Dao

“*It is folly to believe the study of formations to be differentiated from other pursuits such as Alchemy or even fighting. All are children to the same parent, the boundless Dao.”* (from the beginning of the Guide to Formations, chapter 407)

“The fractals contain a hint of the Dao. It is most clear in the fractals awarded from the So-called Seed-quests, as they emanate the Dao itself. But it is possible to gain insight from almost anything, from the inscriptions on a piece of gear to continuous usage of a skill. It is generally more effective to study fractals than to sit in silent meditation, though many consider a combination of the two the best."

The skill fractals were something like an imbuement of Dao, as far as Zac could tell. Pushing the energy through the network infused the unattuned energy with higher truths, which was how Cosmic Energy turned into anything from fireballs to Zac’s fractal edges formed from [Chop]. That was also why one could ponder on the Dao through studying skill fractals. **Book 5, Chapter 19**

## The System’s Domain and Heaven’s Punishment

Zac’s particular path leading toward Chaos wasn’t part of the System’s domain reaching the absolute peak of Creation and Oblivion wasn’t possible within Heaven’s Path. Zac thought this created problems for the Undead Empire, which was so heavily steeped in Death while still being part of the System as Death was a subordinate of Oblivion.

This isn’t as big a drawback as one could expect. The elemental paths including the Dao of Ice were within Heaven’s Path, and so were the other two great heritages of the Undead Empire. Furthermore, it was also possible to infuse concepts of one Dao Group into another, where you made one the leader.

These kinds of Dao were generally called mixed-meaning Dao, and they were different from the fusions that Zac had completed until now. First of all, Dao seeds weren't true Dao of any particular branch, but rather simple concepts that could be added into pretty much any Dao. A real mixed-meaning Dao would appear if he did something like fuse his Fragment of the Bodhi and Fragment of the Coffin into one Dao Branch. It turned out that walking a mixed-meaning path had one clear benefit. As long as one of the Dao components were covered by the System you'd be within the System's purview, which shielded you from the wrath of the original Heavens. Zac was currently walking away from Heaven’s Path with his cultivation leading toward Chaos, which put him in the crosshairs for some nasty punishments. **Chapter 719**

## Stages of Dao

* Dao Seeds
* Dao Fragments
* Dao Branches
* Earthly Dao

### Dao Seeds to Dao Fragments

“First of all both need to reach the peak ... After that you need to merge the two Dao seeds within your body while focusing on the way you want them to fuse. If you succeed you will have a new Dao Fragment, a piece of Dao that is no longer a seed”

“You need one piece of insight per stage to evolve a Dao Seed, apart from the peak where you need two. But to Evolve a Dao Seed into a Dao Fragment you would need to attain the equivalent of five insights in one go.”

A Low-grade Dao Fragment was the standard limit for almost all cultivators. As Galau explained it, over the almost million years his clan had existed, there had been no lack of geniuses who formed Dao Fragments before they evolved. But there hadn’t been a single one who managed to evolve the Dao Fragment while still in F-grade. **Book 5, Chapter 14**

### Dao Branches

Forming a Dao Branch put extreme requirements on affinity in general, but more important was the time it took. It was extremely challenging, and many required thousands of years to reach that point. Even among those who had the talent to accomplish something like that, most simply stopped at an Early Branch or even Peak Dao Fragment before evolving.

Spending centuries on one’s Dao in the E-grade was only something you did if you were completely out of options, since doing so would rob you of your momentum. **Chapter 713**

### **Earthly Dao**

Earthly Dao, the step after Dao Branches where you had formed a complete man-made Dao based on your path, didn't provide as many base attributes for Monarchs. Instead, they would empower their Inner Worlds to a much more noticeable degree. **Chapter 938**

## Dao Abilities

### Dao Manipulation

However, his inability to manipulate his Dao was starting to become a problem. Braiding two Late-stage Fragments and infusing them into a skill was almost as powerful as infusing the skill with a Peak-stage Fragment. Above that were Dao Arrays, something that talented E-grade cultivators could make use of.

As grades progressed, the cultivators utilizing their Daos would keep improving, while Zac used the crudest method. It hadn’t been a real problem so far, but it would become a bigger and bigger issue as he progressed. He already had to eke out more and more advantages to cancel out the increasing boost from cultivation manuals, and adding Dao manipulation to that would be extremely tough. **B7-P616**

**Infusion:** Infusing a skill with Dao was straightforward enough, and it used two components; his Mental Energy and his Dao. The Mental Energy was essentially like Cosmic Energy, flavorless and without any attunement. His insights into his Daos transformed the blank slate of Mental Energy into something with meaning, and this new energy could be used to empower attacks. **B3-P548**

### **Dao Braids**

Instead of using his Dao as the guide and his Mental Energy as the fuel like normal cultivators, what if he did it the opposite way? Form the braid with streams of Mental Energy with the help of his unusually powerful soul, then infuse the streams with Dao like they were some sort of cables. From there, he could infuse his skills with the newly formed Dao Braid. **B7-P615**

### Dao Field

Seemingly just releasing your Dao like your aura. As your Dao increases in rank or proficiency the Dao Field becomes denser and starts to take on effects becoming an attack or shield depending on the Dao in question.

### Dao Law

He wasn't exactly certain what 'Dao manifested into law' meant, but he guessed it was like a Dao Field but innumerable times more powerful. Most likely Dao manifested into law meant you had such high control of a Dao that you could essentially change how the world worked in a certain area around you. **Chapter 803**

## Internalising and Externalising the Dao

Intent and Technique were both expressions of Dao, based on how you looked at the truths of the universe and related them to yourself. Some internalized the Dao, becoming one with it. These people embarked on paths such as Techniques and Harmonization. Others saw it as something external to be controlled, leading to Dao Intent or Domains. **Chapter 989**

## Dao effects on appearance

It was Dao, just like he had seen when looking at Iz Tayn. Or was it perhaps more apt to say it was affinity, where great attunement with one’s Dao slightly changed one’s features to get more in line with the heavenly truths? And would that explain why he so often heard he looked rugged but mundane, even if Zac felt his appearance had markedly improved through his two Race Upgrades? His features lacked any hint of the Dao, thus making him appear worse than it really was to cultivators. **Chapter 851**

## Struggle for the Dao

* Emily said. "It seems impossible to strike the right balance. Each victory is paid for in blood, but it leaves the survivors stronger. The Dao comes alive in our camps after every time we've finished a campaign. People are evolving their Seeds and Fragments left and right, while others use merit or conquered resources to progress." **Chapter 1,081**

## Zachary Atwood's Dao

* Branch of the War Axe
* Branch of the Kalpataru
* Branch of the Pale Seal

## Known Dao

### Branches

* **Branch of the Grey World** (Ogras)
* **Branch of False Truths** (Ogras)
* **Branch of Hollow Sensations** (Vilari)
* **Branch of the Headsman** (Pretty)
* **Branch of the Axe** (Woz)
* **Branch of the Clouded Sword** (Thea)
* **Branch of Primal Starlight** (Iz)
* **Branch of the Scorching Abyss** (Iz)
* **Branch of the Golden Sun** (Iz)
* **Branch of the Inverse Wind** (Kenzie)
* **Branch of the Seal Mountain** (Kenzie)
* **Branch of the Reformatory River** (Kenzie)
* **Branch of the Tribulatory Sea** (Kenzie)
* **Branch of the Inferno** (formerly Kenzie)
* **Branch of the Victorious Spear** (Joanna)

### Fragments

* **Fragment of The Coffin** (Zac)
* **Fragment of the Bodhi** (Zac)
* **Fragment of Axe** (Zac, Emily)
* **Fragment of the Star** (Void's Disciple)
* **Fragment of the Vacuum** (Void's Disciple)
* **Fragment of the Sword** (Thea)
* **Fragment of Umbra** (Ogras)
* **Fragment of the Setting Sun** (Emily)
* **Fragment of Momentum** (Ilvere)
* **Fragment of the Lance** (Vicar Uld)

### Seeds

* **Seed of Trees** (Zac)
* **Seed of Sanctuary** (Zac)
* **Seed of Mirage** (Ogras)
* **Seed of Rot** (Zac)
* **Seed of Hardness** (Zac)
* **Seed of Sharpness** (Zac, Thea)
* **Seed of Gust** (Thea, Kenzie)
* **Seed of Loam** (Kenzie)
* **Seed of Waves** (Sap Trang, Kenzie)
* **Seed of Shadows** (Ogras)
* **Seed of Heaviness** (Ilvere)
* **Seed of Lightness** (Ilvere, Thea)
* **Seed of Tinder** (Kenzie, Rivea)
* **Seed of Tremor** (Herod)
* **Seed of Spark** (Emily)
* **Seed of Flow** (Emily)