What is the Seed of the Great Dao?

"So this is the Dao Seed? What kind of treasure is it really? Worthy of these people fighting to the death, and in the end, everyone perishing together."

Lu Yuan examined it carefully for a long time. Although he could vaguely sense Dao rhythm from the bead, he couldn't find any other divine properties.

Since he couldn't figure it out, he put it back in the box and flipped through the two books he had taken from Bai Haihu.

One book was a cultivation technique, named Dragon Swimming Steps. The other had no name, but judging by the texture of the paper, it seemed older.

The content inside was like a diary of random thoughts, and most of it was about the 'Dao Seed'.

Tens of thousands of characters, mostly random thoughts, with little substantive content and not much useful information.

Looking closely, Lu Yuan suddenly understood what the 'Great Dao Seed' was.

There are three thousand Great Daos, and the so-called Great Dao Seed is the materialization of a Great Dao.

The Great Daos have countless forms. A blade of grass, a stone, a saber, a sword, a tree – any form could be a Great Dao Seed.

Legend has it that to become an immortal, one must possess a Great Dao Seed.

"Become an immortal!"

Reading this, Lu Yuan's heart trembled.

He continued to read.

It also mentioned that each 'Great Dao Seed' represents a Divine Ability.

All Divine Abilities have strengths and weaknesses, but even the weakest Divine Ability is far more wondrous than martial arts cultivation techniques.

"Is this thing really a Great Dao Seed? If it is, what Divine Ability does it contain?"

Lu Yuan stared at the bead in the box, his brows furrowed.

According to the diary, the Bai Family had possessed this bead for nearly a hundred years. Every generation had studied it. Bai Haihu's grandfather's generation firmly believed that merging with a Great Dao Seed would lead to immortality.

By Bai Haihu's generation, they were already half-believing, half-doubting, not believing that the bead their family treasured could make one immortal.

He and Liang Guan were close friends. Once, while drunk, he revealed the matter of the bead to Liang Guan. Little did he know that his close friend had a beastly heart, bringing about utter disaster.

"The news that this bead is suspected to be a Great Dao Seed cannot be told to anyone, not even Father and Eldest Brother. If the news leaks, the Lu Family will surely face utter disaster!"

Lu Yuan secretly warned himself.

He didn't know if possessing a Great Dao Seed could lead to immortality, but he knew that as long as 'immortality' was involved, countless people would go mad for it.

"Seven Star Dragon Swimming Steps..."

This movement technique wasn't very profound. After reading it, Lu Yuan understood it clearly. It was merely a lower-grade technique. Its essence was ever-changing movement, like a dragon's trace, containing forty-nine variations.

He moved the tables and chairs in the room aside, spread his legs, and reviewed the information on the Dragon Swimming Steps in his mind. He stepped on the seven stars and began to practice the footwork.

His feet shifted, his figure changed. At first, it was like a stroll. After practicing the first round, his speed began to increase.

After a dozen repetitions, Lu Yuan was followed by a trail of afterimages. His entire body was like a wisp of smoke, circling and weaving through the room at a speed that was difficult for the naked eye to see. Wherever he went, a strong wind howled.

[Seven Star Dragon Swimming Steps: Familiarity (55%)]

Genius talent is just too overpowered. As soon as he mastered it, the proficiency level reached the Familiarity stage.

His figure stopped abruptly, and Lu Yuan's eyes darted around. "Now I've finally filled my last shortcoming!"

With the Seven Star Dragon Swimming Steps, his strength had increased by at least 30%.

He checked out of the inn and headed straight for Long'an County, preparing to participate in the grand auction the next day.

The auction was held as scheduled. There were no surprises. He spent two thousand five hundred taels to buy a saber technique.

The next day.

"This is the kidnappers' reply. They say the Young Master is safe. As soon as they get fifty thousand taels, they'll release him immediately. But they've only given us one day. The transaction is tonight, and they'll notify us of the location tonight." Steward Shen handed the letter to Lu Longjing.

Lu Longjing glanced at the letter with a grim expression. "Make preparations."

That night, they received the address notification. Zhang Zhi, Steward Shen, and over a dozen other people, all heavily armed, followed Lu Longjing out of the house.

They left the county town and traveled in silence. The group arrived at an abandoned village a dozen miles away.

This abandoned village originally had hundreds of households. More than a decade ago, due to a drought, many people starved to death. The remaining people all fled, and the village was abandoned. Now, the walls were crumbling, weeds covered the ground, and some plants were even taller than a person. It was a desolate and dilapidated scene.

"You've come?"

Under a broken wall, a head suddenly popped out, startling everyone. They all drew their swords and became vigilant.

It was a person wearing a Green-faced Ghost Mask.

The Green-faced Ghost Mask Man sneered, "Such a coward, how do you survive out there? Do you have enough money? If you do, follow me."

They followed him for a hundred meters and arrived outside the only relatively intact building in the village. Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be the village's ancestral hall.

Faint flickering firelight could be seen from outside.

Inside the ancestral hall, a bonfire was lit. Two people, dressed differently and both wearing ghost masks, were sitting there. One was a Black-faced Ghost Mask, and the other was a Red-faced Ghost Mask.

"Father... Uncle Zhang... Uncle Shen..."

Lu Cheng was tied up and thrown to the side. He was not injured, but his hair was disheveled, and he looked quite disheveled. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse. Seeing his father bring people to ransom him, he was both happy and worried, and also ashamed.

The Green-faced Ghost Mask Man leaned in and whispered something into the Black-faced Ghost Mask Man's ear. He nodded slightly and said with satisfaction, "Boss Lu, you're very smart for not bringing any unnecessary people. Otherwise, what you'd be seeing now is your son's corpse."

Hearing this, Lu Longjing felt quite fortunate. He had considered seeking help from others, like Third Foot Zhou, which might have only cost him half the price.

But for his son's safety, Lu Longjing had given up on asking for help.

In his heart, his son's safety was paramount; wealth was secondary.

Money could be earned again if lost.

But a person, once gone, was truly gone.

Nodding to Lu Cheng, Lu Longjing probed, "May I ask who you gentlemen are, and how my Lu Family has offended the three of you?"

There were so many wealthy people in Lingbao County; why had they specifically kidnapped his son?

He couldn't help but feel suspicious.

If it was a coincidence, that would be for the best.

But if it wasn't a coincidence...

"Boss Lu, are you probing me?"

The Black-faced Ghost Mask Man spoke with a half-smile, his tone arrogant. "I advise you not to bother. We have no enmity with the Lu Family. We just heard that Boss Lu's business has been booming recently, and we got greedy. So, we want to borrow some silver to spend."

"However, the amount of silver we want is quite a lot, and we were afraid Boss Lu wouldn't agree, so we invited Young Master Lu to be our guest."

Lu Longjing suppressed his anger and lowered his stance. "To be honest, my business is just so-so. You only gave me one day, and raising fifty thousand taels is too difficult. Can we negotiate? How about thirty thousand taels?"

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.