Free Web NovelChapter 383: Chapter 370: The People from Peak
Getting published in a Seven-star Level Pet Beast journal was no easy feat.
However, a joint recommendation from two academic titans saved him a lot of complicated steps.
Furthermore, the paper itself was certified by the Hall of the Great Dao, removing the final obstacle.
All Gu Ming had to do was submit the manuscript, and someone would come to collect it.
Gu Ming nodded without a second thought.
KNOCK KNOCK!
The very next second, a knock came from outside the office door.
"The people from *Peak* are here. Do you have the manuscript with you?"
Speak of the devil.
Gu Ming couldn’t help but suspect that the people from *Peak*’s editorial department had been waiting outside the whole time, ready to appear the moment he agreed.
Seeing how eager they were, it wasn’t hard to understand why.
After all, this was a top-tier paper that Elder Huo and Elder Chen had praised for paving a new path, one that started at the Seven-Colored level.
"Hehe, Teacher Gu, a pleasure. I am Chen Huashi from the *Peak* journal’s editorial department. Your teacher and Mr. Chen are old acquaintances of mine.
"I hear you have an Evolution Method paper? Might I have the honor of appraising it?"
The office door was opened by a Pet Beast.
The newcomer walked over cheerfully, draped in an antique-style silk Taoist robe. His hair was graying and he had age spots, but he was full of vigor.
Gu Ming didn’t see his Pet Beast, but he could tell from the man’s Spiritual Power that it was nearly identical to Elder Huo’s. This was another Eight-star Level master.
"I have it right here. This is it."
Gu Ming pulled the original manuscript for the Foundation Establishment Evolution Method from his Beast Taming Space.
The moment the manuscript appeared, a Seven-Colored Light rippled through the room.
The air, once filled with the fragrance of grass and trees, suddenly felt heavy.
Everyone in the room felt their breathing involuntarily grow labored.
Outside the door.
The teachers outside all snapped their heads around as if they were sharks that had smelled blood, their eyes wide.
Mr. Chen suddenly appeared. Just as Editor Chen stepped inside, he followed right behind and locked the door from the inside.
Mr. Chen shut the door with extreme speed, instantly cutting off the aura. The emanation of the Seven-Colored Light came to an abrupt halt, severed and contained within the office.
The teachers outside were startled and uncertain. Suspecting that a top-tier Taoist Text had just appeared, they began to discuss it amongst themselves.
Inside the door.
The editor from the *Peak* journal put on a pair of reading glasses and leaned in close to examine the manuscript.
After two seconds, he clicked his tongue and muttered to himself, "Strange, so strange. It really is a Holy Light above Seven-Colored."
Gu Ming had always thought of it as a Seven-Colored Holy Light paper. Hearing the editor’s words, he immediately looked up at his teacher.
Elder Huo nodded.
"It seems our observation wasn’t a delusion.
"This is the world’s first Evolution Method to be indexed by the Hall of the Great Dao. It opens up a completely new path of Evolution and is highly innovative. It’s only natural that it would be ranked above Seven-Colored."
Previously, Elder Huo and Elder Chen had sensed that the paper’s "weight" was heavier than that of a Seven-Colored Holy Light paper.
However, they hadn’t delved deeply into this area and didn’t dare to make a definitive judgment.
The editorial department had special instruments for observing the Dao. Having Editor Chen appraise it in person would reveal the truth.
"So what color-level is this Cultivation Technique, exactly?"
Editor Chen’s eyes were glued to Gu Ming’s Great Dao Gold Paper manuscript as he murmured:
"Nine-Colored... This is a Nine-Colored Holy Light! A supreme-tier paper!!
"There’s no doubt about it, this is a brand-new path of Evolution!
"When it comes to choosing a ’Path’ in the future, we now have one more option."
When Gu Ming heard it was Nine-Colored, he was stunned for a moment, subconsciously recalling Ma Tianba’s assessment.
’Could it be that Ma Tianba’s Star Level was too low to tell how many colors it was?’
Considering that the teachers before him were all Eight-star masters, it wasn’t impossible.
"Why not go to the Hall of the Great Dao and verify it directly?" Gu Ming asked in return.
"Hehe, everyone knows that the higher one’s Spiritual Power, the longer one can stay in the Hall of the Great Dao.
"But what the general public doesn’t know is that the more supreme a Taoist Text is, the more mentally taxing it is to view.
"Take me, for example. Just looking at a Seven-Colored paper would dry up my Sea of Consciousness in less than three seconds. One extra glance would damage the very foundation of my soul."
Editor Chen, with his full head of white hair and nearly a century of age, shook his head.
He couldn’t withstand such an ordeal.
With an artifact that could observe the Dao, there was no need to go verify it in the Hall of the Great Dao.
"If it were a Five-Colored or six-colored paper, that would be another matter. You could look for ten-odd seconds or a few seconds and retreat unscathed.
"When viewing a Seven-Colored paper, you have to time it perfectly. An extra second will cause you harm."
"You must understand, in the Hall of the Great Dao, even calling forth a Great Dao Scripture by name takes time.
"Every second spent inside is a huge drain. Under normal circumstances, there’s no time to read top-tier papers."
"And a paper like Gu Ming’s, which is suspected to be above Seven-Colored and paves a new path, is even more dangerous."
He believed that even an accidental glance would cause his Sea of Consciousness to explode and his soul to be extinguished.
In short, the Hall of the Great Dao was an extremely dangerous place.
It was true that there was an endless supply of knowledge to browse through there, but actually reading that knowledge was simply beyond human capability.
Gu Ming had a sudden realization. He had never entered the Hall of the Great Dao; he had only ever heard others talk about it.
"So the Hall of the Great Dao isn’t the private garden of High-star Beastmasters. I was mistaken," Gu Ming said apologetically.
Editor Chen waved his hand and said, "Perhaps it is meant for Divine Beasts, who have cultivated their Spiritual Power to the absolute peak, to enter and practice.
"No matter how well we humans practice Divine Cultivation, we can’t match the upper limits of a Pet Beast."
Afterward, Editor Chen asked Gu Ming to help turn the pages as he read through it, one by one.
As he read, he explained the situation regarding the Hall of the Great Dao to Gu Ming.
Gu Ming soon learned that to this day, even Beastmasters who had cultivated to the pinnacle of human potential were still unable to reside within the Hall of the Great Dao.
The current world record was 48 hours—two days—spent inside.
That person didn’t read or listen to anything. They sealed their five senses and sat there in quiet meditation.
And even then, they could only last for two days.
If one were to open their eyes to read, use their ears to listen to the Dao, and only choose the lowest-level Monochromatic Holy Light papers, the longest world record would be just one day.
The higher the grade of the Taoist Text one read, the shorter the time they could stay.
"Once a Beastmaster has made their ’Path’ choice, low-grade Taoist Texts are no longer suitable for reading.
"They are mixed with too much useless information. If you read too much, it becomes ’knowledge pollution,’ which in turn diminishes your cognitive abilities and cannot be removed."
Gu Ming was lost in thought.
"So is that why the *Peak* journal doesn’t accept low-color papers?" Gu Ming asked.
Editor Chen looked up with a smile but said nothing, glanced at Gu Ming, and then looked back down at the paper.
One must understand, this was the Foundation Establishment Evolution Method, a supreme-tier paper certified by the Nine-Colored Holy Light. Editor Chen simply had no time to look away at anyone else.
The fact that he took the time to look up at Gu Ming for even a moment made the answer self-evident.
However, Gu Ming was more concerned about another issue.
’Knowledge read in the Hall of the Great Dao actually can’t be removed.’
He turned to ask Elder Huo and Mr. Chen, and both gave him an affirmative answer.
"That’s right. Studying in the Hall of the Great Dao can indeed allow you to progress with incredible speed. It’s a shortcut many students take to turn their fortunes around."
"However, a shortcut is a shortcut because it’s unearned. You are directly reading the knowledge.
"On the level of the Great Dao, this knowledge is directly imprinted onto your Path.
"You must understand that you have not yet chosen your Path.
"Before you choose your Path, the more knowledge that is carved into your mind, the narrower the roads available to you in the future will be."
Gu Ming said, "So taking a shortcut is not advisable."
Elder Huo paused, then added, "However, if your development has stagnated, then the future doesn’t matter much anyway.
"In that case, it might be better to enter the Hall of the Great Dao more often, read widely, and open up new avenues. That might actually allow you to break through your bottleneck."
Gu Ming nodded. It seemed the Hall of the Great Dao wasn’t some terrifying monster after all. Rather, one had to selectively enter it to increase their "experience."
