Volume 1: A Thousand Years of Streams, Chapter 42: The Great Dao

Sun Zikai no longer had any thoughts of sleeping. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, after weighing his options, he took out the water-element spiritual manual, *The Thirty-Six Mystic Formations of Qingyi*. It shared slight similarities yet major differences with the spiritual cultivation path imparted by the Yanming Sect. The primary realms of mastery remained unchanged, but within each major realm, this manual further divided them into various minor realms. Furthermore, the so-called thirty-six mystic formations specifically referred to thirty-six mystic techniques, among which the most elementary were the "Injury-Healing Art" and the "Water-Breath Respiration Art."

Given his current realm, he was capable of studying these two mystic techniques. Following the descriptions in the manual, he executed one after the other. A pale green glow appeared on the palm of his left hand. However, he could find no injured spot upon which to test it; his current skin was so tough that even he could not easily cut it.

With a sudden flash of inspiration, he dissected the technique in his palm using energy filaments. During this process, he memorized the weaving sequence and structure of the spiritual qi. Next, he dispersed the spiritual technique, constructed a water-energy nexus using energy filaments, and systematically wove the structure together. Along the way, he incorporated his own ideas, thereby evolving and perfecting the technique.

In truth, water gives birth to all things. Long ago, during his physical tempering with the essence of water, Sun Zikai had already discovered that the power of the water element possessed the efficacy to heal injuries and even prolong life. Furthermore, water and wood were currently the only two elements endowed with exceptionally potent vital energy.

By decomposing a technique, replicating it anew, or constructing an evolved version of the mental art, Sun Zikai wielded this energy-based method with ever-increasing dexterity. He coined a name for this technique: the Energy Arcana—*Technique Reversal*. As long as he was given sufficient time, he believed he could replicate any technique.

The Injury-Healing Art forged from energy radiated a blue glow, as gentle and tinted as water. Although he had never studied the medical arts of spiritual cultivation, he was now fully capable of healing others.

He immediately proceeded to study the Water-Breath Respiration Art. This was not a breathing technique for underwater survival, but rather a highly efficient method for absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.

However, after merely glancing at it twice, Sun Zikai abandoned this mystic technique. Relying on his method of converting energy into spiritual qi, his store of spiritual qi was inexhaustible.

Continuing to read the spiritual manual, the deeper he delved, the more profound his admiration for the creator of the manual grew. He could not help but exclaim, "How can the cultivation path of the Yanming Sect compare to this? It contains three thousand techniques, covering alchemy, artifact manipulation, artifact forging, refined arts, worldly affairs, combat, spellcasting, body protection, formations, and more... every single aspect is perfected. There are even a thousand kinds of medicinal pills, along with detailed records of the materials and temperatures required for forging artifacts. The pioneer of the Qingyi Sect is truly a divine being."

Yet, Sun Zikai failed to realize that while the deeds of that predecessor were earth-shattering, he had merely excavated miracles upon the path of spiritual qi pioneered by those before him. As for Sun Zikai himself, he had become the founding patriarch of three distinct cultivation paths: energy, vitality, and physical tempering—any single one of which could shake this world of cultivation.

"The path of cultivation even emphasizes the matching of the Five Elements. Fascinating, fascinating. Oh? Cultivators are further categorized by the Five Dimensions of Ability? Divine Sense, Root Bone, Charismatic Soul, Comprehension, and Opportunity?"

Because the spiritual manual touched upon these matters, Sun Zikai retrieved another volume from the wooden token, titled *Study of the Five Elements and Five Dimensions*. Upon opening it, he found three slips of Five-Dimension paper tucked inside. After a thorough study, Sun Zikai understood that that predecessor had categorized a cultivator's fortune into these five aspects, believing that any cultivator's entire life of cultivation could be predicted through these five dimensions of ability.

Divine Sense referred to a cultivator's perception of and reaction speed toward the unknown realm, which directly determined their future vision regarding various cultivation matters, as well as the efficiency and accuracy of their cultivation choices.

Root Bone referred to the innate physical strength of a cultivator, which directly determined their inherent lifespan and resistance to impact. Those with low root bones, even if they tempered their bodies into steel-like skin in later stages, could not withstand the tribulation punishment of the heavens, because the heavenly tribulation struck directly at their bones, rendering any subsequent efforts useless in this regard.

Charismatic Soul, as the name implied, referred to a cultivator's ability to win the favor of others, encompassing appearance and personal charm. Do not dismiss this as useless; a cultivator faces countless choices at every moment throughout their life, and the Charismatic Soul determines whether someone will be by their side or offer assistance during choices and moments of crisis. The difference between having and not having this is as vast as heaven and earth.

Comprehension goes without saying; it directly determines a cultivator's upper limit. Back then, the thousands of Golden Core powerhouses born a hundred years ago were almost all selected precisely because of their high comprehension.

Opportunity was the dream pursued by everyone on the path of cultivation. The consequence of heaven favoring an individual would be miracles passed down through generations. Moreover, opportunity was the only ability that could not be measured directly, but rather inferred through the other five dimensions of ability.

Beneath the Five Dimensions of Ability, there was actually a sixth dimension known as Potential. Unlike comprehension, it referred to the latent capacity related to a cultivator's age and experiences; this could neither be altered nor enhanced.

According to *Study of the Five Elements and Five Dimensions*, back when the founding immortal ancestor discovered this Five-Dimension method, he studied it for forty-nine days before creating the method to probe a cultivator's five dimensions. Over time, this evolved into the three slips of paper tucked within this volume, dividing each dimension into ten tiers. When the immortal ancestor tested himself back then, the results were Comprehension Tier 8, Divine Sense Tier 8, Charismatic Soul Tier 10, and Root Bone Tier 5, from which he deduced an Opportunity result of Tier 6.

Sun Zikai picked up a seemingly ordinary slip of paper. Probing it with energy, he cried out in astonishment, "The technique within this paper contains tens of thousands of flowing filaments; to unravel it, I am afraid I will need ten days!"

Even so, he channeled his spiritual qi into the Five-Dimension paper. Within dozens of breaths, as he sensed the flow of the technique within the paper, characters gradually emerged upon its surface.

"Comprehension Tier 18, Divine Sense Tier 18, Charismatic Soul Tier 4, Root Bone Tier 18, from which it is deduced that Opportunity is Tier 17."

Sun Zikai froze. He paid no heed to why the Five-Dimension paper, which was supposedly capable of measuring only up to Tier 10, had produced Tier 18 readings. He touched his own face and asked in disbelief, "Am I... very ugly? Hey, hey, are you kidding me? This paper must have been left out for too long and broken."

True to his words, the paper seemed to have endured dimensions exceeding its limit and rapidly turned to ashes.

Yet Sun Zikai's feelings were hurt. True, he had never paid attention to his appearance, but if others insisted he was ugly—ugly enough to rate only Tier 4—he still found it somewhat unacceptable. In reality, Charismatic Soul referred not only to appearance but also to personal charm. The Five-Dimension paper actually penetrated a cultivator's memories through spiritual qi, thereby assessing their abilities from multiple perspectives. Sun Zikai's intense yearning for freedom and unbridled self-regulation fell, in the perception of the Five-Dimension paper, into the category of extreme personal charm. This was highly unfavorable for his future dealings in the world; while it would spare him quite a few minor troubles, it would simultaneously attract even greater ones.

For the first time, Sun Zikai developed a lack of confidence—and it was concerning his own face. He felt slightly annoyed, but after a moment, he grew composed and muttered to himself, "The path of freedom is, of course, a lonely one. It doesn't matter if I'm a bit ugly; wearing some nice clothes should probably make up for it and bring me to Tier 5 or 6."

He continued studying *The Thirty-Six Mystic Formations of Qingyi*. In the Qi Condensation stage, he could still learn two more techniques: one was a mental art, the *Three Springs Heart-Cleansing Art*, and the other was a combat art, the *Heavenly Mystic Profound Qi*. This involved nourishing spiritual qi with the essence of water to transform it into true qi, which could then be condensed in a specific part of the body and unleashed toward a target.

There were no flashy gimmicks; the Yanming Sect had similar techniques, which could be considered entry-level. However, the advantage of the Heavenly Mystic Profound Qi was that what it unleashed was not compressed spiritual qi, but true qi imbued with the power of water. As long as one cultivated it to a certain degree, this process would drastically shorten the time required, because the water spiritual qi could swirl around the body, ready to be deployed at any moment, and could be unleashed instantly from any part of the body without the need to accumulate force.

Sun Zikai pondered for a moment, then the corners of his mouth suddenly curled upward. He realized this combat art would be of immense help to him.

He stored everything back into the wooden token, and then concentrated on comprehending the Heavenly Mystic Profound Qi. His body, having been tempered to the sixth layer with the essence of water, effortlessly summoned the water energy that others took four or five years to perceive, and wrapped it around his spiritual qi. Merging the spiritual qi and the water energy was no easy task, but Sun Zikai immediately improved the technique. Instead of brutally compressing the two forces, he probed their structures, first resolving them individually and then intertwining and merging them.

In a similarly short span of time, he successfully created the water true qi that others took a whole year to refine.

"It works. It really works."

He immediately dispersed the true qi, switching to pure energy. Following the structure of the true qi, he fused pure energy filaments with the water energy. Instead of creating water as he had done before, he made his entire body resemble water without actually being water. He instantly leaped to his feet, drew his long saber, and swung forward. The tip of his saber stirred up layer after layer of ripples behind it, as if gliding across the surface of water.

The sound of flowing water could be heard within the room, yet his lethal technique seemed to have transformed into a dance step—elegant and flamboyant. Immediately afterward, his feet seemed to tread upon the water's surface as well, sending concentric ripples spreading outward. He dissolved into water and vanished; if anyone were to stand before him, they would see surging, towering waves sweeping toward them with graceful ferocity. By the time they regained their senses, the stream would have glided across their neck without the slightest pain, and the current would carry their head away to the next stage.

When the dust settled, Sun Zikai reappeared amidst a hazy, misty spray of water, and the breath he exhaled sounded like a murmuring stream.

In high spirits, he pushed open the door, leaped onto the rooftop, and lay back upon the tiles. Kicking his legs freely, he took out the wooden token once more to examine it in the moonlight. Suddenly, he noticed that the wooden token contained not just one spatial technique, but two.

One technique was for storage, while the other seemed incomplete, resembling more of an endpoint.

The complexity of the spatial technique was so exaggerated that Sun Zikai suspected it was not artificially crafted, but rather "clipped" from somewhere and installed here. Both techniques showed obvious fractures, with the edges and corners of another spatial technique lingering at the break points.

Sun Zikai wanted to see what purpose the other spatial technique served, but clouds obscured the moonlight. He put away the wooden token, leaped down from the rooftop back into the room, and resumed studying the great dao of the spiritual manual. Before long, sounds echoed from the room as he rummaged through the miscellaneous items, searching for a cauldron to use for alchemy.