Dao Master

Biodata

Rank and Meaning

• Dao Master is distinct from Dao Lord. Myriad Manifestations cultivators bear the Dao Lord title, while Dao Masters have attained a Dao Fruit 1086 1173.
• Recognition does not always prove cultivation realm. Western Region Dao Lords address Ye Li as “Dao Master” before his actual Dao Fruit breakthrough. He accepts their greeting without correcting them 1175 1176 1192.
• Dao Masters differ substantially in strength. Taiyi is the weakest of the Sea of Nine Harmonies’ four established rulers; Forgotten River is the strongest 1171 1172.

Power Progression

Ye Li’s Attainment

Known Dao Masters

Abilities and Limits

Dao Fruit Transformation

• Ye Li’s completed Dao Fruit unites his soul, Grotto-Heaven, and realm origins, marking a higher level of existence 1192.
• Its nourishment reinforces his flesh and bones, turns his blood into golden divine radiance, and strengthens his Life-Bound Divine Abilities 1193.

Law Suppression and World-Scale Power

• Taiyi’s arrival suppresses every Myriad Forms Law within the Supreme One Hall 1146.
• His anger dims stars and agitates the Great Dao Laws across the Primordial Eastern Region 1164.
• His battle with Ye Li causes spatial rifts, blood-red rain, underground fire, and reversed spiritual-energy flows across the Primordial Continent 1168.

Divination

• The Sea of Nine Harmonies’ Dao Masters attempt to investigate others’ karma and origins 1171 1173.
• This perception is not infallible: Taiyi cannot divine Ye Li’s origins, while investigations into Taiyi’s own hidden connection cause backlash to other Dao Masters’ Dao Fruits 1143 1171.

Limits of Direct Intervention

• Taiyi cannot personally enter the expedition’s target Boundary Heaven without risking its collapse, so he sends Dao Lords to retrieve its treasure 1144.
• Transcendent sword qi destroys Azure Abyss’s defensive treasures and grievously wounds him, demonstrating that Dao Master status offers no safety against higher-realm forces 1183.
• Temporary Dao Master-level empowerment is not equivalent to a permanent breakthrough; Ye Li considers relying on such boosts unsafe against veterans with deep reserves 1174.

Cultivation Resources and Arts

Advancement Resources

• Boundary Heaven Treasures — Embryonic Dao Fruits, also called Dao Fruit Prototypes. Refining them offers substantial benefits even to Dao Masters 1144 1178.
• Source Qi — More valuable than a Boundary Heaven Treasure; described as capable of loosening a Dao Master’s bottleneck and connected to the realm above Dao Fruit 1178.
• Dao Master-grade treasure medicines — Taiyi’s treasury contains medicines useful for Ye Li’s advancement toward Dao Fruit 1170 1172.
• Mysterious golden hair — Taiyi never fully refines it, but insights from its suppression aura help him attain his Dao Fruit 1171.

Documented Dao Master Arts

History and Political Role

Taiyi uses his authority to summon regional Dao Lords for expeditions and approve the establishment of Ye Li’s Heaven-Supporting Prefecture. During the Ancient Hua expedition, he secretly designates weaker participants as expendable scouts intended to wear down the realm’s rulers 1144 1147.

Ye Li’s refusal to surrender the expedition’s two treasures leads to a confrontation with Taiyi. After killing him, Ye Li takes command of the Supreme One Palace and seeks submission from the continent’s Dao Lords. Western Region cultivators recognize him as their Dao Master before he completes his Dao Fruit 1164 1169 1170 1174 1175.

Taiyi’s fall destabilizes the Sea of Nine Harmonies. Forgotten River and Warm Current choose to let Azure Abyss investigate Ye Li first, while Azure Abyss’s planted agent, Sky Pillar Dao Lord, attempts to recruit Western Region cultivators away from the new ruler 1173 1175.