The Primordial Era: Starting with Becoming a Disciple of the Queen Mother of the West

Chapter 118 Teaching Jin Peng

Kong Xuan transformed into a five-colored rainbow and disappeared into the southern sky.

The Qingheishan Daoist temple, now devoid of the Daoist aura of a Great Luo Golden Immortal pressing down on the mountaintop, regains its former tranquility once the mountain breeze passes.

Clouds and mist swirl in the mountains, and a clear spring murmurs.

A crane stands on the cliff edge preening its feathers, while a white fox roams through the forest, occasionally startling a few fallen leaves.

Everything remained the same as before.

However, this tranquil place now has one more disciple.

It was Jin Pengzi, Xuan Yao's newly accepted second disciple.

Jin Pengzi is a direct descendant of Yuan Huang, born from the innate Yin and Yang energies. In terms of foundation and potential, he is actually a notch above Yan Yuanzi.

When he hatched, he triggered a heavenly tribulation.

After the tribulation lightning dissipated, his magical power had already overcome numerous obstacles and reached the late stage of Taiyi Golden Immortal.

He was only one step away from becoming a Great Immortal who could leap out of the river of fate and attain true freedom.

Such a background, such a starting point.

Looking at the younger generation in the primordial world, he can be considered to have first-rate potential.

However, after Xuan Yao examined his Dao foundation, he discovered that there were other hidden dangers within it.

Jin Pengzi possesses immense magical power; every move he makes can influence the Yin and Yang energies. If he were to unleash his full power, even mountains and rivers would find it difficult to withstand his might.

However, he possessed cultivation but lacked true understanding of the Dao.

Unlike many innate deities who are born in harmony with the Great Dao and have some understanding of the laws of heaven and earth, he was not born with such a profound connection.

Although his Yin and Yang energies were strong, they mostly operated on instinct, only knowing how to clash and kill, not how to restrain and harmonize, and even less understanding the principles of the rising and setting of the sun and moon, the movement of stars, and the birth and death of all things.

Xuan Yao then understood the situation.

It seems that in his original destiny, even though Yu Yixian became a disciple of a sage, his achievements were never very high, and this was precisely the reason.

Having brute force without a moral compass is like a child wielding a sledgehammer.

Hurting others is secondary; the worst thing is to hurt yourself first.

Such practice, though vigorous for a time, will ultimately make it difficult to reach the highest level of the Great Dao.

To solidify his disciples' foundation, Xuan Yao would preach to his two disciples daily under the Enlightenment Tea Tree in the inner mountain.

It was early morning, and the morning dew had not yet dried.

The leaves of the Wudao Tea Tree sway gently, scattering dappled sunlight.

Beneath the tree, the white jade platform was warm and smooth as water. Xuan Yao sat upright on it, his Taoist chanting neither hurried nor slow, entering his ears with the mountain breeze.

Xuan Yao lectured his eldest disciple, Yan Yuanzi, on the changes in formations and the principles of the five elements' mutual generation.

Yan Yuanzi was born from a primordial water and fire spirit embryo, with a solid foundation and extremely clear comprehension.

Xuan Yao would only explain one aspect of the formation principle, and he could then follow the underlying logic to deduce three aspects of its variations on his own.

"The way of formations is not just about trapping and killing."

Xuan Yao's voice was gentle, like the sound of a clear spring flowing over stones.

"Arrays are for harmonizing the energy of heaven and earth. Water and fire are inherently mutually destructive, but if array patterns can be used as a guide to make them complement and generate each other, then conflict can be transformed into creation. This kind of transformation is the essence of arrays."

Yan Yuanzi listened intently, his body glowing with intermittent water and fire spiritual light.

The Water-Fire Refining Realm Array that he had figured out on his own was becoming more and more perfect under Xuan Yao's guidance.

The two elements of water and fire no longer merely counteract each other within the formation, but gradually transform into an inexhaustible refining power.

It can both trap enemies and subdue demons, and it already shows the characteristics of a superior formation.

As for his second disciple, Jin Pengzi, Xuan Yao put aside those profound array principles and complex supernatural powers, and instead started by talking about the most fundamental workings of heaven and earth.

What is the Great Way?

What is a law?

What is spiritual practice?

Xuan Yao spoke very slowly and in great detail.

He would break down and explain to Jin Pengzi many simple truths that others would easily dismiss.

This child has just awakened his spiritual intelligence and gained magical powers too early, but he has not yet experienced many of the principles of life.

If the foundation is not corrected at this time, the higher one's cultivation level becomes in the future, the more difficult it will be to correct the deviations.

Jin Pengzi's comprehension is not as clear and insightful as Yan Yuanzi's; he cannot understand ten things from one.

But Xuan Yao soon discovered that this disciple had another amazing skill.

That is the physical memory originating from the bloodline of the ancient overlord.

Many supernatural abilities and techniques can be replicated by Jin Pengzi through his physical instincts, as long as Xuan Yao demonstrates them once on the platform.

Xuan Yao once unleashed a sword beam formed from the pure energy of blessings.

The sword light moved swiftly and gracefully, yet it contained a deadly power within.

Jin Pengzi glanced at it only once before raising his small hand, and a sword aura burst forth from his fingertips.

Although his sword energy lacked the pure and auspicious intent, he had mastered the sword techniques and power generation methods perfectly.

Even the soft hum when the sword energy pierces the air is almost identical.

For example, when Xuan Yao uses the Southern Bright Fire Seal, he holds up a crimson-gold fire lotus in his palm.

Jin Pengzi then channeled the yang energy within his body, which condensed into a black and white yin-yang fire lotus in his palm.

The form and opening and closing of the fire lotus are consistent with those of Xuan Yao, only their inner meanings are different.

Upon seeing this, Xuan Yao took the opportunity to change his teachings.

He wasn't in a hurry to make Jin Pengzi immediately comprehend the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. Instead, he let him experience the flow of Yin and Yang energies through repeated displays of his supernatural powers.

By using techniques to enter the Tao, one can gradually refine one's character from the outside in.

If such physical memories were used in combat, cultivators of the same realm would find them extremely troublesome.

But what Xuan Yao valued more was enabling Jin Pengzi to understand the true meaning of the laws behind the supernatural powers.

In the Qinghei Mountains, life is peaceful and stable.

The interactions between Yan Yuanzi and Jin Pengzi, these two fellow disciples, are quite amusing.

Yan Yuanzi was the eldest disciple, but his cultivation level was only at the Xuanxian realm.

Facing this junior brother who was born far superior to him in terms of cultivation level, he felt no jealousy whatsoever.

He was gentle in nature and had a pure mind. Every day, besides listening to the teachings and practicing meditation, he would take Jin Pengzi to travel around the mountains.

"Junior brother, look, this herb is called Qingxu Tongyou Grass. It prefers shade and can be used to balance the dryness and heat in elixirs."

When harvesting, it must be held in a jade container to preserve its medicinal properties.

Below the cliff, Yan Yuanzi pointed to a spiritual herb, patiently explained its properties, and then demonstrated the herb-gathering technique.

Although Jin Pengzi possessed the magical power of the late Taiyi stage, he knew little about the myriad things of the primordial world.

He followed behind Yan Yuanzi, his clear black and white eyes filled with curiosity as he listened intently.

Yan Yuanzi not only taught him to identify the rare herbs and flowers in the mountains, but also explained the rules of the training ground to him in detail.

"Junior brother, the depths of that cold pool are where Master is in seclusion. You must not make loud noise on ordinary days."

"In the outer pool of Fenglei Mountain behind the mountain, there dwells an old dragon. Although it has been subdued by Master, its demonic nature remains. If you have nothing to do, do not provoke it."

Yan Yuanzi spoke ramblingly, his tone not stern, yet possessing the composure of a senior brother.

Jin Pengzi's cultivation was far superior to Yan Yuanzi's, yet he held this senior brother in high esteem.

He nodded obediently, memorizing each of the rules.

As he first gained sentience, he retained some of the arrogance of an ancient, ferocious bird.

However, in the face of Yan Yuanzi's gentle and mild nature, that bit of sharpness was gradually worn away and softened.

Jin Pengzi learned many things beyond cultivation from his senior brother.

He learned how to restrain his sharp and piercing yin and yang aura, and also how to get along with the low-level spirits, monsters, plants, and trees in the mountains.

He even learned to enjoy the mundane tasks of brewing Enlightenment Tea and tending the herb garden.

These seemingly ordinary little things are precisely the mental foundation he lacks most right now.

Xuan Yao saw all of this and was quite satisfied with Yan Yuanzi, his senior brother.

In his spare time, Xuan Yao would also take Jin Pengzi to the herb garden, where he could observe the principles of the five elements cycle within the small five elements array.

Within the formation, the innate soil was dense and heavy, the peach branches were moist and refreshing, the fire sycamore contained the Southern Bright Fire, the nine-colored calamus was lush and verdant, and the white jade spirit stone contained the sharp intent of Geng metal.

The five elements interact and transform within the formation, circulating endlessly, gradually transforming into a five-colored glow that illuminates the entire herb garden with vibrant life.

Xuan Yao pointed to the flowing energy within the formation and said in a gentle voice, "Yin and Yang differentiate into the Five Elements, and the Five Elements can also be used to deduce Yin and Yang."

Since you possess the innate Yin and Yang energies within your body, you should understand that all things in heaven and earth are inseparable from Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.

"Yin and Yang are the foundation, and the Five Elements are the application."

The two complement each other, and only then can the great Dao operate.

Jin Pengzi seemed to understand but not quite, so he followed Xuan Yao's instructions and sat down cross-legged in the center of the Lesser Five Elements Formation.

He closed his eyes, opened his mind, and tried to sense the ever-flowing energy of the five elements within the formation.

The yin and yang energies within his body are inherently connected to the five elements.

Before this, the Yin and Yang primordial energy was mostly used for conflict and destruction, and rarely operated in a gentle manner.

He sat there for a whole day.

As the sun began to set in the west, the five-colored rays of light within the formation slowly shifted, and the originally sharp and unrestrained Yin-Yang essence within Jin Pengzi's body gradually calmed down along with the rhythm of the five elements.

The yin energy descends and transforms into the moistening effect of Gui water, which in turn nourishes the softness of Yi wood.

As the Yang energy rises, it transforms into the intensity of Bing fire and reveals the strength of Geng metal.

Earth (戊) resides in the center, bearing the four directions and harmonizing Yin and Yang.

Jin Pengzi opened his eyes, and the black and white in his eyes were no longer as intimidating as before, but instead had a layer of gentle light.

His understanding of the five elements' generating and restraining relationships already surpasses that of many ordinary cultivators.

This path, which involves moving from Yin and Yang to the Five Elements and then back to Yin and Yang through the Five Elements, is precisely the Taiyi Breakthrough Method that Xuan Yao tailored for him.

The purpose was to allow him to use the changes of the five elements to comprehend the profound principles of yin and yang, and truly control the vast magical power within his body.

On this day, sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the Enlightenment Tea Tree and fell upon the white jade platform.

Jin Pengzi sat upright on the futon, listening intently as Xuan Yao explained the essentials of using blessings and warding off evil.

He listened intently, nodding occasionally and frowning sometimes, his mind completely absorbed in the Daoist sounds.

The Yin and Yang energies within the body no longer leak outwards, but flow slowly within the body, with black and white interdependent, subtly conveying a sense of harmony.

Xuan Yao stopped preaching, picked up the jade cup on the table, and took a sip of spiritual tea.

The tea has a light aroma, and after swallowing it, a sense of inspiration spreads from the heart.

His gaze fell on Jin Pengzi, and a sense of emotion welled up in his heart.

In the original primordial era, this Golden-Winged Roc later changed its name to Feathered Immortal, and its background and foundation were in no way inferior to Kong Xuan's.

Unfortunately, his innate Yin and Yang were imbalanced, and he had no one to teach him properly, which caused his Dao heart to be unstable. He only knew how to be fierce and violent, and wasted his extraordinary talent.

Later, when the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods occurred, he was drawn into it.

The dignified direct descendant of Yuanhuang has become nothing more than a second-rate figure in the Jie Sect.

In the end, he was tricked by the Chan Sect's Daoist Ran Deng and subdued as a mount, ending up with a fate beyond his control.

But things are different now.

Jin Pengzi's congenital defects have been largely compensated for by Xuan Yao's use of blessed energy and the spiritual energy of water and fire.

He was personally taught the way of blessing and warding off evil by Xuan Yao, and had the gentle and kind senior brother Yan Yuanzi by his side to give him constant guidance, so his temperament became more and more stable day by day.

More importantly, he has now joined the Qingheishan sect.

With the protection of the transcendent lineage of Xikunlun behind them, even if the primordial world is in turmoil and a great calamity descends, they will no longer need to be easily drawn into the bloodshed of the mortal world.

If one can stay in the mountains to cultivate oneself, understand the Dao and nurture one's nature, then one will naturally no longer need to step into the bottomless quagmire of karma of the Jie Sect.

This destiny, which was originally destined for desolation, has unknowingly deviated from its original path.

And this is precisely the good result he reaped by following the will of Heaven and responding to the needs of the people after cultivating the Great Way of Virtue.

With careful cultivation in the future, Jin Pengzi may very well become a pillar of the Qingheishan lineage.