Changing into his finest Daoist robe, handmade by Ling E, with his long hair bound in a Daoist crown, Li Changshou faced the mirror and practiced a composed smile, then adjusted it, returning to a serious expression…

Perhaps serious was better.

“Senior Brother~”

Li Changshou turned his head to see Ling E floating into the thatched cottage carrying an incense burner, which she placed beside Li Changshou to perfume him.

Li Changshou nodded with a smile, removing the disguise from his face and the several layers of halos that reduced his charm;

He put on a carefully selected jade pendant, tied his hair with a band that complemented his cyan Daoist robe, tidied his temples, and habitually shaved the beard that he could now control whether to grow or not in this lifetime.

Then, he smoothed his collar, dusted his cloth shoes, and halted the activities of his various paper dao clones, returning his consciousness to his main body.

Li Changshou looked at himself in the mirror and sighed softly.

What was he?

Though he could have lived off his looks, he had instead taken a path of Primordial World cultivation that relied on dark calculations to obtain survival rights!

Li Changshou hadn’t expected that his first time seriously grooming himself in this life would not be to meet some fairy…

While sending a paper dao clone to visit True Lord Yu Ding, he suddenly received the Supreme Clarity Teacher’s summons, apparently requesting his presence at the Supreme Clarity Temple.

When a Saint Lord summons, what could it be about?

Transmitting teachings, giving guidance, formally accepting disciples, or imparting some major matters – it had to be one of these four options.

It couldn’t possibly be to deliver a bronze mirror, wanting to set up some Heavenly Court bronze mirror entertainment.

That would be most unclear.

Thinking of this, Li Changshou’s lips revealed a faint smile. He tried several poses: folding his arms to appear profound, smiling to enhance his youthful appeal, raising his sword-like eyebrows to look stern.

Puff—

Steam suddenly rose from the side. Li Changshou turned to look and saw Ling E sprawled crookedly in her chair, her face bright red, white smoke rising from her head.

Brother values serious overload.

“Alright, I must head over now.”

Li Changshou cleared his throat, summoned the Primordial Yellow Pagoda, transmitted instructions to Bai Ze to watch over Little Qiong Peak, and turned to walk to the adjacent thatched cottage.

Lighting three sticks of pure incense, he paid respects to his Master’s memorial tablet.

Qi Yuan passed early in immortal years and lived just over a thousand years.

“Senior Brother!”

Ling E called from behind, running up with small steps, tiptoeing and leaning forward, happily looking at Li Changshou’s rarely revealed true appearance, asking softly:

“Are you going to see Sister Yun Xiao?”

“Of course… not,” Li Changshou smiled and said, “Teacher has summoned me, probably has something to instruct, asking me to go to the Supreme Clarity Temple.”

Ling E froze for a moment, then sighed in relief: “I thought Senior Brother was going to use his true form to see that Chang’e.”

Li Changshou said: “You know of this matter despite never leaving home.”

“It’s spread everywhere,” Ling E puffed her cheeks, “She is the First Beauty of the Three Realms after all.”

Li Changshou casually pinched Ling E’s cheek. Ling E yelped twice, being gently pulled back and forth by her Senior Brother, feeling both annoyed yet not daring to say anything.

Li Changshou teased: “I thought you understood, your Senior Brother never judges people by appearance.”

With these words, he transformed into a spring breeze, disappearing along with the Primordial Yellow Pagoda.

Ling E tilted her head, feeling like her Senior Brother had just ‘promised’ her something, then caught the teasing meaning within, and waved her little fist in the direction Li Changshou had departed.

She was also quite… well, steadily speaking, quite pleasing to the eye.

Ling E moved to the mirror, carefully examining the increasingly graceful and lovely face reflected there. Though she knew her Senior Brother was teasing her, she still fell into contemplation.

As for Li Changshou, after leaving the Measuring Immortal Sect, he asked the Tower Lord how to reach the Supreme Clarity Temple. Tower Lord told him to first go to the Heavenly Court, then fly beyond the Nine Heavenly Realms.

Thus, Li Changshou used his transformation art to become a celestial general from the Water God Manor, taking his token to slip through the East Heaven Gate.

As a proper deity of the Heavenly Court with his primordial spirit accompanied by a divine authority treasure, the three magical swords hanging above the Heaven Gate showed no reaction; otherwise, even if Zhao Gongming had come, at least one of the three swords would have fallen.

— After the Immortal Fu Yuan incident, the Jade Emperor tried every means to strengthen the Heaven Gate’s defenses, with the three swords targeting immortals, demons, and fiends respectively.

Using his escape technique, Li Changshou quietly flew to the Eighth Heaven, then headed straight toward the deepest part of the Azure Sky.

As he flew higher, he could feel increasingly strong pressure from above, yet his form became increasingly light;

Flying beyond the Nine Heavens, fierce winds appeared in the sky, tearing approaching mists into spiritual energy.

Though Li Changshou wouldn’t be affected by such surging spiritual forces, the Primordial Yellow Pagoda still dutifully spread its primordial yellow aura to envelop him.

Tower Lord, usually casual and dismissive of all treasures under heaven, had now become more serious, repeatedly reminding Li Changshou not to be too restrained later, but also not too relaxed – the Lord didn’t like excessive formalities, showing proper respect would be enough.

Proper?

What counted as proper?

Tears in their eyes, he quickly steps forward, lifting the hem of his Daoist robe, immediately kowtowing to the Saint Lord upon meeting.

Better be steady.

Bow once outside the Supreme Clarity Temple, bow again upon entering, and if able to approach the Saint, bow once more!

This was the three-bow discipleship ceremony. Regardless of whether the Saint Lord accepted it, he would bow first!

Thus, Li Changshou carefully rehearsed in his mind several times how he should behave upon reaching the Supreme Clarity Temple, while his form had already flown to unknown heights, charging into that pale blue sky…

Looking up, Li Changshou could see a membrane separating the heavens, with endless stars seemingly hanging on this membrane.

Pangu opened heaven and earth, his eyes becoming the sun and moon, his hair becoming the stars.

In ancient times, the Demon Court collected the gold of the celestial stars to forge the Great Celestial Star Array, so the sky after ancient times was no longer the primordial star map of remote antiquity.

Just beyond this boundless sea of stars, Li Changshou seemed to see at a glance the boundaries of heaven and earth, to see the vast void beyond the clear qi.

Beyond the void was chaos.

The Primordial Yellow Pagoda gave Li Changshou a direction, and Li Changshou’s form continued flying forward. At this time, he didn’t show off his escape technique divine abilities, only using immortal power to propel himself forward.

Soon, a sea of clouds appeared beneath the starry sky. Li Changshou plunged into it, his immortal consciousness immediately restricted to ten zhang around his body.

A faint and clear pressure came rushing forth, naturally, the Supreme Clarity dao rhythm that Li Changshou was extremely familiar with.

Flying slowly forward for an unknown time, a small Daoist temple emerged from the clouds ahead.

Li Changshou had imagined for many years what the Supreme Clarity Temple should look like, but now seeing it, he couldn’t help revealing a slight smile.

It seemed it should be just like this.

A small courtyard made of blue stone tiles, the main building just a small temple two zhang long and wide, without even flying eaves beyond the tiles.

Could it be that the Saint Lord had randomly chosen a small temple from some village head in the mortal realm, moved it beyond the Nine Heavens, and made it his sacred realm?

Li Changshou dared not be negligent, holding the Primordial Yellow Pagoda as he walked to the wooden gate of the small courtyard, immediately preparing to kowtow in respect.

Suddenly, a voice sounded in his heart:

“Enter.”

Very naturally, it halted Li Changshou’s planned sequence of actions.

Li Changshou responded softly in acknowledgment, pushed open the courtyard gate, took a breath, and stepped inside.

The courtyard was empty except for a collapsed meditation cushion and two potted plants, presumably the Great Law Master’s cultivation spot;

In the blue-tiled building to the north of the courtyard sat that thin Daoist, and besides this Daoist and one meditation cushion, there was only a long table behind the Daoist.

Li Changshou dared not look around too much. Walking with steady steps to the shallow threshold, he lifted the hem of his Daoist robe, knelt before the old Daoist, and conscientiously performed a deep kowtow.

Source of the Dao;

Ancestor of its inheritance.

“Disciple Changshou pays respects to Teacher.”

The old Daoist’s somewhat withered face squeezed out a slight smile, and a voice transmission entered Li Changshou’s heart, saying:

“Rise.”

Voice transmission in person – indeed the Human Teaching tradition!

“Thank you, Teacher,” Li Changshou responded softly, standing up and holding the Primordial Yellow Pagoda to his side.

The Primordial Yellow Pagoda silently vanished.

This elder was Supreme Clarity Laozi, whose appearance cannot be described, for this appearance arose from the dao heart, and a Saint’s dao heart was no longer a thing of this world;

In Li Changshou’s heart, he also couldn’t form a complete image of the Supreme Clarity Lord, only able to outline and record this moment’s feeling in his heart.

It was relaxed, yet also calm and composed.

Beside him was natural true intent, before him was the Great Dao incarnate.

Supreme Clarity Saint slowly raised his finger, and immortal light flowed through the courtyard, condensing into a second meditation cushion beside the Great Law Master’s cushion, which then flew inside the building.

“Sit.”

Laozi transmitted this word, and Li Changshou lowered his head in acknowledgment, assuming the most standard meditation posture as he sat cross-legged on the cushion.

Chest up, head raised, shoulders relaxed, hips tucked and abdomen drawn in – the Dao naturally manifesting.

At this time, the atmosphere in the Supreme Clarity Temple became obviously… stiff.

Li Changshou sat quietly there, waiting for his teacher’s instructions, not daring to ponder anything too deeply, letting himself relax while maintaining sufficient alertness.

While Supreme Clarity Saint just sat there with half-lowered eyes, a dao rhythm flowing around him.

And then…

Nothing more.

‘Is the Lord testing my patience?’

Li Changshou could only think this, so he quieted his mind to meditate, neither trying to comprehend the Dao nor letting too many thoughts arise, keeping his dao heart pure, ready at any moment for the Saint to speak.

This sitting continued for three days and nights…

Outside Supreme Clarity Temple, stars rotated and clouds drifted while Li Changshou sat quietly here.

Who knows why, but in his heart, he even started singing—

‘I should be in the courtyard, not inside the building, suddenly feeling so strange.’

Stay calm, stay calm, to a Saint one glance is like a thousand years, he just needed to wait properly.

Thus another half month passed…

Supreme Clarity Lord finally moved!

This strongest Saint in heaven and earth was seen casually breaking through space-time with his finger, taking out a stone tablet from a vortex, holding it, and lowering his head to read.

Li Changshou truly hadn’t meant to peek, but his peripheral vision happened to catch two dao characters.

These so-called dao characters were special ‘text’ created by the primordial beings of remote antiquity, fully named ‘Great Dao Text’.

Dao text had no fixed characters or grammar, but rather carried information in complex ‘patterns’, letting readers comprehend for themselves.

Some profound dao texts would make those of insufficient realm dizzy at a glance, and worse cases could be injured by the dao text.

Later, when the era of primordial beings ended, dao text was gradually replaced by the pictographic writing of posterior beings.

The two dao characters Li Changshou saw were not some abstruse Dao cultivation method. Upon careful consideration in his heart, they were actually…

Uh, “Tips for Communicating with Disciples.”

Li Changshou almost covered his eyes and cried…

Teacher, if you couldn’t find a topic, this disciple could have taken the initiative to speak, no need to wait eighteen days and seven hours without saying a word!

“Teacher,” Li Changshou asked in a gentle voice, “did you summon disciple here because you have instructions for disciple?”

Supreme Clarity Lord slowly nodded, his voice transmission continuing to sound in Li Changshou’s heart:

“Purple Void Palace discusses Investiture of Gods, know this?”

“Disciple knows,” Li Changshou hurriedly said, “Teacher, do you have guidance for disciple regarding this matter?”

“Mm, come with me then.”

“Disciple obeys!”

Li Changshou lowered his head in acknowledgment, Laozi slowly nodded, and afterward, Supreme Clarity Temple fell back into that deep silence.

This… what to do?

Li Changshou didn’t dare speak either, sitting there obediently, thinking if it was just to convey this matter, then whenever the Saint Teacher spoke to let him leave, he would leave.

Thus, another half month later.

Supreme Clarity Lord’s voice sounded in Li Changshou’s heart:

“You’re investigating that taboo?”

“Disciple hasn’t investigated, Aunt Master Nu Wa has told disciple much.”

Li Changshou brought out his long-prepared answer, saying softly: “Disciple should have been warned by Lord Heavenly Dao using this taboo.”

“Correct, it was your teacher warning you.”

Supreme Clarity Lord paused his words, looked at Li Changshou, and suddenly said something that made Li Changshou’s heart grow cold:

“You know too much.”

Li Changshou was startled, almost jumping up to kneel.

Fortunately, the Saint Lord also realized this statement was too frightening and explained further: “This isn’t a bad thing.”

Li Changshou’s dao heart finally relaxed.

“Teacher, disciple’s dao is balanced, not blindly opposing the Heavenly Dao. Disciple will try his best to do what should be done for the Dao School.”

“Good.”

Supreme Clarity Saint’s lips revealed a slight smile, and the voice transmission he sent to Li Changshou also became more fluid.

“The Heavenly Court’s rise, you deserve first merit, the Dao of Balance, should be well used.”

“Disciple will remember Teacher’s guidance.”

“Don’t worry about Zhunti’s matter, the West still has the fate to follow.”

Li Changshou tried hard to understand these words, nodded with a solemn expression, and asked:

“Teacher, disciple has always been uncertain, not knowing to what extent the schemes against the West should go, please instruct disciple.”

Supreme Clarity Saint said calmly: “Saints cannot die.”

“Disciple understands,” Li Changshou responded, his heart quite moved.

His Saint Lord was truly domineering.

Speaking as if he could handle a Saint who left the group!

In Supreme Clarity Temple, the conversation again fell silent, Supreme Clarity Saint seemed to have used up his word storage, waiting for words to slowly recover.

Li Changshou didn’t dare say much either, honestly waiting aside.

Clearly, besides his Saint Teacher, Li Changshou could feel a sense of stability and safety, yet also a sense of powerlessness that nothing was under his control.

Who knew if the next thing the Supreme Clarity Teacher asked would be about his relationship with Yun Xiao?

Another half month later…

“Yun Xiao, does she match your heart?”

He asked!

“She does,” Li Changshou hurried to say, “Fairy Yun Xiao has a pure character, profound cultivation, understands righteousness deeply, and possesses wisdom. Every time disciple converses with her, it brings enlightening insights.”

“If Wenjing can destroy the Golden Lotus, she may join our Human Teaching.

If you can scheme to get the Peacock from Western hands, she may also join our Human Teaching.”

“Yes, disciple obeys, I’ll arrange it for Senior Brother right away, just that Senior Brother seems… not very interested in these matters.”

Li Changshou uncertainly asked in a small voice: “Is this what Teacher means?”

Supreme Clarity Saint’s smile immediately grew somewhat deeper, his finger cutting through space-time to take out a jade talisman from the vortex, handing it to Li Changshou.

Li Changshou hurriedly received it with both hands, looking at the contents within the jade talisman, which was actually…

An escape technique!

What did the Teacher mean by this?

Learn this escape technique so Xuandu Senior Brother can’t catch up to him, then go handle these matters freely.

“Thank you Teacher for bestowing this method, disciple will definitely contribute what he can to Human Teaching’s prosperity!”

Supreme Clarity Saint smiled with satisfaction, then entered the next round…

Of silence cycles.

…

Three years later, Li Changshou left Supreme Clarity Temple, quietly sneaking back to Little Qiong Peak, creeping to the rocking chair in front of his pill room, silently lying down, and letting out a soft sigh.

Finally back…

“Senior Brother!”

Ling E called softly, stepping on a white cloud as she flew over, curtseying gracefully before Li Changshou, calling out with full joy:

“Senior Brother must have gained extraordinarily from listening to the Saint Lord’s teachings for so long!”

“For you,” Li Changshou took out a fine-mouthed bottle of jasper from his sleeve, “in the future when meeting strong enemies, hold this bottle toward them, if they dare speak they’ll be captured within.

A gift from Saint Teacher, taking you as a named disciple.”

Ling E blinked, holding the bottle, not feeling that being Supreme Clarity Saint’s named disciple was anything special, pestering her Senior Brother with questions, full of curiosity.

When Ling E asked: “What did Saint Teacher say to you, Senior Brother?”

Li Changshou closed his eyes and sighed, saying he had a casual conversation with the Supreme Clarity Teacher – surely no one would believe this.

But this time, he truly was called over for casual conversation, and if it weren’t for Supreme Clarity Lord finally running out of topics, he probably wouldn’t have been allowed to return!

Li Changshou said wearily:

“Three bows before the Saint’s gate, transmitting to me Supreme Clarity’s Non-Action Dao.”

Ling E blinked, her eyes full of pride, inexplicably feeling like ‘the child she had worked hard to raise finally amounted to something.’