Chapter 203.3: Dao Lord Kong Ling Flees at the Mere Mention of His Name; The Ancient Region Heavenly Sect's Number One Dao Foundation Martial Artist! (III)
It turned out that Grand Elder Lu Tong had been keeping an eye on Lu Changsheng ever since he had reached the Divine Treasury Realm, quietly observing every shift in his Perception.
In the end, Grand Elder Lu Tong concluded that Lu Changsheng's Perception had undergone a fundamental transformation. That was the only logical explanation for Lu Changsheng being able to bring all his Principles to Perfection in such a short amount of time, arriving at the threshold of condensing a divine ability.
Standing before Grand Elder Lu Tong, Lu Changsheng felt like everything about him had been laid bare, every detail and secret.
I guess that doesn't matter.
"No need to be anxious," Lu Tong said with a smile. "Perception is something one is born with, and every person has their own particular gift. It just so happens that your gift is your Perception. Yours simply happens to be Perception.
"Indeed, your Perception is terrifying, far beyond the common man's, but anyone who reaches the point of condensing a divine ability is no slouch in that regard either. You have come this far. Condensing a divine ability is but one step away. A few small secrets are nothing to fret over."
Lu Changsheng nodded. Indeed, he had tried to keep his Perception a secret as much as possible, but to outside eyes, it simply seemed like a natural gift. The only real difference was that most people's Perception was fixed, while his had continued to grow.
It had been necessary to conceal his Perception in his early days of cultivation, but now that the world was aware of his incredible strength, there was no longer any need to hide it.
Lu Changsheng pondered for a moment. Grand Elder Lu Tong before him had a kind and gentle face, his manner warm and approachable.
He took a soft, deep breath and asked, "Grand Elder, might I ask how I can condense a divine ability?"
That was, after all, the reason he had come here
"A divine ability... Lu Changsheng, you are familiar with the Golden Core True Ones, I presume? Consume a Golden Core, and your fate belongs to you, not to the heavens. In the Immortal Dao system, reaching that stage is also called attaining the Golden Core Dao Fruit. When people speak of attaining the Dao, it is the Golden Core True One they mean. Our Martial Dao is the same. Once you condense a divine ability, you have attained the Divine Ability Dao Fruit."
Lu Changsheng nodded. Grand Elder Lu Tong was being thorough. Much of this was common knowledge, but it was important information nonetheless.
Lu Tong went on, "For a Golden Core True One, condensing the Golden Core is an act of defying heaven and reshaping one's fate. Condensing a divine ability is no different. The Principles you have contemplated at the Dao Foundation Realm exist within your Mind Space. They can be manifested, yes, but they are not the same as the true Principles of heaven and earth. They are, in essence, a simulation, a rehearsal of what Principles truly are.
"To condense a divine ability, you must convert the simulated Principles within your Mind Space into the true Principles of heaven and earth. This requires bringing your Mind Space Principles into collision with the Principles of heaven and earth, slowly drawing out a sliver of those true Principles and fusing them into your own.
"From there, these true Principles interact, fuse, restructure, and arrange themselves into a Divine Ability Dao Fruit. The process is actually similar to cultivating a divine technique. If you have deduced a divine technique yourself, you will understand this well. A divine technique is, in a sense, a simulation of what condensing a divine ability will one day require.
"Once you have formed a Divine Ability Dao Fruit, it largely determines the potential of your divine ability. After that, you will still need certain special materials to fully actualize the Dao Fruit into a true divine ability, one with earth-shattering, devastating power."
As he listened to Lu Tong, a flash of clarity blazed through Lu Changsheng's mind. He understood now. The Martial Dao was a path built step by step, each stage growing from the one before. No realm existed in isolation. On the contrary, every realm was intimately connected to the one below.
The Dao Foundation Realm, with its contemplation of Principles and practice of divine techniques, had all along been laying the groundwork for condensing a divine ability. The more divine techniques one cultivated—and the more complex they were—the greater their foundation became. And only Principles at Perfection could draw out a fragment of the Principles of heaven and earth, fusing them within and truly making them one's own.
"So devising divine techniques is crucial?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"Indeed. That process is essentially a rehearsal of condensing a divine ability itself.
"Divine abilities are divided into minor, major, and immeasurable divine abilities. Most cultivators who condense a Divine Ability Dao Fruit produce only a minor divine ability. Only those with exceptional potential may see it evolve into a major divine ability.
"That potential is closely tied to the Principles involved when condensing the divine ability, and just as closely to the divine techniques one has previously deduced. So if you have not yet deduced any divine techniques, you must do so before attempting to condense a divine ability, even something simple. It serves two purposes. First, it leaves a heritage for the sect. And second, it helps you accumulate experience for condensing your own divine ability and ensures that the ability itself will be powerful."
Lu Changsheng nodded in understanding. Condensing a divine ability was much the same as practicing a divine technique. And as for devising divine techniques, his Lesser Five Elements Annihilation was precisely that, a divine technique he had deduced himself, and a supreme compound divine technique at that.
Of course, Lu Tong had no knowledge of that. He had not been watching Lu Changsheng in the third layer of the Ancient Region, and Lu Changsheng had never used the Lesser Five Elements Annihilation within the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect.
"Grand Elder, among all the grand elders of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, how many have mastered a major divine ability, or condensed a Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit?" Lu Changsheng asked.
Lu Tong laughed. "A Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit? Not a single martial artist in the entire Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, nor in the whole of the Ancient Region, has ever condensed one. A Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit is simply beyond what anyone in the Ancient Region is capable of producing.
"Across all the major sects of the Ancient Region, only minor divine abilities have been mastered. That said, the gap between minor divine abilities can still be enormous, with vast differences in power. A freshly condensed divine ability will naturally be limited in potency. It must be slowly cultivated and refined over time.
"But for now, you don't need to concern yourself with all of that. Focus only on how to successfully condense your Divine Ability Dao Fruit."
Lu Changsheng nodded. "How many Divine Ability Dao Fruits can I condense?"
"That depends on how many Principles you have. Different combinations of Principles can produce different divine abilities, and each individual Principle can produce its own divine ability as well, though single-Principle divine abilities tend to be weaker. It's best to deduce your divine techniques first, then attempt to condense your Divine Ability Dao Fruit using your Principles.
"You have eight Principles, so in theory you could condense quite a number of Divine Ability Dao Fruits. In practice, however, quality matters far more than quantity."
Lu Changsheng needed a solid grasp on the fundamentals of the Divine Ability Realm and on the process of condensation. As it turned out, it all came down to potential. The greater the potential, the more powerful the divine ability.
"One last question. Grand Elder, you have spoken only of condensing the Divine Ability Dao Fruit. Once it has been condensed, how does one transform it into a true divine ability?"
Lu Changsheng had listened carefully. What the Principles produced was a Dao Fruit. Transforming that Dao Fruit into an actual divine ability still required one final step, a step that followed naturally enough and carried no great difficulty in itself, yet was the most critical of all. Without that transformation, a Dao Fruit remained only a Dao Fruit, and could never become a true divine ability.
Lu Tong frowned slightly. Even so, this was something Lu Changsheng would need to know sooner or later.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Tong explained in a measured tone, "Once you have condensed a Divine Ability Dao Fruit, achieving a divine ability should pose no real problem. However, transforming the Dao Fruit into a true divine ability requires a very special treasure, namely the Heavenly Spirit Water. This treasure cannot be found anywhere in the Ancient Region, nor anywhere across all five domains. It can only be obtained in the Sacred Earth.
"That said, if you succeed in condensing a Divine Ability Dao Fruit, the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect has a small reserve of Heavenly Spirit Water set aside. We will do everything in our power to help your Dao Fruit transform into a true divine ability. You don't need to worry about that. What you should focus on is condensing a Dao Fruit with the greatest possible potential.
"The other grand elders and I have high hopes for you. Your talent and Perception are beyond imagination, far surpassing any of ours. No one in the entire Ancient Region has ever condensed a Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit, but you may well be the first one to do it. So, before you attempt condensation, be meticulous, be thorough, and give yourself every possible advantage. If you feel uncertain, deduce more divine techniques. Ten years, even several decades, is nothing when it comes to this."
Lu Changsheng took every word to heart. His breakthrough to the Divine Ability Realm would bring enormous benefit to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, and so Grand Elder Lu Tong spared no effort in guiding him.
Lu Tong took out several manuals. "Now then, there are several divine ability manuals here. They represent the divine abilities condensed by myself, the other grand elders, and the predecessors of generations past. Take them back and study them carefully.
"I would not recommend practicing them directly, however. Even when two martial artists contemplate Principles of the same attribute, the nuances of their understanding will differ, and the divine abilities they condense will differ accordingly. Besides, all of us have only ever produced minor divine abilities, and our innate talent falls far short of yours. If you are aiming to condense a Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit, our manuals can serve only as reference."
Lu Changsheng received the Divine Ability Realm manuals with great solemnity. These were the most precious things the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect possessed, the true embodiment of its accumulated legacy, and now they were in his hands.
"There is a cultivation chamber within this hall, well suited for seclusion. You are free to leave if you prefer, but the Divine Ability Realm manuals cannot be taken out. Commit them to memory here before you go," Lu Tong said.
Lu Changsheng nodded. Even within the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, Grand Elder Lu Tong could keep watch, but he was still more comfortable in his own cave residence.
For now, he went into the cultivation chamber and opened each divine ability manual one by one.
Every one of them was dense and comprehensive, containing the wisdom of Divine Ability Realm grand elders of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. They were not easy to memorize. Even a single manual like this would take a considerable time to memorize.
It was only after roughly three days that Lu Changsheng finally committed every last manual firmly to memory.
"Grand Elder, I will be returning to enter seclusion," Lu Changsheng said.
"Good. Go." Grand Elder Lu Tong waved a hand and the stone doors opened.
Lu Changsheng bowed once more, then turned and walked out of the hall.
"Perhaps it's nothing more than wishful thinking. Condensing a Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit is far too difficult. In a hundred thousand years of history across the entire Ancient Region, no one has ever managed it. Lu Changsheng, it all depends on your own fortune now..." Grand Elder Lu Tong murmured softly to himself, then closed his eyes.
Outside the hall, a familiar figure was waiting.
"Hall Master Liu, have you been here this whole time?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"No, I simply stop by to check once a day," Hall Master Liu said. "Junior Brother Lu, have you met with the grand elder?"
It was clear that Hall Master Liu knew of Lu Tong's presence.
"I have. I am heading back to my cave residence to enter seclusion."
"I see. I will instruct everyone in the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect to ensure no one disturbs you at your cave residence," Hall Master Liu replied.
Lu Changsheng nodded, then left the Transmission Hall and made his way back to his cave residence.
Seated cross-legged inside, he organized his thoughts.
First, I need to decide how many Divine Ability Dao Fruits to condense.
With a single thought, his Mind Space materialized and the eight Principles arrayed themselves around him. This was straightforward: quality mattered more than quantity, and what suited him best was what mattered most. When he had first imprinted the eight Principle Seeds, he had already had something in mind.
The Mental Principle should stand on its own. It operates differently from the other Principles, and it is exceptionally rare and special, with tremendous potential. That can yield one Mental Dao Fruit.
Then there are the Five Elemental Principles, which can yield a Five Elemental Dao Fruit. Finally, the four Principles of Land, Fire, Water, and Wind. I can attempt to condense a Four Symbols Dao Fruit from those.[1]
That gives three Divine Ability Dao Fruits to condense. That should be enough!
With that, Lu Changsheng made up his mind.
Condensing Three Divine Ability Dao Fruits would be no small feat. The most important aspect was potential. The potential of a Divine Ability Dao Fruit was everything, and to maximize it, even to the point of condensing a Major Divine Ability Dao Fruit, it all came back to devising divine techniques.
For other Dao Foundation martial artists, devising a divine technique was a grueling, time-consuming endeavor. A single technique might take three to five years, and a powerful one could demand decades.
However, Lu Changsheng was different. A few months was all he needed, and even the most formidable divine technique would take him no more than a year or so.
By continuously devising divine technique after divine technique, he would inevitably produce something of extraordinary power, laying a solid foundation for condensing his Divine Ability Dao Fruits!
"Then I'll start with a mental divine technique."
Devising a divine technique from just one Principle was the simplest way to begin. And so, Lu Changsheng set to work.
1. The Four Symbols are mythological creatures appearing among the Chinese constellations along the ecliptic, and viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions. These four creatures are also referred to by a variety of other names, including "Four Guardians", "Four Gods", and "Four Auspicious Beasts". They are the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Turtle-Snake (also called "Black Warrior") of the North. Each of the creatures is most closely associated with a cardinal direction and a color, but also additionally represents other aspects, including a season of the year, an emotion, virtue, and one of the Chinese "five elements." It is important to note that in this novel, the Four Symbols are not actually represented by land, fire, water and wind. ☜
Comments