At the same time, a tremendous change occurred within the boy's body.
With the fusion of physical body, spirit, and internal strength, his internal organs, every strand of flesh, and every bone underwent an indescribable transformation.
In a place invisible to the naked eye, the primordial energy of heaven and earth in the high sky rushed towards the mountain valley where the boy was with lightning speed, surging and turbulent like water flowing downhill.
"Pop! Pop!"
Suddenly, two muffled sounds came from the boy's body. Instantly, the speed at which the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was devoured became even faster. The surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth could not pour out in time, so that a spiritual energy vacuum was formed within a radius of several hundred meters around the boy.
As time passed, the speed at which the boy absorbed the primordial energy of heaven and earth gradually slowed down until it stopped.
Half an hour later, the whirlpool gradually dissipated.
"call!"
The boy exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes. His pupils were deep and unfathomable, as vast and boundless as the universe.
"Haha... Ten years have passed, and I, Xiao Ning, have finally broken through to the Innate Realm..."
Xiao Ning stood up, his face beaming with joy.
"Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on attaining the Great Dao and breaking free from the shackles!"
Just as Xiao Ning was feeling happy, he suddenly heard a faint voice coming from behind him.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ning's expression changed drastically. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, turned around and stared intently. He saw an unusually tall old Taoist standing not far away.
The old Taoist priest had silver hair and beard, a ruddy and smooth face, and a friendly, smiling demeanor. However, his blue Taoist robe was filthy, and he looked at me with a smile on his lips.
"Zhang Sanfeng!"
The moment Xiao Ning saw the disheveled old Taoist priest, a thought flashed through his mind and he blurted it out.
He regretted it as soon as he finished speaking and quickly bowed, saying, "Junior Xiao Ning greets Master Zhang. May Master Zhang enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"
On Mount Wudang, there was a disheveled old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face. Most importantly, he was able to approach within a few feet of Xiao Ning without being detected. If the person was Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of Wudang, Xiao Ning could not think of anyone else.
"Hehe, the old Taoist is Zhang Sanfeng!"
The old Taoist stroked his white beard, chuckled, and waved his hand: "No need for formalities. Fellow Daoist, you have now transcended worldly concerns. We can be friends as equals!"
Zhang Sanfeng's sincere expression relieved Xiao Ning, who cupped his hands and said, "This junior wouldn't dare!"
"You're such a boring kid! You're a young man in your prime, but you act all old and wise!"
Zhang Sanfeng paused in stroking his beard. Seeing the man's respectful expression, he said with displeasure, "This old Daoist has waited for decades to finally find someone who can discuss the Dao with me, but he is so rigid. It's really quite boring!"
"It was my rudeness!"
Xiao Ning gave a wry smile, cupped his hands and said, "This junior is just a lowly fire-worker Taoist priest on Wudang Mountain. How can I be qualified to associate with a master of the same generation? Please don't be so disrespectful to this junior!"
"Oh? The Fireworker Taoist?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng immediately became interested and hurriedly asked, "With your cultivation level, even if you haven't broken through to the Innate Realm, you are still a peerless master in the martial arts world. You would be more than capable of founding your own sect. Why would you come to my Wudang Mountain to be an ordinary fire-working Taoist? Could there be another hidden reason?"
Having reached Zhang Sanfeng's level, he no longer disdained worldly hypocrisy and naturally said whatever came to mind.
"Please forgive me, Master!"
Xiao Ning said respectfully, "I am originally from Xiao Family Village in Jun County at the foot of the mountain. I lost my father at a young age and have been living a lonely life since childhood. Ten years ago, I was fortunate enough to be taken in by the Second Hero Yu and brought up the mountain to work as a fire-making Taoist. At least I have no worries about food and clothing."
Xiao Ning always remembered the kindness shown to him by the Wudang Sect. Now that Zhang Sanfeng had asked, he naturally told him everything about his origins. As for his identity as a transmigrator, that was something he absolutely could not tell anyone.
"I see!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng's face showed a thoughtful expression, and then he asked, "Logically speaking, the Fireworker Daoist has no opportunity to learn martial arts. I wonder from which master you learned your cultivation?"
Since the death of Guo Xiang, the founder of the Emei School, decades ago, Zhang Sanfeng passed on the position of leader of the Wudang School to his eldest disciple, Song Yuanqiao, and he has not been involved in the affairs of the school for many years.
"To be honest, my martial arts skills are all thanks to the blessings of heaven. After I came to Wudang Mountain, one night I had a dream in which an old immortal with a white beard appeared. He taught me martial arts and then disappeared. Since then, I have been practicing martial arts until today."
As for the origin of his martial arts skills, Xiao Ning had already prepared an explanation. Regardless of whether others believed it or not, he himself believed it.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng looked at him suspiciously. Seeing that he looked sincere and not at all pretentious, he couldn't be sure whether what he said was true or false.
He then felt relieved. Whether what Xiao Ning said was true or false, or whether he had some unspeakable secret, it was not important to him, Zhang Laodao!
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Chapter 7 Forming an Alliance [New book seeking sponsorship!]
The back mountain of Wudang.
As wisps of smoke rose, Zhang Sanfeng skillfully twirled the wooden stick in his hand to prevent the rabbit stuck in it from burning, while his mouth never stopped: "No matter what unspeakable difficulties you have, I won't say anything. I only have one sentence: once you enter my Wudang Mountain, you are a member of my Wudang Sect. If you need any help, I will never stand idly by."
The implication is clear: if you're willing to follow me, I'll protect you; otherwise, go back to where you came from!
Zhang Sanfeng completely forgot about Xiao Ning's explanation. After chatting for a while and testing Xiao Ning, he casually caught two wild rabbits from the forest and roasted them with practiced ease.
Xiao Ning immediately understood, and with a thought in his mind, he didn't refuse and replied, "You're too kind, Master. Now that I've come to Wudang Mountain, I'm naturally a member of Wudang!"
"Haha, very good!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng's smile widened even further: "How about this? Although I am a few years older than you, we are at the same level of cultivation. Let's treat each other as equals. What do you think?"
"How can this be allowed!"
Xiao Ning's face showed a look of fear and trepidation, and he hurriedly refused: "What virtue or ability do I have to dare to be on the same level as a True Person? This is unacceptable, unacceptable!"