The One Dimension; Creation of Dao-Seizing

The students' minds had been transported to a strange world. They saw a void of a cosmos, lacking even the stars that dotted the void they knew. In the endless black, chaotic masses swirled in the abyss to devour and regurgitate powerful tempests of space. Time flowed differently at each location as the laws were scattered and disorganized everywhere but a single place.

This place was the One Dimension, housing the One Universe and the One World. Seeing this world, the students realized that it truly did look nothing like the world they were now on. It was a flat land, much larger than anything else they had ever seen. Throughout that flat world were billions of foggy mountain regions and rainbow rivers that ran down from them, filling a sea of color that drained off the edges of the world.

Seven-colored water ran amok on the surface, forcing the inhabitants to live on those mountains. Even so, some would build their homes much lower, enjoying the sight of the gushing water. Peaceful days were the norm.

Logean Wuji's narration reached their minds, taking them to a single mountain peak where they found a certain family.

"Atop one of these mountains lived the one they called Xuan Wu."

Before their eyes now was a giant man with blue-green scales. His family also were a group of giant people just like him; his wife, son and daughter.

"Sitting alone on the mountaintop, it is said that Xuan Wu was given the very first enlightenment of the Grand Dao. He told his family, and many others about what he had come to understand which sparked a sudden interest in meditation."

Images flashed of the giant Xuan Wu rushing off eagerly to tell others of what he had learned. He told of how he had seen the truth regarding their world's place in the universe, and that he understood truths of it. At first, he was not understood. However, his words caused many to marvel and wonder, which led to them also seeking out their own forms of enlightenment.

"Very soon, everyone was coming to the knowledge of a truth so profound they were unable to comprehend it fully. In order to thank Xuan Wu, many of them swarmed his mountain in order to prostrate themselves before him and his family. His words alone resulted in the advancement of intelligence on a global scale, all because he influenced them into seeking something beyond what they already knew."

Suddenly, the student's saw Xuan Wu sitting alone in the dark of a cave, meditating for many days and nights. After an indefinite amount of time, his spirit separated from his body and took him on the very first out-of-body experience. He wandered the borders of his world, saw the happiness that increased intelligence was bringing to the populace, and eventually had seen it all.

"However, Xuan Wu would soon realize that he could not re-enter his body. Something was keeping him from waking up. A force would tug at his spirit every time he tried to wake; this foreign thing would not stop grabbing at him."

The vision the students were seeing now became haunting. Xuan Wu's spirit was caught in an ethereal web of dao, and what approached it was the monstrous figure of a gigantic spider. Its web held strong as the spider pulled Xuan Wu's spirit in, preparing to swallow the very dao that he had gained enlightenment of. His hopeless struggles ended once he saw death at hand- the mouth of a deadly spider ready to suck away at his existence.

"In that moment, somehow, he knew what that creature wanted. It wanted the very thing that was granted to him by the Grand Dao: knowledge and enlightenment. For reasons regarding its origin, that spider was forsaken by the Grand Dao and sealed somewhere within the Omniverse. It was meant to stay there, but the Grand Dao's very nature allowed it to reach other beings like Xuan Wu."

"The closer those lifeforms came to gaining insights of the Grand Dao, the easier it was for the spider to reach out and snare their spirits."

Looking now, Logean Wuji's students saw Xuan Wu's final struggle. His spirit glowed with pure dao energy, eradicating the web and sending him straight back to his body. He awoke, his body steaming due to the stress it had been under despite him being in spirit form. With his newfound knowledge- and fear- he rushed to inform the people.

Despite his best efforts, there was nothing he could do to convince them that continuing to grow in knowledge would lead to their deaths. What was he supposed to say?

'Hey guys, if you keep meditating and learning new things, a giant spider will suck away your life!'

Those would be considered to be, at best, the words of a crazed lunatic.

"Xuan Wu, finding that his efforts were pointless, sought a different remedy. He dared to venture into the spirit realm yet again, using himself as bait in order to fall into the spider's web. Only, this time, he had prepared something special."

"Xuan Wu realized that insights and enlightenment produced dao energy and this dao energy was kept within the soul. It could run out, but one could never have too much. As cultivators, I am sure this sounds very similar to what you call qi."

Xuan Wu was now shown to be within that expansive web yet again, only this time he was bathed in blue-green light much like his scales. This was his dao energy, a power unique to him that had once aided him in escaping the web. It was shown how he spent months within the dark cave on his mountain, perfecting the usage of dao energy.

This made him the first ever person to unravel the mysteries of cultivation.

"Xuan Wu faced off against the spider, but he could not even scratch it. Even so, the spider was unable to get a hold on Xuan Wu. It was weakened by the seal- unable to use its full strength. After figuring that out, Xuan Wu used the spider to further his own cultivation. Looking at how the spider was able to steal dao from other lifeforms, he realized that it was possible to repurpose it. This was also thanks to the fact that the laws were still disorganized everywhere but his home world."

Xuan Wu was then seen meditating in the presence of the spider as blue-green flames danced on the surface of his body. He worked endlessly to find a way to replicate and perfect the spider's method. Time passed and other spirits began to appear in the web; these were people from his world.

"Xuan Wu fought for them, but he soon realized that his dao could save no one but himself. His personal dao energy had no effect on the webs that bound another's dao. In despair, he forced himself out of the spirit realm and awoke on his mountain, saddened."

Xuan Wu despaired, weeping in his cave and beating himself up over it. He blamed himself for it all, wishing he had never sought out the presence of that higher power... A higher power...

Suddenly he realized it. He emerged from the dark cave, standing in the light of his world's sun. He closed his eyes, going over the incomplete technique he had been struggling with for far too long. Instead of attempting to strengthen the dao he had gained through enlightenment, instead of trying to steal the dao of another lifeform like the spider, Xuan Wu used his unfinished method to attempt to acquire the dao energy of the Grand Dao itself.

His body moved as he worked through it in his head, his mind going back to the spider, to his enlightenment and to his own dao energy. With each attempt he failed, causing his veins to pop and his eyes to bulge. His organs were squeezed by unbearable pressure, causing him to vomit immense amounts of blood. Even his dao energy was exhausted, yet he did not quit.

"Xuan Wu based his life's work off of that strange spider. After 13,610 years, he was successful in his attempts. As his body was reconstructed and he became a new kind of lifeform, he found that he had created what he aptly named the 'Dao-Seizing Calamity' Law. Immediately, he returned to the spirit realm and sought out the spider finding it growing fatter and fatter with the spirits of his people. He engaged in a lengthy battle against it."

In the students eyes, the flashing lights faded and they were brought back to the real world.

"Thus ends the lesson."

"What about the battle," Cyrus asked.

"Did the Dao-Seizing Calamity Law allow him to prevail against that spider?" Ji Tianshan also posed a question, her eyes blinking rapidly as they readjusted to the real world.

"What was that spider, anyway..." Zhou Hua asked, shuddering.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with just yet. What you need to worry about now is meditation. More specifically, your ability to become in touch with your deeper dao, the essence of your soul."

Ji Tianshan and Cyrus both sucked in breaths of cold air, glancing at each other in surprise. Zhou Hua's fists tightened, Pixie's eyes sparkled and Ye Zuliao rubbed his tummy.

"What makes you who you are? What motivates you, frustrates you- satisfies you."

Memories of certain events played out in flashes within Bi Xue's mind. The iciness of her being grew more pronounced for just a second. She was not the only one that seemed sharper all of a sudden.

Ji Tianshan and Ji Haogui found each other's gaze. The twins had a shared memory of trauma that, despite how they acted, had left lingering effects on their psyche.

Cyrus also seemed deeply focused and determined. Zhou Hua took the knife out of her spatial ring, noticing a symbol on the base of the blade that resembled a wisp of smoke or essence.

"Xuan Wu did indeed create cultivation, but his vision was limited. When I divined the source of the Dao-Seizing Calamity Law, I was able to expose several holes in its core structure. The technique of dao seizing itself was flawed; relying only on meditation for years and years was impractical."

"What if meditation was not enough? For a mortal residing in a destitute world, it would be almost impossible to form any solid connection with the Grand Dao even after 13,000 years- and that's granted the mortal found a way to live that long. No, what the Dao-Seizing Calamity Law lacked was a decisive method of action."

"Therefore," Logean Wuji looked at each of his students in the eye, "I have reduced you all to nothing but mortals. With nothing but your minds and souls to guide you, you will embark on a journey of dao-discovery. It is the first step in your cultivation of the improved Dao-Seizing Calamity Law."

Pixie raised her hand at this time.

"Yes, Prunes."

"Master, how will we know what exactly our dao is?"

Logean Wuji smirked, waving his hand and sending away the manifestation of the chart. Jorgy-Worm shrunk and wrapped himself around Logean Wuji's arm, looking toward Pixie with his solid gaze.

"I think you already know what your dao is, Pixie. Follow your spirit and ignore any outside influence; it will shine brilliantly."

"Master," Ji Haogui also raised his hand. Logean Wuji saw and nodded, permitting him to speak.

"What if I'm not ready? What if I end up losing myself by finding my dao?"

Logean Wuji frowned, raising his hand to stop Ji Haogui from speaking any further. To his side, Ji Tianshan looked at her brother with a melancholic look. He had always been afraid to push himself and become stronger, instead limiting himself and wasting his potential. She could not blame him for it though, and could only work harder for him.

"Haogui, if you continue to fear the part of yourself that is most true, you will become nothing more than an empty shell, housing only lies and weakness. That is the only way you can lose yourself; by denying your dao."