Zhu Rong said breezily, "Go right ahead! I trust you!"
Gong Gong nodded. "What need is there for misgivings among us?"
Xuan Ming said coldly, "Little brother Pan Xuan, say no more."
Houtu said gently, "Do what you need to do."
Di Jiang rose. "We trust you."
Pan Xuan bowed deeply, walked up to Di Jiang, and pressed a hand to his shoulder.
The Righteous Vitality Formula circulated, and a gentle, pure power seeped into Di Jiang's body, flowing slowly along his meridians and examining every acupoint and every thread of blood and vitality.
Di Jiang opened his mind, offering no resistance.
A moment later, Pan Xuan opened his eyes, a trace of surprise flashing through them.
He examined Zhu Jiuyin, Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, Xuan Ming, Houtu... one after another, until he had examined all the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
"Brother Pan Xuan, what exactly is it?" Zhu Rong could not help asking.
Pan Xuan drew a deep breath and said slowly, "Elder brothers and sisters, the major acupoints throughout your Innate Dao Bodies are naturally open."
The Ancestral Witches were taken aback.
Pan Xuan continued, "Ordinary beings refining their bodies must use their blood and vitality to force open their acupoints one by one, spending countless origin cycles.
"But for all of you-all three hundred and sixty-five major acupoints have been completely unobstructed since the moment you took form, naturally perfect.
"You were born at the perfection of the Body-Refining Realm."
Zhu Rong's eyes widened. "We're that impressive?"
Pan Xuan smiled. "Not just in body refining.
"Each of you contains your own innate qi-fire, water, ice, earth, space, time... Those are the powers of laws bestowed by Father God's blood essence.
"These innate energies have long since formed their own seas of qi. You have no need to cultivate the Qi-Refining Realm either."
He paused, admiration in his voice. "Your acupoints opened naturally, your seas of qi formed at birth.
"Your Innate Dao Bodies have already reached great perfection in body refining and qi refining. You can begin directly with Will Refining and set foot on the Martial Dao."
Zhu Rong was delighted. "Wonderful! I knew there was no way I'd have to start from scratch like ordinary people!"
Gong Gong showed a rare smile. "With body refining and qi refining already perfected, we can concentrate on Will Refining and Dao Refining."
Houtu asked softly, "Will Refining... how should we cultivate it?"
Pan Xuan said, "There is no fixed method for Will Refining. Everyone's will is different, and everyone's Dao is different.
"But the will needs tempering. The Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light awakens understanding, and the World-Creation Diagram broadens your horizons, but the will itself must undergo a thousand hammerings and a hundred temperings through battle, contemplation, and adversity before it becomes steel."
He looked at Zhu Rong. "Brother Zhu Rong, yours is the will to burn all things to ashes, but also the will to temper all things.
"The will of fire lies not in destruction, but in creation. That axe stroke of Father God's was the purest fire."
Zhu Rong's eyes shone. "The fire of creation... the fire of tempering... I understand."
Pan Xuan looked at Gong Gong. "Brother Gong Gong, yours is the will to submerge all things, but also the will to bear all things.
"The will of water lies not in devouring, but in embracing. The separation of the clear and the turbid is the essence of water."
Gong Gong looked thoughtful. "Bearing all things... I understand."
Pan Xuan looked at Xuan Ming. "Elder sister Xuan Ming, yours is the will to freeze all things, but also the will to hold heaven and earth fixed.
"The will of ice lies not in cold, but in protection. The power of extreme cold is the power that steadies the four poles."
A flicker of emotion crossed Xuan Ming's cold, beautiful face. "Holding heaven and earth fixed... steadying the four poles... So that is how it is."
Pan Xuan looked at Di Jiang. "Brother Di Jiang, yours is the will to tear the void apart, but also the will to bear all things.
"The will of space lies not in shattering, but in embracing. Above, below, and in all four directions, everything thus has a place to belong."
Di Jiang said solemnly, "The emptiness that embraces everything... I understand."
Pan Xuan looked at Zhu Jiuyin. "Brother Zhu Jiuyin, yours is the will to hasten the flow, but also the will to witness everything.
"The will of time lies not in manipulation, but in recording. From the instant heaven and earth first opened, time has flowed eternally."
Zhu Jiuyin opened his clouded old eyes and said slowly, "The long river that witnesses everything... Well said."
Pan Xuan then looked at Jumang. "Brother Jumang, yours is the will to bring all things to life, but also the will of the cycle of withering and flourishing. Withering and flourishing in turn are the Dao of heaven and earth."
Jumang's azure robe stirred slightly. He nodded without speaking.
Pan Xuan looked at Rushou. "Brother Rushou, yours is the will to bare every edge, but also the will to bring death to all things.
"The will of metal lies not in sharpness, but in restraint. Harvesting in autumn and storing in winter are the very source of metal."
The light on Rushou's golden robe flickered slightly, and he nodded.
Pan Xuan looked at Qiangliang. "Brother Qiangliang, yours is the will of thunder with the weight of ten thousand jun, but also the will to cleanse heaven and earth.
"After the thunder passes, all things awaken anew."
Understanding appeared on Qiangliang's lean, formidable face.
Pan Xuan looked at Xizi. "Brother Xizi, yours is the will of lightning flashes and flint sparks, but also the will to connect heaven and earth. Between heaven and earth, only lightning can bridge the gap."
The lightning markings on Xizi's face flickered faintly as he pondered.
Pan Xuan looked at Shebishi. "Brother Shebishi, yours is the will to corrode all things, but also the will to dissolve the cycle of rebirth.
"After decay comes new life."
A rare trace of solemnity appeared on Shebishi's sinister face.
Pan Xuan looked at Tianwu. "Brother Tianwu, yours is the will to sweep up all things, but also the will of unfettered freedom. Between heaven and earth, only the wind is unbound."
The essence of wind flowed about Tianwu's brows and eyes, and he nodded slightly.
Finally, Pan Xuan looked at Houtu. "Elder sister Houtu, yours is the will to bear all things, but also the will to embrace everything.
"The will of earth lies not in weight and depth, but in compassion. The clear rises to become heaven, and the turbid sinks to become earth. The earth bears all things and never turns anything away."
Light flickered in Houtu's eyes. "The earth's compassion... embracing everything... I understand."
Pan Xuan took a step back and looked around at the Ancestral Witches. "You have all perfected body refining and qi refining.
"In Will Refining and Dao Refining, each of you has your own path.
"With the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light and the World-Creation Diagram at hand, this is the best time to work out the Martial Dao.
"Next, elder brothers and sisters, please begin working out your own paths of the Martial Dao."
Di Jiang rose and said solemnly, "Brother Pan Xuan has pointed the way for us.
"Each of us has our own path, but we can exchange insights and verify them against one another.
"From today onward, we will enter seclusion in Pangu Hall and work out our respective Martial Daos."
Zhu Rong was the first to jump up, laughing heartily. "Good! Let's see just how far I can condense my will of fire!"
Gong Gong rose as well, showing a rare fighting spirit. "The will of water bears all things. I will walk this path to the end."
Xuan Ming said coldly, "The will of ice holds heaven and earth fixed. Worth a try."
Houtu said softly, "The will of earth, the earth's compassion. I will work it out carefully."
Jumang, Rushou, Qiangliang, Xizi, Shebishi, and Tianwu all nodded, light flickering in their eyes.
As Pan Xuan watched, warmth welled up in his heart.
Their work on the paths of the Martial Dao had only just begun. This road was long and arduous, but they had one another, trust, and a common goal.
The thirteen settled down in Pangu Hall, each closing their eyes and focusing as they began working out their own paths of the Martial Dao.
During the long years in which the Ancestral Witches worked out the Martial Dao in Pangu Hall, the situation across the Primordial World was undergoing drastic changes.
The war among the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clans had already lasted countless origin cycles.
The three clans stood like the three legs of a tripod, keeping one another in check, none able to defeat another completely.
The Dragon Clan held sway over the four seas and ruled all the aquatic races beneath heaven;
The Phoenix Clan governed the skies, with all birds paying homage, and its homeland lay atop the Undying Volcano in the south;
The Qilin Clan ruled the earth, with all beasts submitting to it.
Each of the three clans had its own strengths and deep reserves. Though war never ceased, they had always maintained a delicate balance.
Yet someone was now breaking that balance.
Before you continue