"Before Chaos was judged from the Great Void, the Dao Ancestor’s Great Dao hung like a haze of purple qi..."

[You have activated Mind Reading. By reciting the scriptures of the Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation with undivided focus, you have gained a new understanding of the Daoist Canon. Progress +33]

[While reciting the Daoist Canon, you have comprehended a wisp of the world’s True Intent. Your Reading progress has increased by 31.]

[You have activated Mind Reading... Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation progress +49, Reading progress +51]

...

[You have activated Mind Reading...]

...

[You have activated Mind Reading...]

[DING! Your Divine Soul has been cleansed by the Divine Sound of the Clear Sound Spring Stone. Your mental state has been restored.]

[You have activated Mind Reading... Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation progress +33, Reading progress +39]

[You have activated Mind Reading...]

[Your Reading progress has reached the Minor Achievement of the Fourth Realm (13,600/13,600)]

...

The next morning, at the first light of dawn, Zhong Ming stared at the notification on his attribute panel, a peculiar look in his eyes.

He hadn’t expected that after days of recitation, his Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation had yet to advance, while his "Reading" skill, which had always been so difficult to improve, had filled its progress bar first.

After the initial surprise, a wave of emotion washed over Zhong Ming.

’It’s finally leveled up.’

Reading was a skill Zhong Ming had acquired before he even entered an Immortal Sect, and it was what had given him his first great advantage in knocking on the sect’s door and stepping onto the Immortal Path.

If it hadn’t been for Reading, he would never have glimpsed the profound secret within the Longxi True Intent Map. This led him to comprehend the Dao Rhyme Dragon Flood, without which his Cultivation Technique could never have progressed so quickly, nor would he have earned Jiang Yue’s favor and support.

Later, Xue Yao, Yi Yunya, and even the Xie Family had all come to see him in a different light because of the Dao Rhyme Dragon Flood.

It was no exaggeration to say that the Reading skill was the starting point of his meteoric rise.

Zhong Ming was deeply grateful for this skill and had always found it incredibly useful.

He had, of course, thought about raising its rank before.

However, the difficulty was simply too high. To level it up by reading ordinary books, Zhong Ming would have had to read ten thousand volumes and truly grasp their True Intent.

Previously, Zhong Ming simply didn’t have that kind of time or energy.

’I thought I’d have to wait several more months until I had some free time to raise Reading’s rank. I never imagined the synergy between the Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation and Reading would be so strong.’

Thinking of this, Zhong Ming couldn’t help but marvel at the wondrous nature of the Daoist Canon.

’To dare take the name Daoist Canon, and with a complete rank that seems to faintly surpass the Celestial Level... The mysteries of the Great Dao contained within this Cultivation Technique are truly endless. That’s why every time I activate Mind Reading to recite it, I gain new insights.’

’These insights mean I don’t need to find other books. I can just stick to this one scripture, recite it continuously, and still make progress.’

’What’s even better is that the gains are twofold. I earn progress for both Reading and the Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation.’

This "kill two birds with one stone" method of cultivation put Zhong Ming in a cheerful mood. He also had a strange premonition that the synergy between the Daoist Canon and Reading didn’t end here.

’Oh well. I’ll stop thinking about it. Time to advance the skill first.’

With that thought, Zhong Ming activated Mind Reading again and began to read the Daoist Scripture.

In the brief moment after activating Mind Reading, as his Mental Realm grew tranquil, a few stray thoughts arose in Zhong Ming’s mind.

’Come to think of it, my smooth advancement this time is largely thanks to Mind Reading.’

Activating Mind Reading consumed Zhong Ming’s Heart Spirit. In the early stages of Qi Cultivation, he could only use it three times a day, and each use would completely drain his spiritual energy.

Things were slightly better in the middle stages of Qi Cultivation. By the time he arrived at the Qinghe Commandery Mansion on the Flying Ship, he could already activate Mind Reading seven times in a row.

Yesterday, his Sword Seed had evolved into a Dao Seed, and his Heart Spirit Realm had undergone a qualitative leap. Now, he could activate Mind Reading as many as thirteen consecutive times.

After being cleansed and baptized by the Divine Sound of the Clear Sound Spring Stone, that number had increased to thirty-nine.

It was precisely this nearly uninterrupted recitation with Mind Reading that allowed Zhong Ming’s realm to climb so rapidly.

And this, in turn, sparked a wild ambition in Zhong Ming’s heart:

’One day, I’ll be able to maintain the state of focused Mind Reading with every recitation. When that time comes, even without an attribute panel, I will be able to stand at the pinnacle of all geniuses by my own strength...’

...

These stray thoughts quickly dissipated, and Zhong Ming began his recitation of the Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation once more.

"Before Chaos was judged from the Great Void, the Dao Ancestor’s Great Dao hung like a haze of purple qi; Dwelling idly in Chaos, he inscribed profound verses, and with a single breath, gave birth to all the immortals..."

BUZZ...

This time, the feeling of recitation was completely different from before.

Previously, his many comprehensions had all been about the workings of heaven and earth, the principles of nature, or the infinite Divine Treasures and mysteries of the human body, all as recorded in the Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation.

But at this moment, what flooded into Zhong Ming’s mind was the origin of words, the threads of history, the heritage of humanity, and the spark of civilization...

’...Words. They are the greatest invention in the history of human civilization...’

’They are not mere combinations of symbols, but bridges that span time and space... They are the core medium through which the human spiritual world can be made concrete, passed down through generations, and spread far and wide...’

’Without words, civilization would be like a ship without a rudder, and thought would be but a whisper on the wind. The progress and ascendance of human society would be impossible...’

’...And Reading is the act of deciphering those words and inheriting those thoughts. It is a way to traverse the ages, to communicate with the minds of our ancestors...’

As his thoughts reached this point, Zhong Ming’s Heart Spirit suddenly cleared. A new trait was about to form within it, its name—Immer...

BOOM!

Just as the trait, Immersion, was about to be fully nurtured, the Divine Treasure awakened by the Daoist Canon - Celestial Derivation, the Candlelight Heart Eye, stirred.