Chapter 97
Dao Theory
The Three Kingdoms moved on. As decades passed, the children of the Three Steps Hills were born into a better world, one where they did not have to experience what Tobias had gone through. Law changes and government programs ensured education was universal, and their clan's generosity with their cultivation resources made life easier and more productive for those they employed to work their land. Mortals who were discovered to have a talent for cultivation were invited to become servants, joining the Finch Clan in their hidden realm, or one of the many auxiliary gardens they had established to restore The Three Kingdoms' cultivation foundation.
While this happened, Tobias's divinity improved at a glacial pace, with two decades going by before he could cause a seventh crystal to glow. The slow progress gave him the time he needed to study dao and observe the changes within him as his divinity improved.
With each passing day, the dao whispers he heard made more sense. Until they came not as whispers but as words. Words that could be unravelled and strung together, giving him the influence over dao and the world around him that he so desperately needed to expand his understanding of cultivation.
Their hidden realm held the greatest collection of cultivators on the planet, and their slowly improving divinity allowed Tobias to measure the exact limitations of divinity and talent, providing him with data that could never be replicated. Watching someone's ability to gather insights and weave together dao comprehensions as their divinity grew was invaluable and irreplaceable, revealing more cultivation secrets than he expected. Tobias lost himself to his research as he gathered dao insights from his surroundings, wove them into comprehensions, discovering first how to do so outside a dao storm, and then how to do so effectively. The research into dao had begun with Peace Master So transforming the Sword Garden and continued with his clan's hidden realm, resulting in something that had never existed.
A dao cultivation method.
One which did not require a dao storm, tribulation, or the assistance of a more powerful cultivator to utilise. With the final roadblock to understanding cultivation removed, Tobias understood how dao influenced the core realm, and what was required to successfully enter the nascent soul realm, so he invited his old friend to join him for tea.
Peace Master So sat on the other side of the barrier, beside the lake's edge, and groaned, causing Tobias to smile with amusement. The sage had just reached the section on dao realms, and the proof Tobias had found, which supported their existence.
Peace Master So rushed through the rest of the manuscript and then threw it down and glared at him. "You don't explain which daos fit into which realms, Senior?"
Tobias smirked and sipped his Three Towns Tea, looking like an adult bullying a child. "That research is still ongoing."
"Why?"
Tobias waved his hand at their surroundings. "The dao insights I can gather here are rather limited."
Peace Master So pouted, but then suddenly smiled, as he understood his meaning. "You gathered dao insights here?"
Tobias nodded, keeping his face straight to annoy his curious protégée. "My dao cultivation method is universal in its application."
He groaned again and began whining. "Senior, stop bullying me."
Tobias put down his cup, and Servant Ho moved the tray away with a spell without having to be asked. Tobias held out his hand and summoned a sword entirely made from chi and dao.
The dao storms in the Sword Garden had given Tobias all the insights he needed to form a sword dao enlightenment, but until he'd contracted the plague, he'd lacked the divinity to weave them into the necessary comprehensions to form one.
Peace Master So had been right.
You could not truly understand cultivation without understanding dao. The rules fundamentally changed when dao entered the equation. And those rules were far simpler than Tobias had assumed.
Tobias held up the sword. "This is a dao sword which is completely different to a dao focus."
Peace Master So's eyes widened with excitement. "You achieved a sword dao enlightenment like I did."
Tobias smiled and then formed hundreds of different dao swords in the air around him. Some had serrated blades, others curved, some had large pommels, and others small. Together, each sword encompassed every form that a sword could take within the dao of swords.
Peace Master So groaned again. "Stop showing off, Senior."
"This is not showing off," Tobias replied, as he merged the swords into the one he was holding. "This is."
Peace Master So, forgetting his whining, raised his hand, and the barrier between them vanished. He leaned forward to stare at the dao sword. "It's leaking sword dao whispers. You created a controlled dao storm."
Tobias held out his other hand and conjured the original dao blade once more, then held it up. "This dao sword is a nascent soul realm dao. It comes from a dao enlightenment which encompasses a single object."
Peace Master So frowned. "Which is the weakest realm of dao your system recognises."
Tobias nodded.
"Do you know why it's the weakest realm?"
"It's because our fundamental nature changes when we enter the nascent soul realm. We shed our mortal coil and become spiritual energy beings. This dao sword's existence is no different to that of a nascent soul realm cultivator. It is formed from nothing but sword dao and chi. However, because of the depth of my sword dao, I can force this chi to become so influenced by sword dao that it turns into spiritual energy and takes the form of a sword."
Peace Master So turned to the other dao sword. "Which realm is that one?"
"This dao sword encompasses all forms which a sword can take and is a sage realm dao."
"Why isn't it immortal dao if it encompasses all swords?"
"Because it lacks the parts of the dao which would allow me to use it as a dao focus."
Tobias raised the dao sword and infused it with more of his dao enlightenment before swinging it towards a nearby barrier. A dao slash appeared as a ripple in the air, cutting through empty space, and striking the barrier with enough force to cleave a city wall in two.
"A sword is not its appearance, but its functions and limitations, so only when a dao enlightenment has achieved all three can it be considered an immortal dao. What you just saw is a weak immortal dao."
Peace Master So pouted. "I only have the first part."
Tobias nodded, knowing this was true. Peace Master So had been trying to improve his sword dao enlightenment for over a century with barely any success.
Peace Master So turned back and examined the sword. "How many immortal sword dao enlightenments do you have, Senior?"
"Three. Slashing, cutting, and piercing. I could likely form ones for blocking and parrying, but they would be incomplete, and it's significantly harder to incorporate dao comprehensions into an existing dao enlightenment than it is to form one correctly from the start."
Peace Master So went back to pouting. "So, I won't reach immortality."
"Not through the sword. However, the dao of peace begins in the immortal realm, so your path to immortality is clear."
Peace Master So's face lit up. "It does? It is?"
Tobias nodded and began to explain.
Dao enlightenment related to objects like swords was the lowest realm of dao enlightenment. Within the great expanse of heavenly dao, a sword dao enlightenment was no greater than a teacup dao enlightenment, which both Tobias and his grandpa had achieved.
The dao of physical objects were simple to comprehend. They were static, unchanging laws written in stone, incapable of alteration. Tobias's three sword dao enlightenments were each attached to a different aspect of the sword, but most of the comprehensions that formed them overlapped, so there was very little difference between them.
Peace Master So smiled as he began to understand. The only thing he loved more than studying cultivation was his adoptive father, but it was a close second. "So, because peace is an abstract concept that exists in a state which is constantly in flux with its environment, the complexity immediately makes it an immortal dao."
Tobias nodded. "However, your dao isn't the dao of peace."
"How is my dao not peace? I'm Peace Master So, Senior."
"Your dao is peace, where conflict could exist, which is an aspect of the greater dao of peace. It's comparable to a dao insight, but for a much greater dao."
Peace Master So paused. "It sounds impressive?"
Tobias heard how hurt the sage's ego was, so he admitted the truth, rather than dragging it out. "It's beyond anything I can perceive, even with over a century of effort, and the fact that you could achieve your dao enlightenment while still in the initiate realm is most of the reason that I have to continue researching dao. It doesn't fit into my understanding"
Peace Master So grinned and picked up the next manuscript.
This manuscript was on the five elements and their relation to dao and cultivation. Tobias had achieved dao enlightenment in each of the five elements, leading him to discover that spirit roots weren't real. They were just a manifestation of the unconscious dao the body had integrated, which was why those born into a cultivation dynasty tended to have much stronger spirit roots.
Tobias had learned this after his wood dao enlightenment. His affinity for the element had drastically increased, reducing the difficulty when gathering chi in his clan's hidden realm. Why would wood chi bother you if you were wood? Why would fire chi bother you if you were fire? So many facts about cultivation were built on incorrect assumptions that Tobias found something new to complain about with each passing decade.
Peace Master So put the manuscript aside. "You're sure about this?"
"Completely certain."
"Did gaining these enlightenments come with any negative effects?"
"Does understanding natural laws come with negative effects?"
Instead of answering, Peace Master So picked up the next manuscript. This one was on the two paths to immortality, the conscious and unconscious dao.
The conscious dao path that Tobias walked could only be walked by those with great talent and divinity. This path was where you used no materials beyond your ability to comprehend the dao to strength your body. Each dao enlightenment you achieved gave you influence of that dao and made it a part of you.
However, those changes didn't truly show through until you entered the nascent soul realm and became a being of spiritual energy. Tobias had become a little more robust after his wood dao enlightenment. In contrast, Yin Hao had become astonishingly more durable, existing in a state of flesh and wood simultaneously, creating a physique that could not exist in nature. The conscious path was far greater than the unconscious, but the requirements for success were much stricter.
The unconscious dao path was the path most already walked. You used pills to form an unconscious dao enlightenment within your body. This unconscious enlightenment strengthened your body, creating a vessel capable of meeting the requirements of passing through your tribulation.
If used correctly, it also drastically reduced the requirements for comprehending the dao related to your path, which had been proven when members of Tobias's family had managed to achieve a dao enlightenment related to wood faster than he could. They had also beaten him to the dao enlightenment of nature.
Peace Master So looked up from the manuscript. "Senior is suggesting I don't have any obstacles to achieving immortality, despite walking the unconscious dao path."
Tobias sipped the new cup of tea Servant Ho had prepared while he waited. "A cultivator can achieve immortality by either experiencing an immortal dao enlightenment or successfully incorporating an unconscious immortal dao enlightenment into their foundation. Apart from that, all that matters is whether or not you can survive the tribulations."
Like everything else in the cultivation world, cultivators' understanding of dao and its role was wrong. However, Tobias wasn't foolish enough to believe he actually understood dao. Only that he understood more than he had. The further he went down the road to immortality, the harder it was to find answers and make sense of everything. He wasn't even sure if his understanding of the nascent soul realm was complete yet. However, Peace Master So had almost drooled when he showed him his new work, so he knew he was on the right track.
Peace Master So chewed his bottom lip. "What happens when someone who walks the unconscious dao path achieves dao enlightenment related to their dao path?"
"The unconscious influences on their personality disappear, and they can wield the dao more freely."
"Do they become stronger?"
"No, but they have more control over their strength."
"So, all the pills I've designed and taken to incorporate my dao weren't necessary?"
Tobias nodded. "They're incredibly useful for your disciples but do little for you."
Peace Master So began to sulk.
"This also means Xu Ling can't achieve immortality without achieving an immortal dao enlightenment."
He snapped out of his funk. "Have you warned her?"
"I warned her decades ago."
Peace Master So went back to reading, forgetting he was upset, while Tobias enjoyed his tea, thinking about the path he had so blindly entered to preserve his personality. He'd thought he'd understood what they were doing, but didn't have a clue. His hubris would have killed Xu Ling when she tried to ascend to the nascent soul realm, and if he hadn't spent over a century studying dao it would have killed him and his majordomo too.
Majordomo Wo had chosen to give up on walking the conscious dao path when Tobias brought it up. He'd lived for more than a century now, had seen everything Tobias could do, and was no longer afraid of the changes walking a dao path would bring. He trusted Tobias to produce a cultivation method which did not cause radical differences.
Tobias's research had also taught him that his sister was not destined for immortality. Her teachers hadn't understood their master's path as well as they thought they did, and their cultivation methods reflected this. Tobias had done his best to improve on their foundation, but the dao of cooking was simply too abstract to create a functional cultivation method for. Her masters' master had likely experienced multiple dao enlightenments before he ascended, turning his weak foundation into something far stronger than it should have been, and leaving his disciples with the impression that his path worked when it didn't.
Tobias glanced across his family's realm. Sage realm spirit herbs grew everywhere he looked, making it possible to walk from one side of their realm to the other without losing their protection. Hundreds of servants wandered along paths, ignoring the constant tribulations in the distance, delivering food to anyone who needed it.
Without their assistance, living in their realm would be a nightmare. However, no other clan in The Three Kingdoms could help their servants reach the core realm, so even those who had no interest in immortality remained loyal. It helped that their clan and their guests didn't ask for much, just to keep them aware of what was going on outside and to bring them food. The rest of their needs, they could take care of themselves.
Hours later, Peace Master So put down the last manuscript. "Senior, you understand the sage realm."
Tobias nodded. "It's an extension of a nascent soul realm."
Core realm cultivators could form nine layers of their core. When they attempted to form the tenth, they underwent their nascent soul realm tribulation. Nascent soul cultivators could form ten layers, and when they attempted to form the eleventh, they faced their sage realm tribulation. Sages faced their tribulation when they formed the twelfth layer of their core and ascended to immortality.
Each layer of your core allowed you to strengthen your foundation and grow the size of your meridians, but that did not change the underlying mechanics of what needed to take place. Beyond the core realm, dao was all that mattered.
Peace Master So frowned. "I don't think you're right. My existence is entirely different to what it was when I was in the nascent soul realm."
Tobias smiled and held out his hands, conjuring a ball of flames and a ball of ice, returning the lesson he'd been given so many years ago. Peace Master So laughed.
Tobias shook the hand holding the flames. "This is fire. It exists under natural laws." He shook his other hand. "This is ice. It also exists under natural laws." He merged the two together, creating a white ball of flame. "This is fire which will burn across water, freezing it. This does not exist under natural laws, so when I withdraw my focus, it will cease to exist. This lack of support from natural laws is why you cannot learn more about its dao from studying it."
Peace Master So frowned again. "What does this have to do with the changes that occur when you attain a higher realm?"
Tobias dismissed the flames and removed an apple from his storage ring. He held it up and then dropped it. It thumped against the moss between him. "The apple falls because natural laws say it should. These natural laws also weigh down cultivators, and as we ascend through their realms, their influence over us weakens. It's their influence over us weakening, which causes such a drastic change in capabilities between the nascent soul and sage realms, not some fundamental change to our existence."
"The natural laws accept our superiority."
"And reduces how much they resist our actions."
"Why can't immortals stay here then?"
"They suffer from a complete lack of resistance."
"What?"
Tobias picked up the apple again and let go. This time the apple fell up. "The natural laws don't affect immortals, so they have to fight the pull from the immortal realm."
Peace Master So smiled. "What about the sense that something bad will happen if they stay longer?"
"Their presence here might interfere with some sort of balance, allowing the immortal realm to influence this one, so the heavens safeguard this realm by encouraging them along."
Peace Master So grinned triumphantly. "That sounds like a guess, Senior."
Tobias chuckled. "I've expanded our understanding of dao and cultivation into the nascent soul realm. I'm allowed a few guesses."
"Everything I've read only reaffirms we've been doing the right things, though."
Tobias snorted, knowing he was oversimplifying to annoy him. "Yes, but now we know why we are doing what we are doing and the minimum requirements for success."
Peace Master So stared at the stack of manuscripts and then smiled at Tobias. "I was right when I named you Sage Knowledge. The cultivation world will never need another sage to guide its way."
Tobias smiled. "I wouldn't go that far."