Chapter 2349: Understanding

While the four clan heads chatted outside, Lu Ye had already entered the Dao Pattern Pavilion. He had expected it to be a hollow building, with many Dao patterns inscribed on specific materials for future cultivators to observe and study. But upon entering, he realized it was not like that at all. His current location resembled a miniature starry sky, surrounded by clusters of nebulae. A soft light, emanating from an unknown source, illuminated the space. Soon, Lu Ye keenly perceived that each nebula surrounding him contained a complete Dao pattern! Intrigued, he instantly moved into the nearest nebula. Within the nebula, a wondrous essence flowed gently, like a warm breeze caressing his face. If one immersed their mind in sensing it, they could clearly discern that this flowing profoundness was precisely the intricate lines of a Dao pattern, repeating over and over, allowing cultivators who entered to comprehend its mysteries.

This Dao pattern... he had never seen it before! Lu Ye was greatly surprised. The spirit patterns and Dao patterns he had encountered could mostly be found corresponding on the Talent Tree, and their number wasn't actually large. He knew that a top family like the Yan family, with countless millennia of heritage, must possess a vast and profound collection. Yet, to immediately encounter a Dao pattern he had never seen was quite a pleasant surprise.

Lu Ye calmed his mind, sat cross-legged within the nebula, and began to carefully perceive it. Time seemed to slip away unnoticed. Gradually, he understood the function of this Dao pattern. It was a Dao pattern that could increase attack speed. It was somewhat unconventional, but it would be wrong to say it was useless. Any Dao pattern, as long as used at the right time and place, held utility.

Lu Ye's understanding of Dao patterns required for Dao Fusion was not shallow. This was because when he had interacted with the Nine Infants previously, he had specifically inquired about information regarding Dao patterns. An ancient monster like the Nine Infants possessed an abundance of cultivation knowledge. Had it not harbored malicious intentions and actively sought death, Lu Ye truly wouldn't have been willing to kill it.

All Dao patterns in the world could essentially be categorized into five major types: Combat, Defense, Movement, Sealing, and Miscellaneous. "Combat" refers to all Dao patterns that are offensive or enhance attack power. For example, the Divine Edge on the Talent Tree belongs to this type, as do various Dao patterns derived from spell arts. "Defense" refers to protective patterns; the Sacred Guardian on the Talent Tree is a defense-type Dao pattern. "Movement" relates to speed; Divine Movement is a movement-type Dao pattern, and the Dao pattern Lu Ye had just comprehended, which enhances attack speed, can also be classified under this category. "Sealing" includes any Dao patterns involved in sealing or restriction. Apart from these four major types, all remaining miscellaneous Dao patterns fall under the "Miscellaneous" category, which are numerous and each has a specific focus.

The same Dao pattern can actually be constructed in many ways, but different construction methods vary in complexity and yield different effects. Lu Ye's reluctance to achieve Dao Fusion during the Star Abyss Scion competition was precisely due to this consideration. He wanted to thoroughly deduce and refine his own Dao patterns as much as possible, aiming to maintain or even enhance their power while keeping their construction as concise as possible. This would greatly aid his future cultivation, as for Dao Fusion, the chosen Dao patterns form a crucial foundation. With a solid foundation, the path ahead would be much smoother.

To deduce and refine Dao patterns, a visit to the Dao Pattern Pavilions of the four major families was essential. To be frank, although Dao Fusion cultivators have many Dao patterns to choose from, 99% of them don't have much real choice, as every cultivator desires to possess greater power. Therefore, when cultivators achieve Dao Fusion, their first-tier Dao pattern will almost always be either Combat or Defense, because only these can enhance their combat and self-preservation abilities. Only when their cultivation base progressively increases, and influenced by other factors, will cultivators choose other Dao patterns as their foundation for breakthrough. However, regardless of the choice, the Sealing and Miscellaneous categories are generally not chosen because they are largely useless in combat. These two types of Dao patterns are mostly used for setting up restrictions or formations.

Lu Ye had actually long ago determined the foundation for his Dao Fusion advancement. Divine Edge was the only choice. For a soldier cultivator who relies on close-quarters combat, offense is the best defense; as long as the speed of eliminating enemies is fast enough, he would never be injured. What he needed to do now was to improve his proficiency in Dao patterns within the Dao Pattern Pavilion, and then deduce and optimize the Divine Edge.

Comprehending a Dao pattern one had never encountered before was not easy for anyone. However, Lu Ye possessed a unique method: inscribing the Dao pattern onto the leaves of his Talent Tree. Once successfully inscribed, with the Talent Tree's abilities, he could construct it repeatedly! Each successful construction deepened his understanding of the Dao pattern. In simple terms, others studying Dao patterns would proceed gradually from superficial to profound, but he did it completely in reverse, yet with better results than ordinary cultivators. But there was a catch: Lu Ye first had to thoroughly understand what Dao pattern was contained within the nebula, every line and every base element. Moreover, inscribing it onto the Talent Tree was not a simple task.

This first Dao pattern took Lu Ye nearly ten full days to thoroughly comprehend. During that period, he spent eight whole days just inscribing it onto the leaves of his Talent Tree. In the following two days, he constructed it over a thousand times, regardless of the consumption of his Dao power! Two days, over a thousand constructions—the sheer expenditure of Dao power alone would be enough to deter cultivators at the Dao Fusion level, let alone the issue of success rates. No matter how profound one's mastery, without the Talent Tree, it would be impossible for anyone to construct it so many times in such a short period. Lu Ye flashed towards the second nebula. This time, the situation was no better... Then came the third, the fourth...

No one knew how long the Splendor existed, or how long the four top human families had thrived there; likely, no one but themselves knew for certain. However, it had certainly been tens or hundreds of thousands of years. Over such a long period, the number of Dao patterns accumulated by the Yan family was considerable. Lu Ye was completely immersed, unable to extricate himself.

It was a full year later when Lu Ye's figure suddenly appeared outside the Spirit Peak, his face still bearing a pensive expression. Immediately, two Yan family cultivators swept over from the side, cupping their fists in salute: "Greetings, Lord Lu!" Lu Ye's eyes gradually focused; he recognized the two, and nodded slightly: "You are the guards here." When he had come before, these two had been guarding this place, and they were still here. Lu Ye had once made a deal with the Yan family and was nominally their family retainer, so it was not wrong for these two to address him as "Lord."

"Yes, Lord," one of the younger cultivators nodded. "The Family Head instructed us to immediately inform him once you emerge from seclusion. Please wait a moment, the Family Head will be here shortly." Lu Ye nodded. As expected, a moment later, Yan Yao's figure appeared before Lu Ye, cupping his fists and saying, "Fellow Daoist, you've emerged from seclusion." "Mm," Lu Ye responded. "If you need to rest, I'll arrange it right away," Yan Yao offered. "No need. Please inform Family Head Huang. I'm going to their Dao Pattern Pavilion now."

So soon? Yan Yao was startled. Previously, he and the other three family heads had been waiting outside, because comprehending Dao patterns in the Dao Pattern Pavilion was extremely taxing on one's mind and energy. The evolution of Dao patterns contained numerous profound mysteries, and even they, Dao Fusion cultivators, couldn't remain immersed for long. The longest recorded stay was by a peak Dao Fusion cultivator from the Huang family, who remained inside for half a year. But upon exiting, he had required a full three months to recover. Thus, they had all expected Lu Ye to emerge before long, but when he remained completely out of sight, they had no choice but to leave first. After all, as family heads, they had many matters to attend to and couldn't stay there indefinitely.

Yet Lu Ye had stayed for a full year and emerged without needing any rest, which struck Yan Yao as quite incredible. Upon closer observation, Lu Ye indeed showed no signs of fatigue, leaving Yan Yao secretly amazed. Little did he know that Lu Ye's unique method of comprehending Dao patterns did not consume mental energy and stamina like it did for ordinary cultivators. What he consumed most was Dao power! But after the massacre outside the Star Abyss Gate, his reserves of Dao power were incredibly abundant. A slight expenditure was no problem at all.

Since Lu Ye had a request, Yan Yao naturally wouldn't refuse. He immediately led him towards the Huang family's territory, sending a message to Huang Chen along the way. Before Lu Ye even arrived, Huang Chen came out to greet him from afar. Yan Yao had other matters to attend to, so he departed after entrusting Lu Ye to Huang Chen. The Huang family's Dao Pattern Pavilion was built similarly to the Yan family's, both located within a hollowed-out Spirit Peak. However, in terms of scale, this Dao Pattern Pavilion appeared about one-third larger than the Yan family's. Truly worthy of being the foremost family within Splendor.

This time, however, Lu Ye only spent half a year before emerging from the Huang family's Dao Pattern Pavilion. Next were the Sun family, the Zhou family... Each time, Lu Ye spent less time than the previous one. His final stay, in the Zhou family's Dao Pattern Pavilion, lasted only one month. This wasn't because the Sun and Zhou families' Dao Pattern Pavilions were smaller than the other two; rather, many of the Dao patterns were largely similar or had significant overlaps. Therefore, Lu Ye spent very little time comprehending these Dao patterns that were similar to those he had already studied.

Besides the Dao Pattern Pavilions of the four major families, there was actually another Dao Pattern Pavilion on this planet. This one was jointly built by the four major families and other smaller and medium-sized families, making it a shared resource. Unlike the major families' pavilions, which only allowed their own cultivators to enter, access to this shared Dao Pattern Pavilion could be exchanged for combat merits. This was also the path for ordinary cultivators within Splendor to achieve Dao Fusion. Lu Ye entered, stayed for just a few days, and then emerged. There was no other reason than that he had already encountered most of the Dao patterns inside in the Dao Pattern Pavilions of the four major families. By this point, all Dao patterns within Splendor were recorded on his Talent Tree.

After leaving the planet, Lu Ye headed straight into the ruins. This time, he intended to seclude himself, and the ruins were the least likely place for him to be disturbed. Moreover, he also needed to find the Enlightenment Tea Tree. With numerous Dao patterns now at his disposal, his next step was to thoroughly deduce and refine them, especially the Divine Edge, which he had chosen as the foundation for his advancement. This process would be more effective with the aid of Enlightenment Tea leaves.