Nezha retracted the Ten Thousand Merits and infused them all into his Bright Silver Spear. With his teacher backing him up, he wasn't particularly worried.
As everyone knows, the debtor is always the boss. Haven't you seen that there are still two Huabei Saints in the Primordial world?
King Zhou, witnessing this earth-shattering scene, was utterly convinced—today, he had truly encountered a living immortal!
He hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Immortal, can you teach me the Dao?"
Nezha replied, "Fate binds us. I can."
King Zhou continued, "Immortal, can you teach me the method of immortality?"
Nezha looked him up and down. This guy's spirit must belong to a monkey, right?
"I have a method that can grant longevity."
He wasn't really lying to King Zhou. If one practiced this cultivation technique all the way to becoming an Immortal King or Immortal Emperor, longevity was guaranteed. The trick was, he only wrote it up to Immortal Ascension (just kidding).
"Please teach me, o Immortal Master!"
Nezha stroked his non-existent beard and waved his hand to summon the Qiankun Cauldron: "Great King, place your hand inside. If you lack the fate for immortality, it cannot be forced."
The Qiankun Cauldron had long been pre-configured by Nezha. A top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure loading Nezha's program was as effortless as could be.
Yin Shou didn't hesitate, immediately placing his hand into the cauldron and touching the Eight Diagrams inside. The cauldron radiated five streaks of brilliant light, blue, red, yellow (nine inches each), green (five inches), and gold (six inches), before spewing forth a massive golden radiance that condensed into the form of a monarch.
Yin Shou, seeing these extraordinary phenomena unfold, couldn't fully comprehend them but could guess that his aptitude must be exceptional. He looked at Nezha with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
You wouldn't be wrong—Yin Shou's aptitude was indeed impressive. If this were a cultivation world, he'd have achieved Innate Five Elements Perfection, with three Heavenly Spiritual Roots to boot, and a special Tyrant Emperor Sacred Body. He was practically a Dragon-AoTian protagonist template.
Nezha composed his words and faux-exclaimed, "Great King, your talent is one-in-a-million! Not only have you achieved the Five Elements Perfection, but you also possess three Heavenly Spiritual Roots and the Innate Tyrant Emperor Sacred Body. The future is boundless, boundless indeed!"
Yin Shou was overjoyed upon hearing this. All these "tyrant," "emperor," and "perfection" labels sounded immensely badass. He had always believed himself to be exceptional, even beyond his "Great King" title. See? Even without being king, he'd still be a cultivation prodigy!
And this was the truth.
"Hahahahaha!"
After laughing, Yin Shou glanced around, grabbed Fei Zhong by the collar, and dragged him to the cauldron, commanding, "You, try it."
Fei Zhong wouldn't dare disobey. Trembling, he stretched his hand into the cauldron.
Whoosh!
Five stubby beams of light appeared instantly.
Yin Shou kicked Fei Zhong in the rear. "Trash!"
Next, he turned to You Hun. You Hun stepped forward immediately but fared even worse than Fei Zhong!
Finally, Yin Shou's gaze landed on the exquisite beauty Daji, who had been kneeling this whole time. With a meaningful glance, he motioned for her to give it a try.
Daji stood up, glanced at Nezha, and placed her slender jade-like hand into the cauldron. Whoosh!
Better than Fei Zhong and You Hun, but not by much. King Zhou instantly lost interest in her. "I, Yin Shou, am now entirely dedicated to cultivation!"
Daji had actually achieved Qi Cultivation by copying a scripture, so how could her aptitude be poor? Nezha had subtly tweaked the cauldron, that's all.
Yin Shou suppressed his excitement, respectfully addressing Nezha, "Immortal Master, please teach me the Immortal Law!"
Instead of immediately teaching him, Nezha smiled and said, "The Law cannot be transmitted lightly."
Yin Shou, being a king, instantly understood Nezha's meaning. Far from being angry, he was even a bit pleased. Turns out immortals like this sort of thing too—this made things simpler.
"I hereby appoint Li Nezha as Yin Shang's National Guardian and grant the title Great Sage Master! One thousand catties of gold, three hundred beauties, a residence fit for a lord, and no need to bow in the court!"
Nezha nodded in satisfaction. He declined the official title of State Preceptor but accepted the other rewards.
From his robes, he pulled out a copy of the "Qi Cultivation Chapter" from the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill Heavenly Immortal Technique and handed it to Yin Shou. Yin Shou accepted it as if it were a priceless treasure. Even Fei Zhong and You Hun's eyes lit up—sure, their aptitude was poor, but they could still practice, couldn't they?
Daji tilted her little head, full of question marks. Wasn't it called "Qi Nourishing Technique" when I was copying it?
Yin Shou controlled his urge to flip through it and politely dismissed them, instructing Fei Zhong to handle the rewards and send Nezha to his new residence.
Nezha waved off the Qiankun Cauldron. King Zhou seemed a bit reluctant but said nothing.
Seeing Daji standing there awkwardly, Nezha called out, "Great King, though Daji's aptitude is mediocre, she has journeyed with me. Perhaps…"
Before he could finish, King Zhou, flipping through the "Divine Skill Secret Manual," waved dismissively. "I'm not interested in beauties at the moment; take her if you wish."
Daji visibly exhaled in relief and followed Nezha with a smile.
Fei Zhong and You Hun, wearing ingratiating expressions, delivered the gold, silver, and beauties to Nezha's newly assigned mansion.
"Immortal Master, we have offended you much along the journey. Please forgive us!"
Nezha waved dismissively, indicating it was nothing and he didn't mind at all.
Seeing that Nezha didn't demand their earlier bribe back, Fei Zhong scurried off happily.
Nezha instructed Daji to manage the mansion, cast an invisibility spell, and followed them. That very night, he thoroughly investigated their secret stash of wealth.
As it turned out, these two were hoarding gold and jewels like hamsters, burying it in an underground cache on the outskirts of Chaoge City. Nezha didn't take it immediately. Everyone knows you leave one egg in the nest to keep the chicken laying.
When it was time to leave, he'd take it all and wouldn't have to come back a second time.
"Fei Zhong, You Hun, keep working hard!"
Nezha returned to his mansion. In his room, Daji was also there, surprisingly meditating and cultivating Qi.
Though Nezha's bed was large, he didn't intend to share it with Daji. Mere beauty no longer swayed him, and Daji, a bit disappointed, reluctantly returned to her own room.
Nezha pulled out three books obtained from Fire Cloud Cave: "Fu Xi's Eight Diagrams," "Shennong Scripture," and "Inner Canon of Huangdi: Su Nu Chapter."
The "Fu Xi's Eight Diagrams" focused on calculations, allowing Nezha to transition from brute-force calculations to sophisticated formulas—a huge boost to his analytical skills.
The "Shennong Scripture" focused on medicine and poison.
As for the "Inner Canon of Huangdi," Nezha thought it was too advanced for now, though some light previewing wouldn't hurt.
That night, all of Chaoge City knew the Great King had discovered an enlightened master, who had imparted the method for Immortal Ascension.
Yin Shou didn't even visit his favorite concubines that evening, staying up all night poring over Nezha's "Heavenly Immortal Technique." The Qi Cultivation Chapter wasn't difficult to understand; by the morning, he practically had it memorized.
Afraid of messing up his own practice, he managed to resist diving straight into meditation, though he was sleepless with anticipation.
At daybreak, he eagerly convened his court. Ever since Master Wen left, Yin Shou hadn't been this diligent in ages.
After the officials paid their respects, Yin Shou summoned Nezha, who strode into the grand hall dressed in a white robe with golden cloud patterns and a yellow sash, striding with calm elegance.
The entire court, looking at Nezha, couldn't help but feel that this was how an immortal ought to appear—although this Banished Immortal seemed a bit…small.
Yin Shou publicly announced Nezha's appointment, prompting an elderly official, Upper Doctor Mei Bo, to interject: "Great King, how can our Shang Dynasty's century-old foundation declare a mere child as the Great Sage Master?"
Nezha glanced at the old man, mentally pulling up his dossier. Mei Bo: a staunchly loyal minister of the Shang Dynasty, famously barbecued alive. In this story, he apparently plays the role of literal food.
Nezha didn't care much for the barbecue method but shared the same goal. For loyalists like him, indulgence wasn't an option. Studying the old man for a second, he said, "Doctor, have you been experiencing digestive troubles lately?"
Nezha's aura and reputation from the prior night's celestial phenomena gave him an air of authority. Mei Bo, believing Nezha's abilities, hesitated and asked, "Immortal Master, how did you know?"
Nezha stepped back half a pace. "Your breath reeks."
The other officials instinctively stepped back a bit, breathing deeply and sniffing the air.
Are you serious about stepping back half a pace? The emotional damage is real!
Mei Bo turned beet red. "You whelp, how dare you insult me so!?"
"I'll fight you to the death!"