Inside Zixiao Palace, the space was vast and boundless, as if it were a world unto itself. Stars glittered across the dome overhead, while clouds and mist curled around the ground. At the very front stood a towering cloud couch, left empty. It was clearly the seat of Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
Below the cloud couch, three thousand cushions of varying colors were arranged in neat rows, each emanating a faint Dao resonance. The farther forward a cushion was, the richer its Dao resonance, clearly making it a better seat where one could hear more clearly and gain deeper insights.
Charging at the front, the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, and other future Saints claimed the first row's six purple cushions without hesitation—the famous "Saint Seats." The other great cultivators also quickly found places to sit. Though no one spoke, their gazes met, their auras tugged at one another, and undercurrents surged.
Li Wuyang knew his place and did not dare squeeze toward the front. He huddled in a corner of the last row and found a dull gray cushion with the weakest Dao resonance to sit on. The moment he settled down, he felt a faint suction from the cushion, fixing his body in place. At the same time, a cool breath flowed into him, helping calm his mind and steady his spirit.
It even has support functions? Not bad, not bad. Li Wuyang was quite satisfied with this "edge spectator seat."
Before long, all three thousand cushions were occupied. The palace doors slowly closed. The hall immediately fell silent enough for a pin to drop, and a solemn, reverent atmosphere spread through the air.
A moment later, an old man appeared atop the cloud couch without any warning. He wore a simple Daoist robe, and his features were indistinct, as though he had integrated with the Dao. No aura leaked from his body, yet he seemed to be the center of heaven and earth itself. It was Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
Hongjun swept his calm gaze over the three thousand guests below. Without joy or sorrow, he began to expound the Dao.
"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things..."
As the Great Dao Mantra left his lips, it did not take the form of sound. Instead, it transformed directly into tangible golden runes, like celestial flowers raining down and golden lotuses springing from the earth, filling all of Zixiao Palace. Every rune contained the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, the Law Origin.
The great cultivators in the front rows were utterly entranced. Some smiled, some frowned deeply, and some gestured wildly with their hands. Clearly, they had all immersed themselves in insights into the Great Dao, each gaining something.
However, Li Wuyang, seated in the last row, was utterly baffled and grew increasingly drowsy.
What does that even mean? What is he talking about? He tried his utmost to focus and understand, but those Great Dao Mantras were too profound and mysterious, completely beyond his current realm and comprehension. It was like making an elementary school student listen to a doctoral advisor explain cutting-edge theories—he simply could not understand!
He could only watch those golden runes sway before his eyes while a buzzing filled his ears and his mind turned to mush. A powerful wave of sleepiness struck him, and he nearly nodded off.
No! I can't sleep! This is Dao Ancestor expounding the Dao! This is an immense opportunity! Li Wuyang forced himself to stay alert and viciously pinched his thigh. He thought of the Great Dao Imprint in his sea of consciousness and tried to activate it to help him understand.
The Great Dao Imprint faintly circulated with purple radiance. It did indeed clear his mind somewhat and lessen his rejection of the Great Dao Mantras, but... he still could not grasp their essence. It was like being given a top-tier simultaneous interpreter, only for every translated word to be technical jargon whose deeper meaning he still could not understand.
It's over. My foundation is too weak—I can't understand the lesson... Li Wuyang felt like crying without tears. It was like sitting atop mountains of gold and silver yet not knowing how to spend any of it.
He looked around. Even some great cultivators at the True Immortal and Mystic Immortal levels were listening with great difficulty, though they could at least catch a trace of the rhythm. Only he was completely lost, as though listening to a heavenly book.
Just as he was about to give up and resign himself to treating it as background music while he slept, something strange happened.
The dull gray cushion beneath him seemed to sense his "predicament" and began to warm slightly. At the same time, the bronze compass in his arms once again gave off a warm sensation.
The two seemed to have formed some sort of marvelous resonance.
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