Chapter 1606.1: Basic Formulas

“The most basic symbol of the Boundless Planes is the primitive trajectory.” Silent this entire time, Xing Chen suddenly spoke up. “Whether it be various combat arts, dao methods, or cultivation methods, all follow the primitive trajectory. Pill refinement, glyph etching, formation setup, and equipment refinement are all a result of primitive trajectories.

“Anyone of the Boundless Planes can see and use them when they reach Void World King, thereby coalescing combat arts.”

“Aren’t you supposed to have a brain full of muscles?” Lu Yun mumbled after hearing the astute analysis.

Xing Chen flicked a sideways glare at him, but otherwise ignored the impertinent young man.

“There’s also no need to be a Void World King sometimes. If one sets foot onto the path of soul force cultivation and their soul force reaches first level, they’re also able to see the primitive trajectories and refine pills and equipment.” Xing Lan quickly added her opinion when she saw her master speak up.

Supplemental dao in the fourth realm centered around soul force as its foundation. The most fundamental method that was the Three Thousand Soul Daos was meant to be a medium for supplemental dao. It’d been formed with the intent of combining all supplemental daos as one.

In spite of it all, however, it remained a method instead of a dao itself.

“In that case, we must not lack methods when we cultivate formula dao. As the Three Thousand Soul Daos is the basic method with which to cultivate soul force, it can be the same for formula dao. That detail does not need to change.” The others nodded in agreement.

That first level soul force could see and utilize primitive trajectories was an immensely important characteristic. At the same time, the term “primitive trajectories” was a catch-all referring to a variety of trajectories. They could be further subdivided into more categories; anything was a possibility.

“In that case, I will have to trouble the seniors to use formula dao and derive the existence of the primitive trajectories, incorporating them into formula dao,” Lu Yun requested. He wasn’t familiar with the method or primitive trajectories. His understanding was less than even Xing Lan’s.

“Please continue operating formula dao, fellow daoist,” the Formation Sovereign answered. Just as Lu Yun’s comprehension of primitive trajectories was insufficient, so were the others far behind him when it came to formula dao. They needed to complement each other.

Lu Yun nodded and projected formula dao once more. The formula dao that he, Qing Yu, and those of the world of immortals had derived together was just a beginning, a new concept.

It was the equivalent of a dragonling with the utmost potential to bear all supplemental dao on its back. But for now, it bore many flaws and insufficiencies.

The four sovereigns, Xing Chen, and Ah Zhi started supplementing formula dao with their own great dao, further perfecting what seemed to be a flawless great dao in Lu Yun’s eyes.

……

One hundred years quietly drifted by, as seamless as the snap of a finger. More people gathered on Divine Alchemist Mountain during this time. Apart from those present at the very beginning, Qing Yu was here as well.

As opposed to Lu Yun, Qing Yu was the one who’d truly invented formula dao and shaped it into a great dao. What Lu Yun pioneered in the beginning was simply a way to derive combat arts. Her presence smoothed the process of operating formula dao, and Yun Zhongzi came as well.

He was a bonafide supplemental grandmaster whose accomplishments and cultivation level exceed the Formation Sovereign’s. His addition to the group enabled them to discover faults that’d thus far remained undetected.

Various Nihil World Sovereigns of the Star Sect were also in attendance—Wu Mochou of Mochou Mountain, Xing Shenzuo of Shenzuo Mountain, Xing Feicui of Feicui Mountain, and others joined the derivation of formula dao.

Some of the genius disciples in the sect had also been summoned—Xing Lingkong, Xing Wuliang, Su He, and others. Just like Xing Lan, they became guinea pigs as soon as they set foot onto the mountain.

They were tested with each rendition of formula dao and taught this new great dao as well. The main purpose of manifesting formula dao now wasn’t to cultivate it, but to propagate it.

Once formula dao was perfected in the fourth realm, it would change in the world of immortals as well. Formula dao cultivators were affected by it at every second; the various supplemental daos of the world of immortals were already showing signs of melding with formula dao.

……

“This is as far as our abilities go,” the Formation Sovereign and Yun Zhongzi declared in unison, then smiled at each other

“That is enough. We are very few, after all, and a great dao needs to be tread by innumerable beings before it can be perfected with the collective strength of all,” Yun Zhongzi tutted with amazement; formula dao had formed a perfect circulation in his body. He would be able to analyze anything in front of him with the slightest exertion, and his strength was at least thirty times greater than before.

For powerhouses at his level, every hint of improvement was hard fought and the effort of hundreds of millions of years. A thirty percent increase in one hundred years was unheard of!

“Formula dao has already incorporated the Three Thousand Soul Daos. The latter was originally just a method to cultivate soul force, but we can now use it to commence some simple deductions since it’s become part of formula dao,” Yun Zhongzi suddenly mentioned. His cultivation was the highest level among all those present; he outstripped even Ah Zhi.

As a character from the original Hongmeng, he’d long set foot into sequence. He’d severed his cultivation to cultivate order anew with the dawn of the new epoch and hadn’t activated sequence yet, but his cultivation level remained what it was before.

When he derived formula dao, he’d also focused on combining it with the Three Thousand Soul Daos so that the latter could transform into another method. It would become the fundamental method of formula dao.

“I’ve named it the ‘Totality Method’,” Yun Zhongzi hummed with thought. “Fellow daoists, though Totality is a basic method, it is capable of shifting into many forms and the possibilities are endless. As such, it’s more meaningful than the Three Thousand Soul Daos.”

Since he was a premier supplemental grandmaster, he’d participated in the formation of the Three Thousand Soul Daos during the original Hongmeng era. The goal back then was already to propagate it as a great dao so it could support supplemental dao.

They’d failed.

He’d inherited the fruits of that labor and seamlessly connected it to formula dao, transforming it into the Totality Method of formula dao.

Credit didn’t go to him alone; this was the summation of conclusions from the previous epoch, ones that incorporated results from even earlier.

With the appearance of the Totality Method, all of the Nihil World Sovereigns smiled at each other. The new method contained their efforts as well. It was one that surpassed the Three Thousand Soul Daos—not as an advanced version, but a completely new version.

“The seventy-two basic formulas of pill methods are complete,” the Alchemist Sovereign announced with a smile. “Their interaction and reinforcement with each other makes it possible to derive all thirty-eight million pill recipes and sixty-one million refinement methods in the known and unknown expanses.”

When he utilized the seventy-two basic formulas, the sovereign discovered with great surprise that Lu Yun had easily derived the recipe for the Principal Seventh Rank Pill. Since this was just the result of using the basic formulas, more awaited discovery with more advanced formulas. Just as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division were the basic operations of mathematics, so were there more advanced operations that existed.

One hundred years wasn’t enough for the Alchemist Sovereign to determine more advanced formulas, but everything was possible given enough time.

“The one hundred and eight basic formulas of formation dao can derive eighty-some million variations of formations and feng shui.”

“The thirty-six basic formulas of talisman dao can derive thirty-six million glyphs and forty-some million talismans.”

“The seventy-two basic formulas of treasure dao can derive sixty-three million kinds of treasures.”

With help from the assembled Nihil World Sovereigns, the four great sovereigns were able to determine all of the basic formulas of their dao and furthermore ascertain the refinement methods of all sorts of formations, pills, treasures, and talismans.

These results were also a function of the four sovereigns being absolute powerhouses in the fourth realm. They’d only needed some basic formulas to delve into their craft.