Chapter 215: The Comprehension of the Dao

Chen Fei exhaled softly.

That feeling of being disturbed by chaotic noise was far from pleasant. Just when he thought it had all ended, a line of golden text slowly appeared in his mind.

“The Heart-Linking Technique?” Chen Fei murmured, eyes following the golden characters.

That one glance was all it took—he became completely absorbed.

Ming Yuan stood quietly by Chen Fei’s side, showing remarkable patience. As time passed, and Chen Fei fell into deep meditation, Ming Yuan’s face revealed a hint of surprise.

“Junior Brother Chen actually managed to attain such insight? How strange!” he whispered. With a wave of his hand, the great gate of the Heavenly Book Courtyard silently closed behind them.

Golden runes appeared on the courtyard’s walls and gate, enveloping the entire Heavenly Book Courtyard in a shimmering seal.

To ensure Chen Fei wouldn’t be disturbed, the Heavenly Book Courtyard was sealed shut!

Chen Fei remained unaware, fully immersed in the study and cultivation of the Heart-Linking Technique.

This was a cultivation method that calmed the heart and clarified the mind—not especially effective in combat, but invaluable in resisting inner demons during cultivation.

Most importantly, the technique caused his sea of consciousness to flicker, with clusters of nebulous light pulsing as if breathing—remarkably unique.

Even the illusory Void Cauldron formed by his Dao Embryo began to condense more solidly, and faint spiritual fluctuations began to ripple from his body.

A breakthrough to the Origin Realm seemed to be just a matter of time.

Chen Fei remained in that meditative state for a full day and night.

When he finally opened his eyes, the Stele Forest before him no longer gave off its mysterious aura.

“Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen. You’ve just arrived at the Heavenly Book Courtyard and already had a profound insight! Seems like you’ve gained a great deal.” Ming Yuan smiled warmly and waved his hand, deactivating the courtyard’s formation.

Chen Fei glanced around and immediately understood what had happened. He cupped his hands gratefully, “Thank you, Senior Brother Ming Yuan, for guarding me.”

“No need for thanks,” Ming Yuan nodded, clearly more cordial than before. “Though the Inspection Court sent you here for training as punishment, there are no special tasks. You simply need to engrave a stele with your own understanding.”

“A stele?” Chen Fei turned to look at the stone tablets behind him.

Now he understood the origins of those densely packed inscriptions—no wonder so many of them carried bitter resentment in the echoes he’d heard earlier.

“Senior Brother Ming Yuan, does that mean once I inscribe a stele, I can leave?” Chen Fei asked.

Ming Yuan nodded with a chuckle, “Yes, but don’t underestimate this task. Without genuine insight, your inscription won’t be accepted by the Heavenly Book Courtyard. Even if you carve it, the characters will vanish, and you’ll have to start all over again.”

Then, with a meaningful glance, he added, “But with your level of comprehension, Junior Brother, I doubt it will take long.”

Chen Fei nodded, and under Ming Yuan’s guidance, he made his way to an open space filled with blank stone steles.

They looked ordinary, but when Chen Fei touched one, he immediately felt a surge of spiritual energy—it was clearly no common stone.

“This is Dao Heart Stone,” Ming Yuan explained. “Mined from the ruins of an ancient immortal’s abode. You can inscribe anything you like—techniques, realizations, philosophies. What matters is that your insight is truly embedded within it.”

“Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother.” Chen Fei bowed.

“It’s nothing,” Ming Yuan smiled, then added, “Even if you fail once or twice, you may still gain insight. I won’t disturb you any further. Once you’re finished, you may leave on your own.”

With that, Ming Yuan turned and walked away.

Chen Fei turned to the stone stele.

Ming Yuan made it sound simple—engrave a technique with insight. But preserving insight was the hardest part.

First, one had to be fully invested—easier said than done.

After a moment of thought, Chen Fei made his decision.

“It’ll be you.”

He began recalling the mechanics of Thousand Illusion Slash, the technique he had practiced the longest—boasting a terrifying sixteen-fold power amplification.

Thinking it would be easy, Chen Fei grabbed his massive, edgeless sword and began carving the stone.

At first glance, he looked like he was hammering the stone with a door plank, but in truth, this was a test of how finely he could control the sword’s force.

It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t beyond him either.

Soon, the full text of Thousand Illusion Slash was carved. He had successfully preserved the technique.

Or so he thought.

Suddenly, the surface of the stele began to ripple.

In the blink of an eye, the painstakingly inscribed technique disappeared.

“It failed?” Chen Fei’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had poured his full intent into it, without the slightest reservation. Yet still—it failed?

“There must be something wrong… Ah! Insight!” he suddenly realized.

Copying a technique was just copying—but it lacked that spark of personal understanding.

Chen Fei hesitated, then made a second attempt—this time, blending his insight into the Thousand Illusion Slash. The entire process went smoothly.

But once again, as he examined the final result, the characters on the stele vanished.

“What the hell!” Chen Fei cursed out loud.

He even started to wonder if Ming Yuan was just messing with him.

Reflecting on the process, he sensed he was on the edge of something—he had touched insight, but was also lost in confusion.

Perhaps that was the true essence of carving a stele in the Heavenly Book Courtyard.

A light sparked in his eyes.

This time, he didn’t rush. Instead, he sat cross-legged, resting his chin on his hand and leaning against his massive sword, eyes fixed on the blank stele.

Inside his chamber, Ming Yuan saw Chen Fei take this posture and couldn’t help but smile.

“It seems Junior Brother’s insight truly is extraordinary—he already found the path.” Ming Yuan nodded in approval. Then, he turned his gaze to a stone stele beside him.

Unlike the others, this one was ancient and worn. Half a technique was already inscribed upon it.

“In the end, it’s the limitation of the heart.” Ming Yuan sighed, then solemnly raised his hand and carved one more character onto the stele.

The act alone drained him, his face going pale.

But when that single character remained etched into the stone, a smile crossed his face.

When that stele was completed—it would mark the day he could leave the Heavenly Book Courtyard.

Unlike the others, he wasn’t trapped there by punishment—but by his own will.