"His cultivation isn't high, but his ambition certainly is!"
Lu Yang touched his chin. He had no intention of refuting the statement; instead, he listened intently as the old professor explained the finer details of artifact-formations, pondering inwardly all the while.
Admittedly, he couldn't understand the content regarding Golden Core-level artifact-formations.
But it didn't matter. He could leave that part to his "innate talent" to freely comprehend. His main focus was grasping the general direction—the core philosophy behind artifact-formations.
Refining the Sea of Bitterness.
Honestly, the Artifact Refinement Secret Realm definitely shows signs of this. Even the environment is a vast ocean. It's clear they are actively working toward that goal.
Thinking carefully about it, the Four Great Constellations and the Twenty-Eight Star Charts of the Star Palace can be considered artificial Dao Fruits. They are likely connected to the Artifact Refinement Secret Realm as well. Doesn't this imitate the connection between Dao Fruits and the Sea of Bitterness? These artifact-formation masters have even managed to build a working model.
At this realization, Lu Yang was profoundly astonished.
Truthfully, with the [Celestial Court] as a precedent, he had always held a somewhat dismissive attitude toward the super world realms outside the Immortal Nexus.
After all, the [Celestial Court] was in a half-dead state.
To put it bluntly, the [Celestial Court] had been reduced to a colony of the Immortal Nexus. Si Sui's body was casually manipulated by the Saint Sect, and his consciousness was controlled by the World Honored One.
In comparison, the Star Palace hadn't seemed much better.
Equally half-dead stone statues, and Star Lords so weak they could only bully Unorthodox cultivators. No matter how he looked at it, it lacked the presence a super world realm ought to have.
But now, his perspective shifted.
The true foundation of the Star Palace doesn't lie in the cultivators on the surface, but in their cultivation philosophy... Their understanding of cultivation is actually incredibly advanced!
Yes, the Star Lords were weak, only slightly stronger than Unorthodox Perfected Lords.
However, looking at it from another angle, the fact that even such weak cultivators could break through to the Golden Core stage and surpass the Unorthodox Dao was actually absurd.
This was only because the Star Palace currently possessed four Constellations and twenty-eight Star Charts. The number of Star Lords was limited by the Star Charts, which was why there were so few. If one day the Star Palace could overcome the technical hurdles and mass-produce Star Charts... that would trigger an epic, qualitative transformation!
When that day came, Star Lords would likely be as common as dogs!
Add to that the fact that Star Lords could utilize external objects like Dao Soldiers to empower themselves. Even if they couldn't match a Perfected Lord of the Immortal Nexus one-on-one, they could just fight ten-on-one!
From this angle, the Star Palace truly has potential. They absolutely cannot be underestimated. Who knows, this place might experience a technological explosion one day.
Reeling in his thoughts, Lu Yang looked back at the podium.
The old professor was still speaking eloquently. Although Lu Yang was starting to feel lost in the technical jargon, Patriarch Nether Whisper indicated he wasn't feeling much pressure at all.
"Everyone, what is the Dao?"
"In our view, the so-called Dao is actually an interpretation of the concepts of heaven and earth—a set of supreme laws capable of integrating all concepts."
"And the [Sea of Bitterness] is precisely this supreme law. Therefore, we artifact-formation masters view it as the greatest artifact-formation, and we dedicate ourselves to replicating it. All the artifact-formations we refine are, in a way, a byproducts of our process of replicating the Sea of Bitterness."
"The Star Charts are a classic example."
Hearing this, Lu Yang immediately looked intrigued.
Finally, the good stuff. What is the refining principle behind the Star Charts? The materials and the formations? These are the crucial details...
The next second, the old professor scoffed disdainfully.
"Basically, artifact-formation masters with no talent will assume a Star Chart is just a simple artifact-formation, believing the only things to worry about are the materials and the arrays."
"Such people should go cultivate the Dharma Body."
Lu Yang: "..."
It's fine, I'm not angry. Being humble and eager to learn is a quality every cultivator should possess on the path of the Great Dao. Besides, I'm not that petty.
Following that, the old professor's voice turned solemn. "In reality, the essence of a Star Chart is not the layer of formations wrapped around the outside, nor is it a pile of easily replaceable component materials. Those are external objects, illusions meant to confuse people... A true Star Chart is actually a law formula."
"If the [Sea of Bitterness] is a supreme law."
"Then a Star Chart is a secondary law. It cannot perfectly interpret all phenomena of heaven and earth, but it can self-consistently explain a portion of the principles behind heaven and earth's operations."
"This is the true essence of a Star Chart."
"Furthermore, the arrays and stellar constructs on the outside are merely tools used to calculate the Star Chart's law formula, allowing it to manifest its mighty power in the real world."
"In this regard, the Immortal Nexus has something similar."
"And that is the Dao Fruit."
At this point, the fanatical zeal returned to the old professor's face. "Yes, Dao Fruits—creations of heaven and earth—are secondary laws just like the Star Charts."
"The difference is that as a law formula, the content of a Star Chart is exceedingly complex. We calculate and verify it step by step, from the microscopic to the macroscopic. Therefore, for it to display its power, it must be equipped with countless stellar-scale artifact and formations. Dao Fruits, relatively speaking, are much simpler."
"If a Star Chart is a formula, then a Dao Fruit is a theorem."
"Its content is incredibly concise, yet it forms a self-contained cycle that is exceedingly difficult to break. Because of this, they can naturally manifest their mighty power without needing any external facilities."
"And among Dao Fruits, the ones in the Immortal Nexus are the absolute peak."
"The Dao Fruits there are unique. Ordinary Dao Fruits, meaning the Unorthodox ones, are mostly born by chance. They are one-in-a-billion miracles."
"But the Immortal Nexus is different. The Dao Fruits there are custom-made. It's highly likely that Nascent Soul Dao Lords far off on the [Paramita] refine them specifically based on their own Dao comprehension and understanding of the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth. Otherwise, it would be impossible to achieve that level of precision—especially the Supreme Dao Fruits, which are simply outrageously perfect."
"Of course, the same applies to our Star Charts."
"Although the external structures of the Star Charts are refined by us artifact-formation masters, it is undeniable that the internal law formulas received guidance from a great existence."
Lu Yang instantly understood.
He means the Dao Lord of the Star Palace, the one representing the Spiritual Power Dao.
However, reaching this point, the old professor suddenly became indignant. "Although it may be somewhat treasonous to say, I must emphasize this point here..."
"And that is, cultivators of the three foundational Daos—Spiritual Power, Dharma Body, and Dao Arts—are actually far inferior to the fiends of the Immortal Nexus when it comes to the realm of cultivation itself."
"The fiends of the Immortal Nexus use the Grotto-Heaven Method to cultivate Dao Fruits. This places an extremely high demand on their Dao comprehension. They must possess true understanding and profound insights into the Dao Fruit to advance their cultivation."
"But what about us?"
"Spiritual Power, Dharma Body, Dao Arts—in the end, it just boils down to occupying an innate Great Dao. The path is laid bare before us. We can advance our cultivation just the same even without seeking a deep understanding."
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.
What he's saying... isn't actually wrong.
At the very least, isn't that exactly how the Dharma Body Dao is cultivated? Si Sui's cultivation technique, in particular, is just violently devouring Dao Fruits and seizing shares of the Dharma Body Dao. The cultivation base naturally rises as a result.
Ultimately, Spiritual Power, Dharma Body, and Dao Arts are the bare foundations of a cultivator. There isn't much to fundamentally 'comprehend' about them. At most, Dao Arts have a few variations... From this perspective, the three foundational Daos really don't require high Dao comprehension. No wonder they were ultimately phased out by the Grotto-Heaven Method.
Knowledge truly is power!
Meanwhile, the old professor on the podium continued expounding on this viewpoint, growing even more radical. "In my opinion, the Grotto-Heaven Method is absolutely worth learning."
"Why is it that, despite both being secondary laws, our Star Charts are vastly inferior to the Dao Fruits of the Immortal Nexus, and only slightly stronger than the Dao Fruits of Unorthodox natives?"
"It is because we cultivate the Spiritual Power Dao."
"Because the great existence backing us clearly has an inferior understanding of the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth compared to the four Dao Lords of the Immortal Nexus. They lacked the capability to elevate the quality of the Star Charts. So, strictly speaking, we didn't lose to the fiends of the Immortal Nexus— but our Dao Lord lost to their Dao Lords!"
Good heavens!
Lu Yang blinked. Was free speech really this prevalent in the Star Palace?
He actually dared to say that out loud?
Furthermore, this rhetoric... this old fellow definitely had the potential to thrive in the Immortal Nexus!