Forging Immortality through the Dao Seed

...

At that moment of clear sight,

His expression froze.

Zhang Jing wasn't surprised to see Senior Brother You near the top of the Spiritual Pith list.

But.... the Seventh Void!

Such progress was frighteningly fast.

His gaze unconsciously slid down, finally resting upon the disciple of the Xuanguang Inner Temple who was placed higher than himself.

Despite both being at the Foundation Establishment stage, there was a difference of thirty steps between them.

A gap of nearly four Voids!

"Is this the terror of the Superior Dao Foundation?"

A glint of shock flickered in Zhang Jing's eyes.

Regaining his senses,

And with a mere thought,

His Spiritual Pith quietly decreased by ten points.

...

Inside a peculiar space,

"Is this the Treasury of All Gods?" Zhang Jing mused out loud as he looked around curiously.

His surroundings were grey and gloom-filled,

Except for a pair of large gates standing silently not far in front of him.

On the left door, a large 'Treasure' was written in seal script, while the right one had the word 'Dao' similarly inscribed.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Jing headed straight towards the right gate.

...

"Is it you?"

Behind the gate, Zhang Jing looked surprised as he saw a floating infant.

Wasn't this the same enormous cloud-like infant who explained the rules of the mini Void of All Gods before? Despite changes in size and color, the appearance and shape were exactly the same.

On the other side,

As if the infant had anticipated Zhang Jing's reaction, he folded his small arms across his chest, stared at him angrily, and said:

"He is him, and I am I! Forget it, I, as a grown-up, have a broad mind. I won't argue with a child like you."

"Kid, which dharma door are you cultivating, and what kind of Dao Intent do you want to understand?"

Hearing the child-like voice,

Zhang Jing's eyes flickered with a hint of strangeness.

But soon he realized, although the infant appeared to be a child, he was connected to the ancient mini Void of All Gods. Thus, his peculiar speech was not surprising.

"May I ask, are you—"

Zhang Jing hesitated.

"Call me Lord Ying!" said the impatient infant.

"Lord Ying, I am cultivating the True Method of the Sea Dragon Absorbing the Void, and I want to comprehend the Tao Intent of the Taoyin Sea Dragon," Zhang Jing replied respectfully with a bow.

After their brief exchange,

He noticed that the infant, despite his old-sounding language, behaved much like a small child, and that handling him gently seemed to be the best strategy.

Sure enough,

Feeling the respect from Zhang Jing,

Lord Ying couldn't help but smirk.

"You're good, I think highly of you! Want to comprehend the Tao Intent of the Taoyin Sea Dragon? That's a thousand Spiritual Pith for three breaths. Number of attempts doesn't matter," he said.

Three breaths! A thousand Spiritual Pith?

Hearing this, Zhang Jing's expression became stunned, then he abruptly lifted his head.

The look on his face seemed to ask: Are you sure you're not kidding me?

"Don't look at me like that, it's all decided by the higher-ups, I can't do anything about it," Lord Ying spread his hands, saying helplessly.

"It's too expensive, I can't afford it at the moment! Lord Ying, I will take my leave now!"

Zhang Jing decisively rose to leave, his movements unfettered and smooth.

"Young man, remember to visit often~ By the way, if you find it difficult to comprehend Dao Intent, consider getting a Bodhi fruit from next door. It's only five thousand Spiritual Pith."

Lord Ying's amicable and enthusiastic voice echoed from behind him.

"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Ying."

Zhang Jing responded as his steps unconsciously quickened.

Although he still had more than seven thousand Spiritual Pith on hand, and he could grit his teeth and afford twenty-one breaths of comprehension time for the Taoyin Sea Dragon Dao Intent,

He was uncertain whether he could really learn something in such a short span.

As for acquiring a Bodhi fruit at another location, suggested by Lord Ying, Zhang Jing thought it was not worth it. After exchanging the Bodhi fruit, he would only be left with two thousand Spiritual Pith. What then could he comprehend?

If he had more Spiritual Pith in the future, he might reconsider.

And also——

Zhang Jing 'looked' towards his sea of cognition.

All he saw was a beam of mystical spiritual light tucked away in a corner, faintly glowing, exuding an unfathomably profound ambiance.

His heart could not help but settle down.

It will take about seven days for the Tao-leading spiritual light to fully recover.

It wouldn't be too late to come back here then to understand the Taoyin Sea Dragon's Tao intent.

As for these seven days.

Hunt Demon Spirits with all his might, striving to accumulate more Spiritual Pith!

...

After stepping out of the right gate.

Zhang Jing turned around and entered the 'Treasure' gate again.

Each entry to the Treasury of All Gods requires ten Spiritual Pith. If he doesn't familiarize himself with the place, it'd be a great loss.

His vision blurred for a moment.

Then it gradually cleared.

A toddler, who looked exactly like Lord Ying, suddenly appeared before Zhang Jing.

"Heh, a fellow from the Third Void."

The toddler gazed at Zhang Jing, marveling, his voice somewhat shrill.

Upon hearing this,

Zhang Jing instantly reacted. This was another similar entity.

"May I ask how to address you?"

His attitude was still very respectful.

"Haha, little guy, I'm not as stupid as the one next door. Your little tricks won't work on me. You can call me Lord You."

The self-proclaimed 'Lord You' looked at Zhang Jing with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"Alright, what do you want to exchange?"

Without waiting for Zhang Jing to answer, he saw Lord You waving his hand.

An apparent scroll slowly unrolled before his eyes.

Zhang Jing looked closely.

Three-hundred-year-old Red Crow Root: Two Spiritual Pith per root.

Yuanshui Spirit: One Spiritual Pith per mace.

...

"So cheap!"

Seeing what was at the top, Zhang Jing couldn't help but exclaim.

Things treasured by the Outer Academy were as cheap as cabbage here. This should be the so-called 'Upper Realm' resource support for the Dao Institute.

Zhang Jing ruminated thoughtfully.

After all, these could not be used within the minor Void of All Gods.

His eyes continued to move down.

Bodhi fruit: Enters an enlightenment state after consuming, lasting a hundred breaths, five thousand Spiritual Pith per piece.

Dao Enlightenment Tea: The leaves contain the Great Dao. After taking it, you would become as innocent as a newborn, breathing between Heaven and Earth, one hundred thousand Spiritual Pith per mace.

River of Time Gold Sand: A grain brings three years of time, could be used for cultivation enlightenment, one hundred and eighty thousand Spiritual Pith per grain.

Three Calamities Wind Banner: Premium Spiritual Treasure Embryo, born of the Spirit Treasure 'Ten Sun Wind Calamity Heavenly Banner'. It contains the Small Wind Calamity Dao prohibition, the Small Red Sun Dao prohibition. When this banner is shaken, it can turn thousand miles into a red land, its power boundless, three million Spiritual Pith.

...

All sorts of miraculous items made Zhang Jing's eyes dazzle.

Especially the River of Time Gold Sand!

He saw the hope of rapidly increasing his skill experience.

Only——

Setting aside the issue of poverty for now.

The more critical problem was that currently, only a scarce few treasures including the Bodhi Fruit can be exchanged for, while other treasures showed him as ineligible.

This included the River of Time Gold Sand which Zhang Jing was very interested in.

"Lord You, may I ask what 'ineligible for exchange' means?"

Zhang Jing asked curiously.

"Hehe, different Voids have different exchange privileges. Eh, why are you looking at those things? Can you afford to exchange them?"

Lord You spoke in a shrill voice, then seemed to remember something, and extended his chubby little hand, gently touching something.

In an instant.

A flash of light emerged from the transparent scroll, and a large area suddenly became blank.

"Alright, have another look, any problems now?"

Zhang Jing's eye twitched slightly. But all he could do was brace himself and ask:

"Lord You, may I ask how to reach the Void that is eligible for exchanging the River of Time Gold Sand I just saw?"

"The Seventh Void," the other party answered unabashedly.