Twelfth, Zidu said

  When the dust settled, the long sword had entered the body of Xun Daozi. At that moment, Laozi also made a move, using his magic to wrap the green light around Xun Daozi's twisting soul and send it back into his body.

  The divine soul entered the body, and Xun Daozi, who was originally sitting upright, suddenly fell to the ground, his body twisting and convulsing. However, there was still a resolute look between his eyebrows, and beads of sweat seeped out from his temples, clearly showing that he was enduring unbearable pain.

  The old man took out a jade box from his bosom and picked out a dan medicine, the dan medicine was bright and shiny, obviously not an ordinary dan medicine.

  Laozi's fingers lightly plucked, and the dan medicine flew out, accurately falling into Xun Daozi's mouth, dissolving with his saliva.

  After a while, the painful expression on Xun Daozi's face slightly diminished, and his firm and determined look became more pronounced.

  Yuanshi looked at his disciple in front of him, who was enduring unspeakable suffering but still had a firm and determined expression, and felt satisfied, with a hint of fondness in his eyes.

  When I first met Xun Daozi, my heart was moved, and I carefully observed him. In my heart, I secretly praised him: this child appears to be a manifestation of the consciousness of the post-heavenly world, but his body is extremely strong and perfect. It's clear that he has been strengthened by thunder during his transformation, and there is still thunder energy left in his body. What's surprising is that the thunder energy left in his body is complete with yin and yang, and the five elements. With this physique, practicing thunder methods will definitely yield remarkable results. In terms of achievements in thunder methods, he may be second only to Lei Zu Wu Xiang. Observing his breath, I can see that he has already attained the Dao fruit of the earthly immortal, and has a clear understanding of the heavenly immortal's path. However, he is like an uncarved jade, waiting to be refined. It's rare to have this kind of master-disciple relationship with him, and our fates are deeply intertwined, with hints that he may be my key disciple. Moreover, his behavior is respectful towards his teacher, reverent towards the Dao, and sincere in his heart, which aligns with my intentions.

  Having this idea, Yuan Shi was delighted as he looked at Daozi.

  Laozi saw through the heavens and sought out Daozi, who was able to endure the pain of his shattered soul with a strong will, still maintaining an unyielding demeanor, without uttering a sound of suffering. I also admire his temperament. And I must say that I'm quite envious of Yuan Shi for having such a disciple.

  Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian all sat on a mat with their eyes closed and did not speak.

  At this time, the pain of Xun Daozi was unbearable for outsiders to experience. It was more painful than being struck by lightning when he transformed into a different form. This pain cannot be described in words. After his heart's blood was taken out, he felt weak and feeble. At that moment, his soul was torn apart, but fortunately, Laozi wrapped him with a vibrant green light full of life energy just as his soul was splitting. If not for this, he would have died from the pain after his soul split. It was precisely because of the danger of his soul splitting that Yuan Shi used his powers to ask Laozi to help through the Heavenly Connection.

  It was as if a myriad years had passed, yet it seemed like only an instant.

  Xun Daozi woke up, feeling weak and spiritless all over his body. He saw himself lying on the ground, struggled to get up, and then saw three Taoist priests sitting on a mat, smiling at him. His mind was shocked, and he suddenly remembered that he had taken refuge in the Taoist sect, and his master, master's wife, and master's brother had helped him refine two treasures. This shock made his mind clear up a lot. He quickly got up, bowed to the three Taoist priests: "Thank you, Master, Master's Wife, and Master's Brother for your help!"

  Laozi nodded with a smile, and Yuanshi opened his mouth to say: "I am your master, if I don't help you, who will? Yuanshi paused for a moment, "Your master and your uncle's wife are temporarily staying here, taking up some of your light, can you bring over that tea and give it to me, then you return to your cave to recover, when you're better, your master will teach you the method of using your heart to nourish the two treasures."

  Xuanzongzi also felt some energy, so he followed the master's orders to take tea and a set of utensils as well as some fruit to send to Zhuting, then bid farewell to Yuanshi, Laozi, and Tongtian, returning to the cave to cultivate.

  Xun Daozi returned to the cave mansion, sat cross-legged on the cloud bed, and started practicing the Zhou Tian method.

  In Zhutang, Laozi met Xun Daozi who had returned to his cave. He said to Yuanshi: "This child is not bad, you should teach him well."

  Tongtian chuckled and said: "Second Brother, let him become my apprentice instead."

  Yuanshi's eyes widened as he looked up at the sky: "You're dreaming!"

  Hehe, with a smile, he went off to make tea.

  Laozi said, "We can discuss the gains from this trip to the Purple Mist Palace with Wudangzi and Tea. With their help, we should have a great harvest. When Wudangzi recovers, we can pass on the methods of cultivation and spiritual techniques to him, and let him practice on his own. We will then close our doors here and ponder what we have gained."

  Yuanshi replied: "Good!"

  "Good!"

  Then Laozi, Yuanshi and Tongtian were drinking tea and discussing Taoism in the Bamboo Pavilion.

  Forty-nine days have passed in the blink of an eye.

  During this time, Xun Daozi was immersed in his cultivation, and unexpectedly, the week's worth of effort also had an effect on his divine soul. As he cultivated, he continuously repaired the damage to his divine soul, and the loss of his physical body's blood had long since been restored. However, the recovery of his divine soul's injuries was not easy, and it wasn't until today that he felt completely recovered. When he cultivated, he could also feel the two treasures in his heart chamber and sea of consciousness slowly rotating on their own.

  Laozi, Yuan Shi and Tong Tian had a heated discussion on the Tao in the Bamboo Pavilion. It is unclear whether it was due to the effect of Wu Dao's tea, but this time, the three men had a deeper understanding of the Tao. During their discussion, they not only spoke but also constantly demonstrated and proved their own understanding of the Tao. This discussion was clearly the most intense one among all their previous discussions on the Tao, and it was also the one with the greatest gain so far.

  Just as the three Taoists were discussing the Tao with great enthusiasm, Xun Daozi finally fully recovered, withdrew his energy and walked out of the cave, coming to the edge of the bamboo pavilion.

  Laozi, who was in the midst of a heated discussion on the Dao with Yuanshi and Tongtian, suddenly felt someone approaching. He stopped talking and turned around to see Xunzizai arriving at the edge of the bamboo pavilion. For a moment, all three were taken aback. During this time, their discussion on the Dao had reached a perfect state, and they hadn't noticed Xunzizai's arrival. Originally, they thought it would take Xunzizai at least a year or two to recover, even with Laozi's elixir of life to aid him. But unexpectedly, Xunzizai recovered in less than two months, which left them all quite astonished.

  There are several reasons why Xun Daozi was able to recover so quickly. Firstly, Laozi's elixir is indeed effective; secondly, the Dongfu Cloud Bed has the effect of assisting in cultivation, healing injuries, recovering physical strength and mental energy, which Xun Daozi did not know about before; thirdly, Zhou Tian Gong also has a restorative effect; finally, Xun Daozi's body has undergone a transformation, with extremely strong recovery power, including his soul. This ultimately led to the astonishing recovery effects that shocked Laozi, Yuan Shi and Tong Tian.

  Xun Daozi looked at the somewhat astonished Laozi, Yuan Shi and Tong Tian, although they were a bit puzzled, but still hurried forward to pay their respects: "Disciple pays respects to Master, Master's brother, Master's uncle."

  "Are you okay now?"

  Laozi smiled but did not speak.

  Yuanshi then said in succession: "Good! Good!"

  Xun Daozi was lying on the ground and didn't know how to speak.

  "Get up, it's all right now!"

  Xun Daozi quickly thanked and stood up, only to see his master, master's wife, and master's brother all smiling at him. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

  Yuanshi said: "You can recover so quickly this time, it's indeed beyond our expectations, but it's good that you've recovered!"

  Xun Daozi was moved by Yuan Shi's words of concern, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared when he thought about the pain of his soul being torn apart. However, after experiencing that pain, Xun Daozi felt that there was nothing in the world that could make him unbearable. Unconsciously, Xun Daozi's state of mind had undergone a tempering, and his dao heart became even more determined.

  This was also a test for Xun Daozi by Yuanshi, who did not easily accept disciples, let alone the first time he accepted three brothers as his students. Although it was destined to be so, with such a master-disciple relationship, he couldn't be careless about accepting them. It just so happened that these two treasures needed to be refined in this way, and Yuanshi would use them to test Xun Daozi. At this time, seeing that Xun Daozi had passed the test and performed so well, he was delighted and unknowingly showed some affection as a master, with words full of concern and joy. Who would have thought that this moment of true feelings would make their future relationship even deeper, inseparable, and together they would overcome difficulties, changing the legend of the Primordial Wilderness that Xun Daozi knew from his past life.

  Laozi, who had been interrupted while discussing the Tao, smiled and congratulated Xunzi on his recovery. The atmosphere was warm for a moment. Xunzi had been lonely for a long time, and at this time, he was also moved by the concern.

  Yuanshi waited for Xun Daozi's emotions to calm down slightly, pointed with one hand, and a futon appeared beside him. He said, "You sit down."

  Xun Daozi thanked him and sat down on a mat.

  Yuanshi saw Xun Daozi sitting down, opened his mouth and said: "You have now recovered, so I will also pass on the teachings to you. Before passing on the teachings, as a teacher, I ask you, you call yourself Xun Daozi, which shows that you have a heart that seeks the Tao and thoughts of turning towards the Tao. Can you tell me what is the Tao?" After finishing speaking, he looked at Xun Daozi with a hopeful expression.

  Laozi, with eyes full of hope, looked at the seeker of the Way.

  Xun Daozi was taken aback, just about to speak, opened his mouth, but then closed it again. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

  Yuanshi saw three people with thoughtful expressions on their faces, but they didn't rush him. Instead, they waited with hopeful and peaceful faces.

  The Daoist seeker fell into deep thought: What is the Dao? In past lives, there were many terms - cultivating the Dao, inquiring about the Dao, following the Dao, seeking the Dao, martial arts Dao, tea Dao... It seems that this Dao is very clear and understood by everyone. What is the Dao? The Daodejing begins by saying: The Dao can be spoken of, but it is not the true Dao; names can be named, but they are not the true name. Non-being is the beginning of heaven and earth; being is the mother of all things. It also says: There was a thing formed from chaos before heaven and earth were born. Quiet and empty, standing alone without change, circulating without danger, it can be called the mother of heaven and earth. I do not know its name, but for lack of a better word, I call it the Dao. It is also said that: The Dao as a thing is vague and obscure. Obscure! Vague! Within it there are images; vague! obscure! within it there are things; dim! mysterious! within it there is essence; its essence is very true, within it there is faith. Furthermore: The Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three give birth to all things. Humans follow the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao, the Dao follows nature. These familiar descriptions. In Zhuangzi (the Great Master), it is also said: The Dao has emotions and faith, but no form or shape; it can be transmitted but not received, it can be obtained but not seen; from its roots to its branches, before heaven and earth existed, it has always been present; spirits and ghosts, the birth of heaven and earth... Before the ultimate extreme, it is not high; below the six extremes, it is not deep; born before heaven and earth, it is not old; longer than ancient times, but not aged. ... Many books, various descriptions are not enough. It seems that they all describe it very clearly, yet seemingly describing it makes people fundamentally unclear.

  What is Tao? The seeker of Tao constantly thinks and ponders: Is Tao the source of all things, the law of development of all things, the principle of change of things, the rule of operation of heaven and earth?

  "Zeng Dazui put away his contemplative expression, looked up at Yuan Shi, Laozi and Tongtian, and said: "Master, Master's brother, Master's uncle, the disciple thinks that this 'Dao' should be the source of all things, the law of development of all things, the principle of change of things, and the rule of operation of heaven and earth. I don't know if the disciple is correct? Please, Master, Master's brother, Master's uncle, enlighten me."

  The old man, Yuan Shi, Tong Tian, listened to the news and was shocked. They looked at each other in surprise, then stared at Xun Daozi together, carefully examining him. The shock on their faces did not decrease, and they muttered to themselves, wondering if this young man was a great master pretending to be unknown, intentionally teasing them? But it didn't seem like that, he was just a rookie who had just achieved the Immortal Fruit position. Could it be that Xun Daozi's talent was extremely high, an unprecedented genius in the vast expanse of the universe? His understanding of the Way was so profound, even surpassing theirs. Was there really a cultivator in the vast expanse of the universe with such a deep understanding of the Way, yet with such a low cultivation level?

  The three Taoists had rich expressions on their faces, sometimes shocked, sometimes puzzled, and sometimes amazed.

  Xun Daozi was also stunned by the rich expressions of the three Taoist priests, his heart numb and his face dull.

  The atmosphere in Bamboo Pavilion suddenly became eerie.