https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-437-Nine-Flower-True-Immortal-Part-1-/13451710/
Chapter 436: Spatial Origin, Fourth Level
Chapter 436: Spatial Origin, Fourth Level
In the Dao of Chess, the heavens and earth form the board, and the sun and moon are the pieces.
The vast expanse of space can accommodate the heavens and earth.
What is space?
It seems empty but is not empty, seems to exist but does not, and seems to be nothing yet is not nothing.
All is emptiness, yet all is not emptiness.
Li Hao suddenly felt a profound enlightenment, as if a sudden clarity had flooded his mind, making it buzz.
His experience in the Dao of Chess, at the Tenth Rank, had already reached the Sacrificial Dao, yet he still could not defeat Elder Wang. When the elder took the game seriously, his moves were unpredictable, often turning the tide with a divine move that seemed to reveal unseen gaps and positions that Li Hao could not perceive.
At this moment, Li Hao had a moment of clarity.
The space he could see was different from what Elder Wang could see, and this was the reason for his defeat.
"Elder Wang, let's play another round."
Li Hao invited.
Elder Wang was taken aback, a wry smile playing on his lips. He was about to say something to dissuade Li Hao, but he noticed the young man's serious expression, his eyes fixed on the chessboard with an unprecedented gleam. The words on the tip of his tongue were suddenly swallowed back.
He nodded slightly and said, "This time, I will be serious."
With that, both he and Li Hao grabbed the pieces, choosing their colors for the game.
Then, Li Hao focused entirely on placing his pieces and setting up the board.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Li Hao's move, Elder Wang's eyes changed, revealing a hint of surprise.
The position was cunning, leaving him many options for advancing or retreating, far more flexible than before. Had this young man's chess skills improved so much in such a short time?
Moreover, it seemed he had just gained some insight... but they had just been discussing cultivation.
Elder Wang felt a bit speechless. To draw parallels between cultivation and the Dao of Chess, one must have a deep love for both.
He suddenly felt a pang of guilt, unsure if pushing Li Hao so hard was the right thing to do. But thinking of the True World and the opportunity to leave, along with the countless benefits of being a Formal Disciple, he pushed these stray thoughts aside.
"Elder Wang, it's your turn."
Li Hao said.
Elder Wang snapped back to reality, glanced at Li Hao's pieces, and made his move.
But as soon as he placed his piece, he let out a light exclamation, his face changing slightly.
He realized that Li Hao's last move was not as simple as it seemed, hiding a deep and intricate path.
Li Hao, seeing Elder Wang's move, his eyes lit up, a smile playing on his lips as he quickly placed his piece.
Elder Wang's face changed, a single misstep, and he was caught by Li Hao.
However, he did not give up. Drawing on his previous experience of playing against Li Hao, he knew that if he took the game seriously, he still had a chance to win.
But as the game progressed, Li Hao pressed relentlessly, his moves creating hidden spaces that blocked all of Elder Wang's paths.
On the chessboard, only two winding Jiaolong paths determined the outcome of the game.
Elder Wang felt his throat dry as he stared at the chessboard, his face changing. All his moves had been precisely countered by Li Hao, nipped in the bud, and he realized the game was lost.
One wrong move, and the entire board was lost!
"You win."
Elder Wang withdrew the Go stone from his fingertips, his face complex, and said to Li Hao.
His gaze lingered on the chessboard, as if still searching for a way to turn the tide, but he eventually slowly raised his head to look at the young man in front of him.
His expression was a mix of relief, regret, and genuine admiration.
With Elder Wang's concession, Li Hao saw a massive surge of Chess Dao experience, millions of points.
At the same time, his Chess Dao broke through to the First Rank of the Tenth Level.
[Congratulations, you have comprehended the true essence of the Chess Dao.]
Chess Dao advanced to the First Rank of the Tenth Level!
As his Chess Dao improved, Li Hao's mind was suddenly filled with a ringing sound.
Then, countless vast Dao Wills, like snowflakes, descended into his mind.
His spirit seemed to enter a world of constant spirals, surrounded by the low whispers of the heavens and earth, and ethereal figures of Immortal Deities dancing and practicing true techniques.
He faintly sensed the spaces around him shattering and reforming, seeing himself shrink to an infinitesimal size, where a tiny grain of sand contained a majestic and grand Divine Dynasty, with countless inhabitants living within.
Chess Dao encompasses the spatial origin Great Dao.
Li Hao gained some enlightenment.
When the inheritance faded like an illusion, Li Hao saw the Chess Board and Elder Wang's figure once again before his eyes.
At the same time, a new attribute appeared on the Panel before him.
[Chess Dao: 1st Rank (spatial origin level 3)]
[Mindset: True Heart (1)]
Through the Compendium of Ten Thousand Dao, Li Hao knew that the origins of all ten thousand Dao each had ten realms.
However, only an Immortal Emperor could grasp the highest tenth realm.
Li Hao's previous encounters with Virtual Sage Xu Zu and others, who followed the Saint Path of space, were merely at the entry level of spatial origin, not even reaching the first level.
Reaching the first level of spatial origin allowed one to use the spatial origin True Heart to condense an immortal seal, becoming a True Immortal.
And the third realm of origin, even some Immortal Lords had yet to achieve, making it a rare existence in the True Immortal Realm across all worlds.
Li Hao was pleasantly surprised to comprehend spatial origin through Chess Dao, and he sensed that the various Artistic Skills on his Panel seemed to have profound implications.
"Still need to comprehend the origin of time."
Li Hao's eyes flickered.
His gaze swept over the other Artistic Skills on the Panel.
Fishing, Sculpture, Art Dao, Cooking, Music, poetry books.
"Cooking... perhaps it could let me grasp the fire dao origin..."
Li Hao's eyes shimmered. He had already reached the Tenth Rank in Cooking Dao, mastering the Chaos Divine Fire, which could turn the physical bodies of ancient demons into delicious meals. If he progressed further in Chaos Divine Fire, it would be the fire dao origin.
"Art Dao... brush and ink..."
"Fishing..."
Li Hao's gaze focused on the Art Dao he had already reached Tenth Rank in.
Art Dao, mastering brush and ink, if using Heaven and Earth as the canvas and Great Dao as the pen, then mountains and rivers would be the landscapes painted by the flow of water.
The highest good is like water.
Li Hao's mind recalled the Dao Scripture, and he suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.
He suddenly stood up, quickly turned, and ran towards the Zabuton.
Elder Wang was taken aback, seeing Li Hao so enthusiastically head towards the Zabuton for the first time, feeling a sudden warmth and emotion in his heart.
But soon, he saw the young man run to the Zabuton, choose an empty Enlightenment Zabuton, sit down, and then raise his hand to condense a canvas in mid-air.
Using his fingers as a brush, Great Dao as ink, he freely painted on the canvas.
Elder Wang: "..."
He had long known that Li Hao had profound skills in Art Dao besides Chess Dao.
When Li Hao was sketching the Heaven and Earth Bell in front of the Zabuton, Elder Wang had noticed.
But he hadn't expected that Li Hao's enthusiasm for Art Dao would match his passion for Chess Dao.
It's time to cultivate... Elder Wang sighed inwardly but didn't urge Li Hao. If Li Hao truly didn't want to put in the effort, he wouldn't force him. After all, even being a Formal Disciple wasn't enough to motivate Li Hao, and if he continued to push, the cultivation results might not be as desired.
At this moment, Li Hao's mind was completely immersed in the Art Dao.
The Heaven and Earth Bell sprang to life on the canvas, floating in mid-air. As the canvas slowly disappeared, only the grand bell remained, as if it were a projection refracted from the Heaven and Earth Bell itself.
It emitted a Great Dao Aura, seemingly ready to vibrate and produce a resounding boom at any moment.
"Not enough..."
Li Hao's gaze was intense. He casually waved his hand, dispersing the image, and began to draw again.
Earlier, on the second floor of the True Venerable Tower, he had gained a deeper understanding of the essence of the void and the real in dire straits.
The void, when pushed to its ultimate, becomes emptiness. Emptiness, when pushed to its ultimate, becomes the real!
The real, when pushed to its ultimate, becomes the earth's origin, capable of bearing all things.
Li Hao, like a madman, kept drawing with his fingers in the air.
His fingertips contained the Utmost Softness of the Great Dao, spreading like ink, leaving black traces in the air, which were actually tiny cracks in space.
Soon, he drew the second Heaven and Earth Bell.
But it still lacked the essence of the void.
Li Hao raised his hand and dispelled it, continuing to draw the third, fourth...
Not enough, still not enough!
A hint of madness flickered in Li Hao's eyes. He had long forgotten which drawing he was on.
Finally, when the most ideal painting appeared in his mind, Li Hao stopped. In that instant, the world seemed to calm down.
Li Hao stared blankly, then burst into a maniacal laugh.
Perfect.
At this moment, given his current realm, this painting was perfect.
Suddenly, a large amount of painting experience appeared before him. Li Hao came to his senses and saw that his Art Dao had risen to 10th Rank.
The bottleneck filled with accumulated experience was now broken.
[Congratulations, you have comprehended the true essence of the Art Dao.]
Art Dao elevated to 10th Rank!
At the same time, a similar enlightenment to that of the Chess Dao flooded his mind, like countless snowflakes descending, enveloping Li Hao.
He found himself on that enlightenment journey again, with countless figures dancing and practicing true techniques for him.
After a long while, when Li Hao came to his senses, he saw that the attributes on the panel had changed.
[Art Dao: 10th Rank (Water Origin at 2nd Level) (Earth Origin at 2nd Level) (Spatial Origin at 4th Level)]
[Mindset: True Essence (2)]
Li Hao was momentarily stunned, feeling both shocked and bewildered. However, the Great Dao knowledge passed down to him did not lie. He now had a deeper understanding of the Water Origin and Earth Origin, far surpassing his previous level.
What stunned Li Hao, though, was that the Spatial Origin had reached the 4th Level!
This was a realm only an Immortal Lord could comprehend.
Li Hao looked at his Chess Dao, noticing that the Spatial Origin had also risen from the 3rd Level to the 4th.
It seemed that the two were interconnected, not additive. Otherwise, it would have been absurd.
Li Hao's gaze returned from the panel's attributes, and he carefully felt the sudden enlightenment and the Dao Will passed down to him.
In the Art Dao, he had two levels of the Water Origin, two levels of the Earth Origin, and one level of the Spatial Origin.
A painting also required a sense of space and negative space.
Li Hao closed his eyes, silently absorbing and understanding.
Meanwhile, the other Sages on the zabuton had all opened their eyes, staring at Li Hao, all of them startled by his madness.
Li Hao had been so engrossed in his drawing that he hadn't noticed the surroundings. When he completed his final painting, the vibration of the Great Dao essence woke the other Sages from their cultivation, even their dao control couldn't block the influence.
When they saw the Heaven and Earth Bell floating in mid-air, they were momentarily stunned.
No matter how they looked at it, this Heaven and Earth Bell didn't seem like a fake. They knew it was impossible for there to be a second Heaven and Earth Bell here.
Moreover, this Heaven and Earth Bell didn't even seem like something Li Hao had drawn; it appeared to be a genuine object, and it could even be used!
"Hao Tian... he..."
"Did he draw this? Damn, what level of painting skill is this?"
"Too much, Hao Tian hasn't even started Cultivation yet, and he's still working on his painting? If he had used that time for Cultivation, wouldn't he have already claimed the Immortal Emperor's Legacy?"
Everyone was stunned by the Heaven and Earth Bell. Compared to Li Hao's previous paintings, they had been impressed, but now, the Heaven and Earth Bell felt like a genuine artifact!
At this moment, Elder Wang, who had been standing at a distance, suddenly appeared.
He gazed at the Heaven and Earth Bell Li Hao had painted, his eyes narrowing slightly after a long moment. Then, he turned to look at the young man sitting cross-legged on the Enlightenment Zabuton, his eyes filled with a complex expression.
Earlier, in the Chess Dao, Li Hao had not yet displayed the power of spatial origin, but in this painting, there were clear traces of water origin, earth origin, and spatial origin, impossible to hide.
A single painting using three Dao Realms was, without a doubt, an extremely extravagant and terrifying feat.
Li Hao slowly opened his eyes and immediately heard the murmurs of the crowd.
He looked up and saw the Heaven and Earth Bell floating quietly, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
Hearing the astonishment around him, a faint smirk crept onto his lips. This feeling was more exhilarating than defeating a hundred Sages.
When people praised his profound Realm and top-tier combat power, he only smiled slightly, but when it came to his perfect paintings and mastery of the Art Dao, he found it hard to suppress his joy.
"It's just a humble work, everyone. Who would like to try and use this great bell to verify their Dao Heart?"
Li Hao spoke, a light smile on his lips.
Though it was a humble statement, everyone could see the pride in his eyes, and they were momentarily speechless.
However, Li Hao's words snapped them back to reality, and they were filled with curiosity. What did he mean? Could this painted bell really be used to verify one's Dao Heart?
"I'll give it a try."
Sage Luo quickly stood up, eager to test it. Regardless of whether it was real or not, a try would reveal the truth.
Could a painted Heaven and Earth Bell actually possess the true effects of the real one?
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Sage Luo approached the Heaven and Earth Bell Li Hao had painted and began to verify his Dao Heart.
Suddenly, the surrounding Great Dao Power converged, gathering around the bell, and a thunderous sound of Heaven and Earth erupted from below it!
Everyone was taken aback, their eyes filled with shock.
Especially those who were skilled in alchemy, their shock was beyond measure.
The Heaven and Earth Bell continued to ring.
Once, twice, three times, four times...
Four rings of the Heaven and Earth Bell, indicating a Heaven-grade Dao Heart!
Sage Luo had only just arrived, with an Earth Rank Dao Heart, but it had already undergone a transformation.
As the reverberations faded, the crowd couldn't help but look at Li Hao, too stunned to speak.
It was well-known that the Heaven and Earth Bell was a treasure left by the Immortal Emperor, of an unknown and extraordinary grade, but certainly not an ordinary item. Li Hao had managed to paint it and even replicate its effects, which was faster and more efficient than alchemy by a factor of ten or even a hundred!
Moreover, alchemy required gathering materials, while this painting was created with a single stroke.
Li Hao noticed that the Heaven and Earth Bell was faintly fading, knowing that it would dissipate after a few more uses.
Furthermore, the bell he had painted only possessed a fraction of the true Heaven and Earth Bell's effects, only able to ring four times. If he were to use it to verify his own Dao Heart, it would immediately dissipate.
But this was enough.
Li Hao smiled at Elder Wang, who was looking at him with a deep and complex expression. He instantly guessed that Elder Wang had detected traces of the Great Dao's essence in his painting. He wasn't surprised, feeling particularly elated at the moment. He was ready to play a few more rounds with Elder Wang to warm up, and then he would begin to condense the Nine Flower Immortal Seal!
(End of Chapter)
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