Chapter 107 - 106: Obtaining the ‘Seek the Dao with the Illusion of the Heart’ Dao Stone
"Now that I have answered that, Daoist Lin," Lord Zhao Shenming stated, his starry eyes unblinking and piercing. "What is your answer concerning the tournament?"
Lin Yuan’s thoughts immediately began to wheel. His mind did not immediately dwell on the Lord Tournament, instead, it directly went to the profound concept of Lord Zhao’s dream domain: Seek the Dao with the Illusion of the Heart.
If he could somehow obtain access to that specific dream domain and utilize it within the temporal isolation of the River of Years Pagoda, the combination of the two would be peerless.
Under normal circumstances, cultivating the Mortal Heart required a Nascent Soul expert to temporarily abandon their immortal status. They had to leave their sects, seal away their cultivation, and descend into the mortal world for centuries.
They would live among ordinary people as beggars, merchants, scholars, soldiers, or countless other identities, experiencing the full spectrum of mortal life with their cultivation completely sealed.
For Lin Yuan, however, such a method was simply unacceptable.
He would never, under any circumstances, abandon Bai Qingyue and wander the mortal world for a hundred years just to comprehend the Mortal Heart.
But a dream domain solved this completely.
If he brought the dream domain into the second floor of his Primordial Dao Artifact, the math became a terrifying advantage. On the second floor of the Pagoda, one single day in the outside world equated to five full years of isolated time. Lord Zhao had spent exactly one hundred and fifty years within the illusion to fully temper his Mortal Heart. Within the temporal distortion of the Pagoda, one hundred and fifty years would only take exactly thirty days in the physical world!
It would just be a mere matter of months before he completely shattered the bottleneck and successfully reached the legendary Spirit Severing realm!
And most importantly, because he would be cultivating in the chamber located on the highest floor of the master pavilion, he would never truly be leaving Bai Qingyue alone. His physical body would remain anchored directly above her. If some unforeseen trouble arrived at the borders of the estate, his would instantly be alerted. He could simply snap out of the dream, step out of the Pagoda, and slaughter the intruders before they even breached the courtyard walls.
The pieces on the board had perfectly aligned!
Lin Yuan slowly set his teacup down onto the table. He met the gaze of the provincial Lord with an unwavering calm.
"Yes," Lin Yuan answered. "I will be your Participating General in the Lord Tournament."
A flicker of relief and triumphant ambition flashed through Lord Zhao Shenming’s eyes. Securing this anomaly was the ultimate masterstroke for the Zhao Province.
"Since there is a guaranteed chance of my wife getting her cultivation completely restored by the Void Refinement Emperor of the Central Continent, I see no reason to decline," Lin Yuan continued, his tone shifting into the cold, calculated cadence of a transaction. "I will step into the arenas at Sky Jade City. I will shatter the designated champions of the other eight provinces. I will secure the ultimate victory for our territory. But, Lord Zhao, I have an immediate request."
"Name it," Lord Zhao Shenming replied instantly, leaning forward. "Spirit stones? High-tier defensive artifacts for your estate? Whatever resources you require, the provincial treasury is entirely open to you."
"I do not need your stones, nor do I require your artifacts," Lin Yuan dismissed smoothly, waving his hand. "I simply wish to cultivate my Mortal Heart. Therefore, I ask if there is a way I can have access to your dream domain: Seek the Dao with the Illusion of the Heart."
Lord Zhao Shenming nodded, "It seems you wish to cultivate your Mortal Heart after the tournament," Lord Zhao murmured, completely unaware that Lin Yuan intended to cultivate it before the tournament. "Daoist Lin, your ambition is indeed profound. The dream domain is a highly complex weaving of my personal Dao, but fortunately, it does not require my physical presence to activate. Its structure can be transcribed."
Lord Zhao closed his eyes, his Spirit Severing aura causing the ambient space around him to subtly distort and ripple like water. He reached into his spatial ring.
When he opened his eyes, he raised his right hand. Resting upon his palm was a physical manifestation of his profound comprehension—a Dao Stone.
The Dao Stone was breathtaking. It was a smooth, crystalline orb, roughly the size of a peach, but it did not reflect the light of the reception room. Instead, it seemed to hold a swirling, infinite galaxy of grey mist within its core. If one looked closely into the swirling mist, they could see faint, phantom-like images of countless mortal lives playing out in rapid succession—births, deaths, weddings, wars, laughter, and tears. It was the physical embodiment of mortal existence, perfectly captured and sealed within the medium.
"This is a Dao Stone," Lord Zhao Shenming explained, his voice taking on a heavy tone as he gently placed the orb onto the table between them. "A Dao Stone has the capacity to hold an exact inscription of a Dao domain. I have just inscribed the ’Seek the Dao with the Illusion of the Heart’ into it. By infusing it with your own Dao intent, it will seamlessly project the dream domain into your Sea of Consciousness, allowing you to live out the illusion of the mortal world just as I did."
Lin Yuan stared at the swirling grey mist within the crystal, his mind only partially grasping the profound laws intricately woven into its structure. It was flawless.
"I accept this advance payment," Lin Yuan said, reaching out and taking the Dao Stone. The moment his fingers brushed the crystal, a strange, phantom sensation of a thousand lifetimes brushed against his mind, confirming its authenticity. He stored it securely within his spatial ring.
"Use it with extreme caution, Daoist Lin," Lord Zhao warned, standing up from his chair. The negotiation and the exchange of Dao had officially concluded. "The illusion is terrifyingly real. If you forget that you are a cultivator walking the Great Dao, you may become permanently trapped within the dream, living out the rest of your days as a mortal peasant in your own mind."
"My Dao Heart is steadfast," Lin Yuan replied, rising to his feet to stand face-to-face with the Lord of the province. "I do not break, and I do not forget."
Lord Zhao Shenming offered a warm smile. He had successfully recruited a dragon to fight his wars, and the prospect of the Zhao Province dominating the Lower Division had never looked more certain.
"Then I shall eagerly await your arrival in the capital when the time comes," Lord Zhao said, bringing his hands together in a formal martial bow—a gesture of profound respect typically reserved only for equals.
"I will see you in Sky Jade City, Lord Zhao," Lin Yuan returned the formal bow, his crimson wedding robes rustling softly in the quiet room.