On Kunlun Mountain, inside the Taiqing Palace.
"Xiaoxuan, you took human form not long ago. You need to familiarize yourself with your new condition first."
Xiaoxuan nodded in acknowledgment.
"Although the *Wind and Thunder Art* is the most suitable cultivation method for you, it is ultimately flawed, making it difficult to attain the Dao!" Gesturing for Xiaoxuan to take a seat, Taishang continued, "You should practice the *Taiqing Profound Scripture* first, and use the *Wind and Thunder Art* as a supplement!"
The Three Pure Ones of Pangu were born in accordance with the Heavenly Dao and were destined Sages, so their cultivation methods naturally pointed straight to the Great Dao.
Taishang had always favored quietude and non-action. Although Xiaoxuan was his primary disciple, Taishang merely offered a few pointers before leaving him to practice on his own in the side hall of the Taiqing Palace.
Having transmigrated to the Primordial World several millennia ago, Xiaoxuan had spent all that time cultivating in the form of an Immortal Apricot. Though the *Wind and Thunder Art* suited him well, he was still bound to his apricot-tree body when practicing it.
Now that he had successfully transformed and could practice in the Innate Dao Body, his comprehension of the Dao had become far more profound.
After a hundred years of shifting his focus to the *Taiqing Profound Scripture*, Xiaoxuan's aura had grown even more unfathomable. Faint, scattered sparks of lightning flickered amidst the Qi of Taiqing, giving him an air of inviolable majesty.
*I've been in seclusion for so long; it's about time I went to pay my respects to Master!*
Stepping out of the side hall and arriving at the gates of the Taiqing Palace, Xiaoxuan bowed and said respectfully, "Your disciple Xiaoxuan seeks an audience with my teacher!"
A calm yet kindly voice sounded in Xiaoxuan's ear.
"Come in!"
The great gates of the Taiqing Palace swung open in response.
Xiaoxuan straightened his robes and strode into the main hall. In the center of the hall, an old man sat cross-legged upon a straw mat.
The figure wore grey Daoist robes, completely devoid of any fluctuating magical power, making him look like an ordinary old man—or as though he did not exist within this realm at all.
This person was none other than Taishang of Taiqing!
Not far in front of Taishang stood a pill furnace.
The entire furnace was covered with mysterious and abstruse Daoist runes, its purple-gold body radiating an aura of supreme nobility.
The Supreme Elder held a black and white fan, the two sides of its face inscribed with the sun and moon symbolizing Yin and Yang. As the fan gently waved, the Six-Fires of Divine Destiny within the purple-gold furnace burned ever brighter.
This fan was the Yin-Yang Fan!
Clearly, the Supreme Elder was in the middle of refining elixirs!
Xiaoxuan walked quickly to Taishang's side, bowed deeply once more, and said, "Your disciple pays respects to Master!"
The Supreme Elder nodded and said calmly, "Rise from the formalities. Sit!"
A straw mat materialized beside Xiaoxuan. After bowing in gratitude, Xiaoxuan obediently took his seat upon the mat.
The Supreme Elder said nothing more, merely fixing his gaze on the purple-gold pill furnace ahead of him and occasionally waving the Yin-Yang Fan in his hand.
Xiaoxuan asked no questions, sitting quietly beside the Supreme Elder and watching him refine pills.
After a long while, the Supreme Elder turned to look at Xiaoxuan. Though his expression remained blank, a flash of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
"Your disposition is quite good."
Xiaoxuan scratched his head, offered a shy smile, and remained silent.
"Do you have any doubts regarding your practice of the *Taiqing Profound Scripture*?"
Hearing this, Xiaoxuan raised the obscure and difficult points he had encountered in his cultivation, and Taishang answered them one by one.
Following the explanations, understanding blossomed in Xiaoxuan's heart. Those points that had previously eluded him suddenly parted like clouds to reveal the sun, becoming entirely clear.
Comparing these insights with his hereditary *Wind and Thunder Art*, Xiaoxuan felt his cultivation advance a notch further, as if he were on the verge of breaking through to the Daluo Realm at any moment.
"Your disciple thanks Master for clearing my doubts!"
Xiaoxuan rose, bowed, and expressed his sincere gratitude.
"The pills are about to form!"
The Supreme Elder's gaze tightened. Rising lightly, he swept his sleeve, and the Six-Fires of Divine Destiny beneath the purple-gold pill furnace instantly extinguished.
With a flick of a Taiqing Immortal Spell, the purple-gold pill furnace burst with brilliant immortal light, and the runes inscribed upon its walls flickered incessantly.
Everything returned to stillness. Taishang removed the lid of the furnace, and nine streams of light flew out from within, revolving endlessly above the purple-gold vessel.
Looking closely, Xiaoxuan saw that each of the nine elixirs was etched with several abstruse patterns on its surface.
"The patterns on these pills are called elixir patterns, and the number of patterns corresponds to the number of revolutions the elixir has undergone!" Taishang swept the elixirs from the air into a gourd and said, "It seems I will have to wait until after I attain the Dao to refine Nine-Revolution Golden Elixirs!"
In the present Primordial World, those capable of refining Four-Revolution Golden Elixirs could be counted on one's fingers.
Yet in a single batch, Taishang had produced several Eight-Revolution Golden Elixirs. No wonder it was said that Taishang's mastery of alchemy was peerless across the Primordial World!
Taishang said to Xiaoxuan, "Xiaoxuan, I intend to impart the Dao of Alchemy to you. With your natural talent, you are bound to achieve great things in it!"
Hearing this, a trace of a smile appeared on Xiaoxuan's face.
"On second thought, even if I were to teach you alchemy, I doubt your achievements in it would surpass my own!" Taishang stroked his beard and continued, "That being the case, there is no need for you to waste your energy on alchemy. Dedicating yourself wholly to cultivation and striving to attain the Great Dao as soon as possible is the proper path!"
Xiaoxuan: ……
Taishang had arrived at this decision after careful consideration.
As a master, he naturally hoped his disciple would inherit his legacy.
Yet Xiaoxuan was, after all, the Immortal Apricot—one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots—possessing peerless aptitude and foundations, with a genuine hope of attaining the Hunyuan Dao.
As for alchemy, he could always take another disciple in the future to pass that art down.
"Master, your disciple has cultivated for several millennia and wishes to travel the Primordial World to see if I can find an opportunity to break through to Daluo!"
Taishang fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then handed a gourd to Xiaoxuan, saying, "Take these elixirs with you for self-defense in case of emergencies."
With that, Taishang waved his hand, transferring the Yin-Yang Fan he had been holding over to Xiaoxuan.
"This fan is called the Yin-Yang Fan. Take it as well!"
Though Taishang did not spell it out, Xiaoxuan was well aware of the terrifying power of the Yin-Yang Fan.
Later texts recorded that the Yin-Yang Fan commanded thunder by the number of ninety-five, serving as the physical embodiment of the "Supreme Dao"!
In Taishang's hands, it had merely been a tool for fanning flames, appearing devoid of destructive might.
Yet who was Taishang?
He was the leader of all Sages, protected by the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda, which rendered him invulnerable; coupled with the Taiji Diagram—one of the Three Treasures of Opening Heaven—what need did Taishang have for other magical treasures?
However, the Dao Ancestor's second lecture had not yet taken place, and even the Three Pure Ones of Pangu possessed very few treasures at this stage.
For Taishang to bestow the Yin-Yang Fan upon him for self-defense now—how could Xiaoxuan not be moved to tears of gratitude?
Xiaoxuan bowed and thanked his master repeatedly.
"Very well, since matters here are settled, you may set off!" Taishang waved his hand and added, "Remember to go bid farewell to your two uncles."
After paying his respects to his two uncles in turn, Xiaoxuan left Kunlun Mountain with a stirring heart and embarked on his journey through the Primordial World.
"Should I go gaze upon Mount Buzhou first, or head to Mount Wuyi to find that treasure? It's genuinely a difficult choice!"
Mount Buzhou was said to be where Pangu's consciousness suppressed the heavens and earth, which was why no one could ride the clouds over it; and Xiaoxuan coveted the Falling Treasure Money hidden within Mount Wuyi just as much.