Chapter 8: The Second Best in Eternity!

"So you really are the sect leader." Yang Nan chuckled as he stepped forward, holding the three treasures and smiling, "I was just wondering how the sect leader came to know my intentions."

Sect Leader Xuanxu took the three primordial spiritual objects with a faint smile, sighed, and said, "I must make it clear to you first: these three do not count as repayment for what you owe me. They are simply a gift from King Chun. You still owe me three primordial spiritual objects. If you fail to repay me in the future, I will take that small copper coin on your chest to settle the debt. Let's make this clear beforehand, so don't blame me for breaking my word as sect leader!"

Yang Nan rolled his eyes inwardly. The sect leader looked utterly lazy. If he hadn't witnessed his stern and solemn demeanor before, who would ever believe that this rogue old man was actually the leader of the number one sect in the world?

Unfortunately, circumstances forced him to submit. Yang Nan lowered his head and said, "This disciple would never dare to forget. However, would it be acceptable to use the Profound Weapon Vast Sea to settle the account first?"

Sect Leader Xuanxu looked surprised and asked, "The Profound Weapon Vast Sea? When did you get entangled with Cicada Valley? Hand it over quickly and let me see!"

Seeing the sect leader finally assume a serious expression, Yang Nan took out the Profound Weapon Vast Sea. The moment Sect Leader Xuanxu laid eyes on it, he knew it was genuine. He shook his head and sighed, "You little macaque really have good fortune. The grade of this profound weapon is just below the top ten divine weapons. Your master obtained the Hegemonic Weapon Profound Yellow, and now her divine powers are not much weaker than mine. Senior Brother Changxu is already being suppressed by her to the point of misery. Buxu and Yang Nan, your good fortune is boundless. The two of you, master and disciple, are truly monsters!"

*Monsters?* Yang Nan was left speechless, caught between laughter and tears at the ambiguous praise from Sect Leader Xuanxu. The sect leader suddenly snapped back to his senses, stared at Yang Nan, and said, "What I said today, I never spoke, and you never heard. You are not allowed to mention this to your master. Do you hear me?"

Seeing that the sect leader was actually this afraid of his master, Yang Nan laughed inwardly, but replied with a solemn expression, "This disciple definitely heard nothing!"

Sect Leader Xuanxu stroked his beard in great satisfaction and said, "Very well. This Profound Weapon Vast Sea possesses immense divine power; keep it by your side. I see you possess water-attribute spiritual power, which makes you well-suited to use this divine weapon. Huh? Why is there no trace of water-attribute Daoist spiritual energy on you today? Could it be that you learned some demonic arts from that demonic brat and concealed it?"

Realizing that the sect leader possessed all-seeing eyes, Yang Nan could only smile wryly as he recounted his encounter within the Heavenly Diang Thunder Net. Finally, he spread his hands and said, "For some reason, the water-attribute spiritual power within this disciple has vanished completely, replaced instead by a yang-attribute thunder pearl. Without any cultivation method or clue, I truly don't know what to do!"

"Impossible!" Sect Leader Xuanxu widened his eyes in disbelief, suddenly thrusting his hand forward to release five strands of spiritual light that enveloped Yang Nan. Struck by this sudden burst of magical energy, two distinct rays of light—one dragon and one snake—burst forth from Yang Nan's body. The purple one was lightning, and the black one was a serpent. Yin and yang intertwined, brimming with spiritual energy. There was no way it could be fake!

The serpent embodied yin, while the dragon embodied yang. The two qi of yin and yang intertwined and reinforced each other, filling the heaven and earth with a vast and upright aura!

Just as Yang Nan was left stunned, Sect Leader Xuanxu suddenly called into the Ancestral Master Hall, "Ah! Today I have witnessed the birth of an ancient monster! Taixu, Wangxu, Cangxu, what are you three staring at that furnace of Heavenly Mystery Pills for? Come out here and look at this!"

At the sect leader's sudden shout, several elderly Daoists rushed out from the Ancestral Master Hall. Staring at the self-contained phenomenon of yin and yang spiritual energy radiating from Yang Nan, they all dropped their jaws in astonishment, utterly speechless!

After a long while, Venerable Taixu sighed in admiration, "Yin paired with yang—such legendary physical constitution has actually appeared in this kid. It seems his future achievements will be extraordinary! The Underworld Sect produced an peerless genius just to intimidate us, and now our Kunlun Sect has finally produced a monster of our own! Compared to that girl from the Underworld Sect who embodies the Dao of Nature, our Indestructible Yin-Yang physique is no weaker!"

As soon as Venerable Taixu finished speaking, the elderly Daoists all nodded in agreement. Their aged faces looked even more excited than if they had just laid eyes on a peerless cultivation manual or a supreme divine pill. While Yang Nan stood there feeling thoroughly creeped out, Sect Leader Xuanxu smiled and said, "Well, no wonder Buxu insisted on taking you as her disciple that day. Since Buxu has gone into seclusion and cannot guide you properly, how about you renounce her and join my sect instead?"

Venerable Taixu retorted resolutely, "How can that be? How can a sect leader take disciples so casually? If he is willing to enter my sect, my Ice Firmament Returning Disc will belong to him!"

Venerable Cangxu said with a straight face, "Junior Brother Taixu, how dare you bring out such a mediocre immortal artifact to embarrass yourself? My Prime Dao Blazing Majesty Sword is meant for this ancient gifted disciple! Wielding the Blazing Majesty Sword to heavily defeat the Underworld Sect's top disciple in the future—wouldn't that be magnificent?"

Venerable Wangxu sneered and said, "You still have the nerve to mention the Blazing Majesty Sword? Your attributes don't match his at all. Giving him those magical treasures would be just like this Profound Weapon Vast Sea—pretty to look at, but completely useless! My spiritual nature is also steeped in yin-sha, and my Dark Water Soft Emperor Sword is the one that truly matches this kid's attributes! Once this boy obtains my magical weapon, he is guaranteed to reach the Venerable realm within decades! What a joyous occasion in life! This disciple rightfully belongs to me!"

…………

………………!

A group of elderly Daoists were shouting over one another, each desperately pushing their own treasures. All pretense of immortal elegance vanished, leaving only a bunch of old men arguing until their faces turned red.

Sect Leader Xuanxu darkened his face and sneered, "Alright, I called you all out to look at a person, and instead you start fighting over him! Do you want the Yang Sovereign Buxu to smash your heads with her Coiling Dragon and Hegemonic Weapon Profound Yellow?"

Hearing the name "Buxu," the chaotic din instantly died down. The old men all sighed in unison, "Good heavens, why does this kid have such good luck? He managed to be struck by heavenly lightning and somehow forge a yang-attribute spiritual aperture out of it?"

Sect Leader Xuanxu chuckled, "Why don't you go try it yourselves? He only needed to be a Grandmaster to forge a yang meridian. With your Venerable-level cultivation, who knows, you might even manage to forge all seven meridians!"

Venerable Wangxu said with utter disdain, "Sect leader, if you want us to throw our lives away, just say so. Is heavenly lightning something pleasant to endure? Even if we were smashed into dust by it, I doubt a single trace of a lightning meridian would form. This is clearly a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. Aside from this lucky brat, who throughout history has ever encountered such fortune?"

He saw the situation clearly. Such a bizarre encounter was completely unheard of. If heavenly lightning could forge lightning meridians, practitioners across the world would have long been sticking their heads out, waiting to be struck!

Such things could only be met by chance, never sought by force.

Yang Nan's good luck was enough to make anyone green with envy...

The old Daoists stared at Yang Nan as if he were some rare treasure, making his skin crawl. Sect Leader Xuanxu smiled and said, "Pay them no mind. With these yin and yang qi, and having learned the Indestructible Yin-Yang Wheel, your future achievements will truly surpass ours. In the vast history of Kunlun, amid the endless sea of humanity, you are the very first. Aside from the legendary Primordial Ancestor Panxi, you are the second person in eternity. You stinky brat, aren't you going to turn a few somersaults to make us happy?"

This time, Yang Nan didn't hold back. He rolled his eyes at these irreverent old men and said, "Sect leader, dual yin-yang meridians are all well and good, but without grueling cultivation, they are utterly useless. No matter how good your innate talent is, without hard work, you're worth nothing at all. Forget all this—you must provide me with a lightning-attribute cultivation manual!"

The world of Daoist cultivation never lacked geniuses. What use were dual yin-yang meridians if one didn't strive forward and cultivate diligently? Without effort, even a genius would become waste material. How could Yang Nan not know this?

Seeing Yang Nan resort to whining as well, Sect Leader Xuanxu stroked his beard and chuckled, "At least this little macaque has a proper Dao heart. If you were arrogant and thought yourself invincible, I'd strike you dead with a single bolt of lightning myself. What you said is correct: innate talent, though good, requires human effort. While dual yin-yang meridians are exceedingly rare, if you wish to attain the Dao of Immortality, it will take you twice as long as anyone else. Do you think that will be easy?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Now it was Yang Nan's turn to drop his jaw. He hesitated and asked, "Since I possess the Indestructible Yin-Yang Wheel divine power, shouldn't I be able to cultivate both yin and yang qi simultaneously?"

Since water-attribute Daoist techniques and yin-sha qi could be practiced together, why couldn't yin and yang qi be cultivated concurrently?

Sect Leader Xuanxu smiled wryly and said, "Legend has it that the Ancestor Panxi spent a millennium to become an immortal, ten thousand years to become a deity, and one billion eight hundred million years to achieve the might of a world-creator. Although yin and yang qi are the ancestors of all spiritual energy in the universe, they possess the properties of mutual growth, mutual decline, and mutual neutralization. In other words, when you practice cultivation in this life, you must either advance simultaneously or regress simultaneously. Furthermore, the cultivation of these two qi will cancel each other out; ten parts of effort will only yield five parts of results. Do you still think it will be easy?"

Yang Nan felt utterly devastated. Since the sect leader was so certain, there could be no mistake. He sighed and said, "Then I'd rather not have this lightning meridian at all."

"Nonsense!" Sect Leader Xuanxu widened his eyes and shouted, "The Indestructible Yin-Yang physique is a heaven-sent blessing. Doesn't that girl from the Underworld Sect who possesses the 'Dao of Nature Heart' have the same? Those who possess extraordinary traits achieve far beyond all living beings, but the price they pay is far greater! If you have the ability, go defeat that girl's Dao of Nature Heart, ensure she cannot become an immortal and cannot ascend to the heavens—that would truly be an achievement!"

*The Dao of Nature Heart?* Yang Nan was baffled. Frowning, he asked, "Sect leader, Heaven cherishes all life; why are you telling me to do bad things?"

Sect Leader Xuanxu's old face flushed red, and he immediately snapped angrily, "Those heart-slashing nuns of the Underworld Sect have always been overbearing! You are a disciple of Kunlun; suppressing them is hardly a bad thing!"

Yang Nan chuckled inwardly. It seemed Sect Leader Xuanxu must have suffered quite a bit at the hands of those heart-slashing nuns in the past, which explained why his resentment ran so deep...

He grinned and said, "Sect leader, I am currently only a Grandmaster, and I'm barely scraping by as an inner sect disciple. If you're telling me to go deal with the Underworld Sect without bestowing a few dozen treasures or the like, aren't you being a bit too stingy?"

Sect Leader Xuanxu patted him on the head, laughing as he scolded, "You rascal! Don't forget, your master used nothing more than your half-baked Indestructible Yin Wheels condensed into an Indestructible Yin-Yang Sword to thoroughly shatter six Grandmasters that day. Once your genuine Indestructible Yin-Yang Sword is mastered, what threat will any magical power in the world pose to you? They'll just be serving themselves up on a platter! With such divine power, what need do you have for magical treasures? Are you still unsatisfied?"

Recalling the unmatched might his master had displayed that day, Yang Nan immediately saw the benefits. A smile finally broke across his face as he said, "So there are perks like this after all. Taking twice as long just means putting in twice the effort. I refuse to believe that after a millennium of grueling cultivation, I won't become an immortal!"

Sect Leader Xuanxu then praised, "Good. Since you have such determination, you are truly worthy of being a Kunlun disciple. Be on your way now; I will handle the matter regarding King Chun myself. As for those demons and fiends, handle them as you see fit—kill them if you wish, subdue them if you want. Even if a Venerable-level figure comes to kill you, you possess this rare magical treasure that allows you to escape a thousand miles in a single breath, making it difficult for them to harm you."

Yang Nan smiled wryly and said, "Sect leader, those are packs of demon saints! How could I possibly fight them off?"

Sect Leader Xuanxu said with a hint of anger, "Since you are a Kunlun disciple, why are you afraid of them? Fight them if you can win; run away if you can't. Once your cultivation increases, go back and exact your revenge! If you rely on the sect for everything every step of the way, what kind of immortality are you cultivating? What Dao are you trying to achieve?"

Only then did Yang Nan have a sudden awakening. Hardship was also part of cultivation; the more formidable opponents one faced, the greater the tempering. The arduous path of immortality was hard to fathom. If he couldn't even clear this hurdle, how could he ever become an immortal?

Furthermore, harsh though Sect Leader Xuanxu's words sounded, if powerful monsters or ancient fiends truly came out to harm him, Yang Nan didn't believe for a second that the sect leader would remain indifferent!

Even the thirty-six talisman sects—would they truly dare to join forces to attack him? That was far from certain!

Seeing that he finally understood, Sect Leader Xuanxu handed the Profound Weapon Vast Sea back to him and said, "Go ask White Crane for a lightning-attribute cultivation manual to practice with first. Once you achieve success, come seek me again. Also, three years from now, on the Double Ninth Festival, the various Daoist sects of the world will hold a grand Daoist Talent Selection Ceremony at the Immortal Cloud Peak of the Abode of Immortals in Shenzhou. You will represent Kunlun and attend. You are not allowed to disgrace Kunlun's reputation! This matter concerns the Daoist orthodoxy struggle between the Underworld and Kunlun. Even if you cannot win, you are forbidden to lose!"

Shenzhou was located by the South China Sea, an earthly paradise of immortal mountains. Much like Mount Kunlun, it was a place that acknowledged only immortal mountains, oblivious to any mortal imperial court.

*A Talent Selection Ceremony?* Seeing the solemn expression on the sect leader's face, Yang Nan nodded involuntarily. Though he had no idea what a Daoist grand ceremony entailed, he knew that gathering numerous sects together was rarely a good thing!

Noticing his confusion, Sect Leader Xuanxu explained further, "The Daoist Talent Selection Ceremony is a grand competition of Daoist techniques among the new disciples of various Daoist sects. Only those below the Venerable realm are permitted to participate. I assume those shameless old fellows won't dare to target you directly, so you can go with peace of mind. Beat them or maim them—I will bear responsibility for everything."