In the Primordial world, atop Mount Zhongnan, an apricot tree stood proudly on the summit, its branches and leaves fluttering in the wind!
"Where am I?"
To his horror, Xiaoxuan found himself standing near a cliff edge, his entire body swaying with the wind. Yet, no matter how hard he struggled, he could not move so much as an inch.
In the end, Xiaoxuan realized that he had actually turned into a tree!
"How could this be?"
Xiaoxuan had originally been a college student who occasionally read web novels in his spare time, but he had never imagined that he would transmigrate, let alone transmigrate into a tree!
Before he could even recover from the shock of turning into a tree, a massive wave of information surged into Xiaoxuan's mind. The vast torrent of data kept pouring in endlessly until Xiaoxuan felt a wave of dizziness and passed out.
Time has no meaning in the Primordial world. When Xiaoxuan finally woke up again, he understood that he had transmigrated into the Primordial world and become the Immortal Apricot, one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots of the Primordial!
Although the Immortal Apricot belonged to the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots, it was not particularly famous, and Xiaoxuan knew very little about it.
Aside from Leizhenzi eating two Immortal Apricots during the God-Conferring Tribulation to sprout wind-and-thunder wings and ultimately achieving a physical body sanctification, he practically knew nothing else!
The foundation of being one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots naturally placed him among the very top echelon of beings in the Primordial world, but the difficulty of a spiritual root taking human form made Xiaoxuan furrow his brow tightly.
In his past life, whether it was the Huangzhong Plum, the Flat Peach tree, the Ginseng Fruit, or the Gourd Vine, which of them was not far more famous than the Immortal Apricot?
Yet among them, who had actually succeeded in taking human form?
At that moment, an overwhelming pressure descended from the heavens, and every living creature between heaven and earth bowed in salute.
"Sitting high upon the ninefold clouds, a straw mat truly reveals the Dao.
Outside the Mysterious Yellow of Heaven and Earth, I shall be the Master of Teachings.
Pangu gave birth to Taiji, the Two Modes and Four Images revolve.
One Dao passed to three friends, two teachings split between Chan and Jiejiao.
The supreme leader of the profound sect, the breath of Qi turns into Hongjun!"
A heavenly manifestation appeared as auspicious purple qi came surging from the east for tens of thousands of miles, golden lotuses sprang from the earth, and dragons and phoenixes chanted in unison to offer congratulations!
"I am Hongjun, and today I have attained the Dao and become a sage. A thousand years from now, I shall expound the Great Dao in Zixiao Palace within Chaos. Those with affinity may all come!"
A sage, Hongjun!
Under the induction of Heavenly Dao, all living beings in the Primordial world instantly understood what a sage was, and naturally, they were shaken to the core!
For a moment, countless figures soared into the air across the Primordial world, flying into Chaos to seek the sage's Daoist sanctuary and pursue the Dao.
"Hongjun has become sage, and the first lecture is imminent!"
Having not yet taken human form, though he longed to go to Zixiao Palace to listen to the Dao, there was nothing he could do!
"I had better focus on cultivation and strive to take human form as soon as possible!"
The Wind-Thunder Art was the cultivation method for the Immortal Apricot that Xiaoxuan found within his inherited memories. It absorbed the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, purified and filtered it through layers, and transformed it into innate wind-and-thunder Qi to nourish oneself.
Time flew like an arrow, and the sun and moon shuttled like a shuttle.
Several millennia passed in the blink of an eye, and Xiaoxuan's cultivation successfully reached the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, leaving him just a step away from the Taiyi Dao fruit!
Yet there was still no sign of him being able to take human form.
"When the boat reaches the bridge-head, it will naturally straighten out. I'll take it one step at a time!"
"Well, well! The Immortal Apricot, one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots, has actually gained sentience. What a truly magnificent fortune!"
Three figures appeared on the summit of Mount Zhongnan: an elderly man leaning on a flat staff on the left, a middle-aged man holding a ruyi in the center, and a young man carrying a long sword on his right.
The elderly man stepped forward, a smile on his face as he said, "Little friend has an affinity with me. Would you be willing to take me as your master?"
The moment the three of them appeared, Xiaoxuan recognized their identities: the Three Pure Ones of Pangu, the future Heavenly Dao Saints!
Among the three, Yuanshi Tianzun was extremely protective of his own, but he placed far too much emphasis on one's innate foundation, which clearly conflicted with Xiaoxuan's philosophy—after all, the modern concept of everyone being equal was deeply rooted in his heart!
Although the Master Tongtian taught all without discrimination, the disciples of Jiejiao later became a mixed bag, and some despicable scoundrels dragged Jiejiao's reputation through the mud. During the God-Conferring Tribulation, they were plotted against by various saints and their teaching was destroyed, leaving even the Master Tongtian imprisoned within Zixiao Palace.
Comparatively speaking, Taishang practiced non-action and naturalness, and in later generations, he had only Xuandu as his disciple.
Therefore, Taishang was definitely the best candidate for a master!
"Disciple Xiaoxuan is infinitely honored. Greetings, Master, and greetings, two Martial Uncles!"
Taishang pointed with his left hand, and a streak of cyan mysterious light landed upon the Immortal Apricot. "Although the inherited cultivation method of an Innate Spiritual Root is wondrous, it is ultimately flawed and cannot allow you to take human form. I shall impart the Supreme Profound Method to you, and you will naturally be able to transform into human form!"
With the Supreme Profound Method and the Wind-Thunder Art verifying one another, Xiaoxuan quickly comprehended the crucial key to taking human form.
The primordial spirit of Xiaoxuan within the Immortal Apricot executed a set of incantations, and after a strange fluctuation, a massive amount of spiritual energy of heaven and earth rushed toward Mount Zhongnan, finally pouring into the body of the Immortal Apricot.
Inside Zixiao Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun opened his eyes, a smile flashing across his face so quickly that even Haotian and Yaochi, attending by his side, failed to notice it!
As the spiritual energy was inhaled, the Immortal Apricot flashed with cyan lightning, and the majestic aura that brooked no violation grew increasingly palpable.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by a loud crash, the thunder light upon the Immortal Apricot became even more pronounced.
When everything finally returned to calm, a handsome youth dressed in a cyan Daoist robe appeared in the exact spot previously occupied by the Immortal Apricot!
"After cultivating for several millennia, I have finally succeeded in taking human form!"
Xiaoxuan looked at his own hands and said with joy.
Suddenly, dark thunderclouds gathered across the firmament, rumbling with thunder, and countless lightning dragons rolled within them—this was clearly the transformation tribulation!
The transformation tribulation meant a smooth path ahead if one passed it, but annihilation and a return to zero if one failed.
How could the Immortal Apricot, one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots filled with the Qi of wind and thunder deep within its body, possibly take a mere minor transformation tribulation seriously?
A tribulation of this magnitude was nothing more than nourishment to strengthen Xiaoxuan's physical body!
Just as Xiaoxuan intended to endure the tribulation with his physical body, he saw the Master Tongtian draw the Qingping Sword from behind him and wave it gently. The lightning filling the sky instantly vanished into nothingness, and the sky cleared up once again.
"Hmph, the prime disciples of the Three Pure Ones—would anyone dare to obstruct even a minor transformation tribulation?"
Before Xiaoxuan could even express his gratitude, he saw a golden light descend from the sky, enveloping him entirely. Xiaoxuan's cultivation at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm broke through instantly, and his attainment of the Taiyi Dao fruit came as naturally as water flowing into a channel!
Early Taiyi Golden Immortal, mid-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal, late Taiyi Golden Immortal, peak Taiyi Golden Immortal, and all the way to Peak-Consummation Taiyi Golden Immortal before it slowly came to a halt.
At this moment, Xiaoxuan was just a single step away from the Daluo Golden Immortal realm!
The moment he took human form, he already possessed the realm of a Peak-Consummation Taiyi Golden Immortal, trailing only slightly behind the Three Pure Ones themselves.
With such aptitude, even the Western duo were probably slightly inferior!
Calming his emotions, Xiaoxuan straightened his robes, walked respectfully before the Three Pure Ones, and bowed deeply in salute: "Disciple Xiaoxuan expresses his utmost gratitude to Master for bestowing the Dao, and thanks Martial Uncles for your protection!"
Even Yuanshi Tianzun, who was notoriously strict, was extremely satisfied with the supreme innate foundation of the Immortal Apricot, one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots. Meanwhile, the Master Tongtian at the side pulled Xiaoxuan to his feet and said heartily, "Little Xuan'er, get up quickly. There's no need for such grand formalities; a sincere heart is all that matters!"
Taishang stroked his beard with joy and nodded continuously.