Lu Yang certainly wouldn't forget that in his previous life, he had attempted to become a Grotto-Heaven Method Great Perfected Lord through the [Heavenly Fire], [Sword Edge Gold], and [Great Relay Earth].
The result was that it ended before it even began.
'At the time, I lost because of the ratio between the Dao Fruits. Looking back now, it's clear I lacked a Dao Fruit Secret Method capable of integrating all three.'
Now, he could be considered to have made some progress.
Being able to create a Dao Fruit Secret Method meant he had at least figured out the ratio method of using [Pine & Cypress Wood] as the primary, with [Placer Gold in Sand] and [Wellspring Water] as auxiliaries.
At this thought, Lu Yang lowered his head and admired his masterpiece once more. In his palm, the ball of light formed by the combination of countless Great Dao characters was pulsing gently. A strong sense of emptiness spontaneously arose within him.
'That's right, this Dao Fruit Secret Method still lacks the enhancement of the actual Dao Fruits.'
He only possessed the [Pine & Cypress Wood].
Although he had the profound wonders of both [Placer Gold in Sand] and [Wellspring Water], a profound wonder and the actual Dao Fruit itself were not the same concept, so there was still a flaw.
'If that weren't the case, I would already be a Great Perfected Lord of the Grotto-Heaven Method by now.'
'Of course, even without that, relying on this set of Dao Fruit Secret Methods, my combat strength in the mid-stage of the Golden Core has probably completely stepped into the realm of being overpowered.'
Because a Dao Fruit Secret Method required at least three Dao Fruit profound wonders.
And a Perfected Lord at the mid-stage of the Golden Core would have at most one other Perfected Lord anchored to them, allowing them to utilize one extra Dao Fruit profound wonder. They fundamentally couldn't deploy a Dao Fruit Secret Method.
Yet along came a freak like Lu Yang. Relying on the Dharma Body Dao to devour Dao Fruits, he had actually gathered a full five Dao Fruit profound wonders while only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core. By matching them with each other, he was able to deploy a Dao Fruit Secret Method in the mid-stage of the Golden Core. This showed just how massive the enhancement the Dharma Body Dao provided to the Grotto-Heaven Method was.
"No wonder Sisui had to die!"
'If he had been allowed to live and spread this system, the Dharma Body Dao would essentially be parasitizing the Grotto-Heaven Method. How could the old monster of the Saint Sect ever allow that?'
The more Lu Yang thought about it, the more he sighed for Sisui.
Even though that person hadn't actually done anything, his very existence was equivalent to taking a shit on the heads of the Saint Sect's old monster—and a massive one at that.
It was only natural that he died.
'Or rather, it's a good thing he died... Fellow Daoist Sisui, if you hadn't died, how could I have achieved what I have today? The Dharma Body Dao is truly a fucking excellent thing.'
Lu Yang was completely satisfied.
'It's a pity. If only I could comprehend the [Nascent Light Sea] a few more times. That way, I might be able to create even more and even stronger Dao Fruit Secret Methods.'
As he thought about this, his gaze finally left the [Bountain-Bearing Dao Fruit] he had painstakingly refined, and landed on Patriarch Nether Whisper and Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon beside him. He suddenly said, "Patriarch, Master... do you want to try challenging the stage too? Since we're already here, it will be beneficial for you as well."
"Us?" The two were momentarily taken aback upon hearing this.
Lu Yang immediately explained the situation inside [Responding to Emperors] in detail, then added, "In my opinion, this stage is meant to increase combat strength."
"I see."
Hearing this, Patriarch Nether Whisper revealed a worried expression. "If that's the case, Fellow Daoist Vanquishing-Demon shouldn't have a problem, but I'm not skilled in combat. I'm afraid it will be very difficult for me to clear the stage."
Lu Yang: "..."
"It's fine, the important thing is participating. Just do your best," Lu Yang forced a smile.
"But you must be careful, Patriarch. That black-robed man is very brutal, and he doesn't adhere to any immortal morality when he attacks. You absolutely must stay vigilant and not let him play dirty tricks on you."
"Mm... I will remember that."
Seeing the two agree one after another, Lu Yang instantly grew excited and rubbed his hands together. He had absolutely no doubts about his super strength and world-shocking intellect.
'With Master and Patriarch's abilities, let's leave clearing the stage aside for now. At the very least, defeating the black-robed man a few times and gaining opportunities to comprehend the [Nascent Light Sea] definitely won't be hard. And since they are Banner Spirits, I can directly borrow their perspectives! In that case, isn't this equivalent to getting free comprehension attempts?'
I am trully a genius!
[Responding to Emperors].
Patriarch Nether Whisper appeared in the place of darkness. He casually glanced around, slightly stirred his thoughts, and immediately sensed the location of his [Heaven of Carefree].
The next second, the place of darkness churned, and the black-robed man stepped out from within, surprise hidden in the eyes behind his mask. 'A newcomer, and they actually sensed their Dao Fruit so quickly, triggering the [Opening Orifice] mechanism. It seems the aptitude and comprehension of this one are much higher than the previous one.'
'And this Dao Fruit...'
The black-robed man stood with his hands behind his back. The conceptual imageries combined, and before long, a similar illusory radiance surfaced between his eyebrows. Impressively, it was also the [Heaven of Carefree].
'...How exquisite!'
'A perfect match, just a bit weak... no, what is this Great Dao? Such a Great Dao actually exists between heaven and earth? It can actually be played like this?'
For a moment, the black-robed man was actually stunned.
Unlike when he faced Lu Yang and immediately started fighting, he instead began studying the newly replicated [Heaven of Carefree] with rapt fascination.
Seeing this, Patriarch Nether Whisper also waited very courteously.
A full half-hour passed just like this before the black-robed man finally looked up and sighed in admiration, "Excellent. I never expected that after my time, another talented individual would emerge from the Light Sea."
"Very good!"
Having said that, he looked at Patriarch Nether Whisper and slightly cupped his hands. "There is no need to fight. On this Dao Fruit, my current self has no way to correct Fellow Daoist."
"By my rough estimation, at least my selves up to the third orifice do not possess that ability. Fellow Daoist does not need to fight the first three orifices. You may proceed directly to comprehend the [Nascent Light Sea]. If you can take it away, that is naturally for the best. If you cannot, my self at the fourth orifice will seek guidance from Fellow Daoist. Please, do as you please, Fellow Daoist."
Patriarch Nether Whisper tilted his head.
Didn't that child Lu Yang say this black-robed man was very brutal? He seems fine to me. I haven't even done anything, yet he very politely let me pass.
Isn't this person quite nice?
"Thank you."
Returning the favor, Patriarch Nether Whisper also very politely returned the black-robed man's bow. Subsequently, he watched the other party disappear as three holes surfaced in the place of darkness.
'It doesn't seem that difficult?'
Following the holes, Patriarch Nether Whisper quickly arrived at the place to comprehend the [Nascent Light Sea]. His gaze immediately landed on the massive abstract pattern.
'A moving painting?'
Patriarch Nether Whisper pondered inwardly. To his eyes, the pattern formed by the [Nascent Light Sea] had been flowing from the very beginning. It held almost no secrets whatsoever.
'Can I just take it directly?'
Patriarch Nether Whisper tried to sense it for a moment, then surprisingly found that he couldn't. He could approach the [Nascent Light Sea] infinitely, but that was it.
'If I can't take it, then I won't comprehend it.'
Patriarch Nether Whisper wasn't interested in cultivation; it offered no challenge.
'Besides, if I were to comprehend the entire [Nascent Light Sea], it might be a bit too difficult for that child Lu Yang to understand.'
'After all, that child Lu Yang is different. Let me think... what other Dao Fruit profound wonders has he mastered? I'll look for those and see if they can be of use to him.'
With this in mind, Patriarch Nether Whisper copied Lu Yang: shooting the arrow first and then drawing the bullseye. Instead of comprehending the entire [Nascent Light Sea], he searched for the embryonic forms of familiar Dao Fruits, then studied the ratios between them. This way, Lu Yang—who was secretly peeking through his perspective—could also comprehend them more smoothly.
In reality, Lu Yang's mental defenses were breached.
Although he had somewhat expected it, the fact that Patriarch Nether Whisper cleared the stage without even fighting a single battle still made it a bit hard for him to hold back his frustration.
Sometimes, the gap between people was even greater than the gap between humans and dogs. He had once again profoundly experienced this point... However, he quickly rallied his spirits again.
'Forget it... not a big problem!' Lu Yang rubbed his eyes.
'The Patriarch's talent is my talent. In fact, this is even better! Thanks to the Patriarch, I've managed to exploit a loophole and get three extra comprehension opportunities out of thin air!'
'I will comprehend silently, and then shock everyone!'
At this thought, Lu Yang didn't delay. He immediately borrowed Patriarch Nether Whisper's perspective and began studying again, attempting to create a second Dao Fruit Secret Method.
This in itself was also an accumulation of Dao comprehension.
In time, when he officially advanced to a Great Perfected Lord, every single Dao Fruit Secret Method would become his foundation, allowing him to go further in the late stage of the Golden Core.