Chapter Eighty-Two: Disciples of the Three Sects

In truth, Tongtian pondered deeply when considering the selection of his disciples. Did he really need so many? Why exactly must there be ten thousand disciples? Yet at that moment, a voice echoed from the distant void: "Tongtian, my young friend, should have ten thousand disciples."

"What—what is this?" Tongtian's heart trembled. Wasn't that the voice of Grand Immortal Willow? How could it appear now? He didn't dwell on it further and simply accepted all these disciples. However, the choice of the last disciple proved problematic.

Chang-Ear Immortal, whose abilities were quite impressive, had been deliberately avoided by Tongtian, who wished the immortal would just find somewhere else to amuse himself. But as the final spot remained unfilled, Tongtian was vexed. Why did the last disciple have to be so difficult to choose? All the remaining beings, except for Chang-Ear Immortal, had not yet assumed human form. This frustrated Tongtian—could it be that he was truly fated with Chang-Ear Immortal?

Tongtian decided not to dwell on it. Since escape was impossible, he faced it head-on and gave the last spot to Chang-Ear Immortal.

Meanwhile, the situations among the other three sects were far from ideal—not because their disciples lacked talent, but simply because their numbers paled in comparison to Tongtian’s.

The Supreme Elder Lord valued the path of tranquility and nonaction, so he was exceedingly strict in his selection. Ultimately, only a young man caught his discerning eye. When the Elder Lord investigated the young man's origins, he smiled with satisfaction—karma had indeed come full circle.

In days past, while walking among the human race, the Elder Lord encountered a child who invited him to spend the night at his home. The Elder Lord gladly accepted, unwittingly creating a karmic bond. That young man was none other than the human child from years ago. The Elder Lord named him Xuandu, who would become the famed first disciple of the Human Sect, Xuandu Master.

There were also the renowned Eight Immortals of later generations, though these were merely registered disciples.

All knew the Elder Lord was strict in accepting disciples, Tongtian’s domain was distant, and the Western Sect even more so. Thus, those spirits living near Mount Kunlun all chose to follow the leader of the "Expounding Sect," Primordial Heavenly Venerable.

Primordial Heavenly Venerable, after rigorous selection, finally accepted twelve direct disciples, and one inner disciple. These twelve are the illustrious "Twelve Golden Immortals of the Expounding Sect": Guangchengzi, Chi Jingzi, Jade Cauldron Immortal, Taiyi Immortal, Yellow Dragon Immortal, Manjusri Vast Dharma Heavenly Venerable, Universal Virtue Immortal, Merciful Navigator, Spiritual Treasure Master, Julu Sun, Pathwalking Heavenly Venerable, and Pure Void Moral True Lord.

The "inner disciple" was the Virtuous Fortune Immortal Cloud Child. Why distinguish him as an inner disciple? Cloud Child's background was extraordinary—he could have taken the place of any of the Twelve Golden Immortals, but arrived late and so became the inner disciple. There was no real difference between inner and direct disciples, only that Primordial Heavenly Venerable admired Cloud Child’s talent so much he invented the title for him.

Another formidable figure in the Expounding Sect was Burning Lantern Daoist. Burning Lantern was originally a guest in the Purple Palace, but since he failed to achieve sainthood, he pledged himself to Primordial Heavenly Venerable. As Burning Lantern was both his teacher's disciple and his junior brother, Primordial Heavenly Venerable readily accepted the request, granting him entry into the sect and appointing him as Deputy Leader.

In the Western Sect, all the worthy spirits of the West were gathered at Spirit Mountain. Although Tongtian’s sect was called "Spirit Sect," the Western leaders, Reception and Quasi-Ti, named their mountain "Spirit Mountain," inadvertently absorbing some of Tongtian’s sect’s fortune, which would have consequences in the future.

The spirits of the West assembled, creating a lively atmosphere rivaling that of the Expounding Sect. Notable members included Medicine King Daoist, Golden Cicada, Great Power Daoist, Lushana Daoist, Spirit Auspicious Daoist, Sun and Moon Light Venerables, among others.

As for mounts, becoming a saint demanded a grand presence. Since none could restrain another, everyone strove for the most impressive display—it was all about appearances.

The Elder Lord’s mount was a green ox, an ancient species from the primordial world, which even appeared in "Journey to the West." Primordial Heavenly Venerable’s mount was originally Yellow Dragon Immortal, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals, who willingly became his mount to join the sect. Primordial Heavenly Venerable agreed, but every outing felt strange—riding atop one's own disciple, how could Yellow Dragon Immortal ever declare his title? “I am Yellow Dragon Daoist, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Expounding Sect.” Others would surely say, “A mount beneath the Primordial Saint, yet still a Golden Immortal?”

So Primordial Heavenly Venerable abandoned the idea and sought a new mount, settling on the famed "Four Not Alike," which was later given to Grand Duke Jiang. Afterwards, his mount changed to the "Nine Dragon Scented Sedan."

Tongtian kept his own black ox, who would later become known as the Bull Demon King.

As for Reception and Quasi-Ti, mounts were few. Reception never relied on a mount, so he had none. Quasi-Ti had one, the Listen-Cry, which in later ages became the mount of Earth Store Bodhisattva. This was a primordial beast, capable of hearing anything anywhere. For the sake of the sect’s grand designs, Quasi-Ti gifted his mount to Earth Store Bodhisattva.

Nuwa, who had not yet established her own sect, had only a colorful phoenix as her mount. Her disciples were pitifully few—only Spirit Pearl, who would become Nezha, Third Prince, and a half-disciple, the Six Prince Lu Ya, the last of the Three-Legged Golden Crows. All others were beings yet to take human form.

Regardless of whether it was the Three Pure Ones or Reception and Quasi-Ti, all urged their disciples to diligently study their respective sect's teachings. Though the future primordial world would belong to the saints, they could not handle every task themselves—what then would be the purpose of disciples?

Tongtian’s secret force was also set into motion. Knowing what the future held, he imbued each level of the training tower with his own power, creating illusions to test the disciples’ character and temperament. Those with outstanding strength could join the ranks of the Four Great Disciples of Duobao Daoist.

Tongtian now understood that to shine in the coming cataclysm of the Investiture of the Gods, he would need his own secret force. Thus, he secretly selected the best among Duobao Daoist’s four disciples to form the Spirit Sect Guard.

Only Tongtian and the Four Great Disciples could command the Spirit Sect Guard, whose members were all of at least the Taiyi Profound Immortal level.

The turbulent era of the saints was about to begin. What plans did Tongtian have in store?