Chapter 98

Jinzhou Kangle Farm is a quasi-three-star agritainment hotel located in the northwest of Wenden District in Jinzhou City. Despite being open for many years, it has remained relatively unknown due to its remote location, but it can still be considered a peaceful place.

Ma Xingxue was standing on an arched bridge by the hotel's fish pond, chatting and laughing with a middle-aged Taoist priest from the Quanzhen Suishan Sect. His expression was relaxed and content.

"It's been almost seven years since we last met at Laoshan, hasn't it? Time flies. Liu Shixiong has already reached the middle of the fourth stage, while I remain stuck at the late third stage, making no progress... I feel quite ashamed!"

Upon hearing Ma Xingxue's words, Liu Linxuan, a tall and broad-shouldered man with thick eyebrows, waved his hand and said with a hint of envy, "Not at all... Shidi Ma, as the external affairs officer of the Chongyang Palace, the ancestral temple of the Renwo Sect, you hold a high position and have achieved such admirable accomplishments at a young age. I should be the one feeling ashamed."

Liu Linxuan's humility made Ma Xingxue very pleased. On one hand, he felt flattered, but on the other, he waved his hand and said politely, "It's just a miscellaneous job for the sect... How can it compare to the freedom and peace of cultivation?"

"I heard that the herb garden of Chongyang Palace is now under your jurisdiction. That's a truly enviable position!" Liu Linxuan sighed. "Unlike me, who is nearly fifty and has never had the chance to be involved in the sect's affairs..."

"This time, the Suishan Sect has sent you to lead the team to take over the Lingwu Journal, hasn't it?" As they discussed the matter, Ma Xingxue's expression became more serious. He asked intentionally, "What are your thoughts on this?"

"Before I left the mountain, my master carefully instructed me that the Lingwu Journal is a century-long plan for the Quanzhen Sect, aimed at promoting the common progress and development of the Chinese metaphysical community. It is a matter of utmost importance!" Liu Linxuan said. "As one of the seven true branches of the Quanzhen Sect, the Suishan Sect will follow the lead of the sect leader and contribute to the century-long plan of the metaphysical community..."

"That's not what I meant..." Liu Linxuan's righteous statement was interrupted by Ma Xingxue, who shook his head and said, "What I mean is, what are your thoughts on the control of the Lingwu Journal?"

"Control?" Liu Linxuan was taken aback for a moment before he said, "Naturally, Shidi Ma will take the lead, and we will assist from the side! Once the Lingwu Journal is established, it will be a great achievement, and we will do our best to help Shidi Ma manage it!"

"Before I left the mountain, my master mentioned that the Lingwu Journal is of great importance and must not be mishandled by outsiders... However, Yang, the young man, is the founder of the Lingwu Journal. If we move all the computers and equipment without even a word, I'm worried..."

"You mean that mountain cultivator, Yang Chen?" Liu Linxuan finally understood and sneered, "What's there to worry about? With his status as a mere mountain cultivator, does he think he can become the chief editor of the Lingwu Journal? Giving him the right to review is enough to make him proud... Would he dare to defy us?"

"But my master said that the sect leader seems to have a high opinion of Yang Chen..." Recalling the repeated instructions from his master before he left the mountain, Ma Xingxue felt something was not quite right.

This time, the team sent to Jinzhou to take over the Lingwu Journal was not just from Chongyang Palace but included sixteen disciples from seven branches of the Quanzhen Sect: Suishan, Yuxian, Nanwu, Huashan, Longmen, Yushan, and Qingjing. They formed the founding team of the Lingwu Journal.

It was unclear whether the instructions from the higher-ups were not clear enough or if someone had deliberately tampered with them, but when these sixteen people left the mountain, they only knew they were going to Jinzhou to take over the Lingwu Journal, which had recently caused a stir in the metaphysical community.

Chongyang Palace is the ancestral temple of the Quanzhen Sect, but the seven true branches, which trace their lineage back to Wang Chongyang's direct disciples, are also a significant force within the Quanzhen Sect!

Considering themselves the orthodox lineage, they naturally looked down on the disciples of Wufeng Temple.

Thus, they unanimously decided to take over the Lingwu Journal. Although Ma Xingxue had some doubts at the time, he did not raise them when everyone else voted in favor.

What he did not expect was that the deputy chief editor of the Lingwu Journal would be a woman from the Celestial Master's Mansion of the Orthodox Daoism!

So they unceremoniously drove away Zhang Bingyu, who had tried to reason with them, because everyone knew that the women of the Celestial Master's Mansion, no matter how powerful they were in their youth, became caged tigers once they married, posing no threat!

Seeing that Ma Xingxue still had some doubts, Liu Linxuan smiled and tried to reassure him, then put the matter aside.

He said, "Speaking of which, the content of the first issue of the Lingwu Journal is indeed impressive. Every metaphysical cultivator who has read it has been amazed. That crazy old Taoist, after years of madness, has actually made such a significant discovery... I feel quite ashamed!"

"Before I left the mountain, several elders gave me some manuscripts, which are very profound... Why don't we gather everyone now and select the content for the second issue while we have the time?" Ma Xingxue said seriously. "Since the elders have entrusted us with this important task, we must not be negligent!"

Liu Linxuan also had this in mind, as he had several manuscripts from his own sect's elders!

Thus, the other Daoist disciples staying at Kangle Farm were called together, and a meeting room in the hotel was temporarily rented. The sixteen disciples, ranging in age from their thirties to their sixties, began to exchange and read the academic papers they had brought from their respective sects, creating a harmonious and enthusiastic atmosphere.

"Uncle Chen from the Yuxian Sect, this article is truly exquisite and unparalleled! It makes one want to praise it three times!"

"The article 'A Brief Discussion on the Profound Meaning of Daoism's Naturalness' by Uncle Zhao from the Longmen Sect is a masterpiece! One reading gives you a sense of enlightenment, two readings make you feel refreshed, and three readings allow you to understand its true meaning! Marvelous!"

"Uncle Wang from the Huashan Sect's article 'On the Difference Between Energy Particles and the Five Elements' is a stroke of genius! It fully demonstrates the attitude of a true Daoist cultivator and the orthodox lineage, re-examining the errors in the first issue from a new perspective..."

"The article 'A Brief Analysis of the Structure and Application of Spirit Arrays' by Uncle Fang, the protector elder of the Yushan Sect, is the real meat! It is profound and captivating, making one unable to put it down!"

"..."

In no time, the meeting room became a bustling scene.

The sixteen 'chief reviewers' were all eloquent, lavishly praising the academic articles on the table.

Each of them wore a smile, as if a simple nod from them would ensure that any of the articles on the table would be published in the Lingwu Journal, giving them a sense of power and authority that was intoxicating!

After a heated discussion and praise for about ten minutes, Ma Xingxue put down an academic article titled "On the Specific Application of Fire Qi in the Daoist Technique 'Heaven-Burning Fire'" and gently tapped the table with his finger.

"Clearly, compared to the lack of academic content in the first issue, the second issue of the Lingwu Journal, with the attention of the sect leader of Chongyang Palace, has already gained widespread attention from the metaphysical community and is beginning to show a promising trend of a hundred schools of thought contending."

Ma Xingxue cleared his throat and said loudly, "However, as the chief reviewers of the Lingwu Journal, we must adhere to the basic requirement of selecting the best from the good... The articles on the table all have the qualifications to be published, but a journal can only have a few dozen pages, and we can't publish them all at once, can we?"

Everyone nodded in agreement but looked at Ma Xingxue with bright eyes.

After a pause, Ma Xingxue said, "My suggestion is that we divide this batch of academic articles into two or three issues for publication... This way, we can leave enough time for subsequent content to be reviewed and revised, and it will also take into account the feelings of the elders who have submitted articles to us..."

"How should we choose the content for the second issue, then?" someone asked a pointed question.

Ma Xingxue smiled confidently and said casually, "In a situation where there are more wolves than meat, we can only have the minority服从 the majority... We will have a democratic vote later, and the articles will be published according to the number of votes they receive. The one with the most votes will be published first, and the ones with fewer votes will be published later. What do you think?"

Everyone looked at each other, unable to think of another way to balance the emotions of all parties, and nodded in agreement, "Okay!"

At this moment, Yang Chen, who had been standing outside the meeting room door with Zhang Bingyu before they started exchanging the academic papers, could no longer contain his anger and kicked open the closed meeting room door!

"Bang!"

The wooden door was kicked open by Yang Chen.

He appeared before Ma Xingxue and the others, exuding a menacing aura and a stern expression.

The once lively meeting room fell into a brief silence.

After a moment, Ma Xingxue, who was sitting in the main seat, stood up with a stern face and shouted at Yang Chen, "How dare you!"

In an instant, the others in the meeting room also stood up from their seats, glaring at Yang Chen angrily.

But Yang Chen ignored their gazes, walked over to a man in his fifties, picked up an article from the edge of the table, and silently flipped to the first page...

"Slam!"

A moment later, Yang Chen threw the article on the table and said coldly, "This nonsense is worth your loud praise? Is this the attitude you bring to taking over the Lingwu Journal?!"

"You must be Yang Chen, right? What do you want? Don't be too overbearing! This is not a place for you to act recklessly!" a middle-aged Taoist standing to Ma Xingxue's left asked sternly.

"Overbearing? Reckless?" Yang Chen was so angry that he laughed. His sharp gaze swept over everyone present, and he pointed at Ma Xingxue's nose and shouted, "Before I get angry, take your things and get out!!"