Volume 1, Chapter 497 – The Dao

Tong Yuan carried an aura utterly different from that of an eighth-tier powerhouse. Shi Lan had seen no small number of Supremes, so the feeling was not unfamiliar to her. This was a Dao closer to the source itself.

Only a Supreme who had cultivated Dao Fruit could possess such power.

“This junior, Shi Lan, greets you, Senior.”

Shi Lan stepped forward and bowed.

As a Martial Dao Supreme herself, Shi Lan found the Dao Fruit aura on Tong Yuan somewhat intimate, similar to that of the Guiyun Sword Emperor.

“Rise. We will speak inside.”

After sizing Shi Lan up for a few moments, Tong Yuan’s gaze sharpened slightly. He lifted a hand to signal Zhao Yun to rise, put away the long spear at his side, and walked toward a great hall at the end of the martial arena.

After seeing Tong Yuan, Yulan became much more obedient. The dragon horns she had been holding so high also quietly lowered. Bowing her head, she stayed far off at one side of the martial arena, not daring to come any closer.

…

The arrangements inside the hall were extremely simple. Aside from a few desks placed opposite one another, there was nothing else.

Not long after the three of them took their seats, a woman in a pale green gauze dress walked into the hall carrying a wooden tray, upon which rested three cups of clear tea.

“Master’s wife.”

Seeing the woman, Zhao Yun hurriedly rose to salute her, took the wooden tray from her hands, and was the first to serve tea to Tong Yuan.

“This must be Miss Shi Lan. Truly a dragon among people.”

Rеαԁ οո ΚatReαdіոgСαfe

The woman in the green dress looked toward Shi Lan with a smile and gave a slight nod.

“My name is Yan Yun. Xuande only sent word to us the other day. I did not expect Miss Shi Lan to arrive so quickly. If there has been any lack in our hospitality, I hope you will forgive it.”

From the moment the woman entered the hall, Shi Lan had already stood up. Hearing this, she immediately shook her head.

“You overpraise me, Senior. It is I who have imposed.”

“It is no imposition. The mountain is quiet to begin with. A little more life here is a good thing.”

Yan Yun did not stay long. Once Zhao Yun had finished serving the tea, she left the great hall.

“Zilong, go rest in the side hall first.”

After taking a light sip of tea, Tong Yuan pointed toward the side hall, then looked to Shi Lan.

“There are some things I wish to discuss with Miss Shi Lan alone.”

Zhao Yun looked somewhat confused, but he did not dare question his master’s command. He rose and headed for the side hall.

Very soon, only Tong Yuan and Shi Lan remained in the hall.

“Please, sit.”

Tong Yuan raised a hand in invitation. After Shi Lan sat down, he continued:

Reαԁ oո KatRеαdiոɡСаfе

“At your age, to have achieved such accomplishments in the martial path is already dazzling across past and present. Even among the many great worlds, it is rare. There is no need to rush to temper your Martial Dao further. Wait until everything falls into place naturally.”

It was impossible for a Supreme never to have ventured into the outer starry skies, so Shi Lan was not surprised by Tong Yuan’s words.

To be too impatient only led one to the lesser path.

Shi Lan naturally understood this as well. Since she had begun practicing martial arts, setting aside the years she had spent training in the small world, only a few years had passed. To have reached her current strength was already far from easy. But she no longer had time to move step by step and wait for the water to come.

Given the current situation in Lingyang, once Taishi’s lifespan came to an end, the Vast Land of Shenzhou would inevitably be plunged into a world-shaking upheaval. In warfare at that level, even a Human Emperor would not dare guarantee their own survival. She had to cross the world-ending great tribulation as quickly as possible and step into the Emperor level.

“My time is not abundant. I hope Senior can point out a clear road for me.”

“A long time ago, I once met someone similar to you. The same transcendent talent, the same impatience, the same delusion that human strength could defy heaven. In the end, that person was still crushed to pieces.”

After saying this, Tong Yuan saw that Shi Lan’s expression did not change. He fell silent for a long while before slowly speaking again.

“Because the laws of the world are different, the Dao of this world may not necessarily suit you. In my view, you are already standing at the edge of the Mingdao Realm. The next step is to find your own Dao. Though the myriad Daos take different paths, they all return to the same destination. In the end, their source is only threefold: the Imperial Dao, the Kingly Dao, and the Hegemonic Dao.”

“What are the Imperial Dao, the Kingly Dao, and the Hegemonic Dao?”

Shi Lan’s eyes flickered. The clear road she had originally hoped for had only been some method to increase her strength in a short time. She had not expected Tong Yuan to speak to her about things like this.

“The world does not belong to one man alone. To humble oneself in teaching and transforming all living beings, to embrace all things while remaining above them, and to take all beings as the foundation that bears one’s Dao, so that one is invincible wherever one goes, that is the Imperial Dao. One who would walk the Imperial Dao must possess imperial virtue.”

“As for the Kingly Dao, it links the three currents of heaven, earth, and man. A sage within and a king without, one acts on Heaven’s behalf. My Dao is itself the Heavenly Dao. When one strikes, it is as if the Heavenly Dao descends in person, vast and upright, crushing the enemy with sheer momentum.”

“To let those who follow me prosper and those who oppose me perish, to revere only oneself, and to believe that the strong are justified in claiming everything in this world, including the share of the weak, that is the Hegemonic Dao.”

Rеaⅾ οո KаtReαⅾіnɡСаfe

“There is no difference in strength between these three. No matter what sort of cultivation art one practices, as one’s realm advances, one will gradually draw closer to these three Daos without even realizing it. Even if the Dao Fruits differ, their essence will not change in any way.”

At this point, Tong Yuan looked straight into Shi Lan’s eyes and asked:

“Which of the three do you think you are?”

For a moment, Shi Lan felt somewhat lost. Of the three Daos Tong Yuan had spoken of, there did not seem to be much in them that directly related to her. Yet because of his words, it felt as though a veil covering her heart had been torn open by a slit, letting her glimpse a faint light.

“Your own Dao can only be comprehended by yourself. There is not much others can do to help. You will have to experience it for yourself.”

“You said earlier that you once met someone similar to me. Who was it?”

After sorting through the thoughts in her mind, Shi Lan asked curiously.

“The new Emperor, Wang Mang. A Supreme of pure Imperial Dao.”

…

At the summit of Penglai, Shi Lan sat cross-legged within the martial arena, her eyes shut, her consciousness immersed in the virtual space.

Counting from the day she arrived at Penglai, she had already stayed here for nearly three months.

After that day’s exchange on the martial path, Shi Lan had fought Tong Yuan once under the pretext of asking for guidance, successfully imprinting a simulation of him in the virtual space at eighty percent fidelity.

The gains she had obtained from fighting a Martial Dao Supreme again and again far exceeded her imagination.

Rеаⅾ on KαtRеаdіnɡCαfe

Not far away, Zhao Yun was practicing with his spear. The momentum of his spear was like a dragon, and amid the flickering cold light there were faint cries of a phoenix echoing back. Though his display was grand, there was not the slightest killing intent in it. His gaze was not aimed forward, but seemed to drift now and then toward his side.

…

Inside a great hall not far away, Tong Yuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, dressed in black, his spine straight as a spear.

Yan Yun stood at one side. Looking at the scene in the martial arena, she could not help covering her mouth with a smile.

“The more I look at this Shi Lan, the more pleasing she becomes.”

After watching Shi Lan’s back for a long while, Tong Yuan shook his head slightly and could not help letting out a soft sigh.

“This little girl truly has made me want to reopen my mountain gate. What a pity…”

“Why are you sighing?”

Yan Yun was somewhat puzzled.

“What is wrong with taking in one more disciple? Zilong would be delighted to have a little junior sister.”

“The shallow waters of this world cannot contain a true dragon.”

Tong Yuan’s gaze gradually deepened. As a Supreme, what he could see had long surpassed the imagination of ordinary beings. Over these three months, the Dao-rhyme around Shi Lan had been increasing at a terrifying pace.

She was tempering herself until she clearly beheld her true self.