Chapter 2686 I am the Dao

The Primal Chaos Tree was truly precious, so precious that it could drive all Emperors in the world crazy with jealousy, but Lin Xun felt no pain or regret after having refined it. Instead, there was only a sense of physical and mental ease.

The dao was to be sought from one’s heart, and the law from one’s body. While the body and mind were vessels for extraordinary achievements in the path of cultivation, how were the knowledge and experiences gained on this path, in another sense, not also a burden?

To break through, one must abandon certain past experiences, and then, perhaps only by studying and experiencing them anew could one finally take the next step!

Lin Xun took a deep breath and decided to refine the Primordial Chaos Thousand Daos Tree as well.

This tree was the greatest treasure of the previous epoch. When using it with the Origin Dao Canon, a cultivator would be able to comprehend various supreme legacies and profound principles of the great dao from that epoch.

Such were the immeasurable benefits Lin Xun had gained from it, and it had allowed his cultivation to encompass the strengths of two epochs and surpass everyone in history!

Therefore, a treasure like the Primordial Chaos Thousand Daos Tree would drive even Immortals mad fighting over it. This was why back in the Ruins of the Gods, Immortal experts had come in a constant stream to vie for this greatest fortune left from the previous epoch!

In Lin Xun’s opinion, this tree was indeed marvelous beyond words and truly one of the most precious treasures he had ever possessed. Previously, he had intended to continue using it after he entered the Immortal Stage, so that he could explore the immortal dao of the previous epoch.

Now, however...he had woken up to reality. The path of immortality, when borrowed or imitated, was more harmful than beneficial. Such a dao ultimately needed to be sought with one’s own efforts!

That being the case, it was better to let it go, to completely cut off this idea and free the mind of all concerns!

Boom!

In Lin Xun's True Self Emperor World, green mist filled the sky as thousands of green branches swayed. The Primordial Chaos Thousand Daos Tree trembled intensely as he slowly refined it. This divine treasure of an epoch saw its bark crack, its branches peel off, and its leaves wither...

Unlike with the Primal Chaos Tree, it took Lin Xun a whole year to gradually grind down the Primordial Chaos Thousand Daos Tree. It became a boundless primordial chaos power that was then fused into his cultivation.

During this process, he continued his usual life at Cloud Guardian Workshop, spending most of his time in the same rocking chair. The neighbors had long grown accustomed to his routine and no longer made a big deal out of it. None of them knew that his cultivation had undergone a silent transformation.

After absorbing the two trees, Lin Xun clearly sensed the quiet but tremendous change in his True Self Emperor World.

The primordial aura of chaos slowly filled the air in the form of mist, just like when the universe had first been created. In his vast True Self Emperor World, the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and everything else had returned to chaos, which was then nurtured and sublimated by the primordial mist.

His rank remained unchanged, but he knew that his cultivation had undergone an incredible evolution. His dao became like the primordial chaos!

If the stage of Ancestral Reversion was a journey to find the first mysteries of the most primal dao, then Lin Xun's current cultivation was akin to the most primitive chaos that reigned over all primordial daos!

At this moment, he was hit by a complete enlightenment.

He felt airy and ethereal, a feeling that Buddhist cultivators described as ‘Having severed all ties, I am one with the dao: indefinable and manifesting the vision of the primordial time with chaos.’

In the rocking chair, Lin Xun quietly opened his eyes. In that instant, the sky and earth suddenly darked, and the law and dao energy in the atmosphere stagnated as though startled by something.

However, all of that only lasted a fleeting moment before everything returned to normal. The bustling crowd on the streets had been completely unaware.

I am like the dao, imperceptible.

A smile flashed across his face as he stretched his waist and rose from the rocking chair.

My flower has bloomed, when will the butterflies come?

He did not care. He knew that the door to immortality would come and throw itself at him!

It had been over a year since he had first arrived at Cloud Guardian Workshop. There was also only over a year left until the Origin Sect Ancestral Court’s disciple recruitment began.

Just as Lin Xun was about to get back into his shop, a crisp voice rang out. Nuonuo, with her pigtails, was running toward him as she called, “Sluggard!”

Lin Xun greeted her with a smile, “What's up?”

Over the past year, the little girl had grown much taller, shedding a little of her childish innocence and gaining a bit of youthful liveliness.

Nuonuo smiled proudly, “My mom said she's saved enough money to send me to Lingyuan Sword Palace to study. We're heading there soon.”

Lin Xun was surprised to hear this.

Lingyuan Sword Palace, located in a deep mountain range over thirty thousand miles outside of Cold Moon City, was presided over by several Emperor Ancestors.

In terms of status and power, it was inferior to even the lowest-level Immortal forces. This was unworthy of Lin Xun's attention, but in the eyes of the low-rank cultivators in Cold Moon City, being able to cultivate in Lingyuan Sword Palace was already a huge blessing.

“Then congratulations are in order,” Lin Xun smiled.

Nuonuo laughed, “I just came to tell you that if you work as hard as I do, you can go there too. But, if you keep being a bum, you're doomed for life.”

With that, she trotted off, her lively figure adding a unique charm to the alley scenery. Youth knew no sorrow, as the saying went.

Lin Xun thought for a moment, then went to the shop run by Nuonuo's mother while the little girl was away.

Nuonuo's mother was named Gu Yunshan, who looked beautiful and elegant despite how plain she dressed. Running the shop alone while raising her daughter, she had always been busy, but something was unusual today as she was just sitting there and staring blankly.

Seeing Lin Xun approach, she was amazed. She laughed, “What a surprise – you actually dragged your bag of bones all the way here. First time this has ever happened.”

Lin Xun chuckled. He knew the neighbors regarded him as a bum, but they meant no ill.

After a quick contemplation, he said, “From what I know, studying at Lingyuan Sword Palace is quite costly.”

The immediate change in Gu Yunshan’s expression showed that his comment had hit where it hurt. She sighed deeply, “Nuonuo is already ten this year. If she doesn't go now, she probably won’t amount to much in her life. I don’t want her to end up like me and waste her whole life in this shop.”

Parents who loved their children planned for their future. Gu Yunshan had clearly made up her mind to secure a bright future for Nuonuo.

Lin Xun asked, “Are you planning to sell your shop to pay for her tuition?”

Gu Yunshan was taken aback, “How did you know?”

Lin Xun said, “Your shop is only a bit of a distance from mine. A few days ago, someone came to discuss the matter with you, and I happened to overhear your conversation.”

Gu Yunshan looked visibly dispirited, “I have no choice. It can't be delayed any longer.”

Lin Xun handed her a storage treasure and said, “Nuonuo has done me a great favor, so please accept this as a token of my gratitude, but don't tell her about this. Also, don't sell the shop. She'd be heartbroken if she finds that she doesn’t have a home to return to.”

With that, he turned and left. Gu Yunshan was stunned.

This lazy good-for-nothing...what's gotten into him today?

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

When she opened the storage bag, she was stupefied. It contained a fortune that she could never have imagined in her life!

After a long while, she snapped out of her shock and immediately looked toward Cloud Guardian Workshop. However, the rocking chair had already been put away, and Lin Xun who was usually in it was nowhere to be seen.

Gu Yunshan ran to the workshop with the storage bag. After hesitating at the door for a while, she decided to return it. The staggering fortune inside made her uneasy and anxious.

Lin Xun's voice echoed from inside, “Don’t refuse. It’s for Nuonuo’s cultivation needs. Compared to these riches, the help she gave me has been priceless.”

Gu Yunshan inhaled deeply and said firmly, “Young Master, I will repay this in full one day. If I can't, then I'll make sure that Nuonuo will!"

Half a month later, Gu Yunshan closed her shop and took Nuonuo out of Cold Moon City. After a long journey, they finally arrived at their destination.

Lingyuan Sword Palace was built on the summit of a mountain, exuding an imposing and solemn aura. Gu Yunshan felt a bit uneasy; the sight intimidated her as this was her first time visiting such a powerful organization.

At the mountain gate, a kind-looking elderly man in a white robe stood like he was expecting someone. Upon seeing the pair of mother and daughter, he smiled warmly and came forward to greet them, “You must be Daoist Gu Yunshan?”

He then looked at Nuonuo without hiding his approval, "This little one must be Nuonuo, then. She truly possesses extraordinary aptitude. I’m sure she will shine brightly on the path of cultivation.”

Gu Yunshan and Nuonuo were both dumfounded. How did this old man know their names? And it seemed as though he had been waiting here specifically for them.

Before they could ask, the white-robed old man smilingly invited them into Lingyuan Sword Palace, explaining the various aspects of the institution to them along the way, which left the two even more confused. They felt like they were in a dream.

This was Lingyuan Sword Palace, a sacred cultivation land in the hearts of countless cultivators in Cold Moon City. Yet, they were being welcomed inside so easily?

When they arrived at a spacious, ancient hall where the old man stated his intention to take in Nuonuo as his disciple, Gu Yunshan could no longer contain herself and asked, “Senior, may I know who you are?”

The white-robed elder smiled, “I am the principal of Lingyuan Sword Palace.”

Those words struck Gu Yunshan like lightning, leaving her stunned and speechless. Never in her wildest dream had expected such a special treatment for her and her child!

She remained in a daze as she walked out of Lingyuan Sword Palace and traveled on the road leading back to Cold Moon City. All of a sudden, she remembered a certain someone.

Could it be because of him?

Upon this thought, Gu Yunshan immediately headed to Cloud Guardian Workshop after she returned to the city. To her surprise, the workshop was closed. She knocked for a long time but no one answered the door.

This kind of situation had occurred before, but this time, it filled her with an indescribable feeling. Uncontrollably, the scenes of the days when that young man was always lounging in his rocking chair started playing in her mind.