"Don't worry, I got through it the same way," Zhou Bai looked at the Zuo Dao in front of him, patting the other's shoulder just like an old farmer looking at his own field of chives. He thought expectantly, 'Once I pour this bit of fertilizer—no, feed him the seed of madness, Zuo Dao will soon be able to grow strong.' 'As long as he reaches the ninth realm, not only can he become the key for me to open the Zuo Family's treasure vault and obtain the original Dao collection 08, but he can also become a great logistical and combat resource for me.' Zhou Bai remembered that the Zuo Family was particularly adept at artifact refining, especially their renowned Dao technique, Ghosts and Gods Hundred Refinements. As long as the materials were sufficient, they could directly replicate magic treasures. 'Then I'll have Zuo Dao at the ninth realm refine artifacts for me every day, arm all my followers to the teeth. The Void Crown and the Celestial Throne can be upgraded again.' On the other side, Zuo Dao looked at the seed of madness in front of him. Although he still felt awkward about it, the encouragement from his companion made him suppress his hesitation, and he swallowed the seed of madness in one gulp. Moments later, Zuo Dao's eyes widened as he realized that the entire world was different. Watching from the side, Zhou Bai slightly smiled in his heart. With the multiple enhancements from his divine diagram, Zuo Dao couldn't compare to him in terms of wisdom. The moment Zuo Dao swallowed the seed of madness, he became a witless follower, granted the power of facial supremacy by Zhou Bai. As Zuo Dao looked at the material world around him, he saw an overwhelming golden light that nearly blinded him; he could hardly see anything. Zuo Dao quickly stepped back, raising a hand to shield his eyes. After a while of adjusting, he finally saw the world in front of him clearly. The Xuan Nu emitted light like the sun, illuminating the entire basement brightly. Beside her, Jing Xiu and others suddenly seemed much more inconspicuous. In comparison to Xuan Nu's light, they were like the moon compared to the stars, visible only in a vague manner. "Where's Zhou Bai?" Zuo Dao looked around in confusion and asked, "Zhou Bai, why can't I see you?" Zhou Bai, standing beside Xuan Nu, said darkly, "I'm right here." Follow current novᴇls on novèlfire.net Zuo Dao was startled: "Why can't I see you?" Zhou Bai pouted and started teaching Zuo Dao how to disable the special effects. He was puzzled in his heart, "Honestly, I wouldn't call myself ugly; from some angles, I've even reached the pinnacle of handsomeness. Why does the ugly diagram rate me so poorly?" Christina said in the mental sea, "Because your heart is too dirty." Zhou Bai: "Shut up. Didn't I tell you to stay home and train with the original Dao collection? Why do you always hang around in my mind?" Christina immediately slumped on the cat scratcher, sighing sorrowfully, "That last transformation was too exhausting; I'm having a hard time." Zhou Bai ignored the lazy cat, thinking to himself, "Is there something unique about how the ugly diagram rates me?" On the other hand, Zuo Dao quickly turned off the special effects in front of him, regaining clarity of vision: "What a fascinating Dao technique." He sensed the changes within and around himself, feeling an inexplicable transformation. This is an enhancement of cultivation efficiency and aptitude, which isn't easily perceived. After greeting the others, Zhou Bai led Zuo Dao to a newly built quiet room, intending to have Zuo Dao begin training with the Dao collection. This quiet room was a new facility Zhou Bai had asked Jiaojiao to build here, equipped with multiple protective arrays both inside and out, providing mental focus and dual protection for both internal and external threats. It was designed in line with the training rooms of Dong Hua Dao School. It even contained a complete set of Dao collections borrowed from Dao School, specifically for the followers' use. Sitting in the quiet room, Zuo Dao hesitantly said, "Is it really okay for me to directly train with the Dao collection (Dao School revised edition)? I don't feel fully prepared yet." Reciting the Dao collection, enhancing the Dao transformation is a process of facing the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao directly. In this era where the Heavenly Dao is distorted, one must make ample preparations mentally and physically beforehand, training the divine diagram and Primordial Spirit power to the peak, and learning various Dao scriptures related to the Dao collection in advance. The deeper the foundation and the more thorough the preparation, the lower the risk with each recitation of the Dao collection, making it less likely to lead to madness and deformation. Otherwise, if one recites the Dao collection without sufficient preparation, it is easy to spiral into madness and deformation when confronting the Heavenly Dao's mysteries. Zuo Dao had only recently entered the fifth realm, naturally wary of casually reading the Dao collection. Zhou Bai said, "Zuo Dao, after consuming the Longevity Dao Fruit, your cultivation aptitude has improved. If you train beside Xuan Nu, your efficiency will increase at least tenfold, but that alone still won't catch up to me. The reason I want you to train with the Dao collection alone now is to hope you'll grasp my second secret for quick cultivation improvement." Zuo Dao's eyes brightened: "What is it?" "Have wholehearted trust in Yuanshi Tianzun," Zhou Bai said seriously. "If you can completely trust Yuanshi Tianzun while reciting the Dao collection, believing he will protect you before the Heavenly Dao, then you'll be fine. You can recite the Dao collection freely without deformation." What Zhou Bai intended, of course, was to make Zuo Dao a lie follower, then extract the pollution within him. If Zuo Dao could become a lie follower, combined with the support of facial supremacy and Primordial Spirit armament, Zhou Bai was confident he could help him reach the ninth realm within three months. 'Can Yuanshi Tianzun protect me under the distortion of the Heavenly Dao? Does that mean even the Heavenly Dao has to show him some respect?' Upon hearing this, Zuo Dao tried it skeptically. Naturally, it was initially unsuccessful since he had recited many Dao collections, and his wariness of them had become instinctual. It was challenging to completely trust that Yuanshi Tianzun could protect him from deformation without thorough preparation when reciting the Dao collection. Furthermore, Zuo Dao couldn't recite too quickly, given his lack of preparation and the fact that he wasn't yet a witless follower. Zhou Bai could only advise him to stop and rest at any sign of discomfort, resuming once he had recuperated mentally. So, in the following days, Zhou Bai accompanied Zuo Dao to recite the Dao collection at the slowest pace, piece by piece, continuously advising him using himself as an example. "Zuo Dao, trust leads to success, distrust to failure," Zhou Bai looked at Zuo Dao solemnly. "If you want to rapidly improve your strength in a short time, like I did, believing in Yuanshi Tianzun is the only way." "Trust him like I do." Day and night, through constant teaching and personal example, Zuo Dao finally, in a certain moment, met the requirements of becoming a lie follower. Zhou Bai noticed it immediately, and instantly activated his ability, draining all the Power of Deformation from him in one swoop.