In Zhou Qingqing's eyes, Supreme Pure Laozi was not a good choice.
That naturally left Jade Pure Yuanshi.
Jade Pure Yuanshi would make a decent master.
In the Primordial World, he was probably the most protective of his disciples and the most willing to stand up for them.
Yes.
That was right!
Jade Pure Yuanshi's eyes narrowed slightly, and inwardly, he rejoiced.
It was remarkable that Zhou Qingqing had spoken up for him of her own accord, and with such praise at that.
Protective of his disciples.
Willing to stand up for them.
Wasn't that exactly what a good master should do?
If he had a master like that to choose from, he would support that choice without hesitation.
But if I become Jade Pure Yuanshi's disciple and he doesn't like me, that would be bad.
Yellow Dragon, the Three-No True Person with no treasures, no cultivation, and no disciples, is a cautionary tale I can't ignore.
If I become his disciple and win his favor, all well and good. But if I don't, won't I get the cold shoulder too?
I finally made it to the Primordial World. Having a master like that would be terrifying.
"Wow, second brother. I never knew you could be so awful to your disciples."
Hearing Zhou Qingqing's thoughts, Upper Pure Tongtian couldn't help smiling.
His second brother always maintained an air of dignity and authority.
If he kept that up all the time, he really would come across as cold and harsh.
At his third brother Upper Pure Tongtian's teasing,
Jade Pure Yuanshi was dumbfounded.
Now that he thought about it,
with his personality, he really might do something like that.
And Four Unlike was a prince of the Qilin Clan, with the bloodline of the Three Innate Races, yet he still ended up in a sorry state.
My body is an innate supreme treasure, so I probably wouldn't have it that bad. But there's no guarantee.
Inside his sleeve, Jade Pure Yuanshi clenched his fist.
There it was.
Again.
The same old subject had come up once more.
Sure enough, Four Unlike was one reason she didn't trust him.
That leaves Upper Pure Tongtian, then. He probably doesn't have any special demands for his disciples. If I sincerely ask to become his disciple, I should be able to join him.
Upper Pure Tongtian's eyes gleamed. He was immensely pleased.
After all that,
Zhou Qingqing was going to choose him.
Men with swords are the coolest, after all. Riding the wind on a sword and vanquishing evil throughout the world—that should count as living freely, even in the Primordial World.
Riding the wind on a sword and vanquishing evil throughout the world?
Upper Pure Tongtian's heart stirred.
He approved of Zhou Qingqing's words.
He had not expected her to have such an outlook.
"Looks like the little girl is destined to be my disciple after all. She must have a pure sword heart."
"I've decided to create a Green Lotus Sword Song tailored to her, to aid her cultivation."
Supreme Pure Laozi and Jade Pure Yuanshi watched the sword intent suddenly rise around Tongtian and sighed in resignation.
If Zhou Qingqing truly loved swords, they could accept her taking Tongtian as her master.
Not being chosen themselves stung a little.
Still,
having Upper Pure Tongtian take Zhou Qingqing as his disciple was an acceptable outcome.
Besides,
Zhou Qingqing had said it herself.
Upper Pure Tongtian lacked a treasure of Fortune to stabilize his own Fortune.
Zhou Qingqing herself was an innate treasure of Fortune. If she became Tongtian's disciple, she should be able to help stabilize his Fortune.
In that case,
it would be a rather satisfying choice.
Seeing that his two elder brothers agreed with Zhou Qingqing's choice, Tongtian was deeply moved.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But
before he could,
Zhou Qingqing's thoughts sounded again.
Still, becoming Upper Pure Tongtian's disciple is too risky. One wrong step and I might get caught in someone's schemes. I can't spend every day on edge.
Forget it. I won't become any of their disciples. With the foundation I have now, I can cultivate slowly and leave Eastern Kunlun once I take human form.
As far as I recall, nothing happened to the Queen Mother of the West during the next few Calamities. If I find a chance to go to her, maybe I can lie low a little longer and make it through this Calamity safely.
The Queen Mother of the West is one of the few great female figures in the Primordial World. I expect she'd take me in.
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
"What?"
The Three Pure Ones stared at one another.
They had been vying to have Zhou Qingqing choose one of them as her master, certain she would become one of their disciples.
But now,
after thinking it over, Zhou Qingqing had found fault with all of them and was planning to seek out the Queen Mother of the West next door?
If she actually did that,
the Three Pure Ones would lose both face and substance.
They could not let that happen.
The trouble was,
Zhou Qingqing had clearly decided to leave Eastern Kunlun.
If Zhou Qingqing herself didn't want to stay, there was little the Three Pure Ones could do about the girl before them.
"We can't let the little girl keep thinking like this!"
Supreme Pure Laozi extended his divine sense to speak with his two younger brothers.
"We must find a way to keep Little Green Lotus in Eastern Kunlun. Otherwise, if she works out a cultivation method on her own, she really might switch allegiance and go to Western Kunlun."
"Eldest brother is right, but Little Green Lotus clearly has her own misgivings about each of us. This won't be easy."
Jade Pure Yuanshi sighed and shook his head.
Even Supreme Pure Laozi, who excelled at divination, had no solution. Yuanshi felt rather helpless himself.
Seeing his two elder brothers sink into thought,
Tongtian, who had grown numb to rejection himself, raised his sword-shaped brows.
"I have an idea."
"Since the little girl has misgivings about each of us, why don't we take her as our disciple together?"
"For various reasons, Little Green Lotus hasn't seen us three brothers as a whole. She's even declared that we'll split our Fortune, turn on one another, and kill each other."
"That's why, even though she knows we're among the most exalted beings in the Primordial World, she still wants to hide next door to escape the Calamity."
"If we make her the First Disciple of the Three Pure Ones, won't that show her where we stand?"
"Besides,"
Upper Pure Tongtian paused.
"If she has three masters, then when one can't help her, the others can. She wouldn't have nearly as much to worry about."
The First Disciple of the Three Pure Ones!
The moment his two elder brothers heard Tongtian's suggestion, they thought it was brilliant.
If Little Green Lotus became the disciple of only one of them, it really would be awkward for the others to keep eavesdropping on her thoughts.
But if all three were her masters, there would be no problem at all.
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