"Thank you for your understanding and guidance, Master!"
Zhao Gongming felt a little relieved. Knowing that he had passed this test, he quickly bowed, his voice sincere.
"Mm." Sect Master Tongtian said no more about it and continued, "Today, you dampened the arrogance of the Chan Sect Disciples. They won't let this go. However, as long as no Saint gets involved, you may handle any disputes with your peers as you see fit. Remember, you are my personal disciple and the Outer Sect Grand Disciple of the Interception Sect. You need not humble yourself before anyone."
"But," Sect Master Tongtian said, looking at Zhao Gongming as his tone shifted and his expression grew serious, "never forget that the Primordial World is perilous, far more complicated than you imagine. Your Second Uncle is narrow-minded and fiercely protective of his own. The two from the Western Sect are even more treacherous, always ready to take advantage of a crisis. You must increase your strength as quickly as possible. Only by becoming powerful yourself can you protect yourself and your fellow disciples, and secure a chance of survival in the calamity that is soon to come."
"Your disciple will heed your teachings, Master!" Zhao Gongming was moved. He could feel the sincere concern in Sect Master Tongtian's words.
Sect Master Tongtian gazed at him, a hint of resolve flashing in his eyes.
He raised a hand, and an ancient jade bottle appeared from thin air, slowly floating toward Zhao Gongming.
"Sealed inside this bottle are three strands of Chaos Qi. I took them from the depths of chaos when I created the world. They are extraordinarily precious."
"Chaos Qi?" Zhao Gongming's mind reeled at the words, and even his breathing stopped for a moment!
"Indeed." Sect Master Tongtian's voice held a solemn note. "This energy is unfathomably profound. It can be used to temper your innate foundation and make your origin purer. It can also be infused into your spiritual treasures to raise their grade and power. Make good use of it, and do not disappoint me."
Zhao Gongming took the jade bottle with trembling hands, feeling as though the tiny vessel weighed as much as a mountain! This was Chaos Qi—the beginning of all things, the foundation of the Great Dao! Who beneath the Saints could obtain such a thing? And his Master had bestowed three strands on him at once!
Such a profound kindness!
"Your disciple... Your disciple thanks you for this generous gift, Master!" Zhao Gongming could no longer remain calm. He fell to his knees and kowtowed three times before Sect Master Tongtian.
"Go." Sect Master Tongtian waved a hand and slowly closed his eyes. "Remember, your path has only just begun."
Suppressing his excitement, Zhao Gongming bowed once more. Only then did he carefully cradle the jade bottle and leave Biyou Palace.
Back in his cave dwelling, he immediately activated every restriction, completely sealing it off from the outside world. Unable to wait, he took out the jade bottle and pulled out its stopper.
In an instant, an ancient, boundless, and weighty aura beyond description spilled from the mouth of the bottle. Even a mere trace twisted the space throughout the cave, while the laws of the Great Dao recoiled!
Inside the bottle, three gray streams of energy slowly circled. They seemed to be the starting point of everything in the world, yet also its end. Even a single glance was enough to make one's mind sink into them.
Just then, the long-silent system notification rang out in Zhao Gongming's mind!
[High-purity Chaos Origin substance detected—Chaos Qi!]
[Option One: Absorb one strand of Chaos Qi to obtain 10,000 Primordial Points!]
[Option Two: Use Chaos Qi to refine a spiritual treasure or innate foundation. Greatly increase the success rate, with a very high chance of triggering an over-tier evolution!]
Zhao Gongming's breathing stopped completely. It was as if an invisible hand had seized his mind. His heart pounded violently, booming like a war drum.
Ten thousand Primordial Points!
That was nearly the total he had accumulated through a century of cultivation!
A single strand of Chaos Qi could be exchanged for such a vast number of points. The temptation was enough to drive any cultivator mad.
With those ten thousand points, he could once again refine one of his spiritual treasures or cultivation techniques, transforming it completely.
Yet his gaze remained fixed on the second option.
Over-tier evolution!
The four words rang through the depths of his sea of consciousness like a temple bell at dawn, each one imbued with boundless power.
Zhao Gongming knew that Primordial Points could be accumulated over time, but an opportunity like Chaos Qi, something even Saints might seek, was impossible to come by unless fate allowed it!
If he let this chance pass, he might regret it for all eternity.
His path was one of defying fate and changing his destiny. In this magnificent yet deadly Primordial World, he would carve out a way to survive!
The foundation was the root of everything!
The strength of one's innate foundation determined the limits and potential of a living being's cultivation.
His current "Innate Being (Ultimate)" foundation was already at the pinnacle of the innate. But compared with the innate divine beings who had been born at the dawn of the Primordial World—or even during the chaos itself—and had survived countless calamities, it still fell short of an insurmountable divide.
He would cross it! He would trample that divide flat!
"System," Zhao Gongming took a deep breath, the hesitation in his eyes instantly replaced by a reckless resolve. "I choose Option Two! Spend five thousand Primordial Points and use one strand of Chaos Qi as a catalyst to refine my innate foundation!"
[Command confirmed! Spending Primordial Points: 5,000.]
[Beginning over-tier refinement of innate foundation... Activating Chaos Qi...]
As the system's cold notification faded, Zhao Gongming did not hesitate. With a thought, he drew one of the three gray streams from the jade bottle. It was like tugging on an azure dragon as he slowly, painstakingly pulled it through the bottle's mouth!
Buzz—!
The instant the strand of Chaos Qi left the bottle, the entire cave seemed to sink, as if a newly created universe had descended upon it.
The laws of space wailed, and even the river of time seemed to freeze.
That ancient, boundless, primal, and overbearing aura was no longer a mere trace drifting away. It now stood before Zhao Gongming in its entirety.
He felt his Nascent Soul tremble. It was like a mortal gazing up at the Heavenly Dao, overcome by a sense of reverence and insignificance rooted in the very essence of life.
"Nine Revolutions Chaos Divine Art, turn!"
Daring not to be careless, Zhao Gongming sat cross-legged and circulated his cultivation art to its limit. He opened his mouth and inhaled like a whale drinking the sea, swallowing the strand of Chaos Qi, heavy as the eternal blue sky, in one gulp!
BOOM!!!
The instant the Chaos Qi entered his body, Zhao Gongming's vision went black. His consciousness seemed to be cast into the endless void before the creation of the world.
There was no up or down, no past or present—only eternal silence and chaos.
His body, meridians, and Nascent Soul seemed about to be completely assimilated by this most primordial power, broken down and returned to nothingness!
An indescribable agony erupted from within every particle of his body.
It was neither tearing nor burning, but the ultimate torment of having one's very existence erased!
"Hold fast to my heart. Do not fall into reincarnation!" Zhao Gongming roared inwardly, clinging desperately to that faint glimmer of consciousness.
At that very moment, the five thousand spent Primordial Points transformed into a warm, boundless golden current. It surged from the depths of his sea of consciousness, instantly enveloped his crumbling Nascent Soul, and quickly flowed through every limb and bone.
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