Sage of Humanity

Chapter 2101: Chapter 2099: Breaking Through the Limit

The four members of the squad were all refining Dao Bones, accumulating Dao force.

Although Lu Ye only obtained one piece, it took him longer than ever before, because the remaining Dao force in this Dao Bone was extremely abundant.

When Lu Ye finished refining, his own Dao force accumulation had reached two hundred and sixty-two!

In other words, the benefit he gained from that one piece of Dao Bone was over sixty threads of Dao force, which was unprecedented before.

Only he, possessing the Talent Tree, could gain so much benefit. If it were Du Qingsha refining it, getting twenty threads of Dao force would be her limit, and more than that would be wasted.

This is why Lu Ye’s Dao force kept increasing, while the others’ accumulation was far less efficient; sometimes, they could barely replenish it from the spoils of battle.

The other three were still refining Dao Bones, as Lu Ye opened his eyes, recalling the moment from several days ago...

Then he slowly stimulated five threads of Dao force to integrate into his Mana, silently feeling it.

The 5th Dao should have been his limit.

But now... Lu Ye vaguely felt as though he had broken through this limit, and if he wished, he could harness another thread of Dao force!

This was an unprecedented feeling, and it was also why he suddenly hesitated during the battle against the 5th Dao human cultivator a few days ago.

At that time, he had this sudden feeling, which caused him to make a small mistake.

After a moment of hesitation, Lu Ye couldn’t resist trying it out.

Then he was pleasantly surprised to find, indeed, he could do it.

The sixth thread of Dao force smoothly integrated into his Mana, and Lu Ye was stunned for a while, had he truly broken through his limit?

Before he could understand the reason, his expression changed. With the power he had just activated, his entire being suddenly underwent a massive transformation. His blood Qi circulation sped up sharply, his heartbeat became rapid and dense like drumbeats, when he looked at his raised hand, his skin turned red. His entire body from inside to out, suddenly felt an immense pressure, as if countless invisible long needles were traversing all over, threatening to tear him apart.

Lu Ye quickly withdrew the Dao force...

Dao force, when not activated in combat or in confrontation with an enemy’s attack, could be retracted without any loss, as in Lu Ye’s case just now where he only just tried it.

Everything returned to normal.

Frowning with confusion, Lu Ye pondered that the limit of a cultivator’s ability to harness Dao force was related to their foundation, and he hadn’t enhanced his foundation recently, so how could he suddenly surpass the 5th Dao limit?

Moreover... he recalled that a while back when his Dao force accumulation surpassed two hundred, he had felt a strange feeling. But no matter how he investigated it, he couldn’t find the source of this feeling.

Thinking back now, that strange feeling might have been a sign of breaking through his own limit, only he was unaware of it at the time, until he fought against that 5th Dao human and suddenly realized.

So, could it be that accumulating a certain amount of Dao force allows one to break through the limit?

It’s just that, because his own foundation hadn’t improved, managing the power of the 6th Dao still brought pressure.

No, if that were the case, why was Du Qingsha still at the 5th Dao? She’s been fighting in this battlefield for at least a hundred years, surely her accumulation of Dao force would be over two hundred.

He needed to get a clear answer.

A day later, Du Qingsha finished refining her spoils, slowly opened her eyes, and immediately heard Lu Ye’s audio transmission: "Captain, there’s something I want to ask you."

Du Qingsha turned her gaze over and also used transmission: "What is it?"

Lu Ye, feeling that Du Qingsha seemed to have become somewhat gentler, didn’t think much of it and asked his question: "Captain, how much Dao force have you accumulated now? Of course, if it’s inconvenient to say, you don’t have to."

Du Qingsha smiled and said, "There’s nothing inconvenient about it, my Dao force is just over a hundred."

Just over a hundred? Lu Ye was puzzled, how could it be just over a hundred? That was too little, even with consumption during battles, Du Qingsha shouldn’t have only that amount of Dao force.

As if she saw the doubt in his heart, Du Qingsha explained, "In recent years, I’ve been honing my second Dao Bone, so Dao force cannot be accumulated."

"Second Dao Bone?" Lu Ye became even more confused.

While he and Jiu Yan obtained a lot of information they had never encountered before at the Thunderbolt Battle Fortress, they hadn’t heard of this so-called second Dao Bone, and the intelligence provided by the Thunderbolt Battle Fortress didn’t include it either.

Du Qingsha said: "All 5th Dao cultivators are qualified to refine their second Dao Bone, whether they are stellar space cultivators or those monsters from the Star Abyss. You should also be qualified, and once successful, you can break through your limits. For example, if I succeed, I will change from the 5th Dao to the 6th Dao, greatly increasing my power!"

Lu Ye’s heart couldn’t help but stir: "How to refine?"

"It’s simple. When the accumulation of your own Dao force exceeds two hundred, gradually inject all Dao force into the second Dao Bone, fundamentally changing the essence of the second Dao Bone. If the Dao Bone withstands the impact of Dao force without breaking, then it is a success, otherwise it is a failure, and all Dao force will be consumed, requiring re-accumulation. In this process, the choice of Dao Bone is vital, and there is a corresponding cultivation technique to make the chosen Dao Bone more solid, able to withstand the impact of Dao force!"

Lu Ye was hearing this kind of talk for the first time, yet if the second Dao Bone was refined in this way, it could explain why someone like Du Qingsha, a powerful expert, has Dao force less than a hundred.

She must have failed before, with all previously accumulated Dao force turned to nothing.

However... he himself does not have a second Dao Bone, so why did his Dao force accumulation breakthrough past two hundred also achieve a breakthrough?

Moreover, he fundamentally does not have Dao Bones, as all Dao force is carried on the leaves of the Talent Tree, breaking the rule that non-Star Abyss beings cannot forge a Dao foundation to obtain Dao force.

But from another angle, what if the Talent Tree is his Dao Bone?

Others need to refine their second Dao Bone, while the Talent Tree does not need refining, which is why such a strange situation arises?

No matter the reason, this is undoubtedly good news for Lu Ye.

"Otherwise, how do you think those 6th and 7th Dao experts in this stellar space came into being?" Du Qingsha laughed.

"There are 7th Dao experts in this stellar space?" Lu Ye was utterly shocked.

"Chen Wulei, the fort master, is a 7th Dao expert. Don’t you know?" Du Qingsha curiously looked at Lu Ye. She previously thought Lu Ye had some connection with the fort master.

Lu Ye shook his head; he only knew the fort master was strong but had no idea he was a 7th Dao expert.

A 7th Dao expert needs to simultaneously control seven threads of Dao force; currently, managing six threads is already pressuring him greatly, seven threads...he might only be able to do so with further cultivation realm improvement.

"Breaking through to the 5th Dao allows one to oversee their domain; around this battlefield, every stronghold fortress is managed by at least a 6th Dao expert!" Du Qingsha’s eyes showed a look of desire. She has been striving for this goal for many years, but unfortunately, has not succeeded, consuming more than a thousand Dao force in the process.

Lu Ye recalled another question: "Captain, if a 6th Dao expert needs to refine their second Dao Bone, what about the 7th Dao one? Wouldn’t it be..."

Du Qingsha nodded: "You’re correct, a 7th Dao expert has a third Dao Bone as well. You know that the amount of Dao force handled is related to the cultivator’s underlying strength, but even at peak Divine Realm, one can only handle five threads of Dao force, thus requiring more Dao Bones to share the pressure. The second Dao Bone requires over two hundred accumulated Dao force for refining, and the third requires over four hundred. Further, there’s the fourth Dao Bone, fifth Dao Bone, corresponding respectively to six hundred, eight hundred... It’s said that after the 5th Dao, each progression in the power of Dao becomes exceptionally arduous, but upon success, one’s strength will soar rapidly. You and I should both strive for these goals and encourage each other in progress forward."

Lu Ye was fascinated as he mentally calculated, refining the fourth Dao Bone corresponds to an 8th Dao cultivator, and the fifth to a 9th Dao expert!

"Then what happens after breaking a thousand Dao force, if the Dao Bone refining succeeds, would it make one a 10th Dao expert?"

Du Qingsha laughed: "Unknown, no one in the entire stellar space knows. Perhaps such monsters exist in the Star Abyss, but the strongest here is just the 7th Dao."

"Over the years, has no one gone through that Star Abyss Gate to explore the situation in Star Abyss?"

Du Qingsha paused, then spoke: "The stellar space once bred an 8th Dao expert, the only one ever, who charged into the Star Abyss Gate fifty years ago and vanished without a trace thereafter."

It seems that beyond the Star Abyss Gate lies great peril indeed!

Lu Ye couldn’t help but think again of the Blood Ancestor, who came from the Star Abyss and shattered a supreme treasure like Mount Fangcun. Just how powerful is she? Could she be a 10th Dao expert?

Yet Lu Ye sensed things were not so simple because even if Blood Ancestor was a 10th Dao expert, controlling ten threads of Dao force, could a 10th Dao expert really shatter a supreme treasure, which is the condensation of Dao?

"Our understanding of the Star Abyss is still far too limited, even though we’ve been invaded for over three hundred years, the Star Abyss remains a huge mystery to us." Du Qingsha sighed and then brought out a jade slip, tossing it to Lu Ye: "Take this."

"What is this?" Lu Ye asked.

"Some cultivation techniques for Dao Bone, exchanged from the Hall of Battle Merits, no longer useful to me."

She had already cultivated what needed cultivating, leaving this jade slip of no further use.

Instead, it held some value for Lu Ye; if not for himself, Jiu Yan could use it, saving some battle merit. He immediately thanked and put it away.

In the time that followed, Du Qingsha imparted many details to him that need attention when refining Dao Bones. Over the years, she underwent five attempts to refine her second Dao Bone, all unsuccessful, yet accumulated much experience from this, and it’s her personal experience, far more accurate than hearsay.

Lu Ye listened attentively, secretly noting it all.