Long Chen’s words were completely different from what they had always been taught. Although they were somewhat against classical conventions, they contained philosophical theories that opened a new world to them.

All of this was based on his own experiences. He had come to understand them through his own circumstances, and he was sharing them without hesitation.

Even some of the old Elders were nodding inside. Although Long Chen was still young, he had managed to create a whole new path and understood so many principles.

Thinking about Long Chen’s special course in life, they knew that his current accomplishments were not the result of happenstance. Long Chen truly had the ability to reach his current height.

Furthermore, to be able to share these understandings with people without hesitation required courage that few people possessed.

So even those Elders that had felt his words to be wrong in the beginning were starting to have their opinions subtly shift.

“Long Chen, senior apprentice-brother, what is the Dao?” asked the next disciple.

Hearing this question, Long Chen chortled.

“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, is this question of mine really laughable?” asked the bewildered disciple.

“No, no. This question of yours just makes me think of a funny thing from the past,” said Long Chen.

“What funny thing? Can you tell us?” That young maiden that had kissed Long Chen shouted from the crowd.

“Yes, we want to know too. We’re very curious about everything about you!” More maidens spoke up, emboldened by the first.

Long Chen smiled. After hesitating, he told the story from when he was in the Eastern Wasteland. In the Immortal Intoxication Pavilion, he, Mo Nian, Zi Yan, Yu Tong, and others had discussed what was the King Dao, what was the Hegemon Dao, and what was the Humane Dao.

Long Chen told them his answers to these questions, and countless disciples held their sides from laughing so hard.

“What is the King Dao?”

“To directly smash pompous people.”

“What is the Hegemon Dao?”

“To smash those who aren’t pompous together with them.”

“What is the Humane Dao?”

“To give a warning before you smash them.”

The disciples and even the Elders laughed at this exchange. They hadn’t expected that this figure that could strike fear in the hearts of both the Righteous path and the Corrupt path, this existence that gave Pill Valley, the ancient races, and the Xuan Beasts a giant headache, also had such a funny side.

However, while everyone else was laughing, Long Chen didn’t. Instead, he seemed a bit sad.

“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, rumor is that you and fairy Zi Yan seemed to have… a relationship. Why have the two of you ended up in your current state?” asked a woman curiously.

As soon as she said this, she felt countless glares from others. This question was clearly inappropriate.

Long Chen and Zi Yan were both peerless figures. They had met all the way back in the Eastern Wasteland. Then they had run into each other by chance in the Grand Xia Ancient Nation. One was an unrivaled hero, and the other was a nation-toppling beauty. Rumors had long since started about the relationship between the two of them.

However, in the Dragon Slaughtering Convention, the two of them had ended up fighting. Although Long Chen had defeated Zi Yan, he hadn’t killed her but had said heart-breaking words at the end. Everyone could see that the two of them had true feelings for each other.

Nevertheless, Long Chen had slain Shen Bijun and had caused chaos for the Illusive Music Immortal Palace. As for Zi Yan, she was heir to the Illusive Music Immortal Palace. How could the two of them end up together?

That woman had definitely thought of all that, causing her to ask Long Chen this question. However, this question was clearly picking at one of Long Chen’s scabs.

“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” The woman immediately apologized.

Long Chen forced a smile. “It’s fine. Zi Yan and I might be enemies, but she is someone I respect. Even if I were to die to her hands one day, I would not hate her. There might be no way around the future, but all I want is to have a clear conscience in the end.”

Although that was what Long Chen said, he felt a sour emotion in his heart. He might not be afraid of an army of thousands, of mountains of corpses, of seas of blood, but this towering mountain known as romantic relationships possessed a heavy pressure.

Perhaps fate was just playing with them, making both Long Chen and Zi Yan feel helpless. He had never believed in fate, but Zi Yan did. It was troublesome.

Countless people felt sorrow for Long Chen. They also sympathized with him. It seemed that no matter how strong someone was, there were always things they couldn’t do anything about.

“Let’s get back to the previous question, what is the Dao. Many people explain the Dao to be something ephemeral and imperceptible. In truth, they have no idea what the Dao is, so they explain it in such a way to cover up their own lack of knowledge.

“The Dao. The simplest explanation I can give is the principle that all things in the universe are connected. There is a natural cycle to the world, while the Dao in itself is not something that exists on its own. Look up at the stars in the sky. They are connected but apart. In order to see the world more clearly, it was necessary to give a name to the things that they could not explain with words. That name was the Dao.

“As for our Martial Dao, it is just one path amongst the endless Daos. So the Dao can also be explained as a path. The so-called three thousand Major Daos and one hundred thousand Minor Daos that we have are just our own cultivation paths. They are not the universe’s Daos. Compared to the universe, those Daos are but a speck of dust.

“The Martial Dao refers to a path to reach the peak of martial power. When you stand at the peak, you can become a god or immortal.

“If you were to liken cultivation to a mountain, then each person’s cultivation Dao is a path up the mountain. Each path leads to the peak of the mountain, which is why I said that there is no such differentiation between a Major Dao and a Minor Dao.

“The most important thing is to pick a path that is suited to you. The large path of the Major Dao is straight and well-trod, and the quickest way to the peak. But because it is straight, it is dull and boring. The mist makes it so you can’t see the peak of the mountain, so people get lost in its flatness. The small path of the Minor Dao is rugged and winding, filled with dangers. It looks like it spirals, but the difficulties temper a person’s will.

“A Major Dao is good, a Minor Dao is fine. Either way, success means ascension. It’s just that each person experiences different things. If you choose the winding path, you’ll see more scenery and experience more things. Once you succeed in reaching the peak, your realm will definitely be higher than others that trod the straight path.

“After picking a path, you must be unwavering. You must be determined to reach the end of your path. This determination is called the Dao-heart.

“The Dao-heart cannot be rattled. Perhaps you see someone walking a large, unhindered path with no dangers, so you want to walk it. Perhaps you see someone experiencing countless amazing things that no one else can experience on the small path, so you follow them onto the small path. In your hesitation, you lose sight of your original goal and direction. That is taboo for the Martial Dao.

“Alright, today’s lecture can end here. Right now, I’m not feeling completely like myself. Let’s discuss the Dao on another day.”

Everyone couldn’t help being disappointed, but seeing his current expression, they knew that Long Chen’s mental state was a bit chaotic now. That was clearly because of bringing up Zi Yan. He couldn’t completely forget her.

“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, how about you show us some of your skill before leaving?” Before Long Chen could leave, Xin Li hastily ran over.

In truth, everyone saw that Long Chen’s mind was a bit absent now. Hence, Xin Li was trying to distract Long Chen from his thoughts and make him feel better.

After all, his detailed and generous explanation of the Dao had opened a whole new world for people. They didn’t want to see him like this.

Battle was definitely the best way of distracting him. During battle, a person had to be totally focused and forget everything else.

However, no one here would dare to fight against him, so they could only ask him to show some skill to open everyone’s eyes to the world.

“Alright. Xin Li, you’re a sword cultivator. Since my brother Zifeng is also a sword cultivator, I will embarrass myself by imitating Zifeng’s Sword Dao for you.” Long Chen smiled.

Hearing that, Xin Li was delighted. He immediately handed his own precious sword to him.

It was a quasi divine item. It went without saying that the Central Xuan Region’s experts were different. They were rich.

Long Chen received the sword and held the hilt with his left hand. His robes and hair began to move as if there was a breeze, but there was no wind. A sharp aura rose that made everyone jump in fright.

Long Chen’s aura wasn’t fluctuating at all. He hadn’t used his spiritual yuan, but his sharp aura continued to rise. People felt like needles were stabbing their skin, and they involuntarily retreated.

RUMBLE!

Heaven and earth shuddered as the sharp aura reached a certain level. It was as if the world could not bear this and would explode.

“How is this possible?! He’s not even using spiritual yuan!”

“Not only is he not using spiritual yuan, but he’s also not using Heavenly Dao energy or even Spiritual Strength. Just what kind of energy is this?!”

“This is… the might of the Sword Dao. It’s actually able to suppress the Heavenly Daos.” Xin Li gulped.

“Zifeng’s Heavenly Dao energy from back in the day was erased by sect leader Ling Yunzi. The sect leader once said that the Sword Dao is situated outside the Heavenly Daos, so using the Heavenly Daos to use the Sword Dao is inherently wrong. I am not a sword cultivator, but I am simply using my mind to imitate Zifeng’s sword intent and merge it with my sword. Although this imitation is about eighty percent accurate, its actual power is a far cry below it. When Zifeng’s sword intent appears, not even the Heavenly Daos can block it. As for me, the Heavenly Daos are clearly rejecting me, so I need to use the Sword Dao to suppress the Heavenly Daos. That already puts me at a disadvantage. However, I’m used to being enemies with the Heavenly Daos. Look closely. The true Sword Dao is different from what you’ve been using.”

Long Chen suddenly unsheathed the sword. A dragon’s cry rang out, and a dazzling sword-light pierced through the clouds. He slashed his sword at the martial stage.