"Thirteen Incomplete Dao Masters?"
Qingxiangzi visibly relaxed when Chen Cuo arrived. He recounted everything he knew in detail, but with the crisis pressing and their departure so hurried, there was little useful information. It was only when Dianyunzi filled in the gaps that they reached the crucial point: the Incomplete Dao Masters' distinguishing traits.
Chen Cuo fell into thought. Something had clearly occurred to him.
Nanmingzi, however, asked Dianyunzi in puzzlement, "How can you be certain those people are Incomplete Dao Masters, fellow Daoist? Though the many incomplete Daos differ from orthodox cultivation, many are not easily distinguished. Even someone who can wield incomplete Dao spellcraft is not necessarily an Incomplete Dao Master! Besides, by your account, every one of them has reached at least the Fifth Step of Beyond the Mundane. Never mind whether thirteen cultivators of that level could meet without heaven and earth rejecting them—even if they could, how many incomplete Daos possess power on that scale?"
Incomplete Daos were called incomplete for a reason: their paths were unfinished and often could not reach their ultimate destination. The Martial Path and Confucian Path, for instance, granted only power of the Second Realm, not even enough to let a person live forever.
That was why Nanmingzi had asked.
But after speaking, he remembered what Dianyunzi and Qingxiangzi had endured and added, unable to bear seeming harsh, "I do not doubt you, fellow Daoist. I only wish to understand why."
"I..." Dianyunzi hesitated, weighing whether to reveal his secret. An ancient will lay hidden within him and had helped him enormously in his cultivation. That was how he had seen through the thirteen people's origins in such a short time. But that being's identity was no small matter. Exposing it would undoubtedly bring disaster upon Dianyunzi.
Yet his master's