This scruffy little gray mouse was none other than the future chief disciple of the Interception Sect—Daoist Duobao.
Of course, he was currently only a Treasure Seeking Mouse who had cultivated arduously on Kunlun Mountain for several thousand years, yet remained stuck at the Form Transformation bottleneck.
The Treasure Seeking Mouse clan was born with an exceptionally keen sense of smell for all kinds of heavenly treasures and earthly materials.
A few days ago, an incomparably pure aura had suddenly appeared on Kunlun Mountain, one that made his Divine Soul tremble.
That aura was ten thousand times more alluring than any Innate Spiritual Root or top-grade Immortal Ore he had ever smelled!
Daoist Duobao knew that this was an immense opportunity!
Following that aura cautiously for several days, he had finally found its source—the new junior brother Lin Shen whom the three elders had recently taken in.
Looking at the baby rolling about on the grass, Daoist Duobao felt conflicted.
What excited him was that the opportunity lay right before his eyes.
What frightened him was that this was the precious darling cherished by the three elders. If he rashly approached and was discovered, would he be slapped to death?
Yet that Origin Qi tempted him every moment like poison.
If he could just take one tiny breath of it, he might be able to break through the bottleneck that had trapped him for years and successfully transform!
For the sake of the Great Dao, he would risk it all!
Summoning his courage, Daoist Duobao slowly shuffled toward Lin Shen under Lin Shen's "call," looking back every step of the way.
Lin Shen found the little mouse before him, so nervous that its fur was nearly standing on end, incredibly amusing.
He stretched out his chubby little hand, wanting to pet it.
"Yiya."
Seeing that little hand reach toward him, Daoist Duobao shuddered and nearly turned around to flee.
But the little hand drew closer and closer, while the fragrance grew increasingly rich.
He could feel the mana within his body beginning to stir uncontrollably.
In the end, reason lost to instinct.
Daoist Duobao closed his eyes, looking as though he were at Lin Shen's mercy.
Lin Shen's little hand gently landed on his head and tenderly stroked him twice.
The instant they made contact, a warm current surged uncontrollably from his palm and poured into Daoist Duobao's body.
This was his Origin Qi.
To Lin Shen, it was merely an insignificant wisp of aura.
But to Daoist Duobao, who had been stuck at the bottleneck for years, this aura was no less than the strongest catalyst since World Creation!
Boom—!
Daoist Duobao felt a thunderclap explode in his mind.
The bottleneck that had plagued him for thousands of years, that impregnable barrier, was as fragile as a sheet of paper before this incomparably pure Origin Qi.
Crack!
A crisp shattering sound rang out deep within his primordial spirit.
The bottleneck had broken!
Spiritual energy beyond imagination came flooding in madly from all directions, pouring backward into his tiny body.
His body swelled instantly like an inflated balloon.
Squeak, squeak, squeak!
Daoist Duobao let out a string of shrill cries, filled with both terror and wild joy.
Lin Shen was startled by the sudden change and hurriedly pulled back his hand.
He watched helplessly as the cute little mouse's body continuously stretched and transformed within a dazzling mass of golden light...
At last, the golden light dispersed.
The little mouse was gone. In its place stood a plump Daoist in a gray robe, with an honest-looking face.
This plump Daoist was Duobao, who had successfully transformed.
Lin Shen's little mouth fell open, his round eyes filled with shock.
The mouse had turned into a person?
He pointed at Duobao and stammered "yiya" for a long while, unable to utter a complete sentence.
This was even more thrilling than watching someone appear out of thin air!
However, it was not over yet.
After successfully transforming, Daoist Duobao's cultivation began soaring without pause.
From Earth Immortal to Heavenly Immortal... he actually shot all the way to the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm before barely stopping!
Such an enormous breakthrough immediately triggered a heavenly phenomenon.
Above Kunlun Mountain, the formerly clear sky was instantly covered in dark clouds, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring.
Purple tribulation lightning flashed through the clouds, radiating a destructive aura.
This was the Form Transformation Tribulation!
And judging from its scale, it was no ordinary Form Transformation Tribulation!
The thunderclouds churned, dyeing the sky within a radius of thousands of miles purple-black.
Terrifying heavenly might descended from above, making every flower, blade of grass, and tree throughout Kunlun Mountain tremble.
"Not good!"
"It's a heavenly tribulation!"
Three figures appeared beside Lin Shen almost simultaneously. They were the Three Pure Ones, who had rushed over the instant they sensed the heavenly tribulation.
Seeing the scene before them, they too were briefly stunned.
"Duobao?" Tongtian Jiaozhu recognized the plump Daoist and asked in surprise, "Hadn't he always been stuck at the threshold of transformation? How had he suddenly attracted a heavenly tribulation?"
Yuanshi Tianzun's gaze fell upon Lin Shen, who stood nearby with an innocent, bewildered expression, still unclear about what was happening.
He sharply noticed that the Origin Qi around Lin Shen seemed to be just the slightest bit weaker than before.
Coupled with Duobao's utterly unreasonable breakthrough...
A startling guess surfaced in Yuanshi Tianzun's heart.
"Could it be..."
He looked toward Taishang Laojun and found the same shock and realization in his elder brother's eyes.
Taishang Laojun gave Lin Shen a deep look, a trace of astonishment flashing through his eyes.
This little disciple was even more extraordinary than they had imagined!
Rumble!
At that moment, the first tribulation bolt in the sky had finished gathering power.
Carrying the force to destroy heaven and earth, it viciously struck toward Daoist Duobao, who had just transformed and whose foundation had yet to stabilize!
The tribulation bolt was as thick as a water barrel, shimmering with purple light and containing terrifying power capable of destroying everything.
Daoist Duobao's face turned deathly pale.
He had only just transformed, and his mana was unstable. How could he possibly withstand such a powerful heavenly tribulation?
He was about to be reduced to ashes beneath the heavenly tribulation.
At that critical moment, Tongtian Jiaozhu snorted coldly and flicked his finger.
A fierce sword qi shot into the sky, striking after yet arriving first as it precisely collided with the tribulation bolt.
Boom!
With a deafening blast, the tribulation bolt was instantly shredded by the sword qi and dissipated into the air.
The tribulation clouds in the sky seemed enraged, churning even more violently.
Yet they also seemed to sense the three untouchable beings below.
After hesitating for a moment, they ultimately dispersed slowly and unwillingly.
Even the Heavenly Dao had to show the Three Pure Ones some respect!
A heavenly tribulation that should have utterly destroyed Duobao in both body and soul was effortlessly resolved by Tongtian Jiaozhu.
Daoist Duobao had escaped death, but his heart was still pounding with fear.
Looking at the three elders before him and his innocent-looking little junior brother, he dropped to his knees with a thud and kowtowed three times toward Lin Shen.
"Thank you, Little Junior Brother, for granting me this opportunity! Thank you, elders, for saving my life!"
If he still did not understand what had happened, then his thousands of years as a Treasure Seeking Mouse would have been for nothing!
It had to be the Origin Qi on his little junior brother's body that had helped him break through the bottleneck!
This kindness was greater than the heavens!
Daoist Duobao was overwhelmed with excitement.
He knew he had latched onto a truly powerful patron!
No, this was not merely a powerful patron—this was a golden thigh that reached through heaven and earth!
Meanwhile, a voice that filled him with ecstasy echoed in Lin Shen's mind.
A wondrous feeling rose in his heart.
He could clearly sense that he had just helped Daoist Duobao break through his bottleneck.
He had gone from the transformation stage to the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm, crossing several major realms!
The task had been completed beyond expectations!
As soon as the words fell, an immense mass of pure energy appeared within Lin Shen's body out of nowhere.
His entire body felt pleasantly warm.
His cultivation, which had only just entered the transformation stage and did not even qualify him as an immortal, instantly began to surge!
Refining Essence into Qi!
Refining Qi into Spirit!
In just a few breaths, his cultivation soared like a rocket, shooting directly to the early stage of Refining Spirit into Void!
This... this felt amazing!
Feeling the abundant mana within his body, Lin Shen was so excited that he nearly jumped up.
So this was how the system worked!
As long as he touched someone, he could help them break through, then gain cultivation rewards himself!
This cheat ability was simply invincible!
While he was still reveling in excitement, he failed to notice that the way his three Masters looked at him had completely changed.
Their gazes were burning, astonished, shocked, and tinged with wild delight!
Taishang Laojun's eyes gleamed.
Yuanshi Tianzun's breathing had grown somewhat rapid.
Tongtian Jiaozhu even swallowed audibly.
The three exchanged glances, each seeing the same thought in the others' eyes.
This little disciple was absolutely extraordinary!
The secrets he carried were even more astonishing than they had imagined!
Before you continue