Primordial Era: Starting with the repair of Penglai Immortal Island

The river of time flows ceaselessly, where the past, present, and future intertwine to form a vast and inexhaustible panorama.

In the middle of the river of time, two figures exuded a mysterious aura, their momentum constantly growing as they chased each other.

The two began the crucial step of binding together their past and future selves almost simultaneously.

Guang Chengzi's face was solemn, and his body was surrounded by a pure, ethereal light. Instantly, in the river of time, countless waves surged up both upstream and downstream of his "Guang Chengzi" timeline!

These waves, varying in size and brightness, represent the marks he left at different points in time: the "past" of struggling to survive in the primordial wilderness as a child, the "past" of diligently cultivating under the tutelage of the Three Pure Ones as a youth, the "present" of being a dignified and composed disciple of the Chan Sect, transmitting the Dharma on behalf of his master, and even some hazy, illusory "future self" representing some possibility of the future...

"All things are me, and I am the only one. The Jade Purity Path leads to the One!"

Guang Chengzi gave a low shout, and his true spirit shone brightly, radiating a powerful pulling force.

The figures in the waves, whether young, composed, majestic, or hazy, all sensed the call of the true body and transformed into pure, clear celestial light, transcending the barriers of time and flowing towards the true spirit in the center like rivers flowing into the sea.

With each figure merged into his being, Guang Chengzi's true spirit became more solidified, his definition of "Guang Chengzi" became clearer, and his understanding of "order," "origin," and "uniqueness" in the Jade Purity Great Dao became more profound.

Above his head, three flowers of the Great Dao bloomed with vibrant Daoist energy, as if slowly unfolding.

On the other side, Daoist Duobao presented a completely different image. He wore a broad-minded smile, his hands forming ever-changing hand seals, and he chanted incantations, not fixed spells, but rather as if communicating and resonating with the countless illusory magical treasures around him.

"Past and future, all are like scattered treasures. Now I am here, and all treasures return to their source!"

As he chanted, the waves belonging to "Duobao" in the river of time surged violently. Unlike Guang Chengzi's relatively clear and coherent timeline, Duobao's past and future selves appeared more... "mixed" and "jumping." In some waves, figures were diligently crafting magical artifacts; in others, they were traveling through the primordial wilderness, collecting all sorts of rare and precious materials...!

These figures were also drawn in, but instead of transforming into pure light, they became streams of light carrying the aura of different treasures and different insights into Daoist arts, which poured into the "Lotus Platform of Many Treasures" beneath the True Spirit of Many Treasures like a shower of stars. The lotus platform shone brightly, absorbing, integrating, and refining these mixed streams of light one by one, taking their essence and removing their redundancy, ultimately nourishing the True Spirit in the center.

Duobao's aura was also steadily improving, his understanding of the Great Dao he cultivated was becoming more comprehensive and thorough, and the three flowers on his head also appeared and began to bloom.

Huanglong and the Antarctic Immortal's true spirits stood a short distance away, silently observing the two Great Luo breakthroughs that were taking place almost simultaneously.

The Antarctic Immortal sighed in a telepathic voice: "Junior Brother Guang Chengzi has a solid foundation and a pure Dao heart. He uses the orthodox methods of Yuqing to restrain himself, proceeding step by step with unwavering stability. Junior Brother Duobao, on the other hand, uses 'treasure' as a medium to absorb the energy of countless treasures. Although the process seems complicated, it also subtly aligns with the essence of the Jie Sect's approach of intercepting and integrating all methods. The two paths are different, but both have grasped its essence."

Huang Long nodded, his sharp gaze observing the three Great Dao Flowers brewing and blooming above the two people's heads, as well as the waves that the two people stirred up as they subtly confronted and competed with each other on the River of Time during the process of gathering.

He could clearly sense that, although both of them were focused on their own breakthroughs, their energy was subtly drawn together and collided in the long river of time.

This is both a natural competitive spirit that exists between the two people who are of the same generation in the Xuanmen sect and the leading disciples of the two sects, and a mutual verification and encouragement of their respective Daoist philosophies to some extent.

Guang Chengzi's Jade Purity Immortal Light is majestic and righteous, attempting to govern his "self" across all timelines with order, emphasizing purity of origin. Duobao, on the other hand, captures countless precious lights, yet embraces and integrates everything for its own use with the inclusiveness of the ocean.

Two different paths are engaged in a silent contest on the river of time.

The convergence process continues.

Both were racing against time, competing with themselves, and secretly vying with each other's ever-increasing momentum.

The three flowers of the Great Dao above both heads gradually bloomed during this process.

Guang Chengzi held his breath and concentrated his mind on comprehending the Great Dao of Jade Purity.

The flower of the Great Dao slowly sprouted, each petal unfolding as if carrying his understanding of "order," "origin," and "the exposition of the Heavenly Dao." The Jade Purity Immortal Light was pure and majestic, carrying an unquestionable aura of "orthodoxy."

First grade, third grade, fifth grade, seventh grade... The speed wasn't fast, but every step was incredibly solid. The eighth grade was successfully reached.

The ninth grade begins to condense, shrouded in purple light, exuding a profound Daoist charm.

Both Huanglong and the Antarctic Immortal held their breath. Whether Guang Chengzi could break through the ninth rank, reach the tenth rank, or even touch upon the eleventh rank like Xuandu, depended on this moment!

Guang Chengzi was trembling all over, clearly under immense pressure.

He poured all his insights into the cultivation of the Jade Purity Path, his sense of responsibility for the destiny of Kunlun, and his expectations for the future of the Chan Sect into this final sprint.

"Jade Purity above, the Dao attained by Heaven! Open for me!!!"

With a deep roar, the ninth petal was completely stabilized and blossomed! Immediately afterwards, the nascent form of the tenth petal suddenly burst forth from the center of the flower! It grew and unfolded with difficulty, its spiritual light growing brighter and brighter, even beginning to resonate faintly with the surrounding river of time!

There's hope! Huang Long's heart skipped a beat.

However, just as the tenth petal was about to fully form and complete a perfect cycle with the other nine grades, Guang Chengzi's Dao heart, which was overly focused on "purity" and "orthodoxy," seemed to experience a very subtle hesitation—was it a lingering obsession with not breaking through before Huanglong and Xuandu? Or a momentary doubt about whether his own Dao was "absolutely correct"? Or perhaps it was an instinctive awe and pressure from the perfect realm of the "tenth grade"?

It was this almost imperceptible hesitation that caused the nearly perfected tenth-grade Dao Flower to tremble slightly, ultimately stopping at the state of "infinitely close to the tenth grade, yet still lacking the final layer of paper." The three Dao Flowers remained dazzling, their Daoist aura still powerful, but the tenth grade ultimately failed to bloom completely. It stopped at the peak of the ninth grade, half a step towards the tenth!

On the other side, Duobao's Dao Flower bloomed, presenting a completely different scene. Within the Shangqing Immortal Light, a treasure aura swirled, as if countless insights into the Great Dao, weapon-refining experiences, and travel experiences had transformed into specks of starlight and merged into it, successfully reaching the ninth rank as well, and striving to break through to the tenth rank!