Mount Kunlun, Hall of the Three Purities.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Grand Supreme Elder, and Lord of the Heavens sat facing one another.
The aura of the Great Dao flowed through the hall, yet the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
"Junior Sister Nuwa forged a Postnatal Merit Supreme Treasure and slew the demon general Jiu Ying with a single strike."
Primordial Heavenly Venerate spoke slowly, his expression solemn and his tone carrying a hint of inquiry.
"What do the two of you think?"
Grand Supreme Elder held a whisk in his hand, his eyes half-closed in an air of detached inaction, but he said nothing.
Lord of the Heavens had always been the most direct. His sword-like brows rose as he said,
"Junior Sister Nuwa attained sainthood through the merit of creating humans. It is only natural for her to protect the human race. But... when did she acquire such astonishing skill in artifact refinement? I remember that when we listened to the Dao at the Purple Cloud Palace, she had shown no interest in this path."
This was precisely the doubt they all shared.
Though there were differences in strength among Saints, they generally understood one another's foundations.
There was no doubt that Nuwa excelled in the Dao of Creation.
But artifact refinement was Jade Purity Primordial's specialty.
Array formations were Upper Purity Tongtian's forte.
Pill refinement, meanwhile, was Grand Purity Grand Supreme's unique expertise.
Everyone had their own strengths and kept to their own domains.
Yet now, Nuwa had suddenly displayed artifact-refining methods far beyond their imagination. With a casual attempt, she had created a merit supreme treasure, leaving all of them with an indescribable feeling.
It was like a classmate who had always been quiet and unremarkable suddenly scoring full marks on a major exam—and in the subject you were best at.
"There is indeed something strange about this."
Grand Supreme Elder finally opened his eyes. They were calm and detached, yet they seemed capable of seeing through eternity.
"I made some calculations regarding the treasure seal's aura. Though its foundation is postnatal, the Dao principles contained within are exceedingly profound. It seems... to have touched upon a realm we have never entered."
Even their eldest brother had said so. The hearts of Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Lord of the Heavens churned even more fiercely.
"Could it be that Junior Sister Nuwa encountered another great opportunity after attaining sainthood?" Primordial Heavenly Venerate guessed.
Lord of the Heavens shook his head. "Saints are one with the Heavenly Dao. Their every action lies within the heavenly workings. If there truly had been a great opportunity, we would not have failed to notice it. Unless..."
He did not continue, but the meaning was obvious.
Unless the source of that opportunity had already surpassed the scope of the Heavenly Dao.
But how could that be possible?
The three Saints fell silent.
After a long while, Grand Supreme Elder said, "Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. Why don't the three of us pay a visit to Wa Empress Palace? First, we can congratulate Junior Sister on attaining sainthood. Second, we can discuss the Dao face-to-face and sound out the truth of her situation."
"Eldest Brother is right."
Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Lord of the Heavens nodded together.
Inside Wa Empress Palace.
Nuwa sat cross-legged atop a cloud bed, her divine sense sinking into her body as she carefully examined every change within herself.
She could sense that the source of that mysterious power was hidden deep within her Saint Body.
It was like a black hole—impossible to probe, yet endlessly feeding power back into her.
And the beginning of all this seemed to point to that "Innate Spiritual Fire" she had swallowed in one gulp.
"What... exactly are you?"
Nuwa asked softly in her heart.
Only silence answered her.
Chen Ran had naturally heard Nuwa's question, but he did not dare reveal himself yet.
The time had not come.
At present, he and Nuwa were merely "landlord" and "tenant." They were far from having enough trust to lay everything bare.
Keeping a low profile and growing stronger was the true path.
Just then, Nuwa sensed something and raised her head.
Outside the palace, auspicious clouds gathered, and purple qi arrived from the east.
Three equally vast Saintly auras approached from afar.
"The three senior brothers have arrived."
Nuwa rose, adjusted her palace attire, and returned to her usual cool calmness.
With a single step, she arrived at the entrance of Wa Empress Palace. She gave a slight bow toward the three figures before her.
"Nuwa greets her three senior brothers."
"No need for such formality, Junior Sister."
Grand Supreme Elder nodded faintly, while Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Lord of the Heavens returned the greeting.
"We came today to congratulate Junior Sister on proving the Dao of Hunyuan. From this day forward, you will remain unblemished through ten thousand calamities and roam freely and unrestrained," Grand Supreme Elder said.
"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brothers. Please, let us speak inside."
Nuwa invited the Three Purities into the palace. Host and guests took their seats, while immortal attendants served fragrant tea and jade nectar.
After some polite conversation, Primordial Heavenly Venerate could no longer restrain himself and finally turned the discussion to the real matter.
"Junior Sister, the day before yesterday, beneath Mount Buzhou, treasure light pierced the heavens. I presume Junior Sister forged some world-shaking treasure. Might you let us broaden our horizons?"
Nuwa's expression did not change, but her heart stirred.
She knew that this was their true purpose in coming.
She opened her jade-like palm, and the Sky-Flipping Seal appeared within it.
"It was merely a little trinket I casually refined to pass the time. I've only made Senior Brothers laugh at me."
She spoke as though it were nothing.
Yet the moment the Three Purities' gazes touched that treasure seal, their pupils contracted slightly.
They could clearly sense just how exquisite and perfect the Dao resonance flowing upon the seal was.
That was no longer mere "artifact refinement," but a method close to "creating the world."
"Good! What a fine treasure!"
Lord of the Heavens praised it sincerely. "Junior Sister's artifact-refining skill may already be no weaker than Second Brother's!"
Primordial Heavenly Venerate's face twitched, but he did not refute him.
Because he knew Tongtian was speaking the truth.
If he were the one refining it, he might perhaps produce a magic treasure of the same grade, but he could never do so as effortlessly as Nuwa, as though it were as simple as eating and drinking.
"Junior Sister, your artifact-refining art seems to contain a kind of... 'Dao' I have never seen before."
Grand Supreme Elder's gaze deepened.
What he saw was not the magic treasure itself, but the laws represented behind it.
Nuwa's heart tightened.
As expected of the foremost of the Three Purities—his insight was razor-sharp.
How was she supposed to explain this?
Should she say that she did not know either, that she had learned it after sleeping for a while?
Who would believe that?
Just as she pondered, Chen Ran inside her body began "teaching" again.
A completely new understanding of "civilization" and "order" quietly merged into her mind.
A flash of insight came to Nuwa. It was as though these words had always been hers to say, and she slowly spoke.
"There are three thousand Great Daos, and every one of them can lead to Hunyuan. My Dao lies in creation. In the past, when I created humans, I comprehended the true meaning of 'life.'"
"Since the birth of the human race, they have drilled wood for fire, built nests for shelter, and fashioned pottery into vessels... This is bringing something forth from nothing. It is the beginning of 'order.'"
"All living beings gather into tribes, tribes gather into forces—this is 'civilization.'"
"As I observed the evolution of Human Civilization, I gained some insight. So-called artifact refinement is merely granting ordered laws to unordered spiritual materials, allowing them to become vessels of civilization. This path may be called... the 'Way of Civilization.'"
Her words were plain and natural.
But to the Three Purities, they were no less than thunder from the nine heavens!
The Way of Civilization?
What kind of Dao was that?
They had never heard of it!
Yet every word Nuwa spoke was profound and contained the highest truth.
She had elevated artifact refinement to the level of "granting order to disorder" and "becoming a vessel of civilization."
Such a conception had already far surpassed their understanding of "artifact refinement."
The Three Purities fell into prolonged silence.
They felt as though, in discussing the Dao with Junior Sister Nuwa, they were schoolchildren still studying how one plus one equaled two, standing before a university professor already discussing calculus.
They were on entirely different levels.
After a long time, Grand Supreme Elder let out a deep sigh.
"Junior Sister's insights stand at a lofty height and have opened our eyes. It seems we were frogs at the bottom of a well."
Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Lord of the Heavens also looked at Nuwa with complicated expressions.
They had come to investigate the truth.
Instead, they had failed to uncover anything and received a lesson instead.
What exactly had happened to this sixth junior sister after she attained sainthood?
Why did it seem as though her realm had shot ahead like a rocket, leaving them far behind?
Filled with doubt and shock, they took their leave.
After seeing off the Three Purities, Nuwa stood alone at the entrance of Wa Empress Palace, watching the sea of clouds churn.
Her face was equally filled with confusion.
"The Way of Civilization... what exactly did I just say?"
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