Chapter 1 Xiao Meng "Wakes Up"

Xiao Meng "woke up" right on schedule, which was somewhat beyond Ye Muqiu's expectations. But it didn't matter, the enemy that was meant to come would eventually arrive. Those heavily advertised approaches were just bluffs, or intentional attempts to mislead. A true surprise attack should be swift, ruthless, and precise, taking advantage of the element of time. The Ying Yuan alliance, coupled with the Lieshan Que and the Zhenhai Gong setting traps, while Xiao Meng seized the opportunity to revive after Ye Muqiu was restrained, was a logical move. With Xiao Meng's abilities, he would surely know to seize the power of the Jing capital at the first moment after "awakening", and then use the Jing capital as the heart to influence the entire world.

And Ye Muqiu only needed to grasp the main contradiction. What was the main contradiction? The temporarily complete world control of this Fang Tiandao was the main contradiction. With the central point of the contradiction determined, the subsequent disputes would unfold around it. There was no need to rush to the Jing capital at this moment to have a decisive battle with Xiao Meng. Since Xiao Meng had awakened, he would undoubtedly be prepared, and likely not be in any weakened state. The situation with Ying Yuan was difficult to replicate. She belonged to the Intent Realm period, and had already been considered dead, with great flaws in her existence. This was why Ye Muqiu had seized the opportunity.

At this moment, even if Ye Muqiu had already cultivated three aspects of Wuding (Unfixed), rushing to battle Xiao Meng would not necessarily guarantee victory. The Wuding Realm was a very magical and special realm. Basically, it was a self-circulating system, almost entirely separate from the previous seven realms. What was lost and gained, based on the cultivator's body and soul, completed an independent internal cycle, thereby entering a state of "no reduction". The so-called longevity was when life no longer flowed away, when everything that flowed away returned, wouldn't that be longevity?

It wasn't about addition, numerically making a certain Wuding cultivator possess tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of years of illusory lifespan, but about no longer having subtraction. No subtraction naturally meant longevity. And this foundation also meant that, from the perspective of the underlying logic, the more a Wuding Realm cultivator accumulated, the more they experienced, the stronger they became. This was a realm that valued experience and insight, with no longer any very intuitive thresholds. This was also why Ye Muqiu had known through many channels long ago that the strength distinction between Wuding Realm cultivators in terms of direct combat power could vary greatly. Besides this, there were also the "choices" that were often faced in the Wuding Realm. These choices would regulate the direction and, to some extent, affect combat power.

It was like an upgrade, strengthening, or complex skill tree. Choosing Fireball meant the next stage was Meteor Shower, and Ice Seal Thousand Miles, based on Ice Arrow, would no longer be related, and as it extended further down, the difference would only grow larger, gradually like a chicken talking to a duck. Ye Muqiu had embarked on the path of three cultivations, which certainly allowed him to have more choices at the same time, but also meant that he needed more "skill points." As for what skill points were?

Plucking out a wisp of Dao Rhythm and grasping it, absorbing it naturally. At this time, Ye Muqiu no longer needed the Golden Hourglass to transfer it. He could absorb the masterless Dao Rhythm himself. The speed of digestion and utilization far exceeded that before the Wuding Realm. And the absorbed Dao Rhythm no longer transformed into new talents, but into "choices" in the Wuding Realm. Only with Dao Rhythm could one have the right to choose where to settle. Wuding Realm cultivators almost no longer sought energy externally for continued cultivation, but needed Dao Rhythm as guidance, turning it into coordinates for the positioning and extension of the path.

It was possible without Dao Rhythm, but the speed of progress would then be linked to the length of one's life and the accumulation of experience. It would rely on long life, living long. "Using Dao Rhythm before the Wuding Realm was a waste. Whether it was used as a ticket or absorbed and transformed into some kind of talent, it didn't truly unleash its due effect." "There's no need to say more about the ticket aspect. The so-called transformation into talent is actually 'bribing' the Heavenly Dao, thereby obtaining feedback. This is why one can only quickly digest the original Dao Rhythm and absorb new Dao Rhythm after crossing into a new world." "It's not that the world cannot accept it, but that the cultivator himself, acting as a 'platform,' cannot bear it. Multiple 'grants' from a single world are too heavy, and the flaws of the world will suppress it." "Dao Rhythm is information, fragments of the Great Dao."

"The information fragments obtained by cultivators below the Wuding Realm are only scraps. More information belongs to the Heavenly Dao of the world they are in. Therefore, the Dao Rhythm used by cultivators below the Wuding Realm will still have remnants, and fragments of Dao Rhythm aura will fall. These are all evidence of not truly completing absorption and digestion." "Similarly, this also explains why Xiao Meng would combine his own Dao Rhythm with the Yunlu Great Drum and place them at the bottom of the Snow Peak Hot Spring. Besides attracting more Dao Rhythm, it was also because he was worried about entrusting these 'remnants' to those unreliable clones." "Giving this toy to cultivators below the Wuding Realm is really a waste, like letting a five-year-old play in a professional soccer field.

"No matter how deep Xiao Meng's pockets are, he can't stand such waste. Instead, it makes it easier for me. I think he'll be horrified when he finds out." Ye Muqiu absorbed several strands of Dao Rhythm and immediately gained a choice. He could choose to eliminate a flaw in his body related to the Heavenly Dao, or he could choose to dilute it, reducing its influence and the attached talents, or choose to continue to retain it, or even strengthen it. Ye Muqiu slapped himself again with five Dao Rhythms. He eliminated the Cold Desert from Daheng, the Wrath from Tianluo, the Edginess from the Island World, and the Short Life from the Wasteland World. With the elimination of these Heavenly Dao flaws, Ye Muqiu seemed to break free from invisible shackles, gaining freedom, but also losing certain conveniences. Of course, compared to what he gained, Ye Muqiu believed that what he lost was no longer important.

At the same time, the three cultivations of the Wuding path all had progress to varying degrees. On each path, he comprehended some new techniques and methods, not all of which were used for attack, but also some auxiliary techniques, even "life" related ones. For example, on the path of Energy Realm Wuding, Ye Muqiu comprehended "Point Transformation Spirit Energy". He could imbue certain high-purity, high-intensity energies with spirituality, transforming them into special energy lifeforms. But these energy lives did not absolutely obey him, nor would they completely listen to his commands. Wanting to instantly point transform a massive amount of energy life, forming a vast army, was wishful thinking. Unless Ye Muqiu continued to delve deeper into this choice. Choice determines ability and direction, and one's own will is the guide of choice. "Finally, there's still the flaw of the Academy World left. I choose to dilute it, no longer giving birth to new 'friends'." "After processing the choice of the Heavenly Dao flaw, an extra Dao Rhythm gave me the choice between the Sovereign of the Sword and the Realm of the Sword. There's no 'I want them all' option."

"Cultivation is originally a process of choice. Being able to re-enter Wuding multiple times is because these Wuding Realms are not contradictory, but have a certain complementary relationship. And there are some choices that are self-contradictory." "Like the Sovereign of the Sword and the Realm of the Sword, it is a choice between a single-target skill and an AoE skill. Making a choice will affect the subsequent development direction. Of course, cultivation is not playing a game, it won't be so rigid. All presentations are general directions, not absolute frameworks. Cultivation is for becoming more and more free, not for caging one's abilities and thoughts." "These two choices only give inclinations, not absolutes. Choosing the Sovereign of the Sword can also sweep through the three armies with one slash. Choosing the Realm of the Sword can also apply the entire realm to one person. Just like the Point Transformation Spirit Energy ability, the energy life that Ye Muqiu transforms will not all listen to him, but he can also use means to hire, subdue, and drive them. It's not like he's doing useless work." "Reality will never be as rigid as in a game, it can only be said to be similar, making a figurative analogy."

Without hesitating too long, Ye Muqiu made a choice. He transformed into the Sovereign of the Sword. From then on, any sword technique or sword intent held no secrets for him. He could easily mimic, learn, surpass, integrate, and decipher any sword technique. This far surpassed the "choice" of Dao Rhythm transforming into talent. Ye Muqiu enthusiastically applied "skill points" to himself, and after spending more than thirty wisps of Dao Rhythm, he finally reached a temporary bottleneck. He still had Dao Rhythm, but his own accumulation was not enough. Continuing to level up was not impossible. It was just that the expenditure would start to increase exponentially. Any progress was an integration of information and experience. Dao Rhythm was the information of the Great Dao. When Ye Muqiu's personal experience was not enough to drive continued progress, the deficiency would naturally rely on information to make up for it.

Returning to the Cold Mountain, Ye Muqiu ascended the altar that had been prepared long ago. On the altar stood nine stone dragons. In the mouths of the stone dragons were the core magical treasures that controlled the dark web of the world. Standing in the center of the altar, Ye Muqiu's thoughts moved, and an invisible domain enveloped him. At the same time, powerful skills unique to the Wuding Realm, such as "magical treasure activation", "spiritual intelligence generation", "energy enhancement", and "mutual connection", were displayed by Ye Muqiu as if by instinct. The nine stone dragons soared into the sky, transforming into true divine dragons. And the magical treasures in their mouths also shone brilliantly, like dragon pearls, reflecting each other.

At the same time, the mountains, rivers, and waters of the entire Daheng, the earth veins and water veins, all transformed into an invisible map, a dense net, heading towards Ye Muqiu's "summoning", "leaning". Strengthening his will, the "choice" he made, and obtaining the "comparing to the neighboring heaven and earth" began to play a role. In an instant, Ye Muqiu's will seemed to cross billions of mountains and rivers, soaring above all living beings like the will of heaven. This was an incomparably vast and high-spirited perspective. And on this perspective, there was an even more enormous and powerful will. That was the real Heavenly Dao. It greedily and instinctively peeked at Ye Muqiu, as if wanting to swallow Ye Muqiu in one gulp at any moment. But at this time, Ye Muqiu had not yet unlocked the choice of "sacrificing with death" or "refining heaven and earth." This was because his accumulation and progress were not enough. "If necessary, I need to temporarily slow down the progress of the other two paths, and first point the 'choice' of the Intent Realm path downwards until it is enough to refine heaven and earth." Ye Muqiu made a decision. And this kind of decision was also a choice. As Tang Suoli said, choice is everywhere.

And just as Ye Muqiu, from this perspective of overlooking mountains and rivers and all things, was watching all living beings, another consciousness, with an equally, or even stronger, posture, broke in. Her strength exceeded Ye Muqiu's. Upon initially entering this perspective, she directly pounced towards Ye Muqiu, attempting to envelop and integrate him. Ye Muqiu flipped over, transforming a large amount of distracting thoughts into poison needles, stabbing towards that consciousness. But at the same time, he also suffered a heavy blow. Boundless malicious thoughts, like burning wildfire, spread in Ye Muqiu's will. Ye Muqiu hurriedly retreated, standing on the altar, taking out a large amount of refining materials, and casually forging a toy that resembled a good EEG brainwave enhancer. Wearing this enhancer, Ye Muqiu's will was strengthened by half. He once again swept out, starting to compete with that flying consciousness for the supervisory rights of the mountains, rivers, water vapor, and earth veins.

Judging solely from the degree of deepening on the path of Intent Realm, Ye Muqiu was not as good as Xiao Meng. But Ye Muqiu was a multi-faceted player, and could use the means of Intent Realm and Energy Realm Wuding to increase his will. In this way, the two sides were entangled fiercely in formlessness. Descending to the mortal world, the mountains and rivers had more disasters, and the weather rose and fell, and anyone who saw it knew it was the beginning of a great change. But they did not know why. The two rounds of tug-of-war trials ended, and Ye Muqiu sat on the altar, looking at the burnt-out magical treasures and stone dragons, and fell into thought. "She's stronger than me in Intent Realm, but there's a limit… That's not very reasonable." "According to my previous deductions, Xiao Meng belongs to rebuilding the Great Dao." "But I can cultivate and advance three paths in unison. There's no reason why Xiao Meng can't. So, I can understand it this way: he abandoned the original Wuding path and then re-entered Wuding once to achieve the same cultivation effect." "And just now, I had already vaguely shown the methods of three paths, but he only responded with the ability of Intent Realm Wuding…"

"The part that's stronger than me is also limited, and it seems a bit… insufficient?" Ye Muqiu adjusted the array, increasing his control over the dark web. At the same time, the dark web began to invade the mountains, rivers, water vapor, and earth vein networks on the surface, completing the replacement. Not only that, Ye Muqiu's Dao Rhythm investment on the path of Intent Realm also began to ignore costs. No matter what Xiao Meng was still concealing, Ye Muqiu did not plan to follow his rhythm. Directly refining the world, completing the goal he had expected, which was "General".

The last time Ye Muqiu suffered a big loss was because he followed Xiao Meng's rhythm too much, and was confused by the formation he had set up, which ignored the key points.