Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

It wasn’t that Xuzhuang was conceited, but even though he had yet to complete the third refinement and perfect his Nascent Soul, ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivators were completely powerless against him. Only figures of peerless talent like Zhong Shenxiu, Li Chengzhen, or Jin Yuanzai could put up a fight.

Therefore, if he wanted the Great Sun True Flame to remain useful, mining and refining Great Sun Fire Essence to enhance its power was undoubtedly necessary.

However, Great Sun Fire Essence didn’t form naturally, and absorbing the morning sun’s essence was too inefficient. Since Xuzhuang didn’t rely entirely on the Great Sun True Flame, expending such effort would have been unnecessary. But now that he was here, and would undoubtedly be staying for quite some time, he might as well do it while he was at it.

Xuzhuang’s profound art circulated continuously, refining the fire poison as Great Sun Fire Essence and solar essence materialized in a steady stream. A golden flame seemed to ignite within his glabella, swimming about restlessly, eager to emerge.

Feeling the Great Sun True Flame slowly growing stronger, even nourishing his own foundation in fire-element arts in return, Xuzhuang nodded to himself and paid it no more mind.

With the exquisite control he had over his Magical Power, the minor effort of refining fire poison wasn’t enough to distract him. With a light wave of his hand, five streaks of light suddenly flew out from the Du Xu Palace and arrived before him, revealing the figures of the five from Huangshan Lake.

Xuzhuang clasped his hands behind his back. "You are all aware of the task I’ve given you, yes?"

Facing the fierce winds and fire poison, the five were far from as composed as Xuzhuang. Hearing his words, their faces turned slightly bitter, but they still had to reply in unison, "We understand."

"Excellent," Xuzhuang said flatly. "Remember, I am fully aware of your capabilities. Should you slack off, you will not be able to hide it from my Dharma Eye."

The five hurriedly said they wouldn’t dare. Xuzhuang paid them no mind and said, "Complete the task in a timely manner, and you can regain your freedom sooner. Go." Then he dismissed them.

The five exchanged a look, conferred briefly, and then each chose a direction and set off.

Seeing this, Xuzhuang nodded slightly. During the journey, he had already passed on the method for mining and refining the Taiyi Celestial Rainbow to these five. After all, he needed a huge amount of Taiyi Celestial Rainbow for his refinement, and if he were to do it alone, it would inevitably take too much tedious effort.

As for whether it was improper to pass on this method, Xuzhuang had already considered it. The Taiyi Celestial Rainbow itself was nothing special—at most, a unique, man-made treasured material that likely had few other uses. The real secret was the Sacrificial Refining Skill for the Flying Sword. As long as that skill was not passed on, it was of no great consequence.

In fact, he had also considered inviting friends, or even hiring other cultivators to travel with him and help him mine the Taiyi Celestial Rainbow. But after careful thought, he ultimately decided against it.

Because mining the Taiyi Celestial Rainbow required absorbing a large amount of the Great Sun’s light, they couldn’t all gather inside the Du Xu Palace to perform the technique. This was undoubtedly extremely dangerous for Nascent Soul Cultivators.

One had to understand that near the Great Sun, the fierce winds and fire poison were extremely strong and unstable. There was also the risk of being swept into storms stirred up by the sun. Without the protection of the Du Xu Palace, even Xuzhuang might not have dared to take such a risk.

But as for the five from Huangshan Lake... if they died, they died. No matter how magnanimous Xuzhuang was, he wouldn’t go so far as to pity the lives of his enemies. On the other hand, if they could complete their task and save him a year or two of tedious refinement work, letting them live was also acceptable.

After dismissing the five, Xuzhuang unhurriedly returned to the Du Xu Palace. He activated the palace’s Mining and Refining Array, gathering primordial essence as a power source for its operation. He then split off a Dharma Body to manage it and guard against any sudden dangers, before returning to his quiet chamber alone.

After all, aside from mining the Taiyi Celestial Rainbow, there was studying Daoist principles, increasing his cultivation, and honing his Daoist arts... his to-do list was truly packed.

Fortunately for him, Xuzhuang had always relished the journey of seeking the Dao, finding pleasure in every step.

---

「In the Jade Cauldron Hall of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect, Profound Yellow Realm.」

Dongguo Yi wore a treasured crown and an Elder’s Wide Cloak. His steps were steady as he crossed the main hall and arrived before the Hall Master’s administrative chamber, where he gently shook a golden bell.

After Dongguo Yi received the Celestial Purity True Sand gifted by Xuzhuang and successfully attained the Nascent Soul realm, he was transferred to a position in the Jade Cauldron Hall, overseeing some affairs of the Warrior Hall.

This was actually just a coincidence; Xuzhuang hadn’t specifically pulled any strings. But since Dongguo Yi had ended up under his command, Xuzhuang naturally didn’t hesitate to make use of him. Dongguo Yi, for his part, believed himself to be one of Xuzhuang’s trusted confidants and was tirelessly enthusiastic about it.

"Come in."

Following the soft call, Dongguo Yi stepped into the inner room and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Hall Master."

Behind the large desk was the Dharma Body that Xuzhuang had left in the sect. He was casually flipping through a bamboo scroll in his hand, and only after stamping his seal at the end did he look up and ask, "Ah, it’s Junior Brother Dongguo. There shouldn’t be any other important matters for me to handle today, are there?"

The Jade Cauldron Hall had its own set of operating procedures, and in truth, many matters didn’t require Xuzhuang’s decision. But as the Hall Master, it was against the rules for any slightly important matter to proceed without his seal.

Of course, many Hall Masters would actually cultivate trusted subordinates to handle these miscellaneous affairs on their behalf, only personally paying attention to matters of great importance.

And besides the authority, the generous supply of cultivation resources and the superior cultivation environment within the Three Halls were the true perks of being one of the Three Hall Elders.

Xuzhuang handled matters personally not because he lacked trusted subordinates, but because as a Three-Element Dharma Body, he couldn’t cultivate. On normal days, he would either be studying Daoist Scriptures or sacrificially refining Magical Artifacts. He had even refined the Dragon Transformation Dharma Jade, specially left behind by his true self, to the point of perfecting its restrictions. In comparison, handling miscellaneous tasks was actually a leisure activity.

Dongguo Yi took a small pouch from his sleeve and presented it, saying, "This was sent from the Upper Dharma Hall. They said that the Chief Steward of the Tai Su Pavilion in the Guangyuan Realm, Venerable Yi Qing, had someone deliver it to you, Senior Brother."

"The Chief Steward of the Tai Su Pavilion in the Guangyuan Realm, Yi Qing?" Xuzhuang raised an eyebrow slightly. "Alright, just leave it here for now."

Dongguo Yi placed the small pouch on the large desk and said, "If you have no other instructions, Senior Brother, I will take my leave."

Xuzhuang nodded slightly. Only after Dongguo Yi had left the room did he let his gaze fall upon the small pouch.

Xuzhuang tapped his fingertips lightly on the desk. ’’Guangyuan Realm? Could my true self have sent this back?’

After all, he didn’t know this Yi Qing at all. He wouldn’t have even considered accepting a gift if not for the fact that his true self had gone to the Guangyuan Realm with the Immoral Taoist.

Xuzhuang stared at the small pouch. For some reason, his spirit felt a tremor. Without further hesitation, he pointed a finger to undo the pouch, preparing to investigate its contents.

Unexpectedly, just as his Spiritual Sense probed inside, it seemed to trigger something. A wisp of Smoke Mist suddenly shot out, speeding toward the center of Xuzhuang’s brow. However, he saw what was happening and merely raised an eyebrow, allowing the Smoke Mist to fly into his glabella. His entire body then shuddered.

After a full quarter of an hour, Xuzhuang finally let out a soft breath and shook his head.

’’I didn’t expect my true self’s progress in Daoist arts to be so fast?’ The thought had just formed in Xuzhuang’s mind when he suddenly smiled. ’Then again, what’s the point in praising myself?’’

But his true self’s progress in Daoist arts had indeed exceeded his own original expectations. That wisp of Smoke Mist just now was a sliver of his true self’s Magical Power. After it merged into the Dharma Body, it not only brought all of Xuzhuang’s memories from beyond the heavens, but also the changes in his true self’s Daoist arts.

It could be said that aside from his Magical Power level, which had not advanced and was now far behind his true self’s, in all other aspects this Dharma Body was as if it had just been split off, completely identical to his true self.

Such a change would have been difficult to achieve before Xuzhuang had set out for the Guangyuan Realm. This meant that his trip to the Guangyuan Realm had yielded significant gains, and the profundity of his Daoist arts had reached a level that was difficult to imagine.

Of course, his Dharma Body was now at that level as well. He stroked his chin, pondering, ’If this continues, sooner or later, the Three-Element Dharma Body will be able to act independently. Even separated by ten thousand miles, it will be as one. It might even gain the ability to replenish its own Magical Power. That will be the true stage of perfection for the Three-Element Dharma Body.’

’Hmm... perhaps it could even be called ’One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones’?’

Thinking of this, Xuzhuang couldn’t help but smile freely, temporarily casting the distant prospect to the back of his mind and returning to the present.

’To fully adapt to the changes in my Daoist arts, I’ll need to enter seclusion for a few days. I never thought that even a Dharma Body would have a day it needs to go into seclusion.’

Xuzhuang unrolled the last remaining bamboo scroll on his desk and glanced at it casually. "True Disciple Zhou Jun’s Golden Core Grand Ceremony. The procession and patrol will require a large number of Warriors..."

A matter like this required no thought. Xuzhuang casually stamped his seal, then summoned another elder to take the scroll away. Having finally finished his duties, he flicked his sleeves, stood up, and returned to his quiet chamber.