Haotian Learns How to Change Aptitude

He too was an Innate Living Being, but he had merely been an ordinary stubborn stone amid chaos.

Had Hongjun not enlightened him and bestowed Innate Yang Qi to harmonize him, he likely would not even have had the chance to undergo Form Transformation.

In terms of Origin/Foundation and talent, he was indeed more than a notch inferior to the truly peak Innate Divine Beings inside the hall.

"I must find a way to make up for this innate deficiency." Wrapped within the Dao Sound, Haotian's thoughts raced.

The Origin/Foundation and aptitude of living beings in the Primordial Wilderness were mostly decreed by Heaven; altering them after birth was as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

Yet the Great Dao had fifty, while Heaven evolved forty-nine. There was always a sliver of life to be found.

"If I wish to contend in the future against these people of extraordinary Origin/Foundation and enduring destiny, Cultivation and Dao Practice will be my foundation. I absolutely cannot fall behind..."

Taking advantage of his presence within a Saint's Dao Field, bolstered by Dao resonance, and the unprecedented clarity of his spiritual platform, Haotian began to ponder with all his might how to break free from his predicament.

Time flowed on in silence.

At a certain moment, Jieyin's tightly shut eyes suddenly flew open!

In an instant, countless layers of dreams arose and perished, endlessly cycling around him like illusions and bubbles.

Sorrow, suffering, stillness, transcendence, ultimate bliss... all manner of opposing states intertwined and shifted, ultimately returning to a tranquil stillness that was illusory yet real.

A vast, compassionate aura suffused with the meaning of stillness and transcendence settled firmly into place.

Jieyin, too, ascended to Da Luo!

Within Purple Firmament Palace, thanks to the formation set by Hongjun, cultivation resources could practically be called limitless.

To the Two People of the perpetually barren west, this was no different from sweet rain after a long drought.

Jieyin's breakthrough this time had foundations far more solid than those he could have attained through his usual Hard Cultivation.

Who knew how many more years passed.

Within Yan Dao Hall of Purple Firmament Palace, Hongjun Dao Sound remained calm and vast as ever, expounding upon the subtle and profound mysteries of the Da Luo realm: "The Valley Spirit never dies; this is called the Mysterious Female."

"The gate of the Mysterious Female is called the root of Heaven and Earth."

"Softly, softly, it seems to endure; draw upon it, and it is never exhausted..."

"Bzzzz!"

Along with the Dao Sound, brilliant light abruptly burst forth above Zhunti's head!

A hazy phantom of a greater world that was being opened and evolved emerged.

Within it stood the Dharma manifestation of a towering, boundless Bodhi Treasure Tree, its branches and leaves seeming capable of bearing up all the heavens, holding up the sky and bracing the earth.

Beneath the tree sat a phantom resembling Zhunti in appearance, though wiser and more limpid. It chanted true words as the light of wisdom spread far and wide.

The wondrous Bodhi Tree—the manifestation of wisdom!

At this moment, Zhunti's cultivation was likewise complete, and he stepped into the wondrous realm of Da Luo!

Almost at the same time, Haotian, who had kept his eyes closed in concentration and painstakingly deduced matters with the aid of the Saint's Dao resonance, abruptly opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flashed through them and vanished!

"My slow cultivation stems from this stubborn stone True Form!"

"Though I am a Primordial Chaotic Stone and, after receiving enlightenment, became an Innate Dao Body, my essence remains a stubborn stone."

"Within this stone body lie endless deposits of chaotic dust and innate turbid matter. Like fine jade veiled in dust or divine gold wrapped in rust, they clog my spiritual apertures and limit the realization of my potential."

"If I wish to alter my aptitude, there is no need to seek any other method. I need only find a supreme treasure to thoroughly refine these 'impurities' within me, purify them, and return to root and source. Then my innate Origin/Foundation will naturally reveal itself in full, and my cultivation will advance a thousand miles in a day!"

With the vast perspective and supreme wisdom granted by Hongjun's sermon, Haotian had finally seen through his own barrier and found a theoretical solution.

As for how to accomplish it in practice... an object instantly came to his mind.

In the Primordial Wilderness, as far as he knew, there was only one supreme treasure capable of "reverting the acquired to the innate" and "refining all things, Revert to Root, Return to Origin."

It was the Qiankun Cauldron, capable of refining Heaven-Mending Stones!

"This Treasure..." Haotian's gaze involuntarily and extremely discreetly swept over the two adjacent golden lotuses before him, settling upon Nuwa and Fuxi, who were immersed in profound comprehension of the Dao.

"It seems I must add another stroke to my original plans..."

There were no years in the preaching of the Dao.

When the final true word of the Great Dao left Hongjun's lips, its lingering echoes gradually dispersed into the void.

The vast phenomena that had persisted in Yan Dao Palace for who knew how many ages also slowly drew in and subsided like a long whale drinking in water.

The first to emerge from that wondrous state of merging with the Dao, forgetting both self and all things, were Grand Supreme Elder Lord, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, and Jieyin.

The three awakened almost without distinction of order. Their auras fully withdrew, divine light shone brilliantly between the opening and closing of their eyes, and they were completely awake, their Dao Hearts firm and wholly unaffected by even the slightest trace of lingering Dao resonance.

Haotian, who had maintained a measure of awareness all along to observe the situation inside the hall, immediately noticed this and inwardly shuddered. "These three truly possess the most outstanding temperaments and cultivation."

The reason for his judgment was that when Hongjun preached the Dao, the resonance of his supreme Great Dao naturally spread throughout the surroundings.

For listeners whose realms were lower than his, it possessed an irresistible allure and assimilating power, causing them to unconsciously sink into it, unable to extricate themselves.

Even though the sermon had ended, the "inertia" of its lingering resonance would persist for some time, like a melody still echoing around the rafters.

To break free from this "after-intoxication of the Dao Realm" at once and return to clarity required an unyielding Dao Heart, a clear recognition of one's true self, and a refusal to be led astray by external paths.

Immediately afterward, Tongtian Sect Master, Styx, and Burning Lamp also awoke in succession, their auras steady and their gazes sharp.

Seeing this, Haotian was even more astonished.

Tongtian was decisive and ruthless in battle, while Styx was cold and obsessive. Their swift awakening was still within expectations.

But Burning Lamp... that he could awaken right after these figures—his Dao Heart's steadiness, his will's firmness, and his precise grasp of opportunities truly exceeded Haotian's expectations.

"Burning Lamp... in the memories of my previous life, though he was a guest of Purple Firmament Palace and held in high seniority, he was unlike other Great Powers who cherished their dignity."

"Later, he was even willing to humble himself and seek to take Primordial Lord of Heaven, also a listener at Purple Firmament Palace, as his master... After being tactfully refused, he became the Chan Sect's Vice Sect Master."

"After the Investiture of Gods Great Tribulation, he assessed the situation and decisively led some of the sect members to defect to the West..."

"Such flexibility, able to bend and stretch—he could cast aside face and reputation alike, seeking only the 'Great Dao' and 'opportunities'..."

Haotian's thoughts spun rapidly, and an idea quietly took root. "Perhaps... this person can be used?"

"If I can cater to his preferences, it may not be impossible to bring him under my command and use him for myself."

Such a thing would be harder than ascending to heaven for other proud Innate Divine Beings, but for Burning Lamp, whose "pragmatism" had reached the extreme, it was not entirely impossible.

While Haotian pondered in secret, Primordial Lord of Heaven, East Prince, Zhunti, Nuwa, Fuxi, Zhenyuanzi, and one Great Power after another also gradually awoke from the lingering resonance of their enlightenment, their bearing becoming even more composed and profound.

A long while later.

When the thousands of Great Powers inside the hall had all returned their spirits to their original positions, their auras each settled and steady, Hongjun's indifferent gaze swept across the entire gathering once more as he spoke:

"This sermon shall be divided into three sessions."

"What I have expounded today, The Way of Grand Unity, was the first."

"Now that the sermon has concluded, you may freely discuss the Dao within this hall, mutually verifying what you have gained this time and debating points of difficulty."

"When the period of Dao discussion ends, if there is anything you do not understand, I shall answer it for you."

Having said this, he turned his head slightly toward Haotian and Yaochi, who stood waiting at the side. "You two may go as well. Choose Daoists you know well and participate in the Dao discussion."

"Such an opportunity to exchange and verify insights with Great Powers from every side is exceedingly rare. It must not be missed."