Chapter 33: The Lotus Seed Sprouts

At present, Bai Jing’s mastery of the Great Dao of Devouring has reached forty-seven percent. Upon reaching fifty percent, he will be able to break through to the mid-stage of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm. Reaching seventy percent mastery signifies the late stage of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm, while ninety percent marks the peak. Achieving ten percent mastery allows one to attain the Dao through the Law; the same principle applies to all other Great Daos.

Consequently, Bai Jing brewed a pot of Enlightenment Tea, drank it in one gulp, and slowly closed his eyes. Under the dual enhancement of the shards of the Jade Plate of Creation and the Enlightenment Tea, it took only three thousand years for his mastery of the Great Dao of Devouring to reach fifty percent. Although this speed did not match his rate of insight while listening to the lectures of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, it was certainly not slow. Without exaggeration, among those below the Saint level, Bai Jing’s speed in comprehending the Laws was undoubtedly the fastest in the entire Primordial World.

As his mastery reached fifty percent, his physical body naturally broke through to the mid-stage of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm. It took less than a millennium for him to complete this breakthrough. Observing his own state, Bai Jing quickly confirmed his progress. His mid-stage Hunyuan Golden Immortal physique was significantly stronger than before. He was confident that if he were back at the Cliff of Treasure Distribution contesting for the Azure Lotus Flag of the East, he could take on both Jie Yin and Zhun Ti simultaneously, even without the Hongmeng Measure of Heaven Ruler. Of course, more than thirty thousand years had passed since the third lecture at Zixiao Palace; with the Hongmeng Purple Qi in their possession, Jie Yin and Zhun Ti would not have remained stagnant and had likely also reached the mid-stage of the Quasi-Saint realm. Nevertheless, even if they had advanced, Bai Jing believed that with the Hongmeng Measure of Heaven Ruler in hand, they were still no match for him.

"The first small goal is complete; next, I must study Hong Yun’s escape technique." With that, Bai Jing tucked away the shards of the Jade Plate of Creation. His shards only contained the Great Daos of Devouring, Crafting, and Enchantment, which were of no help in comprehending escape techniques. Fortunately, he had the Enlightenment Tea Tree. He brewed another pot of tea and began to contemplate Hong Yun’s method. This technique had certain requirements for the practitioner’s original form, ideally suited for beings born from light, ethereal substances like clouds, wind, or fire. Since Bai Jing could not change his own nature, he had no choice but to refine the technique itself. After ten thousand years, he finally finished modifying it and mastered it to completion.

He sacrificed about ten percent of the original speed to make the technique suitable for all living beings. Once mastered, its speed was comparable to Di Jun and Tai Yi’s Golden Crow Rainbow Transformation. Bai Jing was quite satisfied with this. He named this improved version the "White Lotus Escape Technique."

Finally, it was time to focus on the art of artifact refining. Having spent nearly two Yuan-hui (great cycles) cultivating with the shards of the Jade Plate of Creation, his mastery of the Daos of Crafting and Enchantment had both exceeded ten percent. With such solid theoretical support, he put his knowledge into practice with great efficiency. His initial attempts were somewhat clumsy, but his technique grew increasingly refined. He did not discard his failed artifacts, choosing instead to devour them; even a mosquito's leg is meat, after all. After about a millennium, his refining skills looked impressive, and he even forged a long sword to use in his upcoming exchange with Primordial Heaven Lord.

"It is time to emerge from seclusion," he said. With a thought, he vanished from Yingzhou Immortal Island.

No sooner had he appeared than a vast wave of merit suddenly emerged and poured into his body. Bai Jing was initially bewildered, but after a quick divination, he understood its origin. Over the past twenty thousand years of his seclusion, the Wu Clan had repaired another twenty percent of the Western ley lines, bringing the total restored to one-third. The merit for this was divided into four parts: forty percent went to the leading Ancestral Witches, forty percent to the rest of the Wu Clan, and ten percent each went to Bai Jing, for his role in securing the Earth Book for the clan, and Zhen Yuanzi, for lending it.

Satisfied, Bai Jing channeled this merit into the Source Yang Cauldron, pouring it all into six seeds of the Merit Golden Lotus. As the merit was absorbed, the seeds grew visibly. First came the sprouts, which grew steadily until, once the merit was exhausted, six three-petaled Merit Golden Lotuses appeared within the Three-Light Divine Water of the Source Yang Cauldron. The cauldron had become a sea of lotuses: one nine-petaled White Lotus of World Purification, three six-petaled ones, nine three-petaled ones, and the six new three-petaled Merit Golden Lotuses. The potential of the White Lotus of World Purification was now fully exhausted.

However, the three-petaled Merit Golden Lotuses had the potential to grow into nine-petaled ones. Bai Jing nodded with satisfaction; if these six could reach nine petals, combined with his existing White Lotus, it would be enough to compensate for the missing essence of the three treasures formed from the disintegration of the Primordial Green Lotus.

"Next, it is time to keep my appointment at Kunlun Mountain!" In the next instant, Bai Jing transformed into a beam of white light and vanished from the East Sea. With the White Lotus Escape Technique and his strengthened physique, it took him only twenty years to reach Kunlun Mountain. He stopped in the air before the mountain, gazing at the scenery. Mists of colorful clouds drifted by, spiritual energy condensed into fog, and immortal light gathered into rainbows—a true blessed land worthy of holding the destiny of the Three Pure Ones.

"No wonder that throughout history, no matter who ranks the immortal mountains of the Primordial World, Kunlun is always in the top three!" Bai Jing sighed in admiration. He waited there not only to enjoy the view but also to await the Three Pure Ones; with their cultivation, they would surely know of his arrival.

Sure enough, a hearty laugh soon echoed from within: "Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Bai Jing, you have finally arrived! My second brother has been looking forward to your visit for quite some time."

As Tong Tian finished speaking, light condensed, and three figures appeared before Bai Jing: an elderly Daoist, a middle-aged Daoist, and a young Daoist—Lao Zi, Primordial Heaven Lord, and Tong Tian. The three performed a Daoist salute: "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Bai Jing."

Bai Jing returned the gesture: "Greetings, fellow Daoists."

After the formalities, Primordial Heaven Lord stepped forward with a smile: "Fellow Daoist Bai Jing, you have finally come. Since we parted at Zixiao Palace, it has been forty thousand years. I feared you might have forgotten our agreement!"

"I would never dare to forget, fellow Daoist," Bai Jing replied. "I was merely inspired by the Dao Ancestor’s teachings and spent some time in seclusion."