Within Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, Wood Qi hung like mist, and the rhythm of the Dao flowed as gently as water. This was one of the Primordial Wilderness's rare blessed lands, a tranquil world unto itself, seemingly far removed from the turmoil of Calamity Qi outside.
At the center of the courtyard, the Four Symbols Plantain Tree cast shifting shadows. Dao patterns flickered among its branches and leaves, as though every leaf bore a fragment of Heaven and Earth Ultimate Truth.
Beneath the tree, Lord Wanshouyuan sat on a cattail cushion in a blue-green Daoist robe. His aura blended seamlessly with this paradise of Yi Wood as he explained the workings of vitality in the Wood Scripture to the two young attendants standing before him, Qingfeng and Mingyue.
His voice rang clear, every word a gem. He spoke of the profound principles of plants withering and flourishing and of life's cycle, from how a seed drew nourishment from the earth and broke through the soil to how a towering tree followed the seasons as its flowers bloomed and fell. His words were easy to grasp yet rich with the Mysteries of the Great Dao.
The two boys listened, spellbound, their minds rising and falling with his lecture. Even the strange flowers, exotic herbs, and spirit plants in the courtyard swayed gently. The rhythm of their breathing seemed to echo his words, filling the courtyard with still more life.
Qingfeng and Mingyue held their small faces taut with concentration, afraid to miss a single word.
They had only recently advanced to the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm. Their Primordial Spirits had just taken shape, and their Dao bodies still needed refinement. This was the crucial time to solidify their foundations and understand their own paths.
Every lecture from their master—they were used to calling Lord Wanshouyuan that, since it was usually the avatar who taught them—was as precious as rain after a long drought. Each was a cornerstone of their future Dao Foundations.
But halfway through the lecture, just as he reached the subtle point of "when Yi Wood meets spring, vitality rises from the Niwan Palace, flows through the meridians, stirs the liver qi, gives rise to lesser yang, and circulates endlessly through the body,"
Lord Wanshouyuan suddenly stopped. Smiling, he gazed toward the depths of the clouds beyond the temple, his warm eyes seeming to pierce every barrier of space.
Qingfeng and Mingyue had been utterly absorbed. The Primordial Unity-level Yi Wood immortal power within them had begun to circulate more freely, as if imitating the vitality of spring. When their master stopped so abruptly, confusion crossed their faces. They exchanged a glance and saw the same question in each other's eyes.
Quick-witted Mingyue caught on first. His dark eyes lit up, and he asked in a bright voice, half expectant and half certain:
"Master, have Master Hong Yun and... the other master returned?"
He stumbled over the words, unsure how to address Zhenyuanzi himself in front of Lord Wanshouyuan. Zhenyuanzi's aura was deeper and his source was one with their master's, but they had spent much less time with him.
Lord Wanshouyuan smiled and nodded. "They have. They've reached the Mountain Gate."
No sooner had he spoken than the clouds and mist outside Wuzhuang Temple rippled like a still lake struck by two pebbles. They had lingered there for years and looked ordinary, but concealed the mysteries of folded space.
Two streaks of light, one yellow and one red, crossed the sky like meteors. They seemed unhurried yet moved with astonishing speed, their rhythm perfectly attuned to Longevity Mountain's Mountain Protection Great Formation. They slipped through its barrier and landed silently in the courtyard without disturbing a speck of dust. The light faded, revealing Zhenyuanzi and Ancestor Hong Yun.
Zhenyuanzi still wore his plain, earth-yellow Daoist robe. His expression was peaceful, his eyes deep as ancient wells. His aura was naturally harmonious, faintly linked to the vast Earth Vein Spiritual Energy of Longevity Mountain. He seemed part of the land itself.
Ancestor Hong Yun wore a scarlet Daoist robe, his usual open, slightly irreverent smile on his face. His eyes were clear, and auspicious clouds swirled around him, lending him an air of unfettered ease.
Both their auras were fuller and more refined than when they had left. Their journey to Buzhou Mountain had brought encounters with great powers and a few twists along the way, but they had clearly gained much from it. Their Dao hearts had advanced, and their understanding of Heaven and Earth Law had deepened.
"Haha, we're finally back! Nothing beats the peace and freedom of Longevity Mountain! Has everything been well here?"
Impatient as ever, Hong Yun laughed as soon as his feet touched the ground. After greeting Lord Wanshouyuan, he glanced with familiar concern at the Four Symbols Plantain Tree, the Innate Spiritual Root that defined Wuzhuang Temple. Seeing its lush branches and leaves and its undisturbed Dao rhythm, he nodded in satisfaction, relaxing as though he had come home.
Zhenyuanzi smiled warmly and nodded to his avatar, Lord Wanshouyuan. In that instant, their divine senses exchanged a wealth of information. Original and avatar understood each other without needing words.
His gaze moved to Qingfeng and Mingyue, who hurried to bow. With a light sweep of his sleeve, a gentle but irresistible force lifted them to their feet. "Rise. There's no need for ceremony. Your auras are steady and restrained, and your Wood Vitality is flourishing. You haven't neglected your cultivation lately. Your realms have grown much more stable. Very good."
Lord Wanshouyuan rose. As an avatar formed from Zhenyuanzi's will and part of his source, he already knew everything the original had experienced and gained. He smiled and replied:
"Original, Fellow Daoist Hongyun, thank you for your efforts on the journey. All is well on the mountain. The formations are operating normally, and the Spiritual Energy Loops remain orderly.
"The Golden Dragon Shell is also developing smoothly. The Imperial Dragon Qi and Innate Geng Metal Qi within it are drawing closer to a perfect union. Its intelligence is growing steadily, and its aura becomes more powerful by the day.
"But fully nurturing and awakening its true spirit requires its source to be reshaped. That cannot be done overnight. It will take time and the right opportunity."
He had given them a brief account of the temple, particularly the progress made with the Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Shell and its boundless potential.
After their greetings, Zhenyuanzi dispensed with small talk and turned to the chief gain from their journey.
He swept his sleeve again. A mellow, peaceful yellow-brown light flashed, and a sphere condensed from pure Wutu Essence Qi appeared on an open patch of the courtyard, countless tiny Runes flowing across its surface.
Inside the sphere, a vigorous vine with an innate Dao rhythm curled and wound upon itself. Seven colors of precious light—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—flickered along it. Beside it flowed a cluster of Chaos Spiritual Liquid that seemed to hold limitless vitality, its aura mingling with the vine's.
"This is the great opportunity we found on Buzhou Mountain," Zhenyuanzi explained to Lord Wanshouyuan, as well as to Qingfeng and Mingyue, who stared with wide-eyed wonder.
"It is the Gourd Vine, an Innate Spiritual Root. Born of innate creation, it bears seven Innate Treasure Gourds, each with its own mysteries and corresponding to a different Great Dao Law. They are still growing and have yet to mature.
"The liquid beside it is the Chaos Spiritual Liquid born alongside it. Formed from the Chaos Aura left over from the beginning of the world, it works wonders in nourishing spiritual roots and awakening vitality."
Hong Yun could not resist adding an excited account of how they had found the vine: how he had sensed it and how they had collected the Gourd Vine through destined affinity.
He pointed in particular to the scarlet gourd whose aura most closely matched his own Dao of Clouds and carefree nature. Pride and gratitude mingled in his voice. "This treasure truly is destined for me. Our auras are linked. Once it matures, it will be a marvelous treasure of immense power to protect my path!"
Lord Wanshouyuan stepped closer to examine it. He had inherited all of Zhenyuanzi's memories, knowledge, and some of his divine abilities.
He could clearly sense the faint Merit Profound Yellow Qi surrounding the Gourd Vine—a reward for nurturing spiritual treasures and thus benefiting heaven and earth—as well as its vast, pure innate vitality, which seemed capable of giving rise to all things. He nodded in admiration.
"An extraordinary thing indeed! Innate Spiritual Roots are rare enough. One that can nurture several Innate Spiritual Treasures at once is rarer still, an anomaly even in the Primordial Wilderness.
"Transplanting it here to be nurtured by Longevity Mountain's abundant Earth Veins, away from the turmoil of Calamity Qi, was a wise choice. It is far better than leaving it on Buzhou Mountain to endure the elements and become entangled in Karma."
Zhenyuanzi's expression grew solemn. He took out the divine soil he had obtained from deep within the heart of Buzhou Mountain: the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. Nine-Colored Rosy Glow shimmered around it, and it gave off a vast, weighty aura, as though it were the source of the Great Earth Mother Qi.
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