Chapter 460: The Concept of the Dharma Power Dao (10,000 Words!)

Inside Dream Marsh of the Imperial Guard Grotto-Heaven.

After stating that this place was a serendipitous encounter rather than a trial, Wang Ping confidently began his deductions, projecting his divine sense to pull at the surrounding mist.

Beside him, Tianhou looked confused.

"What are you doing?"

"An experiment!"

Wang Ping didn't even blink. He first guided the mist into his eyes. They instantly ruptured, turning into two streams of bloody tears that rolled down his cheeks.

"Woof!?"

Tianhou let out a yelp of alarm. Wang Ping, however, couldn't care less. He circulated his dharma body path, instantly erasing the injury and restoring his eyes' brightness.

The injury had been transferred to his Past-Life Form, representing the past, while his Present-World Form remained completely unharmed. This was the mystical effect of refining the three forms within the dharma body path—a relatively shallow application of time that Wang Ping was already accustomed to. Tianhou, however, stared with wide, round eyes.

"What kind of divine power is that?"

"You want to learn? I'll teach you," Wang Ping said with a smile.

He immediately circulated his divine sense, sending over his [Lesser Art of Winning] and [Great Abundance Scripture] for Tianhou to comprehend.

A second later, another explosion rang out.

"Pop!"

This time it was his nose. It blew into a bloody pulp on the spot, but Wang Ping still paid it no mind. He utilized his profound arts to heal the wound and continued his experiment with great interest.

At first, Tianhou couldn't understand what he was doing at all. It was only after Wang Ping successively sent the mist into his eyes, ears, and nose that the beast finally grasped something and revealed a look of astonishment.

"You want to refine this mist into your body?"

"It's not that I want to," Wang Ping said with a smile. "It's that this mist was meant to be refined into the body from the very beginning. I actually felt it was strange when we saw those Imperial Guards earlier."

"Didn't you notice that their physical sizes and dharma frames were significantly larger than ordinary people?"

"So what?"

Tianhou blinked. "We are qi-ingesting practitioners. With qi entering our bodies, our dharma frames are naturally different from the norm. Maybe it's just the effect of some Immortal Physique."

"Yes, but also no," Wang Ping said, shaking his head. "That is indeed a certain constitution, but it absolutely wasn't cultivated. If they cultivated it, they would naturally be able to manipulate it freely, making it larger or smaller, longer or shorter. However, those Imperial Guards clearly couldn't alter their abnormal sizes."

"Therefore, it's an external force."

"Taking into account that the danger zones in this grotto-heaven are actually serendipitous encounters, I am eighty percent sure that this mist is the key behind the Imperial Guards' bodily transformations."

Wang Ping spoke with absolute confidence, but Tianhou remained skeptical.

"Really?"

Wang Ping didn't bother answering and continued drawing the mist into his mouth.

This time, a change occurred.

The mist he drew in no longer violently shredded his lips and teeth. Instead, it melted the moment it entered, spreading out gently within his mouth!

Beside him, Tianhou was completely dumbfounded.

'Holy shit? It actually works?'

After hesitating for a moment, it also tried pulling a wisp of mist, opened its canine maw, and inhaled. A sharp pain instantly tore through its mouth.

"Arooo—!"

"Stop howling." Wang Ping shot Tianhou a glance and said mildly, "Don't just use your physical body. Dharma power is the key. Use your dharma power to refine this mist into your flesh."

Tianhou didn't dare to slack off and immediately followed his instructions. The agonizing pain that had nearly ripped its mouth apart instantly eased considerably. As the mist melted between its lips and teeth, the beast immediately noticed a change—its howling seemed to have grown louder, as if some profound mystery was gradually incubating within its mouth.

"It really is for body tempering!"

Tianhou looked pleasantly surprised.

"Making a fuss over nothing," Wang Ping said, his tone tranquil. "I told you, this place is a serendipitous encounter. Instead of being surprised, you should be pondering why it specifically tempered the mouth."

With that said, he once again looked up at the sky.

He had caught a fleeting glimpse of this Dream Marsh when he first fell into the grotto-heaven. Judging by the layout of the Imperial Guard Grotto-Heaven, this was likely due west.

"...It's a trigram."

Wang Ping understood.

"Dui is in the west, representing true, pure metal, and the great cloud-dream marsh. It stands for ruin and snapping—that's right, the mist here must be drawn from the profundity of the [Dui Trigram]!"

In the Five Phases, the [Dui Trigram] belonged to metal qi. If classified by yin and yang, it was of the yin attribute. Combined, this trigram was actually standard yin metal.

"Heaven holds one yin, while humanity and earth hold two yang," Wang Ping said, feeling somewhat nostalgic. After all, the most critical strand of heaven and earth qi that formed the [Dui Trigram] was the Heavenly Yin Metal he was so familiar with.

"This trigram is hard on the inside but soft on the outside. Compared to the [Qian Trigram], the heaven position of the Three Realms is yin. Since heaven is above, there's the saying '[Dui is broken at the top].' Because of this break, it hides its form and conceals its yin, yet also because of it, it is all-encompassing. Moreover, unlike the [Qian Trigram], this trigram's imagery leans much more toward the Five Phases."

"Why?"

Tianhou sat obediently on its haunches, looking like a curious child.

Wang Ping didn't hold anything back. He smiled and said, "Because the [Qian Trigram] is more focused on yin and yang. The heaven, earth, and humanity that form its trigram are all of the yang attribute, which is also known as the ultimate nature of pure yang."

"In contrast, the [Dui Trigram] is broken. Therefore, putting yin and yang aside, it places heavier emphasis on the Five Phases. That's why the [Dui Trigram] is the true, pure metal, rather than the [Qian Trigram]. As for why the mist born from the [Dui Trigram]'s mystical resonance can be absorbed by the mouth out of the seven apertures, I still need to keep exploring..."

"You know so much," Tianhou said sincerely.

"I just figured it out."

Wang Ping waved his hand modestly. "Actually, you should be able to do it too. Your vision was just clouded by the mist, which distracted you from trying to comprehend it."

"I find it quite simple."

"As long as you see through the phenomena and look directly at the essence, you'll realize the cultivator who set up this trial already placed the answer right out in the open. Once you perceive it, you'll naturally understand."

Hearing this, Tianhou looked thoughtful.

'Is that really true?'

...

"You've got to be kidding me. This has to be fake."

Outside the grotto-heaven, the towering Imperial Guard Commander widened his eyes. Behind him, Hanguang also stroked his chin, revealing a hint of amazement.

"Not bad comprehension..."

"It's far more than just 'not bad'!"

The Imperial Guard Commander turned his head. "When His Majesty set up this trial, he left behind all sorts of dao insights, and this guy has nearly comprehended all of them. Such talent is already among the very best in the current era!"

Hanguang didn't deny it.

In fact, he completely agreed with the Imperial Guard Commander's judgment. As for his comment about "not bad comprehension," he hadn't been comparing Wang Ping to anyone else, but rather to himself.

In his view, this Imperial Guard trial wasn't actually that difficult, and he could have easily mastered it as well. However, his own comprehension was considered top-tier even in the Immortal Realm. The fact that this Chiming could be mentioned in the same breath as him was already an incredibly exaggerated feat. Could it be that this person had hopes of cultivating to become a True Person in the future?

Meanwhile, the Imperial Guard Commander grew excited.

"Increase the difficulty!" Forming a hand seal, he laughed heartily. "It's rare to see such a good seedling, and he was personally chosen by a True Monarch to boot. The ordinary Imperial Guard trial is no longer worthy of him."

"Let's use the commander's specifications."

"Huh?" Hanguang was taken aback by this.

The dharma frame transformations in the eight great danger zones of the grotto-heaven had one specification for ordinary Imperial Guards, and an entirely different one for Imperial Guard Commanders. The difference between the two was actually like night and day.

After all, those capable of becoming an Imperial Guard Commander were, without exception, great cultivators at the Ninth Layer Heaven Breaking stage, standing at the very peak of the Entering the Dao level. It might seem like they were only two heavenly layers higher than an Imperial Guard at the Breaking Seven Layers stage, but in reality, a single commander could effortlessly crush over a dozen guards with almost no suspense.

In other words, without that level of strength, one simply couldn't become a commander.

From this, it was obvious that the difficulty of a commander-level trial was on a completely different plane from the guard level. Saying the difficulty would double was probably an understatement.

'This isn't good.'

Hanguang suddenly felt a bit apprehensive. 'Earlier, Chiming said the True Monarch had a written decree asking me to lower the difficulty, but now it's been cranked up to the absolute maximum instead.'

Clearly, a minor accident had occurred.

'He won't hold a grudge against me, will he?'

...Inside the grotto-heaven, Wang Ping was still operating.

As more and more mist was sucked into his mouth, he could clearly sense that the certain profundity born between his lips and teeth was continuously growing stronger.

Because of this, his eyes shone increasingly brighter.

'So that's how it is...'

'I finally understand the path forward for the dharma body path!'

Merging the past, present, and future forms into one was the symbol of Entering the Dao in the dharma body path. However, Wang Ping had never had any clue on how to cultivate it after Entering the Dao.

But now, he had found his direction.

'The authority of the [Eight Trigrams] resides between heaven and earth, yet the human body actually has its own eight trigram positions as well. [Dui] is the mouth, so the other trigrams definitely correspond to other organs too.'

Gathering the [Eight Trigrams] into one body!

'If I can achieve that, I will definitely be able to make the dharma body path continue growing. It will no longer be limited to the simple Entering the Dao level, but will step into the domain of cultivating truth and attaining the Dao!'

In the words of the Ancient Cultivators, following this path to the very end would at least allow one to become a Daoist of the Breaking Ten Layers stage, and there was even great hope of becoming a Dao Monarch!

'However, relying purely on the dharma body isn't enough to sense the authority of the [Eight Trigrams]. Trying to sense the [Eight Trigrams] of heaven and earth with the eight trigrams of the human body is like trying to hold an entire ocean in a cup—the only result will be the cup shattering and the water overflowing. That's why I need a medium, or rather, a straw to draw the ocean water into the cup...' Thinking of this, Wang Ping suddenly clapped his hands together.

"Aha! I've got it!"

Beside him, Tianhou stared blankly.

In his eyes, Wang Ping had just been talking when he suddenly froze, muttered a bunch of incomprehensible nonsense to himself, and then clapped his hands, declaring that he had attained enlightenment.

'Is this what you call an epiphany?'

'Shouldn't an epiphany come from contemplating profound mysteries and comprehending the Dao day after day? Seeming to gain nothing, but actually accumulating insights all along, until one day the perfect opportunity arrives, allowing all that hidden preparation to erupt...'

'How come you only have the eruption part? Where is the accumulation?'

'That's not how you attain enlightenment!'

Wang Ping naturally had no idea how mentally broken Tianhou felt at this moment. He was completely immersed in his own realization, wanting nothing more than to dance for joy.

'Dharma power!'

'That's right! Further cultivation of the dharma body path requires dharma power to accompany it. By the same logic, the dharma body can elevate one's dharma power. The two inherently complement each other!'

Dharma power was the source of everything. As the saying went, Borrowing Qi to Manifest Magic—dharma power itself could interact with this heaven and earth qi. And since heaven and earth qi was the key to forming the authority of the [Eight Trigrams], and the authority of the [Eight Trigrams] was the foundation for calling upon the Pinnacle Station of heaven and earth... strictly speaking, dharma power could resonate with all of them!

'The key lies in the frequency.'

Wang Ping focused his divine sense on his lips and teeth, using his dharma power to sense the mist he had swallowed. In essence, it was also a type of dharma power.

A dharma power with a special frequency and special properties that allowed it to resonate with the [Dui Trigram]—Wang Ping wanted to deduce this frequency!

'My original dharma power was drawn from Earth Yin Water. As my cultivation improves, the [Kan Trigram] will inevitably respond to me. Under the influence of the [Kan Trigram], my dharma power will spontaneously develop a frequency that resonates with it. However, that happens naturally. I would know the result, but not the underlying reason why.'

That could not satisfy Wang Ping.

"I'm not a brute," he muttered. "Cultivation isn't just about raising your realm and combat strength—it's about seeing through the mysteries of heaven and earth. What we cultivate is Dao progression!"

He wanted to actively master it!

By actively changing the frequency of his own dharma power to match the corresponding trigram, he wouldn't need to wait for a trigram to notice him and resonate; he could actively approach the trigram himself.

This would be hugely beneficial for cultivation!

Very quickly, as he analyzed the mist, a clear line of thought gradually formed in Wang Ping's mind. He then organized his insights, preparing to create a corresponding cultivation method.

During this process, the cup of Dao-enlightenment tea gifted by [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] the day before also released its mystical effects, continuously stimulating bursts of inspiration.

But right at that moment.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the mist centered around Wang Ping began to churn violently. Wang Ping, who had found sensing it extremely easy just a moment ago, discovered that the profound mystery had abruptly drifted far out of reach.

'Huh?'

Seeing this, Wang Ping was momentarily stunned, but then overjoyed!

'This is... the [Dui Trigram] here is being manually manipulated. The connection between it and the mist has been stretched thin, making both sensing and absorbing it far more difficult.'

'In order to continue absorbing this mist and sensing the [Dui Trigram], one must possess even higher comprehension and a stronger physique. Otherwise, any attempt will be utterly futile.'

This was great!

He had actually been fretting over this. After all, the [Dui Trigram] from just a moment ago had been far too obvious; it was practically right in front of his face the moment he looked up, and sensing it had presented zero difficulty.

But that was only true for him. Just because he could do it didn't mean others could. Since sensing it had been so easy, refining the method was tough. After all, when every attempt succeeded instantly, he couldn't pinpoint which steps would actually pose a challenge for ordinary cultivators. As a result, he hadn't been able to simplify the method.

Now, things were perfect.

'The current difficulty of sensing it is a bit challenging even for me. If I can perfect the cultivation method under these conditions and push the difficulty back down...'

Then, by giving the finalized method to ordinary people, it would definitely drastically lower the barrier to entry for them, thus achieving a degree of universal accessibility.

'It seems there are capable people up top, too. They know what I'm doing and are purposely cooperating with me... Could it be Hanguang? Yeah, if it's him, it wouldn't be surprising.'

Having connections up top really made things easier. How reliable!

With that thought, Wang Ping immediately resumed comprehending the frequency connection between his dharma power and the [Dui Trigram]. His line of thought was becoming clearer and clearer.

...

"What is he doing?"

Watching Wang Ping continuing to inhale and exhale the mist on the screen, the Imperial Guard Commander blinked. "I raised the difficulty, yet he doesn't have the slightest reaction?"

On the other side, Hanguang had caught on to the truth, his eyes flickering with doubt and shock.

"He... is creating a cultivation method."

How interesting. He wasn't simply sensing the [Dui Trigram]; he was studying how to sense it. He wasn't a simple brute, but a true cultivator.

Thinking of this, Hanguang's opinion of Wang Ping underwent an earth-shattering shift. To be completely honest, he had always looked down on the Imperial Guards. They were pure brutes—good for nothing except having high combat strength, relying entirely on the blessing of [Earth-Heaven Peace]. He despised people like that, even if they were stronger than him.

But Wang Ping was different.

A brute wouldn't know how to research the method of sensing a trigram; they only knew how to use brute force to achieve miracles. The fact that Wang Ping possessed this level of awareness immediately earned Hanguang's approval.

'Moreover... in this way, increasing the difficulty isn't actually increasing the difficulty, but rather helping him comprehend it. Perfect. This guarantees he won't hold a grudge against me.'

Hanguang grew cheerful once more.

A moment later, he even took the initiative to say, "Sir, how about we increase the difficulty a bit more? Looking at him, it seems he's still handling it with ease."

"We can't increase it any further."

Hearing this, the Imperial Guard Commander shook his head. "If we push it higher, the seal will loosen. Everyone else would be affected when that happens, and we can't let him disrupt the entire trial."

"...Seal?"

Hanguang raised an eyebrow. This was something he knew absolutely nothing about. After all, he wasn't a cultivator of the Great Rebellion, but rather an exchange student sent over by the Earth Qi Daoist Lineage.

However, this matter wasn't actually taboo; it was simply that very few people knew about it. Therefore, the Imperial Guard Commander had no intention of hiding it and immediately laughed, "The scale of this Imperial Guard Grotto-Heaven far exceeds ordinary grotto-heavens, and its eight great danger zones linking the [Eight Trigrams] are all because of this seal."

"And the True Person sealed within it."

"A True Person?" Hanguang was somewhat surprised.

The Imperial Guard Commander continued, "Don't underestimate this True Person. He's different from the others. He was His Majesty's life-and-death rival before His Majesty ascended the throne."

"Hiss...!" At those words, Hanguang inhaled sharply, finally understanding why he hadn't known. Could it be related to the Human Emperor's ascension war?

It was said that that war had nearly shattered the Cosmos. Time had been thrown into chaos and the years severed, resulting in all records related to it completely vanishing.

"What is this True Person's title?"

"[Dao-Achievement Ten-Complete Sage]."

The Imperial Guard Commander spoke softly. In an instant, the grotto-heaven above the two of them trembled slightly, as if an enraged roar had boomed from the extreme distance.

"...It seems he's sobered up a bit."

The Imperial Guard Commander looked somewhat surprised, but quickly regained his composure. "It's fine. His Majesty personally sealed this man inside. It's impossible for him to escape."

"Sage..."

On the other side, Hanguang muttered softly. For titles and honorifics, the most widespread and common designation among cultivators was "True Person."

However, being common often meant being ordinary.

Of course, this wasn't an absolute rule—but regardless, anyone who could break away from the "True Person" title and establish their own unique designation definitely possessed extraordinary means.

"Is there something special about him?" Hanguang asked again.

Hearing this, the Imperial Guard Commander glanced at him and grinned. "Speaking of which, this person has ties with your Earth Qi. Back in the day, he cultivated the [Kun Hexagram]."

"However, he wasn't satisfied with a single hexagram."

"Because of that, he created a unique cultivation method called the [Ten-Complete Sacred Weapon]. By himself, he forged ten Spiritual Treasures. Eight of them linked to the authority of the [Eight Trigrams], while the remaining two—one yin, one yang—were responsible for central mediation. This ensured the ten Spiritual Treasures could merge into one, and upon merging, they would become a True Artifact."

"His Majesty once sighed in admiration back then."

"If this man's [Ten-Complete Sacred Weapons] could all advance to True Artifacts and then fuse together, they might even become a pseudo-Immortal Artifact that would astound the ages."

"Unfortunately, he ultimately still lost."

"Even his [Ten-Complete Sacred Weapons] were personally shattered by His Majesty. Their remains were later used to forge the Spiritual Treasures for us commanders, which could be considered putting waste to good use."

"As for this [Dao-Achievement Ten-Complete Sage], His Majesty cherished his talent and spared his life. He merely suppressed him within the Imperial Guard Grotto-Heaven, extracting the profundities of his divine powers to serve as serendipitous encounters for us guards. This is actually a form of tempering for him. If he can break the seal and escape, his cultivation will surely rise to the next level."

'Hypocritical!'

Hanguang nodded in agreement on the surface, but sneered internally. What "breaking the seal and escaping"? How could a mere True Person possibly break a seal personally set by the Human Emperor?

And "His Majesty cherished his talent"? More like His Majesty cherished his usefulness as material! The same went for these Imperial Guards. Nominally, they were grandly titled the protectors of the Heavenly Palace, but in reality, weren't they just fodder used to grow the imagery and merit of [Earth-Heaven Peace]?

It was all just an act.

At the end of the day, proving the [Earth-Heaven Peace] showed that the Human Emperor was extremely skilled at borrowing the false to cultivate the true. And could anyone skilled at borrowing the false to cultivate the true actually be a good person?

He certainly didn't believe it!

...

Inside the Imperial Guard Grotto-Heaven, Wang Ping's comprehension was already nearing its end.

He opened his palm and used his divine sense to trace out tens of thousands of words. Just like that, a fresh cultivation method on how to tune dharma power frequencies to sense trigrams was created.

In truth, he had also noticed that as his cultivation level grew higher, he seemed to become smarter. It was as if his natural talent was being gradually excavated. At the very least, compared to when he had first traversed to this world, it was like the difference between heaven and earth. Even Wang Ping himself couldn't fully explain the reason behind this growth in comprehension.

If he had to give a reason...

'It's probably because a huge part of my talent lies in the integration and deduction of knowledge, rather than pure comprehension. It requires a foundational accumulation.'

In other words, the more he knew, the larger his database became, and the more his talent could be realized. That was why the higher his cultivation climbed, the better his comprehension grew.

If only this talent could be popularized as well.

'I'm overthinking it.'

Reining in his stray thoughts, Wang Ping shook his head. Although he had created the cultivation method, its actual effectiveness was still unclear. He needed someone to help him test it.

Thinking of this, he immediately looked over at Tianhou.

Well... a beast would do.

"Tianhou, do you want a serendipitous encounter?"

Wang Ping smiled amiably.

If he hadn't smiled, it would have been fine. But the moment he did, the previously relaxed Tianhou reacted as if it had just seen some terrifying monster, howling as it scrambled away to put distance between them.

"Woof!?"

Staring at Wang Ping, Tianhou's face was full of vigilance. "Are you trying to trick me? When Shuofang conned me into going to the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary], he smiled exactly like that!"

Wang Ping was speechless. "..."

That damn Water Qi cultivator! If he wanted to run a scam, fine, but he could have at least hidden his identity. Why was it that whenever he got soaked in the rain, he had to go and tear up his juniors' umbrellas?

"You misunderstand, Daoist Friend." Having no other choice, Wang Ping mentally cursed Shuofang Hanyou True Monarch while keeping his smile. "I merely wish to help you pass the trial more smoothly."

"Don't you want to become an Imperial Guard and earn an imperial stipend?"

"...Gulp."

Tianhou swallowed hard.

Of course it wanted to! It dreamed of it constantly. It wanted to be an Imperial Guard so badly, because then it could openly visit the inner palace for secret trysts with the little female dogs, instead of having to sneak through hidden passages.

"You're not lying to me?"

"I guarantee this cultivation method will help you refine this mist," Wang Ping pledged solemnly. Enticed by the allure of the little female dogs, Tianhou ultimately gritted its teeth.

It would go through with it!

Taking the cultivation method Wang Ping handed over, Tianhou swept it with its divine sense. It didn't dilly-dally. Opening its canine maw, a massive volume of mist surged right into its mouth...

"Boom!"

The dog's mouth exploded.

"Woof, woof, woof!" Tianhou was in so much pain that tears streamed down its face. Half of its dog teeth were gone, and the glare it shot Wang Ping was filled with the fury of being conned.

However, before it could open its mouth to interrogate him, Wang Ping spoke up first, "Who told you to swallow it all in one gulp? Idiot! The [Dui Trigram] is hard on the inside but soft on the outside, and it corresponds to yin metal. The emphasis is on gentleness! When you swallowed yin metal back in the day, did you gulp it all down at once? You have to chew slowly and swallow carefully!"

"Aren't you a metal qi cultivator? Have you never studied the [Dui Trigram]?"

Tianhou froze.

So it wasn't a problem with the cultivation method, but its own operational error? It didn't swallow properly, and that was why it knocked its teeth out? That was true—the [Dui Trigram] really did carry that imagery.

After a moment of silence, Tianhou lowered its head. "I cultivate human yang metal, and in the future, I'll cultivate the [Qian Trigram]. My three qi are purely yang. I really have never swallowed yin metal before."

"I'm sorry, my mistake."

"As long as you know you're wrong, that's fine. Remember, swallowing yin metal requires patience. Swallow it first, and if you feel uncomfortable and there's a risk of it exploding, spit it out immediately."

Wang Ping began carefully guiding Tianhou.

Just in case, he even activated [Heaven Sky Fire], using the [Heaven-Inscribing Seal] to brand the mist, subjugating it first before letting Tianhou swallow and refine it.

Based on Tianhou's feedback, he continually modified the method's contents, annotating Tianhou's insights into swallowing yin metal, the difficulties encountered along the way, and everything that required attention. Once he ensured it was foolproof, he left Tianhou to practice on its own while he walked to another clearing.

"Phew..."

Compared to Tianhou, Wang Ping succeeded almost instantly. The mist trickled continuously like a long stream as he steadily inhaled and swallowed it, while his dharma power transformed alongside it. This process lasted for a moment, until finally, the instant his dharma power's subtle vibrations reached a specific frequency, Wang Ping's sea of consciousness flared with blinding light!

'This is the frequency!'

In an instant, the mist—which had previously shown slight resistance during the refining process—did a total 180-degree reversal in its attitude toward him, allowing itself to be refined in a split second!

In this moment, Wang Ping was absolutely certain.

'I've already grasped the core of dharma power!'

With that thought, Wang Ping opened his eyes and exhaled a breath. Sensing the profound mystery fully incubated between his lips and teeth, a smile slowly crept onto his face.

Immediately after, he breathed out and declared aloud, "Split!"

As soon as the word was spoken, the profound mystery rippled outwards. The ground beneath his feet suddenly shattered for no apparent reason, spiderwebbing with dense cracks as it genuinely responded to the word he had just spoken.

Speech manifests as law!

'Well... it hasn't quite reached that level yet. However, if I chant dharma mantras and unleash divine powers now, their might will definitely surge by another thirty percent out of thin air!'

Wang Ping quickly made a mental evaluation. The current him had essentially used dharma power to open the [Dui Mouth] of the human body's eight trigram positions. With the same divine power and the same dharma power, when he chanted a dharma mantra, the might he unleashed would just be stronger than anyone else's. Thirty percent might not sound like much, but its actual impact was colossal!

'And this is only the [Dui Mouth].'

What if he opened all eight trigram positions of the human body? With the blessing of eight distinct marvels, Wang Ping felt it was entirely possible for his combat strength to instantly jump by an entire heavenly layer!

Thinking of this, Wang Ping's mood instantly soared.

But when he looked back, he found that Tianhou—who had started practicing half a day earlier than him—was still over there swallowing mist. Its dog face was completely flushed, yet it still hadn't succeeded.

Wang Ping watched for a long time until, finally, he couldn't help but reveal a trace of disgust.

How should he put it? He suddenly felt that Tianhou was a little ugly. Its comprehension was just far too low, evoking an irresistible urge to avert his eyes.

'It seems that the dharma body and dharma power are ultimately different. For the dharma body path, I can use the Long River of Memory to manipulate things on their behalf. But for the [Dharma Power Dao], one must sense the authority of the [Eight Trigrams] themselves; this threshold simply cannot be bypassed... Unless I use the dharma body path to support it. That's right, the human body's eight trigram positions should be able to assist.'

He acted as soon as the thought struck him.

A second later, Wang Ping reached out his hand, circulated the dharma body path, and helped Tianhou sense the location of the [Dui Mouth], letting the dog's dharma power resonate with it first.

A long time passed just like this.

"Woof!?"

Tianhou snapped its eyes open and let out a long breath, its voice ringing with pleasant surprise. "It actually worked! I feel like my mouth has undergone a metamorphosis!"

"It's just average," Wang Ping said, withdrawing his hand, his tone mild. "Alright, there are no more serendipitous encounters here. Let's move on to the next stop... while my condition is still pretty good."

The cup of Dao-enlightenment tea he drank yesterday was still continuously exhibiting its effects. Wang Ping felt that this stuff's boost to his comprehension was probably better than [Golden Sea Desiccation] and the [Avalokiteshvara Precious Scroll] combined. As expected of tea meant for a True Monarch. While the effects hadn't dissipated yet, he had to make the most of it.

Moreover, he had a premonition.

'After this session of comprehension, I might just be able to create the prototype of the [Dharma Power Dao]. The potential of this Great Dao shouldn't be inferior to the dharma body path!'

After all, the [Eight Trigrams] were the foundation of heaven and earth.

The authority of the [Eight Trigrams] gave birth to the qi of heaven and earth, and combined to form the Pinnacle Station of heaven and earth. Immortal cultivators were born from it, and the myriad phenomena existed because of it; the profundities held within were truly countless.

Therefore, if he really could create a [Dharma Power Dao] that allowed dharma power to resonate with the [Eight Trigrams] at will, then theoretically, he could use his dharma power to extrapolate and resonate with any Pinnacle Station of heaven and earth, and any type of heaven and earth qi, allowing him to freely command their power!

'The key to all of this lies in the frequency.'

The vibrational frequency of dharma power—which frequency could resonate with which authority of the [Eight Trigrams]. As long as he grasped that, the construction of the [Dharma Power Dao] was just around the corner!

Thinking of this, Wang Ping couldn't help but rub his hands together.

"Let's keep going!"

He could hardly wait to traverse all eight great danger zones!

...

There was basically no suspense in the subsequent cultivation.

Dream Marsh, Rosy Cloud Mountain, Fire Vein, Water Abyss, Wind Cave, Thunder Valley, Earth Rift, Heavenly Ladder... Wang Ping simply brought Tianhou along, passing through all of them completely unimpeded.

This journey took exactly half a year.

For Wang Ping, this was also the first time he had spent more than a month wholly devoted to cultivation, rather than running around trying to survive the crisis of his life tribulation.

And over this half-year, he finally figured out the eight trigram positions of the human body. "Qian is the head, Kun is the abdomen, Zhen is the feet, Xun is the thighs, Kan is the ears, Li is the eyes, Gen is the hands, Dui is the mouth... It truly is profound beyond compare. The human body's eight trigrams match the Eight Trigrams of heaven and earth. The path forward for the dharma body path lies exactly in this!"

High above in the sky, Wang Ping freely stretched out his limbs.

To him, the human body's eight trigrams were like eight separate gateways. With all eight doors now thrown wide open, they practically formed a heaven and earth of their own, elevating his dharma body to almost a whole new level.

'Fourth Layer Heaven Breaking!'

At this point, his second clone had actually surpassed his main body in terms of combat strength. His main body would have to borrow the power of the grotto-heaven just to reach his current level.

'It's a pity the [Dharma Power Dao] is only a concept at the moment. If I can truly carve out this Great Dao, my combat strength will experience an exponential explosion.'

Breaking the fifth heaven? Probably more than that!

Because the Dharma Power Dao wouldn't be a standalone Great Dao. It could resonate with the dharma body path, and under their mutually complementary augmentation, the boost it provided would be extraordinarily impressive.

Breaking the sixth heaven was entirely possible!

'Looks like my main body has to work harder too. I can't have my second clone attain the Dao while my main body is still stuck at Qi Refining... otherwise, the pecking order might just have to change.'

After all, as the saying goes, whoever is stronger is the main body.

If the second clone was more useful and its Dao path reached further, Wang Ping wouldn't mind treating it as the main body. He could use exactly that to confuse outsiders.

"Unfortunately..."

After gazing freely into his bright future, Wang Ping returned to reality. He looked at Tianhou beside him, his own eyes filled with helplessness. This damn dog had disappointed him far too much.

They had traversed so many danger zones, and he had developed a dharma power sensing method tailored to each trigram—yet Tianhou hadn't successfully learned a single one of them.

Was there anything stupider in this world?

It was only when they reached the Heavenly Ladder to sense the [Qian Trigram]—which corresponded to the yang metal that Tianhou primarily cultivated—that the beast finally perked up and looked like it was grasping something.

'Perhaps this is the case for most cultivators.'

'They only know how to pour effort into the qi they primarily cultivate, knowing the results but not the underlying reasons. Those aren't cultivators at all; they are just brutes who happen to know how to train.'

Without realizing it, Wang Ping's line of thought had synced up perfectly with Hanguang's.

He looked down on brutes!

Even the dharma body path was actually highly technical; it was just that the technical burden fell mainly on him, the path opener, making it backward compatible for others.

"Phew..."

Reining in his wandering thoughts, Wang Ping stopped paying attention to the still-comprehending Tianhou and instead continued up the Heavenly Ladder. Faintly, he could already make out an estate.

"Above the Heavenly Ladder lies the inner compound of the [Imperial Guard Garrison Headquarters]."

Wang Ping sighed in admiration.

"As expected, one cannot underestimate the heroes of this world."

"The human body's eight trigram positions is truly an incredible discovery. I wonder which senior figured it out. Even though they went down a crooked path, it's enough to show their immense talent."

That's right, a crooked path.

In Wang Ping's eyes, the cultivator who discovered the human body's eight trigram positions had most likely gone astray. Otherwise, the Dharma Power Dao would have been born long ago, and it wouldn't have been his turn to create it.

As his voice faded, Wang Ping immediately vibrated his dharma power. Eight frequencies alternated one after the other, and the eight gateways lit up in sequence as he continuously switched his resonance among the eight trigrams—but gradually, he frowned. He discovered that his dharma power could only resonate with one trigram at a time.

'That's not right.'

The true Dharma Power Dao wouldn't be like this. He shouldn't need to change frequencies to resonate with all the trigrams. The step of changing frequencies was redundant.

'This is a technique, not a law, and certainly not a Dao.'

It was like the difference between active and passive. Something that required active initiation was merely some sort of secret art; only when it became passive, harmonizing with nature, would it be a true Great Dao.

Wang Ping sank deep into thought.

With the continuous shifting of his dharma power, his resonance with the Eight Trigrams within the grotto-heaven had imperceptibly grown deeper. Suddenly, a faint voice echoed out eerily.

"Brat, who did you say went down a crooked path?"

Wang Ping jerked his head up!

"...Which senior might you be?"

"Don't you worry about that. I asked you, who did you say went down a crooked path, and why did you say they went down a crooked path?" The voice was faint and calm, yet it possessed an inexplicable undertone of madness.

Noticing this, Wang Ping suppressed the frantic warnings of his Divine Intent and smiled with a perfectly natural expression. "To answer Senior, I was talking about this big dog beside me. Look at it—I've practically been teaching it hand-by-hand, yet it still managed to go down a crooked path. I'm truly disappointed in its failure to improve."

After speaking, he even rubbed the dog's head. Although Wang Ping didn't know the owner of the voice, he wasn't willing to clash with a senior of unknown origins, so he decisively made Tianhou take the fall.

A second later, the voice sounded again.

"Hmph... You react quickly and know when to yield. Despite possessing top-tier comprehension and being a dragon and phoenix among people, you don't have the slightest bit of a genius's pride or bearing."

After a moment of silence, the other party reached a conclusion.

"A Water Qi cultivator?"

Wang Ping was speechless. "..."

"You misunderstand, Senior. I cultivate Fire Qi," Wang Ping said with a face full of helplessness.

"Impossible!"

The disembodied voice sneered. "Brat, who are you trying to fool? Humanity is the crown of all living things, and our bodies contain all the transformations of heaven and earth. Therefore, the eight trigram positions exist only within the human body."

"Take that big dog beside you, for example. It's not that its aptitude is lacking, but as a spiritual beast of heaven and earth, it inherently lacks the corresponding eight trigram positions. Or perhaps it only has a few, making them incomplete. That's why it can't cultivate them successfully... If you had started with Fire Qi and become a demon, you would be worse off than it."

"Spiritual beasts of heaven and earth might still have one or two trigram positions."

"But monsters transformed from Fire Qi are neither human nor ghost, and the eight trigram positions on their bodies are completely twisted. Forcibly opening them would only result in your body instantly exploding and suffering heavy injuries."

"The fact that you can open the eight trigram positions proves that you not only have a human body, but also possess an extremely brilliant mastery over your dharma frame—one that has almost reached the level where technique borders on Dao..."

Suddenly, the tone of the voice shifted.

"You're an Ancient Cultivator? And an Ancient Cultivator who is paving a Dao at that. The lineage you're establishing is related to the dharma frame? But you aren't a Daoist yet... You're actually a path opener!"

"How bizarre, how truly bizarre. With a body full of the fire phase, anyone else besides me would probably view you as a Fire Qi cultivator. You've executed this disguise flawlessly."

This time, Wang Ping was genuinely stunned.

'Holy shit!?'

This was the first time—the very first time his identity had been exposed like this. There was no flaw in the Taiping Sutra's disguise; the other party had seen straight through it using sheer Dao progression!

The disembodied voice hadn't pierced through the Taiping Sutra's disguise; in his eyes, Wang Ping still appeared to be a Fire Qi cultivator. However, he trusted his Dao progression far more than his own eyes. Through several rounds of deduction, he had forcibly figured out a portion of Wang Ping's foundation. This was absolutely not your average mighty figure!

"...Might I ask for Senior's name?" Wang Ping asked solemnly.

"I am [Dao-Achievement]!"

As his voice faded, the disembodied voice sounded exceedingly arrogant. "I've been observing you for a long time, brat. You want to open another Dao. Am I right?"

"Senior is exceptionally perceptive," Wang Ping nodded.

"Then break me out of here."

The voice abruptly rose in pitch. "The Human Emperor is incompetent and Heavenly Banner lacks wisdom! Since they couldn't beat me one-on-one, they ganged up on me. I refuse to accept it! I want to return to the world and fight them again!"

The grotto-heaven roared!

In that moment, Wang Ping felt the very Heavenly Ladder beneath his feet trembling slightly, as if some colossal beast were fiercely ramming against the Imperial Guard Grotto-Heaven.

However, what shocked him even more than that was the information revealed in the voice. 'Human Emperor, Heavenly Banner... This mighty figure was suppressed by the Great Rebellion? Right here in this grotto-heaven? So that's how it is. He's the cultivator who discovered the human body's eight trigram positions. A True Person? A True Monarch? Why was he suppressed here?'

Wang Ping had countless questions in his mind.

At the same time, the voice rang in his ears once more. "Brat, I can help you perfect your Great Dao. Do you know what you're currently missing?"

"What am I missing?" Wang Ping looked up.

"You are missing the essence!"

The disembodied voice grew even higher. "You might be able to adjust to different frequencies and resonate with different trigrams, but you haven't grasped the essence."

"Therefore, that is only a technique, not a Dao."

"You still haven't found the single, unique dharma power frequency that can resonate with all the trigrams simultaneously... Find a way to get me out, and I can teach you!"

Wang Ping paid no mind to his plea for help.

In reality, even if he rescued him within a historical fragment, it would be meaningless. What he truly cared about was this mighty figure's situation in real history.

'Judging by this display, he is clearly sealed inside the [Imperial Guard Garrison Headquarters].'

So, the question was...

'Is he a cultivator of the Immortal Gate or the Brahma Nation? In true history, thirty thousand years later, is he still inside the [Imperial Guard Garrison Headquarters] within the [Heaven Defiance Palace]?'

If he was still there, then there was much to be done!

After all, he was currently in desperate need of a "path-opener senior" who was hiding inside the Heaven Defiance Palace—someone with a clear background that he could present to all the True Monarchs of the Immortal Gate!