Three Strands of Chaos Qi

"Thank you, Master, for your understanding and guidance!"

Zhao Gongming felt a slight relief in his heart, knowing he had passed this hurdle. He quickly bowed respectfully, his tone sincere.

"Mm," Sect Master Tongtian said no more on the matter, turning instead to say, "You have today curbed the arrogance of the Chan Sect disciples, and they will surely not let this go. However, as long as no Saint intervenes, you may handle any disputes among peers as you see fit. Remember, you are my personal disciple, Sect Master Tongtian's Outer Sect Grand Disciple, and you need not bow to anyone."

"But," Sect Master Tongtian looked at Zhao Gongming, his tone shifting, his expression becoming serious, "you must remember, the Primordial World is perilous, far more complex than you imagine. Your second martial uncle is narrow-minded and extremely protective of his own. Those two from the Western Sect harbor wolfish ambitions and are always ready to take advantage of a crisis. You must improve your strength as quickly as possible. Only by becoming powerful yourself can you protect yourself and your fellow disciples, and seize a sliver of hope for survival in the coming Great Tribulation."

"Your disciple obeys Master's teachings!" Zhao Gongming was deeply touched, feeling the genuine care in Sect Master Tongtian's words.

Sect Master Tongtian gazed at him, a flicker of resolve in his eyes.

He raised his hand and waved, and an ancient jade bottle appeared out of thin air, slowly floating towards Zhao Gongming.

"Sealed within this bottle are three strands of Chaos Qi. I intercepted them from the depths of Chaos during World Creation. They are exceptionally precious."

"Chaos Qi?" Zhao Gongming's mind trembled violently at the words, his breath catching in his throat!

"Indeed," Sect Master Tongtian's voice held a trace of solemnity. "This Qi is infinitely profound. It can be used to temper your Foundation, making your origin purer! It can also be integrated into your Spirit Treasures, enhancing their grade and power. Use it wisely, and do not disappoint my expectations."

Zhao Gongming trembled as he took the jade bottle with both hands, feeling its small form weigh as much as a mountain! This was Chaos Qi! The beginning of all things, the foundation of the Great Dao! Who among those below the Saint realm could obtain it? Yet, his Master had bestowed three strands upon him at once!

This kindness was too immense!

"Disciple... disciple thanks Master for this generous gift!" Zhao Gongming could no longer remain calm. He knelt on both knees and kowtowed three times to Sect Master Tongtian.

"Go," Sect Master Tongtian waved his hand and slowly closed his eyes. "Remember, your path has only just begun."

Zhao Gongming suppressed his excitement, bowed respectfully once more, and then carefully cradled the jade bottle as he withdrew from Biyou Palace.

Upon returning to his Cave Abode, he immediately activated all the restrictions, completely isolating the entire dwelling from the outside world. He eagerly took out the jade bottle and uncorked it.

Instantly, an indescribably ancient, vast, and profound aura flowed from the bottle's opening. Just a wisp caused the space within the Cave Abode to distort, and the laws of the Great Dao retreated!

Inside the bottle, three wisps of grayish-white airflow slowly swirled. They seemed to be the starting point of all existence, yet also the end of all things. A single glance at them could make one's mind sink into oblivion.

At this moment, a long-dormant System notification boomed in Zhao Gongming's mind!

[Detected high-purity Chaos Origin substance - Chaos Qi!]

[Option One: Absorb one strand of Chaos Qi to gain Primordial Points: 10,000 points!]

[Option Two: Use Chaos Qi for Spirit Treasure/Foundation deduction, greatly increasing deduction success rate and with a high probability of triggering Super-Tier Evolution!]

Zhao Gongming's breathing completely stopped at this moment. His mind felt as if it were gripped by an invisible hand, beating violently like a war drum.

Ten thousand Primordial Points!

This was almost the sum total of his cultivation over the past hundred years!

Just one strand of Chaos Qi could be exchanged for such a massive amount of points. This temptation was enough to drive any Cultivator mad.

With these ten thousand points, he could undergo another transformative deduction for one of his Spirit Treasures or cultivation techniques.

However, his gaze was fixed firmly on the second option.

Super-Tier Evolution!

These four words struck the depths of his sea of consciousness like a resounding bell, each character imbued with infinite power.

Zhao Gongming knew well that Primordial Points could be accumulated slowly, but opportunities like Chaos Qi, a treasure of Saint-level rarity, were rare and could not be sought out.

Missing this chance might mean eternal regret.

His Dao was to defy fate, to carve out a path of survival in this magnificent yet perilous Primordial World!

Foundation was the root of everything!

The strength of one's Foundation determined a being's cultivation ceiling and potential.

His current "Innate Being (Ultimate)" Foundation, though already at the peak of Innate, still faced an insurmountable chasm when compared to those Innate Deities born at the very beginning of the Primordial World or even during the Chaos era, who had survived multiple Great Tribulations and were immortal.

He wanted to cross it! He wanted to completely flatten this chasm!

"System," Zhao Gongming took a deep breath, the hesitation in his eyes instantly replaced by a desperate resolve, "I choose Option Two! I will consume five thousand Primordial Points, using one strand of Chaos Qi as a catalyst, to deduce my Foundation!"

[Command confirmed! Consuming Primordial Points: 5,000 points.]

[Initiating Foundation Super-Tier Deduction... Activating Chaos Qi...]

The moment the cold System notification fell, Zhao Gongming did not hesitate. With a thought, he drew one of the three grayish-white wisps of airflow from the jade bottle, pulling it out from the bottle's opening slowly and with great effort, as if guiding a majestic dragon!

Buzz--!

The instant that strand of Chaos Qi left the bottle, the entire Cave Abode suddenly sank, as if a newly formed Universe had descended upon it.

The laws of space wailed, and the river of time seemed to freeze.

That ancient, vast, primal, and domineering aura was no longer a mere wisp escaping, but was presented completely before Zhao Gongming.

He felt his Nascent Soul tremble, as if a mortal gazing upon the Heavenly Dao. It was a reverence and a sense of insignificance stemming from the very essence of life.

"Nine Revolutions Chaos Divine Art, activate!"

Zhao Gongming dared not delay. He sat cross-legged, circulating his cultivation technique to its extreme. He opened his mouth and inhaled, like a great whale drawing water, and forcefully swallowed the strand of Chaos Qi, which weighed as much as the ancient heavens, into his abdomen!

Boom!!!

The moment the Chaos Qi entered his body, Zhao Gongming's vision went black, his consciousness seemingly plunged into the endless void before World Creation.

There was no up, down, four directions, no past or future, only an eternal silence and Chaos.

His physical body, his Meridians, his Nascent Soul, at this moment felt as if they were about to be completely assimilated by this most fundamental power, decomposed, and returned to nothingness!

An indescribable, intense pain erupted from the depths of every particle in his body.

It wasn't tearing, nor burning, but the ultimate agony of "existence" being erased!

"Hold onto your true heart, do not fall into reincarnation!" Zhao Gongming roared in his heart, desperately guarding that single spark of consciousness from extinction.

And just then, the five thousand Primordial Points that had been consumed transformed into a warm, vast stream of golden energy. It surged from the depths of his sea of consciousness, instantly enveloping his collapsing Nascent Soul, and rapidly flowed through his limbs and bones.