Primordial Era: Reborn Kong Xuan, Steady Cultivation

Just as the imperial edict resounded throughout the Zixiao Palace and three thousand mortals were immersed in the supreme Daoist charm, Kong Xuan, after a long journey, finally arrived at his destination.

Looking up, one sees a majestic mountain rising abruptly from the ground, its imposing height seemingly tens of thousands of feet, its vast and expansive form appearing to connect with the heavens.

Thousands of peaks stand like halberds, their sharp edges pointing straight to the sky; towering cliffs unfold like screens, creating a majestic and awe-inspiring scene.

Under the sunlight, the mountain mist shimmered with a faint emerald glow, like a light veil shrouding the green peaks, while the mountain colors were a deep, cold blue, mysterious and unfathomable.

Ancient vines twist and turn in the mountains, entwining ancient trees that have grown for countless millennia. Rare flowers and auspicious herbs can be seen everywhere, and tall bamboos stand side by side with tall pines, creating a scene full of vitality.

The green pines and bamboos, having weathered countless storms, remain lush and verdant, seemingly defying the reputation of this blessed land. The exotic flowers and rare herbs never wither, even as the seasons change.

The distant, clear chirping of birds reached my ears, and nearby, a mountain spring gurgled, its water sounding crisp and pleasant.

Amidst the layered valleys and ravines, the fragrance of orchids and sesame flowers fills the air, while moss quietly spreads across the steep cliffs.

What a natural and spiritually vibrant scene, like that of a celestial being!

Kong Xuan had seen many magnificent landscapes along the way, but the grandeur of Wuyi Mountain still shocked him and made him marvel at the wonders of nature.

If this mountain is already so magnificent and extraordinary, then what kind of incredible grandeur must Zhou Mountain, the first divine mountain that served as the spine of Pangu and supported the primordial world, be?

While I was amazed, a practical question immediately came to mind.

"But... this mountain is far too vast."

A quick sweep of his divine sense revealed thousands of peaks and valleys, shrouded in clouds and mist, the vastness of the region far exceeding his imagination.

While the treasure coin and the large red tea tree are indeed in the mountains, there is not a single clue as to which secluded valley, which spiritual vein, or which peak they are hidden in.

In the primordial world, all innate spiritual beings have their own destiny and fate.

Before their time to be born, they are often cleverly concealed by the innate grand formation, blending seamlessly with the surrounding earth veins and environment. Unless one is extremely lucky or proficient in formation deduction, it is difficult to detect them even when they are very close.

Kong Xuan was fully aware of this.

"It seems the only way is to take a slow and painstaking approach." He quickly decided on his strategy.

Since there was no way to take shortcuts, we decided to use the most primitive yet safest method: to search every inch of Wuyi Mountain.

With his Golden Immortal cultivation level, coupled with his keen perception of the five elements' spiritual energy through the "Five Elements Condensing Light Scripture," he could always discover clues as long as he was patient and meticulous enough.

This method may seem time-consuming and laborious, but it is the most feasible option at present.

After all, most of the top experts in the world have been drawn to the lectures at Zixiao Palace and are now busy traveling in the chaos beyond the heavens.

At this moment, Wuyishan is much quieter than ever before, and the risk of encountering a powerful enemy has been reduced to the minimum.

"Even so, we still need to be extra careful." Kong Xuan did not completely let his guard down.

The vast wilderness is home to many hermits. Who dares to say that there isn't some powerful figure who dislikes crowds and has no interest in listening to the Dao, cultivating in seclusion within this enormous Wuyi Immortal Mountain?

If one acts rashly and disturbs the other party, creating unnecessary karma, it will be undesirable.

Having made up his mind, Kong Xuan no longer hesitated and disappeared into the Wuyi Mountains.

The divine sense, like an invisible trickle, slowly seeped into every rock wall, every stream, and every point where spiritual energy gathered, not missing any abnormal fluctuations in the Daoist aura.

Shortly after Kong Xuan began his search, he made his first discovery.

In a crevice where the golden aura was slightly stronger, he captured a bead the size of a pigeon egg, with a pale golden luster throughout.

"Golden Qi Bead"

He recognized the object with a slight sense of it.

This bead was not formed naturally, but rather was formed by the condensation of the metal element essence over many years, containing a very pure metal element essence.

Although it is far from comparable to the innate Geng and Xin metal energies, and only contains a single metal element attribute, it is still a good start and a good omen for Kong Xuan.

To cultivate the Five-Colored Divine Light to its fullest potential and even perfection, he needs a massive amount of innate Five Elements Qi to temper his origin.

Although the essence of the five elements acquired later in life is of a lower grade, it can still be absorbed and refined by the five-colored divine light as nourishment and supplementation. Accumulated over time, it should not be underestimated.

The discovery of this golden bead gave him even greater expectations for his trip to Wuyi Mountain.

With such abundant spiritual energy here, it's likely that countless items of the five elements have been nurtured here.

Thus, Kong Xuan's search journey gained another purpose.

He no longer merely sought the two main targets, but truly "scraped the ground," taking in all sorts of spiritual materials and herbs he saw and sensed along the way, as long as they had any value.

Thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, ten-thousand-year-old Polygonatum sibiricum, tempered cinnabar fruit, jade lotus root from a cold pool...

Various rare medicinal herbs and ginseng, which are seldom seen in the outside world, grow abundantly in this blessed land that has not been extensively plundered.

Wherever Kong Xuan went, almost nothing that was old or contained spiritual energy was spared, just like a bandit passing through, plucking feathers from a passing goose.

Upon closer examination, such behavior is actually quite normal.

He is neither like the Three Pure Ones, Emperor Jun, Taiyi, and other top-tier innate deities who were born with innate treasures or occupy top-tier grotto-heavens, nor like Zhen Yuanzi and other virtuous immortals who already possessed spiritual roots and profound foundations.

Since his birth, he has been penniless and has relied entirely on his talent and diligence to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and gradually accumulate his cultivation to reach his current level.

These medicinal herbs, though not earth-shattering treasures, are genuinely valuable medicines that can accelerate cultivation, replenish magical power, heal injuries, and save lives.

With these, the path of cultivation in the future will undoubtedly be much smoother than before.

The only thing that Kong Xuan regretted was that he did not know the systematic methods of alchemy.

If these medicinal herbs are simply swallowed whole or refined in a simple way, it would be a waste of their medicinal power.

If they can be combined and refined using profound alchemical techniques, turning them into batches of elixirs with doubled efficacy, their value can be maximized.

But thinking about it, that's normal.

Looking across the vast wilderness today, apart from the unfathomable Taiqing Laozi, who was transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu, who dares to claim to be proficient in alchemy?

Even with Taiqing's abilities, he probably hasn't yet truly created a systematic and efficient method of alchemy.

There is no other reason than that the path of "alchemy" has not yet been born in this primordial world, or rather, the time has not yet come for it to emerge.

The reason behind this, Kong Xuan thought about it now, and it became clear.

In the early primordial era, not long after the creation of heaven and earth, the Great Dao manifested, and the spiritual energy was so dense that it was almost liquid. All kinds of innate and acquired spiritual essences were readily available, making it a place where "treasures were everywhere".

Cultivators, especially those before reaching the Golden Immortal realm, often rely on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, or directly consuming naturally grown spiritual fruits and herbs to meet their cultivation needs and achieve rapid progress.

The demand for efficient utilization of medicinal properties is not urgent, so there is naturally a lack of motivation to develop sophisticated utilization techniques.

More importantly, as one's cultivation reaches the Golden Immortal realm or even higher, the focus of cultivation has quietly shifted.