Chapter Five: The Primal Distribution of Treasures
White clouds drifted high above, a gentle breeze brushed through the air, and between the heavens and earth of Kunlun, Qingxu stood upon his flying sword.
Sword-riding flight! In Qingxu’s heart, the world of immortals had always been one of flying swords, free and unbound. Thus, for his first attempt at forging, he selected a flying sword. With the Azure Sword in his possession, Qingxu was determined to create a sword technique of his own, combining memories from his previous life with the Jade Pure Immortal Way. He firmly believed that developing a remarkable sword path would not be difficult.
In the current primordial world, nearly all cultivators relied on spells and magical arts, and few understood the path of weapon cultivation. The way of the flying sword was scarcely practiced.
“I shall create the Qingxu Sword Path. In days to come, I could be the ancestor of all sword cultivators!” Qingxu mused, amused by his own imagination. Life in the primordial world was monotonous; for over a century, his sole focus had been the pursuit of immortality. Now, having attained the status of Earth Immortal, further advancement would not come quickly. He could live for eighteen thousand years; such a span would be enough to reach Celestial Immortal, eternal life within grasp. With the blessing of the Primordial, he was safe from death, and at last, he sought something to spark his interest.
Since arriving in the primordial world, Qingxu realized just how arduous cultivation was. Not to mention the quasi-saints or true saints—even attaining the immortal body of a Great Golden Immortal required millennia upon millennia of painstaking practice. In legends from his previous life, the twelve immortals of the Propagation Sect achieved immortality during the reign of the Heavenly Emperor, yet by the time of the Investiture of the Gods, they were still only at the Golden Immortal stage. Such was the difficulty of cultivation.
As the eldest disciple of the Jade Pure lineage, Qingxu naturally felt pressured, but now he had far surpassed his fellow disciples, and the burden had lightened considerably.
Time passed swiftly, and several decades went by!
Over these years, Guangchengzi and the other twelve disciples had reached the peak of the Transformation stage, and within thirty or forty years, they would establish their innate Dao foundation.
After decades of self-creation, Qingxu’s sword path had become quite refined, and his immortal essence had grown ever more robust—more than doubled, in fact.
One day, the Primordial Heavenly Lord summoned his disciples. Qingxu was deeply puzzled, for not long ago their master had finished a lecture on the Dao. Clearly, this summons was for another purpose.
Within the Jade Void Palace!
The Primordial Heavenly Lord watched his fourteen disciples arrive one by one, noting their confusion. He spoke plainly, revealing the reason: “Not long from now, your senior and junior uncles will come to discuss the Dao with me.”
Three Primal Ones discussing the Dao?
The fourteen immortals of the Propagation Sect were stunned. Since achieving sainthood, the Three Primal Ones rarely interacted: the Supreme One at Shouyang Mountain, the Primordial at Kunlun Mountain, and the Tongtian at Golden Turtle Island.
Upon hearing this, Qingxu pondered. Unlike his proud junior brothers who saw themselves as disciples of a saint and looked down on others, he appeared calm but was open-minded within. In cultivation, one should not fear learning from others. The paths of the Supreme Pure and the Highest Pure differed from the Jade Pure, but none were superior or inferior; each held profound mysteries. If he could comprehend aspects of the Supreme Pure and Highest Pure Dao during this gathering, the benefits would be immeasurable.
As the fourteen disciples were contemplating the upcoming Dao discussion, the Primordial Heavenly Lord dropped another bombshell: “Since joining my sect, you have yet to receive any treasures from me. I had intended to wait until your cultivation was further advanced, but with the Three Primal Ones convening soon, I would not have you lose face among your peers. Therefore, I shall bestow treasures upon you ahead of time!”
“Master’s benevolence!”
The fourteen disciples were both shocked and delighted. The Primordial valued face above all, so the treasures he bestowed would surely be exceptional. For those who possessed nothing, this was a blessing beyond measure.
“Qingxu, as my eldest disciple, I grant you these innate spiritual treasures: the Jade Void Palace Lantern, the Yin-Yang Dao Robe, and the Central Xu-Yi Apricot-Yellow Banner. These are for your protection!”
The Primordial was exceedingly pleased with Qingxu, who had achieved immortality within a hundred years of entering the sect and created his own sword path. Compared to the Supreme One's eldest disciple Xuandu and the Tongtian's eldest disciple Duobao, Qingxu was no less accomplished.
“Disciple thanks Master!”
Of the three innate treasures, Qingxu had not heard of the Jade Void Palace Lantern or the Yin-Yang Dao Robe, but assumed they were extraordinary. The Central Xu-Yi Apricot-Yellow Banner, however, was of utmost significance.
When heaven and earth first opened, five banners suppressed the primordial world, each corresponding to an innate element: the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner, the Southern Ground-Flame Light Banner, the Western Cloud Realm White Banner, the Northern Profound Water Controlling Banner, and the Central Xu-Yi Apricot-Yellow Banner. These five banners wielded earth-shaking power, nearly rivaling the greatest innate treasures, and were the finest among their kind. Most notably, they could suppress fortune; even saints could not overlook them!
The Ground-Flame Light Banner belonged to the Supreme One, the Azure Lotus Treasure Banner to the Western Two Saints, the Cloud Realm White Banner was still with the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, destined to become the treasure of the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool. The Central Xu-Yi Apricot-Yellow Banner was the Primordial’s treasure, famously lent to Jiang Ziya for protection during the Investiture of the Gods, where it displayed remarkable power. As for the Profound Water Controlling Banner, it was said to have emerged in the Nether Blood Sea, or perhaps in the depths of the Northern Ocean, or even in the hands of some ancient power; its whereabouts were so elusive that not even saints could divine it.
“Guangchengzi, you are granted these innate spiritual treasures: the Soul-Loss Bell and the Male-Female Twin Swords for your protection.”
“Disciple thanks Master!”
“Chijing, you are granted these innate spiritual treasures: the Eight Trigrams Purple Longevity Immortal Garment, the Yin-Yang Mirror, and the Water-Fire Blade for your protection.”
“Disciple thanks Master!”
“Yuding, you are granted the innate spiritual treasure: the Immortal-Slaying Sword...”
“Taiyi, you are granted the innate spiritual treasure: the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Shield...”
...
Each disciple was granted an innate spiritual treasure, except for Real Person Huanglong, Immortal Elder Nanji, and Yunzhongzi.
Just as the fourteen thought the ceremony was over, the Primordial began distributing acquired spiritual treasures, each of tremendous power. Qingxu, naturally, received the greatest bounty; several acquired treasures were even superior to ordinary innate treasures: the Five Fire Seven Bird Fan, the Mo Xie Sword, the Heart-Piercing Nail...
“Now return to your abodes and cultivate, and strive to refine and master these treasures as soon as possible,” the Primordial said with a wave of his hand.
“Disciple takes his leave!”
After bidding farewell to his fellow disciples, Qingxu made his way to the Tai Xuan Peak abode. Having received so many treasures at once, refining them was no small feat!
Acquired spiritual treasures were manageable; with the Primordial’s guidance, he could directly attune to their acquired restrictions. With his early-stage Earth Immortal cultivation, refining a dozen layers of acquired restrictions was not difficult. But innate spiritual treasures were another matter. Even after centuries or millennia, one might not refine much. East Emperor Taiyi, whose cultivation was second only to saints, spent his life trying to fully refine the Chaos Bell, yet never succeeded. Such was the difficulty of refining innate treasures.
In a few days, the Three Primal Ones would convene. With the Primordial granting treasures, there would surely be contests among the three sects.
“I’ll start by refining the Five Fire Seven Bird Fan. As for the innate treasures, there is plenty of time; no need to rush. Preparing for the Three Primal Ones’ Dao discussion is most important.” Though Qingxu’s cultivation outstripped his peers, Xuandu and Duobao were not far behind, and even the likes of the Three Sisters. If they managed to refine several layers of innate restrictions, they could unleash some of the treasures’ power, posing quite a threat to him.