The Legitimate Senior Disciple Brother of the Three Teachings, Taishang's Personal Disciple

Niu Ben was overjoyed.

He had not expected Taishang to take him directly as a disciple.

According to the original events of the Primordial Wilderness, Taishang's first disciple should have been Great Master Xuandu, who possessed an innate Human Race body. He was also the disciple Taishang accepted before founding the Human Sect, when he taught the Golden Core Great Dao among the Human Race.

The purpose was to bind himself more closely to the Human Race's Fortune.

As for Great Master Xuandu, perhaps because he cultivated the Way of Non-Action, he remained utterly indifferent to the Human Race's tribulations.

Yet now, Niu Ben had snatched that opportunity away.

Niu Ben gathered his thoughts and immediately bowed.

"Disciple Niu Ben greets Master!"

His heart surged with excitement. The status of a mount and that of a disciple were worlds apart.

Previously, the disciples of Kunlun Mountain had called him Senior Disciple Brother because his cultivation was high and he was Taishang's mount. It had merely been a respectful title on the surface.

Now, he had truly become Taishang's disciple.

The benefits needed no further thought.

Taishang now had only him as a disciple—the true Senior Disciple Brother.

And in the future, Taishang would have few disciples to begin with, each one exceedingly precious. If anything happened to him, Taishang would absolutely be the first to defend his own.

Seeing how excited Niu Ben was, Taishang could not help smiling. His gaze grew increasingly indulgent.

He had already liked this ox greatly, and now that Niu Ben had become his personal senior disciple, he was naturally delighted. Moreover, this ox had truly brought him honor.

At that moment, Taishang's heart stirred. He reached out to help Niu Ben up, the smile on his face growing even broader.

"Good!"

"From this day onward, you are the first disciple under my sect. I bestow this item upon you."

With a wave of Taishang's hand, a purple glow descended.

When Niu Ben saw it clearly, his heart gave a violent leap.

It was a gourd entirely purple-gold in color, slowly flying into Niu Ben's hands.

Niu Ben held it with both hands, his heart even more stirred. Naturally, he recognized this treasure, and it would shine brilliantly in the future.

It had especially appeared many times during the minor Tribulation of Journey to the West.

In Taishang's hands, this Purple-Gold Gourd was usually used to store immortal pills. Taishang excelled at alchemy and was publicly acknowledged as the foremost figure in the Primordial Wilderness in the art of pills.

Yet in Journey to the West, merely being wielded by two alchemy boys, this Purple-Gold Gourd had left Sun Wukong battered and humiliated.

Moreover, this gourd came from the Innate Gourd Vine.

It was the first Gourd Vine in the world, bearing a total of seven gourds.

The gourd Taishang had taken possessed the ability to absorb all things. By calling out a person's name, it could draw them inside. If their strength and cultivation were insufficient, they would turn into pus within moments, body and soul destroyed.

All seven gourds were renowned throughout the Primordial Wilderness. The Crimson Gourd taken by Hong Yun was also known as the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd, and its power was terrifying.

The gourd taken by Emperor Taiyi was refined into the Immortal Slaying Gourd.

It later fell into the hands of Daoist Lu Ya, one of the Ten Golden Crows. With a single phrase—"Treasure, please turn around"—he had sent countless people onto the Investiture of the Gods.

The fourth was violet-green, the Monster Summoning Gourd. It was obtained by Nuwa and made into the Monster Summoning Banner, capable of summoning all demons under heaven.

The fifth was violet-yellow, the Water-Fire Gourd. It was obtained by Tongtian Cult Master and contained two Water-Fire Kirins.

The sixth was violet-black, the Chaos Gourd. It could form its own Chaos and was obtained by Primordial Heavenly Lord.

Niu Ben suppressed the excitement in his heart and bowed once more.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this treasure!"

Taishang's voice carried a gentle, intimate warmth as he smiled. "Ox, cultivate diligently from now on. Do not grow lazy."

If it had been another disciple, Taishang would certainly have added more warnings—not to act arrogant and domineering, and certainly not to use the name of the Three Pure Ones to commit evil outside.

But he understood Niu Ben. Niu Ben had scarcely ever left the Dao Field.

Even when he had gone out to travel through the Primordial Wilderness previously, he had done so quietly. He would never act tyrannically.

Most importantly, he had a brain. Who would not love a disciple like that?

Primordial Heavenly Lord and Tongtian both felt their teeth ache, their eyes seemingly filled with traces of elegance.

Tongtian was even more depressed. He had just proposed taking Niu Ben as his disciple and had thought his only competitor was his second brother.

In the end, his eldest brother was the unreasonable one, directly taking Niu Ben as his personal senior disciple.

Though the two of them felt stifled, they had nothing to say. After all, Niu Ben had originally been Taishang's mount. They could only offer a few half-hearted congratulations.

The Three Pure Ones soon departed.

News that Niu Ben had become Taishang's disciple spread throughout Kunlun Mountain.

Everyone was stunned upon hearing the news, but soon felt it was only natural.

After all, they had personally witnessed just how terrifying Niu Ben's actions had been. At merely the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm, he could withstand heavenly lightning head-on, and in the end, he had even swallowed the Chaos Divine Thunder into his belly.

Niu Ben returned to his cave abode.

He first consolidated his cultivation.

About a month passed before he opened his eyes.

He had originally planned to refine the Purple-Gold Gourd bestowed by Taishang, but his ears twitched as he faintly heard voices outside the cave abode.

With a thought, he arrived before the entrance to his cave abode.

He also saw several disciples standing before it.

They were all disciples under Primordial Heavenly Lord and Tongtian.

When they saw Niu Ben appear, they immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully in congratulations.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Niu Ben, on entering Great Martial Uncle's sect."

Niu Ben had now truly cemented his identity as Senior Disciple Brother. He could also be called the foremost disciple under the Three Pure Ones.

Previously, he had merely been Taishang's mount and the Senior Disciple Brother in name. Though everyone held him in awe, it was not particularly deep. That awe was simply reverence for a strong expert.

But now, they were genuinely convinced.

Even if some felt sour inside, they no longer dared show it. Taishang's first personal disciple, the genuine Senior Disciple Brother—who would dare defy him?

Moreover, Taishang had only this one personal disciple.

There was no need to explain the weight of that status.

Unlike them, who had many fellow disciples around them.

In Great Martial Uncle's eyes, Niu Ben was surely a precious treasure. They absolutely had to build a good relationship with him.

Facing the disciples who had come to congratulate him, Niu Ben saw through their thoughts. He returned their greetings with a gentle smile, then invited them into his cave abode.

Naturally, they enjoyed a lively conversation.

Once the bustle had passed, Niu Ben was the only one left in the cave abode.

Even the Three Xiaos and Zhao Gongming had departed.

This was because he needed to refine the Purple-Gold Gourd and quickly break down the restrictions upon this Lingbao. In future battles, it would give him another means of attack.

The power of a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure had long been proven.

When cultivators fought in the Primordial Wilderness, it came down to who possessed more Magic Treasures and whose Magic Treasures were stronger.

True Man Huang Long, famed within the Chan Teachings, was a typical example. He was called the Three-Noes Daoist: no disciples, no Magic Treasures, and no Dao Field.

His cultivation was clearly not weak, yet he fell into a disadvantage every time he fought someone.

He could not even defeat the third-generation disciples of the Chan Teachings and Interception Sect, all because he lacked powerful Magic Treasures.

If he had been given an Innate Spiritual Treasure, he could have pinned those third-generation disciples to the ground and hammered them.

Time slowly passed.

A thousand years later.

Niu Ben sensed something. He put away the refined Purple-Gold Gourd, and with a thought, appeared before his cave abode.

The Three Xiaos were standing outside his cave abode at that moment, just about to call out for Niu Ben.

Yet Niu Ben appeared first.

The three sisters were all stunned.

Looking at the three sisters before him, Niu Ben could not help smiling. The Three Xiaos had accompanied him the longest on Kunlun Mountain, and he liked these three girls very much.

"You three sisters came together. Is there something you need?"