Mu Changsheng was truly frightened.
He watched Lu Yang transform into [Sky-Shrouding] right under his nose, already pondering when he had fallen under a Knowledge-Perception Barrier.
But he quickly reacted.
My Lord can't be [Sky-Shrouding]. My Dao Fruit book is still with him... So, is it a transformation technique? Or some kind of Dao Fruit wonder?
Mu Changsheng had no way of knowing.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang was enjoying his current state very much. Just now, the rule he inscribed within his own dharma body was actually very simple.
[I am Sky-Shrouding]
This was just a simple attempt, also a probe, and the result met his expectations perfectly—[Great Forest Wood] actually responded to him because of this.
However, this change only lasted for an instant. The next second, intense resistance came from the other end of [Great Forest Wood], mixed with the anger of a third party. It seemed to want to curse him angrily, but because it didn't know his name, it just got angry for a bit.
Immediately after, the smoke and dust cleared.
Lu Yang's figure re-emerged. He raised his hand, glanced at the smoke lingering at his fingertips, and sighed: "[Sky-Shrouding], indeed worthy of you."
[Sky-Shrouding]'s control over [Great Forest Wood] was too deep.
How strong was this control? Strong enough that [Great Forest Wood] was devoted only to him; otherwise, it wouldn't have actively withdrawn its mighty power after realizing something was wrong.
Not just [Sky-Shrouding].
The Old Dragon Lord, Feixue, Gangxing... these first-tier Perfected Lords probably can all do this, preventing me from stealing the power of their Dao Fruits.
But it was only them.
With this thought, Lu Yang immediately changed the rules within his body. The firelight around him shifted, interweaving rich colors, finally merging into his Dharma Body.
The next second, Mu Changsheng, not far away, watched helplessly as his own [Heaven of Nothingness] suddenly appeared automatically. Then, it shone a beam of void and reality light onto Lu Yang, causing his figure to gradually turn illusory. The Dao Fruit power that originally belonged only to him was actually split in half by the other party out of thin air at this moment!
No, even more.
This change even gave birth to a bit of panic in Mu Changsheng, because he could feel that [Heaven of Nothingness] had been under his control from beginning to end.
No loss of control, nor was it affected by the outside world.
However, the Dao Fruit inexplicably responded to Lu Yang's call, and without the slightest resistance, simply like it usually responded to him.
Is there still any justice?
Fortunately, Lu Yang had no interest in [Heaven of Nothingness]. Under Mu Changsheng's nearly splitting gaze, he casually tested it a few times before discarding it as if it were worn shoes.
Lü Yang opened his eyes, a hint of enlightenment surfacing within. "The same [Inscribing Heavenly Chapter], merely with variations in application, can actually have such miraculous effects..."
If he were borrowing a Dao Fruit's power in the past, how would he have done it? Without question, he would forcibly inscribe it with [Inscribing Heavenly Chapter]. The result would be expending twice the effort for half the result—the might forcibly borrowed would be less than what was consumed. However now, he simply modified a piece of logic and achieved his goal.
Consumption? Although it couldn't be said there was none, compared to the mighty power obtained, it was not worth mentioning.
As expected, the easiest thing to change is still oneself.
[Inscribing Heavenly Chapters] inscribing wonders, directly imposing rules on heaven and earth—it looked strong at first glance, but the stronger the rule, the more difficult it was to impose.
However, imposing rules on oneself was different.
Not only did the difficulty generally decrease, but even some rules that clearly exceeded common sense, if only applied to oneself, could be forced to take effect.
There is still a lot of room for development!
I have only mastered one of them now, which is modifying logic, equating myself with another Perfected Lord, thereby tricking the corresponding Dao Fruit into responding.
Don't underestimate this method.
Any Orthodox Dao Fruit, even if not Supreme, still had its unique points, just like how [Overturned Lamp Flame] could counter [Great Forest Wood].
And Lu Yang's method was almost equivalent to controlling multiple Dao Fruits. He could adapt to local conditions and change at will. Fighting enemies in this situation, the tolerance for tactical errors was almost infinite, because he could make up for his own shortcomings by controlling different Dao Fruits.
The current me is terrifyingly strong!
Lu Yang felt the boiling mighty power in his body, successively changing Dao Fruits several times, from [Wall-Top Earth] to [Heavenly River Water], then to [Mulberry Wood]...
But how strong exactly?
Lu Yang recalled the "Five Grades of Perfected Lords" system he had once established. After thinking, he came to a conclusion: Probably still a bit short of First Grade.
But not much short.
Or rather, he had barely stood on the level line of First Grade. And coincidentally, this level line had two very good reference objects.
The Old Dragon Lord and Perfected Lord Feixue.
According to Lu Yang's assessment of himself, his current combat power should not be much different from the Old Dragon Lord, and he might even have the upper hand if he went all out.
On the contrary, he estimated he would at most tie with Perfected Lord Feixue.
After all, there are gaps even among the First Grade.
The Old Dragon Lord's strength lies in the Supreme Dao Fruit [Vast Ocean Water], but his usage of the Dao Fruit doesn't have the feeling of [Sky-Shrouding] and Feixue.
At best, he is about the same as the current me.
As for Perfected Lord Feixue, her usage of [Ravine Stream Water] has already reached the supreme realm. Unfortunately, the Dao Fruit is inherently deficient, not a Supreme Dao Fruit.
The two offset each other, which allowed her to sit at the same table as the Old Dragon Lord.
At most, relying on stronger combat awareness and higher fighting spirit, she was slightly superior. But to say there was any obvious gap, it hadn't reached that extent.
Compared to that, [Sky-Shrouding] was different. Supreme Dao Fruit plus supreme realm—basically fully equipped under the Great Perfected Lord level. Lu Yang admitted that the current him was still a notch lower. He could fight, even stall for a long time, but the gap meant he would likely still lose in the end.
But this was already very good.
Moreover, the usage of [Heavenly Fire] was not limited to head-on combat. Sometimes, even if he couldn't win, he could easily toy his opponent at will.
Don't you think so, [Sky-Shrouding]?
And I'm still missing the final step... The crucial step to advancing to a First Grade Perfected Lord, I haven't taken it yet. Compared to [Sky-Shrouding], I still have room for improvement.
In Lu Yang's view, this step was the supreme realm.
To put it bluntly, whether one could complete the sublimation of the Dao Fruit wonder and ascend to the supreme realm was undoubtedly an important indicator of whether one could set foot in the First Grade Perfected Lords.
So strictly speaking, only Feixue and [Sky-Shrouding] have truly completed this step of qualitative change. The Old Dragon Lord and I both rely on the foundation of Supreme Dao Fruits to barely step onto the threshold. In reality, the usage of Dao Fruits can only be said to be the pinnacle of perfection, but hasn't broken through the boundary yet.
Regarding this, Lu Yang also had a plan.
He didn't count on [Sky-Shrouding], but Perfected Lord Feixue was different. Having a good exchange and discussion on the Dao with her in the future might yield some gains.
As long as he could know how Perfected Lord Feixue broke through the boundary, there was a possibility of replication.
Gathering his thoughts, Lu Yang turned to look at Mu Changsheng.
Seeing this, Mu Changsheng immediately revealed a fervent and longing look, appearing as if he clearly wanted it very much but was afraid of being rejected, so he dared not say it.
In the end, it was Lu Yang who spoke first.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Fellow Daoist."
Seeing the celestial being he revered so much speaking to him so kindly, Mu Changsheng hurriedly shook his head: "Not at all, not at all!"
Seeing this, Lu Yang didn't waste words. He directly unfurled the Righteous Dao Banner.
He didn't intend to take Mu Changsheng as a banner spirit, so he just invited Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon out. Immediately after, he opened the [Sea of Bitterness] and summoned the Sword Dao.
"Thank you, My Lord!"
Seeing the big precious sword revealed by Lu Yang, Mu Changsheng instantly pounced on it, a covetous expression surfacing on his face, wishing he could swallow it in one bite.