“Next, I need to dedicate the majority of my time to cultivating the Sword Dao, Time Dao, and Space Dao,” Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Comprehending these three Dao would undoubtedly be ten or even a hundred times more difficult than comprehending other Saint Dao.
The Sword Dao was slightly easier because the Rule Emperor Artifact left behind by Patriarch Wujin contained a vast number of Sword Dao rules. Zhang Ruochen could directly observe and comprehend them, then transform them into his own Sword Dao rules.
However, the Time Dao and Space Dao were not present in the Rule Emperor Artifact. Patriarch Wujin had never studied these two Eternal Dao, so Zhang Ruochen had no way to directly transform them. He would have to slowly comprehend them on his own.
As a result, even if he spent a significant amount of time, it was unlikely he would make much progress.
Fortunately, this was the Temple of Truth, where all Saint Dao rules were highly active. Comprehending the Time Dao and Space Dao here would undoubtedly be much faster than in the outside world.
After figuring out a method to break through his bottleneck, Zhang Ruochen stood up and walked over to the Abyssal Ancient Sword, asking, “How’s it going? How much have you comprehended?”
“I haven’t fully comprehended the second meditation diagram yet,” the sword spirit replied, shaking its head.
Zhang Ruochen said, “The first floor of the Temple of Truth is no longer suitable for my cultivation. Come with me to the second floor.”
After all, the Abyssal Ancient Sword was just a sword. Zhang Ruochen couldn’t afford to spend a lot of time waiting for it, as it would delay his own cultivation in the Truth Dao.
Moreover, the Truth Dao was only a minor supplement for the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
The first floor of the Temple of Truth had 88,888 cultivation chambers, serving as the entry-level cultivation ground for the Truth Dao.
The second floor, however, was the refined cultivation ground for the Truth Dao, with only 8,888 cultivation caves.
With so few cultivation caves, gaining access to them was no easy feat. One had to fully comprehend all three meditation diagrams on the first floor to qualify.
Upon arriving at the second floor, Zhang Ruochen saw over a dozen disciples of the Temple of Truth. Among them, two Divine Transmission Disciples stood out, clearly holding higher status than the others. They were responsible for testing, receiving, and arranging cultivators who came to this level.
One of these Divine Transmission Disciples was none other than Feng Yan’s sister, Feng Xi.
When Feng Xi saw Zhang Ruochen arriving on the second floor of the Temple of Truth, a subtle, almost imperceptible glint flashed in her bright eyes. She exchanged a glance with another Divine Transmission Disciple not far away.
“So fast!” the other Divine Transmission Disciple chuckled softly.
Zhang Ruochen walked over and slightly cupped his hands in greeting. “Greetings, Senior Sister Feng.”
Feng Xi said, “Zhang Ruochen, do you know that you must fully comprehend all three meditation diagrams on the first floor to come to the second floor?”
“I know,” Zhang Ruochen replied.
Feng Xi continued, “So, you’ve fully comprehended them?”
“Yes, I have.”
Feng Xi’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow slightly. “But I remember that your total cultivation time in the Temple of Truth is only about a month.”
Hearing Feng Xi’s questioning of Zhang Ruochen, the surrounding disciples of the Temple of Truth pricked up their ears to listen.
Comprehending all three meditation diagrams on the first floor in just a month?
The disciples of the Temple of Truth began whispering among themselves. Clearly, they didn’t believe it.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm and composed. “A month is enough. If Senior Sister Feng doesn’t believe me, you can test me.”
Feng Xi nodded and led Zhang Ruochen to the northeast corner of the square, where a three-person-tall ancient bronze mirror stood.
“This is the Mirror of Truth. You just need to fully activate the Truth Rules within your body, and the rule patterns will appear on the mirror’s surface.”
Zhang Ruochen stood beneath the mirror and began to fully activate his Truth Rules. Instantly, 729 peculiar patterns appeared around his body in the mirror, resembling a spider web enveloping him.
Zhang Ruochen looked at his reflection in the mirror and murmured, “So this is what rule patterns look like.”
Behind him, several disciples of the Temple of Truth gasped in astonishment, finding it hard to believe.
Feng Xi’s expression, however, didn’t change much. She directly took out a token and handed it to Zhang Ruochen, saying, “The first floor of the Temple of Truth is just the entry level. The second floor won’t be so easy.”
Zhang Ruochen accepted the token and humbly said, “Please give me some guidance, Senior Sister Feng. Perhaps I can avoid some detours.”
Perhaps due to her relationship with Feng Yan, the usually cold and aloof Feng Xi actually offered Zhang Ruochen a few words of advice.
Under the guidance of a first-class disciple, Zhang Ruochen proceeded to a cultivation cave.
The Divine Transmission Disciple standing beside Feng Xi watched Zhang Ruochen’s retreating figure and said, “Impressive! Do you think he might have obtained the Truth’s Essence?”
Feng Xi’s eyes sharpened. “It’s best not to speculate about such things. If word leaks out, the consequences could be severe.”
“You’re right. The Truth’s Essence is far too significant,” the Divine Transmission Disciple said meaningfully.
At that moment, Feng Xi’s ears twitched as if she had heard something. She immediately knelt on one knee, her expression turning respectful and reverent.
After a long moment, Feng Xi stood up and looked at the Divine Transmission Disciple beside her. “Just now, our master sent a message forbidding any information about Zhang Ruochen from being leaked.”
“Even the master was alerted?”
Feng Xi said, “Our master has been overseeing the Temple of Truth for the past century. Since it’s a divine decree from the master, we should quickly warn the other disciples to prevent any reckless individuals from leaking the information.”
The Divine Transmission Disciple nodded, then showed a strange expression. “It’s rare for anything to alert the master. Do you think Zhang Ruochen really obtained the Truth’s Essence?”
Feng Xi said, “I think it’s best if we stop discussing this matter.”
Seeing Feng Xi’s stern expression, the Divine Transmission Disciple seemed to realize something. His face changed, and he quickly knelt down, kowtowing in repentance. “Disciple did not mean to speculate about the master. Please forgive me.”
……
…………
Zhang Ruochen used the token to enter a cultivation cave. Instantly, his vision brightened, and the scenery before him expanded. Beneath his feet was a sea of colorful flowers.
Taking a deep breath, he was immediately greeted by a rich floral fragrance.
“The second floor of the Temple of Truth is truly miraculous. Each cave is its own world. Are all the other caves also filled with flower seas?”
Seeing the flowers all around, Zhang Ruochen’s mood became very relaxed. He sat down cross-legged in the sea of flowers, recalling the words Feng Xi had said earlier: “Observe the flowers to see the truth. Everything lies within the flowers.”
He took out the Abyssal Ancient Sword and lit a Rainbow Transformation Vine.
Once again, Zhang Ruochen divided his six Saint Souls. One focused on comprehending the Sword Dao, one on the Time Dao, one on the Space Dao, one on other Saint Dao, and the remaining two on the Truth Dao.
A month later, the flowers around Zhang Ruochen began to change.
Petals naturally fell from the flowers, but instead of dropping to the ground, they floated into the sky, forming a rain of petals that swirled around Zhang Ruochen.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen opened his eyes and uttered a single word: “Extinguish.”
“Sizzle!”
The rain of petals in the sky instantly vanished, turning into wisps of smoke.
A smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen’s face. “This is the first level that Senior Sister Feng mentioned: ‘Flowers are not flowers, all illusions extinguished.’ It wasn’t that hard to comprehend.”
After a month of comprehension, the number of Truth Rules within Zhang Ruochen’s body had reached 2,187.
Zhang Ruochen stood up and executed a move from the Luo Water Fist Technique. When he infused the Truth Rules into the technique, the power of the fist technique increased fourfold.
“Not bad. Next, I’ll start comprehending the second level.”
Zhang Ruochen continued his cultivation.
According to Feng Xi, the cultivation caves on the second floor of the Temple of Truth contained two levels. Each level represented a significant step forward in the Truth Dao.
However, these two levels became progressively more difficult to comprehend.
The vast majority of prodigies who came to the Temple of Truth to cultivate struggled to comprehend even the first level, “Flowers are not flowers.” This included Feng Yan, who had been cultivating in the Temple of Truth for many years and was still stuck at this level.
The second level was indeed much more difficult than the first. Zhang Ruochen spent two full months before finally comprehending it.
Just as he comprehended the second level, the plants around him began to sprout buds, which bloomed at a visible rate.
Instantly, the flowers that had vanished in the cave reappeared, filling the air with their fragrance.
Zhang Ruochen laughed heartily. “So this is the second level: ‘Flowers are life, vibrant and colorful.’ Not bad, not bad. Life is the most precious thing.”
The number of Truth Rules within Zhang Ruochen’s body had now grown to 6,561.
Next, he practiced the Luo Water Fist Technique in the cave, and its power increased fivefold.
“The Truth Dao is no longer my weak point.”
Previously, when Zhang Ruochen fought against top-tier geniuses, his biggest weaknesses were intermediate-level Saint Techniques and the Truth Dao.
For example, when Zhang Ruochen fought Qing Yaoya at the same cultivation level, his Truth Dao was inferior, so the power of his Saint Techniques was actually weaker than Qing Yaoya’s. In the end, he had to rely on the power of the Fire God’s Gauntlet to defeat him.
But now, Zhang Ruochen could unleash five times the power with any Saint Technique. If he were to fight Qing Yaoya again at the same level, Zhang Ruochen could knock him down with a single punch.
Although Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation level hadn’t increased much, with his current combat power, even without using his Time and Space abilities, he could hold his own against experts like King Yan and Queen Lian.
If he used his Time and Space abilities, defeating them wasn’t out of the question.
In other words, the significant improvement in his Truth Dao had elevated Zhang Ruochen to the ranks of the top-tier powerhouses in the Truth Heavenly Domain.
At this moment, the voice of the Saint-Eating Flower sounded within Zhang Ruochen’s body: “Master, I have awakened.”
Immediately after, an extremely enchanting and alluring woman emerged from Zhang Ruochen’s back.
During her period of dormancy, the Saint-Eating Flower, Mo Yin, had been rapidly increasing her cultivation. She had now reached the fifth-step Saint King level.
Mo Yin stretched lazily, her curvaceous figure accentuated by the motion. In a soft, seductive voice, she asked, “Master, I’m so hungry. Are there any Saint Kings for me to eat?”
