Failed Apprenticeship

"Over the dozens of eras that this old Daoist has traveled through the Prehistoric World, most of those I saw preyed on the weak, and most places I visited were steeped in Malevolent Qi. Yet someone like you, Little Friend, who carefully tends a Pure Land and nurtures all things and Living Beings, is rarely seen," Hongjun said with undisguised praise.

Lin Yan's heart stirred, and he seized the opportunity to say, "You flatter me, senior. I merely feel that it was no easy task for Great God Pangu to create heaven and earth. Since we were born into this world, we bear the responsibility of preserving its peace and vitality. Besides, isn't a quiet, natural place more comfortable to live in?"

Upon hearing this, the admiration in Hongjun's eyes deepened. Stroking his beard, he nodded. "Well said! Your words, Little Friend, are deeply in accord with the principles of the natural Heavenly Dao. 'Heaven and earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs'—this is the impartiality of the Heavenly Dao. Yet the Heavenly Dao also cherishes life. Preserving life force and balancing Yin and Yang are likewise the direction of the Great Dao. What you have done may seem unintentional, but it is in truth an act of following Heaven and answering the Dao. In the future, you will surely be favored by the Heavenly Dao."

The two sat beside the giant stone and spoke quietly. Hongjun did most of the talking, while Lin Yan listened.

Hongjun had begun traveling throughout the Prehistoric World dozens of eras ago. Over the years, he had traversed nearly every corner of the Prehistoric World and knew its current situation extremely well.

Lin Yan hurriedly took the chance to ask what the outside world was really like. Since transmigrating here, he had not taken a single step beyond this canyon region and was immensely curious about the world outside.

At this time, Hongjun was not yet the future Dao Ancestor. His cultivation was only at the Golden Immortal Realm, and his personality was far less aloof than Lin Yan had imagined. On the contrary, he was quite talkative. Seeing Lin Yan's interest in the outside world, he poured out his experiences as if emptying beans from a bamboo tube.

After hundreds of eras of development, the Primordial World was no longer as barren as it had been at its beginning. However, the Innate Fierce Beasts remained the greatest calamity of the Prehistoric World. They were vast in number, slow to develop intelligence, and fearless of death. Wherever they passed, Living Beings Suffered.

At the same time, the Innate Deities born from Pangu's will had also emerged one after another. Ancestor Yin Yang, Ancestor Qiankun, Ancestor Yangmei, and others each commanded a considerable force. Relying on their extraordinary strength, they fought against the Innate Fierce Beasts and protected their territories from slaughter.

In addition, some powerful Innate Being clans had begun banding together for warmth and jointly fighting the Innate Fierce Beasts. Among them, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin clans possessed the greatest influence. These Innate Beings had arisen in response to fate. Not only did they possess formidable individual combat power, but they were also numerous. In Hongjun's view, they would surely grow into Overlords of the Prehistoric World in the future.

As for the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa and Fuxi, Di Jun and Taiyi, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches, with whom Lin Yan was most familiar, they might not even have been born yet. Lin Yan cautiously asked Old Daoist Hongjun about them, but seeing that he seemed never to have heard of any of them, Lin Yan quickly suppressed his curiosity and did not dare ask further.

He worried that Old Daoist Hongjun might grow suspicious of his origins. After all, a shut-in who had never left home should not know things that even a seasoned traveler like Hongjun did not know.

After listening to Hongjun recount so many stories of the Prehistoric World, Lin Yan's heart surged with excitement. At last, he had gained a relatively clear understanding of its current state. His tiny canyon was truly insignificant in the vast Primordial World. This small Earth Dragon that he was amounted to no more than an ant before those Great Divine Power Users.

Still, Old Daoist Hongjun held this weak little Earth Dragon in high regard, especially agreeing with Lin Yan's approach of "creating a beautiful ecological environment in the Prehistoric World."

"Though this place is small, Little Friend, it is thriving with vitality. Rare indeed, truly rare," Hongjun praised again. "However, I see that you have only just taken human form, and your strength is not great. Should a fierce beast attack, I fear this Pure Land of yours would be difficult to preserve." Hongjun spoke with some concern for Lin Yan.

Lin Yan hurriedly rose and agreed. "Senior is absolutely right. Not long ago, a small fierce beast nearly destroyed my little canyon." Remembering that Scorpion-tailed Demon Lion, he still felt lingering fear.

"Now that you have taken human form, Little Friend, you must cultivate diligently and improve your strength. Only then can you establish yourself in this chaotic age for the long term and protect this land in peace. You must understand that the Primordial Great Earth is far from peaceful." Hongjun spoke earnestly, as though his words carried deeper meaning.

"I have only just taken human form and know nothing about how to cultivate in the future. I wonder if I might take you as my master and learn some techniques for self-defense?" Lin Yan had harbored the thought of becoming Hongjun's disciple from the moment he first saw him. Being able to cling to such a future pillar of support as Hongjun would bring nothing but benefits to his future life as a dragon.

Others might not know, but Lin Yan knew perfectly well that as long as the script of the Prehistoric World continued developing according to the plot from his previous life, this Old Daoist before him would sooner or later become the number one figure in the Prehistoric World. He did not want to miss such a tremendous opportunity.

However, upon hearing this, Hongjun merely smiled and directly declined Lin Yan's request. "There is no master-disciple fate between you and this old Daoist for now, Little Friend. Moreover, this old Daoist's cultivation is not high at present, and I have no plans to accept disciples."

Lin Yan immediately felt somewhat disappointed. The future Heavenly Dao Saint had not taken a liking to him.

"However, meeting is itself fate. Here is a bag of Spirit Seeds with quite extraordinary origins. This old Daoist obtained them while traveling. Today, I shall give them to you, Little Friend. I hope you will cultivate them well. They may prove useful in the future."

With that, Hongjun took out a bag and placed it atop the giant stone.

Lin Yan had originally wanted to make another attempt at becoming his disciple, but now that Old Daoist Hongjun had produced this bag of Spirit Seeds, the meaning was already very clear: I really don't think much of you. The fate between us is worth only this bag of Spirit Seeds, so don't push your luck.

This bag of Spirit Seeds was, in truth, a form of rejection. Lin Yan also knew that forced fruit was never sweet. He could only rise to his feet and bow regretfully to Old Daoist Hongjun. "Thank you, Senior."

Hongjun calmly accepted his bow, then stood. "Now that matters here are settled, this old Daoist should continue onward. Should you have leisure, Little Friend, you may come to Jade Capital Mountain and discuss the Dao with me." Without waiting for Lin Yan to say anything more, his figure gradually faded, as though merging into the air, and vanished without a trace.

He came silently and departed gracefully. He truly was an immortal-like figure. Lin Yan stood where he was, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

But wasn't he leaving a little too hurriedly? Was he afraid Lin Yan would stubbornly continue begging to become his disciple? And besides, shouldn't he have left behind an exact location before going? Otherwise, how was Lin Yan supposed to know where Jade Capital Mountain was?

After Hongjun left, the several Earth Dragon subordinates finally dared to slowly crawl over. They gathered around Lin Yan, clumsily conveying emotions of curiosity and awe. Though their intelligence was low, they instinctively sensed that the Old Daoist from earlier was anything but ordinary.

Lin Yan patted them one by one and said, "He doesn't think much of us right now, but that's fine. We'll cultivate diligently on our own. Once he becomes a saint, we'll go to Purple Heaven Palace and ask again to become his disciples."

Though the Younger Brothers had only just developed intelligence, they could not understand the regret hidden in their leader's words. They merely twisted their bodies and went off to their favorite places to eat dirt.

After the Younger Brothers left, Lin Yan reopened the System Panel. He first studied the newly added [Civilization Inheritance Fire Seed] functional module and found that its method of use was not complicated. It mainly consumed his own Soul Power and Origin Power to condense a special "Spirit Awakening Fire Seed." Once implanted into a target Living Being's body, it could stimulate the origin of its soul and accelerate the awakening and growth of its intelligence.

The Earth Dragon subordinates had already awakened their intelligence, though it was not yet high, so the Spirit Awakening Fire Seed would not be of much use to them. Besides, Lin Yan estimated that with his current reserves of Soul Power and Origin Power, condensing three Fire Seeds at once was already his limit. Soul Power and Origin Power were not easy to restore, so Lin Yan decided not to waste the Spirit Awakening Fire Seeds on his Younger Brothers.

Lin Yan took out the diagram of the Nine Palaces Earth Vein Array, preparing to study it carefully. His canyon camp was practically exposed on all sides. Fierce beasts could come, Hongjun could come—whoever came, he could not stop them. He did not want people casually coming and going from his home. That gave him far too little sense of security.

The Earth Dragon Community home renovation and upgrade plan had begun, starting with installing a gate and walls around the home.