Nuwa, the goddess of immortality, said that cultivating immortality does not require spiritual energ

The Celestial Realm is a remote corner rarely visited by humans, a place even the Chaos Beasts have never set foot in.

A nameless little grass, less than half a foot tall and found everywhere in the heavens, swayed gently in the rhythm of the breeze. Its leaves were green and unremarkable.

Suddenly, the swaying of the grass froze. The breeze continued to blow, but it remained motionless, as if it had instantly transformed into a solidified jade sculpture.

This eerie stillness lasted for about ten minutes.

Then, he moved.

It didn't move with the wind, but rather raised the tips of its blades slowly and autonomously, making a gesture similar to looking up at the sky—even though it didn't have eyes.

"Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here? And who is that person in my mind... whose face I can't make out?"

A tender, clear voice, like that of a newborn child, filled with confusion and bewilderment, suddenly rang out and echoed in the silent wilderness.

He felt both unfamiliar and curious about everything around him, while at the same time instinctively feeling a sense of fear.

But deep within his nascent, still chaotic consciousness, a blurry figure was imprinted.

His face was obscured, and his clothes were indistinguishable. All that could be seen was that the figure seemed to be holding a warm, swaying ball of light in its hands, dispelling the darkness and cold that had enveloped his consciousness at its inception.

Just then, a slight ripple appeared in the space, and an old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face, holding a whisk, appeared silently in front of Xiaocao. His face was kind and his eyes were gentle.

Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao) bent down slightly, looking at the innocent little grass, a gentle smile on his face: "I never imagined that child would actually bring life back to the Spirit Race... Little fellow, would you be willing to cultivate with this old Daoist?"

"Who...who are you?" The little grass's consciousness conveyed waves of vigilance and fear.

He didn't recognize the old man in front of him, but his instinctive senses were screaming warnings: this was an unimaginable, vast, and magnificent being!

However, at the same time, another, purer perception told him that the old man had no ill intentions, only a peaceful kindness.

"Just call me 'Laojun' (Old Lord). Saying too much will only make it harder for you to understand at this moment," Laojun said with a smile, offering no further explanation.

Before the grass could respond, another figure appeared out of thin air.

The ethereal yellow dress, exuding unparalleled elegance, is none other than an incarnation of the Goddess Houtu.

"I say, Laozi?" Houtu Niangniang glanced at Taishang Laojun, her tone tinged with helplessness: "That's a bit unfair of you, how can you 'hijack' something like that?"

Before the words were finished, a third figure arrived, stepping through the void.

The newcomer was dressed in a magnificent robe woven with black and gold, and had a pair of majestic black dragon horns on his head. He possessed an extraordinary and noble demeanor and was none other than the demon saint, Donghuang Taiyi.

Of course, what has descended at this moment is also an avatar; the true self still guards the place of the Chaos Seal.

"Donghuang, you've come too?" Houtu Niangniang greeted.

Donghuang Taiyi's gaze swept over Taishang Laojun and Houtu, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes. He chuckled softly, "It seems... none of you are willing to let go of this merit of protecting the 'newly revived race'."

"Such a meritorious act that conforms to the way of Heaven and benefits all living beings, who would be willing to easily give it up?" Lao Tzu lightly swept his whisk and shook his head with a smile.

The three saints descended in avatars, naturally for the sake of this first spirit being that had just been revived.

Protecting it to grow up smoothly and preventing it from dying prematurely from unknown risks is not only a good deed, but also a great merit from Heaven.

This merit is also beneficial to the saint's own cultivation, and can be used to protect his disciples or descendants. Therefore, even a saint would not mind showing up to fight for it.

"Since neither of you is willing to yield, how about we stick to the old rules?" Houtu Niangniang suggested with a slight smile.

As she spoke, she waved her hand lightly, and a square table as smooth as jade and engraved with delicate patterns appeared out of thin air. On the table were 144 jade tiles neatly arranged—it was a mahjong table!

Upon seeing this item, Donghuang Taiyi's lips twitched slightly: "No need. This is not my forte, and besides, we are currently one short. Houtu, just tell me, how many races does Qin Le need to revive this time? We can then divide them equally among ourselves."

Laozi also turned his questioning gaze to Houtu Niangniang.

The fact that Qin Le was undergoing trials in the underworld could not be hidden from the Sage's perception.

"My requirement for him is ten," Houtu Niangniang truthfully told her.

"Ten?" Donghuang Taiyi pondered for a moment. "Could we allow him to revive a few more? To make it a round number, we seven sages could each receive two, wouldn't that be perfect?"

Currently, there are seven saints in the Three Realms, and only ten races have been revived. In the eyes of the Eastern Emperor, this is indeed not enough.

"Do you think the revived races are like cabbages in the field? You can just ask for as many as you want?" Houtu Niangniang couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

"What's so difficult about that?" Donghuang Taiyi said dismissively, laughing, "Back then, my elder brother also created a hundred races on a whim."

"What level was your brother at back then? And what level is Qin Le at now? How can these two be compared?" Houtu Niangniang was speechless.

Donghuang Taiyi's elder brother is Dijun, who was already a being whose strength had subtly surpassed that of a saint before leaving the Three Realms!

Its supernatural powers of creating living beings and evolving races are far beyond what Qin Le can compare to now.

She suspected that Donghuang might not have woken up properly before he arrived.

"Actually, there's no need to rush," Laozi said at the right moment, easing the tension. "With Qin Le's abilities, he will likely revive more races in the future. Let's wait until he succeeds before making any decisions and then distribute them equally. For now, let's decide who will be the first spirit being."

Donghuang Taiyi thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Laojun is right. Then, who will protect this first spirit race?"

The Goddess Houtu smiled and pointed to the mahjong table: "The usual rules."

"..." Donghuang Taiyi sighed helplessly, his figure slowly fading away: "In that case, I will summon Bai Ze. He is more proficient in this way."

A moment later, the space fluctuated again, and a man dressed in white, with a refined demeanor and eyes that seemed to contain boundless wisdom appeared. He was Bai Ze, another saint of the demon race.

"Did you summon me here to start a game of cards?" Bai Ze smiled broadly, his eyes sweeping over the jade tablets on the table, and he immediately understood.

"We're one short for the game, are you interested?" Houtu asked with a smile.

Bai Ze looked at the two people present, then at the bewildered little grass, and smiled, "We're still missing one person. How about inviting Fellow Daoist Yuanshi as well? That would make a complete table."

"Good." Lao Tzu nodded.

With a slight thought, the Goddess Houtu sent out a message.

Before long, an old man dressed in a simple white robe and with a slender face appeared out of thin air; it was none other than Yuanshi Tianzun.

He glanced at the mahjong table, then at the other three sages, a hint of helplessness on his face.

"Can't you all find a 'simpler' way?" Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't help but complain.

"Enough with the small talk, let's get started." Bai Ze had already sat down, his robes billowing, full of enthusiasm.

Laozi and Houtu exchanged a smile and took their seats. Yuanshi Tianzun shook his head and sighed softly, but ultimately sat down in the remaining empty seat.

A unique battle of saints—a game of mahjong—is about to begin, to determine the future guardians of this newly born spirit race.

Meanwhile, Xiao Cao, the central protagonist of this battle, was staring blankly at the four supreme beings beside her, whose auras were as vast as the abyss, as they were rubbing jade tablets and discussing the concepts of "peng," "gang," and "hu."

Who are they?

What are they doing?

What... are they going to do to me, this little blade of grass that has just grown consciousness?

The little grass, whose mind was full of question marks, couldn't understand these profound conversations and behaviors at all.

But the instinctive fear stemming from his very being kept him silent, even minimizing his fluctuations in consciousness.

He could sense that these people meant him no harm, and were even benevolent, but they were too big for him to move an inch.

He could only wait quietly, waiting for these important figures to finish their strange game.

Then, perhaps he could muster the courage to ask that most important question—

Who is that lingering figure in his mind, holding a warm flame?

If he could, his deepest, most primal desire would be to follow that figure, not these people playing cards in front of him.