In an instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged in from all around and poured into Xuanqing, healing the injuries he had suffered during his tribulation.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound rang out inside him, as if some kind of shackle had been completely broken.
A mighty aura, far surpassing that of a Great Yi Mysterious Immortal, burst from Xuanqing and swept across the entire Back Mountain.
Golden Immortal. He had made it!
Xuanqing slowly opened his eyes, a flash of golden light passing through them.
He could clearly feel the changes in his body. Compared to when he had been a Great Yi Mysterious Immortal, he was worlds apart! His primordial spirit and physical body had also fused perfectly, becoming one.
This was a Golden Immortal: eternal in nature, impervious to the myriad tribulations.
From then on, as long as he did not encounter a Tribulation or draw the ire of a mighty Sage, he could live as long as heaven and earth.
A Great Yi Mysterious Immortal, though powerful, was still within the realm of "refining qi," accumulating magic power and comprehending laws.
A Golden Immortal, however, represented a leap in the very level of one's life. His primordial spirit could entrust itself to the void, and with a single thought, he could know what had happened within a radius of hundreds of millions of miles. His magic power had also transformed into Golden Immortal magic power, more than ten times as powerful as before.
Only after learning the difference between a Golden Immortal and a Great Yi Mysterious Immortal did Xuanqing realize how dangerous his situation had been. After all, Baize was a Golden Immortal too!
"But why didn't he take the opportunity to attack?"
A question arose in Xuanqing's mind, but he didn't dwell on it.
"At last, I've taken this crucial step."
Xuanqing rose to his feet and walked out of his cave. There, he saw Luyao waiting timidly at a distance.
Only when she saw him emerge unharmed did she relax. She hurried over.
"Congratulations on reaching the Golden Immortal Realm, Master!" Luyao said brightly, her face full of delight.
"Congratulations to you, too." Xuanqing smiled and nodded, in an excellent mood.
Over the next few centuries, Xuanqing didn't venture out again. He stayed in his cave, consolidating his Golden Immortal Realm and deepening his understanding of the Myriad Qi Returning to Yuan Purification Technique.
During that time, Luyao encountered a few bottlenecks in her cultivation after taking human form.
Her true form was a Spiritual Root. Although she had good aptitude after taking human form, she had no one to guide her, and her cultivation had been a bumpy road.
With little else to do, Xuanqing casually offered her a few pointers.
Now that he was a Golden Immortal, his insight was extraordinary. A few seemingly offhand words struck at the heart of Luyao's cultivation problems and made everything click for her.
With his guidance, Luyao's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and she was deeply grateful to Xuanqing.
Xuanqing gained quite a bit of merit from it as well.
Compared to the vast amount of merit he needed, this was only a drop in the ocean. Still, even the smallest bit counted.
Besides, it had shown him a new, sustainable way to farm merit.
"If I can earn merit by guiding Luyao, can I do the same for other Spiritual Roots?"
Once the thought occurred to him, he couldn't suppress it.
He was now Yuanshi Tianzun's First Disciple. Aside from his master and the other two Pure Ones' territory, he could go anywhere in the entire Jade Void Palace's Back Mountain.
The Spiritual Roots and immortal herbs growing beneath the Jade Void Palace were countless.
Wasn't this just a lush, green field of merit chives, waiting for him to harvest?
Now that Xuanqing was a Golden Immortal, a sweep of his divine sense could reveal the nature of every plant and tree within a thousand miles.
"In that case, why not try it out first?"
Before long, he spotted several promising seedlings in a valley rich in spiritual energy.
One was a Seven-Colored Treasure Lotus, which had already developed a little intelligence. Its lotus leaves swayed gently with the spiritual energy. Another was a Purple-Patterned Gourd Vine, with a little purple gourd hanging from it. There was also a clump of Golden Marrow Jade Fungus.
These Spiritual Roots were all high-grade, but they had clearly hit a wall just before taking human form and couldn't figure out how to proceed.
Xuanqing cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and struck the pose of an enlightened master.
"Ahem. How long have you been cultivating here?"
His voice rang directly in the minds of the Spiritual Roots.
The plants jumped in fright, their leaves trembling. They could sense the aura around Xuanqing—both familiar and imposing—and didn't dare to be rude.
"R-Reporting to the Upper Immortal, it's been over thirty thousand years." The Seven-Colored Treasure Lotus's leaves shook even harder as a timid thought reached him.
"About the same for me!" The Purple-Patterned Gourd Vine swayed its tendrils, its thought rather simple and honest.
Xuanqing nodded in satisfaction.
"I can see that you've developed intelligence, yet you still haven't managed to take human form. You must be lacking guidance."
"I am the First Disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun of the Jade Void Palace. Seeing how hard you've worked to cultivate, I took pity on you. So I'll offer you some guidance and help you attain the Great Dao sooner."
His words carried the air of an immortal sage.
The Spiritual Roots grew excited at once.
Yuanshi Tianzun—that was the master of Kunlun Mountain! This person was actually the Second Master's disciple. Such a great figure was willing to guide them personally?
"Thank you, Upper Immortal!"
"Your compassion knows no bounds, Upper Immortal!"
Xuanqing was overjoyed inside, but he kept his expression calm.
He held nothing back, explaining his insights into taking human form in simple, accessible terms and drawing on the principles of the Myriad Qi Returning to Yuan Purification Technique.
When he finished, he flicked a finger. A few drops of Purifying Mystic Bamboo energy, infused with his own essence, flew out and landed at the roots of the plants.
"This is my source energy. It will help cleanse your foundations and stabilize your origins. Cultivate diligently, and don't disappoint me."
After doing all this, Xuanqing clearly felt a little merit descend from above and merge into his Merit Golden Wheel.
It wasn't much, but small gains added up!
"It worked!" Xuanqing rejoiced inwardly.
In the days that followed, since the Zixiao Palace had yet to begin its lecture, Xuanqing registered every enlightened immortal herb and Spiritual Root in the Back Mountain. From time to time, he would give them extra lessons.
Xuanqing's Merit Golden Wheel also grew visibly more solid.
But although his merit steadily accumulated, it was still too slow. If he hoped to become a Merit Saint this way, he might have to wait until the end of time.
"I'll have to think of something else."
That was right: Xuanqing wanted to become a Sage, but specifically a Merit Saint. He had his reasons. A Merit Saint's divine abilities were inseparable from merit, and he just so happened to possess twice as much merit. This path suited him perfectly.
Soon, the time for the Third Lecture at Zixiao Palace would arrive.
As a transmigrator, Xuanqing knew exactly what this lecture meant.
Treasure Distribution and Saint Seat Determination!
These were the most important events in the entire Primordial World. If he missed this chance, becoming a Sage afterward would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
The six Prayer Mat seats had already been decided. They belonged to the six future Heavenly Dao Sages. The Three Pure Ones were Pangu Orthodox, Nüwa had the merit of creating humanity, and Jieyin and Zhunti had made great vows. Their Saint Seats were as secure as a mountain.
If he wanted to attain a Saint Seat someday, the only variable lay in the Seventh Primordial Purple Qi.
The Primordial Purple Qi that should have belonged to Ancestor Hong Yun, but ultimately brought him a deadly disaster!
"Ancestor Hong Yun..." Xuanqing sighed.
He was renowned throughout the Primordial World as a great do-gooder, a good-hearted soul. Unfortunately, in a world governed by the law of the jungle, being a good person came at a price.
"Sorry, Fellow Daoist Hongyun. That Purple Qi of yours would be better off in my keeping than in the hands of Kunpeng, that treacherous scoundrel."
Xuanqing felt not the slightest guilt.
He wasn't a saintly do-gooder. He was merely a transformed Spiritual Root who wanted to survive in the dangerous Primordial World. Achieving that goal would inevitably require some necessary measures.
Still, taking the Primordial Purple Qi from Hong Yun without attracting the attention of Kunpeng, Minghe, and those other Quasi-Saint mighty figures would be no easy task.
His current strength was nothing compared to those veteran powerhouses. After all, the difference in cultivation was simply too great.
Before you continue