Master of a Hundred Daos! Lu Changsheng Drops Straight into First Place, Shaking the Dao Transformation Battlefield!

When it came to comprehension, Lu Changsheng's spirits immediately lifted. What had carried him this far? Comprehension, of course! Lu Changsheng had never doubted this for a moment. He understood his own foundation all too well. Thanks to his avatar, his comprehension was increasing every single moment. By now, it was already closing in on the eight-million threshold. Who could possibly rival such terrifying comprehension among Earth Saints—no, even among Heavenly Saints? Lu Changsheng looked at the martial daos that had materialized on the twenty-fifth floor. "Three martial daos?" "All I need to do is comprehend them?" "Time limit... three days." "In other words, roughly one martial dao per day." Lu Changsheng fell into thought. If it were merely comprehending them, that was not particularly difficult. At least, not for Lu Changsheng. For any other Earth Saint, even one at Earth Saint perfection, trying to comprehend three martial daos in three days was nothing short of a pipe dream. The difficulty was simply too extreme! And this was merely the twenty-fifth floor. There were eleven more floors above it before one could truly reach the pinnacle on the thirty-sixth floor. What sort of monstrous comprehension would reaching the thirty-sixth floor require? Lu Changsheng could hardly imagine. No wonder no one had ever ascended to the thirty-sixth floor. With such terrifying comprehension required, who could possibly make it? Yet now, Lu Changsheng had arrived. With his arrival, everything was different. Floor twenty-five, three martial daos. Lu Changsheng immersed himself in comprehending them. After one shichen, Lu Changsheng reopened his eyes. "Isn't this a bit too easy?" Lu Changsheng felt it was far too simple. In a single shichen, he had finished comprehending the martial daos. Not just one, but all three of them... Hence, Lu Changsheng was left with the impression that it was too easy. Was it truly easy, though? The twenty-fifth floor allotted three days. That meant it was certainly meant to be arduous. Yet Lu Changsheng had grasped them all in a single shichen. In fact, had he not been overly cautious at first, he might not have even needed that much time. This could only point to one thing: Lu Changsheng's comprehension was utterly monstrous. Lu Changsheng knew this better than anyone. His comprehension simply could not be measured by conventional logic. "Now that I've comprehended the three martial daos, it's time for the final step..." Lu Changsheng took a deep breath. The three martial daos lay right before him, fully comprehended. Furthermore, these were three real martial daos, not illusions. The final step was to thoroughly merge them into his own body. Just like in a Battle of Dao Transformation. "Devour!" The Infinite Martial Dao within Lu Changsheng instantly manifested. Though it was merely an embryonic martial dao, it radiated an astonishing aura. In a single gulp, it swallowed all three martial daos whole. This was equivalent to plundering martial daos. Lu Changsheng wanted to see if it worked the same way as in a Battle of Dao Transformation. After all, if the Ascending Heaven Tower had cultivators comprehend martial daos without allowing them to integrate them into their own dao, it would offer zero improvement to their actual combat prowess. What would be the point of building the Ascending Heaven Tower in the first place? That was why Lu Changsheng decided to give it a try. As his Infinite Martial Dao swallowed the three martial daos in one gulp, Lu Changsheng immediately experienced the same sensation as plundering martial daos in a Battle of Dao Transformation. Normally, refining these three martial daos would take him an entire month. Yet this was the Dao Transformation Battlefield! Sure enough, the mysterious power of the battlefield intervened, helping Lu Changsheng refine the three martial daos and thoroughly fuse them into his Infinite Martial Dao. *Swish.* After one shichen, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed across his gaze. "Thirty-eight martial daos now..." Previously, Lu Changsheng possessed thirty-five martial daos. Fusing three more brought his total to thirty-eight! This pleased him greatly. He had not expected that he could plunder martial daos for his own use without even engaging in a Battle of Dao Transformation. The Ascending Heaven Tower was truly remarkable. Furthermore, judging by the three martial daos on the twenty-fifth floor, Lu Changsheng was now certain of one thing: This tower was actually a treasure created by the Dao Transformation Battlefield specifically to help cultivators merge martial daos. It was very likely a miraculous spirit treasure! "I wonder how many martial daos await on the twenty-sixth floor?" With that, Lu Changsheng stepped up to the twenty-sixth floor. Floor twenty-six was just as Lu Changsheng had anticipated; the number of martial daos surged to six. Six martial daos, yet with a time limit of merely five days. Failing to comprehend all six within five days counted as failure in ascending heaven. Lu Changsheng's heart stirred. It seemed every floor beyond the twenty-fifth was extraordinarily brutal. On floor twenty-five, three martial daos had a time limit of three days. On floor twenty-six, nine martial daos had a limit of five days. One had to comprehend more martial daos in a shorter span of time. The demands on comprehension were escalating with every step. Even if a cultivator got lucky and reached floor twenty-five, they would certainly never clear floors twenty-six or twenty-seven. Yet for Lu Changsheng, this was precisely where his advantage lay. As long as comprehension was what was tested, Lu Changsheng feared nothing. And so, he began comprehending the six martial daos. With comprehension in the millions, it took Lu Changsheng less than two shichen to comprehend all six. He mastered them completely and fused them into his Infinite Martial Dao. With that, his tally reached forty-four martial daos! Then he pressed on. Floor twenty-seven: twelve martial daos. Floor twenty-eight: twenty-four martial daos. By the time Lu Changsheng cleared the twenty-eighth floor, his tally had reached eighty martial daos! Naturally, the time required to comprehend them grew slightly longer. Yet even at its longest, it took no more than a single day. "Eighty martial daos!" "And this is only the twenty-eighth floor. If nothing unexpected happens, the twenty-ninth floor should require comprehending forty-eight martial daos, as the number doubles with each floor." "Once I reach the twenty-ninth floor, the total I've comprehended should exceed a hundred." "In other words, on the twenty-ninth floor, I will become a Master of a Hundred Daos!" Lu Changsheng murmured softly to himself. A Master of a Hundred Daos! Merely by ascending to the twenty-ninth floor, he could become a Master of a Hundred Daos. This was vastly faster and far easier than fighting in the Battles of Dao Transformation. Of course, that applied only to Lu Changsheng. For any other Earth Saint, comprehending so many martial daos was near impossible. Some martial daos were simply beyond their ability to comprehend. Only Lu Changsheng's absurd comprehension could allow him to grasp so many daos so quickly. Resolute, Lu Changsheng stepped into the twenty-ninth floor. The number of martial daos he devoured and merged grew greater and greater. Eighty martial daos, ninety martial daos, one hundred martial daos... *Boom.* Lu Changsheng's entire body shook. One hundred martial daos! He had actually merged one hundred martial daos! Moreover, when he integrated the hundredth martial dao, he faintly sensed a subtle shift within his Infinite Martial Dao. The shift was exceedingly faint; had he not paid close attention, he might not have noticed it at all. Yet a change had indeed occurred. The Infinite Martial Dao grew significantly stronger, and a qualitative metamorphosis was faintly beginning to brew. It was a gradual process, however. It would likely take a great deal of time to complete the transformation entirely. "Infinite Martial Dao! This is the true Infinite Martial Dao..." "Before, my Infinite Martial Dao was merely born of my own imagination. I thought it was infinite, but what was the reality? It was still leagues away from true infinity." "A true Infinite Martial Dao must be filled with vast numbers of martial daos, granting it the true trait of being limitless." "Perhaps the titles of Master of a Hundred Daos, Master of a Thousand Daos, and Master of Ten Thousand Daos were conceived with this exact idea in mind." "The more martial daos one holds, the more vast one's foundation becomes, allowing one to journey much further after advancing to Heavenly Saint..." Lu Changsheng murmured to himself. At this moment, he was a bona fide Master of a Hundred Daos! Furthermore, he was the very first Master of a Hundred Daos to emerge on this Dao Transformation Battlefield! Yet Lu Changsheng did not halt his integration. He continued. After all, the twenty-ninth floor held a full forty-eight martial daos, and he had only fused twenty of them so far. The instant Lu Changsheng merged his hundredth martial dao and became a Master of a Hundred Daos, the entire Dao Transformation Battlefield was shaken. Every Earth Saint across the battlefield could sense the rankings. At this point, only a dozen or so days had passed since the battlefield opened. As time marched on, the competition grew increasingly ferocious. The number of martial daos integrated by countless Earth Saints fluctuated day after day. Yet the highest tally among them was only in the seventies. They were still a long way from reaching one hundred. Right at that moment— *Hum.* The rankings trembled slightly. Immediately after, a dazzling golden name surged directly into the first-place position. Appended after it was a title: Master of a Hundred Daos! The first Master of a Hundred Daos in the Dao Transformation Battlefield had been born. Yet the name itself was quite unfamiliar to most. "This is... a Master of a Hundred Daos?" "Someone became a Master of a Hundred Daos!" "Lu Changsheng? Who is that?" "I don't seem to recognize him. A Master of a Hundred Daos just came out of nowhere!" "I saw that name on the leaderboard before. He was hovering in the hundreds, and then over the past day or two, his rank skyrocketed almost every single shichen!" "In just a day or two, he climbed from thirty-some martial daos to over a hundred, becoming a Master of a Hundred Daos? How is that even possible?" "Indeed, it's inconceivable, yet the proof is right there." More and more people noticed the development. Even if Lu Changsheng's previous ranking had been unremarkable, those ranked around him were bound to notice. Word spread quickly. Out of nowhere, Lu Changsheng had become a Master of a Hundred Daos. Could he have slaughtered dozens of Earth Saints in a mere day or two? The notion seemed utterly preposterous. "Lu Changsheng's martial dao count is still rising!" someone cried in astonishment. Sure enough, after reaching one hundred and becoming a Master of a Hundred Daos, Lu Changsheng showed no sign of stopping. His numbers kept climbing. One hundred, one hundred and ten, one hundred and twenty... Finally, Lu Changsheng's martial dao tally came to rest at one hundred and twenty-eight, towering at the very top! *Hiss.* Countless cultivators sucked in a sharp breath. One hundred and twenty-eight martial daos! The strongest before him had barely seventy or eighty. Now Lu Changsheng had amassed one hundred and twenty-eight all at once. He had pulled far ahead of the competition. It was a cliff-like lead at the pinnacle of the rankings! "Only a dozen days have passed. Could this Lu Changsheng actually have a shot at becoming a Master of a Thousand Daos?" Everyone's hearts trembled. A Master of a Thousand Daos! In all previous sessions of the Dao Transformation Battlefield, the strongest among them had been Masters of a Thousand Daos. Supposedly, attaining the rank of Master of a Hundred Daos or Master of a Thousand Daos caused one's martial dao to undergo a subtle, special metamorphosis. As for what form that metamorphosis took or how it influenced advancement, few truly understood. After all, even Masters of a Hundred Daos were exceedingly rare. Not just anyone could become one. Those who managed to reach the level of Master of a Hundred Daos or higher were the absolute cream of the crop among the tens of thousands on the battlefield. "No matter what, I refuse to remain beneath another for long!" "First place is mine, and no one will take it from me!" "It seems I must push myself even harder..." In an instant, many martial artists steeled their resolves, determined to seize the number-one spot. Lu Changsheng had no idea that his sudden rise to first place as a Master of a Hundred Daos had stirred such massive waves across the battlefield. It had even ignited the competitive drive of several top-tier Earth Saints. *Swish.* Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. "They've finally all been merged into the Infinite Martial Dao." "A total of one hundred and twenty-eight martial daos." "I wonder what awaits on the thirtieth floor? More martial daos?" Lu Changsheng was thoroughly intrigued by the Ascending Heaven Tower now. *Swish.* Lu Changsheng stepped directly onto the thirtieth floor. Upon arriving, he found an illusory figure waiting there. It appeared to be an elderly man. The old man opened his eyes and looked at Lu Changsheng. "Congratulations. Reaching the thirtieth floor means you must have merged those martial daos and become a Master of a Hundred Daos." Lu Changsheng's heart stirred. Inside the tower, he had calculated carefully: he had acquired ninety-three martial daos in total. That was only seven short of becoming a Master of a Hundred Daos. Virtually any cultivator capable of reaching the thirtieth floor would have already possessed more than seven martial daos prior to entering. Thus, anyone who set foot on the thirtieth floor was essentially guaranteed to be a Master of a Hundred Daos. It was only natural for the elder to deduce this. "Greetings, Senior. May I ask what the trial of the thirtieth floor entails?" Lu Changsheng inquired. The old man did not answer directly, saying instead, "When an Earth Saint advances to Heavenly Saint, they condense a martial dao and refine it into their physical body until the two are inseparable." "A Heavenly Saint can mobilize the martial dao within them at any moment, drawing upon a boundless reservoir of power." "And what lies above Heavenly Saint? Above Heavenly Saint is the Sovereign!" "A Sovereign is actually much like Integration in the Immortal Dao. Spirit merges with qi, soul merges with flesh—the true self becomes one!" "One must thoroughly fuse the physical body, the Earth Saint Dao body, and even spiritual consciousness until they are indistinguishable. Only when the true self becomes one and fuses completely can one be called a Martial Dao Sovereign!" Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. This was the first time he had learned that the realm above Heavenly Saint was called Sovereign. The details of cultivation had been laid bare with such clarity that not a shred of doubt remained. At the very least, he no longer had any confusion regarding the Heavenly Saint and Sovereign stages. "And what lies above Sovereign?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Above Sovereign is the Martial Ancestor, the true zenith of the martial path." "However, the Martial Ancestor realm is quite unique. Knowing too much now serves no purpose and would do you more harm than good." "Once you can step into the ranks of Martial Dao Sovereigns, you will naturally understand the uniqueness of a Martial Ancestor." The elder's words gave Lu Changsheng pause. Indeed, he was merely an Earth Saint at present. He had not even achieved Heavenly Saint, let alone Martial Ancestor. "Senior, what does any of this have to do with the trial of the thirtieth floor?" Lu Changsheng asked. "It has everything to do with it, in fact." "A Martial Dao Sovereign requires the true self to become one, fusing everything together. And the physical body is of paramount importance in that process." "Once martial artists reach the Divine Treasury Realm, many cease tempering their physical bodies. Upon becoming Martial Saints and gaining saint bodies, they neglect physical tempering entirely." "In truth, however, the physical body is vital. Only if the body is formidable enough to rival an Earth Saint Dao body without falling far behind is it possible for the true self to become one and fully fuse, thereby attaining the rank of Martial Dao Sovereign. Otherwise, achieving Sovereign is fundamentally impossible." "Yet tempering the physical body step by step until it can rival an Earth Saint Dao body is simply too difficult. The only way is to fuse vast numbers of martial daos; even being a Master of a Thousand Daos falls short—one must be a Master of Ten Thousand Daos." "A Master of Ten Thousand Daos integrates countless martial daos, many of which naturally temper the flesh. By drawing upon countless martial daos to temper the body, one can slowly elevate the physical form until it meets the requirements to fuse with the daos and become a Martial Dao Sovereign." "Floors thirty through thirty-six exist precisely to lay that physical foundation in advance. They help cultivators enhance their bodies; as long as your physical body reaches a certain threshold of strength, you can pass floors thirty through thirty-six." Understanding dawned on Lu Changsheng. The physical body! To become a Martial Dao Sovereign, a strong physical body was indispensable. Many neglected their bodies starting from the Divine Treasury Realm. After condensing divine abilities, becoming Martial Saints, and gaining saint bodies, they paid even less mind to physical cultivation. No one went out of their way to temper the flesh. For one, physical tempering was arduous and offered diminishing returns, making the cultivation of a saint body far more practical. If the flesh were easy to temper, the cultivation method of saint bodies would never have been invented in the first place. Secondly, once one possessed a saint body, who would bother tempering their mortal flesh? Gradually, martial artists ceased caring about physical cultivation altogether. Yet a Martial Dao Sovereign was different. Every aspect of one's being had to be overwhelmingly powerful, leaving no weaknesses. The physical body was a crucial link in that chain! Yet starting physical tempering anew was far too late; one had to rely on countless martial daos to temper it instead. This was the true necessity behind becoming a Master of Ten Thousand Daos. Lu Changsheng finally understood: the Ascending Heaven Tower was designed to nurture cultivators who held a sliver of hope to become Martial Dao Sovereigns. Therefore, floors thirty through thirty-six were entirely focused on strengthening the physical body. Yet Lu Changsheng was different from other cultivators. He had pioneered his own Flesh Martial Dao. It was designed precisely for the physical body. And his physical strength happened to rival an Earth Saint's already! "So how does the trial work?" Lu Changsheng asked. "It is quite simple. Starting from the thirtieth floor, your Earth Saint Dao body will be suppressed and rendered unusable. You can only rely on your physical body to withstand the pressure." "On the thirtieth floor, the pressure rivals the Divine Strength Realm. You should be able to pass easily." "By extension, floor thirty-one carries pressure comparable to the Divine Gang Realm, followed by the Divine Treasury Realm, Dao Foundation, divine abilities, and so on." "On the thirty-sixth floor, the pressure demands a physical body that rivals an Earth Saint." "Only by withstanding all of it can one conquer the thirty-sixth floor, thereby obtaining authority over the Dao Transformation Battlefield. That authority allows you to sense every Earth Saint across the realm and even harness the power of the battlefield's spirit treasure to teleport anywhere within it." "However, practically no one can pass this trial. This tower is merely the result of a compromise among the Sovereigns of the Immortal Martial World. It exists primarily for show; after all, whose physical body could possibly rival an Earth Saint?" Lu Changsheng saw through it completely. Behind the Ascending Heaven Tower—and behind the Dao Transformation Battlefield as a whole—stood more than a single faction. Some factions were willing to foster the strong. Others felt it was merely paving the way for rivals and opposed the idea. Thus, after mutual compromise, a spirit treasure like the Ascending Heaven Tower had been established, featuring thirty-six floors that were utterly impossible for an Earth Saint to conquer. After all, most cultivators had to wait until becoming Heavenly Saints, using countless martial daos over millennia to temper their bodies before their flesh could rival an Earth Saint, giving them that slim chance to unite the true self and attain Sovereign. As for an Earth Saint whose physical body already rivaled an Earth Saint Dao body? Such a thing was virtually unheard of! "Well then, now that you understand, you should leave the tower. Strive to slay other Earth Saints and at least aim for Master of a Thousand Daos," the elder said. He recognized Lu Changsheng's immense talent. Otherwise, the youth never would have reached the thirtieth floor. Yet acquiring nearly a hundred martial daos and becoming a Master of a Hundred Daos on floor thirty was already the upper limit permitted by the factions' compromise. Ascending any further? Utterly out of the question. Striving to become a Master of a Thousand Daos was practically the ceiling. As for Master of Ten Thousand Daos? Without the aid of the Dao Transformation Battlefield's spirit treasure, reaching that rank was impossible. Lu Changsheng understood it all. Yet he shook his head and said, "I'd still like to give it a try." "Hm?" The elder was somewhat taken aback. His brow furrowed slightly before he nodded. "Very well. Talented youths never like admitting defeat. If you wish to test yourself, go ahead." With a wave of the elder's hand— *Boom.* A crushing pressure descended. Lu Changsheng felt the power of his Earth Saint Dao body completely suppressed. He could not mobilize even a shred of it. At the same time, a pressure comparable to the Divine Strength Realm bore down upon him, creating a slight sensation of weight. Yet that was all it was. Even without his Flesh Martial Dao, pressure at the Divine Strength Realm was well within his tolerance. "Not bad. A physical body at the Divine Strength level means a sturdy foundation." "Go on, then. Floors thirty-one and thirty-two await." "When the time comes, you will see that I did not deceive you." The elder's figure gradually faded away. A stairway leading to the thirty-first floor appeared. Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng ascended to floor thirty-one. Upon arriving, he found the floor completely empty. Yet a heavier pressure descended at once. It was at the level of the Divine Gang Realm. Lu Changsheng remained completely unfazed. Both the Divine Strength and Divine Gang levels were fundamentally stages of tempering the physical body. The real danger began on the thirty-second floor, where the pressure reached the Divine Treasury level. Martial artists rarely tempered their bodies once they reached the Divine Treasury Realm. When Lu Changsheng stepped onto the thirty-second floor, the pressure abruptly intensified. An ordinary Earth Saint would likely have buckled under it. Only a select few could endure it. For Lu Changsheng, of course, it posed no difficulty whatsoever. He promptly proceeded to the thirty-third floor. *Boom.* Floor thirty-three exerted pressure at the Dao Foundation level. At the Dao Foundation stage, no martial artist tempered their body anymore. At this point, practically no one could withstand the force. Even if someone could, they were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns. Yet Lu Changsheng still had no trouble. He had cultivated the Flesh Martial Dao. His flesh and blood were peerlessly robust. This meager amount of pressure was not even worth mentioning. And so, he climbed to the thirty-fourth floor. The pressure on floor thirty-four was far greater, rivaling a divine ability. Even Lu Changsheng felt his flesh and blood churn slightly as he withstood the weight of the thirty-fourth floor. *** At that moment, within an unknown expanse of space. A group of exalted Heavenly Saints was closely observing the Dao Transformation Battlefield. "This junior is quite fortunate. He managed to locate the Ascending Heaven Tower first, easily becoming a Master of a Hundred Daos without having to painstakingly hunt down other Earth Saints, instantly suppressing tens of thousands of Earth Saints at perfection!" "That statement seems rather biased. What do you mean by fortunate? Even if other Earth Saints at perfection found the tower, could they climb all the way to floor thirty? Comprehending so many martial daos is no simple feat; without supreme comprehension, reaching floor thirty is utterly impossible." "Indeed. In previous sessions, didn't several others discover the tower? And what came of it? Not a single one reached floor thirty. This Lu Changsheng's comprehension is formidable indeed." "What, has your Heavenly Saint Mountain taken an interest in him?" "He is a Master of a Hundred Daos; has your Folded Peaks Sacred Ground not taken an interest as well?" "Are you two already preparing to fight over him? Don't forget, the battlefield hasn't even concluded yet. It's far too early." "If his performance remains outstanding, I fear neither of our sacred grounds will stand a chance. Don't forget the three top sacred grounds." "The three top sacred grounds? That's unlikely. Those three sometimes look down even on Masters of a Thousand Daos. The candidates they select are those with a genuine chance of breaking through to the Martial Dao Sovereign realm." The Heavenly Saints engaged in spirited debate. These were representatives of twenty-one top martial dao sacred grounds. The twenty-one sacred grounds were divided into three tiers. The third tier comprised twelve factions. The second tier held six factions. As for the first tier, there were only three. In total, twenty-one top martial dao sacred grounds. At the close of each Dao Transformation Battlefield, the second- and third-tier factions would typically divide the top hundred ranked cultivators among themselves. As for the three sacred grounds of the first tier, their recruitment depended entirely on fate. Their standards were exceptionally rigorous. Even among Masters of a Thousand Daos, many failed to catch their eye. Only a precious few were ever chosen. Naturally, the three top factions possessed the strength and confidence to be so selective. "Wait?" "Elder Liu, did you advise this Lu Changsheng with such earnest care because you fancy him as well?" "Pity he refused your counsel and insisted on pushing upward." "No one can conquer the thirty-sixth floor; he is merely wasting his effort." The "Elder Liu" they referred to was none other than the illusory figure of the old man who had spoken with Lu Changsheng on the thirtieth floor. Elder Liu chuckled. "This old man does indeed think highly of him. Once the battlefield concludes, please do not compete with me. Grant me this one disciple—what do you say?" The others fell silent. The old man held great prestige as the representative of a second-tier faction. Moreover, his personal strength among Heavenly Saints was truly formidable. Unless the candidate was an unparalleled prodigy, the others were generally willing to give Elder Liu face. "Wait! He seems to have actually charged through floors thirty-one and thirty-two!" "Hold on, he's still climbing—thirty-three, thirty-four!" "He broke through to floor thirty-four, and he's still holding on! His physical body shows no sign of collapsing!" "Floor thirty-four carries pressure rivaling a divine ability! How could an Earth Saint's physical body possibly be this strong?" "Forget it, I'm competing for this Lu Changsheng!" "Elder Liu, we can't give you face this time! With such a monstrous physical body, once this Lu Changsheng achieves Heavenly Saint and tempers it with martial daos for millennia, he stands a very real chance of uniting the true self and becoming a Martial Dao Sovereign!" "When the Dao Transformation Battlefield ends, we'll each rely on our own abilities to claim him..." In an instant, the crowd began clamoring to recruit Lu Changsheng. Only three figures remained entirely unmoved.