Chapter 2351 - 2349: Comprehension

While the Four Great Family Patriarchs were chatting outside, Lu Ye had already entered the Dao Runes Pavilion.

He originally expected this place to be a hollow building, with many Dao runes inscribed on specific materials for later cultivators to observe and practice.

However, upon entering, he realized this was not the case.

He currently found himself as if in a miniature stellar space, surrounded by clusters of nebulae, with light shining from unknown sources, the glow was gentle.

Soon, Lu Ye became keenly aware that every cluster of nebulae around him contained a complete Dao rune!

He couldn't help but become intrigued and dashed into the nearest cluster of nebulae.

Within the nebula, there were strands of marvel flowing slowly as if a warm breeze brushed his face. If immersed in concentration, one could clearly perceive that these flowing marvels were the tracks of the Dao rune, repeating over and over, allowing the cultivators who ventured in to gain Insight into its mysteries.

This Dao rune...

He had never seen it before!

Lu Ye was greatly surprised.

The spirit runes and Dao runes he had been exposed to could basically all be found on the Talent Tree, and their number wasn't vast. He knew the Yan family's immense lineage over countless generations must be substantial and heavy. Yet, to encounter a rune he had never seen right from the start was quite startling.

Lu Ye calmed his mind, crossed his legs within the nebula, and began to carefully comprehend.

The passage of time became unknown.

Gradually, he understood the function of this Dao rune.

It turned out to be a rune that could enhance hand speed, somewhat obscure, but to say it's useless would be incorrect. Any Dao rune, as long as applied at the right time and place, is useful.

Lu Ye's understanding of the Dao runes necessary for Dao Fusion wasn't shallow.

Because during his past interactions with Jiu Ying, he had specifically probed for information on this topic. Monsters like Jiu Ying possessed vast cultivation intelligence. Had it not harbored ill intentions and sought its own demise actively, Lu Ye would have been reluctant to kill it.

All Dao runes in the world could essentially be divided into five major categories.

Combat, Defense, Speed, Restriction, and Miscellaneous.

Combat refers to all runes with aggressive properties or those that can enhance attack potency. For instance, Divine Sharp Edge on the Talent Tree belongs to this type, along with various Dao runes derived from magic and spells.

Defense refers to protective runes, with Sacred Guard on the Talent Tree being one such type.

Speed pertains to velocity, like Blinding Speed, which belongs to the Speed category of runes, including the rune Lu Ye had just comprehended, which could enhance hand speed, also classified here.

Restriction covers all runes involving imprisonment, categorized as such.

Apart from these four major categories, the remaining assorted Dao runes fall under Miscellaneous, numerous and diverse with unique focuses.

The same Dao rune can actually be constructed in various ways, yet different constructions vary in complexity and effectiveness.

The reason Lu Ye hesitated to advance to Dao Fusion during the competition for the Star Abyss Heir was due to this consideration; he aimed to push his Dao runes to further evolution, while striving for simplification in their construction and maintaining or enhancing their potency!

This would be greatly beneficial for his future cultivation, as the choice of Dao runes is a crucial foundation for Dao Fusion. A solid foundation leads to smoother paths ahead.

To evolve Dao runes, one must visit the Dao Runes Pavilion of the Four Great Families.

Truth be told, the Dao runes chosen by Dao Fusion cultivators are numerous, yet ninety-nine percent don't offer much choice; every cultivator hopes to wield more powerful forces.

Hence, during Dao Fusion, cultivators generally select Combat or Defense runes for the first layer because only in this manner can they enhance their combat and defensive abilities.

Only when one's cultivation increases gradually and other factors come into play do cultivators opt for other Dao runes as foundations for breakthroughs.

Yet no matter what choices are made, Restriction and Miscellaneous categories are generally not favored, as they bear little use for combat. These two types are mostly employed in placing restrictions or formations.

Lu Ye had long determined the foundation for his Dao Fusion advancement.

Divine Sharp Edge was the sole choice.

For combat cultivators who need close combat, offense is the best defense. As long as the speed of eliminating the enemy is fast enough, one will never be injured.

What he needed to do now was improve his mastery of Dao runes within the Dao Runes Pavilion, then evolve Divine Sharp Edge for optimization.

Comprehending a Dao rune never before encountered is not easy for anyone.

But Lu Ye possessed a unique method, which involved inscribing the rune onto the leaves of the Talent Tree. Once successfully inscribed, he could rely on the Talent Tree's ability to construct it repeatedly!

Every successful construction allowed him to deepen his understanding of the rune.

In simple terms, others would comprehend a rune gradually, from surface to core, while he did it in reverse, but the effect was even slightly better.

However, there was an issue: Lu Ye needed to figure out what Dao rune was hidden within the nebula, understanding every line and every basic element thoroughly. Moreover, inscription onto the Talent Tree was no easy task.

This first Dao rune took Lu Ye nearly ten full days to gain complete insight, with eight entire days spent inscribing the rune onto the Talent Tree's leaves. During the subsequent two days, he constructed it over a thousand times under intense Dao force expenditure!

Two days, a thousand constructions, the Dao force expenditure alone was enough to daunt any Dao Fusion level cultivator, not to mention the success rate issue.

No matter how deep the mastery, without the Talent Tree, no one could construct it so many times in such a short duration.

Lu Ye swiftly moved toward the second cluster of nebulae.

The situation this time wasn't much better…

Then came the third group, the fourth group...

No one knows how long Banlan has existed, nor for how long the Four Great Families of the human race have thrived here. Besides themselves, perhaps no one truly knows.

But tens or hundreds of thousands of years certainly have passed, and over such a lengthy period, the Yan family has amassed a considerable number of Dao Runes.

Lu Ye was immersed in them, unable to extricate himself.

It was only a full year later that Lu Ye's silhouette suddenly appeared outside the spirit mountaintop, his face still thoughtful.

Immediately, two Yan family cultivators rushed over, both clasping their fists in salute: "Greetings, Lord Lu!"

Lu Ye's eyes gradually focused, discerning the appearance of the two, he nodded slightly: "You are the guardians here."

Previously, when he arrived, these two were guarding the place, and now it was still them.

Lu Ye once made a transaction with the Yan family, nominally serving as a Family General of the Yan family, so it was not incorrect for these two to call him 'Lord'.

"Yes, my lord." The younger cultivator nodded, "The Family Head has instructed to notify him immediately once you exit. Please wait a moment, the Family Head will soon arrive."

Lu Ye nodded.

Indeed, moments later, Yan Yao's figure appeared before Lu Ye, clasping his fists: "Fellow Daoist has exited seclusion."

"Hmm." Lu Ye responded.

"If you need to rest, I will arrange it right away," Yan Yao offered.

"No need, but please inform Patriarch Huang that I will be visiting their Dao Runes Pavilion shortly."

So urgent?

Yan Yao was taken aback.

Previously, he and the other three patriarchs were actually waiting outside, because comprehending Dao Runes in the pavilion is a task that consumes a lot of mental energy and focus. Even for them, these Harmonization Practitioners, it's impossible to remain there for prolonged periods.

The longest recorded was by a Peak Dao Fusion from the Huang family, who spent half a year inside.

But upon exiting, they rested for a full three months before recovering.

Thus they assumed Lu Ye wouldn't take long to come out, but their wait was in vain as Lu Ye was nowhere to be seen, forcing them to leave because they have many responsibilities and cannot stay indefinitely.

Now, Lu Ye stayed inside for a year, yet he showed no need for rest after exiting. To Yan Yao, this was quite bewildering.

Careful observation revealed Lu Ye showed no signs of fatigue, Yan Yao was secretly amazed.

He didn't know that Lu Ye used his unique method to comprehend Dao Runes, not consuming mental energy and focus like regular cultivators.

What he expended most was Dao force!

But after the slaughter outside the Star Abyss Gate, his Dao force reserves were exceedingly abundant. Such minor consumption wasn't an issue at all.

Since Lu Ye had made a request, Yan Yao naturally did not refuse and immediately led him towards the Huang family's territory, transmitting a message to Huang Chen on the way.

Before Lu Ye arrived, Huang Chen had already come to greet him.

Yan Yao had other matters to attend to, so he left Lu Ye with Huang Chen and departed.

The Huang family's Dao Runes Pavilion was crafted much like the Yan family's, situated within a hollowed-out spirit mountaintop, only its scale seemed to be three times larger.

No wonder it's the foremost family within Banlan.

However, this time Lu Ye spent only half a year in the Huang family's Dao Runes Pavilion.

Then it was the Sun family, the Zhou family...

Each time, Lu Ye spent less time than the previous one.

During his last visit to the Zhou family's Dao Runes Pavilion, he stayed only one month.

It wasn't that the Sun and Zhou family's Dao Runes Pavilion were smaller compared to the other two families, but because many Dao Runes were similar, or had many common aspects.

Thus, when Lu Ye comprehended those Dao Runes similar to ones previously understood, he spent very little time.

Besides the four families' own Dao Runes Pavilions, there was another Dao Runes Pavilion on his home planet, spearheaded by the Four Great Families, co-created with other medium and small families, as a shared pavilion, unlike the four families' pavilions that only allowed their own cultivators entrance. The shared pavilion permitted entry by exchanging battle merit.

This was the path for ordinary cultivators within Banlan to ascend to Harmonization.

Lu Ye took a trip inside, and emerged after just a few days.

Why? The Dao Runes inside were mostly seen in the Four Great Families' pavilions.

Thus, all the Dao Runes in Banlan were now encompassed within the Talent Tree.

After leaving the planet, Lu Ye headed directly into the ruins.

This time, he intended to retreat, the ruins being the place least susceptible to disturbance, also where he aimed to locate the Enlightenment Tea Tree.

With numerous Dao Runes amassed, the next step was to thoroughly deduce them, particularly the Divine Sharp Edge which Lu Ye had selected as his foundation for advancement.

This would be greatly aided by Enlightenment Tea Leaves, enhancing the effect."