Chapter 5: The Depressed Taiqing Laozi
Of the Six Heavenly Saints, Nuwa was the first to create the human race and attain sainthood. This instinctively irritated the arrogant Taiqing Laozi, the head of the Three Pure Ones. At the same time, he was curious about the human race that had enabled Nuwa to attain sainthood.
However, after some investigation, his curiosity quickly subsided. After all, the human race was simply too weak. The innate humans were only at the bottom of the Celestial Immortal cultivation level in the prehistoric world, while even the acquired humans had barely broken through the lower mortal limits of cultivation. He quickly dismissed such a fragile race.
Who would have thought that now, with the human race having retreated, the Heavenly Dao would once again provide them with merit?
Could this weak human race hold some hidden secret?
Yet, as Taiqing Laozi tried to deduce it, he found the secrets utterly obscure—as if the entire human race had vanished from the prehistoric world, with not even a hint left to uncover.
Seeing this, he stopped his deductions. Still, a vague sense of loss lingered within him, as if the human race had held a crucial opportunity for him. But now, that trace had disappeared.
"The human race retreated from the prehistoric world?"
"Is there some mysterious secret behind the creation of humanity by Saint Nuwa?"
Besides the Six Heavenly Saints, many other great masters of the prehistoric world were also struck by the sudden distribution of Heavenly Dao Merit. However, when their own divinations yielded nothing, they quickly withdrew their attention.
After all, with the Demon and Witch Clans reigning supreme over the prehistoric world, even overshadowing the Heavenly Dao Saints at times, what did it matter if a weak race like humanity retreated?
Without the heavenly merit appearing, no one would have bothered paying attention at all.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Dao Merit evolved rapidly. A full 30% of it descended directly onto Xuantian, while the remaining 70% rained upon the entire human race, benefiting countless individuals—some even breaking through their current cultivation realms.
But just then, the 70% of merit that had scattered among the humans began to recondense above Xuantian's head, merging back with his original share. The total now became a complete 100% of Heavenly Dao Merit, hovering solely above him.
Even Xuantian was stunned. His Primordial Harmony System was terrifying—it could not only harmonize internal energies and races, but also even reconcile the fragmented Merit of the Heavenly Dao itself!
He did not rush to refine the Heavenly Dao Merit. Instead, with a single thought, he concentrated on condensing it into pure light.
Rumble!
Soon, two completely solidified Golden Wheels of Merit slowly emerged behind Xuantian's head, glowing with divine brilliance.
Yes.
Compared to directly refining merit into cultivation, the most efficient approach was to condense Golden Wheels of Merit. In the prehistoric world, possessing such a wheel was like holding a divine talisman—being recognized as a Being of Great Merit.
Even Saints of the Heavenly Dao dared not act rashly against one who bore such merit, lest they risk divine retribution or even death.
Yet, the Golden Wheels offered more than just protection. As the two wheels formed, pure merit radiated, illuminating Xuantian's primordial spirit, vastly increasing his cultivation speed, sharpening his instincts, and boosting his fortune and luck.
He was astonished.
This was only the second Golden Wheel of Merit.
In the prehistoric world, the maximum was nine. If one could condense all nine, they would gain the qualifications of a Saint and possibly ascend to sainthood through merit alone. But the merit required for each additional wheel doubled, making the path nearly impossible for most.
"Now that the human race has retreated into the Blessed Cave Heaven, they can reproduce and rapidly grow!"
Xuantian immediately summoned the human race and issued an order:
"Bear more children and cultivate diligently!"
He then entered seclusion.
Though not actively cultivating techniques himself, as an Innate Divine Being, with the collective cultivation of the human race fueling him, plus the Golden Wheel of Merit assisting, he absorbed spiritual energy at astonishing speeds—faintly sensing even the laws of Heaven and Earth.
Gold symbolizes immortality.
To prove the Way of the Golden Immortal, one must master a Law.
Only then could he fully refine the Gengjin Star Halberd and achieve true transformation.
Across the passage of time, tens of thousands of years flowed by as the human race lived in their blessed refuge, free from catastrophe and demonic interference. Their numbers exploded.
Even the young boars they had once subjugated were tamed and raised alongside them.
[Ding Dong] The human population has reached one million.
Reward: Daluo-level fundamental cultivation method for the human race.
[Ding Dong] The human population has reached one million.
Reward: Daluo-level body-refining method for the human race.
[Ding Dong] The human race has successfully tamed the boars!
Reward: Medium-sized Blessed Cave Heaven!
[Ding Dong] The boars have become a subordinate race of the human race and are seeking peace.
"A fundamental cultivation method?
A medium-sized Blessed Land?"
Xuantian awoke from cultivation, his eyes shining with sharp spiritual light.
With the Gengjin Star Halberd in hand, he had already begun comprehending the brutal, metal-based Yang Gold Law. He was halfway to the Golden Immortal realm.
The system's string of rewards was overwhelming. For a while, he remained stunned as a flood of information surged into his mind.
After fully digesting it, Xuantian couldn't help but laugh.
"It's not that I'm a bad person...
It's just that this system is too generous."
Above all, the reward included the human race's fundamental cultivation method.
Though created by Sage Nuwa, humanity was weaker than all other races of the prehistoric world. Worse, it had no foundational cultivation method of its own.
The reason why Taiqing Laozi later attained sainthood and became head of the Human Sect was that he taught them the Golden Elixir method—but even that was only a fragment of his own cultivation technique, reaching no higher than the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.
Now, however, the system had provided a Daluo Golden Immortal-level cultivation method, tailor-made for the human race!
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(End of Chapter 5)