For a moment, the words on the page seemed to dance in midair, swirling around him.
The Myriad Wonders Divine Fire had an extraordinary origin. It was said to be a primordial creation born between heaven and earth, transcending the mundane.
The book described legends about the Myriad Wonders Divine Fire from all over the world.
For instance, Suirenshi drilled wood to make fire, bringing hope to the Huaxia People. Fire was used to drive away beasts, cook food, fire pottery, smelt metal, extract salt... It could be said that drilling wood to make fire was the starting point of all Huaxia civilization.
Curiously, the West had its own legends about fire.
The god Prometheus stole fire and brought light to the human world, igniting human wisdom and inspiring countless creations.
In both Eastern and Western legends, the fire that fell into the human world possessed an immense power—to shape civilization!
The arrival of fire had utterly changed human history, unleashing unprecedented creativity in the human race!
"The Myriad Wonders Divine Fire awakens the spirit and gives birth to gods."
Yuan Tianzong closed the book, excitement flickering in his eyes before quickly fading.
At last, he knew what the pale-white flame in his possession was.
The Myriad Wonders Divine Fire—the primordial divine flame that kindled the intelligence of living beings and gave rise to civilization!
So the golden lotuses blooming in the Heavenly Pool weren't creations of heaven and earth, nor were they some boon that had fallen from the South Heaven Gate illusion. They had bloomed because the aura of the Myriad Wonders Divine Fire had seeped out, filling a pool with lotus flowers. Each golden lotus had become a spiritual treasure capable of improving one's comprehension and potential!
Yuan Tianzong's comprehension had already been astonishing. In the Dharma-ending era, he had broken through the Grandmaster Forbidden Zone and entered the Grandmaster realm, shocking the world.
Now he had obtained this "flame of wisdom." Calling it a mere boon would hardly do it justice.
As he pondered, a wisp of pale-white flame appeared in his palm, swaying gracefully.
After studying it for a moment, Yuan Tianzong suddenly remembered something. He reopened the book to the page on the Myriad Wonders Divine Fire, then read it word by word, comparing the description with the flame in his hand.
"This isn't the seed of the Myriad Wonders Divine Fire..."
There was a difference between a flame and a fire seed.
The book described the fire seed: the primordial divine flame born when heaven and earth first opened.
Though the flame Yuan Tianzong had obtained was the Myriad Wonders Divine Fire, it wasn't the fire seed. It was likely just a wisp of flame shed from it.
That made sense. If it really were the fire seed born when the world first opened, its arrival would have shaken the whole world. It wouldn't have merely illuminated one corner of the Heavenly Pool, allowing the Nine Great Mountain Gates, countless smaller factions, and even individuals with little cultivation to stumble upon it.
A wisp of flame had given rise to a pool of lotuses that improved comprehension. Perhaps it would one day nurture many prodigies.
Even Yuan Tianzong was astonished by such a divine treasure. He hadn't expected it to be merely a wisp of flame split from the original. He couldn't imagine the power of the fire seed itself, or how it existed in the world.
After closing the book, Yuan Tianzong didn't leave Celestial Master Cave right away.
He wanted to look through more of the Daoist collection and find out more.
For instance, the Dao seed.
The unknown Dao seed was shrouded in mystery. It had been hidden in a hole in the receptacle of the Golden Lotus King, so it surely wasn't ordinary.
Yuan Tianzong didn't know whether it had withered completely, and he had no idea how to plant it.
He guessed it might need to be planted in a special way.
He also wanted to know how the later stages of cultivation were described, so he could find a direction for himself.
Why was the cultivation of inner energy bound by Shackles?
And why did cultivating true energy require Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao to enter the Grandmaster realm?
Questions crowded his mind, but he had no answers.
As Yuan Tianzong leafed through various records of Daoist lore, someone approached. It was the Old Celestial Master, who had only just lain down but was already back, his face deathly pale.
When he saw Yuan Tianzong, the Old Celestial Master's eyes flashed with surprise. "Fellow Daoist Yuan, I'll never forget that you saved my life. Please accept my bow!"
Yuan Tianzong didn't stop him, accepting the bow calmly. "It's all right. You weren't meant to die, so I happened to arrive in time."
At that, the Old Celestial Master gestured for the Sect Leader Celestial Master and the two elders to leave.
Once they were alone, the Old Celestial Master got straight to the point. "Fellow Daoist Yuan, may I ask whether you've entered the Grandmaster realm without using Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao?"
"Yes," Yuan Tianzong replied with a smile.
He knew the Old Celestial Master wouldn't have dared ask unless he already suspected the truth. But the answer was so shocking that he needed to hear it confirmed by Yuan Tianzong himself before he could believe it.
The moment he heard the answer, the Old Celestial Master broke into laughter. He laughed and laughed until tears welled in his eyes and streamed down his aged face.
"I knew it! I knew it! I knew the Shackles could be broken! Hahaha!"
"Grandmaster, Master, we were right! We were all right!"
Muttering deliriously, the Old Celestial Master suddenly dropped to his knees. His gesture was even more solemn than when he had thanked Yuan Tianzong for saving his life. "Fellow Daoist Yuan, you've fulfilled the long-cherished wish of three generations of Celestial Masters. Thank you."
"I'm a hundred and fifty-seven this year. I entered the temple at eight, began cultivating at ten, and took my first steps on the path at thirteen. I entered the Dragon Opening Realm at forty-five. Many people called me exceptionally gifted."
"Yet after entering the Dragon Opening Realm, I made no further progress. Back then, I was proud and ambitious. My master told me that Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao wasn't the only way to open the door to the Grandmaster realm and transcend the mundane."
"So I confidently and bravely began challenging the Grandmaster Forbidden Zone."
"For 112 years—an entire 112 years—the Grandmaster realm, which I'd once thought was just a step away in my youthful confidence, drifted farther and farther from me, like a star in the sky, out of reach."
"This retreat was my final attempt. I nearly died, and I thought my Grandmaster, my master, and I had all been wrong—that the Forbidden Zone truly was forbidden, and beyond what human strength could overcome."
"I never imagined that someone in this world had already accomplished this feat, broken through the Forbidden Zone, and become a Grandmaster."
"Fellow Daoist Yuan, you've taken a path unlike any other in cultivation today. You've truly opened my eyes!"
Yuan Tianzong quietly watched the Old Celestial Master weep with joy. He understood better than the old man just how difficult it was to reach the heavens by this path.
The Old Celestial Master could never have imagined that Yuan Tianzong had broken through to the Grandmaster realm a thousand years earlier, in the Dharma-ending era, when vital energy had dried up and all life had withered.
How much resilience did a flower blooming in barren land need to rival the splendor of spring—and even outshine it?
"Old Celestial Master, you've said your piece, right? I have to go." Yuan Tianzong remained unmoved. A few tears and some words of shared sentiment wouldn't make him feel that he had found a kindred spirit.
After all, he hadn't broken through to the Grandmaster realm. His path remained a lonely one.
Besides, he was an undocumented person in this era. The Shackles inside him had already disappeared, and that was a secret. He would never let outsiders find out and bring disaster upon him.
Yuan Tianzong strongly agreed with the theory of the Great Cosmic Silence.
"Fellow Daoist Yuan, please wait."
"Is something the matter?"
"Fellow Daoist Yuan, I have an unreasonable request. I'm not sure if I should ask..."
Yuan Tianzong shook his head. "Then don't."
The Old Celestial Master was at a loss for words. He hadn't expected Yuan Tianzong to refuse so bluntly.
He had wanted to invite Yuan Tianzong to become the Grand Elder of Celestial Master Temple, a position of great honor. Even the sect leader would have to greet him respectfully.
It seemed Yuan Tianzong wanted nothing to do with Celestial Master Temple.
In the end, the Old Celestial Master had simply been too greedy.
The Old Celestial Master sighed quietly, then raised his hand to call out again. "Fellow Daoist Yuan, please wait. I have an anonymous scripture here. Perhaps it was meant for you."
"Oh, are you giving it to me for free?" Yuan Tianzong turned to ask.
"Yes. It's free."
"All right, let me see it."
Before you continue