Chapter Eighty: The Realm of the Dao Heart

Just as Lin Xiaobao had surmised, the power of the formation before him was now less than a thousandth of its peak. Otherwise, with his current understanding of formations, he would have been utterly incapable of traversing it, let alone bringing Simeng Ling along.

It took half a day for Lin Xiaobao to lead Simeng Ling through the entirety of the formation. By the time they emerged, Lin Xiaobao was drenched in sweat, dropping heavily to the ground and gasping for breath. He said nothing, closing his eyes to savor the lingering impressions of the formation.

Though the formation had loosened, Lin Xiaobao could still sense its grand design during their passage. He was compelled to admire the ingenuity of its creator, who had fused the formation seamlessly with the whole of Jiuping Mountain, perfectly channeling the forces of heaven and earth. Had the core energy not dwindled, Lin Xiaobao was certain he would never have been able to cross, not even alone, much less with Simeng Ling.

Seeing Lin Xiaobao meditating, Simeng Ling immediately drew her sword and stood guard. Once beyond the formation, she sensed that the spiritual energy here surged several times higher than outside. That meant, should they encounter any spirit beasts here, they would surely be of the first tier or greater.

Her spiritual senses swept outward, finding nothing amiss. She turned to regard Lin Xiaobao, whose eyes remained shut.

What kind of monster was he? Simeng Ling was certain that three years ago, when she had seen him in Howling Moon City, he had been but an ordinary man, never having cultivated. When she struck him, she could clearly feel his body's weakness.

Yet in three short years, he had become a powerful practitioner of the first stage of the Spiritual Path, and his combat prowess seemed to far surpass her own. Even more astonishing was his grasp of formations, which rivaled or even exceeded the elders of their sect. As they journeyed through the formation, he explained its mysteries to her, and Simeng Ling knew that even her sect's elders might not be able to pass through it.

Moreover, along the way, Lin Xiaobao continually collected various medicinal herbs, some so rare she could not name them, yet he recognized them at a glance, naming their age, properties, and the elixirs for which they were best suited.

Had Lin Xiaobao not previously saved the gravely injured Le Hongcai and the poisoned Xu Youyi, Simeng Ling might have thought him a liar. But now she was convinced he could not possibly be lying, nor did he have reason to.

Besides, the wound on her chest had healed perfectly, leaving not the slightest scar. In fact, thanks to Lin Xiaobao's medicinal powder, the new skin grew smoother and softer than elsewhere, further confirming his expertise in alchemy.

But why did he teach her all this? Whenever Simeng Ling asked, Lin Xiaobao only replied, "You will understand once you hear my story."

Unconsciously, Simeng Ling found herself anticipating his tale, even looking forward to what more surprises Lin Xiaobao might reveal.

As he reflected on the formation's intricacies, Lin Xiaobao quickly circulated his mental waves. Traversing the formation hadn't drained his spiritual energy much, but it had greatly taxed his mental strength. Had he not cultivated the advanced technique "Mental Wave" from the very beginning, even a practitioner at the fourth stage of the Spiritual Path would have struggled to hold out.

When dawn broke, Lin Xiaobao's mental strength was fully restored. He even sensed he had reached the peak of the second layer of "Mental Wave," and with just a catalyst, he could break through to the third layer, where the mental waves would truly manifest.

According to Elder Wu, once he reached this stage, his insight into formations would ascend to a new level. What that level entailed, Lin Xiaobao did not know, but he longed to find out. Especially after comprehending this grand formation, his anticipation for the path of formations grew ever stronger.

"Are you alright?" Simeng Ling asked with concern when Lin Xiaobao awoke.

"I'm fine. I was just reflecting on the formation," he replied, rising to his feet. At that very moment, a tremendous boom echoed in the distance, followed by a streak of crimson light blazing across the sky, dyeing the heavens red and shaking the ground as though in an earthquake.

The two exchanged glances, each seeing shock in the other's eyes.

Lin Xiaobao was most astonished, for he could sense that the disturbance came from the location of the ancient seal. Judging from the magnitude, the one responsible possessed power beyond the realm of the Spiritual Path.

"The Realm of Dao Heart?" Lin Xiaobao and Simeng Ling exclaimed in unison.

The Spiritual Path is but the threshold from warrior to cultivator, and above it, of course, lie even deeper realms. Though Lin Xiaobao had never encountered them directly, his years in the Frost and Snow Pavilion had long dispelled any naivety.

The Spiritual Path is a transitional stage, blending spirit and Dao. Each deeper insight into the Dao adds another stage, and at the peak of the ninth stage, one's understanding of the elementary Dao must be perfected. With the right breakthrough, one enters the Realm of Dao Heart and gains a thousand years of longevity.

Only upon entering the Realm of Dao Heart does one become a true cultivator. At this stage, a Dao Heart forms in the dantian, and through nurturing spiritual energy and continual enlightenment, the Dao Heart grows stronger. Here, progress is no longer measured in nine stages but in early, middle, late, and consummate phases.

Once the Dao Heart reaches consummation, the ultimate Dao is understood, and the Dao Heart transforms into a Dao Embryo, breaking and reforming to enter the Realm of Dao Embryo, extending life for two thousand years.

When the Dao Embryo is perfected, the mysteries of the Dao are grasped, allowing each cultivator, according to their unique understanding, to manifest a Dao Body, granting five thousand years of life.

Cultivating to the Dao Body, one attains an eight-thousand-five-hundred-year lifespan, but all cultivators know that at this stage, one is nearly immortal. The Dao Body is like a second life—should the physical form be destroyed, the Dao Body can depart and continue existence as a soul, or even find a suitable vessel to be reborn.

Though Dao Embryo cultivators can also do this, their Dao Embryos are too fragile. If their physical bodies are lost and they cannot find a new vessel quickly, they will perish.

Of course, those who reach the Dao Body are already supreme among cultivators; the chance of losing their physical form is extremely rare. If they achieve consummation and comprehend the true essence of the Dao, they can merge the Dao Body with their flesh, gaining even deeper insight and stepping into the Realm of Dao Fusion, with a lifespan of ten thousand years.