Dao

Dao (道) means the way or the path. In cultivation, there are 3000 Major Daos, around 100,000 Minor Daos.
“What is the Dao. Many people explain the Dao to be something ephemeral and imperceptible. In truth, they have no idea what the Dao is, so they explain it in such a way to cover up their own lack of knowledge. 
“The Dao. The simplest explanation I can give is the principle that all things in the universe are connected. There is a natural cycle to the world, while the Dao in itself is not something that exists on its own. Look up at the stars in the sky. They are connected but apart. In order to see the world more clearly, it was necessary to give a name to the things that they could not explain with words. That name was the Dao.
“If you were to liken cultivation to a mountain, then each person’s cultivation Dao is a path up the mountain. Each path leads to the peak of the mountain, which is why I said that there is no such differentiation between a Major Dao and a Minor Dao.
“The most important thing is to pick a path that is suited to you. The large path of the Major Dao is straight and well-trod, and the quickest way to the peak. But because it is straight, it is dull and boring. The mist makes it so you can’t see the peak of the mountain, so people get lost in its flatness. The small path of the Minor Dao is rugged and winding, filled with dangers. It looks like it spirals, but the difficulties temper a person’s will.
“A Major Dao is good, a Minor Dao is fine. Either way, success means ascension. It’s just that each person experiences different things. If you choose the winding path, you’ll see more scenery and experience more things. Once you succeed in reaching the peak, your realm will definitely be higher than others that trod the straight path.
== Dao ==
"Mister Mo Nian, what is the Dao?" Yu Tong asked Mo Nian.
"In my opinion, the Dao is a concept when something is taken to the peak, when truth reaches a pinnacle. It is the law of behaviors that encompasses everything within heaven and earth," said Mo Nian.
"Oh? Can you explain it in more detail?" Yu Tong's eyes brightened slightly.
"The word known as the Dao is a set of laws. According to my understanding, the Dao is a kind of truth.
"This truth contains two sides, which is why the Dao can be split into Yin and Yang. Everything within this world has two opposing sides. If there is a high, there is a low. If there is an up, there is a down.
"For example, let us say one side is Yin and one side is Yang. Then this so-called Yang Dao is the hard side of cultivators. When brute strength is taken to the peak, it is so fierce that others are helpless. It is filled with the courage to charge forward despite all obstacles. That is the Yang Dao."
"The Yin side of the Dao is to use soft force. Like the water the wood floats on, the waves of the water can also snap the wood and devour ships. Although it is not an explosive power, its power is still limitless, possessing no beginning and no end.
"If you have too much Yang force, it'll be easy for you to snap. If you have too much Yin force, you'll have no sharpness. The two of them are not true strength. True strength is a combination of Yin and Yang, the two of them complementing and making up for the other's flaws.
"This is my comprehension of this so-called Dao. In my opinion, nothing is absolute. Whether you reach the pinnacle of Yang or the pinnacle of Yin, they are both dead paths. Only when the two combine will there be life."
=== King Dao ===
King Dao (王道 Wang Dao), way of the king
Yu Tong asked Mo Nian, 'What is King Dao?'
"The King Dao is the way of the king, a ruler's path. To use wisdom to control strength that does not truly belong to oneself is the King Dao," said Mo Nian.
Yu Tong asked Long Chen, 'What is King Dao?'
Long Chen pointed to those people outside the screens. "To directly smash pompous people."
=== Hegemon Dao ===
Hegemon Dao (霸道 Ba Dao), way of the hegemon
"The Hegemon Dao? That really is hard to explain. The way of the hegemon in itself is a noun. When used in terms of the martial path, it means to be incomparably domineering, for your haughtiness to soar into the clouds, to rather break than to bend. I don't know whether what I'm saying is correct or not." Mo Nian was lacking confidence this time, as he didn't really understand what Yu Tong meant.
Yu Tong asks Long Chen, "What is the Hegemon Dao?"
"To smash those who aren't pompous together with them."
=== Humane Dao ===
Humane Dao (人道 Ren Dao), see also Human Dao
Mo Nian was much more at ease. "I feel like the Humane Dao refers to those scholars who spend their lives teaching and have no enemies. In truth, people's hearts tend to be treacherous. Absolute power infatuates people, and they forget what it means to be humane. Trying to use the Humane Dao on a group of evil people is like a rabbit trying to reform a hungry wolf. It's just nonsense."
"What is the Humane Dao?"
"To give a warning before you smash them." Long Chen answered without even thinking about it.
== Correct Dao ==
As Long Chen explains, there is no 'correct' Dao. Otherwise the world would not have tyrants, devils, gods, ghosts. Every person follows their own path and their own dao and deals with the resulting consequences.
=== Follow my own Dao ===
"Fairy Yu Tong, with all the things that exist in this world, there are innumerable Daos. What is the correct Dao? What are the wrong Daos? What Dao cannot be followed to the peak?" asked Long Chen."雨桐仙子，天地万物，道法万千，何为正道？何为邪道？何道不可证？道不可行？"龙尘道。Chen asks these questions in the style of 4-syllabic Classical Chinese to convey a sense of ancient philosophical inquiry.
"..." The three women were startled. This question of his was even sharper, and they were unable to reply.
"You don't have an answer, but neither does any of the people here. Even gods and devils are unable to answer this question.
"Within the legends of the immortal era, gods and devils fought an immense war, and immortals and ghosts fought for dominance. The bones of gods piled into mountains and the blood of immortals flowed like rivers. Why is that?
"The Immortal Dao, the Devil Dao, the Ghost Dao, the God Dao. Which one of them doesn't consider itself to be the true and correct Dao?
"If their Daos were all correct Daos, then what are these other Daos we have now? Just which Dao is supreme? Where is the supreme expert with their supreme Dao?
"Why is it that the culture of the immortal era has disappeared now, severing our inheritance? I'll trouble fairy Yu Tong to tell me, what is the Dao? What is the King Dao? What is the Hegemon Dao? What is the Humane Dao?" asked Long Chen.
Yu Tong's face was red, and she almost felt dizzy. There was no way for her to retort to Long Chen's words because his words were entirely correct. If there really was only one correct Dao within the innumerable Daos, how could there be gods and devils, immortals and ghosts?
=== Zi Yan ===
As Long Chen said these words, his image was also reflected on the wall of a private room.
The pavilion master looked at Long Chen and sighed, "It's no wonder he formed a resonance with the ninth divine emissary. Even his viewpoint of the Dao is almost identical to hers.
"Back then, the ninth divine emissary said that the Heavenly Dao were tyrannical and that she would walk her own Dao. Her words were viewed as blasphemy against the heavens, and she was attacked by countless experts.
"However, her Dao-heart was as stable as a boulder, and she was determined to walk her own Dao. She faced the cultivation world head-on, slaughtering out her own path. However, that path was too bloody..."
The veiled woman said, "Yu Tong's Dao-heart isn't stable enough. Long Chen's words caused a flaw to appear in her Dao-heart. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing. We go out for tempering to experience this world's countless Daos and increase our comprehension. Daos are not differentiated by strong and weak, high or low. It seems Yu Tong needs more tempering."
The pavilion master looked at her with praise. "Ah, Zi Yan, your level of comprehension is truly admirable. Within the Illusive Music Immortal Palace, when it comes to comprehension, there probably isn't anyone else who can compare to you in the junior generation. Perhaps there will come a day when you can lead us back to our splendor in the immortal era."
"Pavilion master is too courteous. There are countless geniuses within our Illusive Music Immortal Palace. I don't want to compete with them. I just want to have the freedom to pursue the Music Dao. As for what realm I can reach, that will be up to fate," sighed Zi Yan.
=== Changing the world ===
Mo Yi warned, "You can't say that to anyone. In any case, Nian-er is the hope of our Mo family soaring and retrieving our old splendor. Everything will be up to Nian-er.
"As for this Long Chen, he has a strange aura that isolates him from inspection. Even I am unable to see through the changes to his body's spiritual qi.
"Once he grows up, he'll be a figure that can shake the entire world. The entire world will change because of him."
"As for Long Chen's domineeringness, it's something that has sunk into his flesh and blood, and even his soul. In fact, I almost have a feeling that he is inharmonious with the world as if he wants to turn the entire world into his enemy.
"Such a person is fiercely domineering, someone who would rather break than bend. According to reason, such a person is not suitable for growing in accordance with the Heavenly Daos and will be rejected.
"So while I said that once he grows up, he'll be able to cause the entire world to shake, this kind of person will find it very difficult to ever grow up," sighed Mo Yi.
"With Long Chen's temperament, not only will he incur hatred from others, but he will also incur envy from the heavens. He's the opposite of you.
"You're too cowardly, while Long Chen is too fierce. Your cowardliness will let you live longer, but at the same time, your chance to stand at the peak of the martial path will greatly decline.
"As for Long Chen, he's too dauntless. Not only will he have to face all kinds of trials, but he'll have to endure the natural selection of the Heavenly Daos. The chance of him growing up is miniscule. It would be best if the two of you could combine your attributes," said Mo Yi helplessly.
He continued, "However, Nian-er, don't try changing Long Chen. That's absolutely impossible. Any expert has a determined Dao-heart. Even if they experience thousands of tribulations, even in death, their Dao-heart won't change.
"That's the Dao he chose for himself. No one can change it. Furthermore, any Dao, if you walk it to the peak, can bring you to the point of immortal godhood.
"Within the Dao, there's no such thing as high or low, right or wrong. Nor is there any such Major Dao or Minor Dao. The only thing that matters is whether a Dao is suitable to you or not. Choosing your own Dao is the best choice.
"The Heavenly Daos are elusive. Who dares say they truly understand them? Long Chen's Dao isn't necessarily wrong, and our Dao isn't necessarily right. We just need to see how far we can walk.
== Other Dao ==
*Immortal Dao is cultivating immortality 
*Divine Dao is cultivating with faith power.
*Undefeatable Dao
* Heavenly Dao
== Path system ==
“To become stronger, dreams are only a foundation, the motivation to get stronger. Once you have this motivation, you will need to learn techniques and skills. The important thing is that while you learn new things, you cannot deviate from your original path.
“The first thing you need to do is make clear to yourself your personal cultivation path. In this world, the only one who understands you best is yourself. You know what you want to do, and you are your best teacher. Don’t have blind self confidence in yourself, but do not sell yourself short either. Have confidence in your decisions. Make that a firm belief.
“This point is very important. Many people are cultivating blindly. They see something, feel that it’s amazing, and so they want to learn it. Then they see something else and want to learn it as well. But in truth, on the martial path, any kind of energy or ability can be trained to the same level if taken to the peak. Three thousand Major Daos, a hundred thousand Minor Daos. In my opinion, any of these Daos can allow one to become a god or immortal if trained to the peak. Splitting Daos into major and minor ones is a mistake. Daos are not split that way. They are only split that way because people later added such distinctions. As for why they did that, it’s because the so-called Major Daos had instances of people who managed to succeed in becoming gods or immortals, so they were called Major Daos. As for the Minor Daos, many people believe that this path is a severed path that cannot reach the peak. But if a supreme expert were to continue on this severed path and this expert managed to reach the peak with this Minor Dao, it would also become a Major Dao. That’s why I believe that the Dao is not split into big or small ones. Techniques are not better or worse. People are not innately higher or lower. As long as you can continue on your path to the end, you will benefit endlessly.”
=== Major vs. Minor Dao ===
His final point, that the Dao is not split into big or small ones, that techniques are not better or worse, that people are not innately higher or lower, was especially important. It opened a whole new world to people.
Many people abandoned the things that they excelled in the most because of the artificial distinction between Major and Minor Daos. They pursued the Major Daos because only that path could lead them to becoming a god or immortal.
Even if you cultivated a Major Dao, how many people really became a god or immortal? As for cultivating a Minor Dao, although people said that it was a severed path, who could say for sure that someone wouldn’t be able to break that limit once they reached the end?
In the end, the two were the same. There was no difference in the difficulty of the Major and Minor Daos. If you walked a Minor Dao, you wouldn’t necessarily become a god, and if you walked a Major Dao, you also wouldn’t definitely be able to become an immortal. In the end, it depended on a person’s effort.
Choosing what you excelled in the most, even if it was just a Minor Dao, was better than discarding your original heart to cultivate a Major Dao. There was no need to blindly follow the crowd when it came to your cultivation. That would just harm yourself.
== Quotes ==
LC told the story from when he was in the Eastern Wasteland. In the Immortal Intoxication Pavilion, he, Mo Nian, Zi Yan, Yu Tong, and others had discussed what was the King Dao, what was the Hegemon Dao, and what was the Humane Dao.
Long Chen told them his answers to these questions, and countless disciples held their sides from laughing so hard.
“What is the King Dao?”
“To directly smash pompous people.” 
“What is the Hegemon Dao?”
“To smash those who aren’t pompous together with them.”
“What is the Humane Dao?”
“To give a warning before you smash them.”
The disciples and even the Elders laughed at this exchange. They hadn’t expected that this figure that could strike fear in the hearts of both the Righteous path and the Corrupt path, this existence that gave Pill Valley, the ancient races, and the Xuan Beasts a giant headache, also had such a funny side.
==References==
Category:Terminology
Category:Dao