Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Chapter 184.1: The Beginning of Martial Dao! Eight Principle Seeds; the Shock of the True Inheritor Hall Master! (I)

"Hahaha, this young generation really is something else!" Zhong Yu exclaimed. "Lu Changsheng, I must say, your future in the Martial Dao is limitless. You might even have a shot at condensing a divine ability and becoming a true powerhouse."

Not even Zhong Yu had expected Lu Changsheng to forge his Dao Foundation after only a few short months in the Divine Treasury Realm. More than that, his Mind Space had taken a full fifteen days to materialize. His potential was simply immeasurable, and for the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, he was essentially a blessing!

The Vice Master of the Flying Goose Tower also walked over with a smile, his gaze falling on Lu Changsheng. "Congratulations, Brother Zhong, and to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect... and of course, to Lu Changsheng!"

This was actually his first time meeting Lu Changsheng in person, but he was no stranger to him. Long before this, he had already gathered all kinds of information about him. In fact, the more he learned, the more alarmed he grew. With the terrifying talent and Perception Lu Changsheng had displayed, Dao Foundation would definitely not be his endpoint, even the Divine Ability Realm might not be the end of his Martial Dao.

"Thank you, Vice Tower Master," replied Lu Changsheng.

Zhong Yu was filled with joy. This trip to Goose Mountain had truly brought far more than he expected. Lu Changsheng had killed Yu Feixiao, claimed first place on both lists, and made his name throughout the Ancient Region. Through this one battle, he had firmly established himself as the strongest among Divine Treasury martial artists and even among Immortal Masters.

More than that, he had forged his Dao Foundation before everyone's eyes and become a Dao Foundation martial artist. The potential he displayed had even surpassed that genius from the Heavenly Inquiry Sect. Now, people were wondering—if that individual truly was a genius, then what was Lu Changsheng?

"Alright, it's time to go," said Zhong Yu.

Lu Changsheng nodded. There was nothing left for him on Goose Mountain. He had no acquaintances here, and now that he had stepped into the Dao Foundation Realm, there was even less reason to stay.

This time, he did not need Zhong Yu to carry him. He simply unleashed his Material Mind Space and wrapped it around himself. With a single step, he rose into the air, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Whoosh.

In the next instant, his figure shot across the sky. He was moving as fast as Zhong Yu, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished into the horizon without a trace. Although it seemed like he was flying, he was actually just making use of the newfound power of his Mind Space. Within it, he held near absolute control, as it was his own world.

That was the simplest way to describe it, although materializing the Mind Space did not truly create a separate world or realm. Rather, it was more like a unique kind of space, one that carried all kinds of wondrous properties, with flight as merely one of them.

As they moved through the sky, Lu Changsheng turned to Zhong Yu and asked, "Hall Master, in the Divine Treasury Realm we cultivate the Mind Space. But what about the Dao Foundation? What does it cultivate?"

He could have gone to the Transmission Hall and searched through the records himself to grasp the Dao Foundation and his future direction, but with a Dao Foundation expert right beside him, it would have been a waste not to ask him directly.

Zhong Yu smiled as though pleased with his question. "Do you know where the term Dao Foundation comes from? Why must one forge it? And what exactly is it?"

Lu Changsheng did not reply. He simply shrugged and waited for the Hall Master to go on, knowing that what came next would shape his path forward.

Zhong Yu continued, "Dao Foundation... Well, it's basically what the name suggests, the foundation of the Martial Dao. It's the equivalent of the Foundation Establishment in the Immortal Dao. That's where the immortal cultivators lay their groundwork. In the Immortal Dao, they refine qi, pursue immortality, and try to understand the laws of heaven and earth. We martial artists, however, take a completely different path.

"They borrow the power of heaven and earth, but we don't. Instead, we cultivate ourselves into heaven and earth until we can stand against it. That's why, at the Dao Foundation Realm, we focus on Principles. Once you grasp a Principle, you should keep on deepening your understanding of it. From that, you might draw out a divine ability. And that's the transition from the Dao Foundation to the Divine Ability Realm.

"But doing that with just one Principle? That's extremely difficult. So most Dao Foundation experts don't stop at one. They'll comprehend around two to three and then draw the differences between them to gain insight into certain divine abilities. Also, Principles strengthen your Mind Space itself, so every move you make later on could carry even more force.

"In theory, the more Principles you grasp, the stronger your Mind Space becomes, and the better your chances of forming a divine ability. If one Principle doesn't work, you can try another. But there's a limit. If you take on too many and don't truly understand all of them, you'll never condense a divine ability. You'll be stuck at Dao Foundation for life.

"Therefore, before deciding which Principles to cultivate, you must first imprint Principle Seeds and merge them into your Mind Space. Only then can you start cultivating them. And once you have chosen your Principles and imprinted the seeds, there's no turning back..."

Lu Changsheng listened attentively, his understanding gradually taking shape. So Principles are extremely important, as Dao Foundation cultivation revolves around them. Then the next step would be to decide which Principles to cultivate, and how many.

It was a matter of balance. In theory, the more Principles the martial artist grasped, the better. But in practice, too many would only scatter the martial artist's focus and make true comprehension far more difficult.

As they continued on their way, Lu Changsheng asked question after question. Zhong Yu answered each of them patiently, explaining everything in detail. By the time their conversation came to a pause, the two had already returned to the sect.

Before parting, Zhong Yu gave one final reminder. "Lu Changsheng, when you have the time, go to the Transmission Hall and look through the texts there. Every Dao Foundation martial artist walks their own path. Once you choose your Principles... that's it. You can't change them. And those Principles don't just affect your Dao Foundation. They'll determine whether you can condense a divine ability later and how strong that ability will be.

"In a way, the Dao Foundation and the Divine Ability Realm go hand in hand. Still, at the end of the day, everything still comes back to Principles. Only when you begin to comprehend them can you truly be said to have stepped onto the path of Martial Dao."

"Thank you, Hall Master," Lu Changsheng said with a deep bow.

Zhong Yu gave him a slight nod in acknowledgment. With Lu Changsheng's talent and Perception, there was little left to say. Some things only needed to be hinted at; the rest depended on the individual. After all, cultivation had always been a personal path. Even a master could only offer guidance at the right moments. As for which Principles to choose and how many, that was something Lu Changsheng had to decide for himself.

With that, Zhong Yu took his leave.

Lu Changsheng remained in place for a moment, his thoughts turning over everything he had just heard. Eventually, he turned and headed straight for the Transmission Hall, the place that held the answers to all his questions. The records there contained the accumulated insights of countless Dao Foundation experts of the sect, and they were bound to help Lu Changsheng gain a deeper understanding of each concept.

Let's see...

After reaching the hall, he immersed himself in the texts for some time. Eventually, he began forming his own conclusions from the experience of those who had walked the path before him. One particular point became clear to him: if a martial artist only cultivated one Principle, breaking through to the Divine Ability Realm would be extremely difficult.

Of course, there were exceptions. Some individuals had managed to condense a divine ability by pushing a single Principle to extreme depths—but such cases were indeed rare. The more Lu Changsheng read and the more he reflected on Zhong Yu's words, he managed to piece together a broader understanding of the Dao Foundation and Divine Ability Realms.