So what if it's extortion?

Sect Master Tongtian smiled faintly.

He did not look at the others.

Instead, he patted Wang Shi on the shoulder.

"See this uncle here? His name is Eastern Emperor Taiyi, and he lives on the Sun Star. He's even a lord of the mighty Demon Court. Earlier, he said he'd come to witness the ceremony and guard you, my disciple. Who would have thought he wouldn't even bring a gift? How petty. We don't want his things."

"Even so, you should visit his home often to strengthen your bond. After all, the Primordial World isn't that big. You're bound to run into each other again."

Tongtian's words carried both mockery and threats, turning Eastern Emperor Taiyi's face livid.

His meaning, spoken and unspoken, was clear.

They were all mighty figures of the Primordial World. They had agreed to attend the ceremony, and attending a ceremony meant bringing gifts. Wouldn't they be ashamed if word got out otherwise?

Tongtian had them completely in his grasp.

The others could only resign themselves to it. They were in the wrong to begin with.

Besides, they had all initially assumed that this spirit of Buzhou Mountain was not their disciple.

Who could have known they would openly acknowledge him, leaving everyone speechless?

Now, paying a price was only right.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi wanted to say more.

But Di Jun quickly stopped him.

"Fellow Daoist Tongtian, our young nephew's breakthrough is a happy occasion. As his uncles, there's nothing wrong with offering a few gifts."

"This is an immortal Flat Peach from an innate spirit root. I shall give it to our nephew."

"Here is another fruit, from the innate spirit root Huangzhong Plum. Consider it Taiyi's gift."

"Farewell."

Their holdings were vast, and they had no shortage of treasures.

After tossing over the two fruits from innate spirit roots, they turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

At the same time, they secretly grew wary.

This spirit of Buzhou Mountain was no simple figure. Not only was he powerful, he also seemed highly intelligent. He would be a formidable enemy in the future.

The Three Pure Ones turned their gazes toward Ancestor Minghe. This old fellow had made the biggest commotion earlier.

Ancestor Minghe felt utterly cursed by bad luck.

He had come here without obtaining any treasures, reaping any benefits, or taking in a disciple. Now he actually had to hand over treasures himself. He had truly lost both the lady and his troops!

He wanted to refuse, but seeing the fierce, menacing looks on the Three Pure Ones' faces, he could only shake his head helplessly.

"Alas, I concede."

He took out a treasure.

"This is a Blood-Dropper, a specialty of my Blood Sea. It can create an external incarnation and is quite a rare treasure. I shall give it to my dear nephew."

He had considered simply leaving, but a man needed his dignity just as a tree needed its bark. Every mighty figure around him was someone of renown. Leaving outright would be too humiliating.

After tossing over the treasure, he turned and left without a trace of reluctance, afraid they might say something else.

Sect Master Tongtian stroked his chin.

"This Minghe is terribly stingy. Don't take it to heart, my disciple."

Hearing this, Ancestor Minghe stumbled and nearly fell.

You bastard! You pocket the benefits, then talk about me behind my back. Have you no decency?

But he pretended not to hear and swiftly departed.

The Three Pure Ones then looked at the mighty figures around them.

Daoist Hongyun, Zhen Yuanzi, King Father of the East, Daoist Mosquito, and the others...

Every last one of them was a renowned figure in the Primordial World.

Their expressions were ugly, but they still had to bleed a little.

"This is a seed of the Fortune Green Lotus. I obtained it by chance and have no use for it, so I shall give it to our nephew."

"This is a Ginseng Fruit, a specialty of my Wuzhuang Temple. Please enjoy it."

"This is a Flat Peach from the Queen Mother. This is an Ancestral Witch's blood essence..."

Looking at the treasures these mighty figures offered, Wang Shi knew that although none were exceptionally rare, they still amounted to a bountiful harvest for him at present.

Some genuinely wished to befriend Wang Shi, having recognized his boundless prospects.

Others merely went through the motions before turning and leaving.

Regardless of who they were, Wang Shi remembered each of them. After all, these were karmic debts he would have to repay someday.

Once everyone had left.

The Three Pure Ones and Wang Shi sat cross-legged on Buzhou Mountain.

"My disciple, you rescued the three of us from a predicament today. Thank you."

With no one else around, they opened their hearts and spoke frankly.

Wang Shi gently waved his hand.

He had already weighed his reasons for taking the Three Pure Ones as his masters.

The first was naturally to rescue them from their predicament.

The second was that they got along quite well. After discussing the Dao together for so long, they had developed a measure of friendship.

The third was that he knew how the Three Pure Ones would ultimately end up, and that the Primordial World would eventually decline.

But it should not have been so! The Three Pure Ones were originally one, and clearly had a brighter future ahead. The Primordial World was so powerful that it should have advanced further.

Yet in the end, the Primordial World became nourishment for the sages and a pawn of the Heavenly Dao. He could not accept that. He would change it all.

"The Heavenly Dao has its order. As the saying goes, those who have attained mastery may teach. My Three Masters possess profound cultivation, and your ideals align with mine. Naturally, you are my masters."

"Besides, all three of you contributed greatly to my successful transformation. Without my Three Masters’ patient guidance every day, I could never have achieved what I have today."

Wang Shi stood and bowed respectfully.

"This is my bow of discipleship. Please accept me as your disciple, Three Masters."

His eyes were filled with sincerity.

Laozi nodded in satisfaction.

"What nonsense are you saying, my disciple? You've long been our disciple. Why speak of whether we'll accept you?"

This disciple understood reason and knew his limits. Most importantly, he showed them respect. His future prospects were boundless.

"Good disciple, sit down, quickly. You're not as carefree as before!"

Tongtian pulled Wang Shi down to sit.

Then he looked at Wang Shi with a frown.

"Speaking of which, why is your cultivation only at the Golden Immortal level? By our estimates, you should at least be a Daluo Golden Immortal by now!"

After all, merit gathered around him, and his aura was condensed. His innate foundation was no weaker than that of the three of them. By all rights, he should have become a Daluo Golden Immortal upon taking form.

Wang Shi smiled faintly.

"I cultivate the Pangu Great Dao. To be honest with you, Three Masters, when I took form just now, I absorbed the Destruction Divine Thunder and unexpectedly awakened the Pangu Great Dao. From now on, I will follow Pangu's path and Prove Dao by Force. It differs somewhat from ordinary cultivation."

"This path is arduous and focuses primarily on cultivating oneself."

"Although my cultivation is only at the Golden Immortal level, an ordinary Great Luo cannot harm me."

He lightly tapped his shoulder, producing a crisp metallic ringing.

The Three Pure Ones stared, dumbstruck.

They had never imagined that Wang Shi had awakened the Pangu Great Dao. This was extraordinary.

They called themselves the Pangu Orthodox Lineage, yet the path they cultivated was not the Pangu Great Dao.

This disciple before them actually cultivated the Pangu Great Dao. It was truly unheard of.

"Well, in that case, I'm afraid there isn't much we can teach you!"

Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi felt rather helpless. They truly did not understand the Pangu Great Dao.

Wang Shi smiled faintly.

"The Pangu Great Dao needs battle to temper it. From now on, Three Masters, please spar with me often and temper my will. That would be the greatest help you could give me."

Scenes of Pangu battling the gods and demons of the heavens flashed through his mind.

Those were lingering fragments of Pangu's memories, and the very source of his awakening of the Pangu Great Dao.

The Three Pure Ones nodded solemnly.

"Good disciple, rest assured. We can discuss the Great Dao together. As for cultivation, with the three of us here, we will certainly temper you well."

"Don't worry. Our cultivation is fairly decent, so tempering our disciple won't be a problem. Your body looks like it can take a beating, too. Could this Pangu Great Dao of yours be all about getting beaten?"

In truth, looking at that body of his, the three of them had long been itching to give him a thrashing.

They had certainly worked themselves ragged for his sake today.