Chapter 4

At noon, the sun hung high in the sky!

After a full hour of intense fighting, or rather, ambushes, Ling Daotian finally killed the scarecrow in front of him and accumulated seventy soul points.

Seventy soul points! It was no easy feat!

He looked up at the sky, the blazing sun hanging high, its scorching rays freely shining down, turning the entire forest into a giant steamer. The stifling heat and rising steam made Ling Daotian feel uncomfortable. His clear and handsome face showed a hint of impatience, and his cold gaze scanned the surroundings.

Born with a preference for cold environments due to his practice of the Great Yin Devil Scripture, he genuinely disliked such scorching heat.

"But the elemental energy in this world is truly abundant. If I had cultivated here from the beginning, I wouldn't have spent nearly twenty years in arduous practice without any progress. Reflecting on my past obsession with cultivation, hoping to attain the Dao, if it weren't for that lingering desire for immortality, I wouldn't have achieved what I have now. Even with the help of the All-Heaven Propagation System to successfully cross over, I doubt I could have survived in this world."

"But now, it's not bad. In just two hours, I've reached the peak of the initial stage of Qi induction, possessing the true qi of a cultivator who has practiced for ten years. It's truly a profound feeling."

Quietly sensing the surging and dense elemental energy around him, Ling Daotian suddenly thought of his "previous life." Comparing it to the present, the feeling of being "transported" suddenly dissipated.

"Yes, the splendor and allure of the mortal world are nothing but illusions that erode one's life. For living beings, only eternal life and the Great Dao are fundamental."

Following this sudden enlightenment, a passage from the *Doctrine of the Mean* flashed through his mind: "Only the utmost sincerity in the world can fully realize one's nature. Realizing one's nature, one can realize the nature of others; realizing the nature of others, one can realize the nature of things; realizing the nature of things, one can assist in the transformation and nurturing of heaven and earth; assisting in the transformation and nurturing of heaven and earth, one can participate in the workings of heaven and earth."

"Then what is my Dao?"

In Ling Daotian's mind, nature and Dao were two parallel lines that never intersected. But at this moment, he suddenly had an enlightenment: the nature given by heaven is called nature, following nature is called Dao, and cultivating Dao is called teaching.

In other words, understanding one's nature and comprehending Dao are equally important. Both nature and Dao are significant, and only by pursuing them together can one achieve the Great Dao.

The utmost sincerity in the *Doctrine of the Mean* is actually following one's nature, meaning that one's actions are not influenced by good or evil, but are in harmony with one's true nature.

This fleeting enlightenment, though uncertain even to Ling Daotian himself, gave him a vague sense of the path he would take in the future.

…………………………………………………………………………………

"初级道家步法——凌波微步兑换需要信仰点数七百，或魂力点数七十，是否确定兑换？"

"你妹，我确定！"

Watching his seventy soul points instantly drop to zero on the system interface, Ling Daotian's face turned grim. This was the result of his hard work for two hours.

"Boom!"

A torrent of violent information instantly flooded Ling Daotian's mind. The I Ching, the principles of heaven and earth, the circulation of meridians, and the posture of the steps—all this information made him feel as if his head was about to explode.

"凌波微步" originates from Cao Zijian's "Ode to the Luo River Goddess": "Her body swift as a flying duck, she moves with the grace of a deity, her steps light on the waves, her silk stockings stirring the dust. Her movements are unpredictable, now dangerous, now safe. Her advance and retreat are hard to anticipate, now going, now returning. Her eyes flash with brilliance, her face radiant. Her words unspoken, her breath like orchids. Her beauty graceful, she makes me forget to eat." Originally, it described the goddess Luo's light and graceful movements, floating on the water and walking slowly.

However, in Jin Yong's novel *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, it is described as a martial arts technique, with "Her body swift as a flying duck, she moves with the grace of a deity" and "Her movements are unpredictable, now dangerous, now safe. Her advance and retreat are hard to anticipate, now going, now returning!"

Only after Ling Daotian thoroughly organized the information in his mind did he understand what "凌波微步" truly was. For a moment, a smile uncontrollably spread across his clear and handsome face.

"凌波微步" has both small and large versions. The small "凌波微步" is a subtle step technique for maneuvering on the ground, useful for evading enemies but not for combat. To Ling Daotian, this was ordinary, as in the eyes of a demon cultivator, even the most intricate step techniques were just ordinary skills for walking on the ground, not highly valued. However, the large "凌波微步" is a technique for flying through the air, far superior to ordinary or even advanced lightness skills. This is why it is considered a basic step technique in Daoism, as it embodies the principles of heaven and earth in its steps.

In the common martial arts concept, lightness skills refer to high jumping ability, using the rebound force to leap and using skilled techniques to reduce the sound of landing. Therefore, ordinary lightness skills are essentially leaping techniques. Advanced lightness skills combine certain breathing techniques, allowing one to run faster, jump higher and farther, achieving "treading on snow without leaving a trace," "flying on the ground," and "flying over grass."

The essence of "凌波微步" is the ability to fly through the air, with the distance determined by the cultivator's level of cultivation. Highly skilled cultivators can fly over rivers, valleys, and even farther, moving as if walking on flat ground, with a graceful and ethereal demeanor, hence the name "凌波微步."

The mechanism of "凌波微步" is that the cultivator's internal and external cultivation reaches a high level, allowing them to sense the nature of the surrounding qi and emit an external qi of the same nature. Since like repels like, the body can levitate. By emitting external qi backward, the body moves forward like swimming, naturally flying through the air.

Thus, with each step of the large "凌波微步," the body moves through the air like clouds and mist, like a dream, as if the profound principles of heaven and earth are at one's feet.

"With '凌波微步,' I can go anywhere in the world!"

"Ha ha ha……"

Suddenly overwhelmed with excitement, Ling Daotian let out a long howl, heedless of the monsters being stirred by the sound. Just as a group of monsters was about to surround him, he moved his feet, his figure becoming like the wind, rising several feet into the air. His long spear, like a dragon, unleashed countless cold stars, instantly killing the monsters below.

Multi-hooked cats, level 4 monsters, with 40-50 HP, 4 attack, 2 defense, and 5 agility...

With "凌波微步," these monsters, which once posed a significant threat to Ling Daotian, now fell like ants under the cold spear stars.

After all, a long spear is a powerful weapon for group combat, and with the spear blade replaced by a pure yang ninth-grade magical tool, it was like equipping a wooden spear with a grenade launcher. Its sharpness was unparalleled, truly deadly upon contact.

With no worries, Ling Daotian finally let go of his reservations and began to ruthlessly slaughter the surrounding monsters.

The multi-hooked cats, being a level higher than scarecrows, were not only dangerous in attack but also in agility. With an agility of 5, they were truly swift and agile, their speed like the wind and lightning. Their sharp silver hooks, wielded in a cross pattern, were terrifying, making Ling Daotian initially hesitant to face them directly, only daring to ambush a few stragglers.

When he was just level 3, his agility was only 4, and even with the protection of the Great Yin True Qi, his agility could only temporarily increase to 6. But this was just a short burst, and if he were to face a group of multi-hooked cats, he was certain he would die.

No one knew if there were other types of basic monsters in this world. If a battle were to attract one or two monsters with agility over 6, he would die a very ugly death.

So Ling Daotian waited until he exchanged for "凌波微步" before he dared to let go of his reservations and ruthlessly slaughter the nearby monsters.