"Di Yuan!"
Committing his new name to memory, Jiang Yuan bowed to Lady Nuwa once more. "Thank you, Master, for bestowing this name. Di Yuan will never disappoint you."
He wasn't some clueless novice who knew nothing about cultivation. How could he fail to understand the meaning behind the name Di Yuan?
With this name, he might not become a ruler of heaven and earth like Di Jun or Di Jiang, but he would certainly become the ruler of the Human Race.
The word "Emperor" in Di Yuan had two meanings, one grand and one modest. The grand one meant Heavenly Emperor, ruler of the Primordial World. The modest one meant Human Emperor, ruler of the Human Race.
Even Lady Nuwa, a Sage, had no right to promise the Primordial World to Jiang Yuan. But she did have the right to promise him the Human Race. Giving him such a name was tantamount to appointing him ruler of the Human Race in advance.
That was only natural. Jiang Yuan was born human, was Lady Nuwa's disciple, and had made great contributions to the Human Race. It would be hard to justify not letting him lead the Human Race in the future.
"This treasure is called the Myriad Star Pot. It was once one of the seven Innate Gourds borne by the Innate Gourd Vine on Mount Buzhou.
"I plucked it and placed it in the Qiankun Cauldron, where it was refined alongside the origins of the sun, moon, and stars for countless ages. Only then did it become this pot, a top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure.
"It contains a world of its own, with ten thousand stars hidden within, hence the name Myriad Star Pot. It can attack and defend, aid your cultivation, and take in all things.
"When you meet an enemy, simply open its mouth and draw them inside. If the enemy is too powerful to be captured, you can release the stars within to protect yourself or fight them.
"When not in use, the stars within the pot will move on their own, condensing the Three Lights Divine Water, one of the Ten Great Innate Divine Waters. It is a water of creation that can aid your cultivation.
"Since you have taken me as your master, I have little else to give you. Take this treasure as a means of protecting yourself."
After the ceremony was over came the much-anticipated gift-giving. As a Sage, Lady Nuwa was naturally generous in this regard, and so she gave him a top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure: the Myriad Star Pot.
"Thank you for the treasure, Master!"
Jiang Yuan didn't stand on ceremony. Whatever Lady Nuwa gave him, he would accept. He immediately reached out and took the Myriad Star Pot as it materialized from the void.
As its name suggested, it was a pot. It looked splendid, its body a deep purple, with the sun, moon, and stars circling around it.
The name Myriad Star Pot sounded unfamiliar, and not like the name of a powerful treasure. But if you called it by its other name, it was another matter entirely: the Demon Refining Pot, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Treasures.
From Lady Nuwa's description, it was clear that the Myriad Star Pot was the Demon Refining Pot's predecessor.
Back then, on Mount Buzhou, there was a top-tier Innate Spiritual Root called the Innate Gourd Vine. It bore seven Innate Gourds in all, which were plucked one after another by the Three Pure Ones, Di Jun and Tai Yi, Hong Yun, and Lady Nuwa as they passed by.
Lady Nuwa arrived last, so she not only plucked a gourd but took the Innate Gourd Vine as well. That vine was later used to create humanity, becoming the Human Creation Whip.
The seven gourds that had been plucked were already supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. After their owners refined them anew, they grew even more powerful and were all elevated to top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasures.
The Innate Gourd Vine was truly incredible. It had produced eight top-tier treasures outright:
Saint Taiqing's Purple Gold Gourd, Saint Yuqing's Treasure Nourishing Gourd, Saint Shangqing's Water Fire Gourd, Di Jun's Demon Summoning Banner, Taiyi's Immortal Slashing Gourd, Hong Yun's Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd, and Lady Nuwa's Human Creation Whip and Demon Refining Pot.
No, it should be called the Myriad Star Pot for now. The Demon Clan Slaughter of Humans Tribulation had yet to occur. Lady Nuwa hadn't fallen out with the Demon Clan and was still the Empress Wa whom they revered. Why would she make a treasure like the Demon Refining Pot, which sounded as if it had been made specifically to counter the Demon Clan?
Before Lady Nuwa fell out with the Demon Clan, the Demon Refining Pot was the Myriad Star Pot. Of course, when the Myriad Star Pot became the Demon Refining Pot, it surely involved more than just changing its name. Its power must have increased as well.
In other words, the Myriad Star Pot was inferior to the Demon Refining Pot. But that didn't matter. The name alone made it clear that the Myriad Star Pot grew stronger by refining members of the Demon Clan, and only then became the Demon Refining Pot.
Since refining members of the Demon Clan could make it stronger, there was no need to wait for the Demon Clan Slaughter of Humans Tribulation. Jiang Yuan could turn the Myriad Star Pot into the Demon Refining Pot before then.
The Demon Clan would be essential to Jiang Yuan's path to becoming stronger. And what a coincidence: he needed to eat members of the Demon Clan to grow stronger, and so did the Myriad Star Pot.
Didn't that mean the Myriad Star Pot had practically been made for him? It was fated to belong to him.
"With this treasure protecting you, I can finally rest easy. While I'm in seclusion, no one will take your life."
After giving the Myriad Star Pot to Jiang Yuan, Lady Nuwa nodded in satisfaction.
A top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure was second only to an Innate Supreme Treasure. With it in hand, Jiang Yuan could protect his life as long as he didn't provoke Quasi-Saints.
And surely the Quasi-Saints knew the Myriad Star Pot's origins. Even if Jiang Yuan provoked them, they wouldn't dare go too far, if only out of regard for Lady Nuwa.
"By the way, while I'm in seclusion, if you have any questions about cultivation, you can go to the Heavenly Court and seek guidance from your senior, Emperor Xi."
Once Jiang Yuan's safety was taken care of, Lady Nuwa remembered his cultivation and gave him some instructions.
She would be in seclusion for at least a million years, during which she wouldn't be able to guide Jiang Yuan's cultivation. What should he do if he ran into something he didn't understand? Simple: go to the Heavenly Court and find Fuxi.
The two were siblings, and Fuxi knew everything Lady Nuwa knew. He would have no trouble guiding Jiang Yuan.
"You practice the Creation Scripture. Once you become a Heavenly Immortal, you must go to the Heavenly Court if you wish to advance further.
"Before reaching Creation Heavenly Immortal, you need only condense nine incarnations. After that, however, to reach perfection in Creation Heavenly Immortal and break into the Creation Taiyi Realm, you must condense thirty-six incarnations.
"To reach perfection in Creation Taiyi and break into the Creation Daluo Realm, you must condense one hundred and eight incarnations. To break into the Creation Quasi-Saint Realm, you must condense three hundred and sixty.
"Moreover, all these incarnations must be Innate Divine Beings. In the Primordial World today, the only place with enough techniques to make three hundred and sixty kinds of Innate Divine Beings is the Heavenly Court."
Lady Nuwa glanced at Jiang Yuan as she spoke. With her cultivation, how could she not sense his loathing for the Demon Clan? But no matter how much he loathed them, he still had to go to the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court held the Primordial World's largest and most complete collection of Daoist arts and divine abilities. It was a veritable cultivation sanctuary. If Jiang Yuan wanted his Creation path to reach perfection, there was no way around going there.
"This disciple understands."
Knowing Lady Nuwa had his best interests at heart, Jiang Yuan answered at once.
In truth, Lady Nuwa was mistaken about one thing. He didn't necessarily have to go to the Heavenly Court to gather three hundred and sixty techniques for Innate Divine Beings. Jiang Yuan only needed to eat more.
But condensing three hundred and sixty incarnations wasn't the key. The key was how to fuse them into one. And the Heavenly Court had a ready-made secret method for that.