Chapter 44: -44- Last opportunity

Chapter 44: -44- Last opportunity "You've reached a stage that most Jindan rank 4 Adepts never even dream of," the old man said, his voice tinged with admiration. "To reach the Dao Domain is something even Sages strive for, often unsuccessfully. And yet, you've achieved it without even realizing what you were doing."

Silas's heart beat faster. Since he had the Divine Bloodline System in this life, he had always aimed high, but the old man's words confirmed that he was now walking a path that few could follow.

"So... I'm ahead of most cultivators at my level?" he asked, still processing the gravity of his breakthrough.

The small child laughed, crossing his arms. "Ahead? You're leagues beyond them! Most cultivators spend their entire lives just trying to touch the True Meaning of the Dao, let alone a Dao Domain. You've surpassed them all, Silas. Heh... you're practically a monster."

The old man stepped closer, his tone soft but serious. "The Dao Domain is a natural extension of who you've become. You no longer wield the Dao like a weapon. It is now a part of you—an inseparable piece of your soul."

The small child smirked, unable to contain his excitement. "I can't wait to see what you do next. Reaching the Dao Domain is incredible, but there's still more to come."

Silas raised an eyebrow. "What's next? A Dao Path?" Silas knew that the Dao Domain wasn't the end, but he wasn't sure what came after it.

The old man nodded. "Yes. Beyond the Dao Domain lies the final stage—the Dao Path. At that point, you will have fully mastered an entire Lesser Dao, not just a fragment or aspect of it. For the Dao of Crumbling, this means you will understand every nuance, every facet of decay and destruction, and wield it with absolute precision."

Silas let out a slow breath, feeling the weight of the path ahead. He had reached the Dao Domain, but now he understood that it was just another step—an important one, but still only part of the journey.

The old man could see the questions forming in Silas's mind, and with a sigh, he continued. "I suppose it's time you understood the broader structure of cultivation and the levels of insight that come with it." seaʀᴄh thё NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Let me explain," the old man said. "The journey of cultivation can be broken into stages, and each level of insight typically aligns with a different stage of cultivation."

He began to pace slowly as he spoke.

"The first level is Foundation. At this level, most cultivators are in the Mortal stage."

"The second level is Mastery. By this stage, most cultivators have progressed to the Transcendent level."

"Next is Cosmic Resonance. Those at the Revolving Core stage typically reach this level of insight."

The old man's tone grew more serious as he continued. "Then comes the fourth level, the True Meaning of the Dao. By this stage, most have reached the Revolving Core rank 3 Disciple or even Golden Core rank 4 Adept stage. This is also the stage of both Touching and Minor Completion of a Lesser Dao."

"And finally," the old man said, stopping in front of Silas, "there is the Dao Domain. This is the level you've just achieved. It's rare for a cultivator below the Golden Core rank 4 Adept stage to reach this level, and even more uncommon for anyone not at the Sage level. This is the stage that is usually achieved in the later part of Minor Completion of a Lesser Dao."

The small child, still standing off to the side, grinned. "You've hit a milestone that most people take centuries to reach, Silas. And beyond that, there's only the Dao Path. This is the level you must reach to become a True Immortal, and is when you reach Perfection of a Lesser Dao."

Silas absorbed the information, his understanding of the journey now much clearer. Each level was usually tied to specific stages of cultivation, and he had reached a realm that placed him far beyond the average cultivator.

"You've come far," the old man concluded, "but the path ahead is still long. The Dao Path is your next goal, and once you master it, only then will you have complete control over your Dao."

Silas took a deep breath, ready for whatever came next.

He had reached a new height, one that few would ever experience, but the road ahead was clear. There was still much to learn, much to master. But for the first time, he felt like he truly understood his place in the vast world of cultivation.

"You train in the scythe and have reached the level of comprehending a Dao Domain. Generally speaking, your Domain will just be referred to as a scythe domain." The old man said. "Just based on you having a Dao Domain, there will be countless major clans, sects, and schools who will wish to draw you into their fold.

'Scythe Domain," silas nodded his head. He liked the sound of that. He was a grim reaper king, and a grim reaper king was a user of the scythe. To him, now, knowing what he had just learned, having a scythe domain was a bare minimum requirement.

"Since I have comprehended a Dao Domain in the Dao of Crumbling, I'll call my scythe domain the 'Crumbling Scythe Domain.'"

The old man and the small child nodded their heads, "ha... yes very good. Very, very good." the small child said with a laugh.

With a final nod of respect to the old man and the small child, Silas closed his eyes, feeling the hum of the Dao within him, ready for whatever lay ahead.

'Now that I've comprehended a Dao Domain in my Lesser Dao of Crumbling I need to do it in my Lesser Dao of Rot and Cleaving as well,' Silas thought. He knew that comparatively, his Lesser Dao of Cleaving was farther away from reaching the Dao Domain level, so now he had to decide which he wanted to focus on... would he try to reach the Dao Domain level in his Lesser Dao of Rot, or would he try to catch up his Lesser Dao of Cleaving?

After thinking it over for a little while, Silas finally made his decision, 'For now I think I'll try to catch up my Lesser Dao of Cleaving... I think it's best for all my Daos to be somewhat equal.'

After making this decision, he gave one final look at his status.

Name: Silas Armstrong

Race: Grim Reaper King (Divine Beast)

Innate Talent: Grim Reaper's Eye

Qi Cultivation: Late Transcendent

Body Cultivation: Early Revolving Core

[Path of Destruction: Lesser Dao of Crumbling (Minor Completion(Dao Domain))]

[Path of Death: Lesser Dao of Rot (Minor Completion)]

[Path of the Scythe: Lesser Dao of Cleaving (Minor Completion)]

After looking at his status, he sighed.

'If only Kai could have gotten some guidance as well...' He didn't know if Kai would have had the necessary accumulations to have the final insight to push him to comprehend a Dao Domain in one of his Lesser Daos, but he surely would have made progress.

For now though, Kai would just have to get used to being the weaker of the two...

But he quickly put that out of his mind. It was Kai's own fault and there was nothing he could do to change what had happened, so he opened his eyes and began to focus on the wall in front of him and the large gash that was made by the old man's Lesser Dao of Cleaving.

***

Hours passed, and Silas felt he had made considerable progress in his Lesser Dao of Cleaving. Though he had not yet reached the level of gaining a Dao Domain, he had managed to narrow the gap between it and his Lesser Dao of Rot.

He knew that to push further, he needed to venture out into the world, to temper himself through trials and accumulate real-world experiences. Only by braving dangerous encounters and honing his skills in life-and-death situations could he gain the necessary insights to make further breakthroughs.

Silas soon opened his eyes and stood up.

"Senior?" he said, hoping to grab the old man's attention.

"Yes?" the old spirit said as he appeared before him.

"For now, I'm done with my meditation so you can allow Kai to join us once again if you would like," Silas said. Kai had still been separated from Silas for the last few hours to ensure he gained nothing from the teachings of the old spirit. While he hadn't given Silas any further explanations or examples, the wall he had sent his three attacks at had stayed for Silas to meditate on.

"Very well..." the old man said as he no longer separated Kai from this world and at the same time caused the large wall to disappear.

"I'm back?" Kai asked, confused at first.

"Yes, it seems your big brother is ready to move on but you can still do as you please..." the small child said.

Kai then looked to Silas to see what he had planned.

"Seniors, please give me guidance... before you said that I had less than a 10% chance to beat the 2nd level, but now I have comprehended a Dao Domain, so what are my chances now?" Silas asked.

"A Dao Domain?" Kai jumped into the conversation. "What's a Dao Domain?"

"There's no reason for you to know of it for now, so please be silent and go back to your meditation," the old man said.

"Boss, what is it?" Kai quickly sent Silas. He had always been the stronger of the two, but now for the first time in his life, he felt like he was getting left behind.

"I'll explain it later, just listen to the old spirit so you don't aggravate him any more," Silas sent back.

"Hmph," Kai quickly harrumphed to Silas but closed his eyes and went back to his meditations as the old man had suggested. He had clearly missed out on something major and he didn't want it to happen again.

"I'd say now with your current insights you have roughly a 50% chance in passing... so would you like to make the challenge? This is your last opportunity in the Transcendent stage." the old man said.