Chapter 363: The Treatment of a Dao Child

"Gui Water is supremely weak, yet it reaches the celestial ford. Acquiring the dragon, it circulates, its efficacy transforming like a god."

Wang Ping muttered softly.

Hearing this, Kunyun gave him a surprised look before nodding slightly. "Fellow Daoist, your comprehension is unmatched. You have already reached the absolute pinnacle of the Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi."

"Achieving Qi Refining Entering the Dao should merely be a matter of time."

"Senior Brother praises me too much."

"It is no overpraise," Kunyun said, shaking his head with a smile. "When I first came to the Divine Transformation Realm, I thought the name meant refining qi to transform the spirit."

Wang Ping naturally wouldn't just accept the compliment. He replied earnestly, "Senior Brother cultivates Heavenly Yang Wood, after all. It is perfectly understandable that you aren't versed in the Dao of water qi."

Efficacy transforming like a god—as the phrase implied, its effects were as unpredictable and profound as a deity. This referred to the fundamental laws of yin water, which were likely connected to the Mingxing Xuanyi Primordial Sovereign. That was why this place was called the Divine Transformation Realm. As the residence of a Supreme True Lord, it was no wonder it felt completely distinct from the outside world.

The two continued to sink toward the bottom of the Xuanhe.

Before long, the murky radiance within the river dissipated. The view ahead suddenly cleared, revealing a towering, brightly illuminated Dao platform.

"Speaking of which, if I may ask, Senior Brother," Wang Ping continued, "this realm is so profound. I wonder which of the Three Great Academies it belongs to?"

"The Three Great Academies?"

Hearing this, Kunyun gave him a half-smile and shook his head. "Fellow Daoist, your cultivation is exceptionally high, but you don't seem to understand the Immortal Gate very well."

"Please enlighten me," Wang Ping said respectfully.

Happy to explain, Kunyun said, "The Divine Transformation Realm isn't in the Three Great Academies, nor is it part of the Eight Immortal Peaks. It forms its own independent Dao orthodoxy."

Seeing Wang Ping still looking somewhat lost, Kunyun thought for a moment before asking, "Fellow Daoist, the Cosmos is vast, and Cosmic Deep Space is boundless. Do you know where the Immortal Gate is located?"

"I do not," Wang Ping shook his head.

Kunyun had expected as much and continued, "According to the Immortal Gate's divisions, Cosmic Deep Space is split into the Three Enclosures, each occupying a region."

"The Immortal Gate—or more precisely, the Three Great Academies and the Eight Immortal Peaks—is located in the Ziwei Enclosure. The Eight Immortal Peaks contain a complex mix of orthodoxies, each with its own strengths. But as for the Three Great Academies: the Divine Weapon Courtyard focuses on metal qi, the Immortal Prescription Courtyard reveres wood qi, and the Protector Courtyard is ruled by earth qi. You could say each dominates its own domain."

"Of course, this isn't absolute."

Saying this, Kunyun pointed at himself. "Take me, for example. I cultivate wood qi, yet I was previously under the jurisdiction of the Divine Weapon Courtyard. That makes me an exception."

"What I'm talking about is the orthodoxy of the ruling authorities, not the general populace of the Three Great Academies. After all, having our paths intertwined is a hallmark of the Immortal Gate."

Hearing this, a question formed in Wang Ping's mind.

"What about the Brahma Nation, and the orthodoxies of water and fire?"

"Good question."

Kunyun smiled. "The Ziwei Enclosure is the center of Cosmic Deep Space. The Immortal Gate is the strongest, so we occupy that enclosure. The Brahma Nation is slightly weaker, so they can only establish themselves in the Taiwei Enclosure."

"Since the water and fire orthodoxies aren't part of the Three Great Academies or the Eight Immortal Peaks, the same logic applies. Why don't you take a guess, Fellow Daoist? Whose orthodoxy is also located in the Taiwei Enclosure?"

"It must be fire qi!"

Wang Ping gave his answer without a second of hesitation.

The reason was simple. Given the elusive and concealed nature of water qi, there was no way such an insidious orthodoxy would shack up in the same place as the Brahma Nation in the Taiwei Enclosure.

"As expected of the Dao Child chosen by the True Monarch."

Kunyun clapped his hands in praise. "Correct. The fire qi orthodoxy chose the Taiwei Enclosure, bordering the Brahma Nation. As for us, we settled down in the Tianshi Enclosure."

"That is also where the Divine Transformation Realm is located."

"Among the Three Enclosures, the Tianshi Enclosure is the most chaotic. It has the most lower-realm cultivators, and even many backwards, ancient orthodoxies. Bullying them is quite a thrill."

Through Kunyun's description, Wang Ping finally constructed a map of the entire Cosmic Deep Space in his mind. Of the Three Enclosures, the Immortal Gate monopolized nearly three-sixths of the territory. The Brahma Nation occupied two-sixths, while the remaining ancient orthodoxies held the last sixth, ultimately forming the current divided landscape of the Three Enclosures.

"Isn't that a bit too fragmented?" Wang Ping shook his head.

"That's the Immortal Gate for you." Kunyun didn't mind at all. "We look like a single family, but in reality, we're just a collection of immortal peaks and courtyards. Everyone still eats from their own pot."

"Rather than viewing the Immortal Gate as a unified entity, it's better to see it as a loose alliance. Everyone is seemingly in harmony but divided at heart, and anyone has the capital to strike out on their own."

"Take the Brahma Nation, for example. They used to be part of the Immortal Gate. They were on the verge of becoming the fourth Great Academy—such incredible glory! Yet, in the end, didn't they leave to establish their own sect?" Kunyun glanced at Wang Ping and chuckled. "If the Brahma Nation could do it, the Martial Dao might just be next."

With that said, their flying light touched down.

The two came to a halt before the towering Dao platform at the bottom of the Xuanhe. Kunyun raised a hand and gestured, "Fellow Daoist, you will have to seek your audience with the True Monarch on your own from here."

"Thank you for leading the way, Senior Brother."

Wang Ping bowed in gratitude. Then, under Kunyun's rather speechless gaze, he dropped to his knees with a heavy thud in front of the Dao platform and forcefully kowtowed three times—thump, thump, thump.

Only after finishing his bows did he walk into the depths of the Dao platform.

Seeing this, Kunyun could only sigh in realization. No wonder this guy became a Dao Child. Setting everything else aside, when he first came to seek an audience with the True Monarch, he certainly hadn't thought to pull a stunt like that.

Hmm, maybe I should retroactively kowtow right now?

...

Deep within the Dao platform.

It felt like parting layer after layer of water curtains. The deeper he went, the murkier and more profound the surrounding radiance became, as if he were walking into a bottomless ocean abyss.

Seeing this, Wang Ping didn't hesitate. With a mere thought—

The seventh scripture scroll, Golden Sea Desiccation!

All distracting thoughts were pulled from his sea of consciousness, leaving only clear enlightenment in his mind. He could finally see the vast, boundless power suffusing the inside and outside of this Dao platform.

It was thousands of perils; it was endless obstacles.

Where waters flowed but did not fill, falling into the pit meant losing the Dao and meeting disaster.

It was the Kan Trigram.

Wang Ping looked up at the sky. He seemed to see three streams of water qi roaring like waterfalls—two yin lines on the outside, one yang line in the middle. The resulting hexagram hung high at the zenith.

At that moment, knowledge surged toward him like a tidal wave!

It was the knowledge of the Kan Trigram. A True Monarch had personally manifested the Great Dao, revealing its profound truths to him, all just to elevate his corresponding cultivation!

"So that's how it is. It's actually like this!"

In an instant, streams of water seemed to surface in the depths of Wang Ping's eyes. They arrived in succession and accumulated, brimming in his pupils before flowing out as radiant light.

I am still undergoing my life tribulation, but in reality, that isn't a bad thing. In fact, it's the exact opposite! The Kan Trigram represents peril. Being mired deep within my life tribulation allows me to better grasp the Dao phenomena of the Kan Trigram. In turn, I can use it to conceal myself, slip away from the karma of fate, and indefinitely delay the life tribulation!

If I become skilled enough with it...

...I can use it at will! I can activate the life tribulation when I need it, and halt it when I don't want or need it. The shifts between the two will rest entirely on my whim.

This was exactly the method of the Xuanyi Orthodoxy.

Ordinary cultivators viewed life tribulations as terrifying scourges. Yet, cultivators under the Xuanyi Orthodoxy treated life tribulations as nourishment to elevate their cultivation and Dao phenomena!

Of course, this wasn't absolutely safe.

Doing this was equivalent to actively throwing oneself into danger. It was undeniably walking a tightrope. The slightest misstep would plunge them into the life tribulation, ultimately resulting in their death and the erasure of their Dao.

But under the True Monarch's rule, if one lacked even this much capability, then their death would be in vain. It would only prove they were incompetent and unworthy of the True Monarch's orthodoxy.

After a long time, Wang Ping finally broke out of his comprehension of the Kan Trigram. Boundless confidence surged in his heart: compared to the Heaven-Stealing Thief, his cultivation was now in no way inferior. It was just that the other party was proficient in the transformations of the Qian Trigram, whereas he had a deeper understanding of the Kan Trigram.

Even though the Heaven-Stealing Thief's achievements carried more weight.

After all, from the looks of it, there probably wasn't a True Monarch related to the Qian Trigram standing behind him and revealing its profundities for him. He had completely relied on his own comprehension to achieve his cultivation.

However—so what?

Black cat or white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.

Wang Ping didn't care in the slightest about whose achievements carried more weight. Either way, he was now on the same level as the Heaven-Stealing Thief. Who said clinging to a thick thigh and calling someone 'Mommy' wasn't a form of hard work?

"Thank you for bestowing this method, True Monarch!"

Thump. Wang Ping dropped to his knees once more.

Of course, he didn't kowtow this time. After all, he still had his dignity. Kowtowing once showed respect; kowtowing twice would just seem sycophantic.

Right at that moment.

Clang.

From amidst the sky full of murky colors, an object fell. Wang Ping focused his gaze and realized it was a pitch-black bracelet, brimming with the profound depths of the sea.

The Xuanyi Calamity-Crossing Ring.

A Spiritual Treasure!

Wang Ping's eyes instantly went wide. Not just any Spiritual Treasure, but a top-tier Spiritual Treasure on par with Crown-Stroking Mountain, imbued with the Dao phenomena of the Kan Trigram!

In the very next split second, without a single shred of hesitation, Wang Ping lowered his head and ruthlessly kowtowed three more times—thump, thump, thump—before picking up the dark bracelet.

At this moment, his heart was filled with nothing but the moving realization that his bitter struggles had finally yielded sweet rewards.

Was this the treatment of a Dao Child, a direct disciple of a True Monarch?

First making up for his deficiencies in the Kan Trigram's cultivation, and then bestowing a corresponding Spiritual Treasure upon him... It was like having massive spoonfuls of rice forcefully shoved down his throat; he was almost stuffed to bursting!

What else was there to say?

I'll brave boiling water and raging fire for you, Mommy!

Wang Ping took a deep breath and activated the dark bracelet. In an instant, it transformed into a halo that hovered behind his head, cascading with a murky radiance.

Before long, his figure vanished entirely.

In its place stood a dark figure seemingly draped in the abyss, surging with endless peril. Its face was indiscernible, and its aura was completely undetectable.

Immediately after, enlightenment surfaced in Wang Ping's heart.

I can leave now?

He looked around, only to find that the murky radiance on the Dao platform had dissipated at some unknown point. He was actually still standing right in front of the platform, having just taken a single step inside.

"Phew..."

Wang Ping let out a long breath, instantly realizing what was going on.

The True Monarch hadn't said a single word from start to finish, yet she had bestowed both cultivation and a Spiritual Treasure upon him. Obviously, she wasn't actually raising him like her own son.

There was only one answer.

There was a task she wanted him to handle, but his strength had been lacking, which was why he had been called in for this temporary boost. As for what exactly that task was...

Since the True Monarch wasn't speaking, he could only ask the one person present who could.

Thinking this, Wang Ping immediately pulled back his outstretched foot. He turned to look at Kunyun and said, "If I may ask, Senior Brother, does the True Monarch have an important matter for me to handle?"