"Yes. I had only one request: with a Saint's protection, my child could grow up safely." Phoenix spoke earnestly, her eyes full of sincerity.
She had even produced a wisp of Nirvana Fire, condensed from her own blood essence, to prove her sincerity.
But she knew full well the karmic burden the Phoenix clan had accumulated. Kong Xuan would inherit it, which would hinder the Interception Sect's development and leave it burdened with part of that karma.
The request sounded simple, but in truth, it was extremely difficult.
Who would dare accept Kong Xuan as a disciple?
But Sect Master Tongtian was from the second generation. His family had so much merit that they did not know how to spend it. A disciple who could consume some of that merit was exactly what he needed.
"Let me see your child. If his talent is sufficient, I have no problem accepting him as my disciple." Sect Master Tongtian spoke calmly, a trace of amusement flashing through his eyes.
He had seen through Phoenix's little scheme, but to him, it was not a problem.
It was merely karma. Phoenix now had the merit of suppressing the volcanoes and repaying the heavens and earth of the Primordial World.
The karma on Kong Xuan would not be too great. Even if it were, the Interception Sect currently had enough merit to cleanse it away. It would actually help him.
Because having too much merit was not necessarily a good thing.
A man in debt was an uncle, and a rich man was also an uncle. But if that rich uncle did not have enough strength, he was simply a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Sect Master Tongtian might be arrogant, but he was not arrogant enough to think he could contend with the Heavenly Dao. Thus, having too much merit was not a good thing.
It made one easy for the Heavenly Dao to notice.
Phoenix did not hesitate to bring out an egg. Kong Xuan had entered the second stage of Nirvana and become an egg.
"This is my child, Kong Xuan."
"Mm, his yin and yang are yet undivided, and his talent is extraordinary. He is a good prospect.
He bears quite a bit of karma, but it will not have much impact. I can accept him as my disciple." Sect Master Tongtian spoke calmly, satisfaction flashing through his eyes.
The karma on him truly was considerable. If not for the vast amount of merit gained from enlightening others, he really would not have dared accept him.
"Thank you, Saint. However, he still needs Earth-Core Extreme Fire to hatch, and that will take some time.
I wonder... could Saint wait a while?" Phoenix asked awkwardly, reluctance flashing through her eyes.
Leaving this place would delay Kong Xuan's emergence. More than that, she was simply a mother unwilling to part with her child.
"A loving mother spoils her child. You must suppress this place and have even less time to care for him, so why insist?
Besides, is there not another one keeping you company?" Sect Master Tongtian said calmly, pointing toward a space deeper within. There was another egg there.
"Then I will trouble Saint to teach him."
"Very well."
Within a secret realm on Mount Buzhou.
Golden Crow Sixth was utterly dumbfounded.
He had been sleeping soundly atop the Fusang Divine Tree. When he opened his eyes, he saw a man and a dog before him, and the two were arguing.
The dog claimed that he was well suited to be a disciple and possessed extraordinary talent.
The man said that his body was perfect for roast chicken, and that he was a freak with three legs.
But this man's aura felt incredibly powerful, even stronger than his father Dijun's.
His father was a peak Quasi-Sage expert.
"Little Master! He has extraordinary talent and is perfect for becoming a disciple of our Daoism.
Just look at how black he is. He perfectly suits our Steadiness Sutra—low-key!" Black Dog frantically promoted Golden Crow Sixth, using his dog paws to spread open his wings for Li Er to inspect.
"Is something wrong with your head? You picked up a wild chicken and want him to be my disciple?" Li Er said unhappily, narrowing his eyes.
That damned Black Dog had said he was going to take a piss, yet he had brought back a wild chicken. Worse still, this wild chicken was a freak with an extra leg.
And it had not even taken human form.
Golden Crow Sixth immediately became furious. Just as he was about to unleash his True Solar Fire and burn this man—
Before he could get angry, Black Dog pressed him to the ground with a single paw, leaving him unable to move at all.
Golden Crow Sixth immediately understood the situation. He had to succeed in becoming a disciple, or he would truly be roasted.
The one called Little Master had just condensed a terrifying flame in his hand to refine some materials. Even with his natural fire resistance, he could not withstand that flame.
If the other party said he would roast him, he truly could do it.
"Little Master, you surely remember that my true body possesses a special divine ability. I can sense the existence of treasures throughout the world, as well as their fortune.
This chicken has rather good fortune." Black Dog continued, "Accepting him as a disciple will definitely benefit us."
That was right. If Little Master said he was a chicken, then he was a wild chicken, not a Golden Crow.
Li Er heard this and directly grabbed Golden Crow Sixth by both wings, lifting him before his face. Divine light burst from his eyes as he examined him carefully.
Huh? This fellow's innate origin was actually quite good. His physical body was strong, he had a fire affinity, and he carried a trace of the flavor of True Solar Fire.
"Are you willing to join my Daoism?" Li Er asked seriously, a gleam flashing through his eyes.
Golden Crow Sixth looked at Li Er's gaze. It was as though Li Er would immediately butcher him if he refused.
"I am willing." Golden Crow Sixth nodded frantically, afraid that if he were even a moment slower, Li Er would chop him up.
"What is your name?"
"I rank sixth at home, so I am called Sixth Crow." Golden Crow Sixth said cautiously, embarrassment flashing through his eyes.
He had no choice. His father had never given them proper names, so he could only come up with one himself.
"Sixth? Good name."
Li Er's eyes lit up. This fellow truly was suited to their Daoism. Even his name fit the people of their Daoism.
"Fine. From now on, you are a disciple of my Daoism. First familiarize yourself with the rules of Daoism and the matters requiring attention. Once you have learned those, I will teach you the real thing.
By the way, which path do you prefer? Spells and divine abilities? Body refinement? Artifact refinement? Formations? Pills?" Li Er asked seriously.
After all, their Daoism had inherited the Interception Sect's principle of teaching without discrimination, but added teaching according to one's aptitude.
For Fat Zhao, the first one to go out and gain experience, he had forgotten to ask what Fat Zhao wanted to learn. As for this Li Fatty who had now arrived, he had thrown himself entirely into artifact refinement.
"Body refinement and artifact refinement." Golden Crow Sixth answered seriously, quietly deciding to settle those first.
"Good. Go in and cultivate for a while. We will discuss the rest after you graduate from there." Li Er raised a hand and tossed Golden Crow Sixth into the formation. In any case, his clone inside would teach him slowly.
Golden Crow Sixth entered with a puzzled look. Cultivate where? The next moment, he found himself seated on a meditation cushion, listening to a lecture. Before him lay a scripture called the Steadiness Sutra.
Little Master's clone stood before him, giving him a lesson.
Black Dog was delighted to see that the Golden Crow he had brought back had joined Daoism, but his happiness did not even last a second.
Li Er grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and viciously demanded, "Dog bastard, tell me honestly. Where did you steal him from?"
Just as Black Dog thought his life was over—
Sect Master Tongtian stepped out of the void. Black Dog immediately used a divine ability to appear behind Sect Master Tongtian, trembling in fear. Mist rose in his bell-sized eyes, making him look as though he had suffered a tremendous grievance.
"Master, you're finally back! Little Master was about to..." Black Dog said pitifully. His expression could not have looked more aggrieved. Clearly, he had studied that book, On an Actor's Self-Cultivation.
And he had mastered its essence.
Li Er curled his lip. This dog bastard was getting more and more presumptuous.
"Third Brother, why did you bring back an egg? It is even surrounded by flames." Li Er looked curiously at the enormous egg Sect Master Tongtian was carrying.
"This is a Phoenix egg. It is my newly accepted disciple, called Kong the Eldest.
Black, how did he provoke you again?" Sect Master Tongtian asked curiously. He always felt that Li Er and the Black Dog he had raised did not get along.
Did Li Er not know that Black was exceptionally outstanding?
Even Zhunti, that shameless fellow, had been bitten by him. His bones had nearly been bitten through.
"This dog bastard said he was going to take a piss, then brought back a wild chicken and asked me to accept him into Daoism. Luckily, this wild chicken had a decent origin.
So I reluctantly accepted him.
I was just about to teach him a lesson and tell him not to bring everything home."
After speaking, Li Er glared fiercely at Black Dog. What a waste of all the things he had learned inside the formation disc, not to mention the many divine runes and formation CPUs for handling matters that Li Er had inscribed into his body.
Did he not know how dangerous the Primordial World was? If he carelessly brought something back and incurred karma he should not have, they would have to move again.
Previously, Black Dog had merely gone out to undergo a tribulation and had somehow caused someone's Karma Thread to follow him back. Now he had gone outside and brought back a wild chicken. Who knew whether he had cleaned up the loose ends?
Sect Master Tongtian swept out with his divine sense and immediately saw the three-legged Golden Crow studying within the formation disc. His scalp instantly went numb.
You bastard!
Was this not Dijun's child from the Demon Race?
Sect Master Tongtian tossed the egg he was holding to Li Er and said, "Li Er, add some fire to this egg and let it hatch sooner.
I'll take Black Dog out for some fresh air."
Sect Master Tongtian did not wait for Li Er's response. He grabbed Black Dog at his feet and instantly vanished. He had to take Black Dog out and give him a beating, so Black Dog would understand that he could not bring just anything home.
And what kind of piss had Black Dog needed to take for him to run all the way to the far eastern lands?
Li Er held the egg in his hands, his face full of helplessness.
"Make me hatch an egg?"
Before you continue