The moment Xuanqing finished speaking, three vast wills, each as awe-inspiring as the might of heaven, enveloped his soul at once, as if they feared it might grow legs and run off the very next second.
One was imposing and domineering, one razor-sharp, and one tranquil and inactive.
These three auras were all different, yet they came from the same source.
"This creature has a deep foundation and a pure heart. He is suited to cultivate my tranquil and inactive Dao, quietly reciting the Yellow Court in Great Clarity."
"Would you like to take me as your master and comprehend the ways of Great Clarity and non-action?"
"Elder Brother, you're mistaken!"
"How could such a fine piece of jade spend his days sitting in solitude? He should follow me, sword in hand, roaming freely across the world! Come to Highest Clarity, and I'll grant you complete freedom!"
"Take me as your master, and I will teach you the Shangqing Great Dao."
"Hmph. Those with poor aptitude will build castles in the air, no matter how many techniques they know. This Spiritual Root was the first plant born after the world began. No one in the Primordial World can match his origins. Join my Yuqing, discern the workings of heaven, and expound the truths of the Great Dao!"
"Take me as your master, and I will pass on the Yuqing Immortal Technique."
The three voices rang directly in Xuanqing's soul. Every word contained boundless Dao Rhyme, making his soul tremble as if it might be assimilated at any moment.
"All three of them actually came at once."
Xuanqing was shaken to the core, but outwardly he remained calm.
Although Xuanqing knew who had arrived, he hadn't expected that breaking through would draw all of them out at once.
And all three of the Pure Ones wanted to take him as their disciple!
After Yuanshi, Laojun, and Tongtian had spoken, they each stood in a different direction, their expressions composed and their bearing otherworldly as they awaited Xuanqing's choice.
At the sight of this, Xuanqing's thoughts raced.
Whom should he take as his master?
It seemed like a tremendous opportunity, but one misstep could lead to an entirely different outcome—even endless calamity. Their identities alone made every decision crucial.
As a transmigrator, Xuanqing knew the Dao and path each of these three future Heavenly Dao Sages would follow.
Taishang Laojun, Leader of the Human Sect, valued tranquility and non-action. He had only one disciple, Xuandu.
Xuanqing was an Innate Spiritual Root, and was ultimately a poor fit for the teachings of the Human Sect. He would likely never receive the full extent of Taishang's instruction.
Tongtian Cult Leader accepted all kinds of disciples, and ten thousand immortals came to pay court to him. It sounded the most grand and heroic. But Xuanqing knew that this also led to the Interception Sect becoming a jumble of good and bad, tangled in countless entanglements of Karma. In the end, it was nearly wiped out during the Investiture of the Gods Calamity. He had no desire to become one of the names on that list.
Just as Xuanqing's divine sense turned toward Yuanshi, Yuanshi Tianzun noticed that the arrival of the three of them had frightened the surrounding Spiritual Roots. He gave his sleeve a gentle wave, dispelling the invisible aura of the Great Dao around them and restoring them to normal.
As a Spiritual Root himself, Xuanqing couldn't help but be moved by the sight.
This Sage valued one's origins and was fiercely protective of his own. Although the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect would face many tribulations in later ages, most of them remained safe under Yuanshi Tianzun's protection.
To others, Yuanshi Tianzun's emphasis on one's origins might have been a barrier.
But for him—the first Innate Spiritual Root in the Primordial World—it was the greatest protection he could ask for!
His origins were the finest proof of pedigree in the Primordial World. Even if everyone said Yuanshi hated those born from the damp or hatched from eggs, what did that have to do with him?
Joining the Chan Sect was the safest choice and the one that best served his long-term interests. And then there was Yuanshi Tianzun's gesture just now...
Xuanqing's thoughts raced, and he made his decision in an instant.
But he was only a Spiritual Root now. He couldn't speak or bow.
How could he express what he wanted?
Xuanqing focused his thoughts and drew upon the most fundamental wisp of his Innate Spiritual Qi.
This wisp of Qi was utterly pure and contained the mysteries of the world's creation. By offering it, he could make the Three Pure Ones understand his choice at once.
He carefully controlled the wisp of Qi and let it drift slowly from the tip of his lotus leaf.
This green-gold wisp of Qi showed no hesitation under the watchful wills of the three mighty figures.
It floated past Taishang Laojun and Tongtian Cult Leader, then slowly settled on the divine sense avatar representing Yuanshi Tianzun.
Though the gesture was small, its meaning was clear.
For a moment, silence fell at the foot of Kunlun Mountain.
Taishang Laojun withdrew his will, a knowing smile appearing on his face as he nodded gently.
"The Dao follows nature. This is for the best."
Tongtian Cult Leader pursed his lips. Though a little disappointed, he was mostly carefree. With a sweep of his sleeve, he laughed. "Never mind, never mind! This little fellow does seem like Second Brother, with his attachment to orthodoxy. Since he has chosen for himself, I won't force him."
A rare smile appeared on Yuanshi Tianzun's long-frosty face.
This was not merely the joy of gaining an excellent disciple. Yuanshi also felt that Xuanqing's choice affirmed his own Great Dao.
"Good!"
Yuanshi Tianzun spoke a single word, and his words became law.
He flicked a finger, sending a wisp of exceptionally pure Pangu's Clear Qi flying from his fingertip. It instantly entered Xuanqing's true form.
"Through your origin, I have learned your name. From this day forward, you are the First Disciple of my sect, with the Dao name Xuanqing."
His grand voice echoed across Kunlun Mountain, announcing the birth of the future Sage's first disciple.
Xuanqing gently stirred his Innate Spiritual Qi in reply.
"Boom!"
Just as the two established their master-disciple bond, heaven and earth changed. Amid swirling clouds and mist, two golden pillars of light, one large and one small, descended from the sky.
The sight was magnificent. All sentient beings in the vicinity bowed their heads.
As one of the Pangu Orthodox, Yuanshi was the Yuqing of One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones. Taking Xuanqing, the foremost of the Spiritual Roots, as his disciple was naturally a great merit for the Spiritual Roots of heaven and earth.
"Boom!"
Yuanshi Tianzun clenched one hand in the air and seized the mystic yellow aura, refining it in an instant.
As merit and fortune poured into him, Yuanshi's cultivation, stalled for tens of thousands of years, finally broke through!
With a "boom," spiritual energy surged around Yuanshi, and he leaped from the early Daluo stage straight to the middle stage.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Elder Brother!" "Congratulations, Second Brother!"
Tongtian and Laojun bowed to him at the same time.
Yuanshi smiled faintly and returned the bow to his two brothers.
Then the three of them turned to look at Xuanqing.
Xuanqing couldn't refine it as quickly as Yuanshi, and he hadn't even taken human form yet. But he had refined merit once before, so this time he was more familiar with the process.
"This aura suggests he's about to break through to the Mystic Immortal Realm."
Tongtian said softly, wanting to step forward for a closer look.
"Wait."
Just as Tongtian was about to approach, Yuanshi stopped him. Tongtian looked at him in confusion.
"Third Brother, have you forgotten something?"
Yuanshi said with a smile.
"Oh."
Tongtian immediately understood, then stepped back to stand beside Yuanshi and Laojun.
Just as Xuanqing finished absorbing this merit and fortune, the heavens changed once more, and a second share of merit and fortune descended for him!
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