Kunlun Mountain was home to the Interception Sect's grounds, where palace halls and towers stood in great profusion.
Behind Kunlun Mountain, a vast celestial lake stretched across ten thousand miles.
Beside the lake, a young man sat cross-legged, apparently cultivating, with spiritual energy swirling around him.
Outside the Interception Sect Immortal Palace, Tongtian stood with his brows tightly knit, gazing toward the celestial lake as he let out a faint sigh.
"Master, has Senior Disciple Brother still not broken through?"
A voice filled with concern rang out. A stunning woman in plain robes embroidered with clouds, her dark hair swept into a bun, stepped beside Tongtian, bowed slightly, and spoke.
"Your Senior Disciple Brother became my disciple a million years ago and began cultivating then."
"But his talent is dull, and the road to immortality is ultimately... difficult for him..."
Tongtian slowly shook his head and looked toward the figure by the lake, his expression full of regret.
"Hahahaha! Third Brother, I told you long ago that this boy has no foundation and mediocre aptitude. He'll never amount to anything."
"And yet you insisted on taking this good-for-nothing as a disciple. Look at him now—he can't even break through to Golden Immortal!"
"Look at my disciples! All twelve of them have reached Golden Immortal!"
Just then, a mocking voice rang out. A middle-aged Daoist slowly flew over from another mountain peak.
Twelve figures followed behind him.
Who else could they be but Primordial Heavenly Lord of the Sect of Elucidation and the Twelve Golden Immortals under his tutelage?
Tongtian's face immediately darkened.
The Three Pure Ones had once been close, but after founding their sects and becoming Sages, their differing doctrines had made them increasingly antagonistic toward one another.
This was especially true now. Yuanshi chose disciples based on their roots and fortune, while Tongtian accepted disciples without discrimination.
And the clearest example of Tongtian's indiscriminate teachings was the Houtian Being he had taken as a disciple a million years ago. Even now, he had only reached Mystic Immortal!
It had naturally earned Yuanshi's scorn and mockery!
"Greetings, Third Martial Uncle."
"Hahaha! Senior Brother Changqing, still haven't broken through? You've been in seclusion for ten thousand years, haven't you? After a million years of cultivation, you're still only a Mystic Immortal? You must be the only one like that in the Primordial World!"
"Hey, don't say that! Maybe Senior Brother Changqing has been quietly building up his strength. Once he breaks through, none of us will be able to match him!"
"Hahahaha!"
The Twelve Golden Immortals continued to jeer.
Two of them in particular, Juliusun and Cihang Daoren, were laughing especially gleefully.
Tongtian's expression had already turned black.
Yunxiao stood beside him, glaring furiously toward the Sect of Elucidation.
"Yunxiao, why haven't you paid your respects to me?"
Yuanshi suddenly turned his gaze to Yunxiao and gave a cold snort.
Though furious, Yunxiao had no choice but to clasp her hands and bow.
"Greetings, Martial Uncle Yuanshi!"
The Sect of Elucidation was going too far!
Yunxiao gritted her teeth, seething with boundless anger.
But she had no choice but to endure it!
The Three Sects had been founded a hundred thousand years ago, while Senior Disciple Brother had become Tongtian's disciple a million years ago. By rights, he was the eldest disciple of all three sects.
Yet the Sect of Elucidation's disciples showed him no respect at all. They only mocked him!
Yunxiao was even angrier.
The disciples of the Interception Sect valued loyalty above all else. It was no wonder Yunxiao felt this way.
Beside the spiritual lake, Lin Changqing exhaled a breath of turbid air. The turbulent spiritual energy in his body slowly settled.
Seventeenth time. His seventeenth attempt to break through in ten thousand years—and he had failed again.
A million years ago, he had traveled here from Earth. After learning that this was the Primordial World, he had, by chance, become a disciple of Tongtian, one of the Three Pure Ones.
Tongtian had taken a particular liking to him and had given him plenty of heavenly treasures to consume.
But Lin Changqing had arrived in the Primordial World in his original body, with an abysmal foundation. After a million years of cultivation, he was still only a Mystic Immortal.
He had no chance of breaking through now.
Lin Changqing sighed. Mystic Immortal wasn't a low cultivation level, but in the Primordial World, it was nothing!
Perhaps this was simply his fate.
At that moment, Lin Changqing noticed the two sides facing off outside the Interception Sect Immortal Palace.
He frowned and rose into the air, flying over.
"Oh, Senior Disciple Brother's here! How come you're still a Mystic Immortal? Are you still suppressing your cultivation?"
"Hahaha! For a Houtian Being to reach Mystic Immortal is already pretty good!"
"Hmph! If he hadn't joined before the rest of us..."
The Sect of Elucidation's disciples continued their taunts, but Lin Changqing paid them no mind. He was already used to this.
He landed before the Immortal Palace and clasped his hands toward the two Sages.
"Changqing pays his respects to Master and greets Martial Uncle Yuanshi."
Lin Changqing remained calm, and Tongtian slowly nodded.
He had such a steady disposition, unshaken by praise or blame, neither arrogant nor impatient. If only his aptitude weren't so poor...
Sigh...
Yuanshi's lips curled into a faint smile.
So this was the Interception Sect's indiscriminate teaching?
"Junior Brother, your nephew Changqing is the perfect example of your teaching everyone without discrimination. His cultivation must be remarkable by now, mustn't it?"
Lin Changqing was right there, still a Mystic Immortal, yet Yuanshi seemed not to notice as he turned to question Tongtian.
Tongtian furrowed his brows, as though he wanted to retort, but could only shake his head helplessly.
That was the truth. What could he say in response?
Yunxiao gritted her teeth in anger but said nothing. Though she despised Primordial Heavenly Lord's behavior, he was still her Martial Uncle.
Lin Changqing, meanwhile, was furious beyond measure!
He felt utterly humiliated. Because of him, Primordial Heavenly Lord was insulting his Master like this!
But what could he do about it now?
He was only a Mystic Immortal, no more than an ant in the Primordial World, mere dust beneath the calamity.
But just then, a smile slowly spread across Tongtian's face as he looked at Lin Changqing.
"Changqing, your foundation may be lacking, but with your temperament, you won't stop here."
"I have a pill here that your Eldest Martial Uncle gave me. I have no use for it, so you should take it."
As Tongtian spoke, a golden pill appeared in his hand. Nine mysterious patterns were engraved upon it, and its aura was extraordinary.
In an instant, its fragrance filled the air and spread throughout the Immortal Palace.
Just one breath seemed to bring boundless spiritual energy. Even the bottleneck in his cultivation began to loosen!
This was... the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir!
In an instant, everyone before the Immortal Palace was stunned.
Yuanshi's eyes widened as he looked at his Third Brother, his expression complicated.
Even Eldest Martial Brother Taishang had only refined eight Nine Revolutions Golden Elixirs.
The conditions for refining one were impossibly strict. It required a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root. Now that the Dao Ancestor had attained the Dao, the Six Sages had emerged, and the Heavenly Dao was complete, such a pill was no longer tolerated by the Heavenly Dao. Even with a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root, it could no longer be refined!
Yet Tongtian was giving such a divine pill to a good-for-nothing disciple!
Third Brother had gone mad!
"The Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir!"
The other disciples, whether members of the Twelve Golden Immortals or Yunxiao, stared at the pill in shock.
Yunxiao looked at the pill, then at Senior Disciple Brother.
With this pill, Senior Disciple Brother could break through, couldn't he?
The disciples of both sects had already reached Golden Immortal or even Grand Unity Golden Immortal, except for Senior Disciple Brother.
With the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir, Senior Disciple Brother could break through too!
The Sect of Elucidation's disciples looked at Lin Changqing with envy.
A good-for-nothing Houtian Being—what right did he have to it?
Giving the divine pill to him would only waste its value. Only if one of them received it could the pill fulfill its purpose!
But Tongtian had brought it out for his own disciple. No one dared speak up.
"Master..."
Lin Changqing looked at his Master, his eyes reddening.
His Master had been humiliated because of him, and now he was giving him a pill like this. Lin Changqing was only a Houtian Being...
But he also knew that his Master never took back his words, nor did he reclaim anything he had given away.
Still, even if he used the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir to break through to Golden Immortal, what about Grand Unity Golden Immortal and Grand Unity Golden Immortal after that?
Just as Lin Changqing hesitated, something within him seemed to sense the aura of the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir and slowly awaken...
[Ping!]
[Detected aura of a supreme treasure. All Heavens Gift System awakened.]
[Gifted Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir. Received a hundredfold reward.]
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