3: The darling of the Great Dao, he is the Dao! At the age of three, he has reached the Dao Embryo Realm!

“If I ascend to the Immortal Emperor Realm one day, I will sweep through all forbidden zones in the heavens and suppress the entire dark era with one hand! I will kill those foreign races like chickens and dogs!”

“Although I say that, if the Divine Gate doesn’t open, no one in the world can ascend to the Immortal Emperor Realm. So, it still depends on you juniors.”

Outside the room by the small lake in the Divine Son Hall courtyard, the Jun Family Old Ancestor slowly and carefully explained cultivation-related knowledge to Jun Lingxiao.

“Cultivation in this world begins with the Spiritual Platform. The Spiritual Platform... which is the heart, is the Foundation of cultivation. There are six stages in total: Entering Spirit, Blood Exchange, Body Tempering, Meridian Expansion, Acupoint Breaking, and Spirit Guarding. These six stages are extremely important. Even a born Prodigy needs two years to reach Spirit Guarding, laying a thick Foundation.”

“After that, comes the Five Extremes Realm: hands, feet, mouth, nose, and eyes. The order of cultivation varies depending on the person’s cultivation method. After cultivating, the physical body’s strength greatly increases. At this stage, people from the Lower Realm have already begun to Cultivate various Martial Skills.”

“Spiritual Platform Cultivates Qi, Five Extremes Cultivates the body. And only then, does one reach the third Realm, the Dao Embryo Realm. This is the true beginning of cultivation.”

“People who reach this Realm can absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and store it in their Spiritual Platform, drawing Qi into their body, greatly strengthening themselves, and also casting various Divine Abilities and Spells. People from the Lower Realm need fifteen years to reach this Realm, just enough to venture out for experience. But in our Ten Directions Immortal Court, this is merely the first step of cultivation.”

“Awakening the Embryo, Solidifying the Embryo, Guiding the Embryo, and Nurturing the Embryo—these are the stages of the Dao Embryo Realm. What I mentioned above is the path taken by normal people, but Jun Lingxiao, you are different.”

“Everyone in this world has a Dao Embryo. The Dao Embryo is the Foundation of cultivation. Everyone else’s Dao Embryo is the same, formed through Acquired means. You are different.”

“Lingxiao, you possess the Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo. Your Dao Embryo is an Innate Dao Embryo, which means you are naturally close to the Dao, born for cultivation. Therefore, you were born into the Dao Embryo Realm. Of course, it might be even more than that, because the Dao Embryo needs to be awakened, so you are stuck before the Dao Embryo Realm, at the Five Extremes Realm. If someone had helped you when you were born, your starting point might have been far beyond this.”

Three years had passed since Jun Lingxiao’s birth, but news about him had not died down. The Old Ancestor’s return, his personal protection, his anointment as Divine Son, the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Gate, and the quota for the Realm War—

Any one of these would have been a sensational event, let alone all of them placed upon Jun Lingxiao alone.

However, the Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo was too Heaven-Defying, and its existence was only circulated among the high-ranking members of the Jun Family.

But even so, this series of events made outsiders wonder what kind of Prodigy the Jun Family had produced.

However, Jun Lingxiao had a rather comfortable three years in the Divine Son Hall. He was served by a wet nurse for his food and daily needs, and all sorts of Divine Pills and sacred medicines were sent to him as if they were free, which he ate casually like candy pills, almost getting tired of them.

Despite all the eating, no one taught him how to Cultivate for these three years. It was as if they deliberately didn't want him to Cultivate too early, fearing an unstable Foundation. It was only today that the Old Ancestor finally relented.

Three years passed in a flash. The only thing worth mentioning during this period was probably the Drawing lots (grasping for items to predict future career) when he was one year old.

When he was one year old, he picked a sword during the Drawing lots. Although the sword looked unremarkable, the expressions of the onlookers immediately changed when they saw him touch it.

Of course, there was no follow-up later, but he vaguely felt that others' expectations of him had grown higher?

“Old Ancestor, you just said that people from the Lower Realm need fifteen years to Breakthrough to the Dao Embryo Realm. What about those from the Upper Realm?”

Jun Lingxiao lay on the floor, propping his head up, looking at the Old Ancestor, who exuded an Immortal-like aura. These three years had almost driven him crazy. Was his Physique really that powerful? Why didn't he feel anything?

“Upper Realm...” The Old Ancestor paused slightly, then after a moment of thought, replied, “The Lower Thousand Realms, Middle Thousand World, and Upper Thousand Realms are all different. I’m not really familiar with the Middle Thousand World, so let’s talk about the Upper Thousand Realms. Generally, even a Prodigy from the Upper Thousand Realms needs ten years to reach the Dao Embryo Realm. Our Prodigies from the Ten Directions Immortal Court are more impressive, capable of doing it in seven years. As for those peerless Prodigies... like your father, he only took five years.”

“From the start of cultivation, two years to enter the Spiritual Platform, one year to enter the Five Extremes Realm, and two years to enter the Dao Embryo Realm—a total of five years. This is a Prodigy among Prodigies, leaving those from the Lower Realm behind by more than ten years!”

“Your father Breakthrough to the Dao Embryo Realm in five years. Looking back through history, only he possessed such talent. He truly deserves the title of the greatest Prodigy of all time.”

“As for your Physique, it is even more special. If you awaken your Dao Embryo before the age of five, you can break your father’s record and surpass him in one fell swoop! You could even be called unprecedented and unrivaled.”

When the Old Ancestor spoke of the Lower Realm, he seemed a bit uncertain. After all, he was an Immortal Emperor, having Cultivated for tens of thousands of years. How could he possibly understand these minor Realms? But when he looked at Jun Lingxiao, his eyes were filled with admiration.

Jun Lingxiao had truly been too well-behaved these three years. He liked him very much.

Their interactions almost always consisted of him sitting and speaking, while Jun Lingxiao listened beside him. When he got tired of speaking, the little one would just fall asleep.

“Five years...” Jun Lingxiao pondered silently. That was too long, wasn’t it?

Others had things to do, but he was stuck at this Realm since birth. Was he just supposed to wait indefinitely?

But from the sound of it, his starting point was others’ finish line?

Yet, this wasn’t enough. In a Xuanhuan world, what was least lacking were Geniuses. He was a villain, so he needed to be even stronger!

Thinking of this, Jun Lingxiao continued, “Old Ancestor, how exactly does one awaken the Dao Embryo?”

He hadn't tried it himself these years, but he hadn't found a single clue. It was like skipping the tutorial and jumping directly into the game, not knowing what to do.

“Your Physique is special, which is very good, but it also has its drawbacks—it’s unprecedented, with no records whatsoever.”

“Therefore, not letting you Cultivate was also for your own good, fearing some irreversible accident if you were too young.”

“But you are already three years old, so revealing a little won’t hurt.”

“Sit cross-legged, close your eyes, communicate with Heaven and Earth, and while silently reciting our clan’s Immortal Cultivation Technique, search for the voice within your body. What responds to you, that is the Dao Embryo.”

The Old Ancestor said, tilting his head slightly, not at all worried that Jun Lingxiao could do it. After all, the Dao Embryo was formless. Even in the Upper Realm, some people spent their entire lives without finding it. Without a Dao Embryo, one could say they were fated to never Cultivate, a mere cripple.

The right time, the right place, and the right people—none could be lacking.

“Communicate with Heaven and Earth?” Jun Lingxiao thought to himself, seemingly finding the trick.

He had never heard of “communicating with Heaven and Earth.” It should be listening to the sounds of nature, right?

With an idea in mind, he immediately sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

He was Cultivating the Jun Family’s top-tier Cultivation Technique—the Qilin Immortal Scroll.

This was something that could be Cultivated all the way to the Emperor Realm, a peerless Cultivation Technique that ranked among the top two in the Ten Directions Immortal Court.

Of course, the difficulty of cultivation was also imaginable. At the same time, only the family head and his candidates were qualified to Cultivate it. Even his own father was only allowed to Cultivate it after being officially established as the Divine Son. But he was different; the first Cultivation Technique he Cultivated was this one.

He truly was a favored child.

“Communicate with Heaven and Earth... search for the voice while silently reciting the Mind-Cultivation Technique...”

Jun Lingxiao closed his eyes. Although it was pitch black, inexplicably, he only felt a glowing substance being born within Heaven and Earth, continuously gathering into his body. He figured this must be the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

But searching for the voice within my body... But searching for the voice within my body... Hmm?

Hmm?

As Jun Lingxiao marveled at the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, an echo suddenly came from his ears. He frowned and investigated carefully, and after a few more tentative attempts, he finally found a white oval sphere in his Dantian, resembling an embryo.

He tried to call out to it, and immediately, he saw the small oval sphere begin to shake. A golden warm current spread from within it, and in a short while, it dyed the entire space golden!

Watching this scene, Jun Lingxiao felt as if he had fallen into some profound state, like entering samadhi, or what people called an Epiphany.

It felt like a very long time had passed, yet it also felt like only an instant.

Then, just as the entire space was dyed golden... with a boom! A sudden explosion in his mind startled him awake, and the immense force caused him to open his eyes sharply.

“Awakening the Embryo, Solidifying the Embryo, Guiding the Embryo...”

“This...” The Jun Family Old Ancestor had Cultivated for tens of thousands of years; what kind of scene hadn’t he witnessed?

But he had truly never seen this scene!

As an Immortal Emperor with vast power, he naturally knew that Jun Lingxiao had successfully awakened his Dao Embryo, officially Breakthrough to the Dao Embryo Realm.

At this point, he was already an unparalleled Prodigy of the Jun Family, unprecedented and unrivaled.

But the problem was, it didn't stop there!

The Dao Embryo Realm had four minor Realms, but he had completed Awakening the Embryo, Solidifying the Embryo, and Guiding the Embryo in one go, directly entering the Peak of the Dao Embryo Realm! His Breakthrough seemed to have no threshold whatsoever, so smooth it was unbelievable!

Looking at this, if it weren't for the fact that the last minor Realm, Nurturing the Embryo, required time to accumulate, he probably would have Breakthrough that too...

“This is... the flawless Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo...” The Old Ancestor was also shocked by this scene!

Jun Lingxiao’s body now seemed to have opened some kind of valve. The countless Divine Pills and sacred medicines from the past three years seemed to erupt at this moment. The golden warm current emanating from the oval sphere gradually flowed throughout his entire body!

His entire body felt as if it had two hearts beating together, creating an effect greater than 1+1.

Crack, crack, crack! Jun Lingxiao moved his body, and only heard his bones emit crisp sounds. The two hearts beating caused the golden Qi and blood to surge through his entire body. His muscles, Meridians, and even bones seemed to suddenly gain power!

With a casual clench, he didn't even need to test it; he could feel his strength increasing by dozens of times, if not more!

It was simply like heaven and earth compared to before, completely incomparable!

“But is that all? Why does it feel not as difficult as the Old Ancestor said?” Jun Lingxiao was a bit puzzled, even wondering if he had done something wrong, otherwise, why was it so simple?

Awakening the Dao Embryo, solidifying the Dao Embryo, and guiding the Dao Embryo to release its essence should have been the process, but why did he do nothing but call out to it, and it immediately began to temper his body?

“Old Ancestor... my grandson, this is...?”

Jun Wenhao heard the commotion outside the room and came out. Seeing the scene, he was also stunned in place. After a long while, he began to murmur:

“A three-year-old in the Dao Embryo Realm... a favored child of the Great Dao... my grandson is going to turn the world upside down...”

“A few days ago, that young man from the Immortal Dynasty sent me a letter, wanting to arrange a marriage with my grandson. I even considered it. Now! To hell with it! His princess isn’t worthy! I heard the Qiu Family has a Heaven-blessed Daughter... she might barely be worthy of my grandson. It seems I need to make a trip.”

And the Old Ancestor also looked at Jun Lingxiao, laughing heartily. It seemed his Jun Family had hope of producing an Immortal Emperor!

Not only that, if Jun Lingxiao truly had the Divine Gate behind him, then he, too, might have hope of becoming an Immortal Emperor in this lifetime!

Upon thinking of this, the Old Ancestor became even more determined to nurture Jun Lingxiao.

“A princess isn’t even worthy of me?”

Jun Lingxiao’s heart sank slightly. How had he never heard of this arranged marriage?

As a Transmigrator, he actually didn’t quite understand arranged marriages, but this was the cultivation world, where only strength spoke. And what if there was a ‘thirty years east, thirty years west of the river, do not bully a young girl in poverty’ situation? That would be interesting.

“So, Old Ancestor, am I considered to be in the Dao Embryo Realm now?”

Jun Lingxiao asked. It was too smooth; he didn’t feel it was real.

“Absolutely.”

“It seems we underestimated your Physique. Very well then, starting tomorrow, there will be a dedicated teacher to guide your cultivation. Although I am an Immortal Emperor, teaching others still requires specialized personnel.”

Not impulsive, not overly surprised, neither humble nor arrogant—the Old Ancestor stroked his beard, his gaze towards Jun Lingxiao growing increasingly satisfied.

As he watched, he saw Jun Lingxiao suddenly pat his clothes and stand up. The Old Ancestor immediately understood what he was going to do.

“Are you going to deliver food to her?”

The Old Ancestor asked, narrowing his eyes. His gaze seemed to pierce through the future, but his expression, no matter how one looked at it, felt somewhat profound.

As if he knew some secret.

However, it was useless against Jun Lingxiao. He had roughly figured out the Old Ancestor’s personality: a riddle-teller. Just like when he asked about the sword he picked during the Drawing lots, the Old Ancestor wouldn’t say anything, and asking now would surely yield nothing.

Thinking of this, he calmly nodded and said, “Yes.”

Speaking of delivering food, Jun Lingxiao felt a bit emotional.

Who would have thought?

He just wanted to check in everywhere to get rewards, but he wasn't allowed to leave the Divine Son Hall. Fine, he went to the backyard to admire flowers and check in along the way.

But as he walked, he didn't know where a little girl covered in blood popped out from. She seemed to want to hijack him for some food.

However, it was a pity. Although her cultivation was too weak for the guards to detect her immediately, she was immediately subdued as soon as she popped out.

If he hadn't suspected that the person in front of him was some kind of female protagonist and intervened, she would have been killed long ago.

Since then, he had gained a little follower.

Consider her a seasoning in his monotonous life.