Give It a Name

Xuanqing decisively put away the Innate Merit Treasure.

"The treasure is in my hands now. No one can take it from me. I can wait until my cultivation is higher—at least until I reach the Golden Immortal realm and can protect myself—before refining it."

Having made his decision, Xuanqing's mind grew clear. He cast aside all distractions and began to focus on digesting what he had gained from listening to the Dao.

At the same time, he formally began cultivating the fundamental technique bestowed upon him by Yuanshi Tianzun—the Myriad Qi Returning to Yuan Purification Technique.

This technique was perfectly suited to his true form, the Purifying Mystic Bamboo, and was divided into nine layers.

The first layer refined all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth he absorbed, removing its impurities, Malevolent Qi, and dust to transform it into the purest source of magical power. This made his cultivation far more efficient than that of others at the same level, and his magical power purer as well.

Xuanqing had remained at the first layer until then.

Now, however, drawing on the insights he had gained from listening to the Hongmeng Dao Ancestor's teachings, he began to break through to the second layer.

The second layer was called "Returning to Yuan."

At this stage, one could do more than purify spiritual energy. One could also absorb all kinds of other energies in heaven and earth, such as the power of the stars, Turbid Qi from the earth's veins, and the Nine Heavens Gale, and convert them into one's own source of magical power.

It was a qualitative leap!

Time slipped by quietly in seclusion. A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside his cave abode, Dao Rhyme flowed around Xuanqing, and his aura grew increasingly profound. The magical power within him had completely stabilized at the late stage of the Great Yi Mysterious Immortal realm, and had become incomparably dense.

Finally, on the last day of the three hundredth year, a faint sound rang out within him.

He had mastered the second layer of the Myriad Qi Returning to Yuan Purification Technique!

Xuanqing's eyes snapped open, bright with divine light. He could feel that his affinity for all kinds of energy in heaven and earth had increased more than a hundredfold.

Now, even if he found himself somewhere devoid of spiritual energy, he could forcibly draw energy from within his body to replenish himself.

"Excellent. This retreat has yielded a great deal."

Xuanqing nodded in satisfaction, rose to his feet, and stretched his limbs, ready to leave seclusion for some fresh air.

The instant he lifted the Forbidden Seals around his cave abode, a sudden change occurred.

"Rumble!"

The whole of He Mountain—or rather, the entire Kundu Mountain Range—shook violently!

A vast torrent of spiritual energy converged from every direction, forming a small vortex. At its center lay his He Mountain!

"What's going on? Has someone come to attack me?"

Xuanqing's first instinct was to be on guard. He immediately sent out his divine sense, sweeping toward the center of the converging spiritual energy.

His divine sense detected no enemies. Instead, he saw an unusual spiritual plant.

Nine-colored light surrounded the plant, and stars seemed to turn across its leaves. At its tip grew a fruit shaped like a fairy deer looking back over its shoulder.

"Is that... the Nine-Colored Deer Herb?"

Xuanqing recognized the plant. His master had once told him that besides its many immortal cranes, He Mountain was home to numerous rare spiritual plants. This was a top-grade acquired spiritual plant unique to Kunlun Mountain. Though it could not compare to his true form, it was still one of the finest treasures in Honghuang.

At that moment, the Nine-Colored Deer Herb was greedily devouring the spiritual energy converging around it, its radiance growing brighter and brighter.

"So it isn't an enemy. A spiritual plant is taking human form."

Xuanqing relaxed, then grew curious.

It was the first time he had witnessed another spiritual plant taking human form.

After absorbing an enormous amount of spiritual energy, the Nine-Colored Deer Herb began to turn translucent. Nine-colored light shot into the sky, weaving together overhead as it gradually outlined a hazy human figure.

Thunder rumbled as dark clouds gathered.

The tribulation for taking human form had arrived!

Yet its force was nothing compared with the spectacle Xuanqing had summoned when he had taken human form. It was like a minor shaman beside a Great Witch.

A few thin bolts of tribulation lightning struck down, only to be easily blocked by the nine-colored light.

Soon, the tribulation passed. The radiance gradually faded and merged into the human silhouette.

When the light vanished, a figure stood in its place.

She looked about sixteen or seventeen, and wore a long, emerald-green dress. Her skin was fair as snow, and her features were delicate.

The girl blinked, looking bewilderedly at her hands before lowering her gaze to her body, as if she had yet to adjust to her new form.

Watching from a short distance away, Xuanqing nodded to himself.

"An excellent foundation, and a perfect transformation. She has real potential."

He also compared her transformation to his own.

There was a fundamental difference between the transformation of an Innate Merit Spiritual Root like him and that of an acquired spiritual plant.

When an acquired spiritual plant took human form, it underwent a "spiritual-body transformation." First, it condensed a spiritual body. Then, through cultivation, it slowly transformed that body into a Dao Body. The process was long and arduous.

Xuanqing was different.

When he took human form, it was a "Dao Body transformation." His body had been constructed from the most fundamental laws of the Great Dao and the energy of merit. He was born in harmony with the Dao, with no bottlenecks to overcome.

That was the difference in innate potential. It was inborn and impossible to change.

As Xuanqing pondered this, the girl seemed to sense something and abruptly turned her head, meeting his gaze.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Wariness and panic flashed through the girl's eyes. But when she saw Xuanqing's face and felt the gentle aura he shared with her, her apprehension gradually faded, replaced by intense curiosity.

She stared blankly for a moment, then spoke in a clear voice, sounding uncertain.

"You... you're also...?"

Looking at the newly transformed girl, Xuanqing couldn't help finding her rather amusing.

The girl stood there helplessly in her emerald-green dress, clutching the hem tightly in both hands. Her eyes were full of panic.

"Stop looking around. I'm the Mountain Lord of He Mountain and the surrounding hundred li," Xuanqing said evenly. "You absorbed the spiritual energy in front of my cave abode when you took human form, so there's a bit of Karma between us now."

The girl shuddered at the words "Mountain Lord."

She could sense the aura Xuanqing gave off, the natural suppression a higher-ranked spiritual root exerted over a lower-ranked one.

Xuanqing's true form was the Purifying Mystic Bamboo, the first Merit Spiritual Root in heaven and earth.

She was only a Nine-Colored Deer Herb. Though rare, she was still no match for Xuanqing.

The fear that came from deep within her soul left her unable even to consider resisting him.

"Greetings... greetings, Senior." The girl struggled for a long moment before managing to say that much.

Xuanqing waved a hand. "There's no need to be so nervous. I'm a reasonable person. Since you took human form on my mountain, it means we're fated to meet. You can live on that Side Peak over there from now on. There are plenty of immortal cranes, and the spiritual energy is abundant."

He pointed to a small mountain nearby. It was perpetually shrouded in mist, and truly was a fine place for cultivation and quiet reflection.

"Thank you for taking me in, Senior." The girl hurriedly bowed, her manner exceedingly respectful.

Xuanqing thought for a moment. He couldn't keep calling her "girl"—she needed a name.

"Since you took human form from the Nine-Colored Deer Herb, and your true form bears a deer-shaped fruit, I'll call you Luyao from now on."

"Luyao... I have a name!" The girl repeated it twice, her eyes lighting up.

She was, after all, a spiritual being newly born into the world, with a simple heart. The happiness of receiving a name soon eased much of the fear she had felt moments earlier.