Lu Yang had always been the type where understanding one principle led to understanding a hundred. Before Lian Tiandou could even finish speaking, he immediately connected this to another matter that hadn't struck him as strange before.
Borrowing the Light of Wisdom.
Whenever he borrowed Dao Tianqi's Light of Wisdom to ponder particularly difficult or high-level problems, Dao Tianqi would fall into a state of suspended thought.
In common terms, he would start drooling.
At the time, Lu Yang hadn't thought much of it; since the Light of Wisdom had been borrowed, it was equivalent to Dao Tianqi thinking on his behalf, so it was only natural for his own thoughts to stall.
However, looking at it from another angle: 'Can the Light of Wisdom truly represent a person's entire thought process? If that were the case, why didn't I, who possesses not a shred of Light of Wisdom, start drooling?'
Realizing something was wrong, Lu Yang immediately shared this with Lian Tiandou, who nodded solemnly: "Exactly... However, since Tianqi was the only one who could lend his Light of Wisdom to others, it was a solitary case and hard to prove, so we didn't dare guess wildly."
"But according to my deduction..."
"Tianqi's Light of Wisdom is likely the very external object that has been compressing his True Spirit and affecting his memory," Lian Tiandou whispered his final conclusion.
"So that means..."
Lu Yang frowned. "Fellow Daoist Beast Taming's Light of Wisdom wasn't originally this exaggerated? It wasn't innate, but acquired later?"
"That's not it."
On the other side, the World Honored One shook his head. "This idiot Beast Taming entered the sect at age three. I raised him myself; his Light of Wisdom has been like this from start to finish."
Meanwhile, hearing the World Honored One call him an idiot again, Dao Tianqi pursed his lips, wanting to retort but not knowing how.
Lian Tiandou continued in a deep voice: "I've also speculated on the cause and effect. In short, I suspect something else is hidden within Tianqi's Light of Wisdom. It is because of that thing that he received the favor of the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness], and consequently, his True Spirit was compressed."
"And that thing..."
"Is likely the opportunity Tianqi obtained in the eighth secret realm above the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]. Because of his amnesia, he hasn't been able to find it."
Lu Yang pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Indeed, it was hidden too well."
Dao Tianqi's Light of Wisdom was so vast that hiding something within it was like placing a single pebble in a vast pond; even the Primordial Saint would find it difficult to detect any anomaly.
At this thought, Lu Yang immediately recalled the record left by the Primordial Saint in the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record].
[This person possesses the greatest Light of Wisdom in the Light Sea, favored by the "Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness." His origins are mysterious; if such Light of Wisdom was not granted by heaven, it must be the handiwork of a Deity Transformation being.]
[If one is to perform the Heaven-Seizing Name Method, this person should be the primary choice.]
'Greatest Light of Wisdom... in the Light Sea, that practically guarantees reaching the pinnacle of cultivation and entering the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness]... This might be inevitable.'
From birth, Dao Tianqi was destined to enter the [Heavenly Being's Remnant Consciousness], enter the eighth secret realm, and bring out the external object Lian Tiandou spoke of. Perhaps only the greatest Light of Wisdom in the Light Sea could conceal that object—could it truly be, as the Primordial Saint guessed, the handiwork of a Deity Transformation being?
Lu Yang narrowed his eyes.
"Since that's the case, the solution is simple."
He already understood Lian Tiandou's treatment plan: "Since it's hidden in the Light of Wisdom, we just need to drain the Light of Wisdom and see if there really is something there."
"Precisely."
Lian Tiandou nodded.
In short, it was like draining the water from a pond to check for objects at the bottom—a direct and effective "pulling the firewood from under the cauldron" method.
"Therefore, we must trouble Senior with this."
Lian Tiandou cupped his hands. "Since Senior can borrow Tianqi's Light of Wisdom, please borrow it with all your might. Drain Tianqi's thoughts as thoroughly as possible."
"Eh? That doesn't seem right, does it?"
Lu Yang's brow furrowed, though he was already rubbing his hands together. "I'm not that kind of person... but since it's for Fellow Daoist Beast Taming's treatment, I am duty-bound."
"Leave it to me!"
World Honored One: "..."
Look at that. No wonder he can go toe-to-toe with that old bastard Primordial Saint and successfully outscheme him. With skin that thick, he's born for success.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang was naturally unaware of the World Honored One's internal monologue—and even if he knew, he wouldn't care. After all, the "Nascent Soul kneeling to Foundation Establishment" was much more shameless than he was. Furthermore, he had been influenced by a dozen lifetimes and the personal examples of various Dao Lords, which led to his current style.
At this moment, he threw his entire being into comprehending the Dao.
'To squeeze Dao Tianqi's Light of Wisdom, I need to think about something entirely new... honestly, I have no interest in the Light of Wisdom; having too much is just a hassle.'
Lu Yang quickly selected a direction.
'As it stands, the stature system created by those Deity Transformation beings likely no longer suits me. The Primordial Saint's first-mover advantage on this path is too great.'
To overtake him on a curve, one had to find a different path.
Just as in the Ancient Era, the Primordial Saint overtook everyone by developing the [Paramita], leaving Sisui far behind.
'What about me?'
Lu Yang fell into deep thought: 'To truly surpass the Primordial Saint, I cannot just follow the rules and fight him to the death on the stature system.'
After all, currently, every time he wants to break through, he must first disconnect his [Dead Cycle] and place himself in a precarious position. Paying such a high price only grants a single layer of stature. Given the Primordial Saint's peak of seven layers, he would have to go through that at least six times.
Once or twice, he might not fail.
But six times?
'The risk is too great.'
Therefore, the ideal situation was a "once-and-for-all" solution—taking a risk only once to elevate himself to a level where he could confront the peak Primordial Saint head-on.
The question was how.
Thinking it over, Lu Yang eventually focused his attention on his own [Dead Cycle]. The towering ring of the Great Dao, neither increasing nor decreasing, rotating eternally.
If only it could grow on its own.
Inexplicably, a thought surfaced in Lu Yang's mind—yes, if the ring of the Great Dao could increase infinitely without end, that would be perfect.
'If it could maintain its cycle while continuing to extend upward boundlessly, perhaps I wouldn't need to disconnect it to advance. No, if I could achieve that, my essence might undergo another elevation... yes, the second metamorphosis of essence!'
Suddenly, Lu Yang's heart shook violently.
He remembered the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] he had seen within [Supreme Grandmaster]; the essence of that treasure far exceeded his imagination.
'Pre-Ancient Era...'
An era without stature or Light of Wisdom—how did they cultivate? Lu Yang felt he had grasped a clue—what they cultivated in the Pre-Ancient Era might have been essence itself!
Unknowingly.
Deep within Lu Yang's eyes, the Light of Wisdom belonging to Dao Tianqi began to burn fiercely. A massive amount of Light of Wisdom boiled, while on the other side, Dao Tianqi simultaneously fell into a stupor.
And this time, the stupor was more severe than in any previous life.
"Ah..."
Lian Tiandou was overjoyed upon seeing this. "It's flowing! It's flowing!"
After speaking, he didn't forget to record an image of Dao Tianqi first, before pinching a hand seal to inspect the state of Dao Tianqi's sea of consciousness now that the Light of Wisdom had hit rock bottom.
And then, he saw it.
As the Light of Wisdom receded, a cluster of willow-catkin-like radiance suddenly drifted up within Dao Tianqi's sea of consciousness. With strokes like iron hooks and silver brushes, it strikingly depicted a profound talismanic script.
Around the script were countless stacked, waterfall-like phantasmal colors. They had been bound around the script before, but now they seemed to break free, exploding outward toward the Netherworld, the Light Sea, and even the entire Dark Void. Simultaneously, the form of that talismanic script grew increasingly clear.
It was a single character.
[均] (Jun)
(End of Chapter)