The Primordial Ancient Mine

"So this is what the five elements truly are!"

Somewhere deep within, Li Qingyue gained an insight.

The Dao principles of the five elements were not as simple as metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Rather, everything in heaven and earth arose from the transformations of the five elements and Yin-Yang.

They evolved in different ways.

They encompassed life and death, space, time, light and darkness... and more.

Though the Five Elements Mountain before her consisted entirely of mountains, it could still manifest the power of the five elements, ultimately gathering and combining them into a suppressive force.

It also merged seamlessly with all of heaven and earth, without the slightest flaw.

The five elements, Yin-Yang, wind and lightning, space, time, life and death, light and darkness... these are all transformations in the workings of heaven and earth.

They aren't independent existences.

If I engrave them into my dantian one by one and temper my true qi... even if my true qi falls short of divine power, it won't be far behind!

Wait... there's also my dantian, those nine true qi vortices!

The Dao begins at one, establishes itself at three, takes shape at five, flourishes at seven, and resides at nine!

One is chaos, the origin. Three is heaven, earth, and humanity, the starting point of all things. Five is east, south, west, north, and center-this is space.

Seven is the five elements and Yin-Yang, the evolution of all things. And nine should be time, the changes of all things and the cycles of time.

My dantian vortices... actually correspond to the Dao?

I understand now!

At that moment, Li Qingyue abruptly opened her eyes, her pupils brimming with joy.

All she needed to do was gradually inscribe the Dao patterns of heaven and earth's evolution into the nine vortices.

Then, by merging them into one, she could recreate her dantian.

Just as if she were recreating heaven and earth, she could open up a Sea of Bitterness world, break the rule that a Waste Body could not cultivate, and step onto the path of cultivation.

At this thought, a radiant smile instantly blossomed across Li Qingyue's face.

Seeing that smile, Yang Wuzheng and Yan Wushuang both froze, then stared at Li Qingyue without blinking.

Her eyes curved beneath her brows, clear and bright, like crescent moons dotted with stars.

The corners of her lips lifted, and her mouth parted slightly, revealing pearly white teeth, with the rosy tip of her tongue barely visible between them.

Her cheeks rounded, her fair skin resembling a beautiful white flower in bloom.

Even heaven and earth seemed to lose their color before her.

Since transmigrating here, this was her most genuine, happiest smile, filled with hope.

"She smiled... she smiled. Her smile is so beautiful!"

"I feel like all of heaven and earth has changed."

Yan Wushuang stared foolishly at Li Qingyue, his eyes wide, as though he had never seen a woman smile before.

Her smiling face filled his eyes.

Even he could not help grinning along with her.

She really should smile more!

Smile without restraint!

This beauty gives people something to look forward to. It's full of hope.

As he watched, these thoughts suddenly surfaced in Yang Wuzheng's heart.

He wanted the young woman before him to remain like this forever, happy and joyful, free of sorrow.

This would be the most beautiful sight under heaven, one that even heaven and earth could not conceal.

"Qingyue, your smile is so lovely!"

"I really wish I could see that smile every day."

Without a trace of restraint, Yan Wushuang plopped down beside Li Qingyue, grinning at her, unwilling even to blink.

Li Qingyue paused briefly. The smile on her face slowly faded, and she glared at Yan Wushuang.

It was not as though she sold smiles for a living.

Besides, most of the time, she truly could not bring herself to smile.

"Wushuang is right!"

Yang Wuzheng stood beside Li Qingyue, his white robes fluttering, his expression serene and aloof from worldly strife.

Yet his eyes were equally full of anticipation.

"I'm only happy because I found the path I want to take!"

Li Qingyue answered softly.

If they actually asked her to smile, she really would not be able to.

She had inexplicably come to this world, leaving behind her elderly grandparents and her parents.

She could easily imagine what her grandparents and parents, who loved her so deeply, would be like upon learning of her death.

She was an only child. Though introverted and quiet, she carried her entire family's hopes.

That family... perhaps they could no longer smile after she was gone.

Just thinking about it made Li Qingyue's heart ache.

And there was her older brother. For eight years after transmigrating, her heart had been like cold ashes. Her brother was the one who gave her the desire to keep living.

Her brother was also the one who showed her that someone in this world would still treat her kindly without asking for anything in return.

For eight years, he had never changed. Even as he died, his thoughts were still of her.

How could she possibly smile?

Her grandparents, her parents, and her brother had redeemed this life of hers.

"I'll make sure you keep smiling!"

Yan Wushuang spoke with unusual solemnity.

His eyes were filled with affection as he looked at her, gazing at her exquisite face and thinking of her heartbreaking past.

His expression was utterly earnest.

A young woman like her ought to smile more.

At his words, Yang Wuzheng's gaze darkened slightly, and his hand unconsciously curled into a fist.

But deep in his heart, he quietly said the same thing: So will I.

"Thank you both for your kindness!"

Li Qingyue spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

There were still more good people than bad in this world.

At least, after meeting her brother, she had also met Yan Wushuang and Yang Wuzheng.

Had she witnessed too much of the world's darkest side, she could not guarantee that she would truly keep scraping by in this hopeless world.

"You're not angry anymore, right?"

Hearing Li Qingyue's response, Yan Wushuang spoke with delight on his face.

At his words, the so-called silkworm grass and the pair's unrestrained laughter immediately surfaced in Li Qingyue's mind.

Her expression instantly turned cold.

You bastard! You just have to lift the very pot that won't boil, don't you?

If you don't know how to talk, say less!

Cursing inwardly, Li Qingyue stood up and walked away without looking back.

He remembers my embarrassing history so clearly. Is there something wrong with his head?

"Huh? Li Qingyue!"

"Li Qingyue!"

Yan Wushuang hurried to his feet, watching Li Qingyue leave without understanding why.

She was clearly happy just now. Why did her expression change in an instant?

Yan Wushuang scratched his head and looked at the speechless Yang Wuzheng beside him, asking in bewilderment, "What's wrong with her? I feel like she's angry again."

Yang Wuzheng raised his head toward the sky and sighed, helplessness filling his eyes. "Figure it out yourself."

With that, he too started walking, following behind Li Qingyue.

She had finally smiled, smiled happily, yet someone just had to ruin the mood.

It was simply unforgivable.

How hard had it been to see that smile?

In the month they had spent together, that had been the young woman's only truly heartfelt smile, her happiest and most hopeful one.

It was more beautiful than a flawless immortal vista.

"Old Yang! What can't we say to each other? We're brothers!"

"Hey! Old Yang, how can you leave things half-said?"

Still standing there, Yan Wushuang widened his eyes. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I clearly didn't!"

"That's right, I didn't say anything!"

Unable to figure it out, Yan Wushuang looked thoroughly aggrieved. He kept feeling that someone was targeting him.

Three days later.

"What an enormous city!"

Looking at the great city crouching like a gigantic beast not far away, Li Qingyue appeared slightly awestruck.

Its walls rose more than a dozen zhang high, stretching endlessly like an azure dragon sprawled across the boundless land.

The magnificent gate tower possessed an imposing presence and was extraordinarily grand.

The walls were blood-red, as though soaked in blood.

Their weathered marks made them seem immersed in the ancient river of time.

Even from afar, they exerted a suffocating pressure.

Ever since transmigrating, she had lived in a mountain village and never ventured beyond it. How could she have ever seen such an immense, ancient city?

Even in her previous life, there had been no ancient city as miraculous as this.

"This is Ancient Source City. They say it's existed since the immemorial era."

Yang Wuzheng stood beside her. Rather than looking at the ancient city, he quietly studied Li Qingyue's face.

But he continued speaking.

"It's also the largest ancient city outside the Primordial Ancient Mine."

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