Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 178 Two Disciples of Yuanshi Tianzun
Yuanshi Tianzun laughed and said, "Everyone treats me with utmost respect, not daring to even breathe loudly. Aren't you afraid I'll blame you for being so rude?"

Chuan Ying said, "I hadn't thought that much about it. I just felt that as long as I was sincere enough, the immortal would definitely feel it."

Yuanshi Tianzun shook his head and said, "Are you that confident? What if I'm a vulgar person who cares about face? You'd be in big trouble then."

Chuanying said, "I heard them say that you, Immortal, saved our entire ancient star and traveled around spreading your teachings throughout the world, patiently teaching even mortals who knew nothing. Such behavior is truly that of a great sage, which is why I dared to do this."

For some reason, the Primordial Celestial Venerable inexplicably developed a slight appreciation for this young man.

Seeing that Yuanshi Tianzun was not angry, Chuanying continued, "May I ask, Immortal, what is my aptitude?"

Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's just so-so, neither good nor bad."

He was, of course, joking, just like the Underworld Lord had been. Chuan Ying's physique was also mortal, though not as strong as it had been in his youth, it was still top-tier, and many Dao-proving cultivators might not even have a physique as strong as Chuan Ying's.

The mortal body of the Primordial Celestial Venerable in his first incarnation was basically the top tier among naturally born mortal bodies, deserving a score of 100. Chuan Ying's body would be around 90 points, so it can't be called ordinary.

Chuan Ying remained unmoved, only saying, "It's a pity. I originally wanted to become the immortal's disciple and serve him to repay his kindness, but it seems that's no longer possible."

Yuanshi Tianzun laughed and said, "How do you know it won't work if you don't try?"

Chuanying said, "Your cultivation is so profound that you must be no ordinary cultivator. Since my aptitude is only average, wouldn't it be a disgrace to my sect to become your disciple? I don't want to damage the reputation of my benefactor."

The Primordial Celestial Venerable looked into his eyes, which were clear and bright, seemingly untouched by the vicissitudes of the world. In them, he saw sincerity.

Chuan Ying spoke these words with utmost sincerity. Although he had just begun his cultivation journey, he felt that his talent surpassed that of most people, which was why he had wanted to repay his debt of gratitude by becoming an apprentice. However, since the immortal believed that his aptitude was average, he abandoned that idea.

At the same time, he secretly resolved to work hard in his spiritual practice and try to repay the kindness in another way.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable's heart stirred, and he said, "Although your aptitude isn't that high, I really like your personality. How about this, I'll give you a test. If you pass it, I'll take you as my disciple. What do you say?"

Chuanying hesitated for a moment and said, "Immortal, I don't want to trouble you."

The Primordial Celestial Venerable revealed a slight smile: "Don't be too happy yet. This test is not so easy to pass. If you fail, I will not acknowledge you."

Upon hearing this, Chuan Ying's competitive spirit was also aroused, and he said, "I would like to hear the details."

The Primordial Celestial Venerable passed on to Chuan Ying the Seven Extreme Realm Cultivation Methods, which he had further developed based on the secret techniques passed down by Liang Yu, as well as the Wheel Sea Scroll of the Daoist Scripture, saying, "I want you to master these techniques and become the first person on the Ancient Star Road."

The so-called Seven Ultimate Realms refer to cultivating the physical body, primordial spirit, and the Five Great Secret Realms to their ultimate limits. This is one of the achievements of the First Incarnation of the Primordial Celestial Venerable. This method is essentially just a secret technique to aid cultivation, not an ancient scripture.

Upon seeing this young man who was somewhat similar to him yet different from him back then, Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't help but feel a sense of appreciation for his talent, and thus wanted to nurture this young man, Chuanying, a little.

Although Yuanshi Tianzun appears to be unconcerned with trivialities and treats everyone equally, he harbors a hidden arrogance, unwilling to be inferior to others. This arrogance is suppressed by Liang Yu and others, and therefore not readily apparent, but it can still be seen from his transformation in his second life and his refusal to use the elixir of immortality or the Nine-Turn Immortal Pill. This also implies that if he were to accept disciples, they would certainly be qualified to be the strongest, at least a peerless genius who dominates an entire era.

This is why, despite guiding countless people in their cultivation over the years and leaving behind numerous traditions, he has never truly accepted a disciple. It's because he has never encountered a young genius who can meet his requirements.

Moreover, this is actually related to Liang Yu. Because Liang Yu's only formally accepted disciple is Tai Chu. This supreme holy spirit born from the Tai Chu Ancient Mine has an unimaginably profound foundation, which may not even surpass the legendary Chaos Body.

For Yuanshi Tianzun, he himself was now being overshadowed by Wuji Tianzun, so it would be too frustrating to take on a disciple who was inferior to him. Therefore, his standards were even higher. But this made it even rarer to find someone who met his criteria.

Although Chuanying's physique is strong, it is naturally not as good as Taichu's, so he also fails to meet the standard.

However, because of his character and the understanding he showed when listening to the lecture, Yuanshi Tianzun appreciated him and was willing to give him a chance.

He continued, "If you can do it, I will formally accept you as my first disciple. If you cannot, then you must not mention your relationship with me to anyone."

Chuan Ying, without bothering to examine the secret technique in his mind, immediately said, "Alright, I agree. If I can succeed, then there's no need to say anything; if I can't, I will never mention anything related to the Immortal again. But no matter what, you will always be my mentor."

Yuanshi Tianzun laughed and said, "Very well, then I will wait for the day you succeed. I hope we can meet again."

Having said that, he soared into the air, transforming into a golden light and disappearing into the horizon. This was originally the last stop on his sermons on this ancient star, and now his mission was complete.

Chuan Ying's gaze was resolute. He kowtowed three times in the direction he had left before embarking on his own journey.

About five hundred years later, Chuan Ying, at the peak of the Great Sage Realm, swept across the ancient starry road without any rivals, earning the title of God of War. Even before becoming a Quasi-Sage, he had already earned the title of invincible among his generation and the number one prodigy under the stars. Although this was partly due to the fact that his opponents were not as formidable as the Primordial Heavenly Venerable in his youth, they were still enough to be compared with most Dao Proving Beings.

Therefore, Chuanying, who achieved this accomplishment, was naturally recognized by Yuanshi Tianzun as his personal disciple.

However, whether it was because everything is difficult at the beginning or because Chuanying was a lucky star, in any case, Yuanshi Tianzun encountered his second disciple in these few hundred years.

This was an infant of unknown origin. When Yuanshi Tianzun discovered him, he was drifting along a long river, surrounded by countless koi carp that supported him from under a bamboo basket, allowing him to navigate around numerous reefs and remain safe and sound in the rapids.

This baby is extremely special. He is a mortal, and a mortal with the same aptitude as the first incarnation of the Primordial Celestial Venerable. Moreover, there is a faint imperial dragon aura hidden within him, as if he were born an emperor, a child of destiny.

The moment Yuanshi Tianzun saw him, he knew that this child was destined to be with him.

Clearly, this infant is the only disciple of the Emperor in the original timeline, who proclaimed himself Emperor of future generations. He was born in the Primordial Era and killed fifty-four Great Saint Realm trial participants before the entrance to the Ultimate Ancient Road. Later, he attained Dao in an unconventional way, ranking alongside Tai Chu and Zhang Bairen. His final whereabouts are unknown.

Perhaps he perished after being born and attaining enlightenment like the Primordial Era; or perhaps he hitched a ride with Ye Fan to the Immortal Realm, but parted ways because of his master, the Emperor; or perhaps he stayed in the mortal world and did not leave. In short, it is unknown.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable took the baby away and named him Emperor. He would be the Primordial Celestial Venerable's second disciple.

(End of this chapter)