Chapter 1572: Learn First, Ask Later

Xun Shuang Xianzi arrived leisurely, her face still shrouded in mist, impossible to see clearly.

She held the Dao-Slaying Sword and asked, "Senior Sister just told me, you used this sword to kill the Venerable?"

"Hmm..." Xiao Feng nodded.

Xun Shuang Xianzi remained silent.

After a moment, she said, "It seems I underestimated you; if the ten-year period ends, then..."

"No need for ten years; let's fight again right now. Give it your all—I want to see where my limits lie." Xiao Feng interrupted her, stating his purpose.

Xun Shuang Xianzi did not dissuade him.

Xiao Feng, who could kill the Venerable, regardless of his reasons, already had the qualification to make her give her all.

Even her probability of defeat would be very high!

She put away the Dao-Slaying Sword and said, "Follow me to the Forbidden Ground; the space there is stable."

Last time the two of them sparred at Sword Discussion Peak, they directly shattered space. This time Xiao Feng is stronger, and Xun Shuang will also use more overbearing power, so a stable environment is necessary; otherwise it would only get worse.

"Please."

Xiao Feng followed her.

Xun Shuang flew not fast, bringing him slowly deeper into Yunchu Shan.

Xiao Feng also did not urge her on; it was clear she seemed to have something she wanted to say.

Indeed, less than a minute later, Xun Shuang Xianzi asked, "During this time, I have thought a lot."

Xiao Feng did not interrupt, waiting for her to continue.

Xun Shuang said, "When we discussed the Dao, you said there are heavens and earth beyond heaven and earth, and universes above the universe; I thought you were daydreaming. Later, I sat in deep talk with Senior Sister, and she said you were right."

"Afterwards I kept thinking that perhaps my path was wrong from the start. The Great Dao is three thousand, boundless; between heaven and earth there are countless Dao not yet mastered. Rather than follow a path walked by the Lord of All Things, it would be better to..."

Saying this, she paused and let out a faint sigh.

She then continued, "... But after long contemplation, I still cannot let go of my three thousand years of cultivation, nor can I sever the Dao I have comprehended. Can you tell me what I should do?"

"This..."

Xiao Feng looked at her.

Although Xun Shuang Xianzi's face cannot be seen, at this moment he seemed to see a pair of clear eyes gazing at him, wanting an answer.

"You ask if the Heartless Dao Venerable would be more suitable; I am merely a newcomer who has just entered the Transformation Spirit Stage." He dared not answer this question.

"If he answers poorly and ruins her, the Heartless Dao Venerable will surely strangle him to death!"

Xun Shuang seemed to have encountered a mental obstacle; she slightly shook her head and stubbornly said, "Senior Sister's Dao differs from mine; she has already taught me all she can, but on this path I want to hear other voices."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng seriously pondered for a while.

Then he said to her, "Speaking of comprehending the Dao, lately I have actually been gaining insight. In my dream I spent a hundred years, continually exploring the Dao of All Things. This is difficult and strong; it remains part of the learning in the Book of Origin, not something I myself created. Xun Shuang Xianzi, your realm is higher than mine, and I am not clear what level of choice you face. But I myself feel that, with my current realm, I still need to focus on learning first, and after accumulating sufficient insight and understanding, then go explore the unknown realms and walk my own Dao."

Xun Shuang said, "But after mastering an entire Dao Orthodoxy, one would instead be constrained by it, making higher breakthroughs difficult."

Xiao Feng said, "If one hasn't even learned the basics, there is no qualification to touch the Great Dao. Cultivation is scholarship—learn first, then ask. When one knows nothing, asking many questions is mere daydreaming; only after truly understanding this world and this universe does one have the qualification to pursue profound Dao."

Xun Shuang Xianzi fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Feng added, "The transmission of the ancients was never meant to limit us, but to give us a better starting point. As long as you do not treat the Original Classic as an endpoint, but as a starting point, you can pursue higher realms."

"But how easy is that to say..."

Xun Shuang let out a faint sigh.

The core of the Original Classic is the Book of Origin; they are completely identical, and it also additionally contains a complete Heavenly Dao Legacy.

The reason Xun Shuang worries is that her current realm is completely confined by the Heavenly Dao Legacy, feeling she cannot break free; no matter how she cultivates, she remains within the rules set by the master of the Original Classic.

It is like a graduate student who, after learning much knowledge, prepares to begin research on entirely new knowledge.

But no matter how she researches, what she studies are things others have already researched, with nothing fresh to touch.

Xiao Feng, however, is still in the stage of learning and accumulation; he has not yet entered university, so naturally he has fewer worries.

The Forbidden Ground has not yet been reached.

Xun Shuang Xianzi suddenly stopped.

She looked at Xiao Feng and asked, "You just said... you are exploring the Dao of All Things?"

"Yes, what's up?"

She pondered slightly, then asked, "How is the harvest?"

"The harvest... is okay; I can analyze some substances, change them at will, like this."

Xiao Feng said, moving his mind, divine power was drawn from his body, shaping a clump of earth out of thin air beside him.

Within the earth, a seed condensed out of thin air, then immediately took root and sprouted, growing vigorously into a towering tree.

The whole process took less than three minutes.

Xun Shuang stared unblinkingly at his transformation process, waiting for the tree to wither, turn into rotten wood, and then be broken down into the Primordial Qi of All Things, returning to Xiao Feng's body, whereupon she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

She said, "Within this lies the power of creation, encompassing life, growth, and decay; it is a complete cycle, and you have touched both creation and time."

Xiao Feng shook his head and replied, "Actually it is merely an application of the Primordial Qi of All Things; I needed a hundred years of contemplation to achieve this effect, and it still does not count as comprehending the laws—my laws are still only the Five Elements Great Dao."

He himself felt that, given his level of comprehension, he should logically have a law-comprehension value of over 500 points.

But the law-comprehension interface shows no relevant information, and his attributes have not changed at all.

"Is that all?" Xun Shuang mused.

She also drew a thread of primordial power, shaping a clump of earth.

Then she was stumped by the seed.

She did not even know what the seed's structure was...

Seeing this, Xiao Feng smiled, conjured a new seed, and handed it to her.

She took it in her hand, looked it over, researched for nearly an hour, then used divine power to grind it into primordial qi.

Afterwards, the source qi reorganized, turning into a seed not too different from before.

The seed took root, sprouted, put out tender green branches and leaves, and grew in a halting, not very smooth way.

After a few minutes, an ugly, crooked-necked tree appeared before the two of them.

Xun Shuang Xianzi shook her head and said, "I never expected that, despite having cultivated three thousand years longer than you, I am far inferior to you on the Way of all things."

Xiao Feng chuckled and said, "It's just a different direction; if you had received an education similar to mine, you would surely have thought of the same thing. Moreover, you far surpass me in other aspects."

He would think of analyzing the basic structure of matter, which was actually inspired by atomic structure.

If one hasn't studied and doesn't understand modern science, one cannot walk this path.

Xun Shuang is a person of the cultivation world; she studies the Heavenly Dao, the macroscopic universe, which is still quite different from the microscopic world.

She waved her hand, obliterating the soil and trees, and sighed, saying, "It seems my understanding of the Primordial Classic is still not deep enough. Fellow Daoist Xiao Feng, are you in a hurry?"

"Um... what did you want to say, Fairy Maiden?" Xiao Feng asked.

She said, "If you're not busy, would you like to cultivate together for a period of time?"