The instant Lin Shen uttered the word "live," time throughout Yuxu Palace seemed to freeze.
Yuanshi Tianzun had been about to teach him a second time, and when he heard that babyish single syllable, he assumed his little disciple was unconsciously imitating the pronunciation.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
But the next second, his smile froze completely.
On that enormous sheet of cloud brocade paper, the ancient character "Lin," which he had written with supreme Dao arts, actually came alive!
The ink forming the strokes of the character "Lin"—that Dragon Blood Phoenix Marrow—began to writhe and grow wildly!
The flat writing transformed into something three-dimensional!
The "wood" radical on the left swiftly sprouted branches and rough bark, turning into a vigorous ancient pine.
The "wood" character on the right unfurled, its branches and leaves flourishing as it became a tall emerald cypress.
In just a few breaths, the flat character "Lin" on the paper had become a tiny, vibrant forest of pines and cypresses!
The pine needles were lush green, as though dripping with dew.
The cypress leaves were jade-green and fresh.
A faint scent of pine even drifted from the paper!
This was no simple illusion. This was true creation!
Using Dao script as a foundation and laws as a blueprint, it had created objects with the traits of life from nothing!
"Th-this..."
Yuanshi Tianzun's voice trembled.
His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the forest on the paper, feeling as though his heart were about to stop beating.
He had known his little disciple possessed extraordinary talent. He had known Lin Shen harbored great secrets.
But he had never imagined Lin Shen could accomplish something like this!
This was no longer merely "creation"!
This was Words Manifest Reality! It was a supreme authority that none of them had ever mastered!
How had Lin Shen done it? How long had it even been since he had taken form?
He could barely speak clearly!
Yuanshi Tianzun's mind buzzed. Countless questions and shocks battered this future Heavenly Dao Sage until he nearly staggered.
Meanwhile, Lin Shen, the one responsible for all this, stared at his own "masterpiece" with his little mouth hanging open in shock.
It worked!
It really worked!
So this was how Words Manifest Reality was used!
With an existing vessel for laws, he could leverage reality itself!
A flash of inspiration had struck him just now. He had borrowed the Law of Wood and the Dao Rhyme of Vitality contained in the character "Lin" that Yuanshi Tianzun had written, then used his own divine power to turn that possibility into reality.
He felt ninety percent of the power within him drain away in an instant.
An intense weakness swept through his tiny body.
But compared to that, the excitement and exhilaration in his heart erupted like a volcano!
This divine power was far too strong!
This was practically an upgraded version of Magic Brush Ma Liang!
Whatever I say becomes real!
Excitedly, he looked up, wanting to show off to his Second Master, only to see Yuanshi Tianzun wearing an expression as though he had seen a ghost.
Lin Shen's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no!
I went too far!
Did I act too monstrously?
Second Master won't think I'm some Outer Realm Demonic Entity possessing a body, will he?
He hurriedly suppressed his excitement, turned pale, and rolled his eyes back.
Using the same old trick—he fainted.
"Lin Shen!"
Lin Shen's sudden "collapse" terrified Yuanshi Tianzun out of his wits. Forgetting all about studying the forest on the paper, he grabbed Lin Shen and pulled him into his arms, frantically scanning his body with divine sense. Only after discovering that Lin Shen had merely overexerted his magic power and mental strength, with no serious injuries, did he finally let out a slight breath of relief.
But immediately afterward, overwhelming fear and self-reproach flooded his heart.
It was all my fault!
It was all my fault for insisting on teaching him to write and letting him touch a power he could not yet control!
He was only a child!
How could I hold him to an adult's standards?
Holding Lin Shen's soft little body, Yuanshi Tianzun's heart brimmed with regret.
He immediately carried Lin Shen and rushed out of Yuxu Palace.
"Eldest Brother! Third Brother! Come at once!" His voice shook with panic.
Taishang Laojun, who had been in seclusion studying recipes, and Tongtian Jiaozhu, who had been wiping his Qingping Sword, were both startled when they heard Yuanshi Tianzun's urgent call.
Why did Second Brother's voice sound so panicked?
Could something have happened to Little Lin Shen?
Without a second thought, the two set aside what they were doing and instantly appeared before Yuanshi Tianzun.
When they saw Lin Shen "unconscious" and "pale" in Yuanshi Tianzun's arms, their hearts sank as well.
"Second Brother, what happened?" Taiqing Laozi asked urgently.
"What happened to Little Lin Shen?" Tongtian Jiaozhu reached out directly, ready to snatch him away.
Yuanshi Tianzun's face was bitter, his voice full of guilt. "It's all my fault... I taught him to write, and then... he said a word while looking at the character I wrote, and then... he ended up like this."
As he spoke, he pointed toward the study in Yuxu Palace.
Taishang Laojun and Tongtian Jiaozhu followed the direction of his finger. With a sweep of their divine senses, they instantly saw the "pine and cypress forest" on the paper.
Their expressions instantly became exactly the same as Yuanshi Tianzun's had been.
Shock!
Horror!
Disbelief!
"Words Manifest Reality!"
Tongtian Jiaozhu cried out.
Taishang Laojun's pupils contracted sharply as well. He quickly stepped forward and took Lin Shen from Yuanshi Tianzun's arms, carefully examining him.
Only after confirming that he had merely exhausted himself did he relax.
He looked at the "sleeping" disciple in his arms, then at the forest on the paper. His gaze was impossibly complicated.
"A monster... he truly is a monster..." he muttered.
Tongtian Jiaozhu came back to his senses as well. He charged up to Yuanshi Tianzun, grabbed him by the collar, and roared, "Yuanshi! You old stubborn fool! I told you long ago that children should play! But you insisted on forcing him to study! Look what happened now—you exhausted the child! I'm telling you, if anything happens to Little Lin Shen, I won't let you off!"
He was genuinely furious this time.
In his eyes, Yuanshi Tianzun had pushed the child too hard, causing their precious disciple to faint from exhaustion.
"I..." Yuanshi Tianzun was left speechless by the rebuke, his face despondent.
He could not argue, because he thought the same thing himself.
"Enough, Third Brother. Do not blame Second Brother any further. He did not do it on purpose," Taiqing Laozi said, trying to mediate.
He handed Lin Shen back to Yuanshi Tianzun, then took out that iconic little white jade bottle.
This time, instead of feeding him drop by drop, he carefully poured half a bottle of Life-Creating Elixir directly into Lin Shen's mouth.
While "unconscious," Lin Shen felt a vast torrent of life surge into his body.
His depleted magic power and mental strength rapidly recovered.
He was overjoyed inside.
This "performance" had worked perfectly!
Not only had they not mistaken him for a monster, he had even tricked them into giving him so many good things!
I can use this trick more often in the future!
The Three Pure Ones had no idea what the little fellow in their arms was thinking.
Only when Lin Shen's complexion slowly regained its color did they all breathe a sigh of relief.
After this "learning accident," the Three Pure Ones reached a new consensus.
Not only could they not force Lin Shen to study, they could not even allow him to come into contact with anything containing profound laws!
After all, no one knew whether this little monster might suddenly have another flash of inspiration while looking at something, use Words Manifest Reality again, and exhaust himself to the point of collapse.
Thus, all the calligraphy and paintings containing Dao Rhymes in Yuanshi Tianzun's study were put away.
The jade slips engraved with pill formulas in Taishang Laojun's alchemy chamber were also hidden away tightly.
Tongtian Jiaozhu went even further, burying all of his treasured immortal swords underground. He was terrified that Lin Shen might see a sword, say the word "live," and make every sword on the mountain grow legs and run away.
Lin Shen's "immortal" life leveled up once more.
From a baby who only needed to eat, drink, and play, he became a baby who needed strict supervision and had to stay far away from all "knowledge."
The three Masters looked at him as though he were a "humanoid nuclear bomb" that might explode at any moment.
They treasured him, yet feared him.
Lin Shen was extremely satisfied with this arrangement.
No studying?
Perfect!
I only want to be a happy little slacker. Who wants to study those headache-inducing Dao arts and scriptures?
Before you continue