Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 165 Innate Kun Steel
As evening fell, Daoist Guanghui and Guangwu took their leave and departed Rotten Peach Mountain.

Niu Yi sat on the stone bench, picked up the wooden box on the stone table again, slowly opened it, and looked at the dazzling golden feathers inside with a touch of emotion in his eyes.

"master."

Niu Yi looked to the side and saw Ao Xuan, who was holding the Water Spirit Pearl in both hands and walking towards him.

This little dragon has an exceptional talent for the Water Path, and he is able to calm his mind to cultivate. With the help of the Water Spirit Pearl, he makes remarkable progress every day.

Niu Yi smiled and nodded, closing the wooden box in his hand. With a thought, the azure water spirit pearl quickly flew back to Niu Yi's Niwan Palace and landed next to the gold spirit pearl and the earth spirit pearl.

"Xuan'er, get some rest early today. While you can't slack off on your cultivation, you also need to balance work and rest."

"Yes, sir."

Niu Yi watched as Ao Xuan returned to the thatched hut. However, he did not rush back to the hut to meditate today. Instead, he took the Chaos Green Gourd from his waist, uncorked it, and instantly entered the Chaos Green Gourd.

In recent years, as he has gradually mastered the supernatural power of "Sun and Moon in a Pot", he has expanded the area within the Chaos Green Gourd, which is no longer shrouded in chaos, by a thousand feet each day through daily refinement.

At this moment, the Chaos Green Gourd already contained a space of four thousand feet, appearing much wider than before.

After entering this gourd-shaped world, Niu Yi first glanced at the floating true dragon bones.

His gaze then drifted to the side of the true dragon bone, where the bipolar magnetic divine iron, enveloped by a large mass of chaotic energy, was still trembling incessantly.

Niu Yi paid little attention to the divine iron; within the Chaos Green Gourd, the divine iron caused no trouble.

Niu Yi waved his hand at the golden box not far away, causing it to fly quickly over and stop in front of him.

This golden box contained the treasure that his elder brother Jin Fu had given him.

Niu Yi opened the golden box and saw a fist-sized, irregularly shaped, white ore lying quietly inside.

The ore looked ordinary, but a rare glint of fervor flashed in Niu Yi's eyes.

[Primordial Kun Steel: Born from chaos, impervious to water and fire, possessing extraordinary properties, it is also the hardest steel in the Three Realms.]

Niu Yi was quite familiar with this Kun steel.

This is because Laozi's Vajra Bracelet was forged from Kun steel.

That treasure is capable of transformation, impervious to water and fire, and can also envelop all things. It is extremely powerful. It was the treasure that Laozi used for self-defense when he went west out of Hangu Pass to convert the barbarians to Buddhism.

Later, the green ox, with the help of Laozi's diamond ring, stole Sun Wukong's golden cudgel and many other treasures from the gods of Heaven.

"But that Vajra Bracelet was also made by the Supreme Lord Laozi's extraordinary abilities. He first refined it, and then Laozi used his elixir to refine it, nurturing it with spiritual energy, which is why it has such miraculous power."

Niu Yi looked at the innate Kun steel in his hand and couldn't help but shake his head.

He dared not even dream of mastering the Vajra Bracelet, for it was a treasure used by Laozi to protect himself, and even Laozi himself must have put in a great deal of effort to master it.

He would be extremely satisfied if he could use this treasure to forge a suitable magic weapon.

"I really don't know where my brother Jin Fu got this treasure. No wonder he opened up a secluded secret realm just to hide it."

Niu Yi closed the golden box and returned it to its original position.

It wasn't that he didn't want to refine this treasure into a magic weapon, but rather that the treasure was too hard. Even with his current cultivation level and the power of the Primordial Chaos Fire, it would probably take him several hundred years to refine and shape it.

If he wanted to make good use of this treasure and refine it into a top-notch magic weapon, it would be impossible to simply shape it. Moreover, he would need to use the Hunyuan Cauldron to re-forge the Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl Diagram and the Ten Thousand Leaf Golden Bamboo Sword.

"Fortunately, now that our eldest brother has emerged from seclusion, with the help of our eldest brother and senior brother Guangwu, the three of us brothers will work together to deduce the method for refining this magic weapon. I think that the brand-new Ten Thousand Leaf Golden Bamboo Sword and the Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl Diagram will no longer be a distant dream."

As for the Golden-Winged Roc's natal feathers...

Niu Yi looked at the wooden box in his hand. The Golden-Winged Roc's natal feather was a top-notch treasure, but he hadn't figured out how to use it yet, so he just kept it as a keepsake, like his five gourd seeds.

Just then, Niu Yi seemed to sense something, and he couldn't help but look towards a secluded corner in the gourd space.

"Huh? This thing actually resonated with the divine avatar. How interesting."

"Divine artifacts, huh? This divine way is truly quite unique."

Six months later, on the west bank of the Tongtian River, on Daojun Mountain.

This mountain was originally an unnamed peak, neither high nor particularly remarkable.

However, since more than half a year ago, the mountain has been under construction, with the construction of the Divine Physician Daojun Palace. People have been coming and going to the mountain in an endless stream. Later, it was simply named after the two characters "Daojun" in the Daojun Palace, and called Daojun Mountain.

At this time, after more than half a year of construction, Daojun Palace has become quite large. The main hall of Daojun Palace is magnificent and grand, but not extravagant or luxurious, which inspires awe in people who see it.

The person in charge of building the Daojun Palace was also a skilled craftsman named Li Liang.

This person was not sought out by Niu Yi and Yuan Ze, but rather came uninvited after hearing that Daojun Palace was being built on Daojun Mountain.

At first, Yuan Ze only transferred a group of craftsmen and laborers from the west bank of the Tongtian River and invited a well-known local craftsman to take charge. However, three months after the Daojun Palace was built, Li Liang suddenly came over, looking at it and shaking his head.

Afterwards, Li Liang approached Yuan Ze, who was in charge, and handed him a draft. He said frankly that if the Daojun Palace were built according to the original blueprints, it would be too mediocre. How could a dignified divine physician Daojun live in such a place? It should be built according to his plan.

Yuan Ze's eyes lit up when he saw the blueprints. If the building were constructed according to these blueprints, it would be much better than it is now.

As for what happened next, it was naturally Niu Yi who made the final decision, inviting Li Liang to oversee the construction of Daojun Palace and to build it according to Li Liang's sketches.

At this moment, outside the Daojun Palace.

The old man, an avatar of a deity, looked at the wooden rabbit in his hand, which was making a jumping motion, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:
"Hehe~ Mr. Li's carving skills are truly remarkable. His dragons and phoenixes are so lifelike, and even the creatures in the mountains are vividly depicted. He's really amazing!"

On the ground beside Niu Yi, a middle-aged man dressed in simple gray clothes casually replied:

"If you like it, sir, take it."

This person was none other than Li Liang.

Li Liang, holding a carving knife, squatted beside a wooden stool, his eyes focused on carving intricate patterns on the stool. As wood shavings were sprinkled down, the patterns gradually became clear. Niu Yi watched from the side, nodding slightly.

With just this one carving knife, Li Liang carved all the decorative carvings on his Daojun Palace.

This person's hands were extremely steady, and each cut was quick and precise, without the slightest error. Even Niu Yi, watching, couldn't help but admire this person's skill in carving.

A moment later, Li Liang finished carving the patterns on the wooden stool, shook off all the remaining wood shavings, stood up, looked at the stool and nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied.

His father had told him when he was a child that a young Taoist priest had come to their village and saved his grandfather's life. That Taoist priest was none other than the revered healer Daojun, a fact that the few remaining elderly people in the village were absolutely certain of.

However, his home is located in a remote area, quite far from Daojun Mountain. More than half a year ago, he happened to hear that Daojun Palace was being built on Daojun Mountain, so he came here to do his part.

In his eyes, everything in Daojun Palace must be of the highest quality to be worthy of the compassionate and merciful divine physician Daojun.

"Mr. Li, you've been busy all morning. Why don't you come and rest for a while with me?"

Li Liang shook his head and said:
“I appreciate your kindness, sir. However, the Daojun Palace is not yet fully completed, and there are still many other things that I need to take care of.”

"Now that I have taken charge of the construction of this Daojun Palace, I should complete its construction as soon as possible and invite the Daojun to return to his position."

Li Liang respectfully bowed to the old man, then picked up the wooden stool and walked towards Daojun Palace.

Just then, Yuan Ze walked over from a distance, stood beside the old man, bowed slightly, and said respectfully:
"Daojun, judging from the current progress, Daojun Palace will be fully completed in about three months, and the stone steps and railings leading to the mountain will also be completed at the same time."

Niu Yi nodded slightly and looked toward the huge bronze cauldron in front of the Daojun Palace, which was already filled with incense sticks.

To the common people, the incense was constantly rising into the air, but to Niu Yi, it was constantly drifting towards his hand.

Niu Yi slowly raised his palm and opened it, revealing an ordinary-looking copper coin lying in his hand.

However, the incense smoke kept drifting into this seemingly ordinary copper coin.

This copper coin was something he collected when he left Jindu Mountain to heal and save people along the way. Just as he had predicted, the power of vows gathered on this copper coin could serve as the prototype of a divine artifact.

Besides the copper coin, his purple-gold medicine chest and jade bamboo staff, which are his divine incarnations, are also divine treasures created by the power of incense and prayers. Their power can be enhanced by continuous blessings from incense.

Judging from the current situation, his purple-gold medicine chest can enhance the medicinal power of the pills placed inside, while his jade bamboo staff, like his original golden spirit jade bamboo, is most convenient for hitting people.

Niu Yi looked at the copper coin in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then said to Yuan Ze beside him:

“Yuanze, I see that Li Liang has been shrouded in bad luck lately. He will naturally be fine in Daojun Palace, but perhaps his family members may encounter misfortune recently. You should go to his house and observe for a while. If his family members encounter trouble, you should lend a hand to help them.”

"Yes, Yuanze respectfully accepts the Daoist Lord's decree."

As Niu Yi watched Yuan Ze turn and leave, his gaze turned to the Daojun Palace before him.

If one masters all the arts of the mortal world, one can transform the mundane into the extraordinary, and may even attain enlightenment through them.

Back when he was in Jambudvipa, he heard of an old man who had attained enlightenment through painting.

He was just an ordinary mortal with no magical powers, yet he devoted his life to painting. His paintings were incredibly lifelike, indistinguishable from the real thing, and each painting possessed a divine quality. It is said that he was guided by a ray of light and ascended to heaven to become a painting immortal.

He observed that Li Liang might possess some talent in the art of carving, and it was possible that he could reach this level in this lifetime.

Daojun Mountain, three months later.

At this time, the Daojun Palace was completely completed, and the huge clay statue of the Divine Physician Daojun was also moved inside.

Yuan Ze had returned three days before the completion of Daojun Palace. At this moment, he was distributing monthly wages to the numerous laborers and craftsmen, watching them leave happily.

The last person to step forward to collect his monthly allowance was Li Liang.

"Li Liang, here is your monthly allowance."

Yuan Ze placed a pair of silver ingots in a small cloth bag and handed them to Li Liang. Then he took out a copper coin from his pocket and handed it to Li Liang.

Li Liang looked at Yuan Ze with some surprise, only to see Yuan Ze take two steps closer to him and say seriously:
“Mr. Li, this copper coin is a gift from the Daoist Master. You must keep it safe and not spend it. It will ensure your safety.”

Upon hearing this, Li Liang couldn't help but show surprise and looked towards the interior of the Daojun Palace.

Suddenly, the benevolent yet majestic statue of the Daoist Lord flashed with light, and a middle-aged Daoist figure, identical to the statue, slowly emerged from it, smiling and nodding as he stroked his beard.

Li Liang's eyes widened in surprise. He rubbed his eyes, but when he looked again, he found that the statue had not changed at all. The people who came to worship had obviously not seen what had just happened, and the surroundings were still as noisy as ever.

"This this."

Yuan Ze smiled, placed the copper coin into Li Liang's hand, and said:

"Go home early. I imagine your wife and parents have been waiting for you at home for quite some time."

Li Liang only came to his senses upon hearing this, looked at Yuan Ze, and bowed gratefully:
"Thank you."

After Li Liang finished speaking, he bowed respectfully to the statue of the Divine Physician Daoist again before turning around and leaving, heading down the mountain.

At this moment, Niu Yi was in a space formed by the gathering of incense offerings in the Daojun Palace, preparing to meet the numerous earth deities and immortals who had all arrived here on both sides of the Tongtian River.

As the Divine Physician Daoist Lord stepped into the antique wooden pavilion, the various earth deities and immortals who were sitting in their chairs stood up, bowed slightly to the figure, and said in unison:

"Welcome, Divine Physician Daoist Lord."

Niu Yi strode to the main seat, slowly turned around, glanced at the gods, and smiled:

"Haha~ You're too kind, everyone. Please take your seats."

Upon hearing this, all the immortals and gods sat down and looked at the Divine Physician Daoist Lord, who was sitting in the main seat at the head of the table.

At this moment, a fragrant aroma was rising from the pavilion, and the source of that aroma was the many top-grade incense sticks placed on the incense table.

Niu Yi's true form does not cultivate the divine path and does not know what this divine incense smells like, but now that he is a divine incarnation, he finds it quite comfortable to use, so he often lights some in this incense space.

(End of this chapter)