Once inside, he opened the book and began to read. The author was a martial artist named Gu Yuan. The text took a broad view as it explained the Body Tempering, Divine Strength, and Divine Fortification Realms.

On the surface, these three realms seemed very different, yet Gu Yuan argued that they were essentially the same because all stages focused on cultivating the body's vital essence. He claimed that the human body was divided into vital essence, qi, and spirit.

Body Tempering, Divine Strength, and Divine Fortification all focused on cultivating the body itself—its blood, flesh, bones, and skin. All of these belonged to the vital essence. In this regard, demons were the strongest, martial artists came next, and Immortal Masters were the weakest.

The human body had its limits. For example, it could never reach the heights of a demon's physique. The Thousand Cauldrons Stage was already close to the peak of what the human body could achieve. Beyond that, there was no further path through physical cultivation alone. To advance further, the Martial Dao had to take a different direction.

Humans can't replicate the vital essence of demons...

The qi of the Immortal Dao was referred to as spirit energy. Only those with spirit roots could draw it into their bodies and become Immortal Masters. Most martial artists lacked such spirit roots and could not follow this path.

Thus, from the triad of vital essence, qi, and spirit, only the last one remained. In this use of the word, "spirit" referred to the union of mental strength and heart. That was why martial artists had to focus on strengthening their heart force from the Divine Fortification Realm onward.

The core of the Martial Dao lay in spirit. That was what made opening the Mind Space and advancing into the Divine Treasury the turning point. That Mind Space was formed through heart force, and it was exactly this breakthrough that allowed them to stand on equal footing with demons and the immortal cultivators.

I see...

Reading this, Lu Changsheng felt a sudden clarity. In the past, he had trained without truly understanding the path. He had followed each step as it came but lacked a deeper grasp of Martial Dao. Now he saw its foundation clearly, and that all came back to spirit.

This was a Martial Dao path carved out by martial artists through hardship, and it was also a great path to the heavens. Only when the Mind Space opened to them could a martial artist truly escape their shackles, and only then would they truly progress.

However, the Mind Space formed at the Divine Treasury Realm was not yet stable. It contained many mysterious powers, but they could only be expressed by drawing on the Mind Space and giving form to the intangible.

Still, there were limits to what the Mind Space could nurture, as it had not yet grown powerful enough, nor had it undergone a true transformation. If the Mind Space could evolve into a world of its own, a complete realm within the mind, then that very space could be materialized. And at that point, every move the martial artist made would be inconceivably powerful.

This realm was called the Dao Foundation, the very foundation of Martial Dao! In fact, it corresponded to the Foundation Establishment Realm of those Dao Lords of the Immortal Dao, where the person established the base of cultivation. Clearly, the concept of the Dao Foundation in Martial Dao was inspired by that same principle.

Beyond the Divine Treasury lies the Dao Foundation. The key is to transform the Mind Space into a Material Mind Space. To do that, you need a special treasure known as the Mind Materialization Stone. It's rare, but the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect has it. As long as a true inheritor disciple makes a request, they'll be given one. But once the transformation begins, the Mind Space comes under immense pressure, and if it collapses... you die.

Lu Changsheng's heart sank. It was clear to him now that the step from the Divine Treasury Realm to the Dao Foundation was extremely dangerous, with failure resulting in death. Still, there was a way forward: strengthening the Mind Space.

Martial artists had discovered a resource known as a Mind Stabilization Stone. Once fused into the Mind Space, it could stabilize the space and make it far more secure.

Under normal conditions, the Mind Space needed to reach a diameter of ten li before the martial artist could safely refine a single Mind Stabilization Stone. Of course, it was possible to attempt the refinement process without that condition, but the risk was too high. If the Mind Space could not withstand the strain, the consequences would be fatal.

After refining ten such stones, the Mind Space would expand to roughly one hundred li in diameter, and at that point, using a Mind Materialization Stone to turn the Mind Space into a Material Mind Space would have a far higher success rate. It would be almost certain, and the risk of collapse would be minimal.

But by this method, reaching a span of one hundred li would require mastering a hundred Domains and bringing each to Perfection—an almost impossible task.

There were also certain mental secret techniques that could be moved into the Mind Space and broaden it. Even more rare were special treasures that could achieve the same effect. But such items were exceedingly scarce and incredibly valuable. Whenever one emerged, Divine Treasury martial artists would scramble for it.

By contrast, the sect could provide both Mind Stabilization Stones and Mind Materialization Stones; the hardest part was the expansion of the Mind Space. That depended on the martial artist's own talent, Perception, and opportunities. Most Divine Treasury martial artists, therefore, ventured into the second layer in search of opportunities.

If the martial artist were fortunate enough to fuse a powerful treasure into the Mind Space, it could expand by ten li or even dozens of li in an instant. Such cases were rare, but not unheard of. There had once been a Divine Treasury expert who obtained such a treasure. In a single stroke, his Mind Space expanded to one hundred li, and then he successfully transformed it into a MaterialMind Space and built his Dao Foundation!

Thud.

Lu Changsheng closed the book. He now had a clear grasp of how to cultivate in the Divine Treasury Realm. Only then did he understand why the sect opened all martial arts and secret techniques to true inheritor disciples without restriction.

For a Divine Treasury martial artist, comprehending Domains was the most direct way to expand the Mind Space—but it was far from easy. Even with Lu Changsheng's extraordinary Perception, he had only grasped five Domains, and it had taken him a while to bring all of them to Perfection.

Many Divine Treasury martial artists spent their entire lives mastering only a handful of Domains, and some never even brought them to Perfection. Only those with extraordinary Perception might comprehend ten or twenty Domains.

In any case, most Divine Treasury martial artists sought opportunities and treasures. They expanded their Mind Spaces mainly through treasures, with Domain comprehension as a secondary means.

However, Lu Changsheng was well aware of his own advantage. With his level of Perception, neglecting Domain comprehension would be a waste. He had to make that his main path, with treasure hunting as the second.

Right... Certain secret techniques can also expand the Mind Space. For example, my Heart Sword True Mantra. It's currently being nurtured within the Mind Space, and it's already expanded the space by one li.

Indeed, with his five Domains and the Heart Sword True Mantra, his Mind Space had grown from its original one li to seven. He was now only three li away from the threshold required to use a Mind Stabilization Stone.

To expand it by three li, I only need to comprehend three more Domains and bring each to Perfection...

A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. For others, that might take years, even decades—but he was different. To him, comprehending Domains did not seem especially difficult. In the past, he had stopped only because he already had enough. More would have served no purpose. But now, comprehending Domains was cultivation itself. Naturally, he had to put in greater effort.

"Alright..."

Lu Changsheng rose to his feet and returned it to the Transmission Hall elder.

"Finished?" the elder asked.

"Yes, I'm done. Thank you, Elder."

The Transmission Hall elder nodded. "Go on. The third floor is filled with insights on various Domains. They were all recorded by seniors of our sect during their own journeys of comprehension. Go take a look. There might be something that resonates with you and helps you comprehend one."

Lu Changsheng nodded. "Perfect."

This was the foundation of a great sect; the more knowledge it preserved, the more guidance it could pass on to future generations. Some disciples might find inspiration in them. Of course, martial artists still had to comprehend Domains through their own effort. Domains were never the same, and whether one gained insight depended entirely on personal talent and opportunity.

Lu Changsheng had also thought that when his own lifespan neared its end in the future, he would do the same—record his understanding of Domains and leave everything behind, adding to the foundation of the sect.

Let's see...

He arrived on the third floor, where only true inheritor disciples were allowed. Most manuals here were about Domains, with only a few touching on secret techniques. One did not need to bring these books downstairs at the Transmission Hall elder; they could be read directly there.

Lu Changsheng took the first book on the shelf.

Saber Domain, huh?

This suited him well. Now, he found it funny that despite frequently wielding a saber, he had never comprehended a Saber Domain.

After reading through the account, Lu Changsheng learned that its author had been a dedicated saberman since childhood. For him, grasping Saber Intent had come naturally. One day during practice, enlightenment struck, and over time, that intent evolved into a full Domain. After advancing to Divine Treasury, he nurtured it within his Mind Space until it reached Perfection.

"Huh..."

Lu Changsheng closed the book and shook his head faintly. Such accounts could be inspiring, but in the end, they offered little practical guidance.

I've used the saber plenty, but I don't think I've ever truly paid much attention to this weapon. I've never even tried to comprehend the Saber Intent...

With that thought, he unsheathed his saber.

Shing!

This was the first time in a while when he drew his saber without drawing blood. He proceeded to study the saber's patterns as memories of all the times he had drawn it rose in his mind. As those images unfolded, he gradually felt as if the saber in his hand had come alive.

Woosh!

In the next moment, a sharp Saber Intent emanated from him and took form, just like that. The entire process took no more than one hour.

With my current Perception, comprehending Saber Intent is a piece of cake. The hard part is evolving it into a Domain!

Even so, Lu Changsheng decided to give it a try. He wanted to see whether, with his current level of Perception, he could evolve Saber Intent into a Saber Domain in a short period of time.

He went to a quiet cultivation chamber. He held the saber in his hands and wrapped it in Saber Intent. As his thoughts settled, inspiration began to surface, and he immersed himself in comprehending it.

Time passed quickly—two hours, four, six...

Lu Changsheng remained in the cultivation chamber for an entire day. Eventually, he opened his eyes.

No... I underestimated Domains. The Saber Intent is easy to grasp, but turning it into a Domain requires steady effort...

That kind of effort took time. The Divine Treasury Realm extended the martial artist's lifespan by only a hundred years, not a thousand. If he had to refine his understanding bit by bit and evolve Domains one after another and do so for hundreds of them, how long would it even take?

Ten years? Fifty years? A hundred years? Or even several hundred years?

All those scenarios were possible, but Lu Changsheng wasn't the type to rely on luck; he wanted to seize control himself.

I need to find a way to evolve Domains within a short time... I guess there are only two ways. I can either raise my Perception to 10,000 so it triggers another transformation, and then evolving Domains will become easier. Or I can take Dao Comprehension Pills.