Chapter 1

Sitting in a humble room, touring the three caves, he reflected on the past, his heart stirring with dust.

Holding a mirror to the vast void, it contained myriad phenomena; the scroll unfolded, emitting a green aura, forming the foundation of the Dao.

In the vast land of Hanyxia, there was the Miao You Sect, Songtao Peak, and a quiet room.

This place was sealed without windows, with a single lamp burning inside, the flame as small as a bean, yet bright, illuminating the entire room.

A person sat in meditation facing the wall, a small table in front of him, on which stood a three-legged lotus-patterned incense burner, burning ritual incense, the mist spreading, forming various sizes of lotus-like mist rings in the air, appearing and disappearing with each breath, seemingly real yet illusory, faint and mysterious.

Suddenly, a faint light appeared above Miro's spiritual mind, with a vague and indistinct mirror image floating above it.

The mirror image tilted, carrying the light, reflecting upward, piercing through the sealed room, and reflecting in the void above.

For a moment, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged, the principles of the Dao intertwined.

In the depths of the earth, a thread of golden light turned, and from the ninth heaven, a thread of green aura descended.

"Hmm?"

On Songtao Peak, Yun Changkong, dressed in a plain Daoist robe, wearing a lotus crown, with crane-like hair and a youthful face, lifted his head, flicked the duster in his hand, and the cloud qi beneath him rolled, carrying him to the outside of the quiet room.

Looking at the treasure scroll gradually taking shape in the void, a hint of surprise appeared in Yun Changkong's eyes.

"Having successfully laid the foundation, a spiritual treasure is born alongside. It seems that after a hundred years, Songtao Peak will have another true disciple!"

As he spoke, Yun Changkong turned his head and waved the duster in the air, dispersing the divine thoughts lingering around, which seemed to be about to descend.

"Go! Go! Go! It's just a disciple laying the foundation, as if you've never seen it before. Don't you fear that your own spiritual energy will stir the surrounding qi and ruin the disciple's opportunity?"

On Lotus Peak, an old woman with silver hair held a cup of clear tea, watching the direction of Songtao Peak with a smile: "A companion treasure is one of the great vows of the former emperor. When it takes shape, it is naturally protected by the earth and blessed by heaven. How could it be so easily disturbed?"

On Tian Guang Peak, Shi Changming, with half-black and half-white hair and a robust body, more like a general than a Daoist, laughed heartily: "Changhong's words are not wrong! We five have been in charge of the outer sect for many years. We've seen at least eighty disciples lay the foundation, if not a hundred. But to lay the foundation and simultaneously elevate one's spirituality, forming a companion treasure, is truly the first time. If I remember correctly, the young man laying the foundation today is the Zhouzhou Dao Body that you, Changkong, brought back over ten years ago. He is not yet twenty years old. At this age, laying the foundation, he belongs to the list of true disciples."

Inside Lotus Peak, Le Changhong, hearing this, was surprised: "Zhouzhou Dao Body? In the vast and boundless void, the supreme is vast and has form. Mastering the principles of heaven and earth, understanding the chambers of yin and yang, seeing the repository of spirit, numbers can be taken, life can be saved, and heaven and earth can be reversed. I remember that this Dao Body has extremely high requirements for one's mental nature, and before laying the foundation, it offers no assistance in cultivation. For this child to successfully lay the foundation before the age of twenty, his talent is among the best of this generation of disciples."

Yun Changkong smiled: "Miro, this child, has excellent talent and can calm his mind, but his temperament carries a bit of restlessness. Successfully laying the foundation before the age of twenty was somewhat unexpected."

Le Changhong, hearing this, put down his teacup, somewhat moved: "A true disciple candidate! Is Changkong interested in taking him as a disciple?"

Yun Changkong was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "Forget it, about disciples..."

Le Changhong wanted to say more but was interrupted by Yun Changkong: "Changhong, you don't need to persuade me. Let it be!"

After speaking, Yun Changkong waved the duster twice, dispersing the qi left behind by the two.

Inside the quiet room, Miro frowned.

At the moment of successfully laying the foundation, a memory completely different from his past emerged, impacting his rationality.

This was not a distraction of the mind, nor an invasion by external demons, but the awakening of past memories.

Various methods of calming the mind, focusing the spirit, forgetting the self, and visualization had little effect on such changes.

All Miro could do was try to immerse himself in stillness, empty his mind, and reduce the impact of the other memory.

After an unknown amount of time, the incense burned out, the flame dimmed, and Miro slowly emerged from his stillness.

A glint of light appeared in his eyes, brightening the originally somewhat dark quiet room.

"Entering the Dao at six, studying literature for three years, completing breath regulation in three years, opening the meridians in five years, and refining for over two years, I finally successfully laid the foundation before the age of twenty, becoming a true disciple candidate. In the future, as long as I can complete the cultivation of the Qi and Yu Li realms within a hundred years and successfully condense the true essence before the age of 120, I can be named in the Jade Register and become a true disciple."

Slightly sensing the changes in himself, Miro immediately felt a significant improvement in his mental state, at least doubling compared to before laying the foundation.

Not only that, but when Miro closed his eyes slightly, he perceived a dark place within him, where a point of light emitted a faint but steady glow, dispelling the darkness within nine inches and gradually giving the surroundings a lustrous hue.

A smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. This was his spiritual platform, the foundation for his future spellcasting, and proof of his formal entry into the path of immortality.

The vast land of Hanyxia was home to many cultivators, and the cultivation methods were diverse.

Miro's place of study, the Miao You Sect, belonged to the Immortal Dao, a legitimate branch of the Xuanmen, following the path of refining oneself to lay the foundation, refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit into emptiness, and refining emptiness to merge with the Dao.

Among these, refining oneself to lay the foundation and refining essence into qi could be further divided into six realms: breath regulation, opening the meridians, laying the foundation, cultivating qi, Yu Li, and condensing the true essence. The realms of breath regulation and opening the meridians before laying the foundation were the introductory stages.

These two realms, compared to ordinary people, only offered greater physical strength and mental energy, along with some simple abilities.

In a real fight, four or five well-coordinated adults with weapons could have a chance to subdue a cultivator before laying the foundation.

After successfully laying the foundation, the bridge to heaven and earth was suddenly connected. Cultivators could not only absorb the primordial qi of heaven and earth for cultivation but also, due to the opening of the spiritual platform and the concentration of the spirit, gained the ability to cast spells directly.

However, after the spiritual platform was opened, it needed to be polished frequently to maintain its brightness. Otherwise, the mind would be clouded, hindering cultivation and causing problems in spellcasting.

Miro perceived that some dust had suddenly appeared around the originally steady light in his spiritual platform, slowly falling and covering the lustrous ground.

The smile on his lips faded, and he extended his hands, spreading his fingers, revealing two treasures.

On his left hand was a mirror image, neither metal nor jade, visible but untouchable.

The mirror surface was clear, hazy, and the more one looked, the farther it seemed. Flowers rained down, and golden light shimmered, with water, fire, wind, and thunder appearing and transforming endlessly, very beautiful.

The patterns on the back of the mirror were very clear. Although one could see through the semi-real and semi-illusory mirror image, focusing on the intricate patterns revealed them clearly. Carefully observing, these patterns gave the impression of divine names or patterns. The central mirror button was square, like a seal, engraved with the names of cloud dragons and strange birds, representing Miro's true name from his past and present lives.

On his right hand was a treasure scroll, which looked like an unfolded painting, with a material that seemed both golden and jade-like, and a texture like silk when touched.

The front of the treasure scroll was blank, but focusing on it, one could see green qi rolling. The back had nine-colored auspicious cloud patterns and many indistinct human figures. The more one focused, the more indistinct they became, but a casual glance seemed to reveal specific images, causing one to lose focus.

A clear sound woke Miro from his observation of the two treasures. He stood up and opened the quiet room.

Seeing the white-haired Daoist, Miro hurriedly bowed: "Greetings, Elder Yun."

"There's no need for such formality. Since you successfully laid the foundation before the age of twenty, you can enter the inner sect and become a true disciple candidate. You may call me Uncle."

Before Miro could nod, Yun Changkong pointed his finger, and a wisp of mist rose, carrying the two of them to the top of Songtao Peak.

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