Chapter 38: Three Years Passed in Serenity, the Primal Sage Descends Once More

Ao You has left?

Upon hearing the news, Cao Kong was momentarily taken aback, but soon regained his composure. It was not unexpected. Although he had never inquired about Ao You’s origins, he knew there was something extraordinary about her. Ever since they met, a considerable amount of time had passed, and her return home was only natural.

Cao Kong felt little disturbance in his heart; partings were the norm in life. If fate allowed, perhaps their paths would cross again.

That evening, the Yellow Lion Spirit brought Cao Kong the items Ao You had left behind: a small booklet, a letter, and a piece of jade.

Cao Kong opened the envelope. Delicate handwriting graced the page:

"Cao Kong, I have gone home. Thank you for your care during this time. The sweet dew was precious, and I received much from it, from which I greatly benefited. But I depart in haste and have little to offer. Thus, I leave you a few techniques—learn them and let them serve as your protection. Yet unless your life is at stake, never display them before the Dragon Clan. I have also left you a piece of jade. Should you ever face serious trouble, crush it."

Cao Kong smiled faintly, sensing how clear-cut Ao You was with kindness and resentment. He turned the so-called jade over in his palm; it was translucent and square, without much ornamentation. After some thought, he put the jade away and turned to the two techniques Ao You had left.

Both were written in the same booklet, and as he opened it, he saw the same elegant handwriting—certainly penned by Ao You herself. As Cao Kong read, his excitement grew; Ao You had truly bestowed a great gift upon him.

The booklet recorded three Daoist arts: Summoning Wind, Calling Rain, and Water Evasion.

These arts did not summon ordinary wind or rain. Instead, one gathered the essence of water spirits and stored it in the kidneys. When unleashed against foes, the rain summoned would be spiritual water of remarkable potency. Yet gathering water spirit essence was a serious matter; once chosen, changing it later would be tantamount to abandoning one’s cultivation and starting anew.

According to Ao You’s notes, she gathered her essence from the Abyssal Waters, thus the rain she summoned fell as heavy as gold and stone.

The wind-calling art was much the same: gather divine wind essence and transform it for one’s own use. At its pinnacle, one could even summon the legendary “Bixi Wind”—though such feats were only found in tales and, within all the Three Realms, none had achieved such mastery.

As for Water Evasion, as the name suggested, one could merge into water. This explained how Ao You had been able to move so freely through rainfall that day. Though it seemed simple, its applications were endless. It was one of the five elemental escape arts. At minor attainment, it allowed for unpredictable transformations and free passage; within rivers and seas, a single thought could span a thousand miles. At its utmost, one could slip into all the water veins across the Four Great Continents, commanding all waters as one’s own.

“What a grand gesture,” the Daoist could not help but sigh, silently vowing to remember this favor.

...

The next day, Cao Kong, the Golden Leopard, and the Yellow Lion Spirit opened several jars of spiritual wine and drank together, recounting their adventures. The Yellow Lion Spirit listened with relish, bursting into hearty laughter when the Golden Leopard spoke of the mountain god of Mount Funiu’s misfortunes.

But when Cao Kong mentioned the earth marrow gold vein, the Yellow Lion Spirit’s laughter froze, replaced instantly by deep envy.

Cao Kong laughed heartily, “Brother Huang, now that I’ve found Deep-Ethereal Iron and gained this earth marrow gold, if I can also melt down that ring-handled broadsword, and add the finest steel from the mortal world, perhaps you could help me forge a sword?”

The Yellow Lion Spirit gave an embarrassed laugh. “Brother Cao, to tell the truth, I do know how to forge weapons, but only because when my ancestor was here, he granted me divine fire—without it, I can’t forge weapons. Don’t get me wrong. I came to Leopard Head Mountain to seek a carefree life, but also because this mountain has geothermal fire to aid in forging. Yet, this fire may not be enough to melt your water-type mysterious iron, let alone refine the precious and sharp earth marrow gold. To forge such a treasure, besides having an extraordinary cultivation level to subdue the materials, you’d need to refine the gold daily with your own energy to stabilize it before you can proceed.”

He spoke with helplessness and guilt. He had believed Cao Kong would bring only some remarkable but manageable minerals, never expecting treasures beyond his abilities.

“I’m sorry, Brother Cao. Perhaps you should first refine the earth marrow gold yourself. When my ancestor returns, I will beg him to use his divine fire to forge your blade.”

Cao Kong knew that was all that could be done. Yet his temperament remained calm; he did not lose heart, despite his efforts not yielding the desired result.

At this, the Golden Leopard suddenly interjected, “Brother, in my alchemy texts, there is a fire-controlling technique. It gathers fire energies from heaven and earth—through daily breathing exercises, it can eventually forge divine fire within the heart. Once I master it, I’ll help you.”

Cao Kong laughed aloud, “Excellent! Then you must train diligently. Without sufficient cultivation, even if you obtain divine fire, you cannot wield it to the fullest. I’ll entrust the matter of my weapon to you.”

All at once, the Golden Leopard felt his brother’s expectations settle upon him—weighty, yet filling him with a sense of purpose and trust. He straightened his back, pride swelling in his chest.

“Don’t worry, Brother. It’s just a matter of training. By the time you finish refining the earth marrow gold, I will certainly be able to summon divine fire and forge your weapon.”

Cao Kong laughed again—more pleased by the Golden Leopard’s growth than any weapon. He raised his cup, drinking spiritual wine with his companions until they were deeply drunk.

After this day, Cao Kong continued his daily cultivation, never missing a moment. He pondered the rise and fall of heaven and earth, attuned himself to the flow of nature, mastered the five phases, fixed the six energies, gathered the seven treasures, ordered the eight trigrams, and traversed the nine continents.

Within the Palace of Muddy Pellet, his energy field grew ever more harmonious, able to reverse the five elements—each countering and giving rise to the other in a perfect cycle.

Later, with spiritual herbs in hand, he brewed spiritual wines: the Soul-Cleansing Wine to strengthen the spirit, and the Essence-Enhancing Wine to purify magical power. Yet unlike common wine, spiritual wine was rare, and each batch took years to produce.

...

In the mountains, time passed without measure. Three years flew by.

One day, Cao Kong suddenly opened his eyes. In the Muddy Pellet Palace, the energy field of his golden core trembled, qi transforming into essence, flowing as liquid between the yin and yang—at last, condensing into the nascent form of a round, golden pill.

What Cao Kong did not know was that in the heavens, a figure bearing a treasured sword and seated upon a lotus throne gazed down at the mortal world with a smile.

That same day, in the Lion Palace of the Celestial Joy Realm, a lion attendant hurried to the presence of the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage.

“The Celestial Sovereign has commanded us to visit an old friend in the Western Ox Continent. Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage, you must watch over the house.”

“Eh? Ah!” Upon hearing this, the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage’s heart leapt—what a wonderful opportunity this was.