882 Proving the Dao
For a moment, Wang Wei had the idea of not using the Heaven Will and maybe keeping it for his family. After all, he is already a Great Emperor. However, his method seemed to reach the limit of becoming a Great Emperor. Maybe he could rise a few more percent, but he would never achieve Second Class.
So, he has to absorb the Heaven Will if he wishes to become an Eternal Emperor. Furthermore, he has a feeling Heavenly Dao would not allow him to take outside of this battlefield.
So, he sat cross-legged in the void, closing his eyes as he entered a deep state of meditation. After taking a few minutes to ensure he was in the best shape, he absorbed the Heaven Will.
Wang Wei immediately had two sensations. The first was he felt a mysterious power that was protecting him. He had the feeling he was currently in the most secure time of his life.
He knew this was one of the protective mechanisms of Heavenly Dao. So, even if a Paragon attacked him in his current state, he would be safe. He would even go as far as he was concerned, he would be safe even if Maitreya and Supreme Unity.
Maybe only cultivators on the level of the Six Cardinals could get away with attacking someone in the process of proving the Dao after paying a severe price. Otherwise, Grand Dao will annihilate anyone who blatantly breaks the rules.
Wang Wei calmed down as he continued the process. He felt a mysterious power checking his body; to be specific, it seemed to be checking his Dao Heart. After meeting the requirement, Wang Wei felt the world was open to him.
His mind seemed to be clearer than ever. In his life, understanding the Dao had never been this clear; it was like the answers he sought
contained great hints.
Wang Wei quickly reigned in his mind as he knew from the sect’s archive that this was one of the feelings after acquiring the Heaven Will, and he should not trust it.
All records indicated that although the Heaven Will makes it a thousand times easier to comprehend the Grand Dao Source, this was far from the truth–especially in the allotted time.
So, Wang Wei focused his mind and began his comprehension. Things proceeded smoothly for him. In a relatively short time, his understanding increased by 10% while rapidly increasing.
The mysteries of fate that he could never fathom manifested before him. He saw the connections between all his Subdaos: space, time, luck, karma, order-disorder, life and death, and destiny.
He also peeked into the essence of Freedom Dao and the power of choice, belief, and will to break the shackles of fate. Finally, with the essence of Yin-Yang, which can balance all things in existence, his Dao made rapid progress.
Thump!
Wang Wei heard a sound in his mind, and a piece of information appeared in his mind that allowed him to know what had happened: He reached a comprehension of 20% Grand Dao Source, the first requirement to become an Eternal Emperor.
Purple lights enveloped Wang Wei, along with a lotus of the same color, making the people watching this enthronement squint their eyes. Today was a day that would forever be embedded in the annals of history.
The shock these two Heaven Chosens brought upon them was already heart-attack-inducing enough by showing their Third Class strength, but they just watched someone become an Emperor without using a Heaven Will.
Many people are wondering about the implications of such a thing. Could it be that the laws of Heaven and Earth have changed, and people can prove the Dao without the assistance of the Heaven Will?
Is this method some kind of technique that was never discovered or created until now? Or is Wang Wei’s case unique and only applicable to him?
People wanted answers, but no one could provide them some. Furthermore, there is a high chance they won’t ever find the answer.
So, when Wang Wei displayed the vision that he achieved 20% Grand Dao Source, no one truly cared despite the record-breaking time. For these people, someone becoming an Eternal Emperor will be one the least impressive things that happen to do.
However, these people’s thinking quickly changed. They watched as the purple around Wang Wei rapidly changed to purple-gold.
“What is going on?’ asked the entire world. Today, they ask this question too often. Sadly, only Wang Wei knew what was happening and would not explain it to them.
After the light around him completely turned purple-gold, Wang Wei’s consciousness woke up from this fascinating state of enlightenment.
‘25% Grand Dao Source,’ he thought with surprise and an understanding. He already reached 5% comprehension before acquiring the Heaven Will, and since it guarantees a maximum of 20% improvement, he benefited from his previous success.
‘Excellent,’ thought Wang Wei; this extra 5% percent has saved him numerous resources, merit, and time.
‘Let’s continue,’ he thought before concentrating. The next step was to cast his Dao Will. However, the process was extremely simple for him. The Duyi Realm was a prototype of the Dao Will, so the transformation was simple and easy.
Dao Will–as the name suggested–is the Will manifestation of a cultivator Dao. Meanwhile, the Duyi Realm is acquired when a cultivator creates a cultivation system or Dao Path that is universal and accepted by multiple people; it is a power manifested from whatever path of the Dao they created, a manifestation of their Will to pursue the Dao.
Long ago, only people who created a cultivation system could enter the Duyi Realm or have a manifestation of their Dao. However, Grand Dao eventually changed the rules of the Chaos Universe to allow the unorthodox way of acquiring the Duyi Realm.
Wang Wei cultivated his Duyi Realm to the point where it could be labeled Pseudo Dao Will, so the transformation was not a problem for him in the slightest. As such, a second purple-gold lotus appeared behind him.
Finally, with plenty of time remaining, he began the third step: [Existence].
What is [Existence]?
Wang Wei had asked himself this question many times, and he had many vague answers and guesses. However, today, he finally knew the truth.
In simple terms, it is everything that makes someone who and what they are, including things like body or flesh, soul, Dao, and even Qi. However, these things mentioned are only the manifestation of one of the three cores of [Existence]: Essence, Spirit, and Qi.
A person’s existence involves other things like their mind, spirit, memories, goals, ambitions, dreams, worldviews, past, present, and future experience.
Wang Wei remembered a famous saying from his past life: “A man only dies once he is forgotten.’ Such a saying is also a manifestation of [Existence].
The impact someone has on the people around them, on the world, and even on history are all part of their [Existence]. Their names or titles are a part of their identity and thus part of their [Existence].
‘As long as the world remembers me, as long as my achievements are known and remembered, as long as one person still knows my name, as long as one piece of paper records my name, I will be eternal–that’s the essence of [Existence].’
Boom!
A terrifying aura emanated from Wang Wei’s body as he opened his eyes. His body instantly experienced a great change, elevating to a higher life level while the third lotus manifested.
‘Eternal Emperors looked mysterious, but their core is absolute control. To them, their names, memories, and even achievements are an extension of themselves, an extension of their bodies.
‘So, even if their bodies, souls, and even Dao Imprints are removed, they can revive themselves.’
Wang Wei’s eyes became brighter.
‘Moreover, to become an Everlasting Empyrean, I need to elevate my understanding of [Self], even involving reincarnations. Eternal Emperors’ [Existence Comprehension] allow their [Self] to transcend the concepts and limitations of the flesh, of material and even energy.
‘Meanwhile, Everlasting involved the [Self] transcending reincarnation and possibly other limitations.’
Wang Wei had a small comprehension of [Existence] and [True Self] before proving the Dao. Now, with this opportunity, he even laid a deeper foundation for him to become an Everlasting Empyrean by deepening his understanding.
“After so many trials and tribulations, I’ve finally escaped the shackles of death and become eternal,” muttered Wang Wei, thinking about how far he had gone to reach this stage.
From the time he was a struggling young man on Earth to his endless loneliness in Primordial Chaos to his reincarnation, a lot of things have happened.
His friends, families, loved ones, and sects placed great expectations on him. For many years, he suffered under the weight of that expectation, with only his grandmother to alleviate his pressure.
Regardless, he fulfilled everybody’s expectations. Mostly, he fulfilled the expectations he placed on himself.
In his rise, he met many remarkable people, many talented foes who challenged him physically, spiritually, and intellectually, but he rose to the top, defeating all the people of his generation, becoming the final winner who gets to sit on the throne.
‘My path was arduous, created on a mountain of blood and sins. But I have no regret,’ thought Wang Wei. When he chose to walk this path, he knew the consequences and what price to pay.
And today, he finally saw the payoff. He made the first major step in his cultivation path.
Wang Wei exhaled deeply before concentrating on a piece of information that suddenly popped into his mind.