What a good comrade!
Feng Lin tightly grasped the fat man's hand, shaking it vigorously, afraid he might change his mind.
He sighed inwardly.
This fat man was a true comrade who generously gave from his own pocket to fill others'—where could one find such a perfect sucker?
Seeing Feng Lin's excited expression, the fat man looked suspicious, feeling like he might have been tricked!
Feng Lin quickly came to his senses. He had been too undignified, too eager!
Showing his hand too clearly would ruin everything.
Seeing the fat man hesitate, he immediately withdrew his smile, frowning at him. "Daoist Zhu Tiangang, what exactly do you mean? If you're not willing, let's forget it!"
Feng Lin put on an impatient look and turned to leave.
"Wait!" The fat man panicked and grabbed him. "Daoist Wukong, don't go! Let's make the deal, alright?"
"A word of gold it is, settled!" This time it was the fat man's turn to fear Feng Lin backing out, emphasizing each word.
He cursed himself inwardly for being foolish.
So what if it was a word of gold?
He had no shortage of star coins!
If he could get the truth about Hongjun Daozu's teachings, what were a few star coins?
It was just the content of an initiation test—how many words could it be, how much could it cost?
The fat man cast aside all doubts and stopped overthinking, lowering his posture humbly. "What is the true meaning of Hongjun Daozu's song? What initiation test does it hide? Please enlighten me, Daoist Wukong!"
Feng Lin nodded, satisfied with his attitude, and smiled. "That's a long story!..."
A long story?...
The fat man's eyebrows twitched, but he still put on a look of attentive listening.
Feng Lin countered, "Do you know why Hongjun Daozu established the Mythic Gene Association?"
The fat man shook his head, looking clueless.
"It starts with the Mythic Gene Association itself! It's a secret cultivation organization that doesn't ask about origins, allowing people to exchange knowledge on various mythic genes. But Hongjun Daozu is a great cultivator—the knowledge others share is far too shallow for him, offering no benefit. Have you ever thought about why he founded it?" Feng Lin guided him step by step, constantly boosting his own Hongjun Daozu persona, leading the fat man's thinking into a trap.
"Why?" The fat man was stunned, grumbling inwardly.
How could a mere mortal understand the mind of a great being like Hongjun Daozu? If I knew, why would I ask you?
Strange, too!
The fat man wondered how this Daoist Wukong knew so much.
He must be a veteran member of the Mythic Gene Association—that had to be it!
Unknowingly, his thoughts had already gone astray.
"Still don't get it?" Feng Lin smiled faintly. "Hongjun Daozu already told you earlier!"
"He did?" The fat man was baffled.
Seeing no reaction, Feng Lin began to impart the secret.
"'High above the nine-layered clouds, a cushion to realize the truth.' The first line speaks of Hongjun Daozu's serene inaction, a profound state of mind where heaven and earth follow the heart. 'Beyond heaven and earth, yellow and dark, I am the honored master.' The second line refers to his lofty status as the revered leader. 'Pangu gave birth to Taiji, two forms and four symbols follow.' The third line reveals the supreme Dao he has realized. 'One Dao passed to three friends, two teachings split into Chan and Jie.' The fourth line tells of how he once taught the world, establishing the Chan and Jie sects..." He dissected Hongjun Daozu's song of enlightenment piece by piece.
The fat man listened intently, suddenly enlightened, feeling the mist before him lift to reveal the bright moon.
"Chan Sect!" The fat man was startled, shouting inwardly, "I've heard of that!"
It was said that the famous Yang family in the stars had unearthed the legacy of Erlang Shen Yang Jian from mythic ruins, and in the legends of Erlang Shen, the name of the Chan Sect was mentioned—a supreme teaching.
Erlang Shen was the chief disciple of Yuding Zhenren, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect.
But who the other Twelve Golden Immortals were remained unknown—all a mystery.
Besides the Chan Sect, there was also the Jie Sect?
Was it a sect on par with the Chan Sect?
Both passed down by this Hongjun Daozu!
The amount of information was overwhelming, truly mind-boggling.
The fat man was completely dazed.
Feng Lin smiled mysteriously, offering no further explanation.
At moments like this, staying silent was best—let the other party's imagination run wild!
The more he thought, the more mysterious Hongjun Daozu became, far more effective than Feng Lin's own relentless promotion.
He didn't want to overdo it, exaggerating so much that even he wouldn't believe it.
Feng Lin was getting more experienced at playing the mystic.
"'Leader of the Mystic Gate, one Qi transforms into Hongjun!'" The fat man's mind was a mess, and he stammered, "What does the last line mean?"
"It means Hongjun Daozu is the founder of the Mystic Gate, having attained the fruit of the Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal of One Qi!" Feng Lin explained, throwing out another cultivation term that left the fat man baffled.
Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal of One Qi?
What kind of deity was that?
Though he didn't understand, it sounded powerful enough to break through the stars.
Feng Lin smiled faintly and countered, "As the founder of the Mystic Gate, what do you think Hongjun Daozu should do most?"
The fat man wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was exceptionally shrewd, a trait well-known in his family.
Otherwise, as a cultivation waste, even as the legitimate heir, he couldn't have owned a life planet alone and become a star tycoon!
He had earned it all with his own ability!
If he weren't clever, he wouldn't have tried to wheedle secrets out of Feng Lin earlier.
The only fault was that Feng Lin's schemes were too deep, leading him astray...
"Yes! As the founder of the Mystic Gate, what should he do?" The fat man pondered, suddenly recalling what Hongjun Daozu had said to him before.
I have a Dao, to be passed on to you?!!!
The fat man's eyes lit up. "Is it about spreading the Dao?"
"Exactly!" Feng Lin smiled approvingly, as if to say, "I knew you'd get it." "As a Dao Ancestor, naturally, he must spread the Dao across the heavens! Otherwise, how could he be called a Dao Ancestor? Why else would he answer questions on the Mythic Forum earlier, trying to become a Mythic Big V? Wasn't it to preach his own Dao? Hongjun Daozu has been hidden for so long that the world has forgotten his great deeds—even a Dao Ancestor has to start anew!"
Feng Lin kept spinning tales, spinning them hard.
The fat man nodded, without a shred of doubt, naturally forming his own guess.
In his view, the true identity of Hongjun Daozu, founder of the Mythic Gene Association, must be a senior cultivator of immense depth, walking the path of Hongjun Daozu, using this alias to follow his way, spreading the Dao across the heavens to realize the Dao of Hongjun.
Unknowingly, his thoughts had been led astray to the ends of the universe.
The fat man's eyes widened as if he had figured something out. "So, my test task is related to Hongjun Daozu spreading the Dao!"
"The student is teachable!" Feng Lin chuckled lightly. "Hongjun Daozu is the founder of the Mythic Gene Association. To become a member, one must naturally acknowledge his path. Right now, the association is just starting out, with only the two of us—this is a golden opportunity. It's a great fortune for both of us. As long as we can spread the Dao Ancestor's mystic arts across the stars, we'll surely gain his favor and have boundless prospects. Then, will there be any problem with you joining the Mythic Gene Association? Keep this secret—I don't tell just anyone!"
The fat man's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth, nodding quickly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as Feng Lin was about to continue, suddenly the clouds above Mythic Earth rolled and formed a sky-covering giant hand, reaching out from afar.
"Wukong, you've leaked my heavenly secrets—what punishment do you deserve?" From beyond the heavens came Hongjun Daozu's thunderous, furious voice, shaking heaven and earth.
Feng Lin looked terrified and quickly said, "Daozu, forgive me! Wukong won't dare again!"
Before he could flee, his body was grabbed and dragged into Mythic Earth, vanishing.
"Hongjun Daozu, spare me!" A pitiful scream echoed.
The fat man was swept by the giant hand, his body turning into a shooting star flung a hundred thousand miles away before slowly stopping.
He shuddered, as if awakened by a sudden enlightenment.
The fat man looked at Mythic Earth, now hidden again in the void, drenched in cold sweat, with no doubt left about Feng Lin's words.
This Daoist Wukong had leaked heavenly secrets and been caught by Hongjun Daozu—how could his words be false?
Daoist Wukong was surely in for it, and there was nothing he could do to help.
"Daoist Wukong, I'm sorry for getting you into this. If there's a next life, I'll repay you handsomely!" The fat man silently mourned for Feng Lin, hoping he'd look out for himself.
To express his gratitude and apology, he transferred a full 3 million star coins to Feng Lin's account, far exceeding the price of a word of gold.
"I finally know what the initiation test is!" The fat man became ecstatic, logging off in a hurry, seemingly eager to complete the test.
He left too quickly to notice that soon after, the Zixiao Palace in Mythic Earth reappeared.
Feng Lin and his Hongjun Daozu avatar exchanged smiles.
He had put on quite a show.
First, using the Hongjun Daozu avatar to preach, shrouding things in mystery to pique the fat man's immense curiosity, then stepping in himself to reveal the secret and make money.
Both the god and the ghost were Feng Lin himself.
With just this back-and-forth, 3 million star coins were in hand!
It was like getting something for nothing!
This deal was a steal!
...
Deep in the stars, in the asteroid palace, a loud shout soon echoed.
"Hurry! Spread the deeds of Hongjun Daozu across the stars!"
"I have plenty of money! I want to make this Hongjun Ancestor famous!"
"Fame! Fame! Fame!..."
The hysterical shouts reverberated around the asteroid, shaking it endlessly.
...
A while later, Feng Lin logged off from the virtual universe and onto the Mythic Forum, only to find his follower count skyrocketing like a rocket breaking through the clouds.
1, 10, 100...
Soon, his followers surpassed 1 million, climbing at an extraordinary speed.
In summary, three words.
Fame! Fame! Fame!...