Tongtian Hierarch’s haughty words, it seed, did make Sha Chen realize sothing. It turned out the Sage Laozi had ignored the Innate Earth because he sensed the presence of the Tongtian Hierarch. So, Laozi’s persistent emphasis on taking disciples might not have been entirely about recruiting apprentices; it was more likely a test. He was probing to see if Sha Chen had already beco a disciple of the Tongtian Hierarch. Had that been the case, Sha Chen likely would have used the Tongtian Hierarch as a shield.
However, after several days of probing, Sha Chen had not played that card, so it did not seem like he had taken the Tongtian Hierarch as his master. That was why Laozi beca progressively more interested in Sha Chen. His later repeated offers to take him as a disciple—how genuine they were, perhaps only Laozi himself knew. But what was certain was that, upon leaving, Laozi left behind the Tai Chi Diagram, specifically for Sha Chen to contemplate the Dao and enhance his Primordial Spirit, as a way to form a friendship.
After days and nights of harsh treatnt, Laozi knew that if he left just like that, it would be tantamount to making an enemy of Sha Chen. Even though he was aware that Sha Chen might never be able to seek revenge in his lifeti, he did not wish to beco enemies with him. This could have been because he saw potential in Sha Chen’s future achievents, or because Sha Chen might receive favor from the Tongtian Hierarch, or simply because seeing such a prodigy without any backing made it feel uncomfortable not to befriend him, let alone offend him.
Sha Chen, however, could rest easy now, as long as Laozi had no designs on his Innate Earth. Otherwise, if Laozi truly decided to take it by force, he could only sigh helplessly. Lacking the strength, he couldn’t possibly reclaim it. If that were to happen, though, it would give him even more motivation to cultivate. Aiming for the strongest External Incarnation of a Saint, or even the strongest Saint himself, would definitely be a thrilling challenge.
Sha Chen cupped his fists towards the void in all directions and said, "May I ask the Saint, what was Laozi’s purpose in coming here? If he reveals this junior’s situation, what should be done?"
Tongtian Hierarch’s voice responded, "What has it to do with ? Who are you that I need to explain myself to you?"
After that, no matter how Sha Chen inquired, there was no further response.
Sha Chen secretly smiled wryly and complained to himself, "Such a stubborn Saint. Is it just because I won’t take you as my master? Don’t you see, I haven’t even taken Laozi as my master either?"
Afterward, he didn’t dwell on the matter, as the thoughts and movents of Saints were beyond his speculation. What he needed to do now was to continuously improve his own cultivation and strengthen his power. Whether it was in terms of cultivation level, physical body, Primordial Spirit, or the mastery of Divine Powers, Magical Tools, and even Alchemy, he needed to improve in all aspects.
Although the past few days under Laozi’s tornt had been difficult, many of the Alchemy-related questions Laozi asked were quite tricky—things Sha Chen had not paid much attention to before but, upon reflection, were extrely important. Now was a good opportunity to thoroughly comprehend the Shennong Danjing. If he could advance further and attain Great Accomplishnt in it, that would be ideal. If he truly reached that stage, Sha Chen felt that his knowledge of Alchemy, even if not comparable to Laozi’s, would be surpassed by no more than a handful of people in the world.
Sha Chen carefully considered and found there were indeed too many areas in which he needed to improve. His cultivation level was naturally his top priority. Next was his physical body, followed by his Primordial Spirit; he had initially found that his Primordial Spirit was propelled by his cultivation, but now he had to actively address it. After that ca Divine Powers and various Dao Techniques, as well as the enhancent of his Alchemy knowledge.
Before all this, however, he began to take stock of his recent gains.
His cultivation had reached the Middle Level of Daluo Golden Immortal, and his physical body had reached the Small Achievent Realm of Da Luo Dharmakaya, equivalent to his cultivation level. One externally hones muscles, bones, and skin; the other internally cultivates a single breath. His Primordial Spirit, initially at the entry-stage of Daluo Golden Immortal—an average standard within that realm—had benefited greatly from contemplating the Tai Chi Diagram. His Primordial Spirit power had beco increasingly refined and had now reached Small Accomplishnt. Given ti, he would surely be able to progress even further.
As for the cultivation of Divine Powers, he practiced the Thirty-six Variations of the Heavenly Gang, Thug’s Seventy-two Variations, Samadhi True Fire, Imperial Gods’ Thunder, Qingyun Zong, One Qi into Three Pure Ones, Illusion-Breaking Divine Eye, and Six Ears of All Heavens. Other minor spells were contained within the Heavenly Gang and Thug’s Variations.
He had cultivated many Dao Techniques, the most formidable being his own Prival Chaos Dao thod, followed by the Tao Te Ching, Qingping Scripture, and Imperial Gods’ Scripture from the Three Pure Ones. Then ca the Wide-hearing Decree, Spirit Summoning Decree, and Sutra of Immortality—all thods to strengthen the Primordial Spirit, which were even more effective when practiced in concert with the Tai Chi Diagram. With the help of the Tai Chi Diagram, Sha Chen had advanced these three Dao Techniques to the Great Achievent Realm; even without the diagram, he could still make significant progress. Of course, it would still be better to combine them with his practice for greater advancent of the Primordial Spirit.
In terms of Magical Tools, Sha Chen had gained the most, and most of them had previous owners, so he dared not easily reveal them. He worried that if the original owners found out, they might co knocking. If they really ca knocking, however, he would have no choice but to insist that it was their Magical Tools that had strayed, not his responsibility. When it ca to Magical Tools, Sha Chen’s policy was: no resistance, no rejection, no responsibility.
The more significant Magical Tools in Sha Chen’s possession were the Fog Dew Universe Net, Purple Illuminate Immortal Robe, Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, Fengshui Futon, Eight Diagrams Immortal Clothes, Undefined Flying Rings, Nine-dragon Divine Fire Cover, Golden Cloud Crown, Dragon Binding Rope, Sweeping Cloud Robe, Panlong Alchemy Furnace, Giant Que Sword, Sky Shaking Bow, and Shooting Sun Divine Arrow, as well as the Black Tortoise Shell for protection. He had distributed so of these to his followers or given them to his External Incarnations, but a considerable number remained with him. He used them to "reason" with unreasonable people he encountered.
Now, through Laozi, Sha Chen had also obtained two rewards, both of which were Magical Tools: the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup and the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag.
Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup: An illuminating azure lamp from the palace of the Taiqing Sage Laozi. It contained endless power of clarity; nothing could hide under its light, and it could also strengthen one’s Primordial Spirit and soul force.
Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag: One of the Innate Five-Color Flags, containing infinite power of the water elent, capable of overturning rivers and seas, controlling waters, and manipulating waves.
Sha Chen began to extract these two Magical Tools.
Instantly, outside the Flowing Sand River, a beam of light flared, illuminating an area tens of thousands of miles wide. Countless demons and evil spirits lurking within were forced to reveal their true forms. Terrified, they looked around in shock. In fact, these were demons and spirits that had been drawn to the Flowing Sand River over the past hundred years due to its potent fortune, hoping to attach themselves, but had been rejected. The aftershocks of every major battle would kill them in droves. The dead were nurous, yet the newcors were no fewer. Sha Chen paid them no mind; if they ca, they ca. He simply turned a blind eye, as their threat to him was almost nonexistent.
The beam of light hovered outside his cave dwelling. Then, with a wave of Sha Chen’s hand, the entrance opened, and the light darted inside, lingering by his side. Sha Chen reached out and grasped the light, a smile appearing on his face.
The light enveloped an azure lamp, which was precisely the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup. This was a great illuminating lamp from the palace of the Taiqing Sage Laozi. It was no ordinary mundane object but a Magical Tool that the Daoist Ancestor had distributed to the Sage Laozi at Fenbao Cliff, which Laozi then hung in the Taiqing Palace. Its main function was to illuminate all demons and evil spirits, ensuring that no malevolent entities could hide beneath its glow. Furthermore, it could help one’s Primordial Spirit and soul beco clearer and more refined under its light, making one less susceptible to ntal corruption or external interference.
Rumor had it that the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup had been lost for a hundred thousand years, the exact reasons unknown. However, one legend claid it was due to a minor conflict between the Tongtian Hierarch and the Sage Laozi, which escalated into a fight in the Taiqing Palace. Then, the Qingping Sword struck the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup, which subsequently fled and vanished without a trace; even a Saint could not recall it. It was thought that the artifact spirit of the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup had perished under that sword strike and, sensing danger in the Taiqing Palace, the artifact itself never returned.
Yet now, it had co to Sha Chen.
The Tongtian Hierarch, who had already averted his gaze from the Flowing Sand River, looked back again and was instantly stunned. The Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup? Lost for a hundred thousand years, and it willingly went to the Flowing Sand River? And it looks like it’s choosing Sha Chen as its master. This boy’s luck is too good. The Tongtian Hierarch marveled inwardly, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes. What was it that made fight Li Er back then? I can’t rember. But it doesn’t matter; this era is destined for another battle anyway.
Sha Chen easily refined the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup, performing a blood-binding ritual, and then nurtured it within his Dantian and Sea of Awareness. The treasure was ownerless, so he needed to nurture it properly; ideally, it would give birth to its own artifact spirit, one belonging solely to him, so it could truly serve him. Then, not even a Saint could summon it away.
The Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup was indeed extraordinary. Even as Sha Chen nurtured it within his Spiritual Platform’s Sea of Consciousness, he felt his Primordial Spirit, also residing there, being nourished in return. The strength of his Primordial Spirit grew even faster than when he ditated on the Tai Chi Diagram.
Besides that, Sha Chen felt that his ingrained apprehension towards Saints like Laozi and the Tongtian Hierarch had lessened. Even if he didn’t speak of it, deep down he was wary, and this wariness had almost beco a ntal fixation. After all, Saints could co and go as they pleased here; Laozi’s visit proved that even Sub-Sages could enter and leave with ease. His sense of security had plumted. Naturally, he worried, feeling he had to tread on thin ice daily, afraid of offending these powerful figures and being annihilated one day. He knew that these ntal fixations, even if they didn’t currently affect his life or cultivation, would inevitably erupt soday. When that happened, he might suffer from cultivation deviation, leading to endless future troubles.
Now, however, under the radiance of the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup, not only was his Primordial Spirit progressing, but even the ntal fixations buried deep in his heart were exposed and gradually dissipated. They might resurface in the future, but for the mont, their disappearance brought him imnse relief.
After a brief cultivation session, he found his progress was as if divinely aided, smoother and faster than usual. Overjoyed, Sha Chen took out the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup and hung it in his cultivation area. Under its glow, even Lady Di Yong benefited greatly. Previously, she would sotis frown or grit her teeth, seemingly encountering difficulties in her cultivation. Under the light, her brows relaxed, and she even let out a comfortable moan. Her body trembled, and tears trickled down her face.
Indeed, she was crying.
"Master, you are too good to this servant. This servant wants more."
Sha Chen’s cheeks twitched.
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