Xuandan's current situation was more or less the same.
Who could have guessed that the moment he finished speaking, a Storage Bag would appear beside him?
Xuandan froze for a moment, then delight washed over him.
He sent his divine sense into the Storage Bag and found heaps of Houtian Spirit Roots and Demonic Beast remains.
They were all Alchemy materials, enough for Xuandan to squander for several thousand years.
He hurriedly bowed toward Eight Sceneries Palace.
"Thank you, Master, for bestowing these Alchemy materials upon your disciple."
Inside Eight Sceneries Palace, Laozi smiled.
He stopped paying attention to Xuandan and continued refining pills.
Meanwhile, Xuandan began cultivating according to the Golden Elixir Great Dao's cultivation method.
As someone born from a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir, he was indeed exceptionally compatible with this path.
In just five hundred years, he broke through to the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm.
Five hundred years—the same length of time Sun Wukong would be suppressed in later generations.
In the present Prehistoric World, it was no more than a blink of cultivation.
Xuandan didn't spend every day meditating in seclusion inside his cave abode, either.
Every hundred years, he would go out and roam Kunlun Mountain.
He also got to know quite a few fellow senior and junior disciples from the Chan Sect and Interception Sect.
Only his own cheap Senior Brother Xuan Du spent every day in seclusion, never emerging.
As a result, Xuandan always returned empty-handed whenever he went looking for him.
Feeling the atmosphere on Kunlun Mountain as it was now,
with the Three Sects living in harmony and the Three Pure Ones still blood brothers, as close as family,
Xuandan couldn't help feeling troubled when he thought about how they would turn against one another during the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.
He secretly swore that he would do everything in his power to change that final outcome.
Back then, Laozi had given him a thousand years to embark on the path of cultivation.
He had first spent five hundred years improving his cultivation, so naturally, he would spend the next five hundred years cultivating the Alchemy Dao.
Xuandan stood tall before the Four Symbols Cauldron.
The flame he conjured was called Fire in Wood, a Divine Fire of relatively low rank.
The alchemy formula naturally included methods for cultivating Divine Fire.
First, cultivate Fire in Wood, Fire in Stone, and Fire in Air.
Then they could be fused to form an elementary Samadhi True Fire.
Xuandan had only taken his first step on the Alchemy Dao.
He followed the alchemy formula to refine a pill known as the Tianxin Pill.
As the name suggested, it helped one understand their true nature and improve their comprehension.
Xuandan followed the steps in the formula, continuously adding ingredients and controlling the heat.
"Dried leaves from the Enlightenment Tea Tree, the essence of East Sea Water, Azure Spirit Dew..."
As the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures went into the Four Symbols Cauldron,
the fragrance of the pills drifted from Xuan Dan's Mansion in every direction.
Xuan Du happened to be passing by when he caught the scent, and surprise crossed his face.
"Could this be the cave abode of my junior brother?"
"I've heard that my junior brother has tried to find me many times without success. As his senior brother, I ought to do something."
"Now that I've come out of seclusion, I should pay a visit to my junior brother."
Xuan Du knew that Xuandan was refining pills and shouldn't be disturbed.
So he waited quietly outside the cave abode.
After all, they were fellow disciples, the only two disciples in the Ren Sect.
There was no need for such strict seniority rules between them.
Xuandan had no idea his cheap senior brother had already arrived outside his cave abode.
He continued focusing on refining the Tianxin Pills.
As time passed, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Two hundred years went by, making Xuandan realize that refining pills wasn't simple at all.
As the Four Symbols Cauldron trembled, Xuandan immediately opened it.
Four lustrous purple Tianxin Pills, exuding a rich fragrance, appeared before him.
At the same time, the system's voice suddenly rang in Xuandan's mind.
[ Ding! The host has refined a Tianxin Pill whose effects are ten times stronger. Side effect: transform into a Loli (duration: three thousand years). ]
Xuandan's delighted expression instantly froze.
His heart, which had been soaring to the Ninth Heaven, plunged into the Nine Abysses.
He had thought the debuff would amount to nothing more than a bitter taste or diarrhea.
Who could have guessed it would be transforming into a Loli—and he'd have to give the pills away to get the reward, too?
A scene suddenly sprang into Xuandan's mind: Kunlun Mountain full of Lolis flying around on swords.
He quickly shook his head, driving away all such distracting thoughts.
He stared at the four Tianxin Pills, his face troubled.
"Come to think of it... what exactly should I do?"
Right then, a deep voice suddenly rang out from outside the cave abode.
"This humble Daoist is Xuan Du. I've come to pay a visit to Junior Brother Xuandan!"
Section 3: What a Good Senior Brother—Xuan Du Turns into a Loli! Such Brotherly Love!
Xuan Du looked curious, a smile in his eyes.
After he, a member of the Human Race, had entered the Ren Sect and become a disciple of its Sage, Laozi,
he'd originally thought he was the Ren Sect's sole disciple.
He'd never expected a junior brother, Xuandan, to join him.
For this hard-won junior brother,
Xuan Du already felt very fond of him, even though they had yet to meet.
After his call, the cave abode's gates opened, and the formation shut down on its own.
Xuandan's handsome, otherworldly face came into view.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Xuan Du. Please, come in!"
Xuan Du felt his junior brother's warmth and was delighted.
It seems this junior brother is easy to get along with.
Following Xuandan, he soon arrived in the depths of the cave abode.
The Four Symbols Cauldron had yet to be put away and still seemed warm.
Xuan Du raised an eyebrow. Having immersed himself in the Alchemy Dao for many years,
he figured he could offer his junior brother some pointers.
However, as the eldest senior brother, it wouldn't do to show up empty-handed.
With a turn of his hand, a sword radiating sword intent appeared.
"Junior Brother, this sword is called Azure Profound. I came upon it by chance."
"It's of no use to me now, so I'll give it to you for protection."
Xuandan accepted the Azure Profound Sword, a delighted look on his face. He casually swept it with his divine sense.
A Mid-grade Houtian Spirit Treasure.
He was only at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm, so this treasure was perfect for protecting himself at his current level.
They were fellow disciples, so Xuandan didn't stand on ceremony.
"Thank you, Senior Brother. In that case, I'll accept it."
Seeing Xuandan accept the Spiritual Sword, Xuan Du was even happier.
"There's no need for formalities. Were you refining pills just now, Junior Brother?"
He had entered the sect long ago and believed he was qualified to teach Xuandan about the Alchemy Dao.
That was why he'd asked.
Mostly, he was curious about the pills his junior brother had been refining.
He remembered his first time refining pills.
He'd spent countless precious Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and blown up the cauldron countless times.
Only after all that had he reached his current level of mastery in the Alchemy Dao.
If Junior Brother's pills turn out poorly, I shouldn't criticize him. I should encourage him instead.
Xuan Du kept reminding himself of this.
Before you continue