Chapter 428 ·Myriad Spirits Pay Homage
Chapter 428: Myriad Spirits Pay Homage
“Disciple Chi Quan greets Master!”
Chi Quan agreed without hesitation.
He had forged a First-Grade Golden Core, and his future prospects were boundless. Even within the Yuqing Immortal Sect, he could be called a peerless prodigy.
But everything feared comparison.
Compared to his master Chen Beiwu, his meager abilities were simply not worth mentioning.
“Good, good, good.” Chen Beiwu nodded in satisfaction.
After the master-disciple relationship was established, he could see the Auspicious Fortune Scarlet Dragon fate on Chi Quan’s body connect with his own fate, forming a thread of fate that continuously flowed into the Chaotic Heaven and Earth.
“After forming your Core, do you have any doubts regarding cultivation?”
Chen Beiwu gestured with his eyes for Yu Zhaohua to sit down, then looked toward Chi Quan.
“After this disciple formed my Core, although the Earthly Sha True Qi within my body became vast and pure, it is difficult to harmonize it into one. Occasionally there is even a sense of stagnation and swelling, making it difficult to control precisely with Divine Sense.” Chi Quan carefully asked for guidance.
Chen Beiwu glanced at him and instructed：“Circulate your Cultivation Method and mobilize the True Qi and Mana within your body to your fingertip.”
Hearing this, Chi Quan immediately obeyed and circulated his True Qi.
Chen Beiwu swept over him with Divine Sense, tapped Chi Quan’s wrist with one finger, and pointed out：“You were able to forcibly condense an Embryonic Core through the Taiyi Five Directions Foundation-Laying Marvelous Method, cross the barrier, and form a First-Grade Golden Core. That is indeed quite good.
But the Superior-Grade Dao Foundation you forged during Foundation Establishment was truly ordinary, and your accumulation was insufficiently deep. As a result, after Core Formation, the purity of your Mana, strength of your Divine Sense, resilience of your meridians, and physical constitution cannot keep up with the grade of the Golden Core you forged. Your foundation has been damaged, so you need to use the Golden Attribute of the Golden Core to nourish your essence, qi, and spirit in return.”
To summarize it simply in one sentence, although the Taiyi Five Directions Foundation-Laying Marvelous Method that Chen Beiwu had created by combining the cultivation methods of the Two Realms was powerful, it still could not create something from nothing and compensate for losses in one’s foundation for no reason.
It was only because Chi Quan’s fate was profound and he was protected by an Auspicious Fortune Scarlet Dragon that he had luckily succeeded in Core Formation through the Embryonic Core Method.
If another Foundation Establishment cultivator of ordinary aptitude and fate dared take such a risk in Core Formation, their physical body would probably collapse and their Divine Sense dry up at the instant the Core formed, resulting in death.
“Master, please guide me. How should this disciple make up for my foundation now?” Fine sweat appeared on Chi Quan’s forehead, and he was rather nervous.
For any cultivator with ambition, one’s foundation was something that absolutely could not be damaged.
“Since your foundation is insufficient, simply replenish it.” Chen Beiwu remained calm：“From today onward, you need to use the Golden Attribute of your Golden Core to re-refine the Taiyi Five Directions Golden Core Marvelous Method.”
After speaking, Chen Beiwu flicked his finger, and a jade slip landed before Chi Quan.
“Thank you for Master’s bestowal.”
Chi Quan solemnly bowed. His Divine Sense swept through the jade slip, and he discovered that the Cultivation Method within was precisely the more profound Taiyi Five Directions Golden Core Marvelous Method (Upgraded Version), which revolved the Five Elements through the five viscera and Five Qi.
“Apart from this, the enhancement of the Companion Beast’s Three Meridians can also make up for part of your foundation.”
At this point, Chen Beiwu paused and asked Chi Quan：“What Companion Beast did you contract?”
Chi Quan pursed his lips and truthfully replied：“Reporting to Master, this disciple’s contracted Companion Beast is the Second-Tier top-grade Spirit Beast 【Scarlet Mastiff】.”
“Summon it and let me see.”
Cultivation Methods had compatibility issues with Companion Beasts. Before transmitting a cultivation method to Chi Quan, Chen Beiwu needed to understand the aptitude and bloodline of his disciple’s Companion Beast.
The next instant, a Spirit Beast with a shoulder height of five chi, thick bones, blood-red fur, and the appearance of a gigantic mastiff entered Chen Beiwu’s sight.
“Na.”
Xuele lightly leaped and landed on the Scarlet Mastiff’s forehead, circulating the Five Qi.
“You’ve cultivated this Scarlet Mastiff quite well, but the Cultivation Method it practices is somewhat unsuitable.” Chen Beiwu pondered.
“Master, please guide me.” Chi Quan’s pupils contracted, greatly surprised.
As far as he knew, the Southern Land Departure Fire True Scripture was the Cultivation Method most compatible with the Scarlet Mastiff Clan.
If a Scarlet Mastiff successfully cultivated the Southern Land Departure Fire True Scripture, it could directly swallow Flame Essence Li Jade and evolve into the Third-Tier top-grade Treasure Beast 【Departure Fire Mastiff】.
The Chi Clan had cultivated them this way for generations. Logically speaking, there should not have been any mistake, but Chi Quan did not believe his master would deceive a mere Golden Core True Person like him.
“Fire is the function, earth is the body. This Scarlet Mastiff of yours is not suited to walking a pure fire path.”
Chen Beiwu slightly shook his head：“It would be better to choose a suitable fire-earth Cultivation Method, such as 《Prairie Fire Thick Earth Manual》、《Earthfire Darkening Scripture》……”
Xuele possessed Five Elements Mystical Qi and could use Mystical Qi to test the Five Elements constitution of Beast Creatures, determining evolutionary directions compatible with their attributes.
In other words, apart from Spirit Plant Masters and Deadly Poison Masters, Xuele was also suited to becoming a Beast Breeder, one of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.
“Many thanks for Master’s guidance.”
Chi Quan solemnly nodded and decided to follow his teacher’s advice and give it a try.
Even though Immortal Alliance cultivators contracted Companion Beasts and could sense the Three Meridians, he had long since discovered through Attribute Meridian perception that the Scarlet Mastiff’s fire-attribute Spiritual Root purity was as high as 70, while its earth-attribute Spiritual Root purity was only 40. Even so, he did not question it in the slightest.
“Very good. Go and temper your foundation.”
Chen Beiwu slightly nodded, then looked toward Yu Zhaohua beside him：“What did you come to see me for?”
Living within an Immortal Sect meant one could not act entirely as one wished.
Even though he was now a Nascent Soul True Monarch, he still could not avoid the attempts of various Dao Venerable Immortal Families to draw him in through alliances and marriage.
“Weren’t you supposed to meet Zhaozhen today?” Yu Zhaohua raised her slender brows.
She did not want to come either.
She even wished a day had seventy-two hours so she could cultivate, reach perfected Golden Core as soon as possible, and attain the Dao as a True Monarch.
Unfortunately, the clan elders had issued an order, so she had no choice but to act as this matchmaker.
“So it was about this.”
Chen Beiwu reacted and left Azure-Mystic Peak together with Yu Zhaohua, preparing to explain things clearly to Yu Zhaozhen.
……
Meanwhile, deep within Feather Immortal Pavilion.
Cultivation chamber.
“Damn it, failed again!”
Xiao Yu opened his eyes, his expression incomparably ugly.
He had a Dao Attainment Ritual for verification and the God-Passage Stele for suppression. Logically speaking, he should have been able to easily seek the Dao and pursue truth, comprehend the opportunity to advance to late-stage Nascent Soul, and condense a True Seed of Companion Mystical Ability.
But in reality, this was already the second time he had failed to arrange the Ritual of Seeking Truth and Position, returning empty-handed.
‘With my fate, how could this happen!’
The more Xiao Yu thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
Ever since he had schemed against Chen Beiwu for Primordial Origin True Qi and qualification for the Yuqing Golden Register, misfortune had followed him continuously, and almost nothing good had happened.
“Buzz!”
At that moment, the token on the jade table within the secret chamber trembled slightly, drawing Xiao Yu’s attention.
“Tomorrow is Chen Beiwu’s Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony. Why are they suddenly contacting me? Has the God-Passage Stele arrived?”
Xiao Yu poured Mana into it and connected the communication, causing a pair of blurry eyes to appear on the token.
“There is a problem with the Primordial Origin True Qi you obtained. The transaction is terminated, and our previous agreement is directly void.” A hoarse voice slowly sounded.
After learning that Chen Beiwu had successfully attained the Dao as a True Monarch, he had tested it several more times afterward, but the result remained unchanged.
The Ancient God of True Origin still had not cast its gaze upon the Primordial Origin True Qi offered through the power of Divine Sacrifice.
This did not conform to the usual laws of Divine Sacrifice!
After all, even Profound Pivot True Monarch could attract the Ancient God of True Origin’s attention. There was no possibility that Chen Beiwu, whose aptitude, talent, and potential were even greater than Profound Pivot True Monarch’s, could not.
After eliminating every other factor, there was only one answer：there was a problem with the Primordial Origin True Qi Xiao Yu had obtained.
“Void?”
Xiao Yu’s gaze turned cold：“You think you can casually dismiss this matter with a single word, void? Do you think I’m made of clay?”
“Ninth Venerable, I’ll say this once. I am determined to have that item. If your Ancient God Sect refuses to give it to me, don’t blame me for personally going to take it!”
In an instant, the atmosphere became incomparably tense.
“Very well.” The pair of blurry eyes yielded a step：“You want a Fifth-Tier God-Passage Stele? Fine. The transaction can continue, but you must exchange one strand of Primordial Origin Heavenly-Gang True Qi for it.”
After speaking, the eyes slowly disappeared, leaving Xiao Yu with an ugly expression.
Obtaining a strand of perfectly flawless Primordial Origin True Qi was no simple matter.
This type of True Qi could not be extracted during a duel. The cultivator needed to actively circulate Mana and pour it into a special jade capable of storing True Qi and Mana, similar to a True Radiance Stone. Only in this way could the purity of the True Qi and Mana be guaranteed.
It was precisely because of this that Xiao Yu had directly chosen to give Chen Beiwu a show of force back then, rather than using sparring and instruction as an excuse to extract Primordial Origin True Qi while befriending the other party and preparing to betray him later.
“What a headache.”
Xiao Yu frowned slightly, left the secret chamber, appeared in Feather Immortal Pavilion, and summoned a subordinate.
“How are the arrangements for the plan?” He glanced at the subordinate.
“Everything has been arranged. After the Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony ends, that person will be assigned to Creek Cavern Abyss and appointed as Guardian Envoy of Ten Thousandfold Mountain.”
“Put the plan on hold for now.”
The moment Xiao Yu finished speaking, the subordinate immediately raised his head.
What was going on?
In order to make Chen Beiwu commit a grave crime, they had already arranged everything. If the plan changed again now, would that not simply create trouble for themselves?
“What, do you object?” Xiao Yu coldly asked.
He did not want to drag things out either.
Once Chen Beiwu was assigned to Ten Thousandfold Mountain, with mountains high and roads far away, how would he obtain Primordial Origin Heavenly-Gang True Qi?
“This subordinate does not dare.”
Watching the subordinate leave, Xiao Yu’s thoughts rapidly turned.
It was merely one strand of Primordial Origin True Qi. If he truly made up his mind, there would always be a way to obtain it.
……
The next morning.
Yuqing Immortal Sect’s Dao Attainment Plaza was bustling with people and extraordinarily lively.
Streaks of escaping light swept over from the horizon and slowly descended above the plaza, immediately followed by cultivators announcing the arrivals.
“Pure Yang Grotto-Heaven has arrived to offer congratulations, with Chief Disciple Zhu Wu personally attending, presenting three Four-Revolution Yang-Restoration Pills and one thousand-year Hollow Azure Herb.”
“Supreme Yin Grotto-Heaven has arrived to offer congratulations, with Chief Disciple Gu Yong personally attending, presenting one piece of Upper Yin Mystical Jade and one Great Net Silver Vine.”
“Jade Firmament Grotto-Heaven has arrived to offer congratulations, with Chief Disciple Che Zhengyuan personally attending, presenting one segment of Void Mystical Branch and one drop of Cosmic Radiance Heavenly Water.”
“Cosmic Radiance Grotto-Heaven has arrived to offer congratulations, with Chief Disciple Shi Wujian personally attending, presenting one Momentary Mustard Seed and one bottle of Cosmic Radiance True Water.”
“Xuanyuan Grotto-Heaven has arrived to offer congratulations, with Chief Disciple Xuanyuan Yu personally attending, presenting one strand of Great Heavenly Dragon Fire and three grains of Star Sand.”
“……”
Each announcement fell like a thunderclap in the hearts of Chen Dong and Huang Xiaoling, making their expressions increasingly proud.
My son Beiwu possesses the potential for Divine Transformation!
Even the lofty Five Great Grotto-Heavens had to take him seriously, going so far as to send their Chief Disciples in person and present numerous Supreme Treasures they had never even heard of at his Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony.
At the same time, below the platform, Xu Ziqing and Xu Lingling exchanged a glance, each seeing amazement in the other’s eyes.
“Truly remarkable.”
Xu Ziqing looked toward the high platform and recalled her days as Chen Beiwu’s classmate back then, feeling as though everything were a dream.
Who could have imagined that the school heartthrob who had once stirred the hearts of countless young girls would now become a great figure capable of stirring the winds and clouds of the Immortal Alliance.
“Those who come with ill intentions do not come kindly, and those who come kindly do not bear ill intentions.”
Xu Lingling shook her head, holding a different view：“I hope I’m overthinking it. It isn’t as though Yuqing Immortal Sect has never had a Chief Disciple successfully attain the Dao as a True Monarch and hold a Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony before, but none of them ever managed to alarm the Chief Disciples of the Five Great Grotto-Heavens.”
After the announcements ended, Chen Beiwu continued with the ceremony. Under the attention of countless cultivators, he slowly rose and became the focus of innumerable gazes.
“For this Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony, I am deeply honored that all fellow Daoists did not disdain the long journey and took time from your busy schedules to attend.”
After finishing his opening remarks, Chen Beiwu’s aura changed. The warmth in his eyes receded, replaced by a vast True Monarch aura that suppressed heaven and earth and overawed all directions.
At that instant, nearly every cultivator’s eyes slightly narrowed as they held their breath, knowing that the key stage of the Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony was about to arrive and quietly listened as Chen Beiwu established his own honorific.
“My Dao borrows nothing external and depends on no weapon’s edge. It began from the insignificant, found insight through living beings, borrowed beasts to cultivate truth, and sought the true self.”
“Thus the honorific I establish shall be——”
“True Martial!”
The instant Chen Beiwu spoke these two words, heaven and earth resonated and suddenly fell silent.
Immediately afterward, an abnormal phenomenon suddenly arose.
Centered on Yuqing Immortal Sect’s Dao Attainment Plaza and extending deep into the Yuqing Mountain Range, an invisible Dao’s Rhythm erupted and spread, sweeping across heaven and earth.
At the seats of Pure Yang Grotto-Heaven, Zhu Wu suddenly sensed movement within his embrace.
The next instant, his contracted Companion Beast abruptly raised its head and released a roar.
“Hmm?”
Zhu Wu’s Divine Sense stirred as he glanced at the Six-Yang Hou. The latter immediately trembled, shut its mouth, and released a whimper, yet its eyes remained curiously fixed on Chen Beiwu.
At the seats of Supreme Yin Grotto-Heaven.
The juvenile beast resembling a civet cat on Gu Yong’s shoulder slightly raised its head, looking toward Chen Beiwu with emotion in its eyes.
At the seats of Jade Firmament Grotto-Heaven.
The Nine-Colored Deer beneath Che Zhengyuan reacted the most strongly. While releasing a roar, it closed its eyes as multicolored radiance blossomed around it, stirring spatial ripples.
At the seats of Cosmic Radiance Grotto-Heaven and Xuanyuan Grotto-Heaven.
Shi Wujian and Xuanyuan Yu exchanged a glance, their expressions differing.
There was no other reason. Their contracted Companion Beasts had both trembled at this moment, their eyes instinctively fixed on Chen Beiwu without moving, as though they had encountered an excellent Fourth-Tier Mystical Pill and were unwilling to look away.
Fortunately, they suppressed them through their Companion Contracts, so these Companion Beasts did not cause much commotion.
However, what the Chief Disciples of the Five Great Grotto-Heavens could accomplish was difficult for the other Immortal Sect disciples to do.
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
One Companion Beast after another lost control and knelt on the ground, releasing overlapping roars toward Chen Beiwu.
In an instant, ten thousand beasts arrayed themselves and bowed in pilgrimage.
“This……”
Zhu Wu frowned slightly, then suddenly remembered something and exclaimed in surprise：“Could this be the Myriad Spirits Pay Homage recorded in the ancient texts?”
Ancient texts of Pure Yang Grotto-Heaven once recorded：“Child of Heavenly Mandate, favored by fate. Once his position is established, Dao’s Rhythm forms naturally, resonating with all things, and myriad spirits pay homage.”
To make even a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast like the Six-Yang Hou pay such attention, the Fate Pattern and Heavenly Mandate possessed by Chen Beiwu were undoubtedly extraordinary
‘So that’s how it is. The rumors were correct. The reason Chen Beiwu could attain the Dao as a True Monarch and rise from a declining family was not talent, but because he bears Heavenly Mandate!’ Che Zhengyuan smiled.
Sky Abyss Star was incomparably vast. Among the Grotto-Heaven prodigies capable of leading the younger generation of the Immortal Alliance, which one did not bear Heavenly Mandate?
But one thing was beyond doubt. For Chen Beiwu to make myriad spirits pay homage, the rank of his Heavenly Mandate might even surpass his own.
‘Interesting. No wonder Chen Beiwu could be matched with the mirror image of our sect’s Holy Maiden during the Immortal Alliance Entrance Exam.’ Gu Yong frowned slightly, then slowly relaxed.
Heavenly Mandate did not represent everything, and even a Child of Heavenly Mandate could perish.
A Grotto-Heaven prodigy like him could also reverse Heavenly Mandate and accomplish a Great Dao of his own.
“Roar!”
Listening to the beast roars rising one after another around him, Chen Beiwu stood atop the high platform and instinctively sensed a sudden change within the Nine-Breath Chaos.