Forging Myriad Laws, Nascent Divine Abilities

Once the Literary Heart had ignited, it was like an undying lone lamp lit in the dark of night, showing Wanhua the way forward and granting him the confidence to press onward through this chaos and darkness.

Yet merely possessing direction and foundational theory was far from enough.

In this peril-ridden Primordial Era, without arts to protect the Dao, even the most exquisite principles were like duckweed without roots, liable to be torn apart by brute force at any moment.

Wanhua's consciousness sank into the newborn Literary Heart, sensing that faint yet steadily beating power.

It was time to forge weapons sharp enough to safeguard the Dao path and cleave through thorns for this newborn Confucian Dao system.

His gaze turned once more toward the vast treasury of memories from his past life, as well as the Primordial Era laws recorded in the Myriad Dao Celestial Tome, which had already begun to react subtly with wisdom from other worlds.

This time, his goal was clear—forge myriad laws, and bring his divine abilities into their initial form.

No longer content with merely drawing upon concepts, he began a deeper, more creative process of "dismantling" and "reforging."

The Myriad Dao Celestial Tome's formidable power of deduction was driven to its utmost limit. The chaotic Dao patterns on its pages flowed in trajectories more intricate than ever before.

It was as though countless miniature worlds were being born and extinguished within it.

I. Offensive Arts: From Tongues as Spears, Words as Swords to the Evil-Slaying Brushstroke

He further deepened the initial framework of "tongues as spears, words as swords." He combined it with the methods of "thought becoming a sword" and "divine sense slaughter" from Shrouding the Heavens.

Along with the descriptions in Eternal Life of the Great Slaughter Technique and Great Heart Demon Technique's destructive power on the spiritual level, he elevated simple literary qi condensation to the level of invoking the "edge of principle."

In his deductions, he "saw" that literary qi was no longer an invisible impact. Following the user's intent, it could take the form of a sword—keen and upright, charging forward without hesitation, specially severing wicked and deluded thoughts;

It could take the form of a ruler, symbolizing rules and laws, measuring right from wrong and punishing transgression;

It could take the form of needles, minute and difficult to perceive, specifically piercing weak points in protective qi and soul defenses.

He even attempted to fuse in a trace of the peerlessly tyrannical, all-judging intent of the Dominator Sword Qi from the world of Saint King, creating a more destructive variant—the "Evil-Slaying Brushstroke."

This art required one to use highly condensed literary qi to imitate a divine brush wielded in sweeping strokes, writing a character that contained the true meanings of "breaking evil," "executing wickedness," and "judgment"—such as "Slash," "Break," or "Righteous."

Once the character was formed, it became an edge, drawing upon the corresponding power of Order in the unseen. It possessed additional lethality against yin and evil entities, Demonic Beasts, and those burdened by profound Karmic Debt.

Naturally, this method consumed an enormous amount of power and demanded an exceptionally steadfast Literary Heart. It was not something a beginner could wield.

II. Protective Arts: From an Impenetrable Defense to Splendid Tapestry

In terms of defense, the mental barrier of "an impenetrable defense" was further refined.

He drew upon the principles behind certain protective mystic lights and Five Elements defensive divine abilities in Buddha Is Dao.

As well as the concept of heaven-and-earth defenses in Grave of the Gods, creating a more systematic literary qi body-protection art.

Literary qi could be released outward to form a Literary Brilliance Barrier. Fine characters flowed across the barrier as if expounding the principles of defense. It could not only withstand energy impacts, But also, to a certain extent, weaken and dissolve assaults and curses targeting the mind.

Taking it a step further, he could unfold before himself a Splendid Tapestry constructed from literary qi.

This "tapestry" was not physical. Rather, it was woven from countless characters and images containing the principles of "protection," "resilience," and "evading calamity," like an expansive defensive composition unfurled before him.

Any attack that entered the "tapestry" would be broken down and weakened layer by layer by the structure of principles within it. If the "principle" contained in the attack itself conflicted with the "tapestry," it would even suffer backlash.

This had already begun to touch upon "using reason to command methods"—using his own system of principles to contend against external divine abilities.

III. Support and Evasion Arts: Each Word a Pearl and Subtle Words, Profound Meaning

He did not overlook other aspects. Drawing on concepts such as "word spirits" and "true words," and combining them with the ultimate ideal of the Confucian Dao—that words spoken become law—he created the art of Each Word a Pearl.

Characters containing specific meanings were condensed with literary qi and manifested, producing all manner of wondrous effects.

For instance, writing the character "Heal" could accelerate recovery from injuries; writing "Light" could make one as light as a swallow;

Writing "Bind" could form chains of literary qi to trap an enemy.

Naturally, the strength of the effect depended entirely on the caster's depth of understanding of the "principles" contained within the characters, as well as the literary qi available to support them.

For evasion arts, he abandoned the traditional Five Elements escape methods' dependence on spiritual roots and corresponding spiritual qi, instead creating the Dao of Evasion.

Its core was "following principle in one's movement."

For instance, if one wished to move swiftly, one had to understand the principle that "the straight line is the shortest."

Wrapping oneself in literary qi, one could, to a certain degree, "persuade" the surrounding spatial resistance to lessen, achieving an effect akin to shrinking the earth into inches.

If one wished to conceal oneself, one had to understand the principles of "merging with the light and dust" and "revealing nothing outwardly," allowing one's aura and sense of presence to reach a harmony of "principle" with the surrounding environment, thereby achieving stealth.

This method placed immense demands on one's comprehension and on how closely the Literary Heart aligned with principle. Its speed might not match certain supreme evasion arts, but it was strange and difficult to guard against, with immense potential.

IV. Nascent Core Divine Abilities: Spring and Autumn Annals Brushwork and the Song of Righteousness

Once his deductions reached a certain point, two grander and far more difficult-to-control nascent divine abilities began to emerge within his consciousness.

The first was the Spring and Autumn Annals Brushwork.

This art drew inspiration from the concept of an historian's brush being iron-hard, praising and condemning without form. It also incorporated the Great Samsara Technique of Eternal Life and certain concepts of time and space from the Time-Space God of Grave of the Gods.

It touched upon the domains of time and causality. The initial concept was to use immense literary qi and an unwavering Literary Heart to stir a trace of ripples through time and space.

It could, within a small area, "delete and revise" or "emphasize" the effects caused by a brief past event—for example, diminishing the power of an enemy's previous strike, or strengthening the effect of one's own defensive action.

Or it could "finalize a draft" of a brief future fragment—for example, predicting an attack's trajectory and "recording" in advance the outcome of evading it.

This art was extraordinarily profound and carried immense backlash. The slightest carelessness would damage the Literary Heart.

It might even draw a backlash from the power of time and space. At present, Wanhua could only deduce a vague framework and a dire warning.

The second was the "Song of Righteousness." This was not a single divine ability, but a state—or rather, a ritual method for drawing upon the "Vast Righteous Qi" that permeated heaven and earth.

When he adjusted his Literary Heart to a state of utmost greatness and unwavering firmness, selfless and fearless, then circulated his Literary Qi in a particular rhythm and chanted passages containing the righteous qi of heaven and earth, he could invoke the vast power that existed unseen throughout the Primordial Era, a force inclined toward "order," "justice," and "uprightness," to empower himself.

In this state, all evil would retreat, myriad arts would struggle to encroach upon him, his Literary Qi would recover far faster, and the might of every Confucian Dao divine ability would be greatly enhanced.

It could be called one of the ultimate amplification states of the Confucian Dao, but its demands upon one's temperament and character were harsh to the extreme.

Those whose hearts harbored stray thoughts or whose actions bore shortcomings simply could not invoke it—and might even suffer a backlash.

Divine Abilities Take Shape, the Dao Path Gradually Broadens

Who knew how many more years passed before Wanhua's consciousness slowly withdrew from its deep deductions.

At this moment, his Literary Heart remained weak, and the total amount of his Literary Qi had not surged dramatically. Yet its inner "quality" had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

Within that Literary Heart, it was as though the seeds of countless divine ability runes had been branded into it. Once he had sufficient Literary Qi and his realm improved, they could take root and sprout, unleashing world-shaking might.

With a slight movement of his mind, a thread of Literary Qi spilled forth and transformed within the chaos into a transparent little sword three inches long. A faint gleam flowed along its blade, radiating sharp intent—this was the preliminary form of "Tongue-and-Sword."

With another thought, the Literary Qi scattered, transforming into a faintly visible Thousand-Character Classic that encircled him.

Its script was ancient and unadorned, exuding a steady, weighty Guardian Dao resonance—this was a miniature demonstration of "Splendid Tapestry."

Though all of these were still mere fledglings, far from the divine abilities and treasures needed to truly contend against Great Powers of the Primordial Era, their significance was extraordinary!

This marked the moment Wanhua truly possessed a power system that belonged to him alone!

No longer empty imaginings, no longer theory, but genuine arts for protecting the Dao that could be used and cultivated!

Relying on his own wisdom and the deductions of the Myriad Dao Celestial Tome, he had successfully forged the principles of two worlds together from nothing, creating for the newborn Confucian Dao

its first set of "fangs and claws"—immature though they were, yet holding limitless potential.

The road ahead remained long, the Primordial Dao Fruit impossibly distant, and threats from the outside world hung overhead like the sword of Damocles. But at this moment, Wanhua's heart was filled with confidence.

His divine abilities had taken their initial form. The next step was to gather strength and wait for the opportunity to break free of his shackles and soar into the sky!