This Dao Ancestor is too young.

From dawn till dusk, torches were lit, illuminating the city gates and surrounding areas, and no one chose to leave.

Zhang Yuanzhu slowly awoke from his dream, opened his closed eyes, and looked at the people surrounding him with a gentle gaze:

"It's getting late, everyone should go back and rest early."

He paused, stood up, stretched, and whispered:

"I'm fine!"

As the boy's words fell, the many common people respectfully bowed to him.

However, many people did not leave, but stared blankly at the tall, slender figure draped in a blood-red cotton coat:

"So many people are dead, the city is completely destroyed, what should we do, what can we possibly do?"

Zhang Yuanzhu lowered his hand, smoothing out the wrinkles at the hem of his clothes, and looked up at the bright moon in the night sky:

"Search for food, repair your house, and survive."

"My lord, can we still survive in this world? Ordinary creatures are used as firewood, food, and sustenance, but are never considered human. We don't know when we will die in a ditch."

Someone spoke, their words filled with despair and sorrow.

Zhang Yuanzhu stood with his hands behind his back, his blood-stained hair dancing in the wind. His eyes swept over every face around him, his gaze firm and serious.

"The world will eventually get better. You all should know the name of the Dao Ancestor. When that invincible one grows up, everything will change and everything will be rebuilt."

He paused, then held out his palm, pointed to himself, and whispered:

"If the Dao Ancestor is powerless, there is still me in this world—Zhang Bairen, who can also grow to the point of protecting all living beings."

The boy's voice was calm, yet it contained an indescribable confidence.

Li Min stared blankly at the boy standing in the moonlight. The boy was covered in blood, yet he possessed an indescribable charm that captivated people.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound finally rang out again:

"My lord, if someone like you can grow up, it will be a blessing for all living beings."

"I will make offerings and kneel in worship every year, as if I were revering the heavens, only asking that Your Excellency soon become the supreme ruler of the world."

"I do not know the greatness of the Taoist Ancestor, but I know that you are kind-hearted. I wish you a smooth path to immortality."

.....

A cacophony of noise arose, and everyone's eyes were filled with anticipation.

The common people are not fools. Who was it that survived countless battles to slay all the demons, who was it that wiped out centuries-old families within the city, and even distributed food and drink to ensure they were well-fed...?

They can tell the difference!

Amidst the noise, Zhang Yuanzhu raised his hand and waved it gently.

"Everyone, it's getting late, so go back and rest early. Everything will be alright."

With the boy's reassurance, the crowd dispersed and returned to the city.

For a moment, he was the only one standing at the city gate.

Only then did Zhang Yuanzhu have the energy to take stock of the gains and losses of the past few days.

With a flick of his sleeve, streaks of light emerged from his storage bag, hovering in front of him. Among them were fragments of a blood-red shield, pieces of an earth-yellow altar, a pure white sword hilt, and a mirror.

He gazed at the various fragments, his eyes filled with regret.

During this siege of the demonic cultivators, the Black Blood Shield, the Bronze Mirror, the Thick Earth Altar, and the Blue Crystal Magic Sword were all destroyed, resulting in the loss of three low-grade magic artifacts and one mid-grade magic artifact.

It can be said that the loss was enormous; all that remained of the magical artifacts were the Golden Spirit Gauntlets.

However, the gains from this battle were also considerable.

A thought crossed my mind.

Wow~

A large pile of items fell to the ground: dark jade gems, golden insect armor, demon blood essence in a porcelain bottle, and white bones. With these spiritual items, it would be enough to reforge several magical artifacts.

Moreover, this was not the greatest gain; the improvement in cultivation, the mastery of spells, and the transformation of his physical body were even more substantial for him.

Looking inward into the depths of one's soul, the Bodhi tree stands tall, its branches swaying, bursting forth with rays of divine light that intertwine and outline, flowing with countless words.

Realm: First level of Qi Refining (75/100)

In the past few days, first the life essence of the city lord's mansion was reversed, and then the essence blood pills were refined, which made his cultivation level increase very quickly.

Having broken through to the Qi Refining Realm in less than ten days, he has already completed the first half of the Qi Refining stage. Once he refines the extremely pure Yin Qi in his Dantian, he will surely be able to break through to the next level.

Even at the second level of Qi Refining, they have made quite a journey.

However, before that, we need to take the spell a step further and condense spell runes.

Zhang Yuanzhu sat cross-legged, supporting his cheek with one hand, his eyes filled with thought.

The only spells he currently knows are water control and moonlight protection.

After obtaining the Moonlit Body Protection Technique, I haven't practiced it many times, but I am extremely proficient in water control.

However, the choice of how to condense the magical runes is extremely important to him, as it sets him apart from ordinary geniuses.

Like the Dao Ancestor in the future memory, the Qi Condensation Realm was nothing more than a first-rate hero in the Immortal Weapon Valley.

However, after entering the Qi Refining Realm, the twelve magical runes were successfully condensed, making them among the most outstanding beings in history.

pity....

"What exactly are the twelve spells that the future Dao Ancestor will condense into runes?"

Zhang Yuanzhu sighed softly.

It's not that I want to be the same as them, but rather that I want to use them as a reference to plan my own path.

However, when he put himself in the shoes of the Dao Ancestor at that time, he vaguely speculated about his own choices in the future.

The chosen spells were unlikely to be particularly profound or precious, given that the Dao Ancestor's situation when he first entered the Immortal Weapon Valley was not much better than his current one.

The boy's eyes flickered, and a thousand thoughts surged through his mind, finally settling into one.

"Is a combination of several magical runes used to create an offensive technique?"

He raised his head slightly, gazing at the bright moon in the night sky, his eyes gradually becoming resolute.

Water control technique!

If his thinking is correct, the Water Control Technique is the most suitable technique for him at the first level of Qi Refining.

Having made his decision, Zhang Yuanzhu no longer hesitated.

A thought arose.

A sky-blue radiance bloomed before my eyes, transforming into a stream of water that constantly changed shape.

Sometimes it transforms into a water lock that spreads and entangles, sometimes it forms a stream, and finally it turns into a fish.

They circle around you and perform various difficult moves.

"Water control technique!"

Zhang Yuanzhu murmured, his hand falling to gently stroke the fish formed by the flowing water.

He continuously practiced the water control technique, and even took out a fragment of a bronze furnace from the Lie clan of the Yuan Kingdom to perform the "Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns," listening to the old man explain this magic.

Time passed second by second, and he became more and more proficient in this spell, gaining new insights every moment.

Until the bright moon disappeared and dark clouds appeared.

Boom!

Thunder slithered through the clouds like silver snakes, and rain fell from the sky.

Tick-tock! Tick-tock!

The rain poured down, yet it hovered above the boy, twisting and deforming, transforming into a swallow in flight.

Zhang Yuanzhu raised his head, ignoring the rain falling all around him, and looked at the swallows flying around him.

Boo!

The swallows cried out and soared high, carrying a spirituality that ordinary magic lacked.

The boy's lips curled into a smile, a look of pleasure on his face.

He had taken the final step in condensing the magical runes.

With a thought, the swallows scattered, and Zhang Yuanzhu's eyes closed.

The azure-colored magical power floated above the dantian, while the extremely pure yin energy fell below, continuously merging into the magical power from bottom to top, like silk threads.

With each wisp of yin energy absorbed, the magical power becomes one step purer.

At the same time, a golden rune flowed within the magical power, carrying a mysterious Daoist charm.

"Is this what magic runes are?"

Zhang Yuanzhu murmured.

In the instant when the water control technique reached a new level of proficiency, the spell patterns were naturally created.