The Salted Fish Dao Ancestor "Hides His Achievements and Fame"

The third millennium began in an unprecedented atmosphere of "harmonious self-study."

With the "true fragrance" experience of the previous two millennia, none of the remaining great powers harbored any resistance. They were even filled with a sense of anticipation. They had already come to regard this peculiar Purple Heaven Palace as a sacred ground for tempering the mind and solidifying the foundation, and the image of the slumbering Dao Ancestor on the stage had become profound and unfathomable—though his posture remained as undignified as ever.

This time, without any need for adjustment, all the great powers immediately entered the deepest state of cultivation.

The atmosphere within the hall grew increasingly tranquil. The spiritual energy was no longer surging like a torrent but was like warm, smooth jade liquid, silently nourishing the minds and bodies of every great power. Imperfections that were previously difficult to detect during cultivation were found and smoothed out one by one; the understanding of their own Dao paths became clearer and more thorough in this state of extreme stillness; their magical power was repeatedly refined, becoming as pure as possible for their current realm, even faintly emitting a luster akin to innate origin.

Their foundations were being polished to an unprecedented level of solidity!

Time flowed quietly, and the third millennium was more than halfway through.

On this day, a sudden change occurred within the Purple Heaven Palace!

It began with Laozi. The normally harmonious and effortless aura around him suddenly retracted to its extreme. Immediately, a phantom image of pure tranquility and effortless action, yet containing immense power, quietly leaped from above his head. Its appearance was identical to Laozi's, and it held a whisk (a phantom image). It bowed to Laozi's true form before disappearing into the void. Laozi's true form's aura surged dramatically, breaking through an invisible bottleneck and entering a completely new realm! However, the brilliance around him instantly receded, making him appear even more simple, unadorned, and unfathomable.

He had severed his Good Corpse! Early Quasi-Saint!

Almost simultaneously, the auspicious clouds above Primordial Lord of Heaven's head churned. A phantom image of majesty and nobility, upholding order, stepped out. It nodded to Primordial Lord of Heaven, holding a phantom Jade Ruyi, and vanished into the laws of the Heavenly Dao. Primordial Lord of Heaven's aura became increasingly vast and majestic, as if he were the embodiment of Heavenly Dao's order.

He had severed his Good Corpse! Early Quasi-Saint!

Meanwhile, Sect Master Tongtian's sword intent soared. A phantom image of unrestrained boldness and surging battle intent tore through the void, laughing heartily at Sect Master Tongtian. Holding a phantom Qingping Sword, it slashed at the void and disappeared. Sect Master Tongtian laughed heartily, his voice shaking the hall. The sword energy around him receded, yet it gave the impression that anything drawn would be world-shattering.

He had severed his Good Corpse! Early Quasi-Saint!

Empress Nuwa's body was enveloped in the aura of creation. A phantom image of compassion and harmony, nurturing all living things, appeared. It bowed gracefully to Nuwa, holding a phantom mass of innate Breathing Soil, and merged into endless vitality. Empress Nuwa's countenance became even more sacred, her Dao rhythm natural, as if she were the source of all life.

She had severed her Good Corpse! Early Quasi-Saint!

Jieyin Daoist's face showed suffering. A phantom image of compassion for all beings and the making of great vows appeared. It chanted Buddhist scriptures, holding a phantom string of sarira, and merged into the phantom Western Pure Land. Jieyin's aura became increasingly vast yet tinged with bitterness. Zhunti Daoist's phantom Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree flashed. A phantom image of shrewd calculation, capable of delivering all sentient beings, leaped out, greeted Zhunti, and burrowed into the void.

He had severed his Obsession Corpse! Early Quasi-Saint! (The Western Regions' methods are peculiar, severing the obsession corpse first.)

The vast auras of the six individuals breaking through to the Quasi-Saint realm erupted one after another, like six massive stones dropped into a calm lake, instantly resonating with the laws of the entire Purple Firmament Palace! Flowers rained from the sky, and golden lotuses sprang from the earth—these phenomena finally arrived belatedly (the Heavenly Dao seemed to have finally remembered to follow the process). Although these heavenly flowers were shaped like grilled food, and the golden lotuses had the massage function of a foot bath parlor, they were still auspicious signs!

All the great powers in the back rows were awakened by these successive breakthroughs. Sensing the six terrifying pressures far exceeding anything before, their eyes were filled with shock, envy, and... ecstatic joy!

They had broken through! Under the "silent sermon" of this Dao Ancestor, the six in the front row had actually broken through! They had achieved the coveted Quasi-Saint Dao Fruit!

Furthermore, because their foundations had been solidified to an extreme degree, their breakthroughs were natural and seamless, without any obstruction, and did not even trigger any inner demon tribulations! Their underlying strength was so profound that it far surpassed that of ordinary newly-promoted Quasi-Saints, equivalent to tens of thousands of years of arduous cultivation!

At this moment, the last shred of doubt in the hearts of all who had stayed completely vanished, transforming into boundless reverence (and bewilderment) for the still-slumbering figure on the stage.

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!" So the Dao Ancestor wasn't fooling around, but had long transcended the level of verbal teaching! This seemingly absurd three thousand years of silent sitting was, in fact, the most brilliant method of teaching! To hear thunder in silence, to forge the Dao foundation in slumber! What an inconceivable realm! What a painstakingly arranged plan!

We were wrong! We actually doubted and complained about the Dao Ancestor at the beginning! We deserve to die a thousand deaths!

Old Ancestor Minghe was so excited that the Sea of Blood churned, wishing he could slap himself twice, and feeling fortunate that he hadn't left earlier. Zhen Yuanzi stroked his beard and sighed, utterly convinced. The Twelve Ancestral Witches' eyes burned. Although they did not cultivate the Primordial Spirit, they could still sense the change in the level of power brought about by the breakthrough and had no further doubts about the effectiveness of "self-study." Kunpeng, Hong Yun, East King Duke, Queen Mother of the West, and others were even more determined; even if the Dao Ancestor asked them to dance the hula hoop next, they would not leave even half a step!

Even Wangshu in the corner, her clear eyes erupted with an unprecedented brilliance. She had personally witnessed the birth of six Quasi-Saints in the most perfect manner, their foundations so stable, their auras so pure, far exceeding her imagination. All of this had happened beneath the snores of that salted fish!

"Was this... an unintentional act, or did he truly calculate this far?" Wangshu looked at the suspicious drool on Xiao Kuang's lips, feeling a sense of unfathomable depth for the first time.

[Heavenly Dao Glitches (awakened by continuous breakthroughs)]: Beep beep beep!!! Detected large-scale breakthrough event! Number of breakers: Six! Target realm: Quasi-Saint! Breakthrough quality: SSS+ level! Energy consumption: Less than estimated 99%! Incidence of inner demons: 0%! [Heavenly Dao Glitches]: Breakthrough environment analysis: Dao Ancestor in 'deep static enlightenment' (sleep) state... no active intervention... beings in the venue in 'high-intensity self-study' state... [Heavenly Dao Glitches]: Conclusion: Primary reasons for breakthrough are 'self-foundation optimization' + 'environmental spiritual energy support' + 'Dao Ancestor's snores providing white noise' (?)... Direct correlation with Proxy: Less than 10%... [Heavenly Dao Glitches]: Re-evaluating 'sermon' effectiveness... 'Self-study' mode efficiency... extremely high?... Disruptive discovery! Recommend promoting the 'Purple Heaven Palace Study Room' model throughout the Primordial Era?... [Heavenly Dao Glitches]: Warning! This mode heavily relies on the Proxy 'providing the venue' and 'creating a speechless atmosphere to temper the Dao heart'... not replicable... Recording... Updating 'Way of the Salted Fish Dao' file... Danger level: Unknown (extremely effective but damages reputation)... [Heavenly Dao Glitches]: Remaining sermon time: 500 years... Maintain current situation... Continue observation... Zzzz... (Next upgrade requirement: Add management clauses related to 'self-study' and 'borrowing Wi-Fi')...

The Heavenly Dao, in its renewed confusion, accepted reality and even began to consider promoting this mode.

The last five hundred years passed swiftly as the six newly promoted Quasi-Saints consolidated their realms, other great powers engaged in even more fervent "self-study," and the Heavenly Dao remained continuously bewildered.

The moment the third millennium ended—

"Ding dong! Class is over! Students, you've worked hard!"

The timer on the massage chair activated precisely, accompanied by a cheerful dismissal bell.

Xiao Kuang stretched, yawned, and groggily opened his eyes, scratching his stomach. "Huh? Three thousand years are up? So fast? Feels like I just slept for a bit... Ouch, my back is killing me from lying down..."

As he stretched his limbs, he sleepily looked down at the audience and casually asked, "So? Did you all understand the Quasi-Saint Dao I preached? It's okay if you didn't, next time..."

His words abruptly stopped.

Because he saw that below the stage, led by the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, all the great powers who had stayed had stood up in unison. Then, they bowed deeply and respectfully, even with a hint of fanaticism, towards him!

Their voices were unified, filled with gratitude and awe:

"Thank you, Dao Ancestor, for the grace of your sermon! We have understood the Dao of the Quasi-Saint! We are utterly convinced by your profound intentions!"

Xiao Kuang: "???"

He looked at the excited crowd below, who seemed to have collectively taken expired aphrodisiacs, then at Wangshu beside him, whose eyes were also complex. Finally, he touched the back of his head.

"What profound intentions? What did I preach? I just slept, didn't I?" Xiao Kuang muttered inwardly. "Did I sleepwalk and lecture? That can't be right... Strange, why do these people all seem to have broken through? Can you break through just by sleeping? Is the feng shui of this Purple Heaven Palace that good?"

Although he was baffled, he habitually adopted a profound posture in the face of their thanks (even though his hair was as messy as a bird's nest after waking up). He cleared his throat.

"Well... it's good that you understood. It seems your comprehension is not bad; you are barely passable. Disperse, disperse. I need to go soak in a hot spring to relieve my fatigue..."

Upon hearing this, the great powers were even more moved.

"The Dao Ancestor is so 'fatigued' for our sake! What a great spirit of sacrifice!" (Even though he just looked tired from sleeping.)

Thus, amidst voices of concern for "Dao Ancestor's well-being," the great powers, filled with immense satisfaction and reverence, reluctantly (mostly reluctant to leave the study room) began to exit.

Xiao Kuang watched their retreating figures, tilted his head, and said to Wangshu, "These people... have they gone crazy from cultivation?"

Wangshu looked at his clear (and foolish) yet bewildered eyes, then felt the six solid Quasi-Saint auras from below. After a long silence, she slowly uttered two words:

"...Perhaps."

She felt her understanding of reality being once again forcefully reshaped.

And the Heavenly Dao, after recording one last entry: [Sermon Mission (Second Time) Completed. Evaluation: SSS-level (Effect far exceeded expectations). Proxy's behavior pattern: Unanalyzable. Recommendation: Increase observation efforts, provide more 'sleeping' opportunities if necessary.] fell into complete silence.

The Salted Fish Dao Ancestor, once again, "hid his merits and fame" amidst his own bewilderment.