Primordial Era: From the Creation Lotus to the First Disciple of the Three Pure Ones

Nine golden dragon puppets, their scales and claws gleaming, were pulling a purple-gold carriage carved from the heartwood of a thousand-year-old agarwood from the Nine Netherworlds!

The vehicle is ancient and grand, engraved with innate Dao patterns, exuding a powerful aura that suppresses fortune and is impervious to all laws!

The entire carriage exudes a radiant aura, embodying nobility, majesty, peace, and grandeur, as if it were a concrete manifestation of the order of heaven and earth and all the principles of law!

The moment this carriage appeared, the entire Taoist aura of the Sanqing Palace froze!

A knowing glint flashed in Laozi's eyes, and the Tongtian Sect Leader couldn't help but exclaim, "Good heavens! What a grand display! What treasures!"

The moment the Nine Dragons Incense Chariot appeared, Yuanshi Tianzun's gaze was firmly drawn to it!

The hint of disappointment in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by an overwhelming sense of surprise and satisfaction! This carriage! This grandeur! This majesty! This aura of order and law! It was practically tailor-made for him!

He seemed to see himself becoming a saint in the future, riding this chariot to travel through the heavens, expounding the Way of Heaven, and establishing the unchanging principles of the primordial world for all eternity!

Its magnificence and solemnity far surpassed that of ordinary mounts, and perfectly matched the core of his teachings—order and law!

"The Kowloon Agarwood Chariot... Good! Good! Good!"

Yuanshi Tianzun said "good" three times in a row, and a rare, heartfelt smile appeared on his majestic face. His gaze toward Qinglian was full of approval.

"My disciple Qinglian, this object deeply resonates with me! Its inherent order, principles, auspiciousness, and majesty perfectly align with my Way of Heaven! Where did this treasure come from? You've shown your talent!"

Qinglian respectfully replied:

"This was a chance encounter during my travels in the East Sea, when I helped the Third Prince Ao Guang of the East Sea Dragon Palace out of his predicament. To express his gratitude, and having heard of my lineage, the East Sea Dragon King Ao Yuan specially offered this treasured item, saying that it contained the aura of the Holy Path and could only be controlled by those with great fortune and supernatural powers. He said that leaving it in the Dragon Palace would only allow it to gather dust, and it would be better to offer it to a sage so that it could shine with brilliance."

"Judging from its appearance, it truly complements the two masters, so I accept it on their behalf and offer it to them!"

"The Dragon Clan of the East Sea does have some discernment."

The Primordial Celestial Venerable nodded slightly, clearly quite satisfied with this "sensible" gift.

With a flick of his sleeve, a beam of pure jade light enveloped the Nine Dragons Incense Chariot, drawing it into his own auspicious cloud to nurture and refine it. The slight displeasure he felt at not having a mount had long since vanished in the face of this unexpected joy; he even felt that the chariot was more noble and imposing than any ordinary mount!

All three masters got what they wanted, and the atmosphere in the main hall was peaceful. Qinglian also breathed a sigh of relief. Now that things were settled, he still had a gift to offer to his three masters.

He flipped his hand and took out a warm, smooth mutton-fat jade bottle. Inside the bottle were dozens of strange leaves shaped like jade clouds, with veins that flowed like starlight, and exuding an ethereal and pure Taoist charm—these were the divine leaves produced by the Enlightenment Tea Tree!

"My three masters,"

Qinglian respectfully said, "When I was traveling in Wuyi Mountain, I happened to obtain a primordial spiritual root. Its leaves contain the miraculous effects of cleansing the primordial spirit, enlightening wisdom, and helping people comprehend the origin of the Great Dao. I wish to use these leaves to personally brew a cup of clear drink for Master as a token of my gratitude, and I also ask Master to appreciate the profound mystery of this thing."

Upon hearing this, Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian all revealed curiosity in their eyes. With Qinglian's current cultivation level and understanding, a spiritual leaf that he called miraculous must be extraordinary.

Qinglian did not brew it immediately, but turned to Laozi and bowed, saying, "Master, I wish to use a technique to activate the Daoist charm of this leaf, and I need to borrow a wisp of the original fire of the 'Samadhi True Fire' from you."

Laozi gave Qinglian a deep look, but didn't ask any further questions. He simply flicked his finger.

A pure, crimson-white flame, seemingly containing the very essence of fire in the universe, silently drifted toward the blue lotus.

When this fire was unleashed, the temperature inside the hall did not soar. Instead, it gave people a profound sense of burning away all illusions and returning to simplicity—it was the supreme divine fire of Lao Tzu's alchemy and weapon crafting, the original seed of the Samadhi True Fire!

Qinglian respectfully accepted the wisp of primordial fire with both hands, feeling the immense power it contained—power that could scorch the heavens and boil the seas, yet was also inexhaustible. She carefully incorporated it into her own auspicious cloud, enveloping and nurturing it with the power of creation.

Then, he lightly landed on the cloud carpet in the center of the hall, and his aura instantly became extremely calm and harmonious.

He slowly drew upon the primordial energy of the Samadhi True Fire, but instead of releasing it outwards in a fiery manner, it transformed into a pure and gentle heat that flowed through his limbs and bones.

Qinglian closed her eyes slightly, her mind sinking into a mysterious state.

He slowly raised his hands, the movements seemingly slow, yet carrying an indescribable rhythm and Daoist imprint.

Lifting the knee, taking a step, sinking the shoulders, and embracing the arms... This is none other than Tai Chi Chuan, which has been widely circulated in later generations and contains profound principles!

However, the Tai Chi he was practicing at this moment was not a martial art for defeating enemies, but a "tea ceremony fist" that draws upon the Daoist principles and harmonizes Yin and Yang!

As he unleashed his fist, the dozens of Enlightenment Tea leaves in the jade bottle seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, transforming into a vibrant green "divine dragon" that soared out of the bottle!

The tea-leaf dragon slowly circled around the blue lotus, its trajectory mysterious, each turn subtly embodying the true meaning of Tai Chi: the cycle of Yin and Yang, and the balance of strength and gentleness.

Qinglian held her hands like a Tai Chi ball and slowly moved them in front of her.

The tea-leaf dragon followed the trajectory of his hands, weaving, swirling, and coiling in the void. The pure heat from the Samadhi True Fire source, through Qinglian's fist intent, was like the gentlest warm breeze, evenly roasting and refining each tea leaf.

A miraculous thing happened!

Under the combined effect of the Tai Chi intent and the heat of the Samadhi True Fire, the emerald green tea leaves did not wither or fade; instead, they became even more translucent and the starlight in the veins of the leaves flowed faster, emitting a purer and more intense Taoist charm!

The trajectory of the tea leaf dragon swirling between Qinglian's hands gradually solidified, eventually outlining a huge Tai Chi pattern in the void, slowly rotating and composed of pure Daoist charm and the spiritual light of tea leaves!

Lao Tzu sat upright on the cloud bed, his eyes, which had been as calm as a still well, suddenly lit up when Qinglian performed the first move of Tai Chi!

What he saw was no longer simple fists and feet, but Qinglian's profound understanding and exquisite interpretation of the true meaning of the Great Dao of "non-action and nature" and "yin-yang rotation"! This set of fist techniques has transcended the art of fighting and transformed into a supreme method that can invoke the laws of heaven and earth and harmonize the energy of all things!

Qinglian was able to integrate the essence of Tai Chi into the art of tea making. This comprehension, this harmony and innovation with his own Dao, filled Laozi with an indescribable sense of satisfaction and admiration. He couldn't help but stroke his long beard, his eyes filled with the satisfaction of "a promising young man."

Yuanshi and Tongtian also had keen eyes. Although they were not experts in this field, they could see that Qinglian's actions contained profound Daoist principles, which were extraordinary.

A moment later, Qinglian slowly withdrew her stance, exhaling a white breath that resembled a dragon.

He raised one hand, and the enormous Tai Chi diagram in the void, composed of Daoist energy and tea leaves, instantly shrank, condensing in his palm and transforming into a small, slowly rotating Tai Chi diagram whose color had changed from emerald green to a warm, brownish-gold. A jade bottle appeared in his other hand.

"receive!"

With a soft shout, Qinglian's brown Taiji diagram in her palm spun faster, and dozens of tea leaves that had been tempered and imbued with Daoist charm instantly transformed into a brown stream of light that shimmered with starlight, flowing precisely into the jade bottle like a gentle stream.