Jieyin's First Disciple

Jiang Yun casually imprinted his Primordial Spirit onto the Buddhist Prayer Beads and put them away.

The Buddhist Prayer Beads consisted of one hundred and eight precious beads, each emitting a faint luster. As the beads were turned and rubbed together, they produced an ethereal, resonant sound that seemed to purify the mind and dispel mundane thoughts. Every gem on the string had a different color—from elegant jade green to deep violet, to warm orange-yellow—like the most harmonious palette adorning a canvas.

Besides calming the mind, the Buddhist Prayer Beads also packed a decent punch when used for attack. However, compared to the other spiritual treasures in his possession, their effect was negligible at best—better than nothing, but barely.

Jiang Yun studied the Gilded Grapevine in the cave. Seeing many ripe grapes on it, he harvested them all. Drawn by a resonance of shared origin, a fierce urge to devour surged within him toward the vine. Spiritual roots had awareness, and the Gilded Grapevine's instinct sensed the danger; its vines began trembling uncontrollably, and its Branches and Leaves curled inward.

For Jiang Yun, he only needed to devour a portion of the Gilded Grapevine's origin to fill in the missing genetic information—not consume it entirely. It was like the human genome in his past life: if technology could one day repair the flaws in the gene chain, humanity would evolve. Similarly, as long as he could complete the information inherited from Jianmu within his own origin, he could evolve once he had sufficient energy.

In this life, as fellow Innate Grass and Wood Spirits, they were beings favored by the Heavenly Dao. Few among them even awakened sentience, so he ought to cherish his kind.

He activated his innate divine ability, drawing out a small half of the origin from the Gilded Grapevine, then stopped. Having lost nearly half its origin, the Gilded Grapevine's grade dropped to low-grade Innate Spiritual Root. The unripe grapes he hadn't harvested withered and shriveled, their essence feeding back into the vine. Even so, the entire vine began to yellow and dry out, looking severely malnourished.

Seeing this, Jiang Yun quickly took out a small clump of Three Lights Divine Water and infused it all into the Gilded Grapevine. The vine immediately absorbed part of the water; the withered, yellowed vines and leaves restored to their original state, even appearing greener and more vibrant.

But the lost origin couldn't be replenished instantly, and the fallen grade wouldn't recover anytime soon. Still, with the remaining Three Lights Divine Water nourishing the spiritual root from within, and the innate indestructible light characteristic of Innate Spiritual Roots, it would recover over time.

Having done this, he set up a simple warning formation in the cave, then found a suitable spot beneath the Gilded Grapevine, sat cross-legged, and began refining the spiritual root's origin stored within his body.

Cultivation knows no years.

An unknown span of time passed. One day, Jiang Yun finally finished refining all the absorbed spiritual root origin into himself, filling in much of the missing information. At a certain moment, he felt a shackle within his body shatter under a surge of pure power—his Root Foundation had broken through its limits and been elevated.

Quietly, in this cave, he advanced from a low-grade Innate Spiritual Root to a mid-grade one.

Though all Innate Beings had the potential to attain Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal or even beyond, the deeper the Root Foundation, the greater the chance of success. Whether in comprehension, luck, or fortune, those with solid foundations always held the upper hand.

Some exhaust themselves to reach Rome; others are born there. For ordinary Innate Beings like Jiang Yun, Form Transformation only reached the Golden Immortal Realm. But beings like the Three Pure Ones, Nüwa, and Dijun—with their supreme Innate Root Foundations—transformed directly into Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals. The gap was more than ten thousandfold.

This elevation in Root Foundation delighted him. He casually stored the Gilded Grapevine into his Inner World, withdrew the warning formation, and left the cave.

After discerning his direction, he headed deeper into the Mount Sumeru Range.

Just as he crossed two peaks, a figure suddenly appeared before him. There was no ripple of spatial energy—it was as natural as if the person had always been there.

The newcomer wore an expression of suffering, exuding an aura of compassion for all beings. His gaze was warm and gentle as he silently observed Jiang Yun for a moment.

Jiang Yun's heart gave an involuntary lurch at the sudden sight. His Spiritual Sense swept over the figure, but he couldn't detect any aura—only his eyes confirmed the presence.

"This person's realm far exceeds mine. Friend or foe?" he speculated inwardly.

"Senior, may I ask why you've come to find me?" Jiang Yun asked cautiously, keeping his tone neutral.

The newcomer was Daoist Jieyin, guided by the Heavenly Dao to seek out a master-disciple bond. His sudden appearance and scrutiny of Jiang Yun were part of his assessment. After all, this would be his first disciple—and the first Disciple for him and his brother—so he had to be careful.

"Calm in the face of trouble, steady in mind. Add to that the pure aura and Aura of Merit radiating from him—he's a rare man of virtue and fortune."

"Late Golden Immortal cultivation is not low. His physical body seems trained as well—a rare practitioner of Dual Cultivation of Dharma and Body. What's more valuable is that he's favored by the Western fortune, naturally close to me, the Lord of the West."

After his silent investigation, hearing Jiang Yun's question, Jieyin revealed a smile, and the tension between them eased.

"No need to be alarmed. I am the Lord of Mount Sumeru, Daoist Jieyin."

"Recently, the Heavenly Dao guided me that a master-disciple fate was at hand. I followed the resonance of your aura to come and take a disciple. Would you be willing to accept me as your teacher?" Jieyin asked directly.

When luck comes, nothing can stop it. No sooner had he arrived at Mount Sumeru seeking a master than the master himself showed up. Faced with such fortune, a second's hesitation would be idiocy.

Jiang Yun immediately performed the formal disciple-kowtow and said, "Disciple Jiang Yun pays respects to Master!"

"Good~ good~ good~~" Jieyin said joyfully, unable to suppress his smile.

"First, come back to Mount Sumeru with me. Your uncle-master is waiting. I'll explain the rest later."

With that, he used his divine power to whisk Jiang Yun away toward Mount Sumeru.

The speed of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal was indeed extraordinary, especially for an elite like Jieyin. In just half a month, they arrived at the central foothills of Mount Sumeru.

Looking up, a towering peak stood between heaven and earth—majestic, winding, piercing the clouds. At the foot, vast primeval forests stretched endlessly into the distance. Among towering ancient trees, spirit beasts roamed and divine birds soared. Sunlight bathed the scene in myriad rays of light; golden hues reflected off the rolling mountain ranges, shimmering with enchanting brilliance, as if under divine protection.

On the mountainside, waterfalls cascaded down cliffs like the Heavenly River pouring forth, their thunderous roar deafening. The crashing water sent mist billowing around, occasionally revealing rainbows—dreamlike and surreal. Streams meandered, their babbling accompanied by the fragrance of wild mountain flowers, refreshing the heart and mind.

At the summit, amidst swirling clouds, phantom traces of immortals could sometimes be seen. Cranes called out long and clear, mingling with the cries of apes and deer—a captivating scene. Wind rolled the clouds like ocean waves, as if the freest souls in heaven and earth were at play.

Such beauty was beyond words. Truly, this was the Western Ancestral Vein—a wondrous Quiet Place.