Student.

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After walking for about thirty minutes, Ying Yue saw the cave her master had mentioned. Feeling the Spiritual Veins, which were so abundant with Qi essence, she couldn't help but compare it to the miniature universe created by her highest cultivator variant.

Rowena, a 114th-circle mage who had become a world hopper, had died at the hands of her master's variants of Dao Ancestors. She was later resurrected and became the Mother of All Things Mei Lin. Ying Yue was suddenly in awe, realizing that this cave possessed Qi of a quality that was already half a step above her master's Dao Ancestors' own miniature universe at that time and several levels higher than Rowena's own miniature universe.

Realizing that this seemingly random cave in the wilderness could rival the grandeur of the one they created—despite this cave likely being considered trash on the grand scale of this world—Ying Yue was left gobsmacked and tongue-tied. Feeling like a country bumpkin, she looked at her master, who also had twitching eyebrows. Giggling, she tapped his chest twice and said, "There, there, my honey master. We don't need to be sad. Wealth is just a matter of perspective."

Seeing his unsettling expression, possibly because the miniature universe was something her master had carefully nurtured over many great cosmic cycles, Ying Yue continued to giggle, enjoying her master's tongue-tied reaction. Dragging her master inside, knowing that such eye-opening phenomena would likely become more common, Ying Yue and her master then arrived in front of the cave. Feeling the overflowing Qi in the air, which could now be clearly felt at the mouth of the cave, she went inside with her master to see the Spiritual Veins.

Passing many spirit plants, mostly consisting of colorful ferns, vines, and fungi, Ying Yue finally spotted the Veins at the bottom of a river of blue Qi. The river itself then floated up into the ceiling of the cave, forming a waterfall that cascaded into the ponds beneath it. Releasing her hands from her master, she bent down to taste the flowing rivers and ponds. Cupping her hand to scoop some of the water, she drank it and instantly felt energized.

However, realizing that the Qi only spread throughout her body to perform a cycle before dissipating through her pores because there was nothing to enhance, Ying Yue sighed, knowing this was likely a veil placed by the Dao in this world. Aware that the Qi essence in this world served only as an auxiliary for Body Transformation cultivation, she decided she needed to create the technique first before they could begin cultivating.

Gazing deeply at the Spiritual Veins at the bottom of the blue sky rivers, which took the shape of tree roots intertwined to create a Taiji symbol, Ying Yue felt entranced by the arrangement pattern. Shaking her head to free herself from the state of enlightenment, she finally understood what made this Dao world different from many others.

In this world, enlightenment is abundant and accessible in every corner, unlike her previous world, where comprehension was a precious commodity that had to be sought after. Here, even in a random cave, one can find enlightenment without needing to work hard for it. However, the drawback is that the veils imposed by the Dao are so thick that they can induce despair, making it difficult to accomplish what was once possible. It feels as though one is trying to see the vast heavens through the tiny eye of a needle, obscured by mist and pivoted by straws, making it extremely challenging to achieve and contemplate.

Turning toward her master, who was struggling to breathe—probably due to the eye-opening phenomenon that left anyone feeling despair and hopeless—Ying Yue stood up, kissed him, and hugged him in serene silence, trying to encourage him to persevere despite the difficult circumstances. After a long time had passed, she tapped his back rhythmically, then broke the hug and said, "Master, Ying Yue will go out for a while to search for plants that can open up our acupuncture points. So you must keep your spirits up, okay?"

Seeing her master nodding silently, walking in front of the ponds, and sitting down to meditate on the Taiji symbol, Ying Yue cheered him silently in her heart, admiring his determination to tackle this daunting despairing challenge. She then quietly left the cave, not wanting to disturb her master's contemplation.

Although the symbol contained much knowledge and many laws that could offer hints on cultivating Spirit Awakening or Essence Gathering, understanding even basic concepts, such as a new set of numbers beyond the usual one-two-three, required hard work and full concentration. Just thinking about it gave Ying Yue a headache due to its mentally strenuous nature. Because of that, it was better for her to stick to mainstream practices and occasionally dabble in various things, as it was much easier and more enjoyable than focusing on something that made her head feel like it might explode just from thinking about it.

Arriving at certain trees and seeing the strange-looking fruits with blue and yellow colors, Ying Yue nodded, recognizing them as suitable immortal fruits for their first acupuncture opening. This opening would later allow them to temper their skin and achieve the first stage of Body Transformation before progressing through the seven other stages needed to ascend to the next heavens. Taking a stone from the ground and drawing on the experience of one of her archers variants, who had 100% accuracy, Ying Yue threw it with precise trajectory to avoid damaging the flesh of the fruits.

But once again, an eye-opening phenomenon occurred. Ying Yue saw the stone sail past the tree, realizing that her throw had missed the fruit entirely. Tongue-tied and feeling as though she had reverted to being an amateur with no experience, she was suddenly overcome with despair. It seemed the veil imposed by the Dao was not only affecting cultivation techniques but all aspects of life.

She now understood that it was their specific Dao that prevented them from being just normal mortals without abilities. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Ying Yue began practicing her stone-throwing to avoid damaging the fruits. Thus, she found herself once again as a student of the Dao. Just as her master studied new kinds of mathematics, she was now focused on mastering new athletic skills.

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