Chapter 196: Unsealing the Dao Commentary Platform
This trip to Nanyao City could truly be called a bountiful haul.
Ten ten-thousand-yuan stones—not only were they the hard currency of the Transcendent world, they also served as cultivation fuel and sustenance for prolonged combat.
As for the two Lower-Grade A Dao techniques that Jiang Wuyong had lost to him, one was a fire-attribute offensive technique called Blazing Phoenix, and the other was a fire-attribute escape technique called Flame Meteor.
Although cultivating the Four Spirits Body Tempering Method had given him deeper control over the elemental forces of wood, metal, water, and fire, the method was ultimately focused on tempering the body. In terms of elemental control, he had not yet reached the level of Wang Changxiang's innate Wind Sparrow True Spirit, which meant he could not cross realms to wield Dao techniques.
Both of these techniques could only be formally cultivated after reaching the Ascending Dragon realm.
As was his custom, Jiang Wang entered the Illusory Void Realm and used the Dao Commentary Platform to simulate and refine these two techniques.
It was not that his single-layer Dao Commentary Platform was capable of optimizing such premium-quality Grade A techniques. He had already tried it with Binding Tiger, Flame Flower, and Thorn Crown—for techniques of this caliber, the first-layer platform had no room for optimization.
His main purpose was to use the Illusory Void Realm's Dao Commentary Platform to verify whether these two techniques had been tampered with.
On his way to the Qi Kingdom, Jiang Wang had experienced the Blessed Land Challenge on the fifteenth of the second month, dropping from the Blessed Land of Mount Tao to the Blessed Land of Yellow Well.
This time, while forging swords at the Sword Furnace, he had missed the fifteenth of the third month's Blessed Land Challenge, falling from Yellow Well to the Blessed Land ranked thirtieth—Lankeshan. His monthly Merit output was now only 1,150 points.
Because he had not been matching in battles much during this period, his Merit had accumulated. He now had a total of 5,500 points.
He placed the jade token manifested into the Illusory Void Realm onto the Dao Commentary Platform and selected "Simulate."
After consuming two hundred points of Merit, the simulation was complete.
Sure enough, there were problems!
Jiang Wang picked up the jade token and examined it. Two extremely inconspicuous hand seals had been corrected—previously, they had been invisible. After the correction, once he verified them, he immediately understood where the issue lay.
If he had cultivated the techniques as Jiang Wuyong had provided, who knew which battle might have revealed the flaw.
It was precisely because Chongxuan Sheng knew he had the Illusory Void Realm that he had advised Jiang Wang to choose Dao techniques when selecting the stakes.
Previously, when he had attempted to refine the three Dao techniques that Chongxuan Sheng had helped him find, the simulation had yielded no results. However, the Illusory Void Realm had displayed a prompt at the time—whether to submit the technique to the Dao Commentary Platform in exchange for corresponding contribution points.
Although Jiang Wang had been curious about the subsequent changes to the Dao Commentary Platform, since he did not own those three techniques, he had chosen not to submit them.
These two techniques won from Jiang Wuyong, however, were a different matter. Although it was now known that the Illusory Void Realm was not a exclusive domain and others could likely obtain submitted techniques by spending Merit on simulation, these two techniques were never his alone. Jiang Wuyong would certainly have copies as well.
Submitting Lower-Grade A Dao technique: Blazing Phoenix. Submitting Lower-Grade A Dao technique: Flame Meteor.
The Illusory Void Realm's prompts came one after another.
Dao Commentary Platform, Second Layer—unsealed.
Contribution points data now available.
The Merit consumed in advancing the Dao Commentary Platform is termed "Merit"; the Merit required for the Platform's progression is termed "Insight." The rewards from victories on the Sword Discussion Platform are called "Merit," while contributions and simulations on the Dao Commentary Platform yield "Insight."
Jiang Wang turned to look at the sundial projection, where text gradually materialized.
Blessed Land Thirtieth, Master of Lankeshan. Dugu Wudi.
Sword Discussion Platform: Seventh Grade (Heaven-reaching realm).
Promotion requirement: Ascending Dragon realm.
Merit: 5,300 points.
Dao Commentary Platform: Second Layer.
Insight: 400 points.
Promotion requirement: 10,000 Insight. (The Dao Commentary Platform of Lankeshan's Master is in a sealed state; 1,000 Insight to unseal. Unsealing incomplete.)
It had been a long time since he obtained the Illusory Void Realm, but it was only now, with Jiang Wuyong's "contribution," that he was able to unseal the second layer of the Dao Commentary Platform.
Merit is the merit of cultivation; Insight is the wisdom that guards the Dao.
The Dao Commentary Platform, after its progression, showed little change in appearance. It was still that green bamboo desk, still that jade book.
Only the bamboo had grown a deeper emerald, and the white jade a purer luster.
Under Jiang Wang's gaze, the jade book slowly opened.
"Purple Dawn Sword Canon, Four Spirits Body Tempering Method, the tracking Dao technique Pursuit of Thought, Dao technique Flame Flower, Dao technique Flame Meteor, Dao technique Blazing Phoenix..."
The techniques and methods he had simulated, along with those he had voluntarily submitted, turned past one by one. The jade book now had a second page.
Among these, the Purple Dawn Sword Canon, the Four Spirits Body Tempering Method, and Pursuit of Thought had all been strengthened through Merit spent at the Dao Commentary Platform. Although they were recorded by the Platform itself after simulation, the contribution points earned from them were naturally meager.
This Illusory Void Realm offered no detailed explanations. Jiang Wang had previously discussed it with Chongxuan Sheng, but Chongxuan Sheng himself only had a partial understanding of it. Unlike Jiang Wang, who had "inherited" his access from Zuo Guanglie, Chongxuan Sheng had been chosen by the Illusory Void Realm.
The only thing Chongxuan Sheng was certain of was that the Illusory Void Realm was not some kind of conspiracy—it was inevitably beneficial and harmless.
The reason was simple: an Illusory Void Realm with such a vast radius of influence could not be concealed by any single entity. It could not be hidden from the myriad powers, sects, and nations across the land.
In other words, although the existence of the Illusory Void Realm had not been publicly disclosed, it must have been tacitly acknowledged by all the nations and sects in the world.
From this, it could be inferred that the core principles of the Illusory Void Realm must follow fairness and neutrality.
But at the same time, because the Illusory Void Realm was so secretive, everything about it could only be figured out through one's own exploration.
At most, people like Jiang Wang and Chongxuan Sheng could know each other's identities within the Illusory Void Realm and exchange information privately.
Considering that it was only when he had simulated Binding Tiger that the Illusory Void Realm had shown the prompt to submit techniques, it was clear that the Dao Commentary Platform had very high standards for the techniques and methods it accepted.
To verify his theory, Jiang Wang sequentially submitted some basic techniques he had learned at the City Dao Academy—Flame Blade, Wind Edge, Golden Light Arrow, and similar methods.
The Insight displayed by the Dao Commentary Platform remained unchanged.
Jiang Wang then submitted the grafting technique he had created independently: Vine Serpent Binding Wall grafted with Flower of Devouring.
The Dao Commentary Platform increased by three points of Insight. It was still a very common technique, but because it contained modifications, there was a small reward—though the reward was barely worth mentioning.
"So, the techniques submitted to the Dao Commentary Platform are not only rewarded differently based on their power—their rarity also has a significant influence."
Jiang Wang fell into thought.
The Dao Commentary Platform could progress through contributions, which was clearly designed to encourage more cultivators to contribute their unique secret techniques.
In fact, during his battle with Jiang Wuyong, he had already made a conjecture. The Purple Dawn Sword Canon and Jiang Wuyong's swordsmanship shared an unmistakable common origin—surely someone had contributed the Imperial Qi royal swordsmanship to the Illusory Void Realm as well.
He just wondered whether the Illusory Void Realm might contain the Supreme Purple Brightness Central Heaven Canon.
That seemed unlikely.
Take Jiang Wang himself, for example. The three sword techniques he had created independently—he had not submitted them to the Dao Commentary Platform for simulation either.
The Illusory Void Realm's Dao Commentary Platform might be able to perfect a technique through the vast ocean of sword arts it contained, but "perfect" would not necessarily mean it was the best sword for Jiang Wang.
Everyone had their own path, and everyone had their own sword.
Whether it was the Sword of the Sun, Moon, and Stars or the Sword of Mountains, Rivers, and Streams, they were all forged and refined from Jiang Wang's own essence, energy, and spirit. All he needed to do was keep walking forward.
He had never considered submitting these three sword techniques to the Dao Commentary Platform in exchange for contribution points, hoping to unseal the platform sooner.
Perhaps only when he no longer needed these three techniques would he consider such a thing.
Because they were something truly and wholly his own—his strongest means at present.
Thanks to Zuo Guanglie's legacy, advancing the Dao Commentary Platform was now much easier for Jiang Wang, requiring only one-tenth of the Insight to unseal. And yet, even so, he had only just unsealed the second layer.
It was hard to imagine how many resources Zuo Guanglie had invested in the Illusory Void Realm. He had pushed the Dao Commentary Platform all the way to the nineteenth layer! That was an astronomical figure.
But when one considered Zuo Guanglie's techniques that had become legendary across the land—Flame Flower Burns the City, Prairie Fire, Solar Detonation—it all seemed to fall within reason.
Such a person, such a prodigy...
He had blazed across the sky like a daytime meteor, and the radiance he left behind continued to illuminate Jiang Wang to this day.