Lu Yun had no intention of engaging Sword Thirteen in further conversation. His mind was filled with the Domain of First Snowfall legacy that the spirit of Argent Snow had given him.
To Lu Yun, that was enough.
His body slowly coalesced in the Hall of Soul Dominion, but he sensed an incredible killing intent drape over him as soon as he opened his eyes.
Lu Yun jumped with shock and hastily leapt aside. When he looked back to where heâd been standing, he saw a brooding Xing Lingkong where heâd just been.
âXing Lingkong?â Lu Yun started, not knowing how heâd offended the man so badly that heâd be waiting for Lu Yun to exit his trials.
âArenât you something, junior brother Feng Feifan,â Xing Lingkong sneered at Lu Yun. âYou failed the first level of the first domain two hundred and thirty-four times. I wouldnât fault you for that if you hadnât received my reflections, but if this is all you amount to after ten years of closed door cultivation, I have to beat a lesson into you!
âYouâll swing from the hall doors today so I can slap some sense into you!â Xing Lingkong charged forward and reached for Lu Yunâs collar.
With his ten years of cultivation and insights derived from the snowflakesâ ripples, Lu Yunâs mastery of Argent Snow had long outstripped Xing Lingkongâs. The other had completed the eighty-first level of the third domain. If Lu Yun fully exerted himself, heâd be able to pass the same level as well.
Most importantly, he was a Nihil World Sovereign and Xing Lingkong a Void World King.
Lu Yun calmly assessed Xing Lingkongâs attack and firmly kept his cultivation in check. He shook Argent Snow and deployed the Domain of First Snowfall with a flurry of one hundred and eight snowflakes.
Unable to halt in time, Xing Lingkong slowed down as soon as he drew near his junior brother, like heâd sunk into a bog.
âHow dare you flaunt Argent Snow in front of me!â he scoffed, fanning out an arc of silver light through the air. His Argent Snow appeared amid a dance of dense snowflakes.
The two domains crashed together and Xing Lingkong shouted with agony when Lu Yunâs stick hit him on the head. He only had time for one pained gasp before he fainted dead away.
âGood thing I pulled back in time or I wouldâve killed him,â Lu Yun breathed out with relief. Heâd gotten used to smacking the spirit of Argent Snow on the head, so when he deployed the Domain of First Snowfall, his method of attack was the stick instead of the snowflakes.
If he hadnât abruptly come to his senses and dismissed most of his strength, he wouldâve smashed the Void World Kingâs head like a watermelon. Even still, Xing Lingkong was out cold on the ground.
The disturbance drew the crowdâs attention, but Lu Yun ignored their reactions. It wouldnât be long now before a new round of rumors appeared in the sect, such as Xing Lingkong and Feng Feifan being at odds with each other over a beauty. Perhaps the newest addition to the stories would be that theyâd fought each other for three hundred rounds in the Hall of Soul Dominion before Xing Lingkong tragically lost.
Things developed as he thought, but the gossip was even worse than heâd imagined.
Xing Lingkong had fallen in love with both Feng Feifan and Xing Lan at the same time. In order to bring happiness to his beloveds, heâd voluntarily withdrawn, purposefully losing to Feng Feifan so the other two could move on without guilt.
That explained why the former head disciple would lose to a mere inner disciple.
This version of events swept through the entire sect within a few short days, becoming the hottest topic on everyoneâs lips. Xing Lan almost vomited blood from anger when she heard the gossip, but didnât clarify anything. Some things became even worse if they were explained.
Still, she sought out Xing Lingkong and beat him black and blue.
Back in his residence, Lu Yun didnât immediately delve into the legacy that the spirit had given him. He was mulling over formula dao.
Whether it was regular or supplemental cultivation in the fourth realm, all of his progress was the result of derivation from formula dao. Heâd decided to have it take root and flower in the fourth realm so that it could herald the immortal dao from the Hongmeng.
âWhy do I feel like formula dao is a bit familiar?â Lu Yun rubbed his nose thoughtfully. âFormula dao can be the building blocks of anything, be it supplemental dao, immortal dao, or the cultivation daos of the third and fourth realms. It can derive them all.
âFormula⊠form⊠hang on a freaking second. Arenât we talking about math on Earth here?â Lu Yunâs jaw dropped.
Mathematics was the foundation of science on Earth, whether it was physics, chemistry, astronomy, construction, computers⊠Everything required the calculations of math. This was very similar to formula dao. While it didnât tangibly manifest in the various great daos, many theories and assessments stemmed from a beginning in formula dao.
Lu Yun and Qing Yu had extracted formula dao from the combat arts of immortal dao, then perfected it with the Tome of Life and Death for it to become a true great dao.
âThe current iteration of formula dao is not fully complete. If it really is the math of cultivation, then there must be some actual, well, formulas within it that can derive everything!â
When Lu Yun and Qing Yu first used formula dao, theyâd used it to dissect, theorize, reassemble, and perfect combat arts and cultivation methods. There was a definable pattern to any combat art or cultivation method, and theoretically speaking, a formula should be able to capture that pattern.
If they could systemize combat arts, then the intangible formula dao would become something tangible and thus be disseminated throughout the fourth realm.
It was mainstream knowledge in the world of immortals and had become the basics of cultivating immortal dao. Thus, development of this iteration of immortal dao had exceeded any other era itâd existed in.
Denizens of the world of immortals could swiftly grasp formula dao because it came from immortal dao, so learning was easier for them. It wasnât as straightforward for those of the chaos, Hongmeng, and fourth realm.
But now, inspiration struck Lu Yun. If he could define this intangible formula dao as a system, then even those who didnât understand or practice it could use formula dao.
âThatâs right, thatâs right, this is the right path! This isnât my stroke of brilliance, but the heights that formula dao has reached in the world of immortals. Someoneâs already started doing this, and since Little Yu and I are the inventors of formula dao, this is feedback from developmental trends on the world of immortals.
âDamn Iâm dumb, why didnât I think of this earlier? Iâm an embarrassment to all Earthlings!â Lu Yun grinned.
When he and Qing Yu utilized formula dao, they simulated the cycle of great dao in their minds. But if formula dao was defined as a system, then manual calculations were possible. The notion of âsystemâ was just Lu Yunâs framework. More accurately speaking, it was the simulation of pattern.
âJust me alone isnât enough to make formula dao tangible and shape it as a physical great dao. Little Yu, the little fox, and I arenât enough either. We need more collective wisdom.â
The joint wisdom of the world of immortals had induced the first metamorphosis in formula dao. The second step was up to the fourth realm.
âThe Alchemist, Formation, Treasure, and Talisman Sovereigns⊠These people are wise sages in the Star Sect.â A smile floated onto Lu Yunâs face when he thought of the Alchemist Sovereign that heâd met.
Supplemental cultivators were viewed as the symbols of wisdom. The sovereigns had reached peak level in their fields. If they were introduced to formula dao, that would certainly deepen their understanding.
âI might be able to grasp that trace of the pattern if I use formula dao to analyze the Domain of First Snowfall, then calculate the other two domains. I might even be able to theorize the domains that are to come.â Lu Yun headed out of his abode when his thoughts traveled here and headed for Mount Buzhou.
âWhere are you going, junior brother Feifan?â A threatening voice sounded in Lu Yunâs ears as he flew to Mount Buzhou.
Heâd been considering formula dao as he traveled, so his speed wasnât very fast. Lu Yun shuddered when he heard the voice and quickly stopped.
âSenior sister Xing Lan, you canât do anything to me now or the gossip tomorrow will say that youâre madly in love with Xing Lingkong. Theyâll interpret this as you beating me up in revenge for senior brother Lingkong and that you love him more!â
Lu Yun had wrapped his mind around the Star Sect gossip style. Rumors faded away after a few days if nothing else happened, but they grew even worse if anything further developed.
Xing Lan glared viciously at Lu Yun and reluctantly put her hand down.
<blockquote><b>Translator's Thoughts</b></blockquote>