Heaven Realm, Heavenly Court.
Lü Dongbin was very welcoming toward his junior apprentice-brother Zhou Qing.
On the way to Tushita Palace, he told Zhou Qing about the customs of the Heaven Realm and the powers that held sway there, while also introducing the factions within the Daoist Sect.
"Fellow Daoist Donghua."
After listening to Lü Dongbin talk on and on for some time, Zhou Qing could not help interrupting him.
"Ever since I set foot on the path of cultivation, I've had no ties to the Daoist Sect. Why would the Dao Ancestor want to take me as his disciple?"
The Dao Ancestor Zhou Qing spoke of had no qualifier before the title, because he was not referring to the cultivation realm of Daolord of the Great Firmament, a third-class Ancestor Immortal, but to the founder of the Daoist Sect.
That was Daoist Sanqing, the leader of the Daoist Sect in the Three Realms.
Unlike in the myths of his previous life, there was only one Sanqing in the world of Desolate Era: the Chaos True God Yuanshi.
The other two of the Three Pure Ones, Grand Supreme Elder Lord and Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, were avatars Yuanshi had formed through One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones.
Faced with his question, Lü Dongbin chuckled. "There's no need to stand on ceremony, junior apprentice-brother. Just call me senior apprentice-brother."
"As for why Master took you as his disciple, I don't know the precise reason either."
"But you're wrong to say you have no connection to our Daoist Sect."
"Golden Light Cave on Qianyuan Mountain?" At Lü Dongbin's words, realization suddenly dawned on Zhou Qing.
"A promising student indeed." Lü Dongbin smiled and nodded.
"Although junior apprentice-brother Taiyi fell during the destruction of the ancient era, his estate has remained under our Daoist Sect's control."
"Over countless ages, who knows how many geniuses have found opportunities there and joined the Daoist Sect as a result."
"In that case..." Zhou Qing's expression cleared. "After I left the Wujiang Immortal Mansion and wandered into Qianyuan Mountain, I came to the Daoist Sect's attention?"
"Precisely." Lü Dongbin confirmed his guess.
"Still, neither I nor my fellow apprentice-brothers expected you to attract Master's attention."
Zhou Qing wanted to ask more, but Lü Dongbin steered the conversation elsewhere.
Before long, the two arrived in front of a towering palace.
"All right, junior apprentice-brother, this is Tushita Palace." Lü Dongbin pointed at the wide-open gates.
"I know you still have plenty of questions. Go ask Master; he'll answer them for you."
Hearing this, Zhou Qing could only take his leave of Lü Dongbin and enter Tushita Palace.
Upon entering the great hall, he saw an enormous pill furnace that soared straight into the clouds.
Beside the furnace stood an old man of immortal bearing, who radiated boundless Dao resonance.
He was Daoist Taiqing, one of Daoist Sanqing's three great avatars and the one who wielded the Yin Heavenly Dao.
On Earth, he had another name known to every household-Laozi.
"Come here."
Seeing Zhou Qing enter the hall, Daoist Sanqing waved the horsetail whisk in his hand.
"Greetings, Dao Ancestor."
Zhou Qing came to Daoist Sanqing's side and bowed respectfully.
He did not look down on the so-called "native" Daoist Sanqing simply because he came from the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom.
On the contrary, it was precisely because he had spent time in the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom that he knew how formidable the leading major powers of the Three Realms were.
With the bodies of third-class Ancestor Immortals and True Gods, these leaders could match ordinary Ancestor Gods; their insights into the Dao were no weaker than those of peak Ancestor Gods.
"Are you wondering why I wish to take you as my disciple?" Daoist Sanqing asked slowly.
Zhou Qing lowered his head and remained silent.
He truly did not understand.
Given the aptitude he had displayed in the simulation, it would have been understandable for him to attract the attention of ordinary Dao Ancestors or even peak Dao Ancestors.
But to a leader like Daoist Sanqing, what would it matter even if he became a Dao Ancestor?
"In taking disciples, I follow the natural course," Daoist Sanqing explained.
"Your talent and Dao heart are both extraordinary. Had I not known of your existence, that would have been that, but now that I do, I have taken you as my disciple."
The natural course...
Zhou Qing's heart stirred. Ancestor God Fantian had said something similar when he took him as a disciple.
"Very well." Daoist Sanqing's expression was kind. "Wu Xian, I ask you: are you willing to take me as your master?"
"Greetings, Master." Without hesitation, Zhou Qing performed the rite of taking a master.
He had no objection whatsoever to taking a powerful expert as his master.
Back when he took Ancestor God Fantian as his master, he had already had three or four masters in the chaos world where he was born.
Of course, though they were all his masters, Zhou Qing knew full well which of them had devoted more care to him.
Ancestor God Fantian, for example, had spared no effort on his behalf. When Zhou Qing was still only an Empyrean God and Celestial Immortal, he had imparted everything he knew of Heartforce.
That was also why Zhou Qing had continued to think of him over the past several chaos cycles.
"Mm." A rare smile appeared on Daoist Sanqing's face.
"Since you have taken me as your master, according to our Daoist Sect's rules, I should give you a Daoist name."
"I've given it some thought. There are three names: Returning to the Repository, Mystic Subtlety, and Taixu. Choose one."
All three were excellent Daoist names.
"Returning to the Repository" was one of the "Three Changes." It meant that all things returned to and were contained within it, embodying an ancient wisdom that encompassed everything and was unfathomably deep.
As for "Mystic Subtlety," "mystic" meant profound and subtle, while "subtlety" referred to the finest details. Together, they described a realm of insight into the most hidden laws of heaven and earth.
Taixu, meanwhile, meant a state of empty stillness and profound mystery, and also evoked the boundlessness of the void.
"Taixu, then," Zhou Qing said after thinking for a while.
Taixu, the supreme void, was a perfect match for his attainments in the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
"Good." Daoist Sanqing nodded.
Then he added, "Since you have become my disciple, I should also give you a gift to mark our first meeting."
With that, Daoist Sanqing took out a silver lotus.
Zhou Qing could sense that after Daoist Sanqing took out the silver lotus, the space nearby warped slightly.
"This is the Ten Thousand Flowers Precious Lotus, a Xiantian Supreme Treasure I obtained while traveling through the chaos. It has the power to suppress the void."
"Thank you for this treasure, Master." Zhou Qing accepted the Ten Thousand Flowers Precious Lotus from Daoist Sanqing, gratitude on his face.
Although he would have no shortage of treasures of this level after opening the World Prison, he would remember Daoist Sanqing's kindness.
After all, chaos treasures were hard to come by. The vast majority of True Gods and Dao Ancestors in the Three Realms used nothing better than Xiantian Supreme Treasures.
"Though the Ten Thousand Flowers Precious Lotus is a fine treasure, that is not the only thing that makes it valuable."
All of a sudden, Daoist Sanqing said something full of hidden meaning.
"Hmm?" Zhou Qing was somewhat puzzled by Sanqing's words.
He immediately began refining the Ten Thousand Flowers Precious Lotus in his hands.
As his magic power entered it, a beautiful young woman in a white dress suddenly appeared at the heart of the lotus.
"Are you the new master the old master found for me?"
"Are you the treasure spirit of the Ten Thousand Flowers Precious Lotus?" Zhou Qing asked with a smile.
It was the first time he had seen such a cute treasure spirit.
Magic treasures began to develop treasure spirits at the immortal rank. By the time they reached the level of Xiantian Spirit-Treasures, their spirits could even reincarnate and cultivate to immortality.
Lord Cui, who was renowned throughout the Three Realms, was the reincarnation of the treasure spirit of Mother Nuwa's spirit-treasure, the Book of Life and Death.
"Hmph!" The young woman was a little proud. "Don't think you can master me just because the old master gave me to you."
"I'm very difficult to use."
"Oh..." Hearing her words, Zhou Qing was just about to tease the treasure spirit when he noticed an abstruse restriction within the Ten Thousand Flowers Precious Lotus.
When he tried to refine the restriction, he immediately discovered that the process was exceptionally difficult and slow. At the same time, however, he noticed that as he refined it, his own insight into the Dao improved.
Because this avatar was born of the demon race, he had always used claw techniques against his enemies.
Thus, after several hundred years of accumulated combat experience, his understanding of the Great Dao of the Claw had nearly reached the Great Dao Domain Realm, even without deliberate contemplation, and a breakthrough was imminent.
He had thought it would take some more time to break through, but while refining the restriction on the Ten Thousand Flowers Precious Lotus, inspiration suddenly struck, and he crossed that threshold.
In an instant, his insight into the Great Dao of the Claw reached the Great Dao Domain Realm.
It can help someone gain insight into the Dao. Could it be...
Zhou Qing had a faint guess.
He looked at Daoist Sanqing without thinking.
"Well, my disciple, are you satisfied with this gift?" Daoist Sanqing's expression was unchanged.
"Master, what exactly is the restriction inside the Ten Thousand Flowers Precious Lotus?" Zhou Qing asked, getting straight to the point.
In response, Daoist Sanqing said, "This is the Nine-Layer Chaos Restriction. It is of considerable help in gaining insight into the Dao. I obtained it as an opportunity while traveling through the chaos."
So it really is that opportunity.
Although he had already guessed at the truth, hearing it from Daoist Sanqing himself still startled Zhou Qing.
The Nine-Layer Chaos Restriction was a special technique Autarch Awakener had created with reference to the cultivation system of the Sith Chaos Universe.
While studying the Nine-Layer Chaos Restriction, one could use it to aid one's insight into the Dao until all nine layers had been fully comprehended. Once all nine layers were mastered, a Blue Flower could even form in the sea of consciousness between one's brows.
With this Blue Flower, even an ordinary cultivator's divine body could rival those of powerful races such as Ancient Cultivators and Chaos Divine Beasts.
In Zhou Qing's view, the Nine-Layer Chaos Restriction was the greatest opportunity in the Three Realms.
He had originally planned to wait until he was strong enough, then go to the Star-Plucking Mansion and ask the Giant Yellow Bear for the Heavenly Stars Beads so he could study the Nine-Layer Chaos Restriction.
He had never expected to obtain it so easily now.