Many cultivators and soldiers clad in armor immediately stepped forward upon hearing this.
In their hands, they each held a golden tray, collecting all the tokens and piling them onto the trays.
Then, they distributed them one by one.
Once everyone had received their token, Liu Jing continued, "Now, let us begin the sacrifices to the wise ancestors of our noble families."
Liu Jing swept his gaze across the assembled heads of the various noble families below.
...
Upon hearing this, a commotion arose among the members of the various large and small noble families.
Subsequently, the person in charge of each noble family, carrying the various sacrificial items they had prepared, stepped forward in turn, knelt before the name of their family's surname, and recited their respective prayers.
Some of the ancient and venerable great noble families even performed grand sacrificial ceremonies, which Wu Tao watched with great interest.
However, after these sacrifices, which took nearly half a month to complete, came the true highlight of the Ranking Assembly.
The determination of each noble family's rank and the subsequent reallocation of resources and benefits.
Liu Jing coughed lightly and said, "According to ancient tradition, at the Ranking Assembly, each noble family has the opportunity to challenge a higher-ranked noble family, and also the requirement to accept challenges from lower-ranked noble families."
"Each has one chance, but a challenger cannot leapfrog ranks. Of course, if multiple families challenge the same family, the one with higher destiny has the right to challenge."
Wu Tao, as a newly established noble family, possessed three challenge opportunities, two more than other established families, which was a benefit for new families.
Wu Tao's assigned number was Jia 371, and his opponent was not simple. Judging by his appearance, he was a muscular bald man. If judged purely by his aura, he was likely an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator who practiced the Buddhist path.
Discovering this, Wu Tao's pupils contracted slightly. One had to know that cultivators who practiced the Buddhist path to the Nascent Soul stage were generally much stronger in combat power than ordinary cultivators of the same level. Practicing Buddhist techniques required cultivating a golden Buddha body. With such a body, they were equivalent to half-body and half-technique cultivators during combat. Furthermore, Buddhist cultivators who achieved the golden Buddha body also gained considerable assistance when casting certain divine abilities.
...
Wu Tao's opponent was the ancestor of a third-tier family, Gu Tongtian. Gu Tongtian strode forward leisurely, as if walking on lotuses, appearing no different from the Buddha descending to earth. There was no trace of worldly energy around him; he showed no signs of the impending fierce battle.
Seeing this, Wu Tao curled his lips and laughed heartily, "Hahahaha, are you trying to intimidate me, fellow Daoist, or perhaps scare me?"
Hearing Wu Tao's words, Gu Tongtian gazed at him for a moment and said meaningfully, "Amitabha, I merely wished to see which Daoist friend would dare to establish a third-tier family... It seems your abilities are unknown, but your words are indeed arrogant."
Without further ado, Gu Tongtian let out a sharp cry. Before his words had even faded, his upper garment disintegrated, revealing muscles as robust as gold, and the very atmosphere changed. A powerful aura erupted from him, soaring into the heavens. Gu Tongtian threw a punch, his massive fist like a mountain, emitting continuous explosive sounds as countless air molecules were directly shattered by the immense pressure, groaning in agony.
A sword's cry echoed through the sky. Wu Tao laughed, his Chu Xi sword slashing out, sending out sword energy. Fist and sword collided, and in an instant, the surrounding strong winds reversed, and the high platform swayed precariously.
Looking at the blood on his fist, Gu Tongtian's expression changed drastically. The next moment, Gu Tongtian silently produced a Buddhist lamp, a treasure-grade artifact. A brilliant golden Buddhist flame silently shot towards Wu Tao. Compared to the previous overwhelming might, this attack seemed like a mere trifle, but in Wu Tao's eyes, it was even more dangerous! The power of the golden Buddhist flame, condensed by Buddhist energy, was not to be underestimated!
However, fortunately, Wu Tao also cultivated the Buddhist path, so he was not entirely helpless against this golden Buddhist flame. Wu Tao's palm grabbed the golden Buddhist flame. Suddenly, the golden Buddhist flame collapsed, turning into a sky full of flames, like a fiery cloud, dyeing half the sky. Wu Tao's complexion suddenly turned pale, but he managed to withstand this wave of attack with his Buddha's Golden Body.
...
Wu Tao and Gu Tongtian engaged in a fierce battle, with the center of the sky as their arena. After dozens of exchanges, two figures stood on opposite sides, facing each other. After a moment of silence, their eyes met, their auras evenly matched. The atmosphere in the arena was like a lull before a storm, capable of erupting into a cataclysmic change at any moment.
"Good! Good! Good!"
"Truly a magnificent divine ability. Fellow Daoist, you indeed have the capital for such arrogance." Gu Tongtian said with a grave expression.
On the other side, Wu Tao stood smiling, appearing as if he didn't take Gu Tongtian seriously at all.
...
Seeing this, Gu Tongtian's face darkened, and he said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Fellow Daoist, you are too arrogant. I, Gu, shall see what your true abilities are..." As soon as his words fell, Gu Tongtian's body exuded immense spiritual energy. Then, Gu Tongtian reached the peak of his preparation, his muscles swelling to almost a hundred times their size, and a great Buddhist momentum surged, as if the Buddha himself had descended! Reaching a certain limit, Gu Tongtian stopped accumulating power, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, forming a Buddha seal, and forcefully pushed it forward. Instantly, immense spiritual energy gathered, forming a massive phantom of a Buddha's palm that enveloped the surrounding area.
"Namo Amitabha... Namo Amitabha..." Buddhist chants echoed, and the Buddha seal startled all creation! The sky-shattering Buddha seal, combined with the great momentum, was unleashed with the intent to tear apart anything in its path. Wu Tao did not hesitate. In an instant, a burst of sword energy erupted from his Chu Xi sword, falling like a torrential downpour onto the Buddha seal. The Buddha seal was shattered, and the remaining sword energy carved a wound on Gu Tongtian's golden body.
Wu Tao's strength and the power of his divine abilities clearly far exceeded Gu Tongtian's expectations. His face suddenly showed anxiety, and after a moment, he finally decided to reveal his trump card. His entire aura surged, and a tablet inscribed with a bright Buddha seal, known as the Great Wheel Seal, suddenly appeared above his head.
"Go!" Gu Tongtian pointed his left hand towards Wu Tao and shouted. As the voice fell, the bright Buddha seal underwent a change. It spun rapidly, and in just a moment, the originally small and exquisite bright Buddha seal expanded countless times. Its power was so immense that it cracked space even before it moved. This seal was a top-tier Buddhist artifact and the ancestral treasure of the Gu family. Unleashed with full power, its might was astounding!
"Marvelous, Treasure, Scripture, Meaning."
"Still!" The bright Buddha seal, carrying the four true words, descended with terrifying might. The wind howled, and Buddhist energy surged. This single strike of the bright Buddha seal was no less than a true thousand-mile giant mountain descending. If one did not resist with divine abilities, how could even the strongest expert, with their mortal flesh, withstand such an attack? Seeing Wu Tao's casual demeanor, not even drawing his Chu Xi sword, Gu Tongtian's joy grew. Just then, the situation took a drastic turn.
"What is this..." Before his joy had faded, his gaze sharpened as he witnessed the following scene. A Bodhi tree tens of thousands of feet in size suddenly appeared behind Wu Tao. This sky-shading Bodhi tree bore one Bodhi fruit on each branch, and three thousand branch tips meant three thousand Bodhi fruits. The Bodhi fruits were brilliant and crystalline, appearing as though they would shatter into dust with the slightest touch, but upon closer inspection, one could see a small figure within each Bodhi fruit.
The moment the bright Buddha seal descended, the sky-shading Bodhi tree moved! Compared to the bright Buddha seal, which resembled a mountain and possessed the might of a thousand-mile mountain, the Bodhi tree, though large, appeared delicate... It seemed impossible for it to block the bright Buddha seal, or even delay it for a single breath. Unexpectedly, the final outcome was vastly different from imagination, completely contrary. As the bright Buddha seal descended, Wu Tao intertwined his left and right ten fingers, right over left, clasped them firmly, like binding a form, known as the Buddha's Binding Seal. A virtual Wu Tao appeared, multiplying from one to ten, then ten to a hundred, and finally a thousand... In an instant, three thousand Wu Taos appeared! The three thousand Wu Taos suddenly emerged from the branches, swinging their fists at the oncoming bright Buddha seal. Upon seeing Wu Tao unleash such a terrifying divine ability, Gu Tongtian's face changed instantly, and he gasped in disbelief.
...
After ascending to the Nascent Soul stage, Wu Tao had learned five of the six Buddhist methods, with only "One Thought Creates Buddha's Kingdom" remaining. These included the Six Forms of Buddhism: the Formless Realm's Palm of Compassion, the Indestructible Golden Body Manifestation, the Buddha's Fist of Transforming Creation, the Heaven-Soaring Buddha into a Single Thread, and "Three Thousand Manifestations Under the Bodhi Tree." The fifth method, "Three Thousand Manifestations Under the Bodhi Tree," was inspired by the saying "One flower, one world; one leaf, one Bodhi." Buddhist scriptures state: "If one cultivates the Bodhi mind in an instant, the merits and virtues generated are immeasurable, even for Buddhas to calculate." "If you wish to end the suffering of countless rebirths for sentient beings, quickly develop the Bodhi mind. The Bodhi mind is the seed of all dharma, capable of generating all Buddha-dharma, thus attaining the great divine abilities of Buddhahood."
After repelling the bright Buddha seal, the three thousand Buddhist Wu Taos, along with the Bodhi tree, disappeared. Only Wu Tao remained standing in mid-air.
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