Primordial Era: Reborn as a Qi Immortal, Steadily Cultivating

Chapter 12 The Transformation of a Stubborn Stone
Although the trip to the East China Sea had been arranged, Ma Yuan did not set off immediately.

The last battle with that horned snake demon.

It came suddenly and left quickly.

It seemed calm on the surface, but it actually touched him deeply.

This was his first true life-or-death battle since he arrived in this primordial world.

For countless ages before, he had either cultivated himself in the cave or traveled cautiously in the outside world. Even when there were dangers, he had always avoided them by relying on his foresight and extreme caution.

This time, however, it was a true close-quarters battle, a head-on clash of magical treasures and supernatural powers.

This made him realize that theoretical deduction and real combat are ultimately two different things.

The feeling of magical power surging through his meridians, his primordial spirit interacting with his magical treasures, and the ability to decide the life and death of others in an instant gave him the most direct and profound understanding of the meaning of magical combat.

After returning to his cave, Ma Yuan went into seclusion again.

He mentally rehearsed every detail of that battle a thousand times over.

From the way that demon cultivator circulated his demonic energy, to the trajectory of his innate divine power, and then to the consumption of magical power and the burden on his mind when he activated the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl.

These insights, like a gentle stream, continuously flowed into his Daoist heart.

This allowed him to gain increasingly more complete and effortless control over his own power.

On this day, Ma Yuan slowly awoke from his meditation.

He was not accomplished in cultivation, but was attracted by an extremely faint anomaly within the cave.

His divine sense swept lightly across the cave.

His gaze fell on a stubborn, inconspicuous rock in the corner of the cave.

It was a bluish-gray stone, about the height of a person, with an ordinary, even ugly, appearance. It stood quietly against the cave wall, its age unknown.

Ma Yuan remembers that the stone has been there ever since he became conscious.

For countless years, he had treated it as an ordinary decoration in his cave and never paid much attention to it.

But just now, he keenly noticed it.

Within this ancient, lifeless rock, a faint, almost imperceptible, spiritual fluctuation arose.

That spirituality was extremely weak, like a candle flickering in the wind, and could be extinguished at any moment.

Yet it is also incredibly pure and resilient, as if it has endured countless cycles of loneliness and malevolent energy, yet still stubbornly retains its indestructible true spirit.

If it were an ordinary immortal, they would probably only regard it as a slightly better quality spiritual material, and it might even develop sentience, but that would be something that happens countless tens of thousands of years later.

However, when Ma Yuan's gaze fell upon this stone...

A name instantly emerged clearly from his vast and profound memories of later generations.

"So it was her..." Ma Yuan sighed softly in his heart.

Shiji!

Skull Mountain and White Bone Cave were originally the sacred site of Lady Shiji.

They usurped the place and became its master.

Unexpectedly, this future immortal of the Jie Sect was still just a stubborn rock that had not yet taken shape.

Thinking of Lady Shiji's future fate, Ma Yuan couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy and regret.

This woman is truly a typical example of "misfortune falling from the sky while one is sitting at home" in the primordial world.

Although she joined the Jie Sect, she was aloof and disliked fighting.

He almost never participated in the conflicts between the Chan and Jie sects, but instead focused on cultivating peacefully in his own White Bone Cave.

However, when her attendant was shot to death by the brat Nezha with an arrow, she went to reason with him, but was instead burned to death by Nezha's master, the Golden Immortal Taiyi Zhenren of the Chan Sect, a notoriously protective and domineering maniac, with the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover.

In the end, they could only be listed on the Investiture of the Gods, subject to the dictates of the Heavenly Court, and had no choice in their own destiny.

Ultimately, she was nothing more than a pawn in the power struggle among the disciples of the sage.

He died an unjust and tragic death. Ma Yuan's gaze lingered on the stubborn rock for a long time.

A thought slowly rose in his mind.

He wanted to follow a steady path to longevity, and Skull Mountain was his foundation.

In the future, I will travel abroad or go into seclusion for extended periods.

This vast temple needs a trustworthy person to look after and manage it.

And this unformed, stubborn rock in front of us is undoubtedly the best candidate.

Its nature is resilient and pure, and its intelligence was born in its own cave, making it deeply connected with this place by cause and effect.

If one personally guides and helps it take form, then that is a blessing of rebirth.

At that time, their loyalty will far surpass that of the various independent cultivators recruited from outside in the past.

Not only could he free Shiji from her tragic fate, but he could also add a reliable force to his own dojo.

This is a wonderful thing that achieves multiple benefits.

Once he made up his mind, Ma Yuan no longer hesitated.

He stood up and slowly walked to the stubborn rock.

"You were born on this mountain, grew up in this cave, and have endured countless ages of solitude without perishing, which shows the steadfastness of your Daoist heart."

Ma Yuan's voice was gentle, as if he were speaking to an old friend.

"Today I am embarking on a long journey, and this place of cultivation will be under your care from now on. Are you willing to receive my guidance, shed your stone body, and embark on the path of immortality?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the faint spirituality within the stubborn rock seemed to understand him, and it emitted increasingly intense fluctuations, conveying an emotion of boundless longing and joy.

Ma Yuan smiled slightly and said no more.

He extended two fingers, but at their tips, there was neither sharp magical power nor violent laws.

There was only a wisp of warm, jade-like radiance, yet it seemed to contain the ultimate truth of heaven and earth.

This is the essence of his cultivation, and it even contains a trace of his unique understanding of the Dao of Cause and Effect.

"Today, I am the cause, and you are the effect. Cause and effect are intertwined, so wake up!"

With a flick of his finger, the wisp of blue light, like a seed, gently seeped into the interior of the stubborn rock.

"boom!"

The stubborn rock trembled violently, and its bluish-gray outer layer began to crack and peel off inch by inch.

Thousands of auspicious rays burst forth from the crack, illuminating the entire dark cave as if it were daytime!
A pure and powerful innate earth elemental energy suddenly erupted!
Guided by Ma Yuan's magical power, which contained the Daoist principles of cause and effect.

The process of this stubborn rock transforming was shortened by more than ten thousand times!
More importantly, her foundation and roots were fundamentally improved during this enlightenment!
The glory faded.

The place where the stubborn rock once stood is now empty.

Instead.

She was a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in a light blue palace gown, barefoot, standing quietly in place.

She was tall and slender, with skin as smooth and lustrous as ancient jade.

Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her eyes held a serene and aloof quality, like a rock.

But at this moment, her clear eyes were filled with the bewilderment of someone who had just been reborn.

And when he looked at Ma Yuanshi, there was a deep-seated admiration and gratitude in his heart.

The woman moved gracefully to Ma Yuan's side, curtsied, and knelt down.

Her voice was like jade striking each other, clear and melodious, carrying a touch of newborn purity.

"Shiji kowtows to thank the master for his enlightenment and life-saving grace!"

(End of this chapter)