Chapter 1033: The Beginning Of Dao Pioneering, The First Move (1)

Over a thousand Dao Pioneer Eternals and sixty-seven True Saint Eternals?

Despite his prior expectations, Wu Yuan felt a sense of disbelief wash over him at this moment. It was truly too shocking!

There was an ancient saying on the Blue Planet in Wu Yuan's previous life: 'Knowledge is power.' Whether an individual or a civilization, one needed the constant accumulation of knowledge to grow.

Does each bamboo scroll represent at least one Dao Pioneer Eternal's cultivation insights?

Wu Yuan's gaze involuntarily swept across the bamboo scrolls floating in the void around him.

No wonder the bamboo scrolls, which appeared ordinary to Wu Yuan's eyes, all shone with eternal Dao radiance. The bamboo scrolls themselves were not important. But when infused with the Dao pioneering insights of an Eternal, each bamboo scroll gained inconceivable value.

Cultivation insights were crucial. One of the key reasons Wu Yuan's qi refiner self had grown so rapidly was due to the abundance of teachings and secret arts he had obtained from the Spacetime Dao Realm and Taiyuan Divine Court. The same applied to his body refiner self. Standing on the shoulders of giants allowed one to see further and higher.

However, all his past gains paled in comparison to the bamboo scrolls floating before him now.

The cultivation insights of an eternal who had successfully pioneered their own Dao were no longer mere personal reflections. A cultivator gathered immense power in a single lifetime; the rise of a powerful cultivator was akin to the birth and development of a great civilization.

Wu Yuan clearly understood that the value of this Thousand Daos Realm and its significance to him far surpassed even the Mo Yuan Sabers he had just acquired. If news of this spread, it would drive countless Overlords who comprehended the Creation Great Dao into a frenzy. Even eternal lifeforms would likely turn green with envy.

Eternal lifeforms all comprehended the Primordial Rules. Though the Great Daos they initially comprehended differed, all roads led to the same destination. [1] The Daos pioneered by each eternal lifeform held immense reference value for others.

“These teachings and insights must not have been easy to collect," Wu Yuan couldn't help but remark.

"Naturally," the elderly man in white robes replied.

"You must understand, these bamboo scrolls are not mere notes. They contain the Dao resonance and will guidance from the Dao pioneering process of each eternal lifeform," the elderly man explained.

Wu Yuan grew even more astonished, and he was reminded of the difference between the 'Will of Life and Death' and the 'Spacetime Secret Codex'.

The 'Will of Life and Death' contained the will and Dao resonance guidance of True Saint Bu Xiu, making it exceptionally effective. While the 'Spacetime Secret Codex' encompassed a broad spectrum, it fell far short in this aspect.

However, even for an eternal lifeform, creating such a bamboo scroll would require an immense expenditure of effort. They would typically only be willing to do so for direct disciples or when intending to leave behind an inheritance.

"So many? Did all these eternal powerhouses give them up willingly?" Wu Yuan asked instinctively.

"Willingly?" The elderly man in white robes smiled faintly. "As far as I know, the Dao Master spent nearly an entire samsara cycle of heaven and earth searching the vast cosmic sea for eternal lifeforms who had fully comprehended the Creation Great Dao. He went to each one to 'discuss the Dao' and gradually persuaded them one by one.

"Which eternal lifeform would willingly hand over insights into their pioneered Dao?" The elderly man shook his head with a smile.

Wu Yuan was speechless. It seemed the Creation Dao Master had used force to persuade them.

But thinking further, one could imagine how much effort the Creation Dao Master had invested in this Thousand Daos Realm. This place was undoubtedly worthy of being called a cultivation sanctuary, certainly one of the top sanctuaries in the vast cosmic sea. Even the best cultivation sanctuaries within the Immortal Court or Eldritch Court would not surpass this by much.

Wu Yuan suddenly understood why Bai Sui had insisted he take a Primordial Oath to never reveal secrets about the Creation Dao Realm. There was indeed a great treasure here.

"The Dao cannot be lightly transmitted. The bamboo scrolls here can be perused three times at most," the elderly man in white robes said. "The Dao Master has already read through them once. You may read through them all once, and after that, there will be only one chance left.

"If a Perennial Eternal were given such an opportunity, they might solidify their foundation and pioneer their Dao in one go.

"But your situation is different. You must pioneer your Dao before fully comprehending the Creation Great Dao, and this Dao must be extremely powerful if you hope to break free from the Great Dao's Authority," the elderly man sighed. "Without fully comprehending the Great Dao, your perspective will ultimately fall short. To pioneer a Dao with such a handicap? It will be extremely, extremely, extremely difficult!"

The elderly man clearly understood what being a 'Dao Master candidate' meant. It absolutely indicated someone of shocking talent, yet he still uttered 'extremely' three times in succession, revealing just how arduous this path would be.

Difficult?

Wu Yuan silently mused.

Indeed, it was difficult! Historically, True Saint Eternals and even Dao Zenithel Eternals did not manage to pioneer their Dao while they were sempiternal lifeforms, for it was too challenging.

To pioneer one's Dao with a vague perception of the Primordial Rules and before breaking free from the river of space and time? It was as difficult as ascending to the heavens! At least, as far as Wu Yuan knew, only the Heavenly Imperator, the supreme leader of the Immortal Court, had achieved this.

"Why is the Dao Master helping me to such an extent?" Wu Yuan suddenly asked.

"Youngster, the Dao Master isn’t helping you entirely for your sake," the elderly man in white robes said with a smile. "He is also helping himself.

“Initially, he collected these bamboo scrolls hoping to draw inspiration from the Daos of other eternal lifeforms, to see if he could break through his own bottleneck... but he was unsuccessful. The Daos of second and third-step Eternals were still far too insignificant to aid him.

"Then, he began to lay out his plans," the elderly man smiled.

Wu Yuan suddenly understood, feeling that this made more sense. The Creation Dao Master had first sought to help himself, then considered the needs of the next Dao Master.

"As for leaving them to you, it's also to resolve karma," the elderly man slowly explained.

"Karma?" Wu Yuan was taken aback. For a moment, he didn’t understand.

"Becoming a Great Dao Master is both an opportunity and a shackle," the elderly man said. "You don't harbor much resentment now because you're still just a sempiternal lifeform. But as time passes, when you become a Dao Master and reach your limit, yet see no hope for further progress, will you not blame the Creation Dao Master?

“Mountain Daoist wishes to relinquish his position as Dao Master, but he doesn't want to create a Dao Master-level enemy in the future because of it."

Wu Yuan fell silent. Would he blame the Dao Master if that day came? Perhaps.

"So, the Creation Dao Master is helping you to the best of his abilities, making many arrangements for your benefit," the elderly man said. "It's also to help you understand yourself clearly. If you still can't pioneer your Dao as a sempiternal lifeform despite so much guidance, then even without the Great Dao's shackles, could you take the fourth step in the future? Or even surpass the Heavenly Imperator and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu?"

Wu Yuan nodded slightly, now understanding the Creation Dao Master's intentions behind his painstaking efforts.

If I can rival the Heavenly Imperator and Eldritch Progenitor Hou Tu in the future, or even surpass them, then I should be able to forge a legend as a sempiternal lifeform.

Wu Yuan mused silently.

If I can't achieve that, then becoming a Dao Master is not a bad choice after all.

With the elderly man's explanation, alongside the bamboo scrolls in the Thousand Daos Realm, the last traces of misgiving towards the Creation Dao Master quietly dissipated from Wu Yuan's heart.

"Go on. These bamboo scrolls are yours for now," the elderly man smiled. "This is a privilege even the Creation Dao Master's many direct disciples have never had.

"When you've finished reading them all, you can call for me again, and I'll send you away."

Whoosh!

The elderly man in white robes, who had been merely an illusory projection, completely dispersed. Only Wu Yuan remained on this jade platform.

It was only now that Wu Yuan realized the jade platform beneath him was incredibly magical, accelerating his thought processes tremendously.

This was unbelievable. One had to understand that the more powerful a cultivator became, the less effect cultivation aids had on them.

The Creation Dao Master has truly considered everything.

Wu Yuan thought to himself.

Then, he reached out and grasped a bamboo scroll floating in the void. Opening it, he began to peruse its contents. The words inscribed on the bamboo scrolls were simple yet unfathomable.

As Wu Yuan's gaze fell upon those carved words, his mind became completely immersed.

In fact, it wasn't just Wu Yuan's body refiner self; his qi refiner self, far away in another spacetime, also completely focused his mind at this moment, likewise beginning to comprehend and deduce the insights.

A single bamboo scroll represented the cultivation insights of an Eternal and recorded the Dao they had successfully pioneered.

This Dao was not some Lesser Law or Greater Law, nor even the profundities of a Great Dao, but rather an eternal Dao that transcended the Great Daos, gradually approaching the Primordium!

The Daos pioneered by eternal lifeforms were all eternal Daos, with power surpassing even the Great Daos. However, these Daos were newly forged and not yet refined to perfection, so they could not truly merge into the essence of the megaverse.

Swordsman.

The consciousnesses of Wu Yuan’s true selves were immersed within the first bamboo scroll.

He felt himself become a swordsman, entering the path of the Dao through the sword, interpreting the Great Dao with the sword, deciding life and death with the sword... His swordsmanship grew ever stronger, and he achieved victory in life-or-death battles time and time again.

Time flowed on. The swordsman's sword path had long since reached the pinnacle of the universe, even shattering the shackles of samsara to achieve eternity.

Finally, relying on his sword, he pioneered his own unique Dao - the Sword of Great Freedom!

He had achieved eternity through the Creation Great Dao, but his Dao ultimately discarded the aspect of the Law of Death, pursuing only the facet of life.

Great freedom! Unfetteredness! Eternal life! The swordsman's sword grew increasingly ethereal, inscrutable, and full of vitality, to the extent that countless sempiternal lifeforms who beheld it would involuntarily lose themselves within...

This was merely the first bamboo scroll Wu Yuan perused. It felt as if hundreds of millions of years had passed, yet when Wu Yuan's two true selves fully awakened, they discovered that only a year had gone by.

A year, yet it feels as though I've cultivated for hundreds of millions of years in a hazy dream.

Wu Yuan marveled, his mind reeling from the revelation.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He immediately understood that these bamboo scrolls were not as simple as they appeared. Beyond containing Dao resonance insights, they held the power of 'time' itself.

Even with somewhat blurred comprehension, it equated to Wu Yuan experiencing an immense span of time.

This experience wouldn't cause Wu Yuan's Dao comprehension to skyrocket suddenly, but it would exert a subtle, gradual influence. It was building his foundation.

Wu Yuan exhaled. Then, he set down the first scroll and picked up the second, unrolling it...

1. I was tempted to write ‘All roads led to Rome. But I began imagining all the ancient Daoists ending up in Rome and that’s kinda funny ☜