The Five Spirit Qilin trod upon auspicious clouds, carrying Dao Xuan as it leisurely traveled through the Great Desolation World.
Dao Xuan wore a Blue Gauze Headband. His face was like Mutton Fat Jade, his eyes bright and brows refined, his bearing elegant, every inch the image of a true master of the mystic sect.
Slightly behind him.
A rosy-cheeked child of about four or five sat cross-legged atop a gourd shimmering with flowing light and wreathed in seven-colored treasure radiance.
It was none other than Gourd Baby!
Two tiny topknots sat atop his head, each adorned with a lush green gourd leaf.
He wore immortal robes woven from Seven-Colored Gourd leaves, his pair of fair little feet bare and swinging through the air.
The Seven-Colored Gourd carried him steadily alongside the Five Spirit Qilin, neither too fast nor too slow, like the most obedient little tagalong.
The little fellow's large eyes darted about, finding everything novel.
"Teacher, Teacher! Look, look! Doesn't that cloud look like a huge peach?" Gourd Baby pointed toward the horizon, his voice crisp.
"Mm, somewhat." Dao Xuan answered blandly, maintaining his dignity as a teacher.
"Teacher, Teacher! That fish that jumped out of the big lake below has wings on its back! Can it fly?"
"That is a Wanyou Fish. It is good at flying," Dao Xuan patiently explained.
"Teacher, Teacher! That mountain is so tall! Taller than the highest mountain on Fangzhang Island! Do immortals live at the summit?"
"Perhaps."
Dao Xuan rubbed his brow.
"Teacher, Teacher! That bird has such a long, beautiful tail! It's all sorts of colors!"
"That is a Luan Bird."
"Teacher, Teacher! That tree is so strange, its leaves are golden!"
"That is a Golden Leaf Bodhi."
"Teacher, Teacher!..."
"Teacher, Teacher!..."
Gourd Baby's questions were like an unceasing stream, battering Dao Xuan's primordial spirit until it began to feel dizzy.
He had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, listened to the Dao Ancestor expound the Dao, debated methods with Saints, and even withstood three moves from an Ancestral Witch head-on, yet he had never felt so... utterly exhausted!
Raising a child was simply more grinding than comprehending the Primordial Dao!
Dao Xuan lamented inwardly.
He could only silently circulate the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique to steady his mind.
On the qilin's back, one appeared to be resting with closed eyes, while inwardly stormy waves roiled.
On the gourd, the other chattered endlessly, brimming with energy, his little feet swinging merrily.
The contrast was stark.
That day.
They traveled into a vast stretch of mountains.
The peaks were steep, and ancient trees grew in dense forests.
Suddenly, repeated thunderous booms came from a valley ahead!
"Roar—!"
A beastly roar filled with violence and Fierce Sha Qi shook the forest until the trees rustled!
Then came the sound of metal and stone clashing, along with a somewhat shrill, urgent shout!
Clearly, a battle was underway!
Dao Xuan raised a brow slightly, his divine sense already sweeping soundlessly across the area.
The situation in the valley was clear to him.
A golden-furred monkey at the Earth Immortal realm was fiercely battling a savage beast resembling a giant lizard, covered in pitch-black scales, with a single horn growing from its head and Fierce Sha Qi radiating from its body.
The beast's aura was wild and violent. It was astonishingly at the Heavenly Immortal realm!
The golden-furred monkey was agile, with sharp claws and fangs, and it wielded a thick stone staff.
But the gap in cultivation was too great. It was being forced back by the beast, repeatedly placed in peril!
Yet.
This monkey seemed to possess an astonishing innate instinct for battle!
Whenever it found itself at the brink of disaster, it always managed to evade fatal attacks through unbelievable footwork and instinctive reactions.
Though it was in a wretched state, several bloody wounds already marked its body, it stubbornly held the Heavenly Immortal beast at bay through its cleverness and fierce courage!
Dao Xuan nodded slightly.
This monkey did have remarkable talent.
However.
He had only just taken in the battlefield.
When Gourd Baby, seated atop the Seven-Colored Gourd, suddenly had his lively eyes burst forth with a light ten times brighter than when he saw some novel cloud!
"Wow! A fight! They're fighting!"
As if he had discovered an unparalleled treasure, his little face flushed red with excitement.
"Teacher, Teacher! Look! Something exciting is happening!"
Before his words had even faded!
This little ancestor did not wait for Dao Xuan to react at all!
His tiny hand slapped the Seven-Colored Gourd beneath him!
"Whoosh—!"
The Seven-Colored Gourd instantly turned into a streak of light, carrying his tiny figure like an arrow released from a bow as it shot toward the valley where the booms had originated!
It was so fast that it left behind only a trail of seven-colored afterimages!
"Gourd Baby!"
Dao Xuan was startled and hurriedly called out to stop him.
But how could he possibly make it in time?
That seven-colored streak had already plunged headlong into the valley!
Dao Xuan sighed helplessly.
That brat!
He could only lightly pat the qilin's neck.
"Follow him."
The Five Spirit Qilin gave a low roar, its four hooves treading clouds as it too transformed into a five-colored streak and followed close behind, descending into the valley.
Inside the valley.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
The golden-furred monkey had just been sent flying by a heavy sweep of the savage beast's tail. It slammed brutally into a massive boulder, spat blood, and lost hold of its stone staff.
A vicious gleam flared in the beast's eyes. With a roar, it opened its bloody maw, bared its rows of sharp fangs, and lunged at the severely injured monkey lying on the ground!
A foul wind rushed forward!
Despair flashed through the monkey's eyes.
At that critical moment!
"Hey! You ugly freak! Don't hurt anyone!"
A crisp, childish voice brimming with righteousness exploded like thunder above the beast's head!
The beast's lunging motion abruptly halted!
A seven-colored streak descended from the sky!
The light faded.
Gourd Baby stood with his hands on his hips, majestically blocking the golden-furred monkey!
His little face was taut, and his large eyes glared at the beast, which was many times larger than him, without the slightest fear!
"Where did this little brat come from? You're courting death!"
Though the beast was startled by Gourd Baby's sudden appearance and strange attire, it sensed that the other party's aura did not seem particularly powerful—Gourd Baby had deliberately concealed most of his Golden Immortal aura—and its ferocity immediately surged!
It abandoned the monkey on the ground. Its bloody maw, accompanied by a rancid gale, bit directly toward Gourd Baby!
It was faster! More imposing!
"Watch out!" the golden-furred monkey cried out in horror from the ground.
Gourd Baby, however, remained utterly calm.
A hint of excitement even appeared on his little face, as though he were thinking, Finally, it's my turn to show off.
"Hmph! Take this!"
He let out a childish shout!
Yet he made no visible movement.
He merely extended his soft little hand and lightly pressed it through the air toward the charging beast!
Buzz!
An invisible yet vast and majestic force descended in an instant!
It was as if the entire space had frozen solid!
The Heavenly Immortal beast, which had been charging in so fiercely, seemed to crash into an invisible Primordial Divine Mountain!
"Awoo—!"
It let out a warped, agonized howl!
The beast's enormous body flew backward with even greater speed than it had charged forward!
Boom!
It smashed viciously into a mountainside dozens of yards away!
Its hard scales shattered inch by inch, and blood sprayed wildly!
The mountainside was blasted into a huge crater, stones showering down in a rustling cascade!
The beast lay limp within the crater, its bones and sinews broken, blood flowing from all seven orifices. It was clearly beyond saving!
The entire process had been as swift as lightning and flint!
From Gourd Baby's appearance to his sending the Heavenly Immortal beast flying with a palm strike, only an instant had passed!
The golden-furred monkey lay on the ground, its mouth wide enough to fit an egg, its eyes bulging round as it stared in complete stupefaction!
This... this...
That terrifying savage beast which had nearly taken its life just moments ago...
Had been slapped to death by this child, who did not even look taller than it?!
Dao Xuan also descended at this moment atop the Five Spirit Qilin.
He happened to witness Gourd Baby's "great feat" of sending the beast flying with one slap.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
This boy certainly knew how to show off.
Still, the force of the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique contained within that clean, decisive palm strike had been wielded quite skillfully.
After dealing with the beast, Gourd Baby patted his little hands as though he had done something utterly insignificant.
He turned around and looked at the dumbstruck golden-furred monkey on the ground.
A smile he considered his friendliest appeared on his little face.
"Little monkey, are you all right?"
His voice was crisp and carried the innocence unique to a child.
Only then did the golden-furred monkey snap out of its daze.
It looked at the rosy-cheeked little child before it, who had saved its life, then at the beast's miserable state on the distant mountainside.
Struggling to rise, it ignored the pain covering its body and immediately bowed down in worship.
"Y-young master, thank you for saving my life! This little one... this little one will never forget your grace! I bow to you!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It kowtowed three times in succession.
Its movements were quick, and its attitude incomparably respectful.
Gourd Baby felt a little embarrassed by such a grand gesture, and his little face reddened.
Imitating how Dao Xuan usually helped Yushu and Xuanji to their feet, he extended his small hand in a gesture of support.
"Oh, no need to kowtow, no need to kowtow. Hurry and get up."
Only then did the golden-furred monkey dare lift its head.
Its gaze toward Gourd Baby was filled with reverence, gratitude, and a trace of... fervor?
Dao Xuan watched quietly from the side.
His gaze swept over the golden-furred monkey.
Its innate constitution truly was extraordinary, and it possessed abundant spirituality. In particular, its inborn battle instincts and fierce courage were rare indeed among the lowly creatures of the Great Desolation.
However.
When Dao Xuan's gaze inadvertently passed over the monkey's ears.
His heart suddenly stirred!
Behind each of the monkey's ears were two additional tiny flesh ears, nearly the same color as its fur!
Altogether, it astonishingly had—six ears!
"Six-Eared?!"
Dao Xuan's pupils contracted slightly!
A legend of the Great Desolation instantly flashed through his mind—the Four Mischievous Monkeys!
The Spiritual Stone Monkey, the Red-buttocked Macaque, the Gibbon Ape, and the Six-Eared Macaque!
This golden-furred monkey before him had six divided ears, innate spirituality, keen hearing, the ability to discern principles, know past and future, and comprehend all things!
It was precisely one of the Four Mischievous Monkeys—the Six-Eared Macaque!
Dao Xuan's thoughts raced as he secretly performed a divination with his fingers.
Though the heavenly secrets were obscure, combined with what he saw before him, the truth had become clear.
This monkey was the Six-Eared Macaque!
Legend had it that, relying on his innate divine ability, this monkey had once tried to eavesdrop on the Dao Ancestor's sermon at the Purple Cloud Palace. The Dao Ancestor had rebuked him with a single sentence: "The Dharma shall not be transmitted to the Six-Eared," severing his chance to hear the Dao.
From then on, all the great powers of the Primordial World took this as a warning and avoided him like the plague. No one was willing to accept him as a disciple or impart the Great Dao to him.
No wonder his cultivation was so meager that he could only risk his life fighting ferocious beasts here!
Dao Xuan understood.
At that moment.
When the Six-Eared Macaque saw Dao Xuan studying him with such profound eyes, especially when his gaze lingered on his six ears, his heart immediately tightened.
He knew that his origins were no secret in the eyes of true great powers.
Overwhelming panic and despair surged through him.
This immortal, whose aura was unfathomable, surely knew the saying, "The Dharma shall not be transmitted to the Six-Eared"!
With a thud, he knelt again, his voice filled with endless sorrow and pleading.
"Immortal, please see clearly! I... I truly am that Six-Eared Macaque!"
"I know my origins are lowly. I once committed a great taboo and am rejected by the Primordial World!"
"But ever since I gained spiritual intelligence, I have devoted my heart to the Dao and never harbored the slightest improper thought! I seek only to hear the Great Dao and escape this muddled suffering!"
"But... but..."
His voice choked, and all six of his ears trembled faintly.
"I have traveled throughout the Primordial World and visited countless immortal mountains and cave abodes, seeking only to enter beneath an immortal master's tutelage! I would have been content even as a sweeping boy, if only I could hear a few words of true teaching!"
"But... but because of these six ears, no one dared accept me! No one was willing to teach me!"
"Today, I was saved by the young master and granted the chance to behold your immortal countenance. This is truly the greatest fortune of my life!"
"I do not dare hope to enter beneath your tutelage. I ask only... only that you show mercy and allow me to follow at your side as a servant, serving tea and water, leading your horse and holding your stirrups! I am willing to swear a Heavenly Dao Oath: I will never eavesdrop, never betray you! I seek only to receive a trace of immortal fortune and hear even one ten-thousandth of the Great Dao!"
He repeatedly slammed his head against the ground until blood seeped from his forehead. His words were so earnest that they moved all who heard them.
Gourd Baby's little face scrunched up as he listened, his large eyes full of sympathy.
He tugged at Dao Xuan's sleeve and pleaded softly.
"Teacher... he's so pitiful... Can't you let him follow us? He said he'll never eavesdrop again, and he's even willing to swear a Heavenly Dao Oath!"
Dao Xuan looked at the desperately pleading Six-Eared Macaque, then at Gourd Baby's hopeful face.
Take in the Six-Eared Macaque?
He was not concerned about the phrase, "The Dharma shall not be transmitted to the Six-Eared."
The Dao Ancestor's words back then had been more a punishment for his eavesdropping than an attempt to condemn him completely.
Besides, times had changed.
What concerned him was his own identity!
He was the First Disciple of Xuanmen's third generation, the direct disciple of the Taiqing Saint!
If he accepted the Six-Eared Macaque as a disciple, then the macaque would indisputably become the First Disciple of Xuanmen's fourth generation!
That position concerned the fortune of Xuanmen itself. It was no trivial matter!
How could he be so hasty?
Yet this monkey's natural gifts and temperament were indeed rare.
Especially that heart devoted to the Dao—it had remained unchanged despite countless cold stares and rejections, making it all the more precious.
Dao Xuan pondered for a moment.
So be it.
The position of First Disciple of Xuanmen carried immense significance and could not be granted lightly.
But if he merely kept him at his side, observed his temperament, and tempered his Dao heart, there would be no harm in that.
If he truly passed the test, they could discuss taking him as a disciple later.
If not, finding him a place to settle down would still fulfill Gourd Baby's kindness.
Having reached this conclusion, Dao Xuan spoke calmly.
"So be it. Your heart toward the Dao remains sincere, and you were saved by my disciple. This may be considered fate."
"I may permit you to travel with us for a time. You may serve as a mount and await my orders."
"This shall be a period in which I observe your character. If you keep to your place, diligently pursue goodness, then perhaps I may find you a future path someday."
"But if you harbor ulterior motives or take a wrong step..."
Dao Xuan's gaze flashed like lightning as it swept across the Six-Eared Macaque.
"Do not blame this poor Daoist for showing no mercy and reverting you to your original form!"
The Six-Eared Macaque froze at first, then boundless ecstasy flooded his heart!
Though Dao Xuan had not directly taken him as a disciple, being able to follow such a true master of Xuanmen was already an opportunity he had never dared dream of!
"Thank you, Immortal! Thank you for your mercy, Immortal!"
His entire body trembled with excitement as he repeatedly kowtowed.
"I, Six-Eared, hereby swear a Heavenly Dao Oath: while following the Immortal, I shall keep to my place, diligently pursue goodness, never harbor the slightest ulterior motive, and never take a wrong step! Should I violate this oath, may I suffer heavenly punishment and have both body and soul destroyed!"
As the oath fell, an unseen response seemed to stir in the heavens.
Dao Xuan nodded slightly.
"Rise. Your injuries have not yet healed, so regulate your breath here for a while."
As he spoke, he flicked his finger, sending a streak of clear light into the Six-Eared Macaque's body.
It was the most basic healing chapter and qi-guiding method of the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique.
The Six-Eared Macaque felt a warm current flow into his limbs and bones. His injuries swiftly improved, while the faint demonic power within him seemed to be combed through, becoming pure and condensed!
Both startled and delighted, he quickly sat cross-legged and began regulating his breath according to that profound method.
Gourd Baby clapped happily. "Wonderful! Little monkey, you'll be following us from now on!"
He crouched curiously beside the Six-Eared Macaque and watched him regulate his breath.
Dao Xuan stood nearby with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.
His journey through the Primordial World had barely begun after leaving Fangzhang Island, yet he had already picked up a Six-Eared Macaque.
This journey seemed to be getting more and more interesting.
He glanced at Gourd Baby, who was eagerly watching the monkey regulate his breath.
At least this brat would not be pestering him for the time being with questions like, "Teacher, Teacher, what does that cloud look like?"
For some reason, Dao Xuan felt a measure of relief.
But this group...
A teacher riding a qilin.
A "son" sitting atop a Seven-Colored Gourd.
And a Six-Eared Macaque leading the horse and holding the stirrups...
No matter how one looked at it, this combination carried a rather... peculiar harmony?
Before you continue