The Gate Of Good Fortune

The Dao Discussion Convention convened in the busiest part of Lucky Heaven City’s midtown. Although Ning Cheng was not a person who had never seen the outside world; however, when he followed Shen Qinyu into the venue for Dao Discussion, he could not help but feel shocked by the venue’s luxury.

It was obviously night outside; however, it felt like daytime on the inside. Moreover, it was not the fake kind of daylight but like a natural day.

The entire venue had lingering Immortal Hymns, Red-Crowned Cranes, bridges made out of Rainbow Clouds, surrounded by flowing waters and Immortal Bamboo......

Wine flowed like water, and one could even pick up various spirit fruits with just a wave of a hand, as well as a variety of beautiful-looking women just waiting to serve them. This scene reminded Ning Cheng of Xi Wangmu’s Peaches of Immortality. However, this version felt like a cheap knockoff of Xi Wangmu’s Peaches of Immortality.

The people participating in the Dao Discussions had yet to arrive, but there were already groups of three or four scattered all around talking while drinking wine and picking a variety of spiritual fruit to eat.

“Looks like a sizable gathering.” Ning Cheng whispered.

Before Shen Qinyu could answer, he heard a cultivator standing near to him speak up, “Of course, there are quite a few Celestial River Kings coming over tonight. I heard that even the Man Lun Starry Skies Emperor would be here in person. Heavenly Emperor Man Lun wants to use this opportunity to see what kind of geniuses have appeared within the Man Lun Starry Skies.”

This cultivator’s tone contained a hint of pride; apparently, this fellow felt that an invitation to such an event was a prideful opportunity.

Shen Qinyu turned to Ning Cheng and spoke with a smile, “You can do whatever you want in this Dao Discussion, from discussing the Dao and its methods with others to just enjoying the spirit wine and spirit fruits in this place. If you have any questions, you can also ask the servers around you, and they will help you out. However, I did not think that Heavenly Emperor Man Lun would decide to come here personally; therefore, I would advise you not to casually sweep out with your Spiritual Consciousness. I am going to say meet a few acquaintances of mine now. If you want you can also sit here on your own.”

Ning Cheng quickly spoke up, “Senior Apprentice Sister Qinyu, please go ahead. I’ll be careful.”

Was this not just a gathering of high-class people? One only had to take care of themselves and look around. If one found something meaningful, just stay and listen, if it did not make any sense, then leave.

Shen Qinyu felt reassured about Ning Cheng’s words. She knew that Ning Cheng was not a troublemaker. It was something that she understood from the time she met Ning Cheng at the resting pen and reinforced when Ning Cheng had spoken about not coming out of the resting pen.

When Shen Qinyu left, Ning casually walked to the periphery of a relatively large group of people and listened to them talk about the Dao.

In just a few moments, Ning Cheng felt surprised within his heart. Some of the discussions touched upon the truths that he had to spend a long time by himself to figure out. However, in this place, one could efficiently resolve his or her bottlenecks by just listening to the discussions.

It really was the right choice to come here, Ning Cheng eagerly thought to himself. However, he did not decide to stay in just one spot. He wanted to find a secluded corner to sit down and listen to the discussions carefully.

Ning Cheng carefully walked around, passing through a bunch of people talking about Pill Dao, passing by a few people engaged in artefact refining discussions, and even circumventing many more discussing cultivation related matters. No matter what the genre, hearing other people talk about such issues, Ning Cheng ended up gaining a somewhat more in-depth understanding of the world from the conversations.

Ning Cheng found a seat in one of the most remote corners of the Dao Discussion Hall and sat down. Although the location had dim lighting and rarely saw any visitors, for Ning Cheng, it was the best location. Sitting in this place, he could use his Spiritual Consciousness to listen in on other people’s discussions about the Dao. He could then take the essence of the talks and incorporate them into his own understandings.

Ning Cheng cultivated using the Mysterious Yellow Formless, a cultivation method entirely different from others. It not only was intangible, but it also had no fixed form. It could transform the Celestial Essence Circulation at any time and anywhere during cultivation; moreover, it could also take in and integrate the strengths of any kind of cultivation method into its own. It made Ning Cheng feel like a person who only cultivated internal skills; just like a scholar who learned and employed cheating methods without having any understanding of the actual words. Under such conditions, Ning Cheng started to absorb a variety of cultivation knowledge.

The Dao Discussion had not even formally begun yet, but Ning Cheng had already found himself submerged in it. He did not need to talk to others, as no one in this place could actually explain to him about the key points that he needed to understand. Especially since Ning Cheng himself did not understand, what he did not know.

At this moment, Ning Cheng could not help but feel amazed about the heaven-defying nature of the Mysterious Yellow Bead; even the Mysterious Yellow Formless had a heaven-defying quality to it. However, over the countless years of existence, the cultivation methods perfected by the various powerhouses of the starry skies were also not half a bit inferior to the one formed by the Mysterious Yellow Bead. Repeatedly, those predecessors had tested and verified the various cultivation related matters before integrating them into their cultivation method, making them incomparably precious.

Ning Cheng shot a glance at the distant Shen Qinyu and thanked her in his heart before submerging himself once again into crazily absorbing the knowledge.

As more and more people started pouring into the Dao Discussion Convention, even more discussions about the Dao began to emerge. Ning Cheng’s Spiritual Consciousness constantly sought out, immersed itself into the talks about the Dao, and completely forgot about his surroundings. Deep within his heart, a complete cycle had already started to take shape. The scattered knowledge and understanding now slowly began to connect with each other before finally condensing into a Dao Law system that Ning Cheng could call his own.

Ning Cheng vaguely felt that although his cultivation did not witness an improvement, as long as he found a secluded spot and cultivated quietly for half to a year, he could undoubtedly break through to the next level.

Sharpening the knife before chopping the wood, no one could understand Ning Cheng’s current mood.

“Welcome, Heavenly Emperor Man Lun.....” A voice abruptly woke up Ning Cheng; hearing it, Ning Cheng suddenly stood up, only to find the Dao Discussion Hall completely silent. Accompanied by sounds of mellow music, a middle-aged man in a purple robe slowly walked into the venue between two rows of attendants. Behind him were a dozen starry skies’ cultivators, each of whom had more than one Celestial Wheel behind them.

The Celestial Wheel behind the Man Lun Emperor seemed invisible at first glance; however, when one looked closely, it formed a sun, with a matchless dazzle.

Ning Cheng immediately retracted his gaze, bowed his head while standing in his corner, and did not dare to make any sort of movement. This Heavenly Emperor Man Lun gave off the feeling of extraordinary might, something that he had experienced with his own eyes. Seeing a palm smashing everything into nothingness, it made him feel extreme fear and danger.

Heavenly Emperor Man Lun walked up and sat down on the high-backed chair in the middle of the Dao Discussion Hall. After his gaze swept through the entire Dao Discussion Hall, he then spoke up in a slow yet resonant voice, “All of you are geniuses of my Man Lun Starry Skies, the elite. For a starry skies’ cultivator to reach the highest peak, one cannot neglect his or her foundations in the Nirvana Realm. I know that almost all the cultivators who came here would be heading to the Time Wilderness Tryouts, and I am here to congratulate you on your good fortune for that while also imparting a few words.”

The Dao Discussion Hall remained utterly silent, intently focused on the words of Heavenly Emperor Man Lun.

Heavenly Emperor Man Lun gave a satisfied smile before nodding and speaking, “The universe is vast and boundless; even our Man Lun Starry Skies is just a tiny and remote corner within this vast universe. Looking at the entire starry skies’ universe, my Man Lun Starry Skies does not contain the best resources for cultivation. In that regards, even I feel helpless. The strength of our starry skies’ is still too low to compete for better resources.”

“For a long time, our starry skies has grown steadily weaker. This time, the reason for holding the Man Lun Starry Skies’ Celestial Scryer Genius Tryouts is to select some talented cultivators who would then represent our Man Lun Starry Skies, to prove to the entire universe that our Man Lun Starry Skies is still counted among the strongest within this vast and boundless universe.”

Enthusiastic cheering immediately erupted all around. Apparently, all the people felt respect and awe towards the words imparted by Heavenly Emperor Man Lun.

Heavenly Emperor Man Lun stood up, raised his tone and said, “I came here today on the yearning that a true genius could emerge out of the masses of my Man Lun Starry Skies. As the time for opening our Man Lun Starry Skies’ Time Wilderness draws near, I decided to come here to experience the discussion of the Dao among the young geniuses here. I hope that you would not let me down, while I will also respectfully listen to your conversations about the Dao. If you have any question, you can ask them openly. If you have any insights, you can speak out without any fear. The Dao Discussion can start now......”

Just as Heavenly Emperor Man Lun announced the start of the Dao Discussion, Ning Cheng felt the laws around him turn clearer. At the same moment, his understanding of the various Dao Laws also started to deepen.

Ning Cheng felt really excited and overjoyed in his heart. He naturally knew that this had something to do with Heavenly Emperor Man Lun. Missing such an opportunity would indeed be a pity.

Ning Cheng naturally would not go and participate in the Dao Discussion; instead, he remained similar to Heavenly Emperor Man Lun, a listener. However, Heavenly Emperor Man Lun wanted to use this opportunity to glean who had extraordinary potential and who deserved his attention. While Ning Cheng just took in everything. As long as he could learn more about the Dao Laws, he could then sort them out later.

Since it was a Dao Discussion Convention, disputes were a regular sight. Some people would even end up fighting as these disputes escalated. However, Heavenly Emperor Man Lun did not choose to stop such conflicts. In a battle between cultivators’ Dao Laws, one could even ask the attendants around for pointers. Also, if they lost, the heavenly emperor would not count it as a transgression against him.

A day soon passed, yet the cultivators discussing the Dao still showed great enthusiasm as they expressed and shared their opinions. At this moment, Heavenly Emperor Man Lun suddenly stood up and left.

After listening in on the proceedings, he had already identified some of the geniuses. Later, he would give some special attention to these geniuses and help them grow a bit.

Ning Cheng, who still sat in an obscure corner listening to the discussions between the cultivators, obviously would not enter the emperor’s eyes. According to the emperor, the more talented a cultivator, the more problems would they encounter. Going by this logic, if one had no issues, the cultivator simply did not have any insights and definitely would never turn into a genius.

After Heavenly Emperor Man Lun left, the Dao Discussion Convention not only did not water down but also became even livelier. Some of the male and female cultivators even began courting each other to express their inner joy due to the enlightenment they gained.

In this Dao Discussion Convention, now with no one to oversee it, people could do anything they desired but within reason as long as both sides felt willing.

Ning Cheng still sat in the dim corner, while his Spiritual Consciousness took in the various discussions about the Dao Laws. Ning Cheng even carefully listened to the study of various other topics like Alchemy, Crafting and Talismans, while especially focussing on the Array Dao.

In the Graceful Star Mainland, Ning Cheng’s proficiency in Alchemy had risen up in a straight line because of the numerous Spirit Grasses that he managed to obtain. Moreover, he had already reached the level of a Tier 9 Heavenly Pill Grandmaster. However, after entering the starry skies, he only gained a pitifully few High-grade Spirit Grasses. Moreover, most of the medicinal herbs that he got had no relation with cultivation. All these factors caused Ning Cheng’s enthusiasm in Alchemy to weaken considerably. In any case, he also did not have that much time to put into studying Alchemy.

However, Ning Cheng’s interest in Array Dao had only increased with each passing day. Array Formations had always helped him and accompanied him throughout the journey until now. Not just for combat but for other things too. As such, Ning Cheng considered it an indispensable skill. The higher his understanding of Array Dao, the stronger his ability to survive.

The Array Formation Masters that appeared in this Dao Discussion Convention, none of them had a shallow understanding of array formations. Moreover, every one of the Array Formation Masters had their own heritage that they learned from, unlike Ning Cheng who usually fumbled around by himself. Ning Cheng, although a Grade 1 Celestial Array Master, managed to absorb a lot of knowledge that he would have otherwise spent a lot of time to understand from the wide variety of Array Formation Schools.

Ning Cheng, immersed in absorbing all the knowledge around him, did not notice a handsome-looking male cultivator staring at him, with a frown and saying, “How can he appear here?”