Nüwa Stone Appears, Nascent Spiritual Intelligence Emerges

Within the valley, beyond the azure barrier formed from chaotic currents, Taotie's enormous corpse was gradually being eroded by the lingering waves of chaos. Black blood seeped into the rocky ground, nourishing several nameless wild grasses that exuded a baleful aura. Yet within the barrier lay what seemed like an entirely different blessed paradise.

Xuan Chen walked slowly among the lush green spirit grasses. The soil beneath his feet was soft and damp, giving off a faint, fragrant spiritual aura. With every step, he could sense the vitality surging beneath the earth, standing in stark contrast to the savage and violent aura outside. His gaze remained fixed on the azure boulder at the center of the valley, and his heartbeat involuntarily quickened, full of anticipation yet tinged with unease.

This was the Nüwa Stone.

The stone stood over thirty feet tall, smooth and lustrous like the finest warm jade, yet it possessed an added ancient weight and simplicity from the dawn of chaos. Its surface was not smooth and even, but covered in naturally formed Dao patterns. These patterns flowed slowly as though alive, sometimes gathering into the form of the character "Heaven," sometimes transforming into the outline of the character "Earth," faintly corresponding to the laws governing heaven and earth in the Primordial World. Sunlight—though there was neither sun nor moon, only faint glimmers refracted by chaotic currents—fell across its surface, reflecting a gentle azure radiance that made the surrounding spirit grasses appear even more verdant and lush.

Xuan Chen stepped before the Nüwa Stone and extended a hand, carefully touching its surface. The instant his fingertips made contact, he felt a warm, gentle force flow into his body. This power was pure and soft, without the slightest impurity. It faintly resonated with the Primordial Origin Essence hidden within him, filling his entire body with comfort and instantly dispelling more than half the exhaustion left from his battle with Taotie.

What incredibly pure chaotic vitality! Xuan Chen marveled inwardly. As expected of a Chaos Relic Pearl born at the beginning of chaos. Merely the aura it emitted from its surface possessed such miraculous effects. He could clearly sense that this Nüwa Stone contained unimaginable potential within, like a slumbering Primordial Divine Phoenix. Once it awakened, it would surely shake the Primordial World.

The moment his fingertips touched the stone, the system prompt sounded in his mind right on cue:

[Target item detected: Chaos Relic Pearl (Nüwa Stone)]

[Status: Spiritual intelligence unopened; Chaos Origin Essence abundant; contains innate Creation Dao essence]

[Disciple acceptance requirements: The host's innate essence blood must be used as a catalyst, supplemented by the rudimentary form of the Great Dao True Exposition, to awaken the nascent spiritual intelligence within the stone. A contract may be formed after achieving soul resonance.]

[Warning: The Nüwa Stone is a supreme treasure of the Primordial World. It has already stirred faint Heavenly Dao perception in the surrounding area. The activation must be completed within one shichen, or it may draw the attention of other innate sacred beings or fierce beasts.]

"One shichen..." Xuan Chen's heart tightened. He knew full well that the Primordial World never lacked innate creatures that pursued advantage and avoided harm. Although the Chaos Origin Essence aura emitted by the Nüwa Stone was blocked by the azure barrier, the faint perception of the Heavenly Dao would inevitably draw the notice of certain existences. If he delayed too long, further complications might arise.

He withdrew his hand and slowly circled the Nüwa Stone, carefully examining every detail of its surface. At the base of the stone, he discovered an exceedingly tiny depression filled with a pool of clear spring water. A faint azure halo floated upon the water's surface—the very essence condensed from chaotic currents. On one side of the stone was a barely visible pattern resembling the outline of a woman. One could faintly make out the shape of a head, torso, and limbs. It was likely the embryonic form Nüwa would one day assume.

Xuan Chen could sense an extremely faint spiritual rhythm slowly pulsing deep within the core of the Nüwa Stone, like a newborn infant breathing within its mother's womb. This spiritual rhythm was utterly nascent, possessing no autonomous consciousness, yet it contained endless vitality and Creation Power. This was precisely the "unopened spiritual intelligence" mentioned by the system.

"To awaken this nascent spiritual intelligence, I'll need my innate essence blood and the Great Dao True Exposition..." Xuan Chen murmured. Because his innate essence blood had fused with the Innate Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Origin, it contained exceptionally pure Great Dao power, making it the finest key to awakening spiritual intelligence. As for the rudimentary form of the Great Dao True Exposition, it was a fragment of Great Dao mysteries included when the system had activated. Though merely a rudimentary form, it was enough to guide that nascent spiritual intelligence onto the path of cultivation.

He sat cross-legged before the Nüwa Stone, adjusted his breathing, and began circulating the spiritual energy he had just recovered within his body. The Chaos Breath Concealment Art continued operating slowly, ensuring that not the slightest trace of his aura leaked out. At the same time, he began recalling the contents of the rudimentary Great Dao True Exposition.

As its name suggested, the Great Dao True Exposition was a supreme canon that explained the origin of the Great Dao of the Primordial World. Though it was only a rudimentary form, the profound principles within it—"The Dao gave birth to One, One gave birth to Two, Two gave birth to Three, and Three gave birth to all things," as well as "Yin and yang balance each other; creation is boundless"—were enough to benefit any innate creature enormously. Xuan Chen closed his eyes, and mysterious runes appeared in his mind. These runes were the tangible manifestation of the Great Dao True Exposition. Every rune contained profound Dao essence, slowly rotating and emitting golden light.

He needed to use his essence blood to transmit the Dao essence contained within these runes to the Nüwa Stone, guiding the nascent spiritual intelligence within to awaken. This was not merely a disciple acceptance ritual, but a transmission of the Great Dao itself. There was no room for the slightest carelessness.

Xuan Chen took a deep breath and extended his right hand. Spiritual energy gathered at his fingertip, and he lightly sliced it open. In an instant, three crystal-clear drops of blood seeped from his fingertip. This was no ordinary blood, but the purest innate essence blood in his body, containing the aura of Primordial Origin Essence. Each drop was round and lustrous as a pearl, radiating a faint golden halo.

The moment the blood appeared, the surrounding chaotic currents surged wildly, as though drawn by the power of origin within the essence blood, converging upon the three drops. The Dao patterns on the surface of the Nüwa Stone also grew brighter, while the spiritual rhythm within pulsed more intensely, as though it had already sensed the summons from beyond.

Xuan Chen carefully held the three drops of innate essence blood and slowly approached the Nüwa Stone. He could feel that the power contained within these drops was immensely vast. If he made even the slightest mistake, not only would he fail to awaken its spiritual intelligence, he might instead damage the Nüwa Stone's origin. He had to control the speed at which the essence blood merged into it while simultaneously transmitting the Dao essence of the Great Dao True Exposition.

"System, can I begin the guidance?" Xuan Chen silently asked within his heart, seeking the system's assistance.

[The host is detected to be fully prepared. The innate essence blood meets the activation requirements, and the rudimentary form of the Great Dao True Exposition can be transmitted normally. It is recommended that the host merge the essence blood in three stages. After each stage, recite a passage from the Great Dao True Exposition to gradually awaken the spiritual intelligence, preventing it from collapsing under the impact of the origin power.]

The system's prompt put Xuan Chen's mind at ease. He nodded and gently let the first drop of innate essence blood fall onto a Dao pattern on the surface of the Nüwa Stone.

"Hum—!"

The instant the essence blood touched the stone, it melted into the Dao pattern and became a golden stream that slowly flowed along the markings. The Nüwa Stone let out a faint hum, and the azure light on its surface surged at once. The spiritual rhythm within pulsed even more violently, like an infant on the verge of waking, struggling with all its might to break free from the shackles of sleep.

Xuan Chen immediately activated the rudimentary Great Dao True Exposition and began to recite, "The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things. Thus, ever without desire, one may observe its mystery; ever with desire, one may observe its manifestations. These two arise from the same source yet bear different names; together they are called the profound. Profound upon profound, the gateway to all wonders..."

Though his voice was not loud, it carried the majesty and gentleness of the Great Dao, nourishing the Nüwa Stone like spring rain. As he recited, the golden runes within his mind slowly flew forth and entered the Nüwa Stone, intertwining with the golden stream formed from the essence blood to create a mysterious scene.

Xuan Chen could clearly sense that the spiritual rhythm within the Nüwa Stone seemed to have received guidance and began gathering in one direction. Its originally chaotic pulses became orderly. He could feel a nascent thought stirring within the stone. It had no definite shape and no clear consciousness, yet it carried a trace of curiosity and dependence, like an infant's attachment to its mother.

It's working! Xuan Chen rejoiced inwardly. He continued reciting the Great Dao True Exposition while preparing to merge the second drop of innate essence blood. He understood that awakening spiritual intelligence was a gradual process that could not be rushed. He had to allow this nascent intelligence to slowly adapt to information from the outside world and gradually form autonomous awareness.

After the second drop of essence blood merged in, the Nüwa Stone's humming grew louder. The Dao patterns on its surface seemed to come alive, flowing rapidly. Faint golden light began mixing into the azure radiance, making it appear increasingly sacred. The spiritual rhythm within the stone condensed into a blurry point of light that flickered continuously, as though striving to understand the Great Dao True Exposition Xuan Chen was reciting.

Xuan Chen's voice grew increasingly steady. Every word contained pure Dao essence, guiding that blurry point of light as it continued to grow. He could sense a wondrous connection forming between himself and the Nüwa Stone. This connection transcended the physical realm; it was resonance between soul and soul. He could feel the curiosity, confusion, and dependence of the spiritual intelligence within the stone, and this feeling filled his heart with responsibility.

As the third drop of essence blood was about to merge in, the system prompt sounded once more:

[The spiritual intelligence within the Nüwa Stone is detected to have undergone an initial awakening and is about to form nascent consciousness. After merging the final drop of essence blood, please inject a wisp of your soul imprint in order to form a master-disciple contract.]

Xuan Chen nodded, took a deep breath, and slowly let the third drop of innate essence blood fall upon the core of the Nüwa Stone—the spot between the brows of the woman's outline.

"Hum—!"

This time, the Nüwa Stone reacted even more violently. Its entire body trembled faintly as azure and golden light intertwined across its surface, forming a brilliant pillar of light that shot into the sky. Yet upon striking the azure barrier, it was cleverly reflected back, without leaking the slightest trace of aura. The point of spiritual light within the stone abruptly swelled, transforming into the outline of a blurred humanoid figure. Though its features remained difficult to discern, the positions of its facial features had become faintly visible.

Xuan Chen immediately stopped reciting and injected a wisp of his own soul imprint into the Nüwa Stone. This soul imprint contained his aura and intent, and it was the key to forming the master-disciple contract. The moment it entered the stone, he clearly felt the blurred humanoid outline bow slightly toward him. An exceedingly faint yet incomparably clear nascent thought entered his mind:

"Master...?"

The two words made no actual sound, yet they echoed directly in the depths of Xuan Chen's soul, as pleasing to the ear as heavenly music. An indescribable surge of excitement and warmth immediately rose within him. He understood that this nascent spiritual intelligence had acknowledged him as her master. The disciple acceptance ritual was about to conclude in perfect success!