Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain.
Yuanshi Tianzun sat high upon the All Heavens Celebration Cloud, surrounded by auspicious clouds as blessed qi rose around him.
He held a Jade Ruyi in one hand, his eyes lightly closed and his expression as calm as still water.
Below the nine-tiered cloud steps stood a silent, aged figure with white hair and beard.
He had the face of an old man, crane-white hair, wrinkled skin, a thin frame, sallow complexion, and a hunchbacked shell-like spine.
At a glance, he resembled an elderly mortal well past his seventies.
This man was none other than a pivotal figure in the Investiture of the Gods Calamity: Jiang Ziya.
"Hard, hard, hard—the Dao is most profound. Do not take the golden elixir lightly. Without a true master to impart the wondrous formula, empty words will only leave one's mouth parched and tongue dry."
At some unknown moment, Yuanshi Tianzun, seated atop the nine layers of clouds, slowly opened eyes that reflected the ultimate truths of Heaven and Earth. As if he had just awakened, he yawned and softly chanted.
Only after a long while did he seem to notice Jiang Ziya, who had been standing beneath the nine-tiered steps for quite some time.
"Jiang Ziya, how many years have you spent since entering my Elucidation Sect?"
"Reporting to Master, this disciple entered Kunlun Mountain to cultivate at the age of thirty-two and became your disciple. Forty years have passed since then."
Jiang Ziya, standing beneath the steps with crane-white hair, wrinkled skin, and a hunchback, answered with utmost respect.
"Forty years steeped in heat and cold, exhausting your mind through sunrises and moonfalls; dining on rosy clouds and dew, contemplating the Northern Dipper—yet all in vain, like fishing for the moon's reflection in water."
"Jiang Ziya,