"The pursuit of the Dao began when someone, at the right moment, saw primordial patterns reflected in an object, imitated them, and inscribed them within their body. From that came wondrous powers and all manner of Dao arts."
Jiang Yun murmured to himself, his voice tinged with wonder and dawning understanding.
Through his years of cultivation, he had come to feel ever more keenly that different Dao Runes and Dao Marks intertwined within all things.
He studied those Great Dao Runes not merely to recreate ancient Dao arts, but to trace them back to their source.
He treated the boundless All Heavens as an endless scripture, carefully drawing out the mysterious patterns hidden in all things. Through that exploration, he sought to open a path of cultivation uniquely his own.
What he had seen today showed him that this path was full of unknowns and challenges, but its rewards were heartening. The conviction in his heart burned ever brighter.
More than a year drifted by, as fleeting as a white colt glimpsed through a crack, yet it left a deep mark on Jiang Yun's path of cultivation.
Throughout that time, Jiang Yun devoted himself like a tireless ascetic to comprehending the mysterious Nine Stone Artifacts.
At times, he gazed at their mysterious runes and Dao Marks, thought glinting in his eyes.
At others, he closed his eyes in contemplation as energy flowed around him, trying to fold what he had learned into his cultivation system and continually refine and derive the workings of his techniques.
Practice was the only test of truth. Only through constant trial and exploration could he truly grasp the secrets held within the Nine Stone Artifacts.
Yet the path of cultivation was never smooth sailing.
In just a few months, Jiang Yun looked as though he