The Masters' New Toys

After their eldest brother, Taishang Laojun, achieved a resounding victory in the culinary competition with a dish called "Taiqing Pill Spirit Soup," the atmosphere atop Kunlun Mountain became rather delicate.

Tongtian Jiaozhu and Yuanshi Tianzun, two prominent figures in the Primordial World, now resembled sulking children who had lost a game, each harboring a competitive spirit.

Tongtian Jiaozhu was doing alright.

He had a bold personality; if he lost, he lost. He could always find a way to win back his honor next time.

He still set up his large pot every day, researching how to maximize the power of the Solar True Fire to make his stews more fragrant and potent.

But Yuanshi Tianzun was different.

He had always placed importance on rules and reputation. He believed he had perfected the combination of "form" and "essence," creating artistic dishes like "Five Flavors Immortal Mountain."

Yet, in the end, he lost to his eldest brother's seemingly bizarre but actually highly nourishing "Pill Spirit Soup."

This left him utterly bewildered.

Could it be that his young disciple, Lin Shen, truly had such simple and unpretentious tastes?

Yuanshi Tianzun sat in Yuxu Palace, gazing at the Cloud Brocade Heavenly Robe that had birthed a forest on paper, lost in thought for a long time.

He concluded that he might have truly gone astray in his culinary pursuits.

By overemphasizing form, he had neglected the most fundamental function of food—nourishment.

His eldest brother's Pill Spirit Soup excelled precisely because it provided the most direct and pure supplementary effect to the very essence of an Innate Spiritual Root like Lin Shen's.

Once he understood this, Yuanshi Tianzun temporarily abandoned the idea of competing with his eldest brother in culinary arts.

Since he couldn't win in cooking, he would regain his prestige through play!

Following the "learning incident," the three brothers reached a consensus: they would let Lin Shen grow through enjoyment and play.

Therefore, whoever could provide the most fun and interesting toys would gain more favor from their young disciple.

This was a completely new arena!

A sharp glint flashed in Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes. He felt he had found a new breakthrough.

When it came to creating novelties, he didn't believe he would lose to his two brothers.

Thus, during the period when the culinary competition had temporarily quieted down, the first "Toy Competition" of Kunlun Mountain quietly commenced.

The first to make a move was Tongtian Jiaozhu, who was equally unwilling to be outdone.

He felt that the small Spirit Beasts he had previously carved with sword energy, though lifelike, were too insignificant. They couldn't possibly showcase his immense power as a master.

If he were to do something, it had to be grand!

One day, Lin Shen had just woken up when he was excitedly scooped up by Tongtian Jiaozhu.

"Good disciple, come, third master will show you a great treasure!"

Carried on Tongtian Jiaozhu's shoulder, Lin Shen felt the wind whistling past his ears. In the blink of an eye, they had traveled from his palace to an incredibly vast expanse of sea of clouds.

This sea of clouds was boundless, with immortal Qi swirling around.

And in the center of the sea of clouds stood various "structures" made of pure sword energy!

There were sword energy towers that pierced the sky, their bodies shimmering with flowing light, their sharp aura soaring upwards.

There were sword energy bridges spanning the sea of clouds, their surfaces smooth and transparent. Walking on them, one could see rolling clouds and mist beneath their feet.

There was even a massive "sword energy swing" woven from countless fine sword threads. A gentle push could send one flying tens of thousands of feet!

Further in the distance, there was a carousel formed from condensed sword energy. However, the "horses" were all miniature dragons, phoenixes, and Kirins, each looking majestic and exuding an imposing aura.

This was no mere toy; it was an unparalleled "amusement park" built entirely from sword energy!

Lin Shen's small mouth fell open.

His eyes widened, and only one thought echoed in his mind—

My goodness!

Third master, you're too good at this!

Building an amusement park with sword energy?

This is too extravagant!

"Hahaha! What do you think, disciple?"

Tongtian Jiaozhu gestured proudly at the magnificent sight before them.

"This is the Tongtian Amusement Park that third master spent three days and three nights building for you with nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine strands of pure sword energy!"

"From now on, whatever you want to play, just tell third master, and third master can manifest it for you with sword energy!"

Lin Shen excitedly clapped his little hands, making "ya ya" sounds, urging Tongtian Jiaozhu to take him to play quickly.

Tongtian Jiaozhu laughed heartily, full of pride. Holding Lin Shen, he rushed straight towards the giant sword energy swing.

For a time, the entire peak of Kunlun Mountain echoed with Lin Shen's joyful laughter and Tongtian Jiaozhu's hearty chuckles.

Yuanshi Tianzun and Taishang Laojun naturally saw this scene.

Taishang Laojun merely stroked his beard and smiled gently, unconcerned.

In his opinion, as long as his little disciple was happy, the method didn't matter.

However, Yuanshi Tianzun's expression was not as pleasant.

He watched Lin Shen swinging on a swing in the sea of clouds, having a blast, and frowned deeply.

"Nonsense!"

"Sword Qi is a tool of killing, sharp and unparalleled. How can it be used as a toy for children? What if Lin Shen gets hurt?"

"Third Brother's actions are still so careless and undisciplined!"

Although he was criticizing verbally, he felt immense pressure in his heart.

He admitted that Tongtian's idea of a "Sword Qi Playground" was indeed domineering and very appealing to children.

If he couldn't come up with anything more interesting, he would probably lose the first round of the "Toy Competition."

No, I must find a way to win against him!

Yuanshi Tianzun turned and returned to Yuxu Palace, beginning to meditate and ponder.

Tongtian's advantage lay in "grandeur" and "movement," with magnificent scenes and exciting gameplay.

Then his own advantage would lie in "exquisiteness" and "ingenuity."

He was proficient in formations and skilled in deduction.

The toys he created should not only be fun but also enlighten the mind, subtly aligning with the principles of the Great Dao, allowing his little disciple to unknowingly broaden his horizons while playing.

Got it!

Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes lit up, and he immediately got to work.

Instead of creating a world-shattering spectacle like Tongtian, he took a Chaos Divine Stone the size of a human head and inscribed all his insights into formations and the Great Dao over the years.

A few days later, when Lin Shen got tired of the "Tongtian Playground" and was carried back to Yuxu Palace by Yuanshi Tianzun.

Yuanshi Tianzun, with a solemn expression, presented a seemingly ordinary square box to Lin Shen.

The box was carved from Chaos Divine Stone, covered in dense runes, looking mysterious and ancient.

"Second Brother, what is this thing?"

Tongtian Jiaozhu, who had followed along, asked curiously.

"It's black and dull, it doesn't look fun."

Yuanshi Tianzun ignored him and introduced Lin Shen in an extremely gentle tone:

"Lin Shen, this item is called the Myriad Phenomena Heavenly Mechanism Box."

"This box contains three thousand six hundred and fifty basic formation variations. Every time you touch it, it will present a brand new form."

As he spoke, he guided Lin Shen to gently pat the box with his chubby little hand.

"Crank, crank—"

A sound of mechanical rotation echoed.

The originally square stone box actually began to decompose and reassemble automatically!

Countless tiny modules flew in the air and then reassembled in a mystical way.

In the blink of an eye, a lifelike "mechanical bird" made of formation runes appeared before Lin Shen.

The bird flapped its wings, let out a crisp chirp, circled Lin Shen twice, and then landed back in his palm.

Lin Shen's eyes instantly lit up.

He curiously patted it again.

"Crank, crank—"

The mechanical bird decomposed again, and this time, it reassembled into a slowly blooming "formation lotus."

The lotus petals were layered, and different Dao rhythms flowed on each petal.

"Ya ya!"

Lin Shen was completely captivated by the magical box.

He kept patting the box with his little hands.

The box continuously changed its form.

Sometimes it turned into a running mechanical deer, sometimes into a small Nine-Linked Bridge, and sometimes into a conch that could blow colorful bubbles...

Each transformation was exquisitely crafted and full of fun.

Tongtian Jiaozhu watched from the side, dumbfounded.

Although his playground was grand, there were only a few things to do.

But his Second Brother's broken box could transform into an endless variety of shapes!

This was too unfair!

He looked at his beloved disciple, who was completely immersed in the "Myriad Phenomena Heavenly Mechanism Box" and had completely forgotten about his "Tongtian Playground," and for the first time, he felt a sense of intellectual superiority.

He seemed to have lost to his second brother again when it came to playing with this thing.

Lin Shen hugged the magical box and played with it with great delight.

He felt that this box was like the Lego bricks he had seen in his past life, but billions of times more advanced than Lego.

He could create whatever he wanted at will.

As he played, Lin Shen suddenly stopped what he was doing.

He felt a strange sensation—

It was as if something was gently plucking at his heartstrings from afar.

The feeling was subtle, indescribable, yet it made him inexplicably uneasy.

Hugging the box, he looked up blankly at the high, distant sky beyond Kunlun Mountain.

The sky was still pure, and the white clouds were still leisurely.

But Lin Shen felt that behind that pure blue, a faint shadow seemed to be hidden.

Slowly approaching Kunlun Mountain.