Chapter 172: with translation of chapter title

"What does this mean?!"

Nüwa spoke softly, asking Chen Ku.

Upon hearing that, Chen Ku did not immediately answer, seeming to ponder something.

After a moment, he looked at the flowers, birds, fish, and insects that Nüwa had shaped before her, and said in a low voice:

"Senior Nüwa, everything you are doing right now is merely imitating the myriad living things that already existed in the primordial wilderness."

"Moreover, they have form but lack spirit......"

Just that sentence caused Nüwa to startle violently.

"Imitating?!"

"Form without spirit?!"

Faintly, it seemed to touch upon a crucial point in Nüwa's cultivation.

"That's it!"

"The Way of Creation ought not to be like this."

Rather than saying Nüwa is creating the living beings she envisioned, it would be more apt to say she is merely pinching together some clay figurines.

Nüwa remained silent, continuing to look at Chen Ku, waiting for him to keep speaking.

However, this time Chen Ku merely gave Nüwa a meaningful look, then said nothing more.

One must know, the Heavenly Dao is not always good-tempered.

This matter ultimately concerns Nüwa's attainment of the Dao and becoming a sage.

As the saying goes, many words lead to loss.

If my words involve leaking heavenly secrets, there's no guarantee the Heavenly Dao won't bring down heavenly punishment.

That would be more than enough for Chen Ku to bear.

Therefore, Chen Ku could only give Nüwa a little guidance.

More accurately, he only uttered a hint; the rest must be comprehended by Nüwa herself.

Moreover, even so, Chen Ku did not have much confidence in his heart.

While speaking, he furtively gazed upward at the Nine Heavens.

After a long while, no omen appeared, which allowed Chen Ku's heart to settle somewhat.

His idea was not bad, but having said only this much, the Heavenly Dao showed no reaction.

Beside him, seeing Chen Ku say no more, Nüwa had already fallen into deep thought.

Her fairy robes fluttered as she sat cross-legged on the waist of Mount Buzhou, her eyes slightly closed, forgetting self and world.

Evidently, she had already entered a state of comprehending the Dao.

"In the primordial wilderness, years are not counted!"

"Ten years......"

"A hundred years......"

"Three hundred years......"

"The years fled hurriedly."

Chen Ku was not impatient either; he simply sat likewise beside Nüwa, quietly awaiting the day she would successfully comprehend the Dao.

At the same time, he continually drew on the dense killing qi of Mount Buzhou to temper his flesh and cultivate the Mixed Yuan True Classic, etc.

This time, Nüwa's comprehension of the Dao took a full thousand years.

"Huu......"

That day, Nüwa drew a long breath, her eyes slowly opening as she awoke from her seated meditation.

Beside her, Chen Ku also sensed it, looking at Nüwa with a smile.

"Senior Nüwa, have you comprehended it?!"

He asked in this manner.

Upon hearing that, Nüwa nodded slightly, but her brows remained tightly furrowed, not relaxing.

"This one has gained some insight."

"If one wishes to attain the Dao, one must create a species never before seen in the primordial wilderness."

These words made Chen Ku's eyes blaze bright.

It seems Nüwa has indeed touched upon the essence of attaining the Dao and becoming a sage.

But immediately after, Nüwa said again:

"But... this ordinary earth and water lack spirituality."

"The living beings she shapes are merely like sculptures, dead objects."

"What... should be done about this?"

While speaking, Nüwa looked at the mire before her.

Originally, this patch of mire was merely her taking the most ordinary yellow soil and river water and blending them together.

Seeing Nüwa's worried, bitter face, Chen Ku seemed to have anticipated it.

"Hehe, what's so difficult about that?!"

"I, the junior, possess Nine Heavens' living soil and Chaos spiritual water."

"This just happens to be able to dispel Senior Nüwa's worries."

Before his words even fell, Chen Ku waved his hand grandly.

As for the Chaos spiritual water, there's no need to say more.

As for that Nine Heavens' living soil, at this moment it hovered before Nüwa, displaying a peculiar golden-yellow hue, swaying with the wind.

A yellow light that is like gold yet not gold unfolds, profound and mysterious, beyond words.

This object is an innate dharma artifact and the earth's ancestral source; it can nurture all things and contains incomparably pure and miraculous spiritual qi.

In fact, this nine-heavens everlasting soil originally lay beneath the primordial gourd vine.

But at that time, the primordial gourd vine matured, seizing most of the soil's spiritual qi, making it appear ordinary.

Only then did Nüwa fail to realize this object's extraordinariness, and she also failed to realize it would actually be related to her attaining the Dao and becoming a saint.

Later, Chen Ku traveled to Mount Buzhou, and only then did he take it into his possession.

Gazing at the chaos spiritual water and the nine-heavens everlasting soil suspended high, Nüwa was startled, her face full of surprise.

"This is......"

She was so shocked she could barely close her mouth.

"It seems the words of Chen Ku, my junior disciple, were not false."

At this moment, regarding Chen Ku's words, Nüwa believed them without doubt.

It seems that attaining the Dao and becoming a saint is indeed also related to Chen Ku's fortune.

Otherwise, the latter would not have made such preparations in advance.

Thereafter, Nüwa hesitated no longer, immediately taking up the nine-heavens everlasting soil and the chaos spiritual water.

As the two merged, Nüwa carefully extended her hand, shaping a human form, and then outlined the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and other facial features upon it.

This time, indeed it was different!

The clay figurine, once formed, appeared more lifelike than before, its features vividly animated.

But it was merely 'like' life, not truly becoming a living being possessed of vitality.

"This is...... what else is lacking?"

Nüwa froze.

But this time, Chen Ku no longer hid anything.

"Nüwa, my senior uncle, why not try bestowing a breath of spiritual qi?!"

Only this final step remains; even if I don't say it, Nüwa will understand it before long.

Therefore, Chen Ku also need not worry about leaking heavenly secrets.

Hearing this, Nüwa complied, parting her vermilion lips slightly and exhaling a breath of spiritual qi that entered the clay figurine before her.

In an instant, the clay figurine revived at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Lively light surged in its eyes, and the clay figure's body turned into true flesh and blood.

Spiritual light burst forth, and soon the clay figure transformed into a male figure over two meters tall, curiously surveying the primordial heaven and earth, as well as Nüwa and Chen Ku before it.

It's actually like this?!

Nüwa was overjoyed and couldn't help but exclaim.

By this time, she finally fully understood.

This is just like the ancient Pangu Great God, using the essence of heaven and earth and nurturing it with indestructible spiritual light, creating unprecedented living beings.

Moreover, more importantly, these humans are undeniably innate Dao bodies upon birth, and they need not undergo trials such as the tribulation of forming a form.

She gazed at Chen Ku, filled with emotion and gratitude; without him, she would surely still have to painstakingly comprehend endless ages.

Afterward, Nüwa no longer hesitated and continued shaping clay to create humans.

With the first human born, Nüwa became adept at the task.

Thirty......

Fifty......

One hundred......

Before the two of them, the number of humans increased at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After an unknown amount of time, the number of innate humans reached three thousand.

However, Nüwa could not hide a hint of fatigue at this time.

One must know, bestowing spiritual energy upon humans is not as simple as merely blowing a breath as it appears.

Each breath of spiritual energy is Nüwa's primordial essence.

This is a tremendous drain for her.

"This way... is still too slow......"

Nüwa fell into thought.

Immediately, with a thought, a strand of green light burst forth.

Next, a vine glowing with immortal light appeared in Nüwa's hand.

With a flick of her jade hand, Nüwa intended to directly use the vine, flinging out clay specks to shape them into humans.

Seeing this, Chen Ku's expression changed dramatically.

He instantly recognized it as the primordial gourd vine from before.

Immediately after, Chen Ku hurriedly spoke:

"Lady Nüwa, Senior, this must not be done!"

"In cultivation, one must have a beginning and an end."

"If one does this, taking shortcuts, wouldn't it be giving up halfway?"

"If it affects Senior's attainment of the Dao, the loss would outweigh the gain."

"Excellent!"

Chen Ku spoke up, advising Nüwa to stop.

He clearly understood that humans personally shaped by Nüwa's hand and clay specks casually flung out with the gourd vine are utterly different.

The latter can only be called an ordinary acquired human race; whether it be one's foundation, talent, or future limits, etc., it will be subject to great suppression.

After all, in his previous life he was human, and Chen Ku also hopes to let the human race of this life possess greater potential and a physique more suited for cultivation.

Upon hearing his words, Nüwa was momentarily dumbfounded.