The Deal is Done! This Seat Has Claimed the Human Race's Saint Master Position

At the back of Mount Sumeru, beside the Chaos Merit Pool that had been lavishly transformed, the atmosphere was delicate and solemn.

Daoist Taiyuan stood with his hands behind his back at the pool's edge. The Human Creation Whip, now reborn, its entire body crystalline and entwined with Dao Runes, swam joyfully through the water like a swimming dragon.

At the bottom of the pool, the Essence of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, excavated from Buzhou Mountain, radiated a warm, mellow Yellow Divine Light, complementing the surrounding Three Lights Divine Water.

Nuwa stood beside Taiyuan, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on the two treasures in the pool, her breathing growing rapid.

She could clearly sense that the Primordial Violet Qi within her, which had always lain dormant, was now violently stirring, as if it had encountered a long-lost relative, frantically urging her to touch those two items.

A Sainthood Opportunity!

Right before her eyes!

"Daoist Taiyuan..."

Nuwa's voice was hoarse, carrying a faint, barely perceptible tremor. "These two things, could they be...?"

"Exactly."

Taiyuan turned around, his expression solemn, with no hint of jest. He reached out, and the Human Creation Whip flew into his hand, while a lump of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil wrapped in Three Lights Divine Water floated in midair.

"Daoist, you once said you wished to create a new kind of life, but were troubled by the lack of a soul, a foundation."

"Now, everything is prepared; only the east wind is needed."

Taiyuan pointed at the clump of soil, his tone carrying the wisdom of one who had seen through the secrets of heaven:

"This soil is the essence of Father God's Spine transformed. With this as flesh, it can bear the creation of heaven and earth."

He then pointed at the divine water shimmering with starlight in the pool:

"This water contains the essence of the sun, moon, and stars. With this as blood, it can connect to spirit and wisdom."

Finally, he raised the vine in his hand:

"This vine is called the Human Creation Whip. With this as bone, or as a tool to flick mud droplets, it can mass-produce beings and allow them to multiply endlessly."

"Combine these three, along with your Creation Dao and the strand of Wish Essence I gifted you earlier..."

"The great deed can be accomplished!"

Boom!

These words, like a great bell, shattered the last fog in Nuwa's mind.

She seemed to see a brand-new race being born in her hands—a race that, though weak, possessed infinite potential, a creativity and resilience that other races lacked.

This wasn't just creation; it was... creating the protagonist of the world!

"So that's it... So that's it!"

Nuwa murmured to herself, her eyes blazing with divine light, her aura rising step by step, a faint Saintly Might spreading out.

She stared at the two treasures in Taiyuan's hands, her gaze burning, eager to seize them immediately.

But she held back.

Because she knew there was no free lunch in the world.

Taiyuan had gone to great lengths to obtain these things, even risking offending the Ancestor Witches. There was no way he had done it just to be a good person.

"Daoist Taiyuan."

Nuwa took a deep breath, suppressing her inner excitement, and said seriously, "I, Nuwa, will remember your great kindness. But such supreme treasures are too precious. If you have any requests, please speak frankly."

"As long as it does not violate the Dao and righteousness, I, Nuwa, will not refuse."

A clever one.

Taiyuan praised inwardly and stopped beating around the bush.

He dropped his smile, his eyes becoming extremely serious, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"What I want is simple."

"I can give you these two supreme treasures for free, to help you become a Saint."

"But I have one condition."

Taiyuan raised a finger, looking directly into Nuwa's eyes:

"In the future, when that new race is born, they must honor me as 'Saint Master.'"

"My Western Sect shall enjoy Thirty Percent of their Qi Yun and Teaching Merit, and this shall never be replaced!"

Saint Master!

Thirty Percent of Qi Yun!

Nuwa frowned slightly.

This condition was undeniably heavy.

Qi Yun was a mysterious thing, yet it concerned the continuation of a Saint's lineage.

Thirty Percent of Qi Yun—if that race truly became the protagonist of heaven and earth, this amount of Qi Yun would be unimaginably vast.

Taiyuan was trying to carve off a piece of her Sainthood fruit!

But then she reconsidered.

Without the things Daoist Taiyuan had provided, without his earlier guidance and that wisp of origin, even with the Primordial Violet Qi in hand, she might have been stuck at the threshold of sainthood for countless kalpas.

She might even have strayed onto the wrong path.

Besides, Taiyuan himself had contributed the origin force, counting as the "half-father" of that newborn race. Asking for the title of Saint Master seemed... reasonable, didn't it?

In fact, she even felt Taiyuan was getting the short end of the deal.

After all, the treasures were solid and real, while that so-called "Saint Master" and "karma" were still nothing but an illusory, unfulfilled promise.

What if that race never developed? Wouldn't Taiyuan have lost both his investment and his reputation?

"Daoist... just this?"

Nuwa asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "No spiritual treasures? No other resources?"

"Just this."

Taiyuan's tone was resolute, his eyes gleaming with confidence. "I believe the race you create will surely astonish the Primordial World. This deal, I don't lose."

"Fine!"

Nuwa hesitated no longer. She raised her right hand, and the Great Dao's laws swirled in her palm.

"I, Nuwa, swear by the Great Dao!"

"If I achieve sainthood through creation, I shall honor Daoist Taiyuan as Saint Master, and the Western Sect shall enjoy three-tenths of the race's karma. Let Heaven and Earth bear witness!"

Taiyuan raised his hand as well, and they clapped heavily.

Smack!

A crisp sound of the pact echoed across Mount Sumeru.

Rumble!

Above the nine heavens, the Heavenly Dao seemed to respond, sending down a thick golden thread of karma, binding their fates tightly together.

The contract was sealed!

[Ding! Congratulations, host! Successfully laid the groundwork for the future, securing the position of Human Race Saint Master!]

[Detected that this action will greatly alter the future course of the Human Race, even affecting the trajectory of the great tribulation.]

[Reward issued: Human Dao Supreme Treasure Seal (Fragmentary Seal).]

[Note: This seal is a treasure for suppressing Human Race karma. Currently in an inactive state. Once the Human Race is born and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors take their places, it will evolve into a complete supreme treasure. At that time, the host may wield authority over the rise and fall of the Human Race, even... challenge the Saints!]

Taiyuan's heart surged with ecstasy.

The Kongtong Seal!

This was the true "equity certificate" he had been after!

With this thing, who would become emperor of the Human Race, who would ascend to immortality, even the flow of Human Race karma—it would all be his word alone.

Laozi wanted to Establish Human Teaching? He'd have to ask this seal-wielding Saint Master first!

"Pleasure doing business."

Taiyuan smiled as he handed the Human Creation Whip and the ball of Essence of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil to Nuwa. "Take these. Go back and meditate in peace. When the time is ripe, that will be your moment to attain sainthood."

Nuwa received the treasures as if they were priceless gems, bowed deeply to Taiyuan once more, and without lingering, joyfully rode her cloud away.

She couldn't wait to return and go into seclusion to create humanity.

After seeing Nuwa off.

Zhunti, who had been holding it in all along, finally couldn't contain himself.

He watched Nuwa's retreating figure, then looked at the gray, brick-like seal in his elder brother's hand, his face twisted with pain and confusion.

"Elder Brother! How could you just give that away?"

Zhunti stomped his foot in agitation. "That was the Innate Gourd Vine! And the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil! Even trading for two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures would have been a profit! And you exchanged it for... an empty title? And a promise that might never come through?"

"Three-tenths of the karma? If that race has fewer members than a nest of rats, what good is three-tenths of the karma?!"

Jieyin also wore a look of regret, feeling that his elder brother had been blinded by beauty... no, by the halo of sainthood.

Taiyuan toyed with the Fragmentary Seal of Kongtong in his hand, feeling the faint but infinitely promising aura of the Human Dao within, and curled his lips into a cold smirk.

"Empty title?"

"Third brother, you're still too young."

Taiyuan patted Zhunti's bald head. "This isn't an empty title. This is equity! This is founder's stock!"

"The investment now is for a thousandfold, ten-thousandfold return later."

"When that race spreads across the entire Primordial World, when every god and Buddha fights for a sliver of their incense, then you'll know just how hard this 'brick' in your elder brother's hand really is."

Zhunti nodded, half-understanding. He still felt it was a loss, but since his elder brother said it was a win, it must be a win.

Just then.

A hurried sound of footsteps came from the foot of the mountain.

The man who had once been a spy but was now honorably serving as the Western Sect's chief gardener, Liuguang Daoist, came running up breathlessly, clutching a Messaging Jade Talisman in his hand, his face ashen.

"Elder Brother! It's bad! Something terrible has happened!"

Liuguang Daoist shouted as he ran, even losing one of his shoes along the way.

"What's the panic? If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

Taiyuan furrowed his brow, put away the Kongtong Seal, and resumed his usual languid demeanor. "Speak slowly. What's wrong?"

"It's... it's that old bastard, East King Duke!"

Liuguang Daoist ground his teeth, clearly holding no fondness for his former master. "He just issued a 'Prohibition Order' across the entire Primordial World in the name of the Head of Male Immortals!"

"He said... he said that Western Taiyuan has no respect for rank, secretly hoards precious treasures, and even has suspicions of colluding with the Witch Clan!"

"From this day forward, any Primordial World cultivator, especially male cultivators, is forbidden from trading any spiritual materials or Magic Treasures with the West! Anyone who dares to sell things to us or buy from us will be considered an enemy of Purple Mansion Continent and an adversary of the Head of Male Immortals!"

"He wants to... to impose an economic sanction on us!"

Upon hearing this, Zhunti erupted in fury, slamming his Sky-Turning Shovel into the ground with a thunderous crash. "That old bastard! He's trying to cut off our livelihood! Elder Brother, let me go destroy him!"

But Taiyuan was not angry.

On the contrary, after hearing this news, instead of getting furious, he let out a chuckle.

"Sanction me?"

"Economic blockade?"

Taiyuan shook his head, his eyes brimming with mockery. "Is East King Duke's head filled with paste? Who does he think he is? Dao Ancestor Hongjun?"

"As it happens, I've just developed a batch of new products and was wondering how to advertise them."

"This counts as... a gift-wrapped assist delivered right to my door."