Primordial: Downloading Saint Cultivation at the Start

It turned out that after fusing with the physique of a Top-tier Innate Divine Spirit, not only had his foundation risen to the very pinnacle of the Primordial world, but his strength had increased by several degrees as well.

If Jiang Chen had previously possessed only the Human Race's Innate Dao Body, making it difficult for him to break through to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, then now that he had become a Top-tier Innate Divine Spirit, breaking through to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm was merely a matter of time. Even the higher Quasi-Saint realm was within reach!

Boom!

At that moment, Jiang Chen finally awoke.

The instant he opened his eyes, the imposing aura he had possessed even without anger grew severalfold, spreading throughout the entire cave abode in a flash.

In an instant, the spiritual energy surging through the heavens froze in midair. Several explosive bangs rang out as the stones around him failed to withstand that aura and shattered into pieces out of thin air!

Not only that, even the flowers and grass in the corners bowed low, as though welcoming a sovereign—and Jiang Chen was the sovereign they worshipped!

At this moment, Jiang Chen transformed into a supreme God or Devil, ruling over all beneath heaven!

"This was indeed the right step to take. The physique of a Top-tier Innate Divine Spirit truly does not deceive!"

Having just awakened, Jiang Chen merely raised a hand, and the sound of tigers, leopards, and thunder erupted from within his body. The invigorating sensation coursing through him filled him with boundless joy.

After bitterness came sweetness. At this moment, he felt as though his entire being, from soul to flesh, had evolved. He felt incomparably liberated; every lift of his hand and step of his foot carried immense might. When he looked upon heaven and earth again, countless Dao and principles appeared before his eyes without reservation.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen could not help but sigh. A Top-tier Innate Divine Spirit truly was a physique beloved by heaven and earth.

Likewise, after fusing with the Top-tier Innate Divine Spirit, he understood the changes in himself and the tremendous benefits of being able to break through to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm!

Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal!

As everyone knew, in the Primordial world, All below Saints are Ants. Yet beyond that saying, there was another truth everyone knew: only Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals possessed even a sliver of strength to protect themselves!

How could Jiang Chen not be delighted upon learning that breaking through to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm was only a matter of time?

Though he could download a Saint's cultivation, he was not one to aim too high. Only what was in hand was real. His download progress had not even reached 1% yet, so becoming a Saint on the spot was obviously impossible.

"Check the download speed."

After his delight subsided, Jiang Chen silently thought to himself.

Average download speed: 2mb/s!

2mb/s!

It was a full hundred times faster than when he had been an Earth Immortal!

This also meant he was a little closer to obtaining a Saint's cultivation.

Without question, surprises came one after another, leaving Jiang Chen almost dazzled.

Amid his delight, Jiang Chen's thoughts stirred, and he took out the final two spiritual treasures he had yet to deal with: the Wuji Apricot-Yellow Banner and the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls.

In the Primordial world, Innate Spiritual Treasures all came with restrictions. Only by refining those restrictions could one control a spiritual treasure and unleash its power.

Likewise, the restrictions represented their grade.

Spiritual treasures with one to twelve restrictions were low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures; those with thirteen to twenty restrictions were Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures; those with twenty-five to thirty-six restrictions were High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures; those with thirty-seven to forty-eight restrictions were Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures; and those with forty-nine restrictions were Innate Supreme Treasures.

The two spiritual treasures in Jiang Chen's hands were no slouches. The twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls each contained thirty-six restrictions, making them among the finest High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. The Wuji Apricot-Yellow Banner was even more so, possessing forty-eight restrictions and likewise ranking among the best Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.

With the information about the spiritual treasures flashing through his mind, Jiang Chen did not waste any time and immediately began refining their restrictions.

Fortunately, his strength had greatly increased. Otherwise, with his previous cultivation, refining spiritual treasures would clearly have been a struggle.

In the first year of seclusion, he refined two restrictions of the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls and one of the Wuji Apricot-Yellow Banner.

In the tenth year, four restrictions of the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls and two of the Wuji Apricot-Yellow Banner.

In the fiftieth year, six restrictions of the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls and three of the Wuji Apricot-Yellow Banner.

In the hundredth year, twelve restrictions of the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls and six of the Wuji Apricot-Yellow Banner.

A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye before Jiang Chen finally stopped.

It was not that he did not want to refine both great spiritual treasures in one go. Rather, his strength was insufficient, and he had already reached the limit of what he could currently refine. To continue, he would have to break through.

Even without fully refining them, however, Jiang Chen could now unleash seventy percent of the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls' power and one-quarter of the Wuji Apricot-Yellow Banner's might.

Do not underestimate those few portions of power. Once unleashed, their divine might would be unfathomable. With these two great spiritual treasures, Jiang Chen felt that he would not fear even a Perfected Grand Master Golden Immortal!

At this point, Jiang Chen had finally finished putting all the spiritual treasures he had obtained earlier to use.

Huff.

Drawing in a deep breath, he walked out of the cave abode.

He had secluded himself for several hundred years. His master had presumably already emerged from seclusion. Now that his strength had greatly increased, relying on bitter cultivation alone certainly would not do. Rather than that, he might as well go seek his master's guidance.

Besides, he still wanted to continue downloading things.

That was right. Having broken through to the Grand Unity Profound Immortal realm, Jiang Chen could now download as many as twenty-two things!

An additional fifteen download slots had opened up at once, setting his thoughts racing. Fusing with a Top-tier Innate Divine Spirit had already brought him such immense changes—what if he completed downloads of other things as well?

With anticipation in his heart, Jiang Chen walked out of the cave abode.

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things. Thus, ever without desire, one may observe its wonders; ever with desire, one may observe its boundaries. These two arise from the same source yet bear different names; together they are called mystery. Mystery upon mystery, the gateway to all wonders..."

"The Dao is silent and empty, standing alone and never changing, moving in cycles and never wearying..."

"Seize a thread of vitality from heaven and earth, and only then may one become a carefree, unfettered wanderer..."

But just as he stepped out of his cave abode, the resounding voice of the Great Dao drifted into his ears. At times, phantom dragons soared and phoenixes danced through the air, golden lotuses continuously bloomed all around, and immortal mist spread across all of Kunlun Mountain!

A Saint was expounding the Dao!

Seeing this, then catching sight of the three unseeable figures suspended in midair, Jiang Chen understood.

Once enlightenment dawned, immense delight followed. He did not dare step forward and disturb them. Instead, he sat down cross-legged where he was and listened quietly.

This was a Saint expounding the Dao—something ordinary people could seek all their lives and never encounter, let alone the Three Pure Ones expounding the Dao together. Such a sight was absolutely rare in all the world.

How could Jiang Chen possibly let such an opportunity slip away?

Jiang Chen was fortunate enough to encounter the Three Pure Ones before they had gone their separate ways. Whenever they had time now, they would gather together to expound the Dao to one another, taking its essence and discarding its dross to grow. This was one of the reasons they had become Saints of the primordial world so quickly.

And this was their first mutual discourse on the Dao after attaining sainthood.

When Saints expounded the Dao, it was exactly as Laozi the Saint had said: mystery upon mystery, the gateway to all wonders.

Jiang Chen clearly understood only bits and pieces of what Laozi taught, yet after listening, he sank into an insight within the Netherworld. Countless Daos and principles surged into his mind. What he had not understood before suddenly became clear, while what he had understood grew ever more profound.

The clearest sign of his deepened insight was Jiang Chen's aura. He had consecutively broken through several major realms before this; even with the physique of a Top-tier Innate Divine Spirit, his aura had risen and fallen unstably. But now, it slowly steadied—and continued climbing step by step!

Yet at a certain moment, his aura became heaven-shaking, only to abruptly vanish in the end, as though everything before had been an illusion. Even Jiang Chen's aura disappeared entirely.

At first glance, anyone would mistake Jiang Chen for a mortal without the slightest cultivation. But that was not the case. Jiang Chen had benefited immensely and had already reached the point of drawing his aura inward. His understanding of his own realm was likewise incomparably profound.

If he entered seclusion again, he was absolutely certain that he could break through to the mid-stage Grand Unity Profound Immortal within ten years.

If others learned of this, they might not think much of it. But if they knew he had only just broken through to the Grand Unity Profound Immortal realm, it would be astonishing.

Having just made a breakthrough, yet able to advance to the mid-stage Grand Unity Profound Immortal within another ten years—such speed and talent were nothing short of shocking!

Jiang Chen was not the only one to gain something. The Three Pure Ones, who were discussing the Dao, each had their own realizations as well. Even as they spoke, thoughtful expressions filled their eyes.

But then an accident occurred. Just as Yuanshi was explaining the doctrines of the Jie Sect—that it embraced all rivers and that all myriad spirits could enter the Jie Sect—Yuanshi frowned and blurted out:

"Junior Brother, your Dao has gone astray. By your reasoning, does that not mean those furred and horned creatures, the damp-born and egg-born, even those utterly lacking in aptitude, may all enter beneath the Three Pure Ones' school?"

Without question, Yuanshi clearly did not agree with the doctrines of the Jie Sect.

This much could already be seen when Tongtian had accepted Jiang Chen as a disciple. Yuanshi held himself in lofty esteem. Not only did he look down on furred and horned creatures, the damp-born and egg-born, he also did not even spare a glance for those with no aptitude whatsoever.

Interacting with such living beings would only disgust Yuanshi. If Tongtian took them in as disciples, would Kunlun Mountain not become filled with figures he detested? At once, Yuanshi began to refute him.

"Junior Brother, seizing a single thread of vitality from Heaven and Earth is already an act against the heavens. Do not blame your Second Brother for failing to warn you—your Second Brother says this for your own good. To recognize confusion and return is goodness beyond measure."

After refuting him, Yuanshi continued under the title of Second Brother. His expression was grave with concern, as though his words truly carried weight.

Tongtian was displeased now.

He had actually known of Yuanshi's disapproval long ago. They had even quarreled bitterly over it, yet he had not expected Yuanshi to still hold such views. Now, he had even bluntly declared that Tongtian's Dao had gone wrong.

Everyone had their own Dao. What Yuanshi was doing was already disrupting Tongtian's Dao Heart.

One had to know that disrupting another's Dao Heart could, at best, leave them unable to recover for a lifetime. At worst, their cultivation could plummet, and they might even lose their position as a Saint. The consequences could not have been more severe!

"The Heavenly Dao has forty-nine, while one escapes. What I do is merely abide by the principles of the Heavenly Dao—how can it be called acting against the heavens?"

Tongtian was somewhat displeased and immediately shot back. After a pause, he continued, "Senior Brother, forcing your personal preferences onto me has gone too far."

Seeing Tongtian retort without the slightest courtesy, Yuanshi grew unhappy. But upon hearing that final sentence, he was left speechless.

With his junior brother refusing to listen, he could not help looking toward the Senior Disciple Brother beside him, Laozi.

Yet Laozi had remained silent throughout, as though he had not seen Yuanshi's gaze. He did not intervene with Tongtian either. Instead, he had been staring behind the two of them all along, as though something there was more captivating than the quarreling Tongtian and Yuanshi.

Seeing this, Yuanshi and Tongtian were puzzled. Both turned around, following Laozi's gaze.

The instant they turned, they saw the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth before them erupt into turmoil.

Endless currents descended from above, drawing the spiritual energy along like a colossal vortex converging below.