Hong Yuan Takes a Disciple

Azure Stone knew, from the moment his intelligence was born, the price Hong Yuan had paid for him. Though he had no idea why so much Causality clung to him, he understood one thing clearly: without the senior before him, he would never have gained sentience in this lifetime.

Hong Yuan nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.

It seemed this was a well-mannered, good child.

Decent roots, and polite to boot.

He, Hong Yuan, liked children like this the most.

So Hong Yuan gave a slight nod and asked Azure Stone, "What is your name?"

Azure Stone trembled slightly, as if hesitant. After a moment, he murmured, "I... do not yet... have a name."

Hearing this, the smile on Hong Yuan's face deepened. He spoke slowly, "If you do not mind, this Venerable One could give you one. Would you be willing?"

"I am willing. Many thanks, Senior."

Hong Yuan pondered briefly, then said unhurriedly, "At your birth, Causality bound you, and you had no day of Form Transformation. But now that has passed. From today onward, you shall be called Fu Xiao, meaning the hour when darkness ends and light arrives."

"This Venerable One also hopes that, like this name, you may have a fresh beginning!"

Fu Xiao's Primordial Spirit trembled. His voice came thin as a thread: "Good! Fu Xiao thanks Senior!"

His words brimmed with gratitude and excitement.

He had a name!

Hong Yuan waved a hand with a smile. "No need to call me Senior. To be honest with you, this Venerable One and you share a master-disciple fate. Would you be willing to take me as your master?"

Fu Xiao, flustered and awed, hurriedly replied, his tone carrying joy he could not hide and utmost reverence.

"Fu Xiao... is willing. Greetings, Master!"

"Mm. Then from today, you shall be my foremost disciple!" Hong Yuan seemed quite pleased. Though he had lost a fair amount of Great Dao Merit this time, he had gained a talented eldest disciple.

Besides, if the Great Dao Merit was gone, wasn't there still the Great Dao Father?

Couldn't he just scrape a bit from between the Great Dao's fingers and have it again?

With Fu Xiao's roots, though he could not compare to a Chaos Demon God, he was no worse than Luohu or the like.

Even the Three Pure Ones did not have roots as formidable as this disciple's.

With diligent cultivation, even the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin realm was within reach.

Fu Xiao, upon hearing that his apprenticeship made him the senior disciple, felt even greater surprise.

But along with the surprise came a hint of pressure.

Though he did not know exactly who his master was, he could tell that Great Dao Merit was not something just anyone could possess.

And in such vast quantities.

If he hadn't known that Great God Pangu had already fallen, he might have thought his master was Pangu himself.

After a moment's hesitation, Fu Xiao asked softly, "Master, this disciple still does not know your esteemed name..."

Hong Yuan answered unhurriedly.

"Your master is named Hong Yuan. All in the Primordial Wilderness call me the Dao Venerable. I am also the younger brother of Great God Pangu, and could be considered half-master of this Primordial Wilderness."

At Hong Yuan's words, Fu Xiao's mind went blank. His Primordial Spirit seemed to tremble endlessly.

Great God Pangu's... younger brother?

Half-master of the... Primordial Wilderness?

Heavens, what kind of master had he taken?

Hong Yuan lightly suppressed the agitation in Fu Xiao's Primordial Spirit.

"Do not feel too pressured. First, focus on completing your Form Transformation."

"From what I see, it should not take long for you to transform. Cultivate well. Your master looks forward to your future performance."

Though Fu Xiao had only just gained intelligence, he had accumulated enough over the years, and had absorbed part of the Great Dao Merit.

His Form Transformation would not take as long as others with powerful roots.

Hong Yuan estimated it would take a few Kalpas at most.

Hearing this, Fu Xiao gradually calmed down.

"Fu Xiao will not disappoint Master's expectations."

In the days that followed, Hong Yuan did not leave in haste. Instead, he broke down his understanding of the Time Law and explained it piece by piece to Fu Xiao.

Because Fu Xiao had absorbed part of Shi Chen's origin, his grasp of the Time Law far exceeded ordinary beings.

Under Hong Yuan's teachings, Fu Xiao's comprehension of the Time Law grew deeper and deeper.

Even before his Form Transformation, his cultivation had already reached the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm.

In Yang Mei's Dojo, Yang Mei, who had been cultivating for nearly three hundred Yuan Hui, suddenly opened his eyes.

Relying on the Heavenly Dao Merit he had accumulated earlier, Yang Mei not only fully recovered from his previous injuries but also broke through to the peak of the Golden Immortal of the Origin realm.

Feeling his own power, Yang Mei sighed with emotion: "Finally reached the peak of Golden Immortal of the Origin. Now, facing Shen Ni, I can relax a bit more."

With a flicker of his form, Yang Mei vanished from where he stood.

Within Mount Sumeru, Luohu seemed to sense something and immediately stowed away the fragment of the Jade Plate of Creation he had been holding.

Not long after Luohu put away the Jade Plate of Creation, Yang Mei appeared in his Mount Sumeru.

Luohu frowned, casting an displeased glance at Yang Mei. "You, Yang Mei, should be recuperating properly. What business do you have coming to my place?"

But no sooner had he spoken than Luohu looked at Yang Mei with some surprise.

"You've broken through to the peak of Golden Immortal of the Origin?"

Yang Mei smiled, stroking his long beard with a hint of pride. "Merely a stroke of luck, Daoist Luohu. Your cultivation speed is no slouch either—to reach the late stage of Golden Immortal of the Origin in such a short time!"

Yang Mei was also somewhat astonished. Luohu's cultivation speed was nearly as fast as his own, only a hair's breadth behind.

After all, he had consumed quite a few fruits from the Chaos Spiritual Roots at Daoist Hong Yuan's Dojo.

In terms of the recovery of his origin, Yang Mei was far ahead of Luohu.

Seeing the faint surprise on Yang Mei's face, Luohu let out a cold snort.

So what if Yang Mei had a good relationship with Hong Yuan?

He, Luohu, wasn't lacking either. Hong Yuan had given him not only two Falling Flower Immortal Fruits but also a fragment of the Jade Plate of Creation.

Thinking this, Luohu paused.

When he counted it that way, it seemed Hong Yuan wasn't so insufferable after all.

But he didn't let these thoughts show. Instead, he calmly looked at Yang Mei. "Any news from the Fierce Beasts?"

Yang Mei shook his head slightly. "As you know, Daoist Luohu, under the influence of the Kalpa's energy, it's impossible to deduce anything useful—unless we reach the level of power Daoist Hong Yuan possesses. But we don't need to guess to know that many fell in the last battle. The Fierce Beast clan is busy absorbing the Grievance and Fiendish Energy, aiming to break through their realms."

"As for the rest, this old Daoist pays them no mind. The only one I care about is Shen Ni. His cultivation was already at the peak of Golden Immortal of the Origin. If he breaks through to Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin, I fear even all of us combined wouldn't be a match for a single hand of his."