79: Chapter 79 The Platform for Discussing the Dao

Lin Wan's words left the entire venue in silence, followed immediately by unrestrained uproar and discussion.

"He... he actually stepped onto the platform! With a Nascent Soul cultivation base!"

"What spirit! What courage! But isn't this too... arrogant?"

"Soul Transformation Dao discussion is a comparison of the understanding and mastery of the 'Dao', an invisible clash at the level of Law! No matter how strong a Nascent Soul Cultivator is, how much insight can he have into the Laws? Can he withstand the impact of the Dao Rhyme of a Soul Transformation True Monarch?"

"Hmph! Ignorant and fearless! Does he think that just because he killed a few Nascent Souls, he can stand on equal footing with Soul Transformation? It's simply a joke!"

"Not necessarily. Don't forget he is the Five Elements Guixu Dao Seed... This Dao is profound and unfathomable; perhaps he really has something unique."

"Just wait and see how long he can stand on the Asking Dao Platform. Senior Jian Wuya's Sword Intent, Venerable Dan's Dao of Alchemy, Fairy Yaoxi's Immortal Rhyme, Elder Xingshu's Heavenly Secrets, and even the Dao Rhyme of the other Soul Transformation True Monarchs—which one of them hasn't been tempered a thousand times? How can a Nascent Soul Cultivator resist them?"

Doubt, amazement, disdain, curiosity, anticipation... various gazes intertwined on Lin Wan. A Nascent Soul stepping onto the stage of Soul Transformation is in itself a great provocation and a display of confidence. If he succeeds, he will become famous throughout history and establish supreme prestige; if he fails, he will not only lose face and damage his Dao Heart, but he may also be injured by the Soul Transformation Dao Rhyme, suffer a regression in cultivation, or even have his Foundation destroyed.

"Fellow Daoist Lin Wan, your spirit is extraordinary." Emperor Yan sat high on the main seat, his face obscured by the imperial Dragon Qi, but his voice remained calm. "Since you have ascended the platform, please begin. Let us also witness the mysteries of that legendary Five Elements Returning to Ruins Dao."

Fairy Yaoxi, Jian Wuya, Venerable Dan, Elder Xingshu, and all the Soul Transformation True Monarchs on and off the platform fixed their gazes on Lin Wan. The invisible pressure, like a mountain, bore down upon him. This was not deliberate targeting, but the natural Dao Rhyme pressure emitted by high-Realm Cultivators, a natural repulsion and scrutiny between "Dao" and "Dao".

Facing this terrifying pressure that would make ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivators collapse mentally and physically, Lin Wan's expression remained calm, and a faint, indifferent smile even lingered at the corner of his mouth.

He did not immediately unfold his own Dao Rhyme, but slowly raised his head to look at the high sky. His gaze seemed to pierce through the clouds of Tiandu Mountain, seeing the operation of the Heavenly Dao in the darkness. His voice sounded clear and unhurried:

"What is the Five Elements? Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are the Foundation of all things, generating and overcoming each other, evolving into myriad forms. This is the constant principle of the operation of heaven and earth, the Foundation of Qi Refining cultivation."

"However, beyond the constant principles, there are also variables. The Five Elements circulate, generating and overcoming endlessly, cycling back and forth. It seems eternal, but in reality... there is an end."

"Metal can be broken, wood can rot, water can dry up, fire can be extinguished, and earth can collapse. All things are born from the Five Elements and will eventually return to the Five Elements. And the ultimate of the Five Elements is... silence, it is Returning to Ruins, it is the final destination of all tangible, substantial, and spiritual things, and it is also... a new beginning."

"Returning to Ruins is not destruction, nor is it the end, but... the end of Reincarnation, and also the starting point. It is the return to Chaos, and also the beginning of Chaos. It is the destination of all things, and also the cradle of new life."

"My Dao takes the Foundation of the Five Elements, merges with the end of Returning to Ruins, uses the Five Elements to evolve birth and death, and uses Returning to Ruins to define the beginning and end. The Five Elements rotate, evolving myriad phenomena; Returning to Ruins silences, ending falsehoods. The rotation of birth and death, the cycle of beginning and end, this is... the Great Dao of Five Elements Returning to Ruins."

As Lin Wan spoke, a strange, indescribable Dao Rhyme—vast, ancient, yet carrying both burgeoning vitality and the intent of silence and the end—slowly radiated from him.

At first, this Dao Rhyme was not strong, even somewhat weak, like a tender sprout in early spring, appearing insignificant under the vast, sea-like Dao Rhyme pressure of the Soul Transformation giants.

But soon, this Dao Rhyme began to circulate and grow on its own, following a mysterious and unfathomable trajectory.

The sharpness of metal, the vitality of wood, the flexibility of water, the explosiveness of fire, and the thickness of earth—five distinct yet homologous Dao Rhymes intertwined and emerged from Lin Wan's body like five-colored silk threads, forming a perfect Five Elements cycle, endless and continuous. At the center of this Five Elements cycle, a point of Chaos Origin light suddenly ignited, emitting a supreme meaning that seemed to encompass everything, assimilate everything, and end everything.

The Five Elements rotate, the Returning to Ruins is contained within.

The light of Chaos, changing from weak to strong, began to slowly spread from the inside out, gently contacting, colliding, merging, and dissolving with the Dao Rhyme pressure of the Soul Transformation giants coming from all directions.

"Eh?"

On the main seat, Venerable Dan was the first to utter a sound of surprise. He specialized in the Dao of Alchemy and had the keenest perception of the Origin Qi of heaven and earth and the analysis of the essence of energy. He felt that at the moment Lin Wan's seemingly weak Chaos Dao Rhyme touched his Alchemy Dao Rhyme, it produced a strange reaction. His Alchemy Dao was about refining all things, purifying the essence, condensing the Dan Yuan—it was the ultimate of "birth" and "transformation". However, Lin Wan's Dao Rhyme seemed to operate in reverse, decomposing, reducing, and returning everything that was "transformed" back to the Chaos Origin point; it was the embodiment of "death" and "return". The two were not simply repulsive, but more like a... dialectical relationship of opposition and unity. His "birth" and "transformation" seemed to provide Materials for the "return" to that "Returning to Ruins", while the "silence" and "end" of "Returning to Ruins" seemed to be accumulating strength for the next "birth" and "transformation".

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins... is it actually like this?" A sharp light flashed in Venerable Dan's eyes, as if he had seen some brand-new, subversive possibility for the Dao of Alchemy.

Meanwhile, Fairy Yaoxi was also slightly moved. Her Immortal Dao focused on purity and non-action, conforming to the Heavenly Dao, comprehending nature, and pursuing transcendence. Lin Wan's Chaos Returning to Ruins Dao Rhyme, however, carried a more primitive, more essential meaning that seemed to transcend or even "encompass" the Heavenly Dao, giving her the illusion that her Immortal Rhyme, which conformed to the Heavenly Dao, was being "encompassed" and "scrutinized".

"This child's Dao is incomparably domineering, and it even has a faint trend of overriding the Heavenly Dao? Is it an illusion, or..." Fairy Yaoxi frowned slightly.

Sword Intent surged in Jian Wuya's eyes, as if he had discovered an unparalleled divine weapon. His Sword Dao pursued the ultimate "slashing", cutting off all falsehoods to reach the original heart. Lin Wan's intent of Returning to Ruins also seemed to contain a kind of "ending", a "slashing" of "existence" itself. The two had a certain resonance at the level of "slashing", but the direction seemed completely different. His "slashing" was to cut out purity and cut out the "self"; while Lin Wan's "Returning to Ruins" was more like returning everything, including the "self", to the final "nothingness".

"Interesting!" A cold arc hooked at the corner of Jian Wuya's mouth, and his invisible Sword Intent, like a provoked Vicious Beast, "slashed" more sharply toward Lin Wan's Chaos Dao Rhyme, wanting to test the limit of its "ending".

The reactions of Emperor Yan and Elder Xingshu were more subtle. The imperial Dragon Qi around Emperor Yan fluctuated slightly, as if he had encountered some "unpredictable" variable. The starlight in Elder Xingshu's eyes swirled crazily, as if he were trying his best to deduce, but his face revealed a kind of confusion and solemnity, as if he were facing a mass of mist and could not see clearly.

It was not just the five great giants; the other Soul Transformation True Monarchs on the platform also felt the strangeness and... tenacity of Lin Wan's Dao Rhyme.

Flame Emperor snorted coldly, and the domineering, scorching Dao Rhyme of his "Dao of Imperial Flame" around him, like a prairie fire, "burned" fiercely toward Lin Wan's Chaos Dao Rhyme, attempting to incinerate and assimilate it. However, his Imperial Flame Dao Rhyme, which was enough to burn mountains and boil seas, to melt gold and iron, upon touching that Chaos Dao Rhyme, was like a clay ox entering the sea. It did not stir up much of a ripple, but instead had a strange feeling of power being silently decomposed, assimilated, and returned to "nothingness", leaving him with nowhere to exert his strength, and he felt shocked and uncertain.

Master Liaoyin pressed his palms together, Buddha light shining everywhere, and the meaning of compassionate salvation permeated, attempting to "convert" that Chaos Dao Rhyme. However, wherever the Buddha light reached, the Chaos Dao Rhyme continued to circulate, neither resisting nor accepting, like the Void Realm that encompasses everything. It allowed the Buddha light to shine, but could not leave the slightest trace on it, nor could it shake it in the slightest, causing Master Liaoyin to sigh inwardly, "Though the Dharma is vast, it is difficult to save those without affinity."

The other Soul Transformation True Monarchs also displayed their respective Dao Rhymes, some rigid and fierce, some gentle, some treacherous, some vast, from different angles, impacting and probing Lin Wan's Chaos Returning to Ruins Dao Rhyme, which appeared weak but was actually incomparably tenacious, encompassing myriad phenomena, and containing a terrifying intent of the end.

For a moment, the place where Lin Wan stood seemed to become the center of the entire Asking Dao Platform, and even the entire Dao Discussion Peak.

Invisible clashes of Dao Rhyme collided, annihilated, merged, and evolved within the Void Realm.

Although there was no earth-shattering sound or dazzling light, the level of danger was in no way inferior to a life-and-death battle with real blades and guns!

With the slightest carelessness, if one's Dao Rhyme were broken and one's Dao Heart damaged, the result would be a regression in cultivation at best, or the collapse of one's Foundation and becoming a cripple at worst!

However, while situated at the very center of these countless impacts and collisions of Dao Rhyme, Lin Wan remained calm, even slowly closing his eyes as if to carefully contemplate and experience the impact of this "Dao" coming from all directions, possessing diverse attributes and extremely high levels.

The Chaos Five Elements Returning to Ruins Dao Rhyme around his body was like the toughest reef; no matter how the fierce winds and giant waves lashed against it, he remained immovable.

The Five Elements rotated, evolving into all phenomena, digesting and absorbing all forces of "life" to turn them into nutrients for his own growth; the Returning to Ruins silence ended all falsehoods, decomposing and assimilating all forces of "destruction," returning them to that eternal point of Chaos Origin.

Life and destruction rotated in an endless cycle, forming a self-contained entity, faintly showing a trend of encompassing all things while transcending above all things.

Moreover, with the collision and Fusion of Dao Rhyme, Lin Wan's understanding of his own "Great Dao of Five Elements Returning to Ruins" was rapidly improving and perfecting.

Those Soul Transformation giants, especially the Dao Rhyme of the five great Void Refining giants, acted like the best whetstone, constantly polishing and tempering his "Dao," rapidly completing and sublimating some parts that were originally blurry and not sufficiently harmonious.

Within his body, that "Five Elements Guixu Dao Seed," which had long been condensed to the extreme and resembled a singularity of the Universe, was now spinning, expanding, and compressing at an unprecedented speed, as if it might break its shell at any moment to evolve into a "Dao Fruit" world of Chaos Returning to Ruins that belonged solely to him!

"This child... is actually using our Dao Rhyme to hone himself and perfect his Dao Foundation!" Venerable Dan was the first to notice the abnormality, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

"What great courage! What strong Comprehension Ability!" Fairy Yaoxi was also slightly moved.

Borrowing the Dao of others to hone one's own Dao was an extremely dangerous affair; with the slightest carelessness, one's Dao Heart would be invaded and one's Dao path altered.

But Lin Wan not only did it, but seemed... to be handling it with ease, perhaps even enjoying it?

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins... encompassing, evolving, ending... this Dao has already begun to take shape and possesses infinite potential." The Battle Intent in Jian Wuya's eyes grew stronger; if not for the inappropriate occasion, he would have truly wanted to have a hearty sword discussion with Lin Wan to see whether his own "Nothing Cannot Be Cut" sword was sharper, or Lin Wan's "Encompassing and Ending" Dao was sturdier.

Emperor Yan remained silent, but the increasingly turbulent Imperial Dragon Qi displayed the lack of calmness in his heart.

Elder Xingshu stopped his deductions and simply looked deeply at Lin Wan, his eyes filled with unprecedented gravity and... a trace of hard-to-detect wariness.

Emperor Yan's expression was gloomy. He had originally wanted to use his overbearing Imperial Flame Dao Rhyme to give Lin Wan a warning and even severely damage his Dao Heart, but he had not expected that his own Dao Rhyme impact would be like a stone sinking into the ocean. Not only did it fail to achieve results, but there was even a faint feeling of being "used for leverage" by the opponent, which made him both shocked and angry.

Time passed second by second.

Lin Wan had already been standing in the center of the Asking Dao Platform for over half an hour.

For half an hour, facing the invisible Dao Rhyme impact from dozens of Soul Transformation True Monarchs, including the five Void Refining giants, he had not only failed to show the slightest sign of fatigue but his aura had become increasingly deep and steady. The Chaos Returning to Ruins Dao Rhyme around his body became more harmonious, thick, and profound, as if a Small World that was slowly taking shape and independent, isolating all external Dao Rhyme, or perhaps more accurately, encompassing, assimilating, and evolving them into a part of itself.

He stood with his eyes closed, his expression serene, as if he had fallen into some deep level of enlightenment.

Countless Great Dao insights and Law fragments flowed like a trickling stream into his Sea of Consciousness, where they were absorbed and digested by the Five Elements Guixu Dao Seed, pushing him step by step closer to that mysterious and unfathomable Realm.

Finally, when the afterglow of the setting sun plated Tiandu Mountain with a golden edge.

Lin Wan slowly opened his eyes.

In his eyes, the Chaos brilliance had already receded, replaced by a kind of calmness that was as vast, profound, and all-encompassing as the Universe.

He bowed slightly toward all four directions, including the five giants on the main seats, as well as all the Soul Transformation True Monarchs on and off the platform:

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins, the Great Dao is boundless. Lin Wan has learned much."

Following his bow, the Chaos Returning to Ruins Dao Rhyme that had shrouded his body slowly receded and returned within his body.

And the entire Asking Dao Platform, and even the entire Dao Discussion Peak, felt as if the terrifying Dao Rhyme pressure that had been invisibly permeating from dozens of existences at or above the Soul Transformation Realm had quietly dissipated along with his bow.

Between heaven and earth, there was silence.

Only the evening breeze gently brushed past.

Everyone stared blankly at the figure in green robes on the platform, looking at his calm face, his profound eyes, and his figure that seemed to have experienced the baptism of an invisible storm, yet appeared increasingly upright and unfathomable.

With a Nascent Soul body, he ascended the Soul Transformation platform, and when facing the Dao Rhyme impact of dozens of existences at or above the Soul Transformation Realm, he was not only unharmed and as steady as Mount Tai, but he even borrowed the strength to hone his own Dao, his aura becoming more harmonious and deep, and there were even faint signs of a Breakthrough!

What kind of Prodigy was this?! What kind of Dao cultivation was this?!

All the previous disdain, doubt, and mockery had now turned into deathly silence, into disbelief, and into deep awe and... fear.

"Young Friend Lin Wan, your Dao Heart is firm, your Dao Foundation is robust, and the Five Elements Returning to Ruins is infinitely profound. This Dao has already entered the hall and ascended to the room; it can be called... a Great Dao." After a long time, Emperor Yan's peaceful voice sounded again, breaking the silence. This time, there was less of a high-and-mighty scrutiny in his voice, and a bit more... equality, and even a trace of hard-to-detect solemnity.

A Great Dao!

Emperor Yan had actually used the two words "Great Dao" to evaluate Lin Wan's Dao!

This was simply an unprecedented praise! One must know that even the Dao of many Soul Transformation True Monarchs, in the eyes of Void Refining giants like Emperor Yan, were nothing more than "minor paths" or "heretical gates." Those that could be called "Great Dao" were all supreme Dao paths that pointed directly to the Origin, possessed infinite potential, and were qualified to aspire to higher Realms!

Fairy Yaoxi, Jian Wuya, Venerable Dan, and Elder Xingshu were all silent. Clearly, they also agreed with Emperor Yan's evaluation.

Emperor Yan's face was livid, his fists tightly clenched, his nails almost digging into his flesh, and the flames around his body flickered violently, showing the turbulent waves and unwillingness in his heart. But he knew that after this "Dao Discussion," Lin Wan's status was completely different. Trying to suppress him with influence or bully him with force would likely be difficult now.

"I dare not claim it as a Great Dao, I have merely gained some small insights." Lin Wan's expression was calm, unswayed by favor or humiliation, and he bowed again to Emperor Yan and the four directions, "The Dao Discussion is concluded; Lin Wan will take his leave."

After saying this, he took a step and had already returned to the East Wing seats. Amidst the excited and admiring gazes of his wife, children, and fellow sect members, he sat down slowly and closed his eyes again, as if the "Dao Discussion" that had just shocked the entire venue was as ordinary as drinking a cup of tea.

The entire venue remained immersed in great shock, unable to recover for a long time.

With a Nascent Soul body, he ascended the Soul Transformation platform and discussed the Dao with the crowd of heroes, actually receiving praise from Emperor Yan as a "Great Dao"!

Such a feat could be called unprecedented!

From this day forth, within the Five Regions, who would not know "True Monarch Guixu," Lin Wan?!

His prestige and status were now completely solidified, comparable to a Soul Transformation Cultivator, and perhaps... even exceeding them!

"Soul Transformation Dao Discussion, continue." Emperor Yan's voice sounded again, pulling everyone's thoughts back.

But the subsequent "Dao Discussion," although still brilliant, paled in comparison to Lin Wan's shocking performance, like fireflies before the bright moon.

In everyone's heart, that peerless figure in green robes, hands behind his back, standing on the Asking Dao Platform facing the crowd of heroes and expounding the "Great Dao of Five Elements Returning to Ruins," was deeply imprinted.

The setting sun went down, and twilight began to rise.

The "Soul Transformation Dao Discussion" also neared its end in an atmosphere that was slightly dull yet had undercurrents surging.

When the last Soul Transformation True Monarch, with a hint of embarrassment, finished his "Dao Discussion" and hurriedly stepped off the platform.

Emperor Yan slowly stood up, Imperial Dragon Qi steaming, and a vast pressure enveloped the entire venue. His deep, thick voice, like a divine decree, resounded in everyone's ears:

"The Soul Transformation Dao Discussion has concluded; all Fellow Daoists have gained something. Next is the final, and most important part of this 'Five Regions Dao Discussion Conference'—the final resolution concerning the next hundred years of the Five Regions, the distribution of resources, the division of influence, and... the response to the impending 'the end' tribulation!"