Before the Heavenly Dao Palace, silence reigned. The chaotic battles and hardships of the journey from before now transformed into invisible pressure, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts. That massive gate, towering a hundred zhang high and engraved with endless mysterious Dao patterns, stood like a silent examiner, coldly scrutinizing the dozen or so of the world's most talented prodigies gathered before it.
No one rashly made another move. The lesson from the bronze-skinned burly man was still fresh in everyone's mind. Brute force here was the greatest disrespect, and also the greatest futility. Everyone unanimously chose the same approach—comprehension.
Each found a position at a moderate distance from the palace gate, either sitting cross-legged or standing in contemplation, their gazes all focused on the ceaselessly flowing Dao patterns that evolved all laws. The atmosphere was solemn and focused, with only the low, deep hum originating from the universe's primal source continuing to resonate through the void.
The first to display extraordinary methods was Master Hui Ming in his moon-white monastic robes. He did not stare directly at those overly complex Dao patterns that pointed toward the ultimate source, but instead cast his gaze toward relatively simpler runes at the gate's edge that contained meanings of "compassion,""self-sacrifice," and "deliverance." He sat cross-legged, formed Buddhist seals with his hands, and softly chanted obscure scriptures. Gentle golden Buddhist light emanated from his body, not forcefully striking but rather spreading like flowing mercury toward those runes containing Buddhist principles, attempting to establish resonance with them, using his Buddhist heart to sense the Dao heart.
On the other side, the woman in gorgeous palace robes with her dignified bearing extended her delicate jade fingers, tracing in empty air. Brilliant spiritual light flowed from her fingertips, sketching one miniature after another of extremely complex three-dimensional formation models. These models faintly corresponded to the structure of certain Dao patterns on the gate. She was performing extremely precise calculations, attempting to analyze the "order" and "structure" power within the Dao patterns, finding their operating laws and core nodes, like unlocking a complex heavenly lock.
Ling Jueyi of the Myriad Swords Sect still held his sword, but his entire aura had merged with the blade. He did not look at specific runes but instead transformed his purest "Void Severing" sword intent into invisible perception, like an invisible scalpel directly piercing the core of the flowing Dao patterns, attempting in the most direct and domineering way to understand their "existence" essence, finding that theoretically existing "thread" that could be severed with a single sword strike. His brows were tightly furrowed, clearly indicating that this process was extremely draining on his mental energy and full of danger.
The cultivator shrouded in black robes possessed even more mysterious methods. Faint black mist spread around him—this black mist was not demonic energy but carried a strange power that devoured light and distorted perception. The mist moved like living tentacles, silently reaching toward the gate without touching it, but at an extremely fine distance, sensing the energy fluctuations and information flows emitted by the flowing Dao patterns, attempting in a way different from all others to steal the mysteries within. His aura was cold and sinister, like a prowler in the dark night.
Ao Qin was not idle either. Golden light circulated within his dragon eyes, and in the depths of his pupils, countless tiny runes seemed to be born and extinguished. The Dragon Clan's inheritance was ancient, and their understanding of heavenly laws had its unique aspects. He was mobilizing ancient memories and knowledge passed down through his dragon bloodline, comparing and verifying them with the Dao patterns on the gate, attempting to find parts that belonged to the Dragon Clan's great Dao or could produce strong resonance with his dragon origin power.
The Mysterious Turtle Elder gently pressed his palm against a coiled dragon jade pillar nearby, closing his eyes to sense. He walked the path of the earth element great Dao, primarily focused on virtue and defense, which shared commonalities with the "bearing" meaning of this palace and plaza. He attempted to indirectly comprehend the meanings of "stability,""bearing," and "foundation" within the gate's Dao patterns through the connection between the jade pillar and the palace.
And Tang Xiaoqi, after his initial contemplation, slowly closed his eyes.
He did not search for specific types of runes like Master Hui Ming, nor did he perform complex calculations like the palace-robed woman, nor did he forcefully dissect with sword intent like Ling Jueyi.
He chose a method that seemed most clumsy but was actually most compatible with his own Dao—sensation.
His mind sank into his body, closely connecting with the Four Symbols jade pendant on his chest that emitted warmth and resonance. Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise—the four symbols' soul crystals were all present, representing earth, water, fire, and wind; time and space transformations; guarding and killing; life and extinction—multiple opposing yet unified foundational laws of heaven and earth. This jade pendant was itself a wondrous object containing part of the heavenly Dao's origin laws.
At this moment, in a place so close to the Heavenly Dao Palace's origin, the jade pendant's activity was stimulated to an unprecedented degree. It no longer merely passively emitted warmth but seemed to transform into a miniature receiver that resonated with the grand heavenly Dao patterns outside.
Xiao Qi emptied his mind, no longer attempting to "understand" or "memorize" those complex Dao patterns that exceeded his current realm, but instead amplified that wonderful "resonance sensation" transmitted by the jade pendant. Through the jade pendant's filtering and transformation, that vast ocean-like, chaotic and disordered torrent of Dao pattern information was stripped of its outermost dizzying complexity, revealing an even more essential "rhythm" belonging to the foundational laws of heaven and earth.
Simultaneously, he activated the Source of Purification. But this was not to purify anything—rather, he used it as a tool for "refinement" and "insight." The light of purification was like the most precise probe, carefully touching those relatively basic and gentle law rhythms captured by the jade pendant's resonance, not to change them but to more clearly perceive their purest essence—fire's "activity" essence, earth's "stability" essence, water's "flow" essence, metal's "sharpness" essence, wood's "growth" essence, space's "extension" essence, time's "passage" essence...
He was like an ignorant child, touching and feeling the most basic "building blocks" that constituted this world. These foundational law rhythms were far easier to understand and accept than those complex Dao patterns evolved to their ultimate forms.
In this wondrous state combining "resonance sensation" and "essence insight," Xiao Qi's mind gradually immersed deeper. He forgot time, forgot everything around him, even forgot the purpose of opening the palace gate.
Who knows how long passed—perhaps an instant, perhaps an eternity.
In his "perception," that originally immeasurably vast and despairingly complex whole of Dao patterns began to reveal an inner, extremely simple and beautiful "structural sense." Countless foundational law rhythms were like individual notes, woven together according to some profound musical theory into this grand symphony named "Heavenly Dao."
And this symphony did not have only one voice. It contained destruction and rebirth, order and chaos, creation and termination... They stood in opposing unity, mutually dependent, together forming perfect balance.
His Guardian Sword Intent corresponded to the "stability,""order," and "vitality" parts within; his Purification Origin corresponded to the "removing anomalies" and "returning to purity" parts.
He did not need to understand the entire symphony. He only needed to find those few "notes" that belonged to him, to find that small segment of "melody" that could produce the strongest resonance with his "Dao."
Suddenly, he "saw" it.
Among countless flowing and transforming Dao patterns, there were several seemingly inconspicuous foundational rune nodes that emanated meanings of "guarding,""purification,""balance," and "vitality." Their positions were not fixed but constantly moving, yet their relative relationships and movement trajectories secretly aligned with the principles of four symbols balance and five elements generation, and even more faintly resonated with the Green Lotus origin within his body.
The key lay in... guidance and resonance, not forced opening.
Xiao Qi suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze crystal clear as if reflecting the thousands of Dao patterns on the gate. He raised his right hand, his fingertip not condensing powerful spiritual power but flowing with gentle and pure platinum light—that was the manifestation of his Guardian Sword Intent and Purification Origin.
While others were still contemplating, deducing, or attempting communication without success, Xiao Qi was the first to move. His motion was gentle yet firm, his fingertip carrying a wonderful rhythm, slowly pointing toward the positions where those specific rune node phantoms that resonated with his own Dao were moving according to their trajectories.
He did not attempt to capture or fix them but rather, like stroking a qin string, tried to gently "pluck" them with his own Dao rhythm.