C15 Dao Scripture

Chen Ming had yet to complete his mission, and he knew that if he allowed the Killing Palace Lord to escape after such a massacre, his mission completion rate would plummet significantly.

He reviewed his mission details: Storyline Challenge Mission - The enraged heir of the Prince Regent Mansion has been targeted for assassination. Only by striking back with ferocity can he cleanse his dishonor. Rewards will be determined by the extent to which the Killing Palace's Yan Kingdom branch is annihilated. Current completion rate: 67%.

The generals also recognized the urgency of the situation and quickly joined Chen Ming in the tomb, searching for the elusive Killing Palace Lord.

Before long, a soldier approached with news, "We've located the Killing Palace Lord."

Chen Ming, accompanied by his troops, made haste toward the reported location, which led to the main chamber of the Mausoleum of Prince Chiang. There, the Crown Prince sat upon his throne, cradling a wine jug.

The Crown Prince locked eyes with Chen Ming and poured himself a drink, "Chen Ming, I've been utterly defeated. Yes, you've won, but that's inconsequential. Did you really think I would grovel at your feet like a dog, begging for my life?"

Chen Ming found the Crown Prince's status somewhat perplexing, but he had no intention of sparing him. Eliminating the prince would only increase his mission's completion rate. "No, I never intended..."

The Crown Prince cut him off, "Silence! Don't even try to use your vile persuasion on me. I am a prince of Great Yaen and I refuse to grovel before you!"

With a defiant gulp, the Crown Prince downed his wine, his face flushing crimson as blood trickled from his mouth. Pointing at Chen Ming, he laughed maniacally, "Hahaha, Chen Ming, I'll be waiting for you in the afterlife. Pitfall Mountain will bring you to me!"

Chen Ming stepped closer to the Crown Prince, who chuckled, "It's futile. You can't save me. This is Gut Cutting Powder, and there's no antidote."

With a swift motion, Chen Ming's sword pierced the Crown Prince's chest. But as a practitioner of the Dao Entering Stage, the prince did not succumb immediately. He looked at Chen Ming, bewildered, then his eyes slowly drifted down to the sword impaling him, puzzled by Chen Ming's intentions.

Chen Ming murmured to himself, "Not finished yet?"

With that, Chen Ming drew his sword and plunged it into the crown prince's chest several more times. Upon seeing the task's completion rate hit 97%, he finally felt a sense of satisfaction.

Sheathing his sword, Chen Ming declared, "Time for a bath, and to burn this meddlesome fellow."

...

Soaking in the hot spring, Chen Ming relished a soothing bath. After a grueling half-month at this, it was time to return and check on his well-behaved disciple.

Oh, that's right—the mission reward. Time to submit the task.

"Ding! Completion rate 97%. Would you like to submit?"

"Submit!"

"With the Killing Palace's power surge, the mission has been upgraded, along with the reward. Mission rating: Perfect. Calculating rewards..."

[Reward: 250 reputation points, 3000 Spirit Sense points.]

A whopping 3000 Spirit Sense points—that was nearly enough to propel him to the fifth level of the Dao Entering Stage. But just 250 reputation points? Chen Ming could hardly be bothered to glance at his status, figuring even a thousand points would barely qualify him as high-level fodder. The road of the expendable is long and arduous indeed.

For now, Chen Ming wasn't interested in advancing his cultivation. He hadn't decided whether to enhance his abilities as a Magic Cultivator or as a cultivator of austerity. Magic Cultivators boasted versatility, shaping spells at will, while cultivators of austerity possessed unmatched physical prowess, able to shatter myriad techniques with a single blow.

Yet, with his Infinite Dao Body constitution, Chen Ming had to admit he was unfamiliar with the term. Still, he understood the essence of Dao Boundless—his potential to master every technique in existence. The true scope of such universal cultivation was something he had yet to grasp.

Typically, Dao Entering Stage cultivators focus on a single method, forming a Dao Seed within themselves. Once the Dao Seed is established, they stand a chance of advancing to the Dao Realizing Stage.

Cultivators usually specialize in one technique. Those who attempt to master multiple techniques, whether magical or austere, must undergo a transformation, melding them into a singular method under their own guidance. Otherwise, conflicting energies within could clash like fire and water, weakening their power and risking a descent into madness.

Therefore, typical practitioners start by cultivating one technique and, upon acquiring a more potent one, they reach a certain level of understanding before converting the power from the original technique into that of the stronger one.

In essence, a standard cultivator can operate both a Magic Cultivator technique and one of austerity simultaneously. There's no incompatibility between the physical body and magical power.

But as for me, I can practice all methods. Does this mean I can switch magical power between different techniques, or does it imply that I can possess all types of power within my body?

With Teacher's Virtue and Spirit Sense at my disposal, it's worth trying out a technique. But I must avoid the more advanced ones, as they require an excessive amount of Teacher's Virtue and Spirit Sense.

I recall a basic technique known to everyone on this continent, the Dao Scripture. It's quite common, so I'll start with that.

Chen Ming had no trouble obtaining such a widely-known technique. Opening the Dao Scripture, he declared, "Instantly comprehend the Dao Scripture!"

"Ding! The Dao Scripture consists of 18 volumes. Comprehending it instantly requires 10,000 Teacher's Virtue points. You currently have 60 points. You can comprehend up to seven volumes. Proceed?"

"What? To instantly comprehend something as basic as the Dao Scripture takes 10,000 points? That's on par with the Ninety-nine Profound Technique?"

The Dragon Elephant Power, which could yield a single Dao Seed, only needs a little over a thousand Teacher's Virtue points. But the Dao Scripture demands ten thousand?

Chen Ming sensed something off and revisited what he knew about the Dao Scripture. It had minimal cultivation requirements; anyone who could understand it, human or not, even demons or wild beasts, could practice it. Yet, cultivating the Dao Scripture was notoriously difficult, and the spiritual energy it produced was famously weak because it lacked any attributes.

Take the Dragon Elephant Power I cultivate, for instance. It generates spiritual energy that is resilient and substantial, giving me an edge in magical confrontations. My seven points of magical power could withstand someone else's ten, and my core strength surpasses that of other techniques. At my current level, I wield the formidable might of a dragon and elephant.

The spiritual energy cultivated from the Dao Scripture is unattributed, meaning that any cultivation technique can achieve its effects using only half the spiritual energy typically required.

However, unlocking the mysteries of this Dao Scripture demands a substantial investment of ten thousand points of Teacher's Virtue, suggesting there's a profound secret within. Across the entire continent, there's no record of anyone advancing their practice of the Dao Scripture to the Dao Entering Stage. Chen Ming is curious to explore the transformation that occurs upon reaching this elusive stage.