"Whoa... this was way more thrilling than riding a roller coaster..."
Xuanwei felt as though the source of his Immortal Qi had been tossed into a washing machine, then gripped by some irritable giant and shaken violently hundreds of times. He was so dizzy he was about to forget his own name. That hastily assembled clay-man body had been completely scrapped, reverting him into an unassuming wisp of... well, a somewhat weighty strand of Immortal Qi containing Wutu Essence.
The distortion of light and space gradually subsided. He swayed as he "steadied himself" (if floating counted as standing), desperately gathering his still-scattered thoughts as he surveyed the strange place that had "spat" him out.
One look nearly made his eyeballs—his points of mental focus—pop out.
"I... I've fallen into some immortal's model home?"
What entered his "vision" was not some gloomy underground cavern or perilous dead zone, but an immensely ancient and majestic hall.
There was no visible ceiling. Only endless Chaos Qi slowly flowed overhead, evolving earth, water, fire, and wind, as though it formed a world unto itself. Nine towering pillars supported the hall, each carved with lifelike scenes of the myriad races of the Primordial World paying homage. Their Dao Rhyme was naturally formed, and hidden pressure lingered within. The floor was smooth as a mirror, reflecting the chaotic heavens above. Walking upon it—if he had feet—would have felt like strolling through the stars.
The hall's furnishings were simple, yet every item was extraordinary. At its center sat a meditation cushion that emitted a faint fragrance. It appeared ordinary, but Xuanwei could tell that cultivating atop it would yield twice the results with half the effort. Beside it stood a delicate violet-gold furnace, misty with what seemed to be pill vapor. A single breath of it would leave one energized beyond measure. A sheathed longsword hung casually upon the wall. Its scabbard was ancient and plain, yet it faintly radiated a supreme sharpness capable of cleaving all things and severing vitality itself!
The spiritual energy here... could no longer be called spiritual energy. It was more like the legendary innate Dao Rhyme. With every breath—if he needed to breathe—it felt as though the laws of the Great Dao were warmly beckoning to him. He had once thought that spiritual pool was the pinnacle of luxury, but compared to this place, it was like spring water beside divine nectar!
"I've struck it rich... I've really struck it rich this time?!" Xuanwei was so excited that his Immortal Qi body trembled faintly. He could feel his energy level, which had only just passed 15%, steadily and resolutely increasing on its own here even without deliberate cultivation!
[Environmental scan complete... Warning! Specific coordinates unidentifiable! Spatial level far exceeds recorded database!] [Energy concentration analysis: Extremely high! Contains Innate Immortal Qi and Primordial Chaos Mother Qi! Suspected... Saint's Dojo?!] [High-intensity, high-authority Great Dao laws detected enveloping this area. Some system detection functions are restricted.] [Extreme danger! Host is advised to maintain maximum concealment status!]
The system's warning had never been so grave, even carrying a faint... almost imperceptible tremor?
A Saint's Dojo?!
Those four words exploded within Xuanwei's consciousness like four bolts of thunder!
In the Primordial World, beneath the Heavenly Dao, Saints stood supreme! The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Zhunti, Jieyin, and Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who had merged with the Dao—there were only so many of them in all! Whose home had he stumbled into?
Sect Master Tongtian's Biyou Palace? Laozi's Bajing Palace? Primordial Lord of Heaven's Yuxu Palace? Or...
His "gaze" involuntarily turned once more toward the sheathed longsword on the wall. That sense of severing vitality, of sharpness laid bare—why did it feel so familiar? Combined with the system's earlier mention of Kunlun Mountain and the Three Pure Ones discussing the Dao...
A bold guess surfaced in his mind.
"No way... could this be... the dojo of the Upper Pure Sect Master Tongtian?!" Xuanwei felt as though his Immortal Qi might scatter from fright. "I'm just a tiny nobody. What right do I have to end up in a Saint's lair?!"
He immediately pushed [Deep Immortal Seclusion] to an unprecedented extreme, wishing he could turn himself into a speck of dust or a floor tile within the hall. At the same time, he cursed that black-robed Old Demon bloody murder in his heart. It's all that old bastard's fault! If he hadn't chased me so hard, why would I have jumped into the pool? Why would I have fallen into some big shot's home? I'm finished now. Breaking into someone's house is bad enough, but this is a Saint's house! He won't swat me dead like a fly, will he?
He cautiously "drifted" through the hall inch by inch, not daring to touch anything for fear of triggering some restriction. At the same time, he frantically considered his options.
"System, is there any way to make me look... harmless? Or useful enough that the Saint won't want to swat me?"
[Option One: Completely disguise yourself as unconscious spiritual mist. Success rate: Low. A Saint sees all.] [Option Two: Display the uniqueness of your Innate Immortal Qi foundation and Wutu Source, highlighting research or practical value. Risk: You may be directly refined or have your source extracted.] [Option Three: Attempt communication. Express regret and innocence over entering by mistake, while demonstrating potential "wage slave" value. Risk: Improper communication may provoke the Saint's wrath.]
Wage slave value? Xuanwei froze, then suddenly understood. Right! Saints also needed people—or Qi?—to run errands and handle chores, didn't they? Serving tea, pouring water, sweeping courtyards, organizing scriptures... He had been a seasoned corporate slave in his previous life. He was an old hand at all that!
Just as he considered whether to pretend to be a mindless cloud of mist or gather the courage to call out, "Big shot, need an accessory?"—
Buzz!
An indescribably great consciousness silently awoke like a slumbering primordial divine dragon, instantly enveloping the entire hall!
There was no sound and no light, yet Xuanwei felt the laws of the entire "world" become clear and obedient beneath that consciousness. Time, space, energy, matter... everything was under its dominion.
He felt himself being seen through, inside and out—from the source of his Immortal Qi to the core of his consciousness, even the secret from another world hidden in the deepest part of his soul, along with that system he had been quietly clinging to!
I'm done for! I've been discovered!
Xuanwei stiffened in terror. He could not even maintain his "seclusion," and his Immortal Qi body floated trembling in midair as it awaited judgment.
Yet the thunderous wrath he had expected did not descend.
That incomparably vast consciousness seemed to linger over him for a moment, especially over the core of his Innate Immortal Qi, the Wutu Source Core, and the aura of "anomaly" deep within his consciousness that was utterly out of place in the Primordial World, taking several extra "looks."
Then a voice that sounded somewhat languid and curious, yet contained supreme majesty, rang directly in the depths of his mind, as clear as a whisper:
"The First Strand of Innate Immortal Qi? That is rather rare. And you even obtained Wutu Source from that old fellow Mo Xuan? Your fortune is not bad."
"Hmm? There is such an anomaly deep within your spiritual platform? A soul not of this world, yet entangled with this world's source... Interesting, truly interesting!"
"And there is even a trace of... the imprint of an 'artifact' whose mysteries even I cannot fully discern? Concealing heavenly secrets, defying common reason..."
This voice... seemed to be appraising some novel toy?!
Xuanwei's heart leaped into his throat. Especially when the other party mentioned "a soul not of this world" and "the imprint of an artifact," he felt as though even his last scrap of privacy had been stripped away! The system was frantically sounding alarms within his consciousness, its data streams scattering wildly. It had clearly suffered immense interference and pressure as well.
"Se... Senior... Up... Upper Pure Saint?" Xuanwei gathered every ounce of strength to condense a thread of consciousness humble as dust, trying to respond. "This junior... this junior is Xuanwei. I did not intend to intrude upon the Saint's dojo. I was truly forced here by a treacherous person and fled in panic. I absolutely meant no offense! I beg the Saint's forgiveness!"
The languid voice seemed to chuckle, carrying the casual air of one looking down upon all living things. "Fled in panic? To precisely find the spatial node of my place of quiet cultivation through an abandoned tributary of a spiritual vein—your 'panic' is rather distinctive."
Xuanwei: "..." Big shot, how was he supposed to respond to that?
"Enough." The voice seemed to have lost interest in probing him further, or perhaps it had already obtained the information it wanted. "Since you have come, it is Karma/Fate. I see that your spirituality is acceptable and your foundation is unusual. Though you are an anomaly, you faintly possess some affinity with the teachings of my sect..."
Teachings? The Interception Sect! It accepted all without discrimination, seizing a sliver of life for all beings!
Xuanwei's heart jolted, and an unbelievable thought sprouted wildly like weeds! Could it be...
"My disciples are still lacking a boy to tend the Medicine Garden and sweep the courtyard." The languid voice continued, its tone as casual as if discussing pleasant weather. "Are you willing to remain here for now and become a registered... hmm?"
Before the voice could finish, it abruptly paused, as though it had sensed something. That vast consciousness suddenly turned toward some direction outside the hall.
Almost simultaneously, the system's piercing alarm exploded in Xuanwei's mind:
[Warning! A high-intensity, same-origin Saint-level consciousness is rapidly approaching! Energy signature analysis: Jade Pure Primordial Lord of Heaven!] [Warning! The other party's consciousness contains dissatisfaction and questioning emotions! Target is suspected to be locked onto the host!] [Extreme, extreme danger!!!]
Xuanwei: "!!!"
No way?! He had just possibly latched onto a powerful backer, and before he could even warm up to it, he had summoned an even stricter parent?!
Before you continue