"There are three paths to attaining Sagehood. The first is the method of slaying the three corpses, utilizing Innate Spiritual Treasures to sever one's good, evil, and self corpses. Ultimately, the three corpses merge into one, achieving the fruition of a Sage."
Hearing this, everyone decided to scour the Primordial World for treasures the moment the lecture concluded. Even among the three thousand guests of the Zixiao Palace, very few possessed even three Innate Spiritual Treasures.
"The second is the method of attaining Sagehood through Merit, forging a golden body of merit with boundless merit to shatter the shackles of the Quasi-Sage and achieve the fruition of a Sage."
Upon hearing this, Di Jun, Taiyi, Xihe, Changxi, and the others lit up, though their expressions quickly faded.
They accumulated merit with every passing second. When the sun rose, the sun gained merit; when the moon rose, the moon gained merit.
Yet that trickle of merit was far too meager for them at present. It would not be enough to break through their realms even across several Yuanhui, failing to meet the requirement of boundless merit.
"The third is the method of attaining Sagehood through Dao Law, cultivating one or more Great Dao laws to their absolute peak so that one may use force to break through and achieve the status of a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal. Though it lacks the fruition of a Sage, it is equal in power to a Sage. This is the path from before the creation of the heavens, but the current environment no longer permits it."
"Of the three paths above, the first two strictly require the Grandmist Purple Qi to achieve Sagehood, while the last does not."
Hongjun fell silent after speaking, leaving them to ponder on their own.
Everyone below knitted their brows in deep thought, weighing the pros and cons of the three methods of attaining Sagehood.
"May I ask, Daozu, by which method did you attain Sagehood?"
Below, Dongwang Gong looked intently at Daozu Hongjun, his eyes burning with desire.
He longed to become a Sage!
"I attained Sagehood through the method of slaying the three corpses. Of the three paths, this is also the one best suited to the Primordial World," Hongjun answered calmly.
"Then where may the Grandmist Purple Qi be found?" Dongwang Gong asked.
Hongjun chuckled inwardly; the question had finally reached the crux of the matter.
"The Heavenly Dao has a fixed number: there are eight Sage fruitions. I claim one, and the remaining six shall belong to my disciples!"
At these words, the entire assembly erupted. Di Jun, Taiyi, and Dongwang Gong immediately cried out:
"We beg Daozu to take pity and accept us as your disciples!"
The rest followed, shouting at the top of their lungs:
"We beg Daozu to take pity and accept us as your disciples!"
Caught up in the fervor, Feng Xuan had almost joined in with a shout, but caught himself just as he was about to speak—he was already a disciple of Sanqing.
That made him Hongjun's grand-disciple. Why on earth would he need to kowtow and master-up?!
Witnessing such an uproar, Hongjun's Sage majesty erupted instantly, pressing down upon the grand hall and plunging everyone into an icy abyss, silencing them at once.
Then, sweeping his gaze across the crowd below, he spoke calmly:
"Taiqing Laizi, you were transformed from the primordial spirit of God Pangu, endowed with the merit of creation and an extraordinary origin. Are you willing to become my senior direct disciple?"
At this, Laizi's face lit up with joy as he bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you, Master!"
"Yuqing Yuanshi and Shangqing Tongtian, you too were transformed from the primordial spirit of God Pangu, endowed with great merit and extraordinary origins. Are you willing to become my second and third disciples?"
"Thank you, Master," Yuanshi and Tongtian hurriedly bowed in gratitude.
With a casual wave of Hongjun's hand, three spiritual treasures drifted down into the hands of the three.
"Laizi, as my senior direct disciple, I bestow upon you this Innate Supreme Treasure, the Taiji Diagram. This diagram was transformed from the Chaos Supreme Treasure, the Heaven-Opening Battle-Axe, and possesses the power to pacify Yin and Yang and the cosmos, the might to recreate Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, and can also be used to suppress karmic luck."
"Yuanshi, as my second disciple, I bestow upon you this Innate Supreme Treasure, the Pangu Banner. This banner was likewise transformed from the Chaos Supreme Treasure, the Pangu Axe. It holds the might to cleave the grandmist and chaos, the power to shatter the heavens and time and space, the virtue of governing all laws and profound principles, and the ability to open up heaven, earth, and the universe. It is the ultimate offensive Supreme Treasure; you must not wield it lightly under ordinary circumstances, and it may also be used to suppress karmic luck."
"Tongtian, as my third disciple, I bestow upon you the Four Swords of Executing Immortals and the Immortals-Executing Formation Diagram. Though it is not an Innate Supreme Treasure, nor can it suppress karmic luck, the four swords and the formation diagram combined can deploy the Immortals-Executing Sword Formation. Once this formation is laid down, none save four Sages can break it!"
At these words, all living beings gasped in utter shock. With only a single Sage currently in the Primordial World, and the Immortals-Executing Sword Formation being unbreakable save by four Sages, didn't that mean Tongtian would be invincible in the Primordial World?
"We, your disciples, offer our deepest thanks to Master for bestowing these treasures!" The Sanqing bowed together in gratitude.
Without lingering, Hongjun quickened his tone.
"Nuwa, your origin is extraordinary. Though you are not naturally cloaked in great merit, a great opportunity awaits you in the future. Are you willing to become my closing disciple?"
Hearing this, Nuwa bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Master, this disciple is willing."
Immediately, Hongjun swept his large sleeve, and two streaks of light descended into Nuwa's hands.
"This is the Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Red Hydrangea. Its offensive power is astonishing; even a Sage struck by it will suffer excruciating pain, and it carries three great merits. Study it well."
"This is the Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Mountain and River Land Map. It contains within it a wondrous Great Chiliocosm, whose terrain mirrors the lay of the Primordial World's earthly and water veins. It can be called a miniature Primordial World, capable of nurturing all things in heaven and earth, and may also be used to trap everything in existence."
"This disciple thanks Master for the treasures." Nuwa bowed in gratitude once more.
Then Hongjun spoke no more, and Zixiao Palace fell into a profound silence.
Yet Zhunti and Jieyin grew frantic. They finally understood: those six rush-mat cushions represented six Sage positions, as well as Daozu's six disciples.
The first four had made everything crystal clear, so why did it stop with them?
The two of them instantly burst into tears. "Our Western lands are barren, spiritual flora is scarce, and the spiritual veins are ruined. We beg Daozu to take pity on the two of us and accept us as disciples so that we may go and revitalize the Western earth!"
As they wailed, the two began rolling on the ground, their tears soaking their tattered Taoist robes in a truly wretched display.
Seeing this, Feng Xuan stealthily produced a recording jade disc to capture the scene, intending to show it to the disciples of their Western Sect in the future.
As the saying goes, the crying child gets the candy. Besides, Hongjun himself owed karma to the West, so he had no choice but to speak up.
"Very well. The two of you possess great perseverance and a great mission, so I shall accept you as my nominal disciples."
Though both showed displeasure upon hearing this, being disciples was enough; all they wanted were Sage positions and spiritual treasures.
Hongjun waved his large sleeve once more, and several streaks of light fell into their hands.
"This is the Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Twelfth-Grade Merit Golden Lotus, the Seven-Jeweled Merit Pond, the Pestle of Substantiating Bodhi, the Merit Golden Bowl..."
Aside from the Twelfth-Grade Merit Golden Lotus, Hongjun couldn't even be bothered to name the grades of the rest, as they were truly too embarrassing to say aloud.
Yet Zhunti and Jieyin were thoroughly satisfied. They had never seen so many spiritual treasures in all their lives, and they were overjoyed.
"We, your disciples, bow in gratitude for Master's grace, and wish Master a fortune as boundless as the Eastern Sea and a longevity surpassing the Southern Mountains."
Hearing this, the crowd looked at the pair as if they were fools, and Hongjun couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
"Haha, this is too hilarious! Wishing him a fortune as boundless as the Eastern Sea and a longevity surpassing the Southern Mountains—isn't that practically cursing Hongjun?"
Feng Xuan was having the time of his life right now, unable to hold back his laughter as his hands nearly dropped the recording stone.
These two were simply too comical!
At that very moment, Hongjun's gaze fell upon him. Feng Xuan instantly straightened up, assuming the picture of a diligent student listening attentively.
"Feng Xuan, your origin is extraordinary, and you are cloaked in great merit and great karmic luck. Furthermore, as my grand-disciple, I bestow upon you the Houtian Merit Supreme Treasure, the Magnificent Sky Ruler, to serve as an instrument for safeguarding your Dao."