Spirit

Ten thousand Sovereigns gathered; five Sovereigns contended. At this moment, Li Hao also could not hide his excitement. This group of people, these few figures, were the true overlords of the entire Chaos today. Walking Dao Chess right here. Who could take the lead? Great Dao crystals were fine, but to Li Hao, they were not the most important thing at this moment. What mattered most was the test of his own Great Dao comprehension, and the measure and assessment of the other Sovereigns. If one thought Huntian and his group had reached where they were today purely through raw, overpowering strength and mastery of a single Dao, one would be greatly underestimating them. Their comprehension of Dao principles had to be vast. Perhaps... they might truly have reached nine thousand; it was hard to say. Comprehension was one thing, and condensation was another. Regardless, anyone who could condense a Dao domain spanning more than seven thousand Dao principles was unimaginably formidable. In the void, the figure of Dao Chess manifested. Right now, it too felt a stir of excitement. Such a scene had not occurred in far too many years. Of course, in the ancient past, it had happened—some ninth-rank cultivators had walked it back then. When Tianfang was still present, it had invited several ninth-rank figures to tread the board. Among ninth ranks, most could advance past nine thousand, though a small minority could not. Of course, anyone who could become a ninth rank was bound to possess their own unique brilliance. And now, Dao Chess also knew that the sixth-rank young man who had come to walk Dao Chess in the past... was likely Zhan. That was true brilliance that astounded an entire era... unfortunately, it was not Dao Chess's era. Zhan's era... was in truth an era that belonged to him alone, barely known to anyone outside of Xinwu and Silver Moon. Zhan had truly walked to the end of Dao Chess, met Tianfang, and sat down to debate the Dao with the Lord of Tianfang. How they had debated, Dao Chess did not know, but it knew that Zhan was the second cultivator to clear the board entirely. The first had been Tianfang himself. Of course, that day, Zhan had not stepped onto the very last square. In truth, as he neared the very end, the Lord of Tianfang had appeared and stopped Zhan from proceeding further. But Dao Chess knew that had he continued that day, Zhan would have walked all the way through. Why had the Lord of Tianfang not let Zhan continue? Perhaps the Lord of Tianfang felt that continuing would inevitably lead to a pass, so there was no need. Or perhaps he felt that if Zhan truly reached the end, Zhan would pry into the secrets of space? Who knew. Regardless, in Dao Chess's eyes, only Zhan was capable of clearing the board after Tianfang. As for Li Hao before him, some time ago, he had been nearly capable of walking past seven thousand Dao squares. Over these days, he had made substantial progress and gained much comprehension; Dao Chess felt eight thousand would be no problem for him. As for further... it was hard to judge at present. The other few could likely accomplish it as well. These people were probably the most formidable group in the Chaos today. Without further words, Dao Chess waved its hand, and five separate chessboards materialized between heaven and earth. Looking at the several overlords, Dao Chess spoke: "In the past, Tianfang Realm was home to many ninth ranks, and many ninth ranks once walked here..." "For a million years, Dao Chess has lain dormant. No Sovereign has walked past eight thousand squares. Since reopening, no one has set foot into the eight-thousand domain... Sovereigns, I wonder if you can reenact the splendor of the Sovereigns of a million years ago today!" It too sighed with emotion. A million years! Never again had anyone walked past eight thousand squares, let alone nine thousand. Too distant. Like a lifetime ago. The Human King laughed: "Today, there will be!" With that, he looked toward the others: "Then we walk separately?" The others said nothing more. The Human King took the lead, heading straight for the center Dao Chess board. If he was going to be anything, he would be first—first to set out, first to challenge the pass, first to surpass eight thousand... Daoist Huntian merely smiled, walking through the void straight toward the chessboard on the left. Sovereign Chunqiu gave a playful chuckle and went to the right. Li Hao and Long Zhan had few options left and could only take the flanks next to the Human King, not minding the arrangement. The five Sovereigns entered the separated chessboards together. Like a dome, a canopy enveloped them, revealing only faint silhouettes. Dao Chess's voice echoed: "Sovereigns, every thousand squares, Dao Chess will resonate. Do you need the disturbance concealed?" "No need!" The Human King flatly refused: "Let everyone see who crosses eight thousand first!" His competitive spirit was as fierce as ever. Li Hao and the others said nothing. As you wish. ... Below. At this moment, countless Sovereigns felt their blood surge. Moreover, vast numbers of Sovereigns continually poured in from all directions, as if word had already spread. Cultivators who had not planned on entering now rushed over in droves. Above the Great Dao Arena, five chessboards stood high. Someone asked curiously in a low voice: "The overlords from every side have arrived... then... what about the Five Elements Realm?" Today, although they hadn't descended in their true bodies, this was undeniably a rare grand assembly for the Chaos. Yet, no one had come from the Five Elements Realm. An expert from the north chuckled: "Sovereign Jinling is focusing on secluded cultivation, practicing the Dao of the Five Elements in an attempt to merge the five elements into one. He's different from these few..." Among these few, some had reached the peak, while another was the host. Sovereign Jinling, for now, was in an ascending phase. In the eyes of Li Hao and his peers, the north was the weakest, but to some cultivators, the Five Elements of the north held immense potential. Sovereign Jinling had currently fused only metal and earth; if he truly fused all five elements, his strength might not surpass Huntian, but it would at least allow him to truly contend with Chunqiu. "Who do you think will walk the farthest?" "Definitely Venerable Huntian!" Many exchanged voice transmissions, regardless of whether they knew one another. Huntian was a ninth-rank Sovereign! Also the only ninth-rank Sovereign at present. Except for him, who could surpass the rest? Even though the Human King was overbearing and Li Hao seemed mysterious, and this place didn't purely measure combat strength—without sufficient strength, how much Dao could one comprehend? "Not necessarily. I put my money on Venerable Chunqiu! When Chunqiu appears, seasons flourish and wither... Supposedly, it's also a Dao of Time, immensely formidable..." "..." People guessed both of them. As for the other three—the Eastern Trio—fewer placed bets on them. Then many began discussing: who would walk the least? At this moment, someone sent a voice transmission: "In my opinion... it might very well be the Human King! Don't let his loud boasting fool you. The Human King is great at fighting, sure, but what about Great Dao comprehension? Is Xinwu's Dao comprehension all that strong? They're just a bunch of brutes... You think the Human King can walk very far? Although the Silver Moon King is younger, he was able to establish the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena, and Dao Chess has been by his side all this time... I'd bet he's already walked it many times and is thoroughly familiar with it. Even if the Silver Moon King isn't as good as the others, he will definitely walk farther than the Human King!" "True enough!" "..." Thinking it over, people found that made a lot of sense. The Human King would be dead last! ... At this moment, on the Xinwu side. A group of Sovereigns was also curious. Hearing the murmurings around them, many looked toward the Supreme. Several younger cultivators asked directly: "Supreme, the Human King... won't really come in dead last, will he?" That would be too pathetic! He had talked so much trash earlier. Even if finishing last was understandable—after all, the others were extremely powerful, and Li Hao was the master here, making a last-place finish normal—still... It still felt awful! The Supreme shook his head. He couldn't be certain, but he knew ordinary Sovereigns were underestimating Fang Ping. They all thought he wasn't good at Dao comprehension. How could that be? If he had no aptitude for the Great Dao, how could he have merged the Yin-Yang World? Without an aptitude for the Dao, how could he have opened his inner world? Without an aptitude for the Dao, how could he have earned Zhan's recognition? The Human King's rise was deeply linked to Zhan. Nearly all of Zhan's power had been bestowed upon the Human King. Even the Time Star—if the Human King hadn't rejected it, perhaps the one wielding Time today would have been the Human King as well. It was just that... whether he could take first place was indeed uncertain. Someone looked at the Supreme: "Supreme... why didn't you go up to compete?" They felt that had the Supreme gone, his chances might have been greater than the Human King's. The Supreme cultivated the Great Dao Book, the path of the myriad people, encompassing all myriad Daos. Of course, encompassing myriad Daos didn't mean he had truly comprehended ten thousand Daos. Even so, he should have been able to walk farther than the Human King, right? "Why should I compete? He is the King of Xinwu!" The Supreme was utterly calm: "Only if he wins does Xinwu win, and only then is the source of our Xinwu's confidence affirmed. Even if I took first place... if I told you all to self-destruct, would you do it?" "Don't bring up self-destructing!" Someone muttered. Why did he always have to bring that up? The Supreme smiled and said no more. Indeed. Therefore, everyone still hoped Fang Ping would win rather than himself. They held higher expectations for Fang Ping. Losing was no big deal, but winning would send everyone into wild jubilation. Whereas if he went up and won, these fellows probably wouldn't feel much of anything. ... Not just them; Long Zhan's subordinates were also discussing fervently. On the other side, the Silver Moon people were comparatively much quieter. Watching the board Li Hao occupied, they were filled with anticipation as well. Yet, though they usually liked to talk tough, today... their confidence was genuinely lacking. Li Hao's true strength, now that two thousand realms were perfected, was roughly at the level of three to four thousand Dao principles. Such strength was the weakest among the five. And not just by a little. Even though the others had sent avatars or mental constructs, whether it was an avatar or a true body, the only difference came into play when forcing one's way through obstacles. When it came to Great Dao comprehension, everyone was on equal footing. Walking by comprehension, they were all fundamentally the same. It was only in the later stages, when comprehension fell short and one could go no further, that a true body would possess greater combat power and naturally push a bit further... but that held little significance. At this moment, even Qian Wuliang, who normally brimmed with boundless confidence in Li Hao, kept quiet. He offered no flattering praises. In an arena like this, setting the tone too high would only make Li Hao finishing dead last all the more embarrassing. Silver Moon martial masters cared about saving face. ... Li Hao, however, paid none of this any mind. Stepping onto the chessboard, he felt very familiar with it after walking it several times. The layout of the various Great Daos was second nature to him. In the past, whenever he walked it, he had experienced certain realizations. Yet today, entering the chessboard anew and standing on the first square, Li Hao lingered for a very long time. His current insight, strength, experience, and horizon were incomparable to before. He had condensed the Dao of Catastrophe and dismantled the Dao of Time—both ninth-rank Daos. He had convened the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena and comprehended many, many Great Daos. Looking again... the ten thousand squares in his vision resembled tiny points of light, shifting continuously, until a Dao domain finally materialized in his eyes: a spatial Dao domain. Li Hao was in no rush, merely observing in silence. Nearby, a thunderous boom erupted—the chessboard shuddered. This signified that someone had directly broken through one thousand Daos at an astonishing speed. To his left was the Human King; to his right was Chunqiu. The commotion came from the left. Clearly, the Human King had surpassed one thousand. Unbelievably fast! Just a single instant. Soon after, a disturbance echoed from the right as the Great Dao fluctuated. That was Chunqiu. Evidently, she was exceedingly swift as well, breaching a thousand Daos in the blink of an eye. The Dao comprehension of these top-tier beings was absurdly powerful. For ordinary cultivators, even third-rank Sovereigns, reaching one thousand was exceedingly difficult. Yet to them, it took mere moments. Li Hao took a step forward, as if transitioning into a different space. He did not dawdle either; striking second to dominate, astonishing the world with a single feat... to them, none of that held much meaning. Li Hao was intimately familiar with these Daos. He traversed them as if walking on flat ground. In an instant, he swept through square after square, the power of all the Great Daos instantly gathering toward him, condensed by Li Hao into a ball of light. A thousand Daos converged, and with a booming roar, one thousand squares were cleared! Around him, two similar booming sounds rang out in quick succession. ... Below. The Sovereigns were pale with shock. This was way too fast! The five Sovereigns had only just begun walking Dao Chess, and in an instant, all five had passed one thousand squares. At this moment, some Sovereigns lamented in despair: "Comparisons truly break your heart! With my third-rank strength, I've spent all this time just reaching square 999, grinding away at square 1,000... and who knows how many days it will take..." Yet these five had all broken through one thousand in the blink of an eye. Was this not excessively fast? Could the gap really be this massive? "The Human King seems to be the fastest..." "It's normal to be faster in the early stages. Besides, the timing was almost identical..." Everyone watched unblinkingly. In truth, not much could be seen right now; only several silhouettes could be glimpsed walking the chessboards in the void as smoothly as across flat ground, entirely devoid of the grueling struggle regular challengers faced. ... To Li Hao and the others, the first five to six thousand squares were not obstacles at all. Li Hao continued forward, tuning out the sounds from both sides and paying them no heed. Right now, he was merely walking his own Dao, perfecting and integrating it. Lately, he had gained many insights, but much remained unassimilated. Here within Dao Chess lay similar Daos that could help him achieve greater completeness. His three-thousandth realm had yet to be fully opened. For that three-thousandth realm, Li Hao wanted desires to be the core. Thus, whenever he encountered Daos of desire or emotion, he lingered for a moment, comprehending and experiencing the nuances within them. The Daos within Dao Chess might not be identical to Tianfang's, but all had been left behind by Tianfang, sharing the same origin. As Li Hao walked, he opened his minor realms. One minor realm after another began orbiting around him. He had an advantage over the others: he had entered in his true body rather than as a mental construct. In this regard, even the Human King was not his equal. If it came to forcing through by raw might, with their true bodies absent, they might not necessarily best Li Hao. However, that held little significance. "Desire... the seven emotions and six desires are only part of it..." Li Hao pondered, thinking of the Dao of Emotion that Qian Wuliang cultivated. In truth, the two had much in common, serving to complement each other. All desires were connected to emotion. Greed or jealousy, each was an external manifestation. For instance, Li Hao's intense desire to resurrect his brothers and parents was an explosion of emotion pushed to the utmost extreme. Was that considered greed, or something else? Using this desire, he had shattered the cycle of life and death! How could he blend them together seamlessly? Thoughts surfaced in his mind. Li Hao waved his hand, and around him appeared minor realms of anger, despair, disappointment, greed, lust... Everything was present. And the Dao of Desire endowed certain Daos with spirit... In Li Hao's eyes, the spirit of a Dao was closely tied to emotion. The Great Dao is ruthless... A ruthless Dao referred, relatively speaking, to a Dao of chaos and disorder! A truly orderly Dao ought to possess emotion. Whether tranquil or surging, these were emotions, a form of desire. Master one Dao, and ten thousand Daos become clear. Li Hao kept walking, contemplating deeply. Soon, two thousand squares were passed! ... At the same time. Daoist Huntian walked as if on flat ground. He would walk a bit, pause, and observe, not delving into deep comprehension, merely watching in silence. So this is space! Of course, he knew this was not necessarily the complete Dao of Space. Tianfang would not necessarily have etched the complete Great Dao of Space onto Dao Chess, yet it offered immense reference value to him. "Where lies the difference between true space and the space here?" Rules? Huntian thought to himself: the Daos here were dead, artificially created constructs rather than the genuine Great Dao of the Chaos. "Space... the Chaos was originally one unbroken expanse. Space exists everywhere; wherever one is, there is space..." With this thought, he lingered no longer and continued forward. Perhaps only upon reaching the end could he see more. At this moment, countless Dao principles manifested around him, dense and shimmering, integrating into the surrounding space. As he walked again, his speed was breathtaking, and he no longer paused lightly. ... "Three thousand!" "Venerable Huntian is still faster... in just this short while, he's at three thousand Dao squares!" "Indeed!" Those outside couldn't see specific details, only hearing the soft chime every time a thousand was passed. On Huntian's side, it had already sounded three times. Closely following was the Human King. Next was Chunqiu. Then came Long Zhan. Li Hao was slower this time; only after a pause did the chime for three thousand Dao squares ring out. "The Bright Moon Dao Lord... seems to have slowed down." "Normal. After all, his strength is somewhat lower... the others are veteran Sovereigns, except for the Human King..." The Human King was young too, but here, he was older than Li Hao, so he counted among the veterans. "Looks like the Bright Moon Dao Lord is going to lose this time." "Let's wait and see!" "..." The crowd watched on, excited despite being unable to see much detail. ... "Dao... spirit..." At this moment, Li Hao stopped at a certain square and sank into deep thought. Daos have spirit! Yet the Daos within Dao Chess possessed no spirit whatsoever; they were merely models. The Lord of Tianfang had omitted a critical element from the Great Daos in Dao Chess: Spirit! Without spirit, combining Daos blankly was an illusion in the end, even if one managed to assemble them. They could never converge into space. At the ninth rank, even if not every single Dao had spirit, the core Dao undoubtedly possessed it. Right now, Li Hao had arrived at the Dao of Joy, one of the myriad Daos. He had condensed this minor realm himself. After some thought, he tried infusing his own feeling of joy into the minor realm. However... it was neither dense nor intense enough. "In nurturing spirit, I still fall short... Long ago, Teacher said that nurturing Dao meridians, nurturing meridians and nurturing spirit, is like raising a child..." At this moment, Li Hao thought of force once more! The divine form that force transformed into! A spark ignited in his mind. He had cultivated the Five Animals Art for a long time and once condensed the five elements and five forces. Setting aside the others, one of them was exceptionally spirited: the tiger! The Heart Fire Tiger! This was a divine form shaped from force, but it was also Li Hao's own emotion erupting to the pinnacle—a fire of wrath. "Force... divine form... spirit... Dao!" Li Hao raised an eyebrow. He had nearly forgotten this! The Fire Realm! He swiftly summoned his realm of Fire. Within the realm, a divine character transformed into a Great Dao, and inside the divine character, a fierce tiger seemed to crouch. Breathing on its own, operating on its own, driving the art of fire! In the past, he simply felt that executing fire arts was relatively easy. Today, a sudden realization struck him: could the fire tiger be counted as a spirit? Moreover, it was a spirit he had nurtured himself—a spirit of emotion! In truth, this was also an emotional spirit of anger. Back then, when observing tigers, he had felt the agony of being trapped in a cage, the fire in his heart boiling over until the ferocious tiger broke free. Only then had the tiger been born. "Anger! Fire!" Emotions could also correspond to the five elements! Thoughts flooded Li Hao's mind, and suddenly, everything became clear. Silver Moon's force was also an extraordinarily unique existence. And Silver Moon was born from the Time Star. The Time Star inherently possessed a certain spirit... By that logic, force merging into Dao, nurturing force to nurture Dao—did that mean force was actually a method of nurturing the Dao and nurturing spirit? "If that's the case..." Li Hao was struck with sudden realization. If that was truly so, it meant the Time Star contained methods for nurturing Dao spirits within itself! Yet he had overlooked it once again. Previously, he had thought of merging people into the Dao! Wrong! It was merging force! "What a miscalculation... So that's how it is! Martial masters were born precisely to complement the nurturing of Dao spirits!" Li Hao's mind cleared, and he began to laugh. Back then, Teacher had always said that nurturing force was nurturing the divine form, and nurturing the divine form was nurturing spirit... At the time, he had merely listened. Teacher might have just phrased it that way without fully articulating his true intent. Looking back now, what Teacher really meant was that obedient Dao meridians grew stronger... and obedient Dao meridians meant an obedient Great Dao, which effectively meant it had gained spirit! How had he failed to realize this? "Divine characters... force. That figure from the future manifested countless divine characters, and all of them carried a degree of spirit... This time, I completely understand!" Only now did Li Hao resolve the very last puzzle in his mind. The spirit-nurturing art! It was none other than the method of cultivating force. With this realization, Li Hao hooked his finger toward the fierce tiger within the Fire Realm and smiled: "Are you angry? I've locked you up again. Poor thing..." That fierce tiger seemed to understand human nature! Though it was merely the force Li Hao had cultivated, it roared at the heavens, laced with fury. The Heart Fire Tiger, the tiger breaking from its cage! An existence that had always sought to break out was now trapped once more. Stationed inside the Fire Realm, it appeared exceedingly irritable. At this moment, a minor realm appeared in Li Hao's hand—the Realm of Anger he had just condensed. Li Hao smiled brightly: "Come on in... This Great Dao is extremely enraged, violent, and explosive... If you reside in this Dao and fully merge with it, the Dao of Anger can break free of its cage at any time..." The tiger seemed annoyed. Li Hao coaxed it for a bit. Thoroughly infuriated, the fierce tiger suddenly stepped out of the Fire Realm, let out an ear-splitting roar, and swallowed the minor realm whole, devouring the Dao of Anger! Reside in it? Screw that, I'm eating it! Li Hao's eyes flashed instantly! He looked at the tiger... and then at the Fire Realm, which had forcibly devoured the Realm of Anger... His expression changed completely! "Dao... merge!" Merging Dao! This was active Dao merging. A shifting Dao. A combination, a unique way of combining. In that instant, Li Hao suddenly understood how Time was combined—a unique method of combination capable of shifting continuously. Why did it shift? Because the Dao had spirit. Thus, when encountering similar Daos, or Daos with common ground, they might devour one another. In the eyes of ordinary people, that was combination and fusion. "This isn't mechanical fusion, but... fusion of shared origin... The tiger represents anger, represents burning wrath... and burning wrath is also of the fire element!" It can actually work like this? Li Hao was stunned for a moment, muttering to himself: "In other words, anger can merge with fire, and fire can merge with many things. If the tiger can devour one Dao, can't it devour other Daos as well? It definitely can—natural devouring rather than forced fusion... Thus, the myriad Daos... can ultimately be streamlined significantly, integrating similar and shared-origin Daos together! That way, it becomes far more orderly..." He had merely acted on a whim, wanting to transfer the tiger into the Realm of Anger, but the tiger had simply eaten the Realm of Anger! Crucially, Li Hao noticed his power hadn't diminished in the slightest. "Therefore, Great Daos can be continually consolidated, eventually forming a set number of Daos that cannot be merged any further. This is also what we seek in having all Daos converge into one... but it's more complex than simply merging all Daos into one!" Did the Emperor of Battle Heaven understand this principle? He probably did; a Dao with spirit would exhibit such traits. Yet the Emperor of Battle Heaven hadn't deliberately left any clues behind. It wasn't until today, through an accidental exploration, that Li Hao had perceived something unique. "The Great Dao... can actually be merged like this?" Li Hao grinned from ear to ear, truly delighted. He had only been experimenting! The tiger before him seemed somewhat disgruntled, but Li Hao looked at it with immense excitement: "You can devour anger; what else can you eat?" "Also, can you spit it back out whenever you want?" The tiger was clearly just his own emotion, yet Li Hao was conversing with it. Annoyed, the tiger suddenly spat the minor realm back out with an expression of disdain, as if finding the realm rather unpalatable. Li Hao... felt as though he were seeing the Time Star for the first time. It too had possessed such spirit! Yes! In the past, he had assumed it was merely the natural effect of combining Daos. Thinking back now, no—it was spirit! A certain Dao within the Time Star possessed spirit, which was why it behaved that way. ... Li Hao was thrilled to the extreme. Outside, however, everyone was frowning. In just this short while, the other four had already reached four to five thousand squares, with the fastest reaching five thousand, while Li Hao still lingered around three thousand. Although everyone expected a gap, they hadn't thought the Silver Moon King... would fall behind even the crude Human King! Yet look at it now. The Human King was approaching five thousand, while the Silver Moon King still hovered at three thousand. What... was going on? ... Li Hao, however, paid no attention to any of it. He walked Dao Chess solely to comprehend the Dao. Having suddenly made a massive breakthrough, he was ecstatic; why would he care about anything else? Besides, there was no time limit, so why rush? He would perfect his own Dao first! At this moment, the fierce tiger manifested before him. Thrilled, Li Hao presented his numerous minor realms one after another, like teasing a puppy: "Will you eat this one?" "Awoo!" "What about this one?" "Roar!" The tiger seemed provoked and irritable. Would it eat just anything? If so, one spirit could nurture ten thousand Daos! This tiger was exceedingly picky. However... when Li Hao took out another realm, irritated though it was, the tiger snapped it up and swallowed it. Li Hao's eyes lit up. This was... Combustion? Combustion and Fire were similar, but not identical. Yet the tiger had swallowed it. In Li Hao's eyes, his Fire Realm grew stronger, no weaker than when the two Daos stood separate. If anything, it seemed stronger. Outwardly, however, there was only one Dao remaining, plus a fierce tiger! "This..." Li Hao quickly calculated. For now, he didn't know how many Daos the tiger could devour, but it certainly wouldn't be few. Any Dao with a connection could likely be fully devoured and integrated. In that case, though the Daos of the entire Chaos were still numerous, they could ultimately be consolidated. Consolidating many Daos! Of course, they could also be separated. Still, the Great Dao could be streamlined as much as possible. The Great Dao reaches supreme simplicity; the simpler, the better. "Divine characters... fusing different divine characters... One divine character is one Dao, but when combined, they can become a complete, super-powerful Great Dao!" Thinking of the future, Li Hao seized upon many key insights. "The Daos of the future shouldn't be so numerous, but simplified and refined! Merging many Daos of similar nature together into a single Great Dao. Normally, one can cultivate divine characters, and through divine characters, recombine them..." "A hundred Daos merging into a single supreme rule Dao?" Li Hao pondered, uncertain. He had only just discovered this trait; he had no idea how many the tiger could swallow. Besides, to know for sure, he would need all myriad Daos present. Right now, he was not there yet. "Wait... even if it can't swallow them right now, as we pass by, the tiger should be able to sense them... That way, I'll be prepared!" Suddenly, Li Hao grew excited. Yes! Dao Chess! Within Dao Chess, all myriad Daos were present. He was still competing; he'd almost forgotten! He could lead the tiger along to feel out different Daos. If they were similar, the tiger would surely take an interest. Now, Li Hao was thrilled. Quickly standing up, the illusory tiger manifested before him, looking rather annoyed, yet it charged wildly forward. Along the way, it would pause briefly on certain Dao squares, seemingly wanting to eat... yet also disdaining the dead nature of these Great Dao powers! Li Hao followed behind, taking notes! This tiger was his own Dao, his own divine form. In essence, he was questioning the Dao himself, but the divine form's perception was sharper than his own. At this moment, Li Hao held the tiger by a leash, thrilled as he surged forward. Four thousand Daos, five thousand Daos... Li Hao, who had lingered for so long, suddenly began a furious charge. ... Outside, the other Sovereigns were rendered speechless. This fellow had stayed at three thousand Daos forever; how had he suddenly gone mad? In the blink of an eye, he was already at five thousand. ... Among the crowd, Kongji, who had just exited seclusion, observed the scene. Seeing this, he recalled the time he had walked Dao Chess alongside Li Hao. Whenever that fellow walked Dao Chess, it was never about how far he went. It was about... comprehending the Dao! Having lingered for so long earlier, had he gained another insight? Thinking of this, Kongji felt a pang of envy. That fellow was truly a genius, an incomparable genius! He had definitely gained an epiphany. What was crucial was that he seemed to gain something every single time. One couldn't help but admire that. For many people, trodden paths offered no new gains. Li Hao was completely different. More importantly, he dared to overturn his own insights. Even if it was his own Dao, if he felt it was wrong after a time, he would discard or even upend it without hesitation! Just then, a familiar voice sounded beside his ear: "Fellow Daoist... do... do you recognize me?" Kongji froze, and in the next moment, realization struck! My father! His father just wasn't sure of his identity. Right now, everyone was in an illusory form with their aura masked, making it hard to tell. But a father was different after all; the Sovereign of Light found him somewhat familiar. Yet fearing he might mistake someone else and call them his son—which would create bad blood—he hadn't done that. That was why he addressed him as "Fellow Daoist" using his original voice. That way, if it was truly his son, he would recognize it. Kongji couldn't help but chuckle. His father had come? Really... He deliberately disguised his voice: "I don't..." Thump! The next moment, the Sovereign of Light's fist landed, leaving Kongji somewhat dazed. "I spoke in the Radiant tongue, and you still don't recognize your own father?" I knew it was you! He had subconsciously switched to the Radiant tongue, and the brat still dared say he didn't know him! I'll beat you senseless! Seeing this, several nearby phantoms were shocked. Are you two mad? Five overlords are competing, and you two are brawling here? Helpless, Kongji quickly pinned his father down, suppressing him directly, and sent a voice transmission: "Father, stop messing around. This isn't the right occasion..." The Sovereign of Light, however, was delighted, hastily transmitting: "Have you reached the eighth rank?" He was an eighth-rank mental construct, yet he had been suppressed by his son in an instant. Had this kid reached the eighth rank? "More or less..." "What do you mean, more or less?" "I've reached it, but I'm weak, so I don't feel like claiming the eighth rank." "..." The Sovereign of Light was speechless. Kongji quickly added: "Let's not talk about that for now. Father, Haoyue has probably gained something again. This time... I think he can win!" The Sovereign of Light was startled. You're sure? Kongji had no heart to mind his father anymore, turning his gaze toward Li Hao with joy. He must have gained something. Li Hao was always like this: unhurried and calm, but once he moved, his speed was terrifying. Right now, though he was still behind the others, he would surely overtake them soon! ... Boom! The sixth chime rang out. Li Hao excitedly drove the fierce tiger forward, recording every spot where the tiger paused. As that sixth chime echoed, the several Sovereigns around him felt a stir. No one had been in a rush; even the Human King, anxious though he was, walked while comprehending to minimize exhaustion. As a result, the others had only just crossed six thousand, while Li Hao, who hadn't moved for so long, broke through to six thousand in a flash. This speed... was rather fast. "Young people just can't keep their patience!" Beside him, the Human King grinned, no longer considering himself a young man. Reaching six thousand was fairly easy for him, and he intended to slow down slightly, in no hurry. Yet the little fellow next door had gotten impatient. Just as he thought this, a short while later... Boom! The seventh chime rang out. The Human King froze! Not just him; the other Sovereigns were taken aback as well, turning to look toward Li Hao in surprise... Seven thousand was nothing extraordinary, but you... why did you suddenly walk so fast? ... Below, the Sovereigns were dumbstruck. "He wouldn't move at all, and then the moment he moves... it's seven thousand in one go! How many seventh- and eighth-rank Sovereigns can only reach this far? Some eighth ranks haven't even made it this far... This is way too fast!" "Worthy of the Dao Lord of the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena... Even if he loses in the end, this is terrifying!" "Did he cheat? I thought I heard... a tiger roaring?" Someone wondered aloud. Immediately following, disturbances erupted from the other four sides. The several overlords who had planned to rest and comprehend suddenly picked up their pace. Almost in the blink of an eye, seven thousand Daos were breached by them one after another! All five Sovereigns crossed seven thousand Dao principles with supreme ease! This sight filled countless onlookers with envy. These were true top-tier Sovereigns. In the crowd, some eighth-rank Sovereigns clicked their tongues. They had walked it before and knew how difficult reaching seven thousand was. As for eight thousand, no one had reached it to this day. More importantly, these people were shockingly fast. From the start until now, only a brief moment had passed. "Can the Human King... and the Silver Moon King continue walking?" Several eighth ranks exchanged voice transmissions. Having walked it, they knew the difficulty. Eight thousand squares was probably not something everyone could pass, right? "Hard to say... depends... depends on whether Dao Chess helps them cheat, and also whether they care about their dignity..." "Surely not?" "Who knows? Look at the Silver Moon King—he crossed seven thousand squares in an instant. I suspect... he cheated!" Some Sovereigns were speechless. Was that really necessary? Cheating just to win? Yet Dao Chess belonged to Li Hao. Perhaps it was truly possible; Li Hao reaching seven thousand had simply been too fast. In the very next moment, everyone became convinced that Li Hao had cheated! Right at that instant, a thunderous boom erupted once more. Li Hao! He had broken through eight thousand! "This... is definitely cheating!" "Shameless!" "I thought only the Human King was shameless, but they're birds of a feather!" "Will Huntian and the other Venerables honor the bet? That's tens of billions of Great Dao crystals after all!" "Hard to say... but I think even if he wins, the others might not acknowledge it!" Crossing eight thousand in the blink of an eye—who would believe that? ... At this moment, the other Sovereigns all looked toward Li Hao. Even the Human King was no exception. Moreover, the Human King couldn't resist calling out: "Li Hao, did you cheat?" If you're going to cheat, why make such a huge scene? We need to be low-key! If you cheat this blatantly, who's going to give you their Great Dao crystals? Right then, the illusory shroud veiling Li Hao suddenly dissipated. Li Hao, currently riding atop a fierce tiger, smiled at them. The Sovereigns turned their gazes toward him. Below, the crowd whispered among themselves. Seeing the tiger, they felt vindicated—just as expected! Yet the other Sovereigns were momentarily taken aback. Sovereign Huntian took a look, his eyes flickering slightly: "A divine form?" This was a form of divinity! Not a simple mental construct, but a special divine form. "Spirit!" Li Hao smiled and corrected him. Huntian was startled. The next moment, a flash of realization crossed his face, his expression shifting slightly as he nodded: "No wonder! Incredible... Once we finish these eight thousand squares, I must have a good chat with you, Fellow Daoist!" From the other sides, the voices of Chunqiu and Long Zhan drifted over as well: "Rules? Truly extraordinary... Is it your own, or did it exist previously?" "Heart fire!" Li Hao replied. In the next instant, he vanished, veiling himself once more. The others fell silent immediately, and in the next moment, began breaking through their passes. A divine form! Spirit? Fascinating, utterly fascinating! At this moment, they were filled with intense anticipation, longing to exchange insights with Li Hao in detail. As for Li Hao reaching eight thousand squares, they were no longer surprised at all. Even the Human King's eyes flickered. A divine form! Force! Silver Moon's force, transforming a divine form into a spirit? He felt a surge of anticipation, along with a touch of exasperation. Why be so generous? Why tell these fellows? Just cultivate it in secret! Far too flashy! Unlike me—a humble, low-key person. Thoughts aside... the next moment, the Human King raised his broadsword and charged forward undaunted. Low-key was low-key, and everyone knew he was modest, but this time, he had to crush them no matter what! The other Sovereigns seemed provoked as well, their speed blistering as they continually broke through the squares. The eight-thousand threshold was as difficult as scaling the heavens for eighth ranks, yet shortly after, the others shattered it at peak speed, leaving the watching Sovereigns utterly astounded. Even the eighth ranks were shaken to the core. Was the gap truly this colossal? The previously unbreachable barrier of eight thousand Dao squares had been broken through today by five people in succession. Moreover, all of them seemed to have strength to spare. Could someone break through nine thousand this time? According to Dao Chess, anyone who could reach nine thousand possessed the comprehension of a ninth rank! The Sovereigns, who had previously thought the outcome obvious, were suddenly unsure. Who would win this time? And the Silver Moon King's fierce tiger was clearly extraordinary. Judging by the reactions of the other Sovereigns... it didn't seem to be a product of cheating. What on earth was it, then? Why could it help the Silver Moon King rapidly break through Dao Chess? For a time, everyone looked forward to the result with even greater eagerness.