In the Primordial World, where Primordial Chaos had just split apart, Mount Buzhou stood proudly like a giant supporting the heavens, quietly gazing at the surging and rolling river of time day after day, year after year, for hundreds of millions of years, witnessing the rise and fall and the wax and wane of all things in the world.
Xiao Teng, an "alien visitor" from a different dimension, found his soul accidentally possessed by the Innate Gourd Vine, one of the top ten Innate Spirit Roots.
When that first ray of morning golden sunlight scattered haphazardly across the seven gradually growing gourds, outlining mottled light and shadow, Xiao Teng's thoughts drifted back to the distant past.
He subconsciously hummed that sickeningly familiar nursery rhyme: "Calabash kids, calabash kids, seven flowers on a single vine...".
The Innate Gourd Vine was one of the top ten Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Roots.
Yet one should not be fooled by such a lofty-sounding title as "Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Root." Xiao Teng felt a bitterness words could hardly describe; he was simply the most tragic existence in the entire "spirit root realm."
Why was that? He knew full well in his heart that once these Calabash Kids-like gourds matured, what awaited him was nothing short of a "carving-up feast."
His own seven gourds would be snatched away by great beings like the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa as if they were handing out candies.
Even his withered branches after death would not escape Nuwa's "ruthless hands," as he would be uprooted and taken away to mix with mud for creating living beings.
Whenever he thought of this, Xiao Teng felt as if an invisible giant hand was fiercely pinching his little heart, leaving him panicking and restless.
No, he absolutely could not sit and wait for death!
Xiao Teng gritted his teeth, secretly vowing to cultivate diligently, transform into human form as soon as possible, and escape this terrifying fate.
The Bitter Bamboo and the Bodhi Tree in the West were both precedents of Innate Spirit Roots successfully transforming and attaining the Dao to become sages.
Xiao Teng was filled with envy and hoped that one day he could be just like them.
As fellow members of the top ten Innate Spirit Roots, Xiao Teng believed he was no worse than them. Moreover, knowing the major events of this world, he would certainly become even more powerful than them.
No sooner said than done, Xiao Teng gathered his focus and poured all his energy into cultivation.
With that, he took a deep breath. In an instant, the spiritual energy within a radius of a hundred miles rushed madly toward Xiao Teng, only to be swallowed into his body in one gulp.
This scared the jaws of the surrounding spiritual objects right off, leaving them standing foolishly in place, muttering inwardly: Oh my goodness, where did the spiritual energy go? How come all the spiritual energy is gone?
Xiao Teng paid them no mind, carefully guiding the spiritual energy he had inhaled into his body, letting it circulate through his meridians and convert bit by bit into his own cultivation level.
As the spiritual energy gathered more and more, Xiao Teng could clearly feel his strength continuously rising.
Mother, Mother... Just as Xiao Teng was immersed in cultivation, a milky and dependent cry came from several of the gourds.
Xiao Teng was so startled by the voice that he shivered, and hurriedly corrected, "I am not your mother; if you want to call me anything, you must call me Daddy."
When the seven gourds heard this, their little heads were filled with question marks. In their newly sprouted little consciousnesses, the one who gave them life and nourishment was clearly Mother, so why should they change it to Daddy now?
Yet they were kind-hearted and could not bear to see Daddy unhappy; after a brief moment of hesitation, they obediently changed their tune and shouted, "Daddy, Daddy."
Xiao Teng looked at these explosively cute gourds, feeling as if he carried a small stove in his chest, warm and cozy.
Yet he also knew time was tight and allowed no slackening, lest these adorable little fellows ended up belonging to someone else.
Thus, he softly instructed, "You little fellows, stay obediently and do not disturb my cultivation, otherwise disaster will be imminent, and we will all be done for."
"Why do you think Daddy is cultivating so desperately?" The youngest gourd, Seventh Gourd, blinked its round little eyes and curiously asked its older brothers.
Da Wa shook its roly-poly body and answered with a straight face, "Didn't Daddy say that cultivation lets one become super strong, so he can protect us during the great calamity and beat away all those bad guys?"
Third Baby's pupils rolled around and he said in a crisp voice, "Then we cannot be lazy bugs either; we must also work hard at cultivation and become as powerful as Daddy."
Following that, the seven gourds successively absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy and began their cultivation.
Xiao Teng rooted himself on Mount Buzhou, its root system sinking deep into the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, which contained endless vitality.
After the gourds were carved up, this Nine Heavens Breathing Soil was also dug away by Nuwa to create "humans."
During a break in his cultivation, a bold notion suddenly popped into Xiao Teng's mind: if he transformed in advance, would Nuwa fail to complete this grand undertaking of creating humans?
Yet the moment this thought flashed through his mind, he quickly cast it to the winds. In his heart, the most important thing right now was to wholeheartedly cultivate and transform; other matters could be discussed later.
Thus, Xiao Teng took another deep breath, and this time, the surrounding spiritual energy was once again completely scavenged by him.
After cultivating bitterly for a full yuan, Xiao Teng acutely sensed that the critical moment for his transformation was about to arrive.
Yet right at this moment, an uninvited guest suddenly appeared.
The place where Xiao Teng resided was protected by the powerful restrictions of the Primordial Array, making it impossible for ordinary puny minions to enter.
However, outside the array at this very moment stood a Daoist with a plate on his head.
Xiao Teng's gaze was instantly captured by that plate, feeling only that light flashed upon it, and that it was definitely a supreme treasure.
After pondering slightly, Xiao Teng found the answer in his heart.
Between heaven and earth, who else could swagger around with a plate on their head other than that Dao Ancestor Hongjun?
It was just that Hongjun did not seem to have attained sagehood at this time.
The moment he saw Hongjun arrive, Xiao Teng's little heart instantly leaped into his throat.
What on earth should he do? What if Hongjun rushed into the array and snatched away his precious Calabash Kids?
Although according to the script of fate, he would sooner or later be carved up by great beings like the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa, who could guarantee no accidents would happen in the middle?
"Who is that old man outside?" Wu Wa blinked his naive and innocent eyes and asked curiously.
"Let me take a look." Er Wa responded, and immediately his entire body radiated bright light like a super searchlight.
Er Wa saw Hongjun's appearance clearly.
"He's an old man with a plate on his head, and he doesn't look like someone to mess with."
"Hey, old man, come in here if you've got the guts!" Third Baby yelled at the top of his lungs, his temper burning hot.
"Shut your trap!" Xiao Teng's face drained of color in fright, and he hastily scolded.
This little ancestor is really going to get his old man killed! His heart pounded anxiously as he wondered whether the Primordial Array he relied upon could block a great deity like Hongjun.
In the event he actually shouted him inside, the consequences would simply be unthinkable.
Hongjun stood quietly outside the array for a moment, carefully sizing up the situation within.
After a while, he drifted away.
Seeing Hongjun's figure gradually disappear, only then did Xiao Teng feel as though a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, letting out a breath of relief.
It seemed that before the gourds fully matured, no one should come looking for trouble with him for the time being.
Xiao Teng let out a soft sigh, his heart filled with helplessness. He was also full of curiosity about the Primordial World outside the array, desperately wanting to go out and see what kind of things existed out there, and what powerful living beings there were.
Yet he also knew that just thinking about it was useless, and his only way out now was to successfully transform.
Thus, Xiao Teng once again cast aside distracting thoughts, devoting himself heart and soul to cultivation.
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