Dao Brother, This Is No Small Gift

Zhu Yin got straight to the point. "May I ask why you have appeared here, Senior? What guidance do you have for me?"

Spirit Platform Mountain was his territory. He had cultivated here arduously for tens of thousands of years, and the spiritual vitality of its earth veins was gradually recovering. For an outsider to suddenly appear in the depths of the earth veins and happen to encounter him was clearly no coincidence.

If this Daoist had come to repair the earth veins and accumulate Merit, the Western Lands were vast and boundless. Why had he specifically come here?

Zhu Yin had been straightforward in his previous life, and now that he had become a spirit root, he was even less inclined to beat around the bush. He spoke plainly and directly.

Upon hearing this, the Cloth-Robed Daoist instead smiled in satisfaction. He nodded appreciatively and revealed his identity and purpose.

"This humble Daoist is Zhunti of Mount Sumeru."

"You were transformed from an Innate Spirit Root of the Western Lands. You have also taken the initiative to repair the earth veins and accumulate Merit. Both your temperament and character are excellent, and you have a master-disciple bond with me."

"I came here precisely to accept you as my disciple. Are you willing?"

The moment he heard the name Zhunti, Zhu Yin's heart jolted, and he could no longer maintain his calm expression.

...This was one of the future Six Heavenly Dao Sages!

Faced with such a heaven-sent opportunity, how could Zhu Yin hesitate? He immediately bowed and knelt without the slightest delay.

"This disciple, Zhu Yin, pays respects to Master!"

Seeing how decisively he acknowledged him as master, Zhunti was overjoyed. With a sweep of his sleeve, he used a stream of magical power to lift him up and repeatedly praised, "Good, good, good!"

"From today onward, you are the eldest disciple of my Mount Sumeru lineage."

Zhunti looked deeply gratified.

After listening to the Dao Ancestor's sermon, he had originally planned to travel to the Eastern Lands, forge good ties far and wide, and use the east to nourish the west. Yet before he could put that plan into action, a sudden feeling had arisen in his heart, and he had followed it here.

The instant he saw the changes in Spirit Platform Mountain's spiritual energy, he knew someone here had been quietly repairing the earth veins. When he performed a calculation, he discovered that Zhu Yin actually shared a master-disciple bond with him, which delighted him even more.

The Western Lands already had sparse spiritual energy, and talented individuals were rarer still. To encounter a living being transformed from an Innate Spirit Root, even if it was merely a Low-Grade Spiritual Root, was an immense stroke of fate for him.

Zhu Yin respectfully said, "Master, my Dao Field is nearby. Please enter the mountain and rest for a while, so this disciple may show some filial devotion."

Zhunti did not refuse and followed him into Spirit Platform Mountain.

Upon entering the mountain, he looked around and saw emerald bamboo stretching like a sea, spiritual vitality surging, clear mountain springs, and lush vegetation.

Zhunti nodded to himself. Although Spirit Platform Mountain lay in the Western Lands, it had been managed exceedingly well and already possessed the bearing of a fine spiritual mountain. Given enough time, it would sooner or later advance into a true Grotto-heaven Blessed Land.

Zhu Yin brought out spirit spring water and personally brewed a cup of bamboo tea, which he presented before his master.

"Master, there is little in these mountains with which to entertain you. There is only this cup of bamboo tea. Please have a taste."

Zhunti accepted the teacup and took a light sip. At once, his entire body felt refreshed, his senses sharpened, and his state of mind became clear and tranquil.

Though it did little to improve his cultivation, this bamboo tea truly contained a subtle wonder.

"Good tea."

"The bamboo leaves come from your true body and are brewed with Innate Spirit Spring water, naturally carrying spiritual charm."

"Your thoughtfulness is enough."

After resting briefly, Zhunti set out with Zhu Yin.

Naturally, Zhu Yin had no objections. If he relied only on his own comprehension and inheritance, he could at most reach Golden Immortal Perfection, and even then he would have to endure countless hardships. But with a Sage personally guiding him, his path would become far smoother. Why would he refuse?

Mount Sumeru far surpassed Spirit Platform Mountain. Its spiritual energy was abundant, its environment superior, and it would become the sacred land of the Western Lands. For Zhu Yin, cultivating there was an opportunity beyond his wildest dreams.

As they flew toward Mount Sumeru, the excitement in his heart gradually settled, and his resolve to become Zhunti's disciple grew firmer.

He was not some supreme god with peerless talent. Being able to take a Sage as his master was already an immense opportunity. How could he have the nerve to be picky?

Living in the Primordial Wilderness, he knew full well that Sages were exceedingly cautious when accepting disciples. Even if the Western Teaching thirsted for talent, it would never casually take in just anyone.

The threshold for the Saintly Dao would only grow higher in the future. Even the Interception Sect, which proclaimed that it taught without distinction, was not open to everyone, much less the other sects.

He had long since seen through it all:

The Three Pure Ones might be glorious, but conflict would never cease in the future. During the Investiture of the Gods Calamity in particular, the Interception Sect would be engulfed in blood and slaughter.

The Western Teaching, on the other hand, followed a tranquil path and did not enjoy conflict. It was instead better suited to a cultivator like him, one born of grass and wood with a peaceful disposition.

Besides, if he had left the mountain on his own to seek a master, he might easily have encountered calamities along the way and drawn the covetous eyes of others toward his spirit-root true body.

Now that a Sage had personally come to accept him as a disciple, how could he fail to seize this chance?

Compared to the lofty Sage disciples he had fantasized about in his previous life, this practical path was the one that truly suited him.

The weak had no right to be selective. Only by becoming stronger could he cultivate in peace and attain tranquil immortality.

At last, the two arrived at their destination.

The mountain before them was towering and majestic, its ranges stretching endlessly through swirling clouds and mist. A thousand lakes and myriad peaks surrounded it, spiritual herbs carpeted the ground, rare birds and strange beasts gathered in flocks, and dense spiritual energy surged like the tide.

...Mount Sumeru, the ancestral vein of the Western Lands!

Though it had not yet recovered to its peak, it was already an Upper-grade Grotto-heaven Blessed Land.

Standing in midair and gazing at the enormous mountain that resembled a divine pillar, Zhu Yin felt his heart and soul shake.

Compared to it, Spirit Platform Mountain was as tiny as a speck of dust.

A Sage's Dao Field truly lived up to its reputation!

Zhunti smiled at his disciple, his tone carrying a hint of wistfulness and pride.

"My disciple, this mountain is the ancestor of all mountains in the Western Lands... Mount Sumeru."

"Though it has been damaged by calamities, one day it will regain its former glory."

After saying this, he waved his sleeve and opened a passageway. He led Zhu Yin through the Mountain-Guarding Array and formally entered the Sage's domain.

Deep within Mount Sumeru, beside the Spirit Pond, a thousand White Lotus flowers swayed in the breeze, pure as snow. The pond water rippled with clear innate spiritual energy.

Following behind his master Zhunti, Zhu Yin entered a resplendent golden hall. Looking up, he saw another figure seated within.

The man was slender, with a trace of sorrow on his face, yet his entire bearing was ethereal and peaceful, dreamlike and illusory. He gave off a sense of embracing all things and cleansing the heart and soul with serenity.

He was the other future Sage of the Western Lands... Daoist Jieyin.

Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin had been close friends for many years. Before Daoist Jieyin, Zhunti appeared especially at ease. After completing the formalities, he could not help showing off with a touch of pride.

"Dao brother, what do you think of my disciple?"

Daoist Jieyin had long known that Zhu Yin had entered the sect. Divine light flickered in his eyes as he carefully examined Zhu Yin, then revealed an appreciative smile.

"This child was transformed from a natural spirit root, possesses outstanding aptitude and profound fortune, and even carries a halo of Merit. He is also a living being of our Western Lands lineage. He is indeed excellent material."

"Dao brother, you have truly found a treasure this time."

Zhunti laughed at his words and called out, "You brat, why don't you hurry over and pay respects to your martial uncle?"

Zhu Yin immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"This disciple, Zhu Yin, pays respects to Martial Uncle. May Martial Uncle soon attain the Dao, endure forever, and never fall."

Daoist Jieyin was amused by his blessing. Affection showed in his smile as he casually sent out a stream of magical power to lift him up. Then, with a beckoning gesture, he summoned a White Lotus from the Lotus Pond, which gently floated before Zhu Yin.

"Since you call me Martial Uncle, I cannot welcome you empty-handed. This Ninth-Grade White Lotus happened to mature on the day you entered the sect. It seems you have fate with it, so I shall give it to you as a gift of introduction."

Zhu Yin did not accept it immediately. Instead, he looked toward his master, Zhunti, seeking his opinion.

Zhunti lightly furrowed his brow, then said with a smile, "Dao brother, this is no small gift."