Chapter 180: The Thirty-Six Dao Paths

The Great Xuanzhuo Realm is vast beyond measure, harboring countless grotto-heavens and secret realms.

Countless Daoist sects, immortal clans, and celestial dynasties flourish there!

It is home to both mortals and cultivators of Qi Circulation. The mortals are like stars in the sky, too numerous to count.

The same is true of cultivators.

"Yet even with such unfathomable numbers, figures of the Dao Foundation realm remain scarce."

Lin Suri swept his sleeve as he spoke, a trace of wonder in his voice.

"Take the name of the realm itself!

"Dao Foundation, Dao Foundation... it is the foundation of the Great Dao. Only by establishing a Dao Foundation and mastering a Great Divine Ability does one earn the right to scale even higher peaks."

Chen Lingxi's eyes flickered.

He still remembered when Emperor Daye, a Dao Foundation expert, had struck out at him during his Absolute Perception Deduction.

That overwhelming power had left him incapable of resistance. Before such a figure, he could only seize a momentary lapse in Emperor Daye's attention even to end his own life.

If the emperor had watched him more closely, he likely wouldn't have even managed to use Divine Sense Materialization to shatter his own sea of consciousness.

'The gap between the Qi Circulation realm and the Dao Foundation realm is simply too vast.'

With this clear in his mind, Chen Lingxi asked, "I wonder, after reaching the Twelve Floors of Qi Circulation, mastering a Great Divine Ability, and transforming it into a Dao Platform and Profound Root, must one continue cultivating Great Divine Abilities to ascend to higher realms?"

Lin Suri nodded.

"The strength of a Dao Foundation cultivator lies entirely in the Profound Roots of their Dao Platform.

"The more Profound Roots forged from divine abilities they possess, the denser and more formidable their spiritual qi becomes.

"Furthermore, bound by the restrictions of the Great Dao, every Dao Foundation cultivator can cultivate four Dao Foundation Great Divine Abilities, transforming them into four Profound Roots!

"This perfectly corresponds to the four stages spanning from the Early Dao Foundation to Dao Foundation Perfection."

Chen Lingxi understood.

Cultivating one Great Divine Ability marked the Early Dao Foundation.

Cultivating three meant reaching the Dao Foundation Late Stage.

'So Emperor Daye, Ying Xian, is at the Early Dao Foundation. He is currently nurturing a Dao Foundation Spiritual Object. Once it matures, he will likely practice the Heavenly Decline Law to forge his second Great Divine Ability and break through to the Dao Foundation Middle Stage in one fell swoop.'

'If the Early Dao Foundation is already that tyrannical, I can't imagine the heights of the Dao Foundation Middle Stage with two Profound Roots.'

Chen Lingxi couldn't help but frown, a faint sense of crisis rising in his chest.

Emperor Daye was still scheming against him.

During the Absolute Perception Deduction, the emperor had signed a Jade Precept Book with him, claiming he would bestow a great opportunity upon him—but heaven only knew what malicious intent lay hidden beneath that promise.

'What I know for now is that Emperor Daye seems to face restrictions; he cannot strike out without consequence.'

'Even so, I must remain on guard.'

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes in thought. 'Emperor Daye seems to be waiting for me to step into the Heaven-Facing realm...'

Beside him, Lin Suri continued explaining the so-called Thirty-Six Dao Paths.

Chen Lingxi listened with rapt attention.

It took half an hour before Chen Lingxi finally gained a solid grasp of the Thirty-Six Dao Paths.

In the ancient era of the Great Dao, the universe was divided into thirty-six celestial domes.

Each of the thirty-six domes was distinct, governing its own set of laws and duties.

Later, for reasons lost to time, the thirty-six domes fell and shattered, scattering countless Great Daos across the world.

Fortunately, the remnants of those Great Daos lingered in the world, giving rise to the Thirty-Six Dao Paths.

Though thirty-six paths existed in name, ordinary cultivators could only come into contact with twenty-four of them.

This was because the Great Divine Abilities of the upper twelve paths could not be cultivated by those in the Dao Foundation realm.

Furthermore, even the Under-Dao Academy knew next to nothing about the Great Divine Abilities of those remaining twelve paths.

'Twenty-four paths, over two hundred Great Divine Abilities...'

Over two hundred might not sound like many, but in truth, any cultivator at or above the Dao Foundation could practice four of them.

When combined, they would complement each other and generate miraculous new effects. The number of possible synergies was practically endless.

"The power of a Dao Foundation Great Divine Ability often strikes directly at the laws of heaven and earth, defying all logic.

"Take the Haoting Xiaodu Dao, for example. It is the path of truth and falsehood.

"Its Great Divine Ability, the [Truth-Fixing Decree], can invoke the power of the Great Dao to define reality itself, even pointing at a deer and calling it a horse. Another Great Divine Ability, the [Flowing Abyss Water], unleashes a deluge that washes over its targets, turning all incoming spells and divine abilities from real to false."

"Then there is the Miaocheng Changjie Dao, the path of constant change.

"Its [Constancy Law] allows the caster to permanently freeze their own state, or that of a target, at a specific moment in time.

"As long as this Constancy Law remains active, not even the combined suppression of mighty cultivators and magical treasures can alter that state in the slightest.

"There is also the [Dao Prison Technique], which lays down a Heavenly Statute to establish an ironclad rule within a bounded area. It could forbid flight, deny entry, or decree that all sword light must sink and all spells must shatter... The applications are endless."

"I have even heard that beneath this Dao path, there are cultivators who have mastered the [Extra-Dao Law], allowing them to create an exception for themselves out of thin air..."

"An exception?"

Chen Lingxi marveled at the sheer profundity of these Great Divine Abilities, hanging onto every word.

Lin Suri nodded.

"The path of constant change forcefully carves out an exception.

"For instance, some grotto-heavens are utterly saturated with death qi and governed by bizarre, inescapable rules.

"Any Dao Foundation figure who steps inside would undoubtedly perish.

"However, a Dao Foundation cultivator wielding the Extra-Dao Law could create a personal exception to those deadly rules."

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath.

"Put that way, these various Great Divine Abilities sound quite similar to many Cauldron Vessels."

Lin Suri nodded at first, but then slowly shook his head.

"Cauldron Vessels also vary in strength. Tyrannical Cauldron Vessels can create matter from the void, fundamentally warp the laws of heaven and earth, and secure eternal truths with a single proof!

"They can even..."

Lin Suri paused here, a hint of deep awe creeping into his voice.

"They can even completely and utterly alter the world itself."

Thinking of the Heaven-Determining Brush and the Realm-Refining Furnace, Chen Lingxi gave a slight nod.

The sheer power of a Cauldron Vessel was truly beyond comprehension.

Chen Lingxi continued conversing with Lin Suri, asking numerous questions about common cultivation knowledge in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm.

Although Lin Suri grew increasingly puzzled about Chen Lingxi's origins, he still answered everything to the best of his ability.

It was only when the pot of tea Lin Suri had brewed ran dry that Chen Lingxi finally stood up to say his goodbyes.

Lin Suri rose to see him off. As they reached the edge of the cliff, Chen Lingxi's eyes suddenly shifted, and he asked, "Daoist brother, when you were cultivating back at Marquis Baosu's Manor, did you ever notice anything strange about the estate?"

"Anything strange about the manor?"

Lin Suri thought it over briefly.

"I didn't notice anything."

Chen Lingxi nodded slightly, not pressing the matter further.

As the two exchanged their final farewells, Lin Suri said, "Daoist friend, you and I signed a Jade Precept Book, and I promised I would persuade the Under-Dao Academy to aid you once.

"Since then, you have also saved my life. I will never forget that favor. If you ever have need of me, please use this spirit token to inform me."

As he spoke, Lin Suri drew out a jade pendant.

The pendant was entirely silver-white, devoid of any elaborate carvings. It looked quite ordinary.

Without a second thought, Chen Lingxi accepted the pendant.

'Numerous experts from the Under-Dao Academy are about to project themselves here, but I have no idea how much combat power their projected avatars will actually possess.'

'Will they be stronger or weaker than Emperor Daye?'

'Could the combined might of these Under-Dao Academy experts be enough to kill him?'

Harboring these thoughts, Chen Lingxi made his departure.

Meanwhile, back on the snowy mountain peak, clouds and mist drifted over from the distance. Threads of spiritual qi swirled once more as a shadowy figure materialized within them.

"This person is at the Ninth Floor of Qi Circulation, and his foundations are quite profound.

"Looking at his spiritual qi, he doesn't seem like an ordinary Ninth Floor cultivator at all."

The figure in the clouds spoke.

"But this person is rather strange. He's completely oblivious to basic common sense, like the grades of magical artifacts and Dao Foundation Great Divine Abilities."

Lin Suri nodded slightly.

The figure in the clouds suddenly asked, "Could he be... someone from the Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven?"

Lin Suri stared blankly for a moment before shaking his head.

"This person practices our Under-Dao Academy's Six Qi True Method. I highly doubt he's a native of this grotto-heaven."

Hearing this, the figure in the clouds gave a gentle nod.

"The Six Qi True Method is widely circulated. The Southern Heaven Region, Ehai, and Guangdu Heaven have all engaged in exchanging what one has for what one lacks with our Under-Dao Academy, taking the Six Qi True Method in the process. Perhaps he acquired it from another reincarnator.

"However, the cultivators of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm are innumerable. The odds of him stumbling into a cultivator in this grotto-heaven who does not belong to our Under-Dao Academy but happens to practice the Six Qi True Method—and then managing to obtain the opportunity to learn it himself—are simply too slim."

"Perhaps he really is just a loose cultivator building a chariot behind closed doors?"

The two conversed for a while longer before Lin Suri spoke again.

"Daoist friend Chen values loyalty and righteousness, and his cultivation aptitude is quite extraordinary.

"Once the matter of the Cauldron Vessel is settled and we return to the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, our Pool Soul Courtyard could take him in. He would definitely become a valuable asset in the future."

—

Having learned so much common knowledge about cultivation, Chen Lingxi returned to Qinghua Province feeling thoroughly satisfied.

Yet, this trip had also left him with lingering doubts.

'Back in Marquis Baosu's Manor, both Lin Longyue and the Black Banner in Xuantong Observatory possessed unique miraculous qualities. It was obvious at a glance that they were extraordinary.'

'Lin Suri's cultivation base used to be much higher than mine, yet he didn't detect either of these two opportunities at all.'

'That is simply too bizarre.'

Chen Lingxi knitted his brows tightly together.

He had originally planned to find Lin Suri to compare their versions of the Six Qi True Method, wanting to see if the true incantation the Credit Peddler gave him was somehow different.

However, when he used Vision Roaming, he noticed another Under-Dao Academy cultivator hiding within the mist and clouds, which swiftly dispelled any idea of probing into their sect's cultivation method.

'I'll just wait for the next opportunity.'

Unable to figure it out, Chen Lingxi returned to Qinghua Province, sat cross-legged in his mountain cave, and closed his eyes to cultivate.

He lightly raised his hand.

The precious pill obtained after the Gold-Swallowing Toad devoured the items from the Crown Prince's Beast-Fighting Palace hovered above his palm.

'According to Lin Suri, pills are divided into three major ranks: Spirit Pills, Profound Pills, and Heaven Pills.'

'Spirit Pills are further divided into nine grades, with the first grade being the most precious.'

'Profound Pills and Heaven Pills are each divided into five grades.'

'I wonder if this pill is good enough to reach the rank of a fifth-grade Spirit Pill.'

Amidst his musings, Chen Lingxi opened his mouth and swallowed the pill.