Chapter 23

Later, he seemed to have entered Third Brother's sect...

The saint's thoughts raced, and the Karma became clear at once.

This should have been his **!

He was a thousand times better than True Person Huang Long!

The only Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root in the primordial world to take form—if properly nurtured, he would surely become the Pillar Supporting the Heavens of the Chan Sect!

Yuanshi stared at the figure moving with ease amid the thunder tribulation, regret surging within him like a tide.

If only he had kept him back then...

A slight ripple stirred in his saintly heart before being suppressed.

At that moment, Tongtian Jiaozhu's expression suddenly changed!

He and Yuanshi simultaneously glimpsed Lu Tian's past, their burning gazes shooting toward the Blood Sea!

Tongtian Jiaozhu still retained some memories of Lu Tian.

Back then, Lu Tian had wished to join the Three Pure Ones. Taishang and Yuqing had both declined to accept him, and Tongtian had ultimately taken him in.

Teaching without discrimination had always been the Dao belief Tongtian upheld.

Thus, he had never cared much about distinctions between sects or regions.

When he accepted Lu Tian, Tongtian had even been rather pleased, as Lu Tian was the first ** to come from the west. He believed his ideals had been put into practice.

But what was the reality?

Only after deducing the heavenly secrets and personally tracing the threads of Karma did he learn that although Lu Tian had joined the Western Teachings, he had endured countless hardships and been left in a worrying situation.

Upon closely examining Lu Tian's karmic threads, Tongtian discovered that Lu Tian's experiences in the Jie Sect had been so unbearable that even he had to admit—

Lu Tian had done nothing wrong by leaving the sect!

The filth and chaos of the Jie Sect's outer sect far exceeded his imagination, to the point that many ** could barely survive there.

"The outer sect must be thoroughly rectified."

"If it is allowed to continue, it will eventually become a calamity and erode the Jie Sect's fortune."

Tongtian made his decision in silence.

What he considered first was still the Jie Sect's foundation. This lineage into which he had poured his heart and blood could not be allowed to breed hidden dangers.

As for Lu Tian...

Tongtian's gaze deepened, and the look in his eyes became incomprehensibly complicated.

"What a pity."

"We should have had a bond of master and disciple."

His sigh was filled with remorse.

If Yuanshi merely felt regret, then Tongtian felt heart-wrenching remorse!

Such top-tier talent and aptitude should have shone brilliantly in the Jie Sect.

Had Lu Tian remained under his tutelage and received careful nurturing, then with his talent, he would surely have become one of the Jie Sect's finest.

How had he misjudged him back then?

The knot in Tongtian's heart could not be untangled.

If they had never been connected, he could have watched indifferently no matter where Lu Tian chose to go.

But...

This ** had once cultivated beneath him and listened to him expound the Great Dao.

Though those lectures had been delivered to all beings of the outer sect, the bond of master and disciple had existed nonetheless.

Yet because of his negligence, he had allowed the outer sect to rot until Lu Tian was ultimately forced to join the west.

What was even more ironic was that Lu Tian had actually displayed astonishing brilliance in the Western Teachings!

With Tongtian's insight, how could he fail to see it? The combat power Lu Tian displayed during his tribulation clearly allowed him to kill a Taiyi while still in the Golden Immortal realm!

Such talent was exceedingly rare even throughout the Jie Sect.

Moreover, his innate foundation and talent had now been fully revealed.

He had reached such a realm only ten thousand years after leaving the sect...

And much of that time had been spent traveling west.

Yet under such circumstances, he had still cultivated to Golden Immortal Perfection!

What an excellent seedling...

And yet he had slipped through his fingers!

Thinking of this, Tongtian could not help but sigh and shake his head with a bitter smile.

Only one thought remained in his mind—

Regret. It was far too late for regret!

Suddenly.

He sensed a gaze piercing through the void.

Across the endless sea of stars, that person first looked at Tongtian from afar before lightly patting Lu Tian's shoulder and offering a word of encouragement.

Lu Tian, who had just passed the heavenly tribulation, was full of vigor. Dao Charm flowed around him, and he faintly seemed poised to break free from his cocoon.

Before that person, Lu Tian behaved with great respect.

Then another figure appeared. Having likewise sensed Tongtian's gaze, he raised his eyes and met it from afar.

That glance...

Clearly carried three parts prideful display!

Who else could it be but Jieyin and Zhunti?

Noticing Tongtian's attention, the two naturally put on airs, silently thanking him for handing over such an extraordinary talent!

Tongtian's face instantly turned livid.

How arrogant!

Zhunti's actions were clearly ** on Tongtian's dignity.

He was thanking him for sending over such a heaven-defying disciple.

When Lu Tian became renowned throughout the primordial world someday, where would Tongtian's face be then?

How could Tongtian fail to understand this?

His face now burned with pain.

He blamed himself for being blind, for failing to recognize a true dragon and allowing a pearl to fall into the wrong hands!

Back when Lu Tian had listened to the Dao in Biyou Palace, he had always been ** and ordinary, trapped at the True Immortal realm. Even the lowest members of the outer sect had dared to humiliate him at will.

Who could have expected that after heading west, he would become like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss? His cultivation and Dao attainments advanced by leaps and bounds, while the mystery of his origin was completely unveiled—

He was actually a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root!

Such heaven-defying aptitude,

Was unique in all the primordial world!

This should not be... Back then, I clearly inspected him. His origin was nothing like it is now!

What methods had Jieyin and Zhunti used?

When the Three Pure Ones were together, we brothers all concluded that he had innate defects and was merely mediocre!

Tongtian muttered to himself, the furrows between his brows deepening.

Where exactly had they gone wrong?!

What he had seen with his own eyes back then had clearly been an inferior foundation, unworthy of cultivation!

Yet looking at him now, he had already reached the summit, his aptitude so heaven-defying it was beyond comparison!

Even those personal disciples under Tongtian...

Whether Duobao, Jin Ling, Gui Ling, or Wu Dang, the four great **

Among the many saintly sects, the Jie Sect possessed countless disciples and extraordinary strength, standing at the forefront.

Yet even so, not a single person in the entire Jie Sect could rival Lu Tian in foundation and reserves.

That was because his true body was a rare and peerless Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root.

In the primordial world, aside from Lu Tian, only ten Top-grade Innate Spiritual Roots were famed far and wide—

The Fusang Divine Wood, Moon Palace Osmanthus Tree, Ginseng Immortal Fruit, Peaches of Immortality Spiritual Root, Seven-Colored Gourd Vine, Bitter Bamboo...

Every one possessed the power to seize the Creation of Heaven and Earth, and all were controlled by the strongest beings of the primordial world.

Even figures such as the Three Pure Ones coveted them, yet they had never managed to possess even one alone.

They possessed only a single treasure gourd borne by the Seven-Colored Gourd Vine, something far inferior to the complete spiritual root.

A spiritual root of such rank was a supreme treasure of the primordial world. Obtaining even one could establish the foundation of a great sect.

The vast spiritual essence contained within it was enough to support the expenditure of an entire sect's core inheritance.

Precisely because of this, the difficulty of a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root taking form far exceeded ordinary imagination.

To Tongtian Jiaozhu's knowledge, since the creation of heaven and earth, only the legendary Ancestor Yang Mei had successfully taken form.

That was an unparalleled existence who had attained the Dao before even the Dao Ancestor!

Such origins made Tongtian regret his past oversight all the more deeply.

Especially when he saw Zhunti's triumphant expression, his face darkened like water.

Saints valued their dignity above all else, yet because of the interference of ** beneath his sect, he had lost an unparalleled genius.

What was even more painful was that Lu Tian had already joined the Jie Sect, only to be driven away by the despicable methods of petty outer sect members.

Without that bond of master and disciple, it might have been nothing more than ordinary regret.

But now, Tongtian's heart held only endless remorse—

If only he had strictly controlled the outer sect ** back then...

If only he had recognized Lu Tian's extraordinary foundation sooner...

Unfortunately, there were no ifs in this world.

At that moment, Lu Tian stood quietly beside Jieyin and Zhunti, completely unaware of the complicated gazes cast from afar.

After undergoing the Shaping Thunder Tribulation, his aura had become even deeper and more profound.

Though he could no longer bear immortal fruits like his spiritual-root body had, the Sky-Piercing Heart Aperture hidden within him from birth, along with his innate Dao Charms of creation and destruction, had already made his foundation unmatched throughout the primordial world.

Even compared to the Three Pure Ones, the legitimate descendants of Pangu, he was not inferior.

However, the Three Pure Ones' most precious opportunity was undoubtedly their merit from creating heaven and earth.

It was precisely this merit that had directly allowed them to become saints where they stood.

Lu Tian sighed inwardly.

Such favor from primordial chaos could be called destiny itself, something ordinary cultivators could never hope to attain.

With Great God Pangu's merit from creating heaven and earth, Lu Tian becoming a saint was already inevitable.

By comparison, quite a few transmigrators had fallen midway through their journeys.

Though Lu Tian lacked the protection of merit from creating heaven and earth, he possessed Zero World.

With Zero World, he could likewise create heaven and earth!

As long as Zero World continued evolving, it would one day become real. Such an achievement would be no less than the creation of heaven and earth, and he would surely reach the saintly realm then!

At this thought, the corners of Lu Tian's lips lifted slightly, and determination shone in his eyes.

Tongtian's expression grew complicated when he saw this.

That confidence made him regret it even more deeply—what a blessing it would have been if he could have accepted this person as his disciple.

Even Tongtian could not help but admire such sharp and unconcealed confidence.

In the end, Tongtian could only sigh softly.

Though his regret was deep, nothing could be undone.

"My Jie Sect disciples may not necessarily be inferior to him."

Tongtian's thoughts shifted, and a new idea suddenly emerged:

"Since he has joined the west, why not have Duobao and the others exchange pointers and discuss the Dao with him, to determine who is superior?"

As inspiration struck, Tongtian suddenly turned to Yuanshi. "Second Brother, earlier, you and I could not settle our dispute over Discussing the Dao. Seeing Lu Tian today has given me an idea."

Yuanshi raised a brow, not knowing why Lu Tian had made Tongtian think of their dispute.

Tongtian smiled. "Why not let our disciples settle our dispute for us? On another day, we can have them compete and discuss the Dao, so we may see whose teaching is superior."

Yuanshi pondered. Recently, the two had often argued over differing teachings—Yuanshi valued innate foundation and talent, while Tongtian advocated teaching without discrimination. Their ideals clashed, and their friction steadily increased. In particular, the Jie Sect's growing influence and its disciples' flamboyant conduct had made Yuanshi increasingly displeased.

"This method is feasible... Why not invite the Western Teachings to participate as well?"

Yuanshi looked toward the Blood Sea, eager to give it a try.

Though he was astonished by Lu Tian's foundation and regretted missing such talent, he looked down on the Western Teachings even more—what kind of decent ** could such a barren place possibly teach?

Perfect. He also wanted to test Lu Tian's true depth!

"Now you know to panic."

The corners of Zhunti's lips rose slightly as he withdrew his gaze from Kunlun Mountain.

His words carried pity for Lu Tian, as though he felt it was not worth it for him.

Back then, Lu Tian had gone through countless hardships to cross the boundary between east and west over ten thousand years in order to join the Three Pure Ones. When he had finally returned to the west in dejection, had the Three Pure Ones ever shown even the slightest concern for him?

If Lu Tian had not restored that heaven-defying foundation, why would they have given him a second glance?

Pity, regret, remorse...

In Zhunti's eyes, such behavior was simply too opportunistic.

Back then, they had treated him coldly because his foundation was shallow and left him to fend for himself; now that they saw his foundation had become complete, they regretted it bitterly?

If they had known this would happen, why had they acted that way in the first place?

If they had accepted Lu Tian as they did back then, without asking whether his foundation was deep or shallow, and carefully nurtured him based solely on his Dao heart—

How could Lu Tian possibly have betrayed such devotion?

Jieyin also smiled without speaking.

Neither he nor Zhunti had ever claimed to be honorable gentlemen.

Their terrible reputation in the east was due to the fact that they had indeed done things that disgusted the many powerful figures.

However...

When it came to caring for their disciples and pouring their hearts and souls into the western world, they had clear consciences.

Everything they had done was for a single long-cherished wish—

To revive the West!

How could they be unaware of the Eastern cultivators' curses?

But the two had long come to terms with it: to achieve their grand ambition, they would not hesitate even if ten thousand slanders fell upon them.

Those who hated them saw them as mortal enemies; the countless beings of the West saw them as heroes.