Primordial Era: Reborn Kong Xuan, Steady Cultivation

Time flies, and another thousand years have passed.

Inside a heavily fortified and hidden grotto, Kong Xuan sat cross-legged on a simple futon and slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes held a deep, clear light, devoid of the excitement of first acquiring the treasure or the sharpness of breaking through his cultivation. Instead, they possessed a profound tranquility, as if refined by time and returning to a state of simplicity.

"The Earth and Water Gates have been refined, and my cultivation foundation has been thoroughly solidified. It's time to continue exploring Zhou Mountain and complete the final goal of this trip."

This thousand-year period of seclusion has yielded remarkable results.

He has already refined twenty-four core innate restrictions on each of the two newly acquired earth fans and wind fans, and has initially grasped the true meaning of the Great Dao contained within them.

Although the two fans are small in size, they can stir up ripples in the earth's veins and summon fierce winds from the heavens when waved. They can also be used as the core of an array or as a treasure for auxiliary cultivation, and their wonderful uses are beginning to show.

Through this refining process, Kong Xuan gained a more intuitive understanding of the differences in the levels of innate spiritual treasures.

The number of innate restrictions and the sophistication of the structure of these two banana leaf fans, which are of superior quality, are indeed far inferior to those of top-grade spiritual treasures such as the Treasure-Dropping Coin and the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag.

Not only are the number of restrictions fewer, but the depth and breadth of their connection to the laws of the Great Dao, as well as the profoundness of their changes, are also incomparable.

By extension, the difference between mid-grade and low-grade spiritual treasures is probably even more significant.

The number and sophistication of the restrictions directly relate to the upper limit of the magical treasure's power and the breadth of its supernatural abilities.

A stark contrast is the Northern Profound Origin Water Control Flag in his hand. Even though it has only refined twelve innate restrictions so far, the vast power it displays—"commanding all waters under heaven," "obscuring the universe and causing all evils to retreat," and its indestructible defensive effect—still far exceeds the combined power of the two banana leaf fans!

This is the essential difference between top-grade innate spiritual treasures that point to a portion of the Great Dao's authority and high-grade spiritual treasures that focus on the power of a single attribute.

"With such a precious treasure on your person, you must diligently cultivate and refine it as soon as possible in order to unleash its true power."

Kong Xuan rose and spent a thousand years in quiet meditation. He not only refined the newly acquired spiritual treasure and stabilized his late-stage Golden Immortal realm, but also made his mind more harmonious and gave him a clearer understanding of his own path and the significance of the treasures in his possession.

He waved his hand to remove the cave's restrictions, then turned his gaze back to the boundless, majestic mountains of Zhou Mountain. He then took away the spirit boy who was absorbing spiritual energy outside and disappeared from the cave.

It is unclear whether Kong Xuan's fortune has reached a critical point during his trip to Zhoushan, or whether the true opportunity will only appear at a specific time.

In the hundreds of years that followed, he collected many rare and precious medicinal herbs and minerals unique to Zhou Mountain, but he never encountered an innate spiritual root of the same level as the Four Symbols Banana Tree, nor did he sense any new innate spiritual treasures.

Kong Xuan remained calm and showed no signs of anxiety in response.

He knew that when it came to opportunities, the most important thing was that they came naturally and were a stroke of good fortune.

Forcing things will only lead to failure and setbacks. Having already acquired two high-grade innate spiritual treasures during my trip to Zhou Mountain, greatly increasing my resources for the path, what more could I ask for?

On this day, following his sense of the five elements, he arrived at a rather peculiar pine forest.

The pine trees in this forest are not ordinary green; their branches and leaves all have a faint reddish luster. Heat rises from the forest, and the fire elemental energy is unusually active and abundant. Clearly, there may be a fire elemental vein passing through the ground, or it may have been affected by some kind of fire-attribute treasure for a long time.

Just as Kong Xuan paused at the edge of the forest, cautiously probing its interior with his divine sense and considering whether to venture deeper, a gentle and peaceful male voice came from the depths of the forest. The voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Kong Xuan's ears, carrying a Daoist charm that calmed the mind:

"Fellow Daoist, please wait." Then, the voice continued, "This pine forest is my place of quiet cultivation. I do not wish to be disturbed by outsiders. Please move to another place."

As the words were spoken, a streak of crimson light appeared in the sky and landed in front of the forest, transforming into the figure of a middle-aged Taoist priest.

This person had a handsome face with three long strands of beard flowing down his chest, but his complexion was different from that of ordinary people, showing a healthy red color, as if he had been nourished by the fire spirit for a long time.

He wore a purple robe of extraordinary quality, with a hint of Taoist aura emanating from it.

His aura was completely undisguised, revealing him to be at the late stage of the Golden Immortal realm. Moreover, his magical power was pure and refined, indicating a profound foundation that was incomparable to that of ordinary rogue cultivators.

Upon seeing this, Kong Xuan felt a slight chill in his heart, but remained outwardly calm.

Although he was confident that he was not afraid of any opponent of the same level, this place was occupied by the other party first, and judging from his demeanor and cultivation, he was probably not someone to be trifled with. It would be unwise to make enemies for no reason.

At that moment, Kong Xuan took half a step back, and in accordance with the etiquette of meeting between cultivators from the prehistoric era, solemnly performed a Daoist curtsy, and said with a sincere tone and an apologetic expression: "I am Kong Xuan, and I have been traveling here. I was unaware that there were already fellow Daoists cultivating in this forest."

I apologize for the unintentional disturbance and hope you will forgive me. I will take my leave now.

Seeing that Kong Xuan was courteous and polite, and had no intention of forcibly entering or relying on force, the red-faced Taoist's expression softened.

He returned the greeting, his voice still gentle: "I see. I am Chijingzi, it was a misunderstanding. Please make yourself at home."

After speaking, he slightly stepped aside to make way, showing no intention of causing trouble, but his aura was still subtly locked onto the entrance to the pine forest, clearly indicating that he was still maintaining basic vigilance.

Upon hearing this, Kong Xuan's heart stirred. Chi Jingzi?

In my memory, Chi Jingzi was one of the twelve Golden Immortals of the Jade Void Palace of the Chan Sect, and the third disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun.

He possessed profound Taoist magic and great supernatural powers. He held a Yin-Yang mirror, wore a purple robe with the Eight Trigrams, and carried many spiritual treasures, displaying an extraordinary aura.

During the later Investiture of the Gods, he took Yin Hong, the crown prince of the Shang Dynasty, as his disciple, and was drawn into the vast destiny, repeatedly displaying his power.

He once broke through the Soul-Sinking Formation three times, using the Yin-Yang Mirror to kill Yao Tianjun and escape. In the battle of Yanshan, the mirror's light swept across the land, and even Grand Tutor Wen could not stop it, and he was defeated and retreated.

Afterwards, when the Immortal Slaughtering Formation was activated, he rushed into the formation, seized the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, and when he reached the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, he used this sword to move freely and kill countless disciples of the Intercepting Sect.

He is a decisive and ruthless person.

Judging from its appearance and spirit, it is clearly far from the mature state I remember it to be. Even the protective purple robe with the Bagua symbol is still obscured and the hexagrams are hazy because the true meaning of the innate Bagua has not yet been revealed to heaven and earth. It is indeed a treasure that has not yet reached perfection.

No wonder I couldn't recognize it immediately upon first meeting. Besides the fact that we were of similar cultivation levels, the fact that this most acclaimed spiritual treasure hadn't yet revealed its true form was also a reason.

But a doubt arose in his mind.

This Chi Jingzi should be cultivating in seclusion in Yunxiao Cave on Mount Taihua, so how did he end up in Zhou Mountain?

Judging from the surrounding red pines and swirling clouds, this place is clearly a place for regular practice and cultivation, and not just a chance encounter.

However, this is actually better.

Since we have encountered a monk who has been practicing here for a long time, we can take this opportunity to make friends and discuss the Dao.

If one can glean some traces of the innate formations flowing through the mountains, or the hidden opportunities of spiritual beings, from their conversations, it would be an unexpected delight.

In the blink of an eye, Kong Xuan smiled and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Chijingzi. I've heard so much about you."