After Xiao Tian, Shi Hao, Shi Qingfeng, and Furball entered the third courtyard, they found what looked like the owner's backyard. Stone tables and stools stood nearby, and strands of luminous rain drifted down like feathers. Starlight and moonlight mingled in a hazy glow, making the place look sacred and serene.
"That's Uncle Sacrificial Spirit. He looks sick. I think the elders want the Fountain of Youth for him."
Shi Hao pointed out the Gourd Vine growing among the rocks in a distant corner to Xiao Tian.
Check-in requirements met. You have arrived beside the Heaven Mending Pavilion's Sacrificial Spirit, the Gourd Vine. Please remain here for at least three minutes during check-in.
The system's mechanical voice sounded again, audible only to Xiao Tian.
Xiao Tian turned his attention to the Heaven Mending Pavilion's Sacrificial Spirit, the old Gourd Vine. His vine had yellowed and was only six meters long, sprawling over a heap of rubble beside a broken wall. His entire body lacked luster, and only a few sparse, withered yellow leaves remained. No divine light flowed around him. He looked sickly, like an ordinary gourd vine in late autumn, flourishing and withering with each passing year, now on the verge of dying.
A tiny green gourd lay hidden beneath one withered yellow leaf.
Yet after arriving here, they could still feel a peculiar Dao resonance flowing through the place, compelling them to bow in worship. It was the faint pressure of a divine being, something impossible to describe. The moment they thought of it, the words "divine being" surfaced in their minds.
"Brother, do you feel that? Could Uncle Sacrificial Spirit be an old god?
"Look at that green gourd. It looks like the yellow gourd belonging to the Mountain-Guarding Elder."
Shi Hao spoke quietly, then shamefully wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
"Probably. Don't waste time. Let's cultivate here. Before we enter the Hundred Broken Mountains, every bit of improvement in our cultivation matters.
"As for the gourd, remember that you can't just pick one whenever you like. You use a sword. Why are you thinking about gourds all day? You'd be better off thinking about finding Ghost Master's sword and asking him to give you the one sticking out of his head."
Xiao Tian hurriedly spoke up to steer Shi Hao away from that dangerous idea.
With that, Xiao Tian sat cross-legged, his mind empty and peaceful, patiently waiting for the three minutes to pass.
Ding! Check-in successful. Obtained Seventh Brother's innate talent panel from Calabash Brothers. Would you like to fuse with it?
At last, the Great Dream System's notification sounded again. Xiao Tian took a deep breath. Of course he would fuse with it while he had yet to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm. In his view, the lower his cultivation when he fused with more Calabash Brothers' Talent Origin Panels, the stronger his foundation would become.
At a thought from Xiao Tian, an invisible power poured endlessly from the depths of his soul, drawing him involuntarily into a deep state of cultivation.
Behind Xiao Tian, Chaos Qi boiled, clouds billowed, and rosy radiance blazed. Purple qi curled through thirty thousand miles, and a mountain with no visible end appeared, like the spine of heaven. The more closely one looked, the more insignificant one felt. At its foot grew a gourd vine that spiraled around the entire mountain as it climbed. It stretched and wound like an ancestral dragon, its bark resembling dark blue-green scales, ancient, weighty, and majestic.
Every leaf seemed to be encircled by three thousand worlds, with endless stars glittering and countless Small Worlds rising and falling.
Amid a dazzling flow of seven-colored radiance, Chaos Qi churned, and everything vanished.
It seemed to have lasted only an instant, but ten days had actually passed.
Outside the Heaven Mending Pavilion, many people were now watching in secret. That day, boundless solar and lunar essence had formed pillars of light that poured into the depths of the pavilion, where the Sacrificial Spirit Gourd Vine rested.
The Sacrificial Spirit Gourd Vine had fully awakened and begun actively drawing in the essence of heaven and earth, the essence of the stars, and the Divine Radiance of the sun and moon. Even in broad daylight, a bright moon and a sky full of stars could be seen above the Heaven Mending Pavilion.
The Sacrificial Spirit was actively drawing down the essence of the sun, moon, and stars to nourish himself, while also helping Xiao Tian cultivate.
Naturally, Shi Hao, Shi Qingfeng, and Furball all shared in the good fortune and gained tremendous benefits.
When Xiao Tian finished checking in and fused with the Calabash Brothers' Seventh Brother Talent Origin Panel, the old Sacrificial Spirit Gourd Vine, dormant and struggling on the boundary between life and death, heard a wondrous sound of the Dao of heaven and earth. It resembled a child's laughter, yet also the sound of the Dao as heaven and earth were first split apart. Listening closely, it seemed to be the sound of a gourd vine growing. It opened its eyes and saw the extraordinary manifestation behind Xiao Tian.
In that instant, those few traces of divine resonance and shadows of the Dao, though elusive and ethereal, allowed the Sacrificial Spirit Gourd Vine to grasp a thread of a Dao foundation-a chance to break through to the True God, or True One Realm, a chance for Nirvana Rebirth, to pass from death into life.
The Sacrificial Spirit refined vast quantities of the essence of the sun, moon, and stars into the gentlest vital energy, which showered down into Xiao Tian's body.
Crack!
A slit opened between Xiao Tian's brows. Purple light shone brilliantly, and rolling purple qi seethed within. Boom! A sound like heaven and earth being split apart rang out as the acupoint opened, becoming a purple Heavenly Grotto.
Under these circumstances, Xiao Tian's eleventh Heavenly Grotto opened.
The point between the brows was also called the "Niwan Palace." The upper dantian lay in the head, where all yang converged.
Another half day passed!
Whoosh!
Xiao Tian suddenly opened his eyes. Two brilliant beams of divine light shot from them, piercing deep into the clouds, as though he had awakened the ability to see a thousand miles. Clearly, however, that was not the case. He had fused with the Calabash Brothers' Seventh Brother Talent Origin Panel, not the Second Calabash Brother's.
He said nothing after opening his eyes, instead quietly examining his condition. A Heavenly Grotto had opened between his brows, filled with a vast expanse of purple qi coming from the east. A Purple Gourd rose and fell within it, looking as though it had been cast entirely from amethyst, naturally flawless, with faint golden Dao patterns flowing across its surface.
Calabash Brothers, Seventh Brother: His innate talent nurtures an Innate Treasure Gourd capable of absorbing all things. The gourd can gradually dissolve whatever it takes in. Its small belly contains a fourth-dimensional space capable of absorbing and sealing objects of any size, with an enormous storage capacity. It can also shrink an enemy's body or other matter before absorbing it.
The opening at the top of the gourd could release a Dao wind with tremendous suction, devouring everything in the world except its user.
When Seventh Brother was born, unlike the other Calabash Brothers, who broke out of their gourd shells, a purple heart flew from inside his gourd. That purple heart transformed into Seventh Brother, after which the gourd shrank and landed in his hand, becoming his Treasure Gourd.
Thus, Xiao Tian had gained an innate companion treasure capable of growing with him. It was even more wondrous and unparalleled than the single artifact of the Heaven-Shrouding cultivation method, akin to the Innate Supreme Treasure Donghuang Taiyi had possessed from birth.
It was just that Xiao Tian was still weak. If he continued growing stronger until he became an immortal and then an Immortal King, this magical treasure would undoubtedly surpass Kundi's Immortal Refining Pot.
Xiao Tian could sense that this treasure's foremost property was that its power exceeded his own by one major realm. In other words, since his cultivation had surpassed the ultimate limit of the Cave Heaven Realm, this Treasure Gourd possessed strength beyond the ultimate limit of the Spirit Transformation Realm. It could devour the Dao patterns of heaven and earth, developing and evolving on its own as it continued to grow.
It was Xiao Tian's cultivation that shackled the upper limit of his companion Innate Treasure Gourd.
Once he reached the early Immortal King stage, this Treasure Gourd would be an early-stage Quasi-Immortal Emperor treasure.
Furthermore, Xiao Tian had opened his eleventh Heavenly Grotto between his brows, giving birth to an innate divine ability, the Heavenly Eye.
Before he fused with the Second Calabash Brother, this divine ability would be extremely important.
Even after he fused with the Second Calabash Brother, it would remain very important. The purple Heavenly Eye had two abilities. The first resembled a demon-revealing mirror and was also the Heavenly Eye's most important function: discerning the origin of things and seeing through obscuring illusions. Whether it was a transformation performed by an accomplished immortal or a bewildering formation laid by demons, one glance could reveal its true nature.
The second resembled a laser, though it was naturally far more powerful. It possessed potent spiritual and magical offensive capabilities. The Heavenly Eye could fire a beam of golden light that split mountains and shattered stone, directly damaging an opponent's soul.
As far as its current abilities were concerned, it complemented the Second Calabash Brother's innate talents by remedying their weakness in offensive power, much like Yang Jian's Heavenly Eye in Chinese mythology.
When Xiao Tian opened his eyes, he saw that Shi Hao had also broken through, directly opening his seventh Heavenly Grotto. This, too, was an Outer Heavenly Grotto, resembling a blue-green volcanic crater, ancient and natural. Blue-green divine radiance surged in and out, drawing down the essence of the sun, moon, and stars.
Little Qingfeng had undergone a divine Baptism. Runes flowed across his body, and he had easily cultivated eighty-four thousand jin of strength. Moreover, he was still in secluded cultivation and had yet to wake, giving him a chance to reach ninety thousand jin of strength and break through to the Cave Heaven Realm in one stroke.
Before coming here, he had only cultivated seventy-three thousand jin of strength.
Once he broke through, he would have some ability to protect himself. While Xiao Tian and Shi Hao entered the Hundred Broken Mountains, he could cultivate here.
Still, the boy was timid. It might be better to entrust him to the Ancient Hall and send him there to cultivate.
Furball had also gained some benefits this time. Light shone all over its body as it entered a state of transformation.
"Fortunately, you two little fellows have awakened. The Hundred Broken Mountains have already opened, and you'll be setting out tomorrow. Cultivate here for another night. I'll teach you a treasure art of my own."
Just then, the Sacrificial Spirit's aged voice rang out.
He had already contacted the Heaven Mending Pavilion's senior leadership and learned something of the situation outside, as well as the circumstances of these two monstrously talented boys.
In the original storyline, he had been half dead and unable to teach Shi Hao anything.
Now, his condition had improved considerably, and he had dimly grasped a few opportunities for a breakthrough. However, he was too old and had also suffered injuries in the past. To live another lifetime and break through to the True One realm, he still lacked a little undying substance to sustain him.
Thus, the Fountain of Youth remained very important. Perhaps with it, he could truly complete his nirvana, return to his peak, and reignite his Divine Flame.
Then the gourd leaves swayed in the wind, and the Gourd Vine quietly breathed in and out divine radiance and vital essence. The green gourd shone brilliantly, like a blue-green star or an ancient, flickering rune. Wisps of divine aura accompanied it, making it especially mysterious. This was an original treasure art of the Divine Fire Realm.
Shi Hao had an affinity with the Original True Explanation and had once entered a profound state of Dao comprehension, as though entranced. The Original True Explanation had imprinted itself deep within his mind, allowing him to visualize it at any time to aid his comprehension of the Dao.
Xiao Tian, meanwhile, naturally had an affinity with the Gourd Treasure Art. This time, even Shi Hao could not compare to him. He quickly mastered the treasure art, integrated its principles, and advanced toward deeper understanding. Within the universe between his brows, a green gourd Dao pattern imprinted itself upon his Innate Treasure Gourd, continually being perfected.
Like a martial artist whose Conception and Governing Vessels had been opened, Xiao Tian suddenly gained an even more profound understanding of this treasure art. Its power was directly elevated, and it was no longer merely a Divine Fire Realm treasure art.
P.S. I originally didn't want to put this in the main text, but I still need to mention it: Qidian's current recommendation mechanism lets continued readership do the talking. This book is currently in the first round of recommendations, with fifty books competing simultaneously for the second round. Failing to advance basically means GG.
So if you like a book, it's best not to stockpile chapters. Open the latest chapter and read it every day. Otherwise, there's a very high chance of stockpiling it to death. This is also why so many Qidian books are abandoned at fifty to a hundred thousand words nowadays.
(End of chapter)
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