Inside the research institute.
Director Qi had chosen to compromise, and Li Hao's group pressed no further. Li Hao sealed the deity's body with a divine character and carried both the physical form and Director Qi's illusory spiritual manifestation out of the institute.
As for the contents remaining inside, they could always return to retrieve them later.
Heavenly Star City was Li Hao's domain now anyway.
Outside, the two women of the Yun family were still waiting.
Li Hao, however, remained utterly silent.
The others assumed he was displeased because of Yuming, feeling betrayed by the youth's deception.
Yuming hesitated several times, words catching in his throat, but Li Hao paid him no attention.
He was not angry over this matter.
In fact, he had no anger in him at all.
At this moment, another thought had seized his mind.
A vessel was required for spiritual transference.
Where had Hong Tu's physical body come from?
Or had he resurrected by starting over from infancy?
Hong Tu's method was not an ordinary transference technique. But what if someone needed to undergo transference like Director Qi and the others did?
How could one obtain a body that harmonized stably with spiritual power?
One that would not even suffer much loss in strength?
Director Wang also wished to acquire a new-era mortal body now... What could be done?
Fabricate one out of thin air?
Could an incomparably powerful human body truly be crafted from nothing?
The human form was so intricate, woven with countless supernatural locks. How could anyone duplicate that?
A torrent of thoughts led Li Hao to realize just how immensely difficult it was to replicate the structure of the human body. The human race of this era was born with innumerable Dao meridians, making imitation all the more difficult. If one could truly manufacture a human body... that would practically be the creation of a world!
Perhaps even the creation of a Dao!
And yet... while replicating myriad Great Daos was difficult, what about a single Great Dao?
What if one merely gathered a single divine character?
Like this deity's body!
Could a single Great Dao also be cultivated to its absolute pinnacle?
Li Hao sank into deep contemplation.
The human body possessed boundless Dao meridians, which was why he had previously considered cultivating all the meridians of the Great Dao. Of course, they had only selected thirty-six for now, but even thirty-six posed great challenges.
Could one cultivate just a single meridian?
To what stage could it be cultivated, and to what realm?
A single meridian... seemed far too weak!
*Then why are deities so powerful?*
This was the physical body of a Saint!
Innumerable thoughts surged in Li Hao's mind.
Could it be... that the Great Dao was not meant to be cultivated solely in the manner he had envisioned?
Beside him, Yuan Shuo saw his disciple frowning deeply in troubled thought. He guessed that Li Hao was neither angry with Yuming nor with Director Qi. This disciple of his could be petty at times, but at other moments, he was anything but.
Seeing that even Director Wang was too embarrassed to speak, Yuan Shuo had no choice but to ask, "What is on your mind?"
Li Hao was jolted from his reverie.
He looked at his master and suddenly said, "Master, once a single Dao meridian is cultivated to its limit, doesn't it only possess the power of a single Dao? Only the strength of a single meridian? No matter how strong it becomes... shouldn't it be incapable of surpassing the Peak Realm?"
Yuan Shuo was taken aback. He looked at Li Hao. Having not examined the deity's body himself, he thought it over before replying, "Not necessarily! Dao meridians vary in strength. For instance, could a newly discovered Dao meridian be equal in strength to one cultivated to complete saturation?"
He looked at Li Hao. "Therefore, a Dao meridian can certainly grow stronger and stronger, continuing to expand until the physical body can no longer bear it!"
Li Hao froze slightly.
Yuan Shuo continued, "Furthermore, as Dao meridians traverse the Bright Star Realm, swallowing the void of the cosmos and devouring the power of the Great Dao, they can surely expand without end—perhaps even devouring other Dao meridians! Have you forgotten the Five Animals Breathing Art? Didn't it ultimately unite five meridians into one?"
Li Hao froze once more.
Yuan Shuo chuckled. "Are you wondering whether a single Dao meridian can be cultivated to the peak—to the level of rivaling a Saint or a Heavenly King? I cannot say for certain, but... it isn't impossible! It's just that cultivating a single Dao meridian to such heights is immensely difficult!"
Yuan Shuo sighed with emotion. "Developing a single Dao meridian presents its own problems. For one, it easily leads to the collapse of the physical body. Secondly, when a single Dao meridian is pushed to the limit, when exactly is that limit reached? That is where the issue lies..."
Li Hao suddenly shook his head. "No, no, Master—did you say a single Dao meridian can devour other Dao meridians?"
"Of course!"
Yuan Shuo paused. "You could also call it merging. Is there a problem with that?"
Li Hao stared blankly. There was no problem.
He knew it was possible!
Which meant... the cultivation path of the divine ability system might be different from what they had thought; there was a flaw in their reasoning.
Li Hao murmured, "Master, everyone possesses their own distinct force and divine abilities they excel in. Not everyone is like me, able to wield every divine ability. If we proceed according to our deductions, everyone will eventually possess all myriad Daos!"
"However... everyone has their own strengths. Some excel with the sword, others with the fist. If everyone cultivates the way we've mapped out, they will know everything, but they will lose their unique identity!"
Yuan Shuo was taken aback, then nodded. "They would indeed lose their unique identity, but this way, everyone can become powerful."
"No, no, no... How can cultivation strip away one's own individuality?"
Li Hao's eyes gleamed. "Master, one Dao unifies all myriad Daos! By walking the path one excels in, one can develop all Dao meridians, ultimately select a single suitable Dao meridian as the primary meridian, and devour the others, uniting all Daos into one!"
"Yes, that's it!"
Li Hao abruptly looked toward the deity's body. "He doesn't necessarily have only one Dao meridian. Rather, his other Dao meridians were devoured, bolstering his Earth Dao meridian. That is why he appears to possess only a single meridian and excels in Earth divine abilities. But that does not mean he only wields the power of one meridian! Using the power of other meridians to strengthen the one he specializes in... that too is a divine ability!"
Li Hao muttered to himself, sudden ecstasy washing over him. "Yes, exactly! Divine abilities... shouldn't be cultivated the way I proposed... or rather, not everyone can cultivate that way. That path belongs exclusively to supreme geniuses and top-tier powerhouses! Otherwise, if everyone attempts to cultivate countless forces and myriad divine abilities, it will be impossible to advance indefinitely. Only by merging all meridians into one and walking the path one excels in can one reach the pinnacle!"
"In the end, one can even devour attribute-less Dao meridians and elemental Dao meridians alike, absorbing them all into a single Dao meridian—Dao Integration!"
Li Hao whispered, "Yes, Dao Integration!"
His eyes shone brightly as he looked at his master. "Master, the Sun-Moon Realm can follow the path we outlined, but for the next step, can we implement Dao Integration?"
Yuan Shuo was startled. "Dao Integration?"
"Master, it is the merging and combining of meridians from the Five Animals Breathing Art! It can also be considered Spirit Merging... Only by doing this can everyone continue forward. Otherwise, advancing further will be nearly impossible!"
Li Hao was ecstatic. "What do you think, Master?"
Yuan Shuo pondered for a moment and nodded. "It... is indeed possible to walk this path. Not just for divine abilities; even the path of the physical body can follow Dao Integration. It's just that... by doing so, one will lose access to other divine abilities..."
Li Hao smiled. "No, Master, they won't care! Even as strong as you are, you only specialize in Five Elements divine abilities. Could you cultivate light and darkness, wind and thunder, life, ice and snow... all these countless mutated divine abilities?"
"A person's energy is ultimately limited, and so is their lifespan. When one walks a path, one should walk the path one excels in most!"
The more Li Hao spoke, the more excited he became. "It's just that... Dao Integration... integrating attribute-less Daos shouldn't be an issue, but will conflicts arise when integrating elemental Daos? Back then, the Five Animals Breathing Art prevented the five elemental attributes from clashing... so it is definitely possible. But at our current stage, it will be difficult to prevent other elemental Daos from conflicting..."
At this moment, Director Wang was already dumbfounded.
Li Hao didn't care about the ruins at all; the fellow had already begun contemplating these profound matters.
Suddenly, Li Hao asked, "Master, can an artificially created physical body connect to the Bright Star Realm? Only a body that connects to the Bright Star Realm is a true physical vessel. Otherwise... it is merely a puppet. How can Dao meridians be created out of nothing to bridge the Bright Star Realm?"
Yuan Shuo felt a splitting headache. He felt the concepts his student was pondering were far too abstruse.
Creating life!
This... was truly beyond the realm of his understanding.
However, Director Qi, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly spoke up: "The Bright Star Realm? Is that another space within the universe of the Great Dao?"
Li Hao's eyes lit up, and he nodded. "Yes!"
Director Qi asked again, "The deity's body has been drawing power from a certain place all along. Is that the Bright Star Realm you speak of?"
"Yes!"
Director Qi understood. "So, you wish to create a genuine physical body capable of bridging the Bright Star Realm, allowing one to cultivate using the Bright Star Realm?"
"Correct!"
Director Qi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, "On this matter, I might be able to offer a few thoughts. Of course, I cannot say whether they are right or wrong, but they are worth attempting..."
"What thoughts?"
Director Qi explained, "In truth, it operates on the same principle as creating an origin! It is also the same principle as the Yin-Yang resurrection in the main world. In the main world, everything revolves around the origin universe. By creating an origin within the origin universe, one guides the origin of a deceased individual to achieve resurrection, occupying a grand star within the origin universe. In this manner, a person can return from the dead—provided their origin still exists!"
"Resurrection from death does not happen out of thin air; their origin must still be retrievable!"
He explained to Li Hao, "Now you wish to create a physical body... It is neither truly difficult nor truly easy. Can you enter the Bright Star Realm?"
Li Hao's expression shifted slightly. "I can!"
Director Qi was genuinely amazed. "You can actually enter... Then it is even simpler! This is just like how the Great Emperors of the past could traverse the origin universe. If you can traverse the Bright Star Realm, things become much easier... First and foremost, you must find an entrance and exit... In that place, forge a vessel equivalent to a grand origin star, and then use your so-called Dao meridians to bridge and guide it..."
"The physical body is actually quite simple. Flesh, life force, bones—these can all be manufactured with ease. The primary concern is spiritual power. For spiritual transference, who doesn't possess some spiritual power?"
"At that point, the real issue becomes the Dao meridians!"
Having said this, he added, "The Dao meridians you speak of... should be similar to the origin path, vessels that carry the power of the Great Dao! Am I correct?"
Li Hao nodded.
Director Qi continued, "Then it is even simpler. Creating multiple Dao meridians is extraordinarily difficult... but if you only want to create a single Dao meridian, it is actually quite simple: substitute it with an origin path... In essence, transfer an origin path into the Bright Star Realm. It can indeed be transferred!"
"If an origin path can endure the input of origin power, it can endure the input of power from the Bright Star Realm... Only then can the conversion of the Dao meridian be considered officially complete!"
Li Hao's mouth fell wide open!
He stared at the somewhat illusory man before him, his face filled with sheer shock. "You mean... no, Senior, do you mean to say that the origin path and the Bright Star Dao meridians are interchangeable?"
"I do not know the specifics," Director Qi said, shaking his head. "However, based on what you described, it should be possible. Both are vessels that carry the power of the Great Dao, so why shouldn't it work? Not only can an origin path serve this purpose, but I believe many things can—such as powerful treasures, weapons, and various artifacts... Any of them can serve as a carrier!"
"A carrier?"
Li Hao was stunned. "A carrier... to bear the power of the Great Dao?"
"Yes!" Director Qi nodded again. "As long as your weapon is powerful enough, yet you worry that opening the Bright Star Realm and establishing Dao meridians will destroy your physical body, why not use a carrier as a substitute to relieve the pressure?"
Li Hao was thoroughly dumbfounded.
Using a weapon as a carrier... Someone had actually mentioned this before.
Moreover, Lin Hongyu and the others had done precisely that. It was just that their Dao meridians had not been opened at the time, so Li Hao had not connected the dots later on.
Now that this man had pointed it out, the realization struck him instantly.
Director Qi added, "You mentioned Dao Integration earlier... Under Dao Integration, the physical body might be unable to bear the load. At that point, if one cultivates a powerful weapon as a lifebound weapon, it will not only shoulder the pressure, but also strengthen the weapon itself, perhaps even granting it the terrifying power to sever the Dao directly!"
Director Qi smiled. "In fact, the Sword Venerable should know this best of all. The Sword Venerable's Starry Sky Sword once served as a carrier for a period of time, bearing his power as he unified all myriad Daos into one..."
At this moment, Li Hao suddenly picked up the deity's body, his face brimming with enthusiasm. "Senior, please step inside the body and let's chat! What happened earlier was all a misunderstanding!"
"..."
Director Wang and Yuming both cursed internally!
*Damn it!*
*This shameless bastard.*
Director Wang felt like swearing aloud. If this fellow re-entered the physical body... it wouldn't be easy to suppress him.
Of course, they were in the outside world now.
Even with a deity's body, which was perhaps more easily accepted by the world, he might not be able to unleash his full strength at this stage, so Director Wang refrained from objecting.
Director Qi, however, seemed indifferent. "No rush. I am not truly familiar with this body anyway; our fusion was interrupted by your arrival before it could be fully completed."
He was in no hurry to return to the vessel, asking with keen interest instead, "Could you tell me more about these Dao meridians in detail?"
"Ahem!"
Yuan Shuo coughed.
One couldn't just blabber about such secrets indiscriminately!
Li Hao considered it for a moment, but didn't pay it much mind. He quickly explained the essentials. It wasn't that he fully trusted the man; rather, he felt that since Dao meridians had been brought up, someone with this man's knowledge would likely decipher the concept before long anyway.
While the man still lacked a complete understanding, communicating now might yield the insights Li Hao desired.
Once Li Hao finished, Director Qi sighed with deep emotion. "So that's how it is!"
He pondered for a moment and said, "We studied the deity's body for many years... Based on this, the deities here might have possessed Dao meridians and the Bright Star Realm long ago, but they merely knew what was happening without understanding why; they never truly discovered the Bright Star Realm! They only believed it to be power bestowed by the heavens... How wrong they were. It was the power of the new Dao. What a pity—we even slew deities back then, yet failed to research this."
Li Hao shook his head. "Back then, it likely wasn't pronounced, and your mastery of force was not as refined as it is today, making it virtually undetectable. One must possess a profound understanding of force to discover the existence of the Bright Star Realm... Therefore, without deep research into force, even if you had discovered it, you wouldn't have been able to enter or explore it; you could only observe it superficially."
"Makes sense!" Director Qi nodded. "So, the development of force by your generation must have reached a pinnacle, causing the Bright Star Realm to become more active. Since force is the core of Dao meridians, an abundance of force has brought the Bright Star Realm to life. Previously, it was likely dormant and lifeless!"
Li Hao's eyes lit up. "Yes, exactly!"
Li Hao did not dwell on this and swiftly asked, "Will using a weapon as a carrier truly work?"
"It will!" Director Qi affirmed. "A lifebound weapon, provided it has a good foundation, can be cultivated, honed, and tempered bit by bit using your so-called acupoint-opening method. Even if it isn't powerful initially, it will become formidable over time!"
"Once the foundational thirty-six meridians are cultivated and one chooses Dao Integration, a lifebound weapon will undoubtedly be the best carrier! In the later stages, once the physical body grows strong enough, one won't need to rely entirely on the weapon anymore..."
Li Hao nodded frantically!
Weapons!
This old fellow was truly remarkable.
People from research institutes... certainly possessed brilliant minds.
Director Qi added, "Furthermore, from what you've said, someone from the Neo-Martial era wishes to convert to modern martial arts, correct?"
"Correct!"
"You are unwilling to let them possess bodies, so you want to create physical forms for them... yet the human body has too many Dao meridians, making it troublesome, correct?"
"Correct."
Director Qi chuckled. "Then don't create countless Dao meridians. Just create thirty-six, or three hundred and sixty—enough for them to cultivate for a lifetime. Use a weapon as their primary meridian, or use their origin path as their main cultivation meridian! Connect the dormant origin path to the Bright Star Realm. Of course, the difficulty will be immense, but doing so will save them a tremendous amount of time, and you will gain powerful allies. As for limited potential... once they truly reach the level of three hundred and sixty Daos, wouldn't they be capable of remedying it themselves? If there is no road ahead, can't they forge their own?"
Li Hao's eyes gleamed with brilliance!
Indeed! Once they reached that level, they would have long since broken through into the Bright Star Realm. They could completely mend their own flaws; why would he need to worry on their behalf?
However... there were still difficulties.
Li Hao frowned again. "Then how do we create a stable opening in the Bright Star Realm, establishing an anchor to guide their origin path to take root within it?"
Director Qi thought for a moment and said, "Currently, the human body connects to it naturally. But naturally endowed Dao bodies cannot exist indefinitely. In the future, everyone might have to find ways to connect to the Bright Star Realm themselves. Force is the key..."
With that thought, he said, "You mentioned you created divine characters. May I examine one?"
Without hesitation, Li Hao manifested a divine character.
Director Qi held it in his hand, studying it meticulously.
After a moment, he murmured in contemplation, "Divine characters, force... breathing arts!"
He paused briefly before continuing, "What if we achieve the connection through identical resonance—the resonance of a breathing art? Specifically, forge an artificial divine character within the Bright Star Realm and operate a breathing art through it... Anyone who cultivates the same breathing art would be able to sense that resonance, allowing them to locate it themselves. Once cultivated to the extreme, it will serve as a natural anchor..."
Li Hao froze, then frowned. "That is exceedingly difficult! Placing a natural divine character inside the Bright Star Realm..."
At that point, Li Hao paused, thinking it over. "If my divine characters become powerful enough through cultivation, could I use my own divine characters as artificial divine characters, placing them in the Bright Star Realm to trigger resonance with the same breathing arts?"
Director Qi was taken aback as well. After some thought, he said, "If you release your restrictions and let the divine character roam the void, it might just work!"
Li Hao's eyes lit up. "Then doesn't that bypass this entire step?"
"But what if you die?" Director Qi asked bluntly.
Li Hao stared blankly, only speaking after a long silence: "If I die, can't my divine characters remain?"
Now it was Director Qi's turn to freeze.
He stared at Li Hao, speechless for a long while.
Li Hao, however, was growing increasingly thrilled. "Then I can cultivate countless divine characters and place them all into the Bright Star Realm! That way, even if naturally endowed Dao bodies disappear in the future, as long as people are willing to cultivate the secret techniques or breathing arts I pass down, they will be able to sense the existence of the Bright Star Realm once they become strong enough! If so, as long as the universe of the Great Dao endures and the legacy remains unbroken, the people of Silver Moon will always be able to sense the Bright Star Realm, won't they?"
Li Hao was beside himself with joy. "So, I need to cultivate countless divine characters and turn them all into positioning coordinates! For each divine character, I will anchor a breathing art for others to sense and locate... Once they cultivate to that level, they can breach the barrier and connect to the Bright Star Realm. Isn't that right?"
Director Qi remained silent for a moment before nodding. "It should be."
This was his first time meeting Li Hao; he didn't even know Li Hao's name... Well, Li Hao had introduced himself earlier, but he hadn't really remembered it.
Now, hearing Li Hao put forward such an idea, he couldn't help but glance at Director Wang and Yuming.
*Is this man... a madman?*
*A martial fanatic?*
Not mad in terms of temperament, but mad in his pursuit of the Great Dao.
How could a mortal conceive of such a method?
Using his own divine characters as cosmic coordinates, as cultivation anchors, so that even after his death, the divine characters would endure eternally. As long as the inheritance remained unbroken, the Dao would never perish!
In that case, even if Dao meridians vanished countless years from now... or if the connection to the Bright Star Realm was lost, it wouldn't matter. As long as one cultivated to the pinnacle, they would eventually sense the Bright Star Realm's presence.
Through this, the Bright Star Realm might become the exclusive domain of the Silver Moon people.
He would seize an entire universe of the Great Dao for the people of Silver Moon, generation after generation!
At this moment, Director Qi was filled with emotion. A certain figure suddenly crossed his mind, and he laughed. "You are an intriguing fellow! In the future, if such a day truly arrives and ten thousand divine characters gather... I believe you could compile a book."
"Compile a book?"
Li Hao was startled.
Director Qi laughed. "Throughout a person's life, the words discovered, created, and used amount to roughly ten thousand! When you gather ten thousand divine characters—Dao divine characters—and construct a book out of them, just like the Education Records left behind by Supreme Zhang in the past, wouldn't that be magnificent?"
Indeed, he had thought of Supreme Zhang.
Even though the difference in strength between the young man before him and that supreme existence was ten-million-fold.
Director Qi sighed with feeling. "A Book of the Great Dao was Supreme Zhang's hallmark. Yet even Minister Zhang never managed to gather ten thousand Daos... He merely collected some conventional combat paths, numbering far fewer than ten thousand! If you can cultivate ten thousand divine characters and form a book—a Book of the Great Dao—and place it within the Bright Star Realm... it will be passed down for ten thousand generations!"
"Future generations who cultivate to that stage, or enter the Bright Star Realm one day, will see your Book of Ten Thousand Daos... Ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, a million years, even ten million years from now, your name will echo across the world!"
"All who come after will know that in the Bright Star Realm, an invincible existence once left behind Dao coordinates to guide future cultivators... By then, you will be the Master of Ten Thousand Daos—the Dao Master!"
Li Hao was stunned. He had once jokingly told others that when he unified Heavenly Star, he would style himself as the Dao Master.
Today, he had not mentioned any of that to this man.
Yet this man had spoken the very title he desired—Dao Master!
Master of Ten Thousand Daos!
Placing the Book of the Great Dao within the Bright Star Realm, so that future cultivators traversing the realm at their peak would discover it and behold everything he had achieved... The mere thought sent a surge of excitement through him!
Beside them, Yuan Shuo and the others were already thoroughly dazed!
One dared to speak it, one dared to imagine it, one dared to take it seriously, and one dared to flatter it!
Cultivating ten thousand Daos, turning them into divine characters, forming a Book of the Great Dao, and placing it in the universe of the Great Dao for future generations to behold!
*Good heavens!*
*Did this Qi Yun make his career through brown-nosing?*
*How can someone flatter like this?*
*How long have you two known each other?*
*Has it even been an hour?*
*And you, Li Hao—you've barely met him; why are you chatting so much with him?*
Meanwhile, Li Hao indulged in the fantasy for a moment before quickly shaking his head. "Too distant. Of course, it can serve as a goal, but at this stage, it is far too far off!"
Having said that, he grew excited again. "Still, I now know how to forge physical bodies for Director Wang and the others! The origin path is the best carrier... But there is another hurdle. Although the origin path has lost connection with the origin universe, it hasn't collapsed, which means the origin universe is still out there. The moment we sever it, the danger will be immense. If it collapses, the person is finished. That won't be easy to handle!"
Director Qi immediately frowned. That was true.
After pondering for a while, he muttered, "The origin path... In truth, now is the best time to sever it. With the connection to the origin universe severed, if a powerhouse of the origin path were present, or if certain methods were used to stabilize it..."
"Can a projection of the Imperial Palace stabilize it?" Li Hao asked suddenly.
Director Qi was taken aback, then nodded after a moment. "Of course it can!"
"Can a quasi-Heavenly King stabilize it?"
"That... of course!"
Li Hao asked eagerly, "Then... can the Starry Sky Sword stabilize it?"
Director Qi coughed dryly. "It's already a blessing if it doesn't sever it outright, let alone stabilize it for you! That... is best avoided. The Starry Sky Sword is a weapon of slaughter... not a gentle artifact. I strongly advise against using it for stabilization."
In Li Hao's robes, the Starry Sky Sword vibrated slightly, as if expressing deep dissatisfaction.
Yet Li Hao already had solutions in mind and paid the sword no heed, smiling. "So that means... switching Daos is feasible?"
Beside them, Director Wang was also growing slightly thrilled. "Then if I switch to the Bright Star Realm, how much will my combat strength be affected?"
Director Qi shook his head. "I cannot say. It depends on the strength of the Bright Star Realm and its capacity to accommodate the origin path. If it can fully accommodate your combat prowess... then there will be no reduction in your strength."
Director Wang was overjoyed!
Could an entire universe fail to accommodate his meager Immortal Realm strength?
Didn't that mean... he could step directly into the Immortal Realm under the new system?
Of course, Li Hao chimed in at that moment: "It would be best to sever a portion and start from a weaker stage so that you can better grasp the new Dao. Otherwise, if you start too high, I worry your comprehension and perception of the new Dao will be too poor to advance any further!"
"Just seal a portion of it first!"
Director Qi added, "Didn't you previously seal a portion of the deity's power? Using the same method, you can seal his strength, which will also allow him to integrate better into this world without requiring you to constantly sustain that domain-like barrier to protect him. He can unseal himself when necessary... Of course, once unsealed, he won't be tolerated by the world, though the world at present can generally endure power at the early Peak Realm..."
Li Hao nodded!
Director Wang's delight grew even greater. "In that case, I can move around freely?"
*Good heavens!*
*Not only can I connect to the new Dao, but I can also roam freely? Heavens above, this is incredible!*
He hurriedly adopted a courteous tone: "Old Qi, what you mentioned earlier about using a weapon as a carrier... what is the trick to that? Could you explain it in detail?"
Director Qi smiled. "It was merely a suggestion. I am no expert on the matter; it is just a concept. As for how to execute it, that naturally falls to this Fellow Daoist here. I can see he possesses an extraordinary understanding of the Great Dao and knows the new Dao like the back of his hand—he was even able to seal a deity... His grasp is remarkably thorough!"
"You flatter me, Senior!" Li Hao said modestly. "I am merely seeking knowledge step by step and have only scratched the surface. On the grand road of the Dao, I have barely begun. How could I claim thorough understanding?"
Director Qi sighed with admiration. "A cultivator of the Dao should be precisely like this! If you were in the Neo-Martial era, had you met Supreme Zhang or the Blood Sovereign, you would have certainly had wonderful discussions... Of course, forget the Human King. The Human King's slaughter was peerless; he had no patience for such talk."
Director Wang couldn't help but interject, "Outside the ruins, how can you speak the name of a Sovereign so casually?"
Supreme Zhang aside, the Blood Sovereign held the genuine title of a Sovereign.
Director Qi looked exasperated. "Foolish! The Blood Sovereign is not one to slaughter the innocent. If he truly senses us and arrives, all the better—he can rescue us! The same goes for Supreme Zhang... However, avoid speaking the true names or titles of the Human King and the Great Emperor! The Human King and the Great Emperor had far too many enemies, and they favored slaying their adversaries outright. If they are still alive, invoking them invites true peril... As for mentioning the others, what harm is there?"
Li Hao's heart stirred slightly in surprise.
He felt an urge to laugh.
From the sound of it, the Human King and that Great Emperor—the one guarded by Di Wei—were exceedingly troublesome and dangerous figures. Mentioning them might bring disaster because of their myriad enemies, or they might simply snuff you out. But mentioning the others carried no such risk; if they actually sensed the call, they might even come to save you!
Director Wang was taken aback as well. *That makes sense!*
Director Qi sighed. "You are a descendant of the collateral branch of the Blood Sovereign's lineage... Your ancestors of Battle Heaven City also hailed from Sun City, fellow townsmen of both the Human King and the Blood Sovereign. How could you doubt the Blood Sovereign's benevolence?"
Li Hao was surprised. "The Blood Sovereign is benevolent?"
Director Qi nodded. "Compared to the other Sovereigns, the Blood Sovereign is quite reasonable. His previous incarnation, the Emperor of Battle Heaven, was an extraordinarily reasonable man! He would never kill recklessly. However, several other Sovereigns were impetuous and thoroughly bloodthirsty, including the Sword Venerable... Therefore, it is best to speak of them as little as possible. If they truly sensed you from afar, they might not bother distinguishing friend from foe and could simply use some method to strike down a perceived enemy across the void!"
Director Wang was speechless. "Does your research institute... study these things as well?"
"Naturally!" Qi Yun sighed with deep nostalgia. "Actually, back then, we wanted to study the Sword Venerable's physical body. Unfortunately, the Sword Venerable was unwilling. Otherwise, we desperately wanted to dissect him... The Sword Venerable's path of unifying all Daos was different from ordinary paths. If we could have dissected the Sword Venerable... that would have been monumental!"
"..."
Li Hao stood speechless for a long while.
*Damn it, are all the people from these research institutes lunatics?*
*Dissect the Sword Venerable?*
*They certainly had guts!*
Of course, he had no time to defend his ancestor right now. Filled with excitement, he spoke swiftly: "Then we'll head back and test it immediately! We'll use Director Wang as our test subject... ahem, no, as our very first pioneer in switching Daos!"
Li Hao said enthusiastically, "Even if it fails, it's no big deal. We can just extract his spiritual power. Director Qi, can I keep this deity's body as a backup measure? If the Dao transition fails and Director Wang is on the verge of death, can we transfer him into this deity's body instead?"
"Certainly!"
Director Qi didn't mind in the slightest. "I only fused with it recently and hadn't completed the process anyway, so extracting my spirit is no problem... We can treat him as a test subject... ahem, as a guinea pig... no, as a pioneer! For our very first guinea pig... that is, our first pioneer, we should indeed prepare thoroughly! I am also exceedingly curious about Dao meridians... and even more so about the Bright Star Realm. I would very much like to witness whether switching the universe of the Great Dao triggers any special phenomena."
"..."
Director Wang's face was completely blank with disbelief.
*What are you two... talking about?*
*Test subjects, guinea pigs... you two certainly don't mince your words, do you?*
Moreover, he had never expected Li Hao to hit it off so well with this fellow on their very first meeting. Earlier, he had been worried the two might clash.
Beside them, Yuming, who had been quiet all this while, suddenly spoke up: "It would be best to bring along the spiritual transference machine from the ruins. It can accelerate the fusion, remolding the physical body and spiritual power together into a unified whole. Otherwise, there will be a sense of detachment!"
Director Qi nodded. "That is true, but doing so means that if the body is damaged, it will feel just like one's original body. Healing will be difficult, and the pain will be identical..."
Yuming shook his head. "That is true, but if the physical body is treated as a disposable item... it will never truly merge into one with the soul!"
"That makes sense too... Wang Ye can give it a try."
Director Qi nodded. "It's just that once the body shatters, he will have to endure the agony of a collapsing physical form all over again."
Yuming smiled. "Director Wang is an Immortal Realm expert; he won't mind."
"Not necessarily. For the first trial, I suspect it won't succeed without shattering dozens of times..."
"Dozens of times?"
"At the very least, I'd say!"
"Wouldn't that be equivalent to killing him dozens of times?"
"Precisely. That is why I thought we shouldn't use the spiritual transference machine at the start..."
"Yet if we don't use it, the failure might stem precisely from poor fusion. I still suggest using it every single time so we can better identify where the problem lies."
"That also makes sense!"
"..."
By this point, Director Wang's face was deathly pale.
He looked at Li Hao, desperately wanting to say... *I don't want to switch anymore!*
*I'm doing fine right now.*
*I have an Immortal physical body.*
*A Neo-Martial body isn't bad at all.*
Listening to these people chat, good heavens—each trial would require full fusion before testing, and the body would likely explode dozens of times... That was practically equivalent to being murdered dozens of times over!
Li Hao, however, wasn't looking at him.
The guinea pig... no, the first pioneer, was definitely going to be Director Wang.
Right now, Li Hao was conferring with Yuan Shuo.
"Master, do you think... we could replicate a complete version of a modern human body? The kind with countless Dao meridians... similar to our previous model?"
Yuan Shuo frowned. "With too many Dao meridians, it's hard to pull off!"
Having said that, he sent a voice transmission to Li Hao: "We can try other approaches. Since we're experimenting... let's test several variations! I suggest preparing multiple templates. The first: entirely attribute-less Dao meridians, thirty-six in total."
"The second: seventy-two."
"The third: one hundred and eight... and so forth!"
"Then, compare those against individual divine ability meridians—Five Elements meridians, Wind and Thunder meridians, various isolated divine ability meridians..."
"Also, create bodies with a mix of divine ability and attribute-less Dao meridians... Prepare several of them as comparative trials. He's an Immortal Realm expert anyway; it won't kill him in a single go. Let him explode dozens of times to see which one suits him best!"
This was sent via voice transmission.
However, his cultivation was considerably weaker than Director Wang's, so Director Wang heard every single word with crystal clarity. His face was entirely drained of color.
*Holy shit!*
*Are these people even human?*
*Deliberately using me as an experiment dozens or hundreds of times?*
Of course, there was logic to it. Determining which configuration suited him best... was technically a display of responsibility.
If it didn't suit him, wouldn't all the effort be wasted?
Still... the mere thought sent chills down his spine.
*Am I really going to experience the sensation of dying dozens or hundreds of times?*
Li Hao was also growing excited. "You're right... comparative trials are indeed necessary! Director Wang is the first, so we must be thorough and responsible. For the others, we can make do, but for Director Wang, we need to gather first-hand data!"
He turned to Director Qi and Yuming. "If an Immortal's origin path suffers violent turbulence dozens or hundreds of times, will anything happen to it?"
Director Qi pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "As long as it is well-stabilized, nothing will happen. Each tremor will merely cause a bit of pain. But one must endure hardship to rise above the rest. Wang Ye carries the Wang family bloodline; he can endure suffering without issue. Otherwise, wouldn't he bring shame upon the Blood Sovereign?"
Originally, Wang Ye had been terrified out of his wits, but hearing this, he gritted his teeth and said with resolute firmness, "Of course! We of the Wang family live by the Battle Heaven spirit our entire lives. How could we fear death?"
"Excellent!"
The others nodded in unison. *Then we'll test it on him!*
Director Wang regretted the words the moment they left his mouth and wanted to retract them, but Li Hao suddenly thought of something and chimed in quickly: "Director Wang, for the first attempt, we will definitely pick the absolute best physical body for you. Furthermore, only the first subject gets sufficient resources to choose from. Once I run through the Spring of Life and exhaust the treasures... whoever converts later will just have to settle for whatever is cobbled together. If you're unwilling, I can go look for the Ninth Division Commander instead."
"..."
"Don't!" Director Wang blurted out immediately. "Use me!"
What a joke!
Li Hao's words were entirely true. Forging a physical body required consuming treasures each time. Once they were gone... where could one find better ones?
At this moment, he gritted his teeth. *It's going to be me.*
*New era, I've chosen to embrace you... Even if I'm sliced into a thousand pieces, I accept it.*
Meanwhile, Li Hao broke into a smile and nodded toward Director Qi and the others.
Though they were unfamiliar with one another... it didn't matter. Once they conducted a few experiments together, they would naturally become well-acquainted. There was no time like the present; they would get straight to work the moment they returned!
Director Qi also revealed a slight smile.
Earlier, he had felt that coming out this time was an ominous prospect.
These people, especially Li Hao's group, were strangers from an entirely different era. They might not have been compatible, and Wang Ye and the others appeared to be under Li Hao's control.
Yet now, he suddenly realized... this Li family descendant of the new era was actually nothing like the Li family of old!
The Li family in his memory... damn it, were all reckless brutes, sword fanatics, and violent maniacs.
Who would have thought that after countless years, the Li family descendant he met would actually be a fellow research enthusiast... Wonderful!
To think the Li family bloodline had mutated.
For a moment, he had even doubted whether the boy was truly of Li family stock.
Yet on second thought, he could wield the Starry Sky Sword, so in all likelihood... he was, wasn't he?
Whatever!
Countless years had passed anyway; whether he was or wasn't hardly mattered anymore.
At that moment, the entire group rushed back toward the Heavenly Star Town ruins with great enthusiasm. Li Hao had no mind to worry about anything else for now; his sole focus was to attempt forging a human body first.
Chapter 304