Primordial Era: Cultivation level equals the sum of the Jie Sect's total; the Three Pure Ones a

Bai Shou looked at Kong Xuan, a bitter smile slowly creeping onto his lips.

That bitter smile was faint, yet it carried the bitterness of losing tens of thousands of yuan.

"A promising future?"

"Fellow Daoist Kong Xuan, do you know how I attained the peak of Quasi-Saint level?"

Kong Xuan remained silent.

Bai Shou continued:

"With the accumulation of elixirs and the infusion of magical power, the source of the Heavenly Dao is replenished."

"My master gave me everything."

"But it never gave me a foundation."

"It gave me strength."

"But they never taught me how to control that power."

"They gave me cultivation."

"But they never gave me the way."

He paused, his voice hoarse:

"I've been guarding this place for nothing, and I've already made tens of thousands of yuan."

"From a rogue cultivator to the peak of Quasi-Saint."

"But I haven't even found my own path."

"I can't even see my own path clearly."

"I don't even know where my own heart is."

"Does this mean I have a bright future?"

Kong Xuan remained silent.

He looked at Bai Shou, at that calm yet weary face.

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

He recalled those days.

I recall the time before I joined the Jie Sect.

I recall the time when I was stuck at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, unable to make any further progress.

I recall the time when I had the background and the talent, but had nowhere to go.

He understood that feeling.

"So you've come to the Jie Sect?"

Kong Xuan spoke, his voice no longer cold.

Bai Shou nodded.

"The Jie Sect has a Vice Leader named Xuandu."

"There is the Way of Hunyuan."

"There are martial arts principles."

"There are masters who never treat their disciples as tools."

"I have come seeking a way out."

"A path that belongs to me."

The sound faded, and silence descended.

Kong Xuan looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he slowly began to speak:

"Wait here."

"I'll go and inform the vice-leader."

Bai Shou nodded and bowed slightly.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Kong Xuan."

Kong Xuan turned around and took a step forward.

A flash of five-colored light, and the figure vanished from Jin'ao Island in an instant.

Bai Shou stood alone in the void, gazing at the disappearing figure.

His gaze was calm.

But beneath that calm lay an expectation that tens of thousands of yuan had never felt before.

He waited for tens of thousands of yuan.

Waiting for an opportunity.

Waiting for a way out.

Waiting for someone who will treat me as a disciple.

Now, he has arrived.

Come and intercept the sect.

Come find Xuan Du.

Let's take a gamble.

I'm betting that the man in blue won't disappoint him.

Jin'ao Island, Lingyun Cave.

Purple clouds swirl around, and green jade carpets the ground.

Xuandu sat cross-legged on the cloud bed, his green robes hanging down and his black hair flowing over his shoulders.

He closed his eyes and let his mind sink into the Chaos Pearl.

The four ferocious beasts each occupy their own place.

Taotie sits in the center, Chaos occupies the west, Qiongqi lies dormant in the south, and Taotie sleeps in the north.

The Chaos Silver Serpent roams the depths of the North Sea, while 100,000 elite humans are in seclusion for cultivation.

Business as usual.

"Buzz".

The void rippled slightly.

Kong Xuan's figure appeared outside the palace gate.

"Vice Master, your disciple Kong Xuan requests an audience."

Xuan Du opened his eyes.

A faint glimmer of light flashed deep within those eyes, which were as calm as an ancient well.

"Come in."

Kong Xuan stepped into the palace, stood under the cloud bed, and bowed slightly.

"Vice Master, someone has arrived outside Jin'ao Island."

Xuan Du's eyes flickered slightly:

"Who?"

Kong Xuandao:

"Hakushou."

"Lao Tzu's disciple."

As soon as the sound faded, Lingyun Cave fell silent.

Zixia seemed to freeze for a moment.

Xuan Du's gaze narrowed slightly.

Bai Shou.

Lao Tzu's disciple.

What is he here for?

"What's he doing here?"

Xuandu spoke.

Kong Xuan took a deep breath and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"To seek refuge with."

The two words fell like the sound of a morning bell and an evening drum.

Xuandu remained silent.

He looked at Kong Xuan, at those arrogant yet complex eyes.

Thoughts raced through my mind.

Bai Shou was a disciple of Lao Tzu.

Peak Quasi-Saint.

Why would someone like this come to join the Jie Sect?

Is it genuine?

Or was it Lao Tzu's scheme?

Are they desperate?

Or is there another motive?

Xuan Du's eyes flickered slightly, and a smile slowly crept onto his lips.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a profound understanding that saw through everything.

"Let him in."

The four characters fell like the sound of a morning bell and evening drum.

Kong Xuan was taken aback:

"Master, aren't you going yourself?"

Xuan Du gently shook his head:

"No need."

"He came to seek refuge, not to challenge us."

"Have him come to Lingyun Cave; I'll wait for him here."

Kong Xuan nodded and turned to leave.

Lingyun Cave returned to silence.

Xuan Du stood alone before the cloud bed, his hands behind his back.

Her green robe fluttered slightly, and her black hair cascaded over her shoulders.

He raised his eyes and looked towards the outside of the palace gate.

and so on.

A moment later.

Outside the palace gates, the void rippled slightly.

Two figures, one in front of the other, slowly stepped in.

Kong Xuan was in front, and Bai Shou was behind.

Bai Shou stepped into Lingyun Cave and looked up at the figure in green.

Looking at that young yet composed face.

Looking into those eyes, as calm as an ancient well.

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

This is Xuandu.

Deputy leader of the Jie Sect.

The Nine Heavens of the Primordial Golden Immortal.

A century of enlightenment, mending the heavens and supporting the sky, subduing the four ferocious beasts, and awakening humanity.

Even the Dao Ancestor Hongjun suffered a loss at his hands.

Even the Primordial Celestial Lord was forced to retreat by him.

Even Yin Zhunti was suppressed by him above the Di Ku tribe.

This is the person he is looking for.

That was the gamble he took.

Bai Shou took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.

He knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Disciple Bai Shou greets Vice Master Xuandu."

The sound shook the palace, and purple clouds surged.

Xuan Du looked at him, his gaze calm.

Beneath that calm surface lies a profound understanding that sees through everything.

Get up.

The three words fell like a spring breeze.

Bai Shou rose and stood in the palace.

He bowed slightly, not daring to raise his head.

Xuan Du looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

Then, he slowly began to speak:

Why have you come?

Bai Shou took a deep breath:

"I have come to the Jie Sect seeking a path."

Xuandu said, "You're under Laozi's tutelage, yet you have no future?"

Bai Shou smiled bitterly:

"Reporting to the Vice Master, under your tutelage, there is only one path for me."

"It is the accumulation of elixirs, the infusion of magical power, and the feedback from the source of the Heavenly Dao."

"It means having cultivation but no foundation."

"Having a high level of understanding, but lacking the true path."

"Possessing power, but lacking heart."

"This is a path I no longer wish to walk."

Xuan Du looked at him, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Do you know that by coming to the Jie Sect, you are betraying your sect?"

Bai Shou nodded:

"This disciple understands."

"But this disciple doesn't care."

"Because my master has never treated me as a disciple."

"In his eyes, his disciples were nothing more than tools."

"A tool for maintaining appearances, a tool for relaying messages, a tool for guarding the gate."

"Never been treated as a human being."

"What harm is there in betraying such a sect?"

The sound fell, like the clanging of metal and stone.

Kong Xuan stood to one side, watching Bai Shou.

Deep within those arrogant eyes lay a complex mix of emotions.

He recalled those days.

I recall the time before I joined the Jie Sect.

I recall the time when I was stuck at a bottleneck and couldn't make any progress.

I recall the time when I had a foothold but nowhere to go.

He understood that kind of despair.

He understood that sense of resentment.

Xuandu looked at Bai Shou.

Looking at that calm yet resolute face.

long silence.

Then, he slowly began to speak:

"If you want to join the Jie Sect, you may."

"The Jie Sect does not accept useless people."

"Although you are at the peak of Quasi-Saint, your foundation is unstable, your aura is disordered, and your power is out of control."

"Even if I take you in, you won't go far."

Bai Shou was startled.

He gazed at Xuandu, at those calm yet profound eyes.

"Vice Master, your disciple..."

Xuan Du raised his hand to interrupt him.

"I have a method that can rebuild your foundation."

"But that process was extremely painful, extremely dangerous, and extremely difficult."

"Can you handle it?"

Bai Shou gritted his teeth:

"This disciple can bear it."

"I've lived for tens of thousands of years, what hardship haven't I endured?"

"The pain of receiving the elixir, the agony of the backlash of magical power, and the danger of being impacted by the origin of the Heavenly Dao."

"I have experienced it all."

"Even if the pain were ten times greater, I could endure it."

Xuandu looked at him and gently shook his head.

"It's not ten times more painful, it's a hundred times more painful."

"Strip away the power of the pills, the remnants of magic power, and the origin of the Heavenly Dao from your body, bit by bit."

"I will utterly shatter your fragile foundation."

"Then, rebuild your foundation, cultivate your magical power anew, and embark on the path anew."

"This process is like breaking you down and rebuilding you."

Even a peak Quasi-Saint might not be able to withstand it.

"Have you thought this through?"

Bai Shou remained silent.

He stood in Lingyun Cave, his hands slightly clenched.

Break it down and rebuild it.

Tens of thousands of yuan accumulated in the club were wiped out in an instant.

Let's start from the beginning.

Start from scratch.

From nothing.

Can he handle it?

he does not know.

But he didn't want to be a tool anymore.

I don't want to be a goalkeeper anymore.

I don't want to be ignored anymore.

He wanted a path that belonged to him.

I want a master who treats me like a disciple.

I want a real life.

"Vice Leader."

Bai Shou spoke, his voice calm:

"I have thought it through."

"This disciple is willing."

The four words fell, and a great weight was lifted from my shoulders.