On the high platform, Ancestor Hongjun's figure was plain and unadorned, yet he seemed to merge with all of Chaos.
"Today's lecture will last three thousand years. I shall begin expounding the Sage's Path."
His voice was not loud, but it reached every person's ears with perfect clarity.
In the great hall, the Three Thousand Cultivators held their breath and focused, waiting for the supreme Great Dao.
Hongjun slowly began to speak.
"The Sage's Path..."
His voice remained calm, his tone still plain and unadorned. But this time, every word he spoke seemed to contain endless heavenly mysteries.
The people below listened intently, but before long, many of them looked bewildered.
They couldn't understand.
Not at all.
The words echoed in their ears. They recognized each one individually, but together, they were like a heavenly tome beyond their comprehension.
The mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, the Origin Essence, and Hunyuan lay beyond what they could grasp.
Some furrowed their brows, some broke into cold sweat, and others wore pained expressions.
It was too profound.
For Grand Unity Golden Immortals, the Sage's Path was simply too abstruse.
The six people seated on the meditation cushions—Laozi, Jieyin, Zhunti, Yuanshi, Tongtian, and Nuwa—wore solemn expressions.
Though they, too, struggled to understand it fully, they desperately committed every word to memory, engraving each one in their hearts.
The mighty figures seated behind them could only do their utmost to remember as much as they could.
Xuande sat cross-legged among the crowd, likewise immersed in the profound and difficult Great Dao.
He knew this was the Sage's Path, the final step toward the supreme realm.
At his current level, fully understanding it was impossible.
All he could do was memorize as much as he could and leave it for future contemplation.
Time slipped by as the lecture continued.
One year, ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years...
Hongjun's voice remained calm and unchanging.
But among the mighty figures below, some gained sudden insights, some fell into deep thought, and others remained bewildered.
Two thousand seven hundred years passed before anyone noticed.
On this day, Hongjun's voice suddenly fell silent.
The great hall was utterly still.
Everyone came back to themselves from that wondrous state and looked toward the high platform.
Hongjun's gaze slowly swept across the hall before settling on the six cushions at the front.
To be precise, it settled on one of the figures seated there.
Laozi.
"Laozi," Hongjun said.
Laozi paused in surprise, then rose and stepped forward, bowing. "This disciple is here."
Hongjun looked at him, his gaze calm and profound.
"You are of the Pangu Orthodox Lineage, the foremost of the Three Pure Ones. Your roots are deep, and your comprehension is exceptional.
"I now grant you the position of foremost disciple of the Mystic Gate. In the future, you shall serve as an example to all immortals."
Foremost disciple of the Mystic Gate!
The words echoed through the great hall, and envy appeared in everyone's eyes.
What an honor! What did it mean to be personally named the foremost disciple by the Dao Ancestor?
It meant that in the future, Laozi would be the first among the Dao Ancestor's disciples!
Laozi's expression remained calm, but deep in his eyes, a restrained excitement showed through. He bowed again. "This disciple thanks the Dao Ancestor for his grace."
Hongjun nodded slightly and made a sweeping gesture with his hand.
A beam of light flew from his sleeve and landed before Laozi.
It was a diagram.
The scroll unfurled, its surface black and white. The Taiji symbol turned slowly within it, emanating an immense, ocean-like pressure.
The force was so great that everyone in the hall felt a pang of dread.
An Innate Supreme Treasure—the Taiji Diagram!
"This treasure is called the Taiji Diagram. It is an Innate Supreme Treasure. It can stabilize earth, water, fire, and wind, and transform into the myriad forms of Taiji. I grant it to you. I trust you will put it to good use."
Laozi accepted the Taiji Diagram with both hands. At last, a flicker of excitement appeared on his usually placid face.
"This disciple bows in gratitude to the Dao Ancestor!"
The great hall erupted in an uproar.
An Innate Supreme Treasure! That was an Innate Supreme Treasure!
Earlier, the Dragon Head Cane and Purple Sandalwood Pure Water Bowl had been granted to King Father of the East and West Queen Mother.
They were Supreme Innate Spiritual Treasures, but they were a level below an Innate Supreme Treasure.
There were only a handful of treasures like the Taiji Diagram in the entire Primordial Wilderness!
The mighty figures watched with undisguised envy, and some even showed traces of jealousy.
But no one dared say a word.
It was the Dao Ancestor's decision.
Holding the Taiji Diagram, Laozi returned to the first cushion and slowly sat down.
He gently stroked the supreme treasure in his hands, and for once, a faint smile appeared on his usually placid face.
Seated behind the others, Xuande watched and nodded to himself.
He knew the Three Treasures of Creation—the Taiji Diagram, Pangu Banner, and Chaos Bell—had originally been destined for the Three Pure Ones.
But after the Creation of Heaven and Earth, the three supreme treasures had scattered far and wide. The Three Pure Ones had been born late, and though they belonged to the Pangu Orthodox Lineage, they had not obtained them.
Now that the Dao Ancestor had granted the Taiji Diagram to Laozi, it was a rightful return to its original owner.
As for the other two...
The Pangu Banner would probably be granted to Yuanshi. As for the Chaos Bell...
Xuande lifted his eyes to Di Jun and Tai Yi nearby.
A small bell hung at Taiyi's waist. Its surface was the color of Chaos, and it faintly emanated a force that could suppress space and time. It was none other than the Chaos Bell.
The treasure was now in Taiyi's hands. In the future...
Xuande didn't dwell on it and looked away.
Whatever happened in the future could wait until then. For now, he only needed to watch quietly.
Hongjun's gaze swept across the hall once more.
This time, he looked toward two others.
Jieyin. Zhunti.
The two paused in surprise, then rose, stepped forward, and bowed.
"This disciple is here."
Hongjun looked at them, his gaze as calm as before.
"During the Dao-Devil War, Demon Ancestor Luohu detonated the Earth Veins of the West, leaving the western lands devastated and their living beings suffering.
"You were both born in the West and raised in the West. You have an unbreakable bond with it.
"Though the Earth Veins of the West have now been restored, its foundations remain weak and its fortune has yet to gather. This is a debt of cause and effect the Heavenly Dao owes the West. Today, that debt shall be repaid."
A debt owed to the West!
The words echoed through the great hall, and astonishment showed in everyone's eyes.
The Dao Ancestor had actually said that the Heavenly Dao owed the West a debt of cause and effect?
Jieyin and Zhunti were stunned, then felt a complicated mix of emotions they could hardly put into words.
They had been born and raised in the West, and had personally witnessed its decline and hardship.
They knew the West was barren and its fortune in decline, but they had never imagined that the Heavenly Dao owed the West a debt of cause and effect.
"Today," Hongjun continued, "I accept you both as nominal disciples."
Nominal disciples!
The words struck the great hall like a thunderclap.
Laozi had been accepted as the foremost disciple of the Mystic Gate, personally named by the Dao Ancestor.
And now Jieyin and Zhunti had also been accepted as nominal disciples!
They might only be nominal disciples, but they were still disciples—the Dao Ancestor's disciples!
The mighty figures stared in shock and envy.
Jieyin and Zhunti were stunned as well, then bowed deeply.
"This disciple... bows in gratitude to the Dao Ancestor!"
Hongjun nodded slightly and made a sweeping gesture with his hand.
Two beams of light flew from his sleeves and landed before the pair.
Before Jieyin appeared a lotus flower.
It was pure white, with twelve petals unfolding in layers, and it radiated a pure and peaceful light.
The light seemed to contain endless purity and compassion, bringing peace to anyone who saw it.
The Twelve-Petal World-Purifying White Lotus!
Before Zhunti appeared a demon-subduing pestle.
The pestle was golden, carved with countless sacred mantras, and emanated a fierce, imposing aura. It was a treasure for subduing demons and defending the Dao, capable of dispelling all evil.
The Vajra Demon Subduing Pestle!
The two accepted the treasures with both hands and bowed again.
"Thank you, Dao Ancestor!"
However, Hongjun did not stop there.
His gaze remained fixed on the pair.
After a brief silence, he raised his hand once more.