Laozi Proves Dao, Yunjing Gains Merit (Seeking Monthly and Recommendation Votes)

Li Yunjing truly felt the joy of being a teacher for the first time when he saw humanity gradually develop civilization from a state of eating raw meat and drinking blood. His sense of accomplishment overflowed.

One day, the leaders of the human tribes came to Li Yunjing and actively sought his help.

"Our human race is far too frail. Birth, aging, sickness, and death come far too often. We beg the immortal master for mercy and ask you to teach us immortal arts."

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are things everyone faces. How can they be escaped? Still, this matter will require my Eldest Senior Brother to step forward. His Vast Divine Abilities are boundless. He will resolve your troubles." Li Yunjing pondered it. It seemed the time had come for Laozi to impart the Great Dao among humanity.

Li Yunjing understood that too much was as bad as too little, and that giving a man a fish was not as good as teaching him to fish.

He could only help humanity take its first steps; he could not lead humanity to rise. That was not something a person of his standing should be considering. Laozi wished to become the leader of the Human Teaching, while Yuanshi and Tongtian also intended to establish teachings with humanity as their foundation, enlightening the myriad beings of the Primordial World.

The interests of many great figures were involved. For the sake of the Three Pure Ones, Li Yunjing had been allowed to participate and gain the title of Teacher of Humanity. That was already the red line, an immense stroke of fortune.

Too much was as bad as too little. If he coveted anything more, Li Yunjing would only lose more.

The benefits he had gained from humanity were already enough to satisfy him. As humanity grew stronger, his own fortune would grow along with the fortune of the world's protagonist.

"Many thanks for the immortal master's compassion! Once our human race flourishes, we will offer worship to you day and night, with incense never ceasing!" The leader took the lead in kneeling to offer thanks.

After sending those people away, Li Yunjing smiled. At least his efforts had not been in vain. After some thought, he turned and headed toward Laozi's stone house.

When he met Laozi, Li Yunjing explained humanity's current circumstances and recounted their hopes as well.

"Yunjing, you have done very well!"

Laozi nodded. He had seen everything that had happened here. Li Yunjing had acted with proper measure, knowing when to advance and retreat. He neither coveted nor seized anything, strictly holding the line. This especially pleased Laozi.

Since Li Yunjing had not passed down even a trace of Dao arts, and since Laozi had now reached the crucial moment of proving Dao, he no longer declined.

With a tap upon his Daoist crown, the Three Flowers emerged. Auspicious vapors filled the entire human territory, Heavenly Flowers Scattering as the sound of the Great Dao echoed between heaven and earth.

"My Dao is supreme non-action. Where the Dao is, there I am. Do not speak of few by comparing them to many, nor speak of many by comparing them to few. Do not let the strong bully the weak, nor let the weak seek strength through the strong."

Laozi's figure manifested in the void, endless radiant light blooming from his body. He first expounded his own Great Dao, then finally explained the Grand Pure Great Dao to all living beings.

Every human knew this was a heaven-sent opportunity. One after another, they sat upon the ground and quietly listened to Laozi preach the Dao. Even Li Yunjing listened alongside them to the Dao of a quasi-Saint.

Since he was caring for humanity, these principles were not particularly profound. He began with the Heavenly Immortal realm and explained all the way to the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, without touching upon the cultivation paths of the higher Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal and quasi-Saint realms.

Even so, Li Yunjing carefully committed every principle to heart, constantly verifying them against his own cultivation, correcting himself again and again, and perfecting his entire body of cultivation.

Other experts might disdain listening to such low-level principles, but to Li Yunjing, every word Laozi spoke was an ultimate truth—a lifetime of cultivation insights from one on the verge of attaining Dao.

As Laozi's teachings mutually confirmed his own cultivation experience, Li Yunjing actually forced his cultivation from the peak of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm down to the late stage of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm.

While preaching, Laozi also observed Li Yunjing's performance. Seeing this, he could not help revealing a gratified smile. This was the future of the third generation of the Mystical Gate!

As for Tongtian's other four core disciples?

They were merely a pack of juniors, their eyes fixed upon the sky. They were not close to their elders, and their highest cultivation was only the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm. Yet with such standards, each was arrogant and ignorant, not placing the great wielders of Vast Divine Abilities in the Primordial World in their eyes. They would be unfit for important duties in the future!

Thus, Laozi preached for a hundred years. Then, within the following thousand years, he preached twice more. Through those three sermons, Li Yunjing raised his cultivation once again to the peak of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm. This time, it was completely perfected—even Laozi praised him, saying that not even the Three Pure Ones had necessarily been stronger than Li Yunjing at this realm!

"I am Laozi, of Pangu Orthodox, first disciple of the Mystical Gate. This day, I establish the Human Teaching and enlighten humanity!"

After three sermons, Laozi had completely perfected the quasi-Saint realm and could advance no further. Knowing that the day of his becoming a Saint had arrived, he immediately released all his aura, drawing forth the Primordial Violet Qi and beginning to prove the Hunyuan Dao Fruit.

The instant Laozi's aura stirred, the Heavenly Dao responded. Pangu's World Creation Merit and the Merit of Establishing Teachings descended together. The boundless merit was far greater than the merit Nuwa had received when creating humanity. Once Laozi obtained that merit, he immediately achieved the Primordial Limitless Saint realm.

After a ripple of light passed over Laozi's body, he finally proved the Great Dao. Golden Lotuses Springing from the Earth, Heavenly Flowers Scattering—the aura of a Saint spread throughout the entire Primordial World, while spiritual energy fell like rain across heaven and earth.

Just as when Nuwa had become a Saint, the Heavenly Dao bestowed boundless spiritual energy and merit, aiding all living beings as all under heaven rejoiced together.

"Human Teaching, established!!!"

The moment those words rang out, all of the Primordial World heard them. In the unseen depths, all living beings seemed to know that a Saint had emerged. They all fell to their knees and bowed from afar toward the Saint.

As Li Yunjing had assisted Laozi in enlightening humanity and become the Teacher of Humanity, the Heavenly Dao was moved. A thick beam of Golden Merit Light likewise poured from his brow into his body.

The power of merit instantly sought to raise Li Yunjing's cultivation, pushing his realm to that of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. With a thought, Li Yunjing actually suppressed that merit within his body and did not use it to raise his cultivation.

In his view, merit was too precious. Advancing to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm would be very easy; he merely needed to return and cultivate in seclusion for several hundred years. Using merit here would be nothing but wasteful.

Merit would be difficult to obtain in the future. There were three paths to becoming a Saint: the first was to Prove Dao with Strength; the second was to attain Dao by beheading the Three Corpses; the third was to attain Dao through merit. Every path was incomparably difficult. As for something related to proving Dao, Li Yunjing was unwilling to waste even the slightest bit.

With Laozi establishing his teachings and becoming a Saint, the second Saint of the Mystical Gate's second generation had appeared, shaking the Primordial World.

Originally, among the three thousand Zixiao Guests, those great wielders of Vast Divine Abilities who had not obtained the Primordial Violet Qi had held onto a trace of luck. They believed that receiving the Primordial Violet Qi did not necessarily mean one could become a Saint, and that if they cultivated diligently, they would eventually have their own chance.

But reality struck them a vicious blow. First Nuwa created humanity and became a Saint; then Laozi established teachings and became a Saint. Both had been personally designated by Dao Ancestor Hongjun for Saint positions!

Yuanshi and Tongtian were immensely powerful, and they also had a Saint as their brother, so no one else dared provoke them. As for Zhunti and Jieyin, they were like a weighing beam never apart from its weight, bound together at all times. Both were late-stage quasi-Saint experts, and they also bore the title of Dao Ancestor Hongjun's registered disciples, so no one dared provoke them either.