The Primordial Era: Starting with Becoming a Disciple of the Queen Mother of the West

Chapter 136 Nominal Disciple

Upon hearing Xuan Yao's question, the black bear spirit immediately slammed its enormous head heavily onto the bluestone slab and said in a muffled voice, "I can't go anywhere else. I only want to follow the master to learn the Dao and seek immortality."

Xuan Yao nodded slightly and then asked him his name, where he came from, and how he attained enlightenment.

The black bear spirit dared not conceal the truth and honestly replied, "In response to your question, sir, I am originally a wild bear from the forests eight hundred miles outside of Qinghei Mountain."

As for my origins, I don't know. I only remember once swallowing a glowing fruit in a mountain stream, taking a nap, and then gaining sentience when I woke up.

From that time on, I also began to think about cultivation, hoping that one day I could shed this stupid, clumsy body and attain immortality.

He spoke frankly, his voice deep and resonant, possessing an unadorned simplicity.

Xuan Yao nodded gently after hearing this, and then closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, a dark gold shimmered in them, and the divine light of his divine eyes was faintly emerging.

A ray of clear light flashed from his eyes, illuminating the black bear from top to bottom, revealing its bones, blood, meridians, and the flow of its energy.

In the primordial world, one's origins and background are of utmost importance.

His eldest disciple, Yan Yuanzi, was conceived from a water and fire spirit embryo, born innately, and naturally close to the Great Dao.

The second disciple, Jin Pengzi, inherited the bloodline of Yuan Feng and possessed innate Yin and Yang energies within his body.

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With such talent, once they embark on the path of cultivation, their progress will be extremely rapid, far surpassing that of ordinary beings.

However, under Xuan Yao's discerning eye, this black bear in front of him truly showed little of anything extraordinary.

Ultimately, it was nothing more than a creature born after birth that, by chance, gained spiritual awakening and took human form.

His bones were thick and heavy, but lacked finesse; his meridians were also rather coarse, and there was not a trace of innate spiritual energy within his body.

As for the immortal fruit that helped him gain wisdom, it was nothing more than a vermilion fruit nourished by the earth's spiritual energy, which washed away some of his ignorance and opened a sliver of his spiritual aperture.

Such qualifications are utterly ordinary in the eyes of the various sects of the prehistoric world.

Let alone accepting him as a disciple, even keeping him in the mountain gate as a guardian spirit beast would probably be considered too clumsy and unworthy of greatness.

Xuan Yao withdrew his divine gaze, stood with his hands behind his back, and remained silent for a moment.

The black bear knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe even a little heavily.

Although he didn't understand the fundamental principles of the Great Dao, nor could he distinguish between the innate and acquired, just from Xuan Yao's glance just now, he vaguely understood that he was unlikely to catch the eye of this great man.

Xuan Yao gazed at the imposing figure lying motionless on the ground, but his heart remained largely unmoved.

So what if one has mediocre talent? So what if one's meridians are weak?

To be honest, when he first gained sentience, he was nothing more than a black tiger struggling to survive.

If it weren't for the Queen Mother of the West's compassion in bringing him to the Jade Pool and imparting the true Dharma to him, how could he have achieved such a high level of cultivation as a Taiyi Golden Immortal today?

It is true that all living beings in the primordial world were born different.

The desire to seek the Way is not divided by social status, nor by innate or acquired factors.

He cultivated virtue and morality, and what he valued was never his family background, his temporary luck, or his social standing.

Forming connections naturally and teaching without discrimination aligns with the true meaning of this path.

Thinking of this, Xuan Yao pondered for a moment, and finally spoke slowly in the increasingly dim eyes of the black bear.

"From this day forward, you will be a disciple of my Qinghei Mountain sect, first as a nominal disciple."

The words were clear and distinct, reaching the black bear's ears perfectly.

"First, temper your character and cultivate discipline in the mountains. If your resolve to follow the Dao remains unchanged, there will naturally come a day when you will be accepted as a direct disciple."

The black bear was completely stunned.

Those already small eyes widened in disbelief, as if they understood but couldn't believe it at all. They stood there frozen, like a clay or wooden statue.

It took him a good while to come to his senses, and an undisguised look of ecstasy suddenly appeared on his dark face.

The next moment, three muffled thuds were heard.

The black bear bent down and kowtowed three times.

He possessed superhuman strength, and fueled by his inner turmoil, he attacked without restraint. He managed to chip several cracks into the hard bluestone, sending fragments flying in all directions.

"Disciple Black Bear greets Master."

His voice was hoarse and choked with emotion.

Seeing this, Xuan Yao couldn't help but smile. He raised his sleeve and flicked it lightly, and a wisp of gentle, clear air flowed out from his sleeve, supporting the black bear's arms and steadily helping him up.

"Now that you have joined my sect, you shall abide by the rules of Qingheishan Mountain."

Xuan Yao said gently, "Let's settle down in the mountains first, learn the rules, and then talk about cultivation."

Having said that, he summoned the boy in blue robes who was waiting in the distance.

Qingya strode forward, first bowing respectfully to Xuanyao, then turning to look at the black bear with a friendly smile on his face.

"Junior Brother Xiong, come with me."

The black bear bowed deeply to Xuan Yao again before carefully following Qingya towards the mountainside.

Upon entering the inner mountains of Qingheishan, the atmosphere immediately changed.

The restrictions enveloped all directions, and the spiritual energy was so abundant that it almost turned into a light mist, floating between the mountain paths.

As soon as the black bear stepped into the formation, he felt a refreshing aura wash over him, as if even his muscles and bones felt lighter.

However, being a newcomer, he was filled with awe and dared not look around. He simply lowered his head and followed closely behind Qingya.

Qingya led him up the white jade steps, explaining the rules of the mountain as they went.

"Our Qingheishan Mountain doesn't have many rules, but none of them can be taken lightly."

As he spoke, he pointed to the back mountain, his expression becoming more serious.

"That cold pool is where Master usually meditates in seclusion. No one may enter without a summons. Even when walking around nearby, one must not make loud noise, so as not to disturb Master's quiet cultivation."

The black bear nodded quickly and secretly made a mental note of it.

Qingya then pointed to a deep pool at the foot of the mountain.

The water in that pool was dark and deep, with faint sounds of wind and thunder occasionally emanating from it, and sometimes a few streaks of dark golden lightning could be seen flashing across the bottom of the pool.

"That is the Wind and Thunder Pool, where an old dragon of the Xuan Water is suppressed."

This dragon has a violent temper. Although it is suppressed here by its master and dares not act rashly, it is still not something you can provoke right now.

Remember, keep your distance on weekdays.

The black bear quickly wrote down another one.

Qingya led him through another misty valley, where the fragrance of herbs wafted through the air and spiritual energy stirred. In the distance, one could vaguely see five-colored light flickering.

"This is the spirit herb garden, where Master has collected rare and exotic herbs over the years."

There are peach branches, fire sycamore, and yin-yang grass.

The valley is protected by a Five Elements restriction. If you are not familiar with formations, do not venture in recklessly. Damaging the spiritual herbs is a sin, and if you are struck by the backlash from the restriction, you will suffer the consequences.

The black bear listened very attentively, afraid of forgetting even a single word and breaking the rules, thus being driven down the mountain.

As he listened, he raised his two large, fan-like hands in front of his chest, silently counting on his thick fingers and muttering to himself.

Do not disturb the Cold Pool, do not approach the Wind and Thunder Pool, and do not wander into the Herb Garden.

Seeing his expression, Qingya couldn't help but smile and patted his broad shoulder.

"Junior brother, there's no need to be so nervous."

As long as you cultivate diligently and do not have any distracting thoughts, your master is very easy to talk to.

Your fellow disciples in the mountains won't make things difficult for you.

Upon hearing this, the black bear felt somewhat relieved.

At this time, dusk had fallen on Baiyuping.

Xuan Yao remained standing with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the tall but clumsy figure disappear into the depths of the forest as Qingya walked away.

Xuan Yao knew in his heart that if he were to take in a black bear with such ordinary aptitude, it would most likely be seen as a losing proposition by the various sects of the prehistoric world.

After all, when a great sect accepts disciples, it looks at their background, their fortune, and whether they can inherit the lineage and give back to the sect.

If we recruit a person with exceptional talent, their cultivation will surely enhance the prestige of our sect.

However, if one were to take in someone of mediocre talent like a black bear, even if a great deal of effort were put into the cultivation later, it would still be uncertain whether a result could be achieved.

But Xuan Yao never cared about such things.

He cultivates virtue by going with the flow, forming good relationships, and planting good seeds.

As the primordial forces surged forward, the first to fall into the calamity were often not those of ordinary talent, but rather many innate saints who relied on their deep roots and were full of cunning.

The essence of the path to good fortune has never been about scheming.

If one weighs the pros and cons in everything, only accepting those with great fortune and refusing to help ordinary beings, then what one is cultivating is not good fortune.

True blessings lie in the four words: education for all.

True sincerity is found in the smallest things, and a glimmer of hope is left among ordinary people; this is the way.

Although the black bear is a bit clumsy and awkward, its sincerity is undeniable.

With just this desire to seek the truth, he has already surpassed countless self-important individuals.

Xuan Yao slowly withdrew his gaze and looked up into the depths of the night.

Above, the stars began to rise, their light scattering across the Green Black Mountain, adding a touch of serene and ethereal beauty to the mountain mist.

In his sacred space, there are innate deities, ancient birds, and fox-like creatures.

Now, with the addition of a gentle black bear, the scene is even more vibrant with the coexistence of all kinds of creatures.

All things under the frosty sky, each in its proper place.

This is the Qingheishan he wanted.

That's how the great road in his heart should look.