have once been an independent cultivator. His temperament was half-mad, and even while standing upon the dream platform, he continued muttering all kinds of pill formulas under his breath.
Ren Qing put away the remaining two Ghost Immortal Offices. Tang Sheng, Mortise, the Head in the Jar, and several others were also qualified, but they lacked the reputation necessary to convince everyone.
There were simply too few Immortal Office slots available. Either everyone deserving received one, or none of them did. He would wait until later, when contributions could be used to gradually distribute Ghost Immortal Offices more broadly.
Hu Wen opened his eyes. Previously, his Five Viscera Gods had broken through by devouring weird objects, so afterward he had also cultivated The Taotie Method. His successful breakthrough into the Yin Difference Realm was honestly due in no small part to luck.
As the first Yin Difference Realm cultivator among the Cocoon Folk, the potential Sen Sheng displayed was terrifying.
The instant he broke through, his height increased to over three meters. His bloated five hundred layers of human skin tightly fused with his flesh, transforming him into a towering giant.
After mastering the Human Skin Book, the unique Cocoon Folk race had developed defense to an utterly pure extreme, and it was now displayed in full.
Even so, their reproductive ability and the difficulty of breaking through bottlenecks remained major limitations.
Ren Qing's phantom disappeared from the sky.
Dream City immediately erupted into excitement as the details of the Immortal Enfeoffment Assembly spread by word of mouth through countless people.
The Heavenly Palace and the Underworld were soon entwined by the roots of the Heavenly Dao Tree. From this day onward, anyone wishing to descend into the mortal world had to possess the authority of a Ghost Immortal Office.
Within the Heaven Above Heaven of the mortal world,
the Cishi people were naturally kindhearted. Almost every household left their doors unlocked at night. Their desire for cultivation was low, and body cultivation was far from widespread.
Older men farmed the fields, women washed clothes, while only the children ran through the streets begging for sweets and snacks from the market stalls.
Holding a broom, Song Zongwu's eyes revealed a trace of reluctance.
Amid the children's laughter, Song Zongwu shattered the constraints of the mortal world and ascended to the Heavenly Palace to establish his cave abode and Daoist sanctuary in pursuit of an opportunity to break through.
The Three Realms system within Stomach World had now fully taken shape, even developing rules distinct from those of the outside world.
Ren Qing's consciousness returned to his main body, bringing the Earth Immortal Office with it.
The exquisite jade seal floated up and down in his palm, containing incomparably intricate patterns. It was the manifestation of Stomach World's Heavenly Dao.
Putting away the Earth Immortal Office, Ren Qing arrived upon the vast plains of Xiangxiang. As he flipped through books, his secluded cultivation was no longer confined to a cold underground cave.
Every volume concerned Buddhism, most of them well-known scriptures.
He had not given up on the Buddhist Fruit Position. On the contrary, a bold idea had emerged in his mind. He wanted to try recreating something similar to a Buddha.
Ren Qing didn't know why the core of a Fruit Position was a Buddhist scripture, but that didn't stop him from making use of that fact.
He selected several books from the pile, choosing those with relatively complete contents, while storing the rest within the Treasure Pavilion of the Heavenly Palace.
After hesitating for a moment, Ren Qing used Dragon Roar Within the Casket.
As a divine ability capable of animating all things, bringing several Buddhist scriptures to life was naturally effortless. Before long, strange page-turning sounds echoed out.
Bloodshot eyes grew from the covers of the scriptures, their internal organs openly exposed, while the pages transformed into something resembling human skin.
The moment the books underwent pseudo-draconification, they immediately began fighting one another, completely unaffected by the teachings recorded within their pages.
Ren Qing brought the books into Stomach World, then merged the Earth Immortal Office into them.
His first choice was a scripture recording the Laughing Lion Arhat. The Earth Immortal Office merged into the book with exceptional smoothness.
As a low-level weird object entirely devoid of intelligence, the Buddhist scripture unexpectedly displayed a hint of contemplation in its eyes after receiving the blessing of the Heavenly Dao.
Before its intelligence could regenerate, Ren Qing immediately stripped the Earth Immortal Office away from the Laughing Lion Scripture.
The Laughing Lion Scripture returned to its dull state, gnawing on the desks inside the Treasure Pavilion with its sharp teeth, like a somewhat grotesque pet dog.
Disappointment appeared on Ren Qing's face.
As expected, how could a Buddhist Fruit Position possibly be replicated so easily?
The scripture hidden within Sitting-Deer Buddhist qi definitely possessed some unknown mystery. Perhaps it had once been stained with the blood of Dipankara Buddha.
Ren Qing prepared to leave the Treasure Pavilion, but his gaze lingered on one scripture for several moments.
*The Tathagata's Original Self Sutra.*
He had no memory whatsoever of this scripture from his previous life, yet it was indeed the most widely circulated Buddhist scripture in this world. The first half recounted the experiences of the Ancient Buddha Tathagata, while the second half consisted of admonitions.
In his previous life, Buddhism had the Three Buddhas of Time: the Past Buddha, Dipankara; the Present Buddha, Tathagata; and the Future Buddha, Maitreya.
Ren Qing had indeed encountered Dipankara Buddha. As for Maitreya, the only related figure he had seen was the Great Compassion Maitreya Bodhisattva, merely a Bodhisattva Fruit Position at the Earth Immortal level.
He didn't know whether the Ancient Buddha Tathagata also represented the Present Buddha, so he casually bestowed the Earth Immortal Office upon this animated scripture.
The cry of an infant suddenly rang out.
Ren Qing's pupils contracted.
A palm-sized baby boy crawled out of the scripture, faint Buddhist qi surrounding his tiny body.
The infant was merely an outward appearance. In reality, it was another kind of Fruit Position.
[Tathagata Buddha Fruit Position]
[Formed by Heaven and Earth Genesis. After refining it, one may use it to wield Tathagata Buddha qi.]
Without hesitation, Ren Qing stripped the Earth Immortal Office from The Tathagata's Original Self Sutra. The more he looked at it, the more unsettling it seemed. Who knew whether there were hidden traps inside?
The infant reverted back into a book, after which even Dragon Roar Within the Casket was canceled.
Ren Qing repeated the experiment several more times, discovering that none of the other Buddhist scriptures could form a Buddha Fruit Position. Every one of them merely recorded well-known Arhats and Bodhisattvas.
Then why had the Ancient Buddha Tathagata become a special "Buddha Fruit Position" under the influence of the Immortal Office?
Could it be that the position of the Ancient Buddha Tathagata was vacant?