Chapter 196 - 116: The Five Elements Primal Extreme True Union Immortal Talisman

Yuan Hao entered the hall carrying a clay jar. Zhou Jun immediately snatched the jar from his hand, eagerly unsealing the lid. "My good Junior Brother," he said, "I've been craving a taste of this fine wine for a long time."

Yuan Hao reached up with his long, ape-like arm and scratched his head. Although Zhou Jun's cultivation was advancing rapidly, his friendship with Yuan Hao hadn't changed at all. This put Yuan Hao completely at ease; it felt like only yesterday they were children again, cultivating by salvaging underwater crystals from the Great Marsh.

Zhou Jun unsealed the wine jar, lifted it directly to his lips, and took a swig. He felt instantly refreshed. Yuan Hao then snatched the jar back, fetched some large bowls, and began to pour. "Senior Brother," he asked as he poured, "what brings you here for a drink with your junior brother today?"

Zhou Jun sighed. "Alas, Junior Brother, you have no idea. Your senior brother here spent years in seclusion and finally managed to master a profound Taoist skill, all to reclaim a victory from that Fei Fan Yan. But in the end..."

"Haha," Yuan Hao laughed heartily. "In the end, Senior Sister Fei has already formed a Top-grade Golden Core. I'm afraid it'll be difficult for you to ever reclaim that victory, Senior Brother."

"You ape!" Zhou Jun feigned annoyance. "Sooner or later, I'll form a Top-grade Golden Core too. What's to fear about not winning back a victory then?"

Yuan Hao handed him a full bowl of wine. "If you have such confidence, Senior Brother, why the long sighs?"

Zhou Jun said sorrowfully, "But even if I do form a Top-grade Golden Core, I won't be the head disciple of the thirteenth generation anymore." At this, he burst out laughing.

After a bit of playful banter, Zhou Jun said, "It's a shame Senior Brother Li isn't here to drink with us today. I wonder where he's wandered off to now."

Eighteen years ago, after a brief period of service at Xuzhuang's side, Li Changfeng had left the sect. He vowed to travel the entire Divine Continent, and with that, he vanished without a trace.

Yuan Hao said, "Before he left, Senior Brother mentioned he wanted to go see the Taixuan Continent. I wonder if he ever made it, or if he's clashed with anyone from the Taixuan Sect."

"The Taixuan Sect..." Zhou Jun said, propping his chin on his hand. "I heard that Taixuan's Qiao Feifeng travels the Divine Continent, challenging people to sword duels everywhere. She's rarely defeated and has even embarrassed the Upper Profound Sect on several occasions. For someone like that to only be ranked second among the Taixuan Sect's five great legacy disciples, their Supreme Mysterious Dao Skill must be incredibly powerful."

"Qiao Feifeng," Yuan Hao said. "I heard that she and my master were legacy disciples of the same generation..."

"Junior Martial Uncle Dao Miao." At the mention of this name, Zhou Jun grew more serious. His mind flashed back to when he first arrived in Profound Yellow, to the handsome, spirited Daoist standing beside the Master. He murmured to himself, "A talent seen once in a millennium. I wonder what kind of presence he truly has. It's a pity I was too young at the time to even glimpse a fraction of his magnificence."

Just then, a voice suddenly surfaced in his mind, muttering, 'What "millennial immortal grace"? Such an exaggeration. I'd better not get a look at him one day only to find he's just some fraud who's deceived the world.'

A thought struck Zhou Jun, and he asked with a smile, "Five Elements Child, didn't you see Junior Martial Uncle Dao Miao in the Sect Leader's Cloud Palace?"

The Five Elements Child cried out, 'With a Primordial Spirit True Man right there, I was already having a hard enough time concealing my presence and telepathically teaching you how to lie! How could I have had the spare energy to peek at anyone else?'

Zhou Jun just smiled without replying and started trading cups with Yuan Hao again. After several rounds, Yuan Hao, seemingly fired up by the wine, suddenly said, "Come on, Senior Brother. Let's find a better spot to continue drinking."

Zhou Jun's interest was piqued. "Where to?"

"Just follow me," Yuan Hao said.

So the two of them quickly got up, grabbed the wine jar and bowls, and left the cave entrance. They made their way up the peak, and before long, they had ascended into the clouds.

Zhou Jun had been to Chongyun Peak many times, but this was his first time climbing to the summit. He looked around with great interest, and upon seeing a simple cave residence with its great doors shut tight, he asked, "Is this Junior Martial Uncle Dao Miao's abode?"

Yuan Hao nodded. "Master isn't here. The cave is protected by a restrictive spell, so we'll go around."

Zhou Jun nodded. They followed a small path along the cliff's edge, passed a Celestial Pool with clear, rippling water, and arrived at a pavilion on the precipice. Outside the pavilion was a roiling sea of clouds. The wind swept in, carrying wisps of mist through the structure, making it seem as if they were situated deep within the clouds themselves.

Yuan Hao grinned, his Thunder God's Beak twisting into a smile. "Well? Is the scenery here to your liking, Senior Brother?"

"Great view," Zhou Jun praised. "This calls for a big drink." He raised the wine jar and took a large swig.

Yuan Hao was stunned for a moment, then shouted, "Hey! You rude lout, leave some for me!"

"Take it, take it. Don't be so stingy." Zhou Jun shoved the jar over in mock disgust. After another round of reckless drinking, Zhou Jun said suddenly, "Junior Brother, I'm going to leave the sect to travel as well."

Yuan Hao seemed to have expected this. His hand paused for a moment before he raised his wine bowl. "Then your junior brother wishes you a safe journey, Senior Brother."

Zhou Jun laughed loudly, drained his bowl, and said, "If I don't form a Top-grade Golden Core this time, I'm not coming back."

Yuan Hao was shocked. "For real? You're still young, Senior Brother. Why be so absolute?"

"Fei Fan Yan has already formed a Top-grade Golden Core. I can't afford to fall behind." Zhou Jun said, "I can no longer become the head disciple of the thirteenth generation, but the seat of the thirteenth generation's patriarch is still vacant."

"Oh?" Before Yuan Hao could respond, a voice drifted in on the wind, praising, "Fine ambition."

Zhou Jun was startled. He looked toward the voice and saw a Daoist emerge from the clouds, walking slowly into the pavilion. The moment Yuan Hao saw the man, his drunkenness vanished. He scrambled to prostrate himself on the ground. "Disciple pays his respects to Master."

'Aiya!' the Five Elements Child yelped in his mind. 'This man... this man!'

Zhou Jun had no time to listen. He quickly put down his wine bowl, bowed deeply, and said respectfully, "Disciple Zhou Jun pays his respects to Junior Martial Uncle."

Xuzhuang gave a slight nod. His gaze fell upon Yuan Hao as he said coolly, "Your cultivation has progressed well. It seems you haven't been slacking. Rise."

Yuan Hao rose and replied, "Yes, Master. This disciple has remembered your teachings and has not dared to slacken in my cultivation. I was drinking today to see Senior Brother Zhou off..."

"No matter," Xuzhuang said flatly. "A balance of tension and relaxation is also part of the proper path of cultivation. Go on." Then he turned to Zhou Jun. "Since you have such ambition, do not let your will waver."

The two bowed in unison and assented. Xuzhuang smiled faintly, then leisurely walked past the Celestial Pool and toward his cave residence.

The man and the ape-like youth both let out a sigh of relief. Yuan Hao lifted his wine bowl and then set it back down, seeming not to dare to drink anymore. Zhou Jun, however, sat back down on the stone bench, exhaled deeply, and asked in his mind, 'Five Elements Child, what were you yelping about just now?'

The Five Elements Child shouted, 'If I had met this man sooner, I would have taught him The Five Elements Primordial Union Immortal Talisman! What need would I have for a kid like you, Zhou Jun!'

Zhou Jun wasn't annoyed. Instead, he chuckled inwardly and asked, 'Oh? Is Junior Martial Uncle Dao Miao really that incredible?'

'Incredible. Extremely incredible.' The Five Elements Child spouted a stream of jumbled, incomprehensible nonsense, finally crying out, 'Why don't you just take him as your master! If he were to guide you in your Taoist techniques, you wouldn't have lost to that little girl!'

"Huh?" Zhou Jun, long accustomed to the Five Elements Child's incoherent ramblings, asked patiently, 'Junior Martial Uncle Dao Miao practices the Tai Su Taoist Technique. How could he guide me?'

'You could teach him The Five Elements Primordial Union Immortal Talisman, and then have him teach you according to your aptitude, couldn't you?' the Five Elements Child said, displeased. 'The five energies are circulating in his chest. He must have cultivated the Five Elements Taoist Skill to an extremely profound level... No, that's not right. He shows signs of the Five Energies Returning to the Origin. Could it be that he actually cultivates a true Five Elements technique? Or can one comprehend the Five Elements through mastering Tai Su? Why have I never heard of this? No, no, that's wrong too. Could he be the reincarnation of one of my senior brothers... Mmm...'

Zhou Jun knew the Five Elements Child's damaged intellect was descending into chaos. He shook his head, tuning out its nonsensical babbling, and fell into thought.

'Taking him as a master is out of the question,' he mused. 'I've already perfected my own techniques; taking a new master now would be improper. Besides, back when I first came to Profound Yellow, Junior Martial Uncle Dao Miao showed no intention of accepting me as his disciple...'

"Senior Brother Zhou? Senior Brother Zhou?" Yuan Hao called out from the side. "Are you drunk?"

Zhou Jun looked up at Yuan Hao and suddenly asked, "Junior Brother Yuan, if I were to ask Junior Martial Uncle Xu for guidance on my Taoist techniques, do you think he would teach me?"

"That?" Yuan Hao was clueless. "Maybe? Master is strict, but as long as he's not in seclusion, he's never stingy with his guidance for me..."

Zhou Jun shook his head, thinking, 'Asking this ape is pointless. It would be more reliable to prepare a generous gift and visit him directly...'