Man Replacing Heaven

Li Qi True Knowledge Dao Charm. If Li Qi were to "visit" it in person, he would probably memorize the entire structure of the fortress after just one walk around.

It should be noted that Li Qi was a person who, when he was at the seventh rank, memorized a fifth-rank array diagram by relying on his True Knowledge Dao Charm.

However, if Li Qi were to visit, Liu Junyi would absolutely not refuse and would certainly invite him inside to sit and have a look around.

Therefore, in order not to be seen through by Li Qi, and unable to refuse Li Qi's visit, Liu Junyi simply took precautions and came to greet Li Qi in person in this boundless void.

It looks awkward.

In the eyes of a normal person, if they didn't want Li Qi to see it, they could just drive him away. Why go through all this trouble?

However, this is the behavior of a gentleman.

To avoid being impolite or improper, if there is conflict between the two parties, a gentleman would rather put in more effort himself than let the conflict erupt.

It's a bit awkward, but it's very comfortable.

If Li Qi went directly and was then driven away and rejected by Liu Junyi, even if Li Qi was prepared and could understand, he would still feel unhappy no matter what.

If Li Qi had not been refused entry into the city, it would have put Human Path at a disadvantage, making the situation even worse and further displeasing the Tang Kingdom army.

Therefore, only when a virtuous person puts in the effort can both sides feel as if they are basking in a spring breeze.

The sense of comfort one feels when facing a virtuous person actually stems from this.

Some might argue that since Li Qi is already an enemy, what's wrong with making the enemy unhappy? Isn't that a good thing? Making the enemy unhappy is perfectly justified.

However, it is precisely this point that makes Liu Junyi the most admirable to Li Qi.

Liu Junyi did not consider Li Qi to be an enemy.

Alternatively, aside from enemies of the Dao Lineage, Liu Junyi had no personal enemies.

A virtuous person is inherently benevolent; therefore, a virtuous person is invincible.

Being invincible doesn't mean having no rivals, but rather that no one will consider a gentleman an enemy, and a gentleman will never become anyone's enemy.

Even now, Li Qi does not resent or hate Liu Junyi. Similarly, Liu Junyi does not think Li Qi is particularly hateful or needs to be dealt with.

There's no need for conflict; the struggle is based on one's own principles, not on the fact that the other party is an enemy.

This is a debate on principles, not a private feud.

The struggle between the two sides is about things, not personal grudges. Even if the two sides are as close as best friends, they still have to see who is the real deal.

Private feuds are about personal feelings, clan hatred, and grudges.

In reality, such grudges would not exist between gentlemen.

Li Qi looked at Liu Junyi in front of him and couldn't help but sigh.

Indeed, this kind of person is truly a prodigy.

Do not act rashly; every action must be guided by principle.

He does not speak empty words; every word he speaks must be reasonable.

Do not make unreasonable demands; if you do, there must be a reason for it.

One's actions are not futile; every action must be righteous.

Towards oneself, be benevolent and courageous, resolute and steadfast, and strive for continuous self-improvement.

Externally, one should be reasonable, virtuous, and courageous in upholding justice.

To aspire to the Way is to cultivate one's mind and intellect.

According to De, he possessed good character and cultivation.

To rely on benevolence is to value its pure goodness.

To engage in the arts is to master one's skills.

Morality, benevolence, and art are the foundation of a 'gentleman's' character.

Art is the hundred arts of Human Path, the Six Arts of a gentleman, and the skills a gentleman uses to navigate the world. A gentleman is not a useless person who only talks about Morality, Benevolence, Righteousness; he is also a person who has mastered various skills and can solve problems in practice. Whether it is the skills of Medical School, Confucian, Mohist, Military School, Yin- Yin-Yang School, or even an agricultural school, a gentleman can master them all.

Therefore, when Li Qi finally met Liu Junyi this time, he realized why the title 'gentleman' was Human Path to refer to the most outstanding talents.

Meeting the criteria for a 'gentleman' is truly... incredibly demanding.

Previously, his judgment was poor, and he did not see the strength of Liu Junyi, who could fight three people at once. He thought that Liu Junyi could only do so because of his official position.

In retrospect, official position was not the point at all.

Li Qi cupped his hands and said, "Brother Liu is very thoughtful. However, if I were to visit you, I wouldn't be interested in your War Fortress."

"I believe you, but it's always best not to give anyone cause for gossip," Liu Junyi said with a smile.

Qingfeng seemed to waft around him, even in this endless void beyond the realm.

A Qingfeng me, and soft sunlight shines on my clothes.

Looking at the other person standing there evokes a feeling of "In the empty mountains, no one is around, yet the water flows on; a lone pine tree stands serenely, seeking me alone."

"It's a bit awkward to talk standing up, why don't you sit down? By the way, Li used to eat at my house often, I wonder if you still remember the taste of Liu's dishes?" Liu Junyi said.

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a table, two chairs, and a tea set appeared around them.

However, he didn't drink the tea. Instead, he took away the tea set, replaced it with a wine set, and then started serving the dishes.

Li Qi used to frequently eat at the Liu family's restaurants. (See Chapter 381 for details)

At that time, Li Qi was studying in Chang'an and had a very close relationship with Liu Shenzhi. The two of them worked together to develop the Witchcraft Silkworm and also did some things together in the Shangyuan Garden. They had a very good relationship.

Often, when they were researching the Witchcraft Silkworm, they would spend many days at a time, and their meals were naturally taken care of by the Liu family.

Although Li Qi could cook a little and brew some wine, he couldn't possibly go into other people's kitchens. So when he ate at Liu Shenzhi's house, he always ate with Liu Shenzhi.

There were no women in Liu Shenzhi's household, Liu Donghe couldn't cook, Liu Shenzhi was a lazy bum, so Li Qi ate the meals cooked by Liu Junyi during that period.

To be honest, he's a pretty good cook. Although he doesn't have any rare ingredients, he can still make delicious food from ordinary food.

Practitioners don't actually need to eat every day, but the Human Path doesn't advocate a lifestyle of 'not eating human food'. Instead, they advocate loving life and living each day to the fullest.

Taking life seriously is a habit of many practitioners of the Human Path, which is why Liu Donghe said, "One should not be too particular about the fineness of food or the delicacy of cooking." This can be seen as a reminder that no matter how high one's cultivation level is, the Human Path is always a unified whole.

Shen Shuibi had mentioned this point before. (See Chapter 134 for details)

As practitioners of Shaman Path and Daoism who are 'detached from the mundane world,' Li Qi and Shen Shuibi are self-centered and do not need to rely on external things or people, thus achieving their unique selves.

Human Path, even High Officials of the third rank and above do not 'detach themselves from the mortal world'; they still live among ordinary people and serve them.

This can be considered a difference between different Dao Path, since different Dao Path inevitably lead to different values and worldviews.

Li Qi and Shen Shuibi could seclude themselves in the mountains and live apart from the mortal world for hundreds of years, but Human Path cultivators could never do that; they must always be among the people.

Although they seemed to have a good relationship, Li Qi increasingly realized that from the very beginning, he and the Liu Shenzhi and Liu Junyi, were not on the same path.

Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.

Faced with a table full of dishes, Li Qi stepped forward and took a seat, filled with this sentiment.

Liu Junyi reached out to pour wine for Li Qi, then filled his own glass, and asked, "Did you come here to discuss business or personal matters, Li Qi?"

"Let's talk about personal matters first, then business," Li Qi said directly, without mincing words. He then picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of food, and asked, "May I ask, Brother Liu... how has your research been going these past few years?"

Liu Junyi took a sip of his drink and replied with a smile, "He did quite well. After graduating from the Imperial Academy, he did some research at home on his own. Although he was researching some strange and ingenious techniques, the Mohist school seemed to like him very much and intended to recruit him as a Mohist."

Upon hearing this, Li Qi sighed and said, "The Mohists have very high standards. Although Canzhi is skilled in craftsmanship, he lacks that uprightness. I guess his fondness for wearing red and purple, adorning himself with flowers and powder, makes him dislike the Mohists' emphasis on poverty."

"You really do know Canzhi. He really can't accept the Mohist style. To be honest, even I find it a bit hard to accept. How could he endure such arduous training? So he refused and went to the Armaments Supervision of the Director of the Armaments Workshop. He has an official position and is doing something he's interested in. He's settled down." Liu Junyi told Li Qi about Liu Shenzhi.

Li Qi nodded slightly; this was in line with the overall trend of Human Path pursuing the Way.

Everyone does what interests them and will surely reap ample rewards, including those Mohists.

Moreover, although the Director of the Armaments Workshop Armaments Supervision Department is low, one can learn a lot from it. In this battle, I might even get to know the military equipment under Liu Shenzhi's jurisdiction.

The Armaments Supervision, with its Junior Supervisor being Subordinate Third Rank, also had a famous name: the Shangfang Supervision.

The extremely famous "Shangfang Sword," which has been passed down through countless conversations, originated from this place. Today, the Shangfang Sword is the Human Emperor Sword that once shattered Mount Luofu.

However, not all Shangfang swords are Human Emperor Sword; it's just that in this era... the previous generation of Shangfang swords perished in that rebellion, so the current Emperor's sword serves as both.

Normally, the Human Emperor Sword is kept in the Shangfang Supervision.

Of course, this matter had nothing to do with Liu Shenzhi. The Jiafang Office was just a small department with real power, and the official position of the Jiafang Office Director was only Principal Eighth Rank.

However, it is indeed reassuring to have come this far.

Although Liu Shenzhi was quite capable, being able to enter the Imperial Academy was extremely impressive compared to most people, but in terms of genius, he was no match for Li Qi, let alone his elder brother Liu Junyi.

"And you, Li, your uncle used to praise you as a good friend of Canzhi. What are you doing now?" Liu Junyi asked.

"The Shaman are different from you. I don't have any specific duties. I just do my own thing. It's just that... I started this war myself, so I have no choice but to participate. I happen to be the most well-prepared, so I took on the responsibility of being the vanguard. It's fate that I ended up with Brother Liu." Li Qi smiled and answered frankly.

Upon hearing the words "I started this myself," Liu Junyi's smile vanished.

He actually knew this, but hearing the other person say it out loud still made him uneasy.

A direct war between two Dao Lineage! How dare Li Qi? If Liu Junyi were in Li Qi's position, he probably wouldn't dare to make the decision to overturn the table no matter what.

If it were Liu Junyi making the decision, he would probably choose to drag it out indefinitely, ideally forever, until a fight never breaks out.

The wars of the Dao Lineage are terrifying, just like what is happening now. Human Path destroyed tens of millions of worlds just to build a forward War Fortress.

How many War Fortress does Human Path possess?

Anyway, Liu Junyi couldn't count them all.

As a gentleman who upholds the principle of 'benevolence', he actually does not want to see this scene, and he does not want to do such a thing, even if it involves natural resources.

A wise person keeps away from the kitchen; seeing the animals alive, he cannot bear to see them die; hearing their cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh.

However, he was also clear-headed. Although he was reluctant, he still had to do it, because if he didn't, the consequences would be unimaginable.

A virtuous person is benevolent, but there is a distinction between great benevolence and lesser benevolence.

In Liu Junyi's view, the war that was happening at this moment was like bandits preparing to attack a mountain village and plunder the villagers, and a virtuous man stepping forward to defend against the bandits with a bow and arrow made of ox horn and sinew.

Xiao Ren cherishes cattle.

Protecting the villagers is a great act of benevolence.

While killing an ox with its horns and tendons is necessary, a virtuous person, though saddened by the death of an ox, cannot sacrifice human life to protect the life of an ox.

A benevolent person has compassion for life, but will not give up what they should do. If it is time to pick up a bow and arrow made of ox horn and sinew to defend against the enemy, then pick it up. This is what Liu Junyi is doing at this moment.

So, Liu Junyi asked at this moment, "Student Li, you caused this war to break out and led these worlds to participate in the war. Don't you feel bad about it?"

Hearing this, Li Qi smiled.

Although he was not the most typical Shaman, he was still a Shaman. Li Qi felt no guilt or distress towards the victims who sacrificed their lives in the war.

So he replied, "Conflicts of principle are a natural phenomenon, and no one can avoid them. It is a natural thing. I fight alongside them and bear the same risks. I join hands with those worlds to face the invasion of Human Path. What is there to be upset about?"

"Why must there be an invasion? If you hadn't given the Polaris Golden Core Method to the True Dragons, this war wouldn't have happened," Liu Junyi said.

"Then why would the Daoist Human Path want to seize the Polaris Golden Core Method?" Li Qi countered.

Then he said, "Human Path wants to seize it, yet it blames me for trying to protect it? Bringing the True Dragon into the battle is the method I came up with to protect the Polaris Golden Core Method. Rather, ask yourself, if Human Path hadn't started the war, things wouldn't have come to this."

These words left Liu Junyi speechless; he didn't know how to answer that question.

Yes, why would Human Path be taken away?

The reason is actually quite simple.

Human Path 'hungry'.

This is not greed, but 'hunger'.

Greed is the desire for things you don't need; wanting something you don't need.

But Human Path truly needs the Sun and Moon Path. The forging of the 'ecliptic' is already within reach, but it still lacks the Sun and Moon Path as the ultimate benchmark.

On the day the ecliptic is forged, Human Path will be able to see through all the secrets of the 'Heavenly Court', and Human Path will achieve a new breakthrough in the level of 'Man replacing Heaven'!

This is a breakthrough in the entire Human Path Dao Lineage. When the humanistic Human Path comes to an end, there will be no more ignorance in the myriad realms. The Human Path will reveal all its secrets and will naturally no longer be a constraint.

So...

This is the struggle over the Dao.

There is no right or wrong.

For Liu Junyi, human life has no inherent value; one human life is as important as ten thousand human lives. This is his concept as a gentleman.

However, even if all human lives were added together, none would be as important as the 'Dao'.

All of this is for the great cause of Man replacing Heaven, to liberate everyone from the shackles of Heavenly Dao's way. After success, material things and reality will no longer be a constraint on man!

Life will attain true freedom, complete freedom!

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