Chapter 220 - 219: Dao Fishing

The next morning arrived quietly, and Lin Yuan stepped out of the master suite, leaving Bai Qingyue resting peacefully inside. He intended to head to the grand kitchens and personally brew a pot of lotus tea for her, but before he could get far, he heard the footsteps of someone approaching from down the corridor.

The footsteps were steady and unhurried, yet they carried a faint sense of urgency. Lin Yuan slowed his pace and looked toward the end of the corridor.

A moment later, Lord Zhao Shenming rounded the corner. He was dressed in formal dark-blue martial robes, his hair neatly tied behind his head. A thick wooden rod rested casually across his shoulder, while a glowing scripture scroll covered in intricate seals hung from his other hand.

"Lord Zhao," Lin Yuan called out smoothly, coming to a stop. "You seem to be heading somewhere rather urgently."

Lord Zhao stopped, turning to face his General with a weary but polite smile. "Ah, Daoist Lin. I was just heading out to participate in the yearly Dao Fishing gathering. It is a tradition I rarely miss, especially when the Central Continent opens the—"

Lord Zhao’s voice abruptly died in his throat.

The wooden rod slipped from his shoulder, clattering loudly against the floorboards.

Lord Zhao’s eyes widened, his pupils contracting into something of absolute shock. He stared at Lin Yuan, his Divine Sense instinctively flaring as it brushed against the aura of the black-robed cultivator standing only a few paces away.

The Unshaken Stage?! Lord Zhao’s mind screamed, his spiritual sea violently churning with disbelief. How is this possible?!

Not long ago, Lin Yuan had been at the Early Stage. He had possessed terrifying foundations, yes, but his Dao Resolve had been entirely unformed. Yet now, the aura radiating from Lin Yuan was impossibly dense, anchored by a conceptual weight that felt as immovable as a primordial mountain.

Lord Zhao himself, an expert who had cultivated for over six hundred years, sat at the Resolute Stage—the Fourth Step of Spirit Severing. It had taken him years of blood, warfare, and meditation to reach that plateau.

And overnight, Lin Yuan had effortlessly stepped over him. Lin Yuan was at the Unshaken Stage, the Fifth Step.

The hierarchy of the Zhao Province had just been rewritten. Lord Zhao was no longer the strongest cultivator in his own domain. If Lin Yuan so wished, with a single wave of his hand, he could shatter the entire political structure of the Zhao Province and claim the throne for himself.

Lord Zhao swallowed hard, forcefully suppressing the spike of terror in his chest. He quickly arranged his features, bending down to retrieve his dropped rod, letting out a breathless, self-deprecating chuckle.

"Forgive an old man his clumsiness," Lord Zhao said, referring to himself as an old man despite his youthful appearance. His voice trembled slightly before he forced it steady. "You are truly something else, Daoist Lin. Even the Heavens themselves must weep when they attempt to measure the depth of your foundation. I... I see you have made a profound breakthrough overnight."

"The Dao provides when the heart is fulfilled," Lin Yuan replied calmly, his deep purple eyes entirely unreadable. He did not boast, nor did he apologize for his sudden, overwhelming supremacy. "You mentioned Dao Fishing? I must admit, I am unfamiliar with the term. What manner of fish resides in the Great Dao?"

Lord Zhao took a deep breath, anchoring his own Resolute Dao Heart against the sheer intimidation of Lin Yuan’s presence.

"It is not a fish of flesh and bone, Daoist Lin," Lord Zhao explained, gesturing with the scripture scroll in his hand. "The Dao Fishing gathering is a yearly, highly exclusive event across the Central Continent. During this month, Emperor Tianxu allows passage into the Exotic Realm—a specific, sealed pocket dimension situated on the very edge of the void."

"An Exotic Realm," Lin Yuan mused. "Similar to the Void Ascension Battlefield?"

"Similar in construction, but entirely different in nature," Lord Zhao continued, stepping closer. "In this realm, there is a cosmic anomaly. A waterfall with neither origin nor end pours continuously from the starry heavens into a vast, great sea. Only the Lords of the recognized provinces are permitted to enter this space. We do so using the Exotic Seal inscribed upon this scripture scroll."

Lord Zhao held up the glowing scroll. The runes upon it pulsed with a heavy weight.

"This Exotic Seal can only be created by a Void Refinement cultivator," Lord Zhao elaborated, his tone turning reverent. "Because only a Void Refinement expert has truly mastered the spatial laws of the void, they alone possess the conceptual might to tear a stable, temporary doorway into realms like this. Emperor Tianxu creates these seals personally. I was granted my seal yesterday during the administrative assembly. Once I activate it, the seal burns up entirely."

"And the purpose of entering this realm to fish?" Lin Yuan asked, genuinely intrigued.

"The Exotic Realm is unfathomably large," Lord Zhao said, his eyes adopting a distant, nostalgic glaze. "Once a cultivator enters, the spatial displacement is so vast that you will likely never see another soul around you. It leaves only you, the infinite waterfall, and the great sea. But time in the Exotic Realm is incredibly strange, incredibly aggressive. Because of my cultivation at the Resolute Stage, I cannot physically remain there for more than ten minutes. The spatial pressure would cause my soul to collapse."

"Ten minutes," Lin Yuan calculated. "And how does that translate to the mortal plane?"

"Ten minutes inside the Exotic Realm is equivalent to a single, full day in the outside world," Lord Zhao confirmed. "Only those at the Void Refinement realm can withstand the pressure to stay longer. But within those ten minutes, we cast our lines into the great sea."

Lord Zhao looked down at his wooden rod.

"We do not use bait. To catch a fish in the Exotic Realm is a matter left entirely up to one’s fortune and karma. It is not an act of skill, but an act of destiny. Many decades ago, I cast my line and managed to catch a fish. When pulled from the water, the fish dissolved, granting me the Dream Dao Essence."

Lord Zhao sighed heavily. "Since that year, I have not caught a single thing. But I go every year, because many cultivators prefer Dao Fishing to manually comprehending a Dao. Once you catch a fish and it grants you a Dao Essence, you automatically comprehend that specific Dao to a significant level of success. It spares a cultivator centuries of meditation, trial, and error."

Lin Yuan’s interest was entirely piqued. A realm where one could fish for absolute comprehension?

"Can anyone enter, provided they possess a seal?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Yes," Lord Zhao nodded. "Anyone can enter the Exotic Realm, as long as they hold an Exotic Seal, or if they are physically touching the body of someone who is actively utilizing a seal. The teleportation field extends to the immediate physical contact. However, the rule remains: no one below the Void Refinement realm can stay for more than ten minutes, lest their soul shatters under the weight of the void."

"I see," Lin Yuan said smoothly. "If it is permitted, I would like to accompany you, Lord Zhao. And I would like to bring my wife, Bai Qingyue."

Lord Zhao did not hesitate, though he looked slightly surprised. "You are more than welcome to follow me, Daoist Lin. Both of you. It would be an honor. What of Bai Chen? should he not try his fortune as well?"

"Chen’er is currently occupied with preparations for the upcoming preliminary round," Lin Yuan replied. "He isn’t available at the moment."

"Very well," Lord Zhao bowed slightly. "I shall wait for you and your wife in the courtyard."

Ten minutes later, the three of them stood in the center of the private eastern courtyard.

Bai Qingyue sat in her wheelchair, wrapped in a thick fox shawl against the morning chill. Her eyes were bright with curiosity as she looked at the glowing scripture scroll in Lord Zhao’s hands.

"Place your hands upon my shoulder," Lord Zhao instructed.

Lin Yuan stepped forward, resting his right hand firmly on Lord Zhao’s left shoulder. He then reached out with his free hand, intertwining his fingers perfectly with Bai Qingyue’s hand.

"Brace yourself," Lord Zhao warned. "The transition is abrupt."

Lord Zhao channeled a burst of his Qi directly into the scripture scroll. The Void Refinement runes instantly ignited, flaring with a blinding white light that swallowed the scroll whole.

The fabric of reality in the courtyard violently tore open.