Chapter 907: On the Dao

"Now, seeking those top masters to discuss the Dao should be no problem," Yan Buji, assuming the form of a Daoist cultivator, though diligent investigators cannot uncover his origins, still no one will gossip about his good deeds.

Moreover, I have taken nothing and received no benefit; even the worst of those I've helped could not slander me out of thin air.

Thus, Yan Buji successfully used his identity as the Accumulating Daoist to contact a high monk who came from the Buddha's Dao Hall and serves at the Little Thunder Sound Temple at the foot of Spiritual Mountain!

In a tea house within the imperial city.

"This humble Daoist has met the Venerable High Monk," Yan Buji said with a smiling bow.

The Venerable High Monk returned the smile and bow, saying, "Chief Ji, this humble monk greets you."

After the introductions, Yan Buji did not ramble and directly asked, "This humble Daoist is honored to meet the high monk of Little Thunder Sound Temple, and it is a great fortune. I have cultivated for centuries and barely broken through the Refining Void stage; may I request the Venerable High Monk to give me some guidance?"

"Oh? Chief Ji has cultivated for only a thousand years yet already broken through the Refining Void? I wonder which school you belong to."

"Just a minor sect, my past masters and ancestors are far below this humble Daoist in cultivation. Out of necessity, I have set out to travel the world, doing good and accumulating virtue along the way."

The Venerable High Monk nodded; at least from his aura, he could not sense Yan Buji to be a ruthless type, lacking strong killing intent or bloodlust.

It should be known that, although the West Sand River Basin cultivation world does not sharply distinguish between righteous and demonic paths, these long‑standing Buddhist cultivators place great emphasis on good and evil, and they possess specific methods to gauge how much blood‑qi and murderous qi a cultivator carries, even whether it originates from the human race.

"Daoist cultivators are rare in the West Sand River Basin; this humble monk does not understand Daoist practices, so I fear I cannot help the Daoist chief much," the Venerable High Monk shook his head.

"Venerable monk, you are too courteous. This humble Daoist earnestly seeks instruction; if you can offer a bit of guidance, I am willing to give..." Yan Buji said, feigning urgency, knowing that although these monks appear lofty, they may secretly hope for some benefit.

However, the Venerable replied solemnly: "Chief Daoist, by accumulating virtue you become virtuous, and the deities are self‑satisfied; the saintly heart is prepared. If this humble monk lacks those Spiritual Stones, would that not be a slight from the chief? I merely think that I am only in the later stage of Refining Void and cannot offer guidance."

"Then let me change the question. After reaching the middle of the Refining Void stage, this humble Daoist suddenly feels that further studying techniques is of little use; even if the techniques are fully refined and lead to the Great Vehicle Stage, they still cannot grasp the Dao. Therefore my invitation is truly to ask the high monk for enlightenment," Yan Buji rose, bowed, and offered the disciple's salute.

The Venerable High Monk hurriedly rose, helped Yan Buji to his feet: "Chief Daoist, your words... sigh, then this humble monk will speak to you. Do not speak of any reward; this humble monk knows you are devoted to helping others and accumulating virtue. If my words can aid you, I am very pleased."

"Thank you, Venerable monk!"

The two sat down, and the Venerable High Monk continued: "When a cultivator transcends the Transformation God Realm and his cultivated Dao Marks exceed ten thousand, he formally embarks on the path of perceiving the Dao."

"Whether it is the Five Elements, Yin‑Yang, or the three teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, techniques differ, but upon reaching the Refining Void realm, the need for techniques is indeed not as great as before. In other words, from the Refining Void stage onward, techniques become a means for cultivators to assist the Dao, emphasizing insight rather than cultivating magical power."

"But without sufficient magical power, how can one follow the law?"

"That is precisely the meaning of cultivating the Dao," the Venerable High Monk smiled, "Now let me ask, what is the difference between the law and the Dao?"

Yan Buji was momentarily stunned, thought, and said, "Is the law an extension of the Dao?"

"Correct. All the myriad laws of the world seek nothing but to perceive the Dao's origin through the power of the law!"

The Dao's origin?!

The Venerable High Monk, seeing Yan Buji's dawning understanding, continued: "For example, if the five laws of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are considered, can they alone be listed to form the Dao?"

"This..."

"It is not possible, because the sages who govern the Five Elements Dao in the Nine Heavens Five Domains have fused the five elemental laws into one; with the Five Elements forming the Dao, there is no room for a minor path's breakthrough."

"Thus, if one walks the path of predecessors, no one can surpass the sages. The law is an extension of the Dao, and the Dao manifests within the law. All things in the world take shape through laws; realizing their fundamentals is the Dao's origin."

Yan Buji suddenly comprehended, clasped his hands and said, "I see, thank you, Venerable monk, for the enlightenment!"

The Venerable High Monk smiled, "Also, cultivating the Dao is not so easy. In the Refining Void stage, for a cultivator to break through a realm, he must not only condense ten thousand Dao Marks but also raise his magical power to a level capable of controlling those ten thousand Dao Marks; only then is it a breakthrough. Yet there are geniuses who are innately close to the Dao and can, within the Refining Void stage, enter the 'Hearing the Dao' realm."

"Hearing the Dao?"

The Venerable High Monk nodded, "Hearing the Dao, Practicing the Dao, Attaining the Dao—these are the three realms of mastering the Dao. Those who hear the Dao are usually cultivators in the middle or later Refining Void stage; to break through the Unified Dao Stage one must enter the Practicing the Dao realm; to break through the Great Vehicle Stage, one must, within the Practicing the Dao realm, be able to mobilize at least thirty percent of the Dao's power and possess sufficiently strong magical power to pass the Nine Heavens Tribulation, thereby achieving the Great Vehicle."

"The Attaining the Dao realm is for those who, after surviving ten thousand tribulations in the Great Vehicle Stage, have comprehended the law and the Dao to the utmost, capable of wielding ninety‑nine percent of the Dao's power, nearly mastering the Dao's origin! To advance further, one must fully grasp a universal Dao origin, which is...."

"The realm of Transcendent Immortal entering Sainthood, Sage!"

Yan Buji widened his eyes, nodding repeatedly.

"Naturally, for us Refining Void cultivators, reaching the Hearing the Dao realm in the middle of Refining Void is ideal. It not only shows we are closely aligned with a particular Dao, but also means that even if our magical power cannot sustain the Dao's activation, we can use the Dao's power to command more Dao Marks to perform divine techniques."

"If one has mastered the Dao, does that mean there is no need to cultivate more Dao Marks?"

"Eh, that statement is mistaken. Dao Marks are the manifestation of one's insight into the law. If one can already control the Dao, the Dao Marks will likewise increase. Cultivating the Dao and cultivating law‑based Dao Marks are essentially no different."

"Does the number of Dao Marks not affect one's perception of the Dao?"

"It does affect it," the Venerable High Monk said gravely. "To perceive the Dao, one must first have at least thirty thousand Dao Marks as a foundation before delving deeper into the Dao one cultivates. Entering the Hearing the Dao realm requires such a condition."

Yan Buji nodded, then immediately asked some other questions, finally resolving several doubts.

However, he could not apply it to himself, for Yan Buji's cultivation of the Essential Method already uses his own being to bear the Dao, making it unnecessary to grasp control through Dao Marks.

Finally, Yan Buji reached a conclusion.

"The practice of the Essential Method still primarily uses one's own essence to bear the Dao; the Dao Mark form exists only because Magical Cultivation or Martial Cultivation cannot bear it through the body... Moreover, the Essential Method is highly predatory," Yan Buji thought, recalling the Huangquan Lao Gui who once claimed to have entered the Hearing the Dao realm, and now understood why he said so.

After all, he bore the Extreme Desire Path with his fundamental essence, which is equivalent to a Refining Void cultivator accumulating enough Dao Marks to perceive a deeper level of the Dao.

So, by calculation.....

"The Essential Method is more direct than the practice of Magical Cultivation!"