Chapter 40: Chapter 39: Breaking 3 Stages in 3 Breaths, Bestowing a Daoist Title, Announcing to the Celestial Realms

SPLASH!

The sound of flowing water seemed to fill the air.

Lu Xuan looked over in confusion but saw no stream, only a vast, long river stretching across the heavens, high above the clouds.

’The Celestial River.’

The thought flashed through his mind.

The next moment, the eastern sky was layered with a purple glow. Then, a surge of violet qi rushed forth, its beginning and end both invisible.

“Ascend to the heavens,” the Old Master said calmly. The vast violet qi from the east spread out beneath their feet, transforming into a heaven-reaching staircase shimmering with a treasured light.

Lu Xuan and the others followed behind him, stepping onto the violet qi staircase and ascending to the heavens one step at a time.

Upon reaching the Celestial Vault, high above the clouds and amid the vast river,

Lu Xuan saw countless stars adorning the sky above. Their celestial sphere was one of Perfection, boundless and infinite. He suddenly stopped and gazed quietly.

“Junior Brother…” Zhang Ling began to ask, confused, but the Old Master cut him off with a wave of his hand.

The old man spoke with a gentle smile:

“He has entered a state of enlightenment.”

Zhang Ling’s eyes widened, and a look of shock flashed across Guangcheng Zi’s face. ’He’s enlightened, just like that?’

Enlightenment was a truly great opportunity. Without the right affinity, even a Celestial Venerable would find it difficult to attain. With it, even a simple farmer in the Human World might experience a dream of a thousand years.

Zhang Ling whispered,

“I wonder how long Junior Brother’s enlightenment will last. It won’t delay the auspicious day, will it?”

“It matters not,” the Old Master chuckled. “The auspicious day will arrive whenever he awakens… Besides, this is just a minor enlightenment. It’s not as if he’ll close his eyes and a century or a millennium will pass before he opens them again.”

Zhang Ling nodded, only half-understanding. Meanwhile, Lu Xuan stared blankly at the sky above, at the stars of the celestial sphere. Each one was brilliant and dazzling. These Ancient Stars were separated by infinitely vast distances, yet they were all interconnected.

The more he watched, the more immersed he became. The scripture of the Primordial Body surfaced in his mind. He split his focus three ways: observing the Stars of the Celestial Sphere, contemplating the Primordial Body, and performing Introspection on his own physical shell.

“The stars of the celestial sphere… three hundred and sixty-five…”

As he muttered to himself, Lu Xuan “saw” 360 faint points of light within his Physique, spread throughout his entire body. He understood at once that these were the profoundly mysterious Acupoints.

’But why are there 365 stars, while I only have 360 Acupoints?’

’Where are the missing five?’

’Five… five… Could it be the five viscera?’

’Or the five sense organs?’

’Or the five centers?’

’No, it must be the five viscera.’

A look of joy appeared on Lu Xuan’s face as understanding dawned. He went with the flow, guiding the vast Essence Qi in his body from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, finally letting it settle within his five viscera.

His foundation was already more than sufficient, and he had grasped the rudiments of the Primordial Body. Now, breaking through to the Fourth Level of the Jade Tower realm and becoming a Grandmaster was simply a matter of course.

In fact, he didn’t stop at the Fourth Level.

The terrifying Primordial Qi of this realm surged toward him madly. Essence Qi also shot out from the Celestial River. Lu Xuan faced the 365 stars of the celestial sphere directly, bathing in their starlight as his Cultivation soared!

He was astonished. ’Though this is my first time sensing Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, I feel like the quality of the Primordial Qi here is at least a hundred thousand times higher than in East Sea City!’

Even the slightest wisp entering his Physique brought about a tremendous leap in progress!

In a single breath, his heart pounded wildly, bursting with a treasured light. His heartbeat was like the rumble of a great drum, and the blood and qi throughout his body surged!

Fourth Level, One-organ Grandmaster, achieved.

In the second breath, his liver took on a glazed, crystalline hue. All the toxins accumulated in his body over the years were expelled, and all his hidden injuries healed at this moment. His body became clear and pure, like colored glass.

Fifth Level, Two-organ Grandmaster, achieved.

In the third breath, the great secret within his spleen was unearthed. Drop after drop of new blood, shimmering with a treasured light, rose from his spleen and was transported throughout his body. Meanwhile, his old, spent blood was expelled completely, evaporating into a fine mist and vanishing without a trace.

Sixth Level, Three-organ Grandmaster, also achieved.

His momentum stopped there. The vast divine essence gained from grasping the rudiments of the Primordial Body was mostly depleted, and the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi settled down once more. Only the light of the Ancient Stars continued to shine on Lu Xuan’s face.

“Isn’t this advancement a bit too fast?” Zhang Ling was shocked and uncertain. “Even though it’s just a Cultivation increase at the Jade Tower level, breaking through three levels in three breaths is just too…”

Guangcheng Zi smiled.

“Junior Brother Lu Xuan has an extremely profound foundation. His Innate Essence is rich, he cultivates the Primordial Body, and here he has absorbed Celestial River Essence and Star Essence. An improvement like this is actually normal… Speaking of which, how many years has Junior Brother Lu Xuan been cultivating?”

Zhang Ling blinked and stammered,

“I think… I think he just started cultivating last week…”

“Oh, last week… Last week?!” Guangcheng Zi jumped in fright, his eyes widening and his breath quickening slightly.

Going from a mortal to the sixth level of the Jade Tower realm in one week wasn’t actually that rare. After all, there were beings who went from nothing to becoming an Immortal in a single day and night!

The problem was, Guangcheng Zi could tell that Junior Brother Lu’s foundation was so profound it could be called a Great Dao Foundation!

And this terrifying foundation was built in just one week?!

Zhang Ling also realized it then, a look of shock on his face. ’That’s right, Junior Brother only started cultivating a week ago…’

’Even if Junior Brother learned the Mediation of Creation and ate Innate Spirit Rice, isn’t his natural talent a little too monstrous?’

Both of them turned to the Old Master with looks of shocked disbelief, but he just gave a cryptic smile.

“Such a fuss over nothing.”

As he spoke, the hand resting on his chest nearly plucked out another strand of his long beard.

Guangcheng Zi and Zhang Ling stared at each other, speechless. Just then, Lu Xuan awoke from his state of enlightenment.

He stretched lazily. At this very moment, his entire being was filled with a single thought, a single feeling.

Utterly refreshed!

Feeling the extremely dense qi and blood within him, Lu Xuan came back to his senses and clasped his hands in a salute to the Old Master.

“Master.”

The Old Master grunted in acknowledgment and said lightly,

“Breaking through three levels in three breaths, going from nothing to the sixth level of the Jade Tower realm in nine days… not bad. But you must not become complacent.”

After a pause, he added,

“Ultimately, the reason is that you consumed Innate Spirit Rice, which replenished your Innate Essence and gave you a trace of a trait that belongs only to Innate beings. Continuing to consume Innate Spirit Rice in the future will still be beneficial, but it will never have such a dramatic effect again.”

Lu Xuan nodded respectfully, not at all disappointed. He simply said,

“This student understands.”

“Good. Let us perform the ceremony here, then.”

As he spoke, the Old Master’s expression turned solemn. His simple, ancient clothes had, at some unknown point, been replaced by a Daoist Robe. The robe fluttered, embodying both a sense of weightiness and ethereal lightness, vast and profound.

Guangcheng Zi and Zhang Ling both took a silent step back to observe the ceremony, while Lu Xuan adopted a solemn posture and bowed his head.

“To enter my sect, according to normal custom, you should have to undergo ten trials: parting from the living, separation by death, malice, rage, compassion, lust, greed, wealth, cowardice, and resolve. Only after attaining great purity can one enter my gates.”

Guangcheng Zi and Zhang Ling exchanged a look, astonishment flashing in their eyes. The Taishang Lineage did indeed require the “ten trials,” but that was for the Direct Lineage, not for a Registered Disciple!

Zhang Ling, for example, had not undergone these ten trials!

The Old Master’s voice was sonorous, like the morning bell and evening drum, echoing between heaven and earth as he continued,

“But you are not yet a True Immortal, nor even an Earth Immortal. You have not experienced the Nine Tribulations and still possess the heart of a child. You shall be exempt from these ten trials. Today, you enter my tutelage. I will bestow upon you the crown. Henceforth, you are to be of the Taishang Lineage!”

The Daoist voice was vast and mighty. The final eight words echoed throughout the heavens, the earth, and the Human World!

Countless Immortals and Buddhas shot to their feet in shock, looking on with astonishment. ’That revered one has taken a disciple?’

As the Immortals and Buddhas watched in amazement,

a Daoist Robe and a Daoist Crown appeared in the Old Master’s hands. Cradling the Daoist Robe and Hat, he walked forward step by step and said kindly,

“Your ambition is for World Clarity. You have obtained the Primordial Body, acquired Annihilation and Slaughter, and cultivate my Supreme Dharma Scripture. But the path to achieving World Clarity must first pass through ’Only I Am Venerable’. This road is paved with more than ten thousand times ten thousand corpses.”

Guangcheng Zi’s pupils contracted slightly. ’World Clarity? Only I Am Venerable?’

He thought of the supreme and lofty Taiyi from countless eons ago.

At this, the Old Master continued,

“Since this is so, I shall bestow upon you a Daoist title. ’Taishang’ shall be at the forefront, to represent my lineage. ’Creation’ shall be in the middle, for the beginning is Primordial. ’Jade Universe’ shall follow, to represent the will of Lingbao. And your personal name shall be ’Xuanqing’.”

“That is, ’Taishang Creation Jade Universe Xuanqing True Master’.”

Lu Xuan was baffled, Zhang Ling seemed to half-understand, but Guangcheng Zi was terrified!

’Taishang represents the Daoist Virtue of the Taiqing!’

’Creation represents the Primordial of the Yuqing!’

’Jade Universe represents the Lingbao of the Shangqing!’

’And Xuanqing… Just how great are the hopes Grand Uncle-Master has placed in Junior Brother Lu Xuan…?’

Guangcheng Zi thought blankly, ’Fortunately, this “Qing” isn’t the “Qing” of the Three Pristine Ones, but the “Qing” from “World Clarity”.’

At this moment, the Primordial Celestial Venerable and the Lingbao Celestial Venerable, who were also paying attention to this place, both nodded slightly and voiced their approval.

The next second, the Old Master smiled.

“Of course, you can just call him Taishang Xuanqing on a daily basis.”

The Primordial One’s face turned cold, and Lingbao stomped his foot. They cursed in unison, “Taishang, what right do you have!”

The Old Master seemed not to notice. He just laughed heartily, and then his gaze fell upon all that was above and below the heavens as his voice spread throughout the inside and outside of the universe!

“Today, I announce to all the Celestial Realms, let the Immortals and Buddhas know!”

Immortals paused in their steps and Buddhas inclined their ears, all listening with reverence!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep