Chapter 392 Discussing the Dao

As Elder Zixu began to narrate in a measured tone, everyone present couldn't help but listen with rapt attention.

This kid, Daoist Xu, elaborated on his own understanding of cultivation, explaining his personal philosophy and methods of practice.

Eldrin listened quietly, finding many of these concepts remarkably novel and profoundly enlightening.

The path of cultivation tread by Elder Zixu was in truth a common 1—observing all phenomena between heaven and earth, meticulously contemplating the laws governing cosmic operations, and continuously deriving his own cultivation techniques through deduction.

This is what the vast majority of high-level cultivators across the world do. A cultivator's life is largely spent in the pursuit of comprehending the profound mysteries of heaven and earth.

Of course, to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, 1 must first unify the 3 souls—heaven, earth, and human—and reverse to pure Yang to break through to the Yuanshen (Soul Essence) before it becomes possible.

For only the primordial spirit can perceive the laws woven through heaven and earth, and thus become qualified to comprehend the power of those laws, ultimately evolving 1's first Dao Fruit.

For the cultivators present, this was still far too distant.

The path Master Zixu now expounded was 1 of comprehending the power of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers—emulating their meridians to deduce 1's own Dharma.

This step was truly astonishing, for comprehending the essence of mountains and rivers was typically a feat only Nascent Soul True Lords could achieve.

Eldrin (Person Name) had obtained the cultivation method 'Ancient Tides Tome' from the Verdant Void Sect, along with the refinement technique for his life-bound spiritual treasure 'Scroll of the Ancient Tides'. Both were created by the sect's founding patriarch, 'Ancestor Canghai'.

In ancient times, Patriarch Canghai sat gazing upon the vast sea, contemplating the boundless power of the endless ocean day and night. After 1 1000 years of dedicated effort, he astonishingly advanced the Ancient Canghai Scroll to the late Nascent Soul stage.

Another example is the 'Setting Sun Ancient Scroll', which was perfected by the True Monarch of the Setting Sun by emulating the profound mystery of the sun setting in the west, a creation that took several 100 years to complete.

Even the '5 Veins Nascent Soul Formation (Formation)' created by Magnus the Virtuous Lord (Person Name) was itself derived from comprehending the power of celestial and terrestrial forces, deduced through the great cycle of the 5 Elements and the energy channels of mountains and rivers.

This kid, Void Daoist, was merely at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, yet he had already set foot upon this path. Truly, he possessed the bearing of a peerless True Monarch.

After speaking for a short while, the Voidless Elder ceased expounding upon his own Dao.

He gazed at the assembly with a faint smile and spoke serenely, "You may also step forward to discourse upon the Dao with us."

I'll take this.

A voice rang out as a man clad in golden robes stepped forward.

Eldrin's pupils contracted slightly, sensing an overwhelmingly formidable aura from this individual—he had likely reached the Pseudo-Nascent Soul realm.

Kun Xuzi glanced over from the side and calmly introduced to them, "This man is named Hugo (Person Name). He is the top Golden Core expert of Tianming Province. Rumor has it he not only possesses a Mid-grade Golden Core, but his lifespan hasn’t even reached 6 100 years yet."

Eldrin (Person Name) nodded slightly. A False Infant cultivator under 6 100 years of age—such foundation suggested no small hope of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Hugo stepped forward and declared without preamble, "My path is like the mighty river, surging forth with unyielding momentum, never to turn back..."

Eldrin listened quietly, understanding that while this Hugo was no match for Master Zixu, he still possessed some genuine skill.

Like Daoist Zixu, this individual had also begun to grasp the power of mountains and rivers—the primordial forces of heaven and earth. It appeared he was not far from reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.

"It seems there are quite a few extraordinary individuals in this world."

After Hugo finished speaking, Eldrin felt he had gained considerable insight and sighed inwardly.

The assembly continued, with 1 Golden Core cultivator after another expressing their personal insights on cultivation philosophies. Before anyone realized how much time had passed, it was finally Eldrin's turn.

As the crowd saw Eldrin (Person Name) step onto the stage, many were momentarily taken aback.

It is undeniable that while most high-level cultivators possess remarkable grace, a figure as extraordinary as Eldrin remains a rarity in this world.

Hugo (Person Name) cast a faint smile in that direction and quietly inquired of a celestial cultivator from Tianxing Province beside him, "Such remarkable presence. From which province does this exceptional talent hail?"

His name was Eldrin, seemingly hailing from the Ji Province.

"Oh."

Hugo's eyes flickered slightly as he said with a smile, "The Eldrin who annihilated the Deng Clan of Jizhou?"

The cultivator from Tianxing Zhou nearby narrowed his eyes slightly, then frowned and said, "What? You have ties with the Deng Clan?"

"Not so, not so."

Hugo smiled faintly and said calmly, "That old ghost Deng has some history with me."

"So that's how it is."

The Tianxingzhou cultivator breathed a slight sigh of relief. He couldn't afford to offend either Eldrin or Hugo, and had truly feared there might be unresolved grievances between them. Had that been the case, being caught in the middle would have spelled nothing but trouble.

In the center of the dojo, Eldrin (Person Name) calmly took his seat and began expounding his philosophy on cultivation.

My Path.

Eldrin paused, his gaze fixed upon the majestic spirit island as he spoke with detached calm.

"My path is to comprehend the rotation of the 5 Elements and unravel the profound mysteries of heaven and earth."

"I have observed the celestial compass's benevolent might, contemplated the profound depth of the boundless earth, witnessed the withering and flourishing of plants, discerned the eternal cycle of water's essence, and attained enlightenment through the Mystic Radiance of the Great White Star."

"Thus, the 5 Elements converge into 1, evolving into the Great Dao's return to origin—this is naturally the path of the Great Dao returning to truth, transcending the mundane world."

After listening for a long while, everyone’s eyes narrowed slightly, and they couldn’t help but focus intently on what was being said.

After an unknowable span of time, when Eldrin had finished expounding his philosophy, the illusory Daoist priest spoke: "Fellow Daoist Chen possesses profoundly deep cultivation. I have several points of confusion and would seek your enlightenment."

"Oh."

Eldrin's eyes flickered slightly, understanding that this had truly entered the phase of discourse on the Dao.

The previous discourse on the Dao was ultimately nothing more than an exposition of my own path. How much 1 could truly gain from listening still depended entirely on their innate comprehension.

However, a true discourse on the Dao resembles a debate, often leaving both sides with profound insights upon its conclusion.

This kid, Elder Xu, actually wanted to personally engage in Dao discourse with him—clearly holding him in high regard.

At that thought, Eldrin nodded and said, “Agreed!”

"Then let us begin."

Seeing that the 2 were about to discourse on the Dao, the others revealed expressions of delight and hurriedly stepped forward, quietly awaiting the commencement of the discourse.

The Venerable Master Zixu revealed a faint smile and began to inquire, "Might I ask you, fellow Daoist, how could the Celestial Sundial possibly embody the virtue of Benevolent Martialty?"

"Heavenly Sundial, the sun, the celestial orb."

"This is the source of pure yang, and the very wellspring of energy that nourishes all living things."

"In my eyes, the Celestial Sundial is also the source of all flames in heaven and earth."

Radiant and magnificent, divine and compassionate yet mighty, He possesses the supreme yang power to refine and purge evil demons, and can also shower the light that nourishes all living things.

"This is the Mercy of the Celestial Sundial..."

Eldrin began to elaborate, sharing his profound understanding of the sun.

This concept was also the very intention behind his creation of the Sunfire Sutra, or rather, the 'Root Method' of this cultivation art.

In truth, the conceptual foundation of his 5 Elements Root Art originated from his comprehension of the 5 fundamental forces between heaven and earth.

In his eyes, mountains and rivers, even plants and the sun and moon, were all manifestations of the 5 elemental forces in the mortal realm.

Once you can thoroughly comprehend it, you will naturally understand the principles of its operation.