It was a long time coming, but Lex was finally coming in contact with information about the Dao. It started with information about his own Dao body, which was actually inaccurate, unbeknownst to him since he was actually forming a Primordial Dao Body.

Then, he learned about the types of Daos, for example Minor, Major and Unique Daos. Or rather, he learned that such distinctions existed, rather than understanding their details. Following that was the knowledge that the Demi-Dao Lord state was not actually a cultivation level, and that such a state could be achieved in various different ways.

If he achieved a full Dao Body, Lex could theoretically also be considered to have reached the Demi-Dao Lord state. The reason it was theoretical was that most people died before completing the Dao body, which is why it was uncertain what state they’d end up being at the end.

Then came the knowledge that laws could, supposedly, be used with such depth of skill that the effect could rival the power of a Dao Lord. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Slowly and steadily, the veil around the Dao was being lifted, allowing Lex to gain a clearer and deeper understanding of the universe. The Masterless technique provided another hint of insight into the world of Dao Lords for Lex.

A normal human had a few basic senses, such as touch, sight, etc. Cultivators got a few more, such as spirit sense, soul sense, instincts etc. However, Dao Lords not only had more senses than normal cultivators could imagine, those senses allowed them to glean even the slightest detail in excruciating depth. It was to the extent where a Dao Lord could feel a breeze, and infer what the weather had been on a planet for the past million years relying solely on that.

The thing was, not only did Dao Lords have such amazing senses, those senses were accompanied by their power which allowed them to access the universal laws on a level immortals could not even imagine.

Thus, every single Dao Lord in existence was simply naturally excellent in all forms of divination, simply because their senses were so great. The range of their spirit sense could not be calculated in physical distance, and the extent of their ability to gather knowledge could not be equated to simple, mortal or immortal tools. Thus, in the universe at large, keeping secrets was actually quite hard.

Any random, passing Dao Lord could sense a person’s deepest, darkest secrets by simply sparing a glance. Sure, other Dao Lords might have some means to hide their secrets better, but how effective was it really?

If an average Dao Lord was an expert diviner, then someone who was specialised in it could see through even the most thorough means. Thus, for Dao Lords, the ability to actually keep a secret was highly valued, and it was also exceptionally rare.

Having said that, the express purpose of the Masterless technique was to detach the user from anything and everything that connected them to the universe, making it impossible to be detected!

Since Lex was a mere Heaven Immortal, the effect of him using the Masterless technique was limited. However, even in its limited state, using the technique would make it almost impossible to be detected or tracked by anyone. Even Dao Lords would not be able to detect him randomly.

Only if they specifically looked for him, would Dao Lords be able to find him. But below the Dao realm, no one would be able to trace him! No one would be able to track him! No one would know what actions he took or what he was doing!

This was one of the most amazing and yet unbelievable techniques he’d ever come across. At the same time, Lex could not help but smile wryly as he thought of why Nuwa gave him this technique!

He had been causing her too many problems, and she wanted to wash her hands of him. If he could hide himself better, then she would not need to do it for him!

He was extremely grateful. Not only was this a tremendous gift, it was an immense show of faith and trust in his character. After all, if this is what he could do with the Masterless technique as a Heaven Immortal, he could only imagine what one could do with it at higher levels!

The first thing that came to his mind were the Dao Lords of humanity. Were they all really dead? It was possible, sure. But with the existence of this technique, that piece of knowledge came into question.

Lex also couldn’t help but wonder who else could be hiding using this technique. Everything he thought he knew about the Humanoid Alliance had to be reevaluated with the addition of this one, single technique.

At the same time, it made Lex wonder about who or what exactly Nuwa was hiding from that she needed to take such meticulous precautions. He thought about the Temple of Fasting which could hide from even Dao Lords, and realized that perhaps what he had learned was only the first level of the Masterless technique.

Regardless, this technique gave him confidence that Lex never knew he lacked. With this, he could act without fear of being tracked, traced or targeted! Not just him, but Jack as well.

A surge of excitement swelled in Lex’s chest, but then he contained himself. He hadn’t learned the technique just yet, even if he was close.

The total time spent to learn the technique, in the Midnight Inn Standard Time (MIST), was between ten to eleven years. In the Origin realm, it was just shy of four years, and in the Dream realm, it was a little over a single year.

Once he was free, and he finished adjusting to the technique, he would personally venture into the Dream realm, and see for himself what it had to offer. Although he was not personally interested in the Dream realm, he was not going to let his workers stay lost.

Once that was done, he could start spreading his taverns across the universe, and using his workers to start building connections to various realms.

For too long, others had been plotting against him. Now, with the ability to hide from everyone, it was time he began plotting against others. As soon as he was done rescuing his workers, it was time for Damian to meet his end.

Lex stopped thinking, as he did not want to distract himself any further. Every second wasted delayed the time it would take for him to complete the technique.

For once, Lex actually had trouble containing himself. All the possibilities filled him with indescribable excitement. Especially since he had not actually wasted all this time only learning the technique.

Jack had spent the same amount of time in the Dream realm, and he had been searching for answers. While he may not have had much luck finding Almira or the others, he had gained a lot in terms of information regarding the Nexus event.

Lex suppressed all his thoughts, and focused solely on the Masterless technique. Soon, it would be time for him to use it. Soon.

Within the Midnight Inn, through the tavern, a number of old and familiar guests were arriving. Malro, Giselle, Alexander, Larry and the others were all returning to the Midnight Inn after a long time. It was only after they returned that the group of them breathed a sigh of relief, though the tension that filled most of them had not disappeared entirely.

By now, they all had realized that they had stumbled onto secrets far beyond their level. Whatever that realm was that they had escaped from, it kept calling out to them, pulling them, attracting them. As if that was not enough, something was hunting them as well.

Their return to the Midnight Inn might provide them with some safety. Then again, they thought the same thing about the Henali outpost they had visited last time, and that no longer existed.

"Do we look for Lex?" Larry asked worriedly as he looked towards Rafael, yet he himself seemed too worried to answer. Lately, his future sight was becoming increasingly unreliable, probably because whoever was targeting them was too powerful for his future sight to work.

Before he could answer, a young woman stepped in front of the group, studying them with a curious gaze.

"Which one of you is the leader?" asked Vera as she looked at the group. When her gaze landed on Rafael, she no longer needed an answer. She could sense the origin of his power was the same as hers.

"Never mind. You, follow me. Of course you have to tell Lex, but first you need to go back and win the Champions tourney. You can’t let anyone else win it."

The whole group looked at Vera oddly, wondering what this crazy woman was on about. They were being hunted by mystical forces beyond their understanding, so returning to the Origin realm was out of the question.

A strange light flickered through Rafael’s eyes as he realized that maybe this was a part of something much greater. Maybe he could finally learn the origin of his future sight.