Xuanjizi shared with all the Core Disciples, and even some outstanding Registered Disciples, his insights into "Birth and Death of Order" and "Understanding Rather Than Confronting," as well as Yun Su's example of "Turning Annihilation to One's Own Use."
At the Hall of Discussing the Dao, they engaged in deep discussion and exchange.
At first, many disciples remained bewildered. After all, the nature of the Aura of Annihilation was too ethereal and elusive, beyond the scope of their current understanding.
Yet Xuanjizi did not lose heart. Drawing on the qualities of his "Seeking" Literary Heart, he tirelessly deduced day and night, attempting to find a solid theoretical foundation for this vague direction.
He repeatedly studied the ancient jade slips within the Scripture Repository, manifested by Wanhua and concerning the principles of Creation of Heaven and Earth, Evolution of Yin and Yang, and Birth and Death of All Things.
He paid particular attention to those vague records describing how the world gave rise to Order from Chaos, then followed Order into the cyclical Return to Void.
"Chaos gives birth to Taiji, Taiji divides into Two Modes, Two Modes transform into Four Symbols... Endless Vitality, cycling again and again..." Xuanjizi muttered in the Stillness Chamber.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, the "Platform of Seeking" Literary Palace radiated brilliantly, countless runes of principle appearing and vanishing like flowing stars.
"Annihilation... Return to Void... this is one end of the cycle, like the alternation of day and night, the turning of the seasons. It is not an absolute end, but... the beginning of another form?"
He felt that he had touched upon some crucial threshold, yet a thin veil always lay between them, impossible to truly pierce.
The Aura of Annihilation still pervaded the Academy. The dimming of its Literary Radiance and the stagnation in the disciples' cultivation continued. The longer this dragged on, the greater the potential damage to the Academy's foundations.
Just when Xuanjizi was exhausted in body and mind, nearly falling into despair, Wanhua's voice came like a beacon shining through layers of fog.
It quietly resounded in his mind. It was not a specific method, but a maxim containing supreme wisdom:
"Know the strong, yet keep to the gentle, and become the valley of all under heaven. Become the valley of all under heaven, and constant virtue will never depart; return to the state of an infant.
Know the white, yet keep to the black, and become the model of all under heaven. Become the model of all under heaven, and constant virtue will never err; return to the limitless."
These words exploded through Xuanjizi's Sea of Consciousness like thunder! Enlightenment struck him in an instant!
"Know the strong, yet keep to the gentle... know the white, yet keep to the black... This is not retreat, but... acceptance!
It is understanding one's opposite and taking it as the model of one's own existence!
Returning to the infant... returning to the limitless... means returning to the source, returning to that initial state containing infinite possibilities!"
"I understand!" Xuanjizi abruptly opened his eyes, unprecedented brilliance bursting from them. "Annihilation is not the enemy. It is the stage in the Principles of Change where 'stripping away' is followed by 'return'!
It is an indispensable part of all things' operation! My Literary Dao pursues Order and existence, but true eternal Order is not rigid and unchanging.
It is the Unchanging Change that can accept, understand, and even master 'change' and 'endings,' while keeping its own core from falling!"
Boom!
With that declaration of enlightenment, the "Platform of Seeking" Literary Palace in his Sea of Consciousness underwent an earth-shaking transformation!
It had once stood only at the summit, symbolizing unwavering exploration, but now patterns of flowing Yin and Yang began to emerge.
A Return to Void vortex seemed hidden beneath its foundation, while limpid limitless qi rose above its peak! The essence of "Mastery of Change" merged into his "Seeking" Literary Heart!
A wholly new Literary Qi, more inclusive and more profound, erupted from within him!
This Literary Qi was no longer merely upright and harmonious. It carried a lively quality that perceived change and flowed without end!
Literary Radiance Revived, a Marvelous Method Emerged
Xuanjizi eagerly left the Stillness Chamber and arrived at the center of the Academy plaza.
He did not employ any powerful divine ability. He merely stood there calmly, drawing forth the Literary Qi within him that contained the realm of the Unchanging Change, allowing it to slowly spread outward.
Something wondrous happened!
The Aura of Annihilation that filled the air, Formless and Intangible as it continuously eroded the Literary Radiance Dao Charm, came into contact with Xuanjizi's new Literary Qi.
Rather than causing Literary Qi to collapse as it had before, it was like a stream flowing into the sea, quietly "accepted" and "guided away" by that change-embracing Literary Qi!
Though it could not immediately disperse or purify the aura, it successfully opened up a relatively "clean" space within the area it covered!
Within that space, the Literary Radiance Dao Charm recovered its former agility and vitality!
"It worked! Senior Brother Xuanji succeeded!" disciples cried out, thrilled by the long-lost smoothness in their cultivation.
Xuanjizi did not stop. He attempted to incorporate this realm into a concrete divine ability.
Holding two fingers together like a brush, he wrote in the air. This time, it was neither the sharpness of the Evil-Slaying Brushstroke,
nor the effect of a single character, but a flowing rune of the character "Change," seemingly containing transformations of Yin and Yang!
The instant this "Change" rune appeared, it actively drew in the surrounding Aura of Annihilation. The rune itself flowed in a delicate balance between "Order" and "nothingness."
It actually temporarily held the Aura of Annihilation within that small area in Stability, greatly slowing its corrosive power!
"This method shall be called—Yi Li Ding Ji!" Xuanjizi declared loudly, his voice weary but even more exhilarated.
He immediately imparted, without reservation, the realm of the Unchanging Change that he had comprehended and the preliminary method of Yi Li Ding Ji to Core Disciples such as Elder Teng, Yun Xi, Jin Li, and Mingxin.
Combining this principle with his "Benevolent Resilience" Literary Heart, Elder Teng comprehended the meaning of "Endless Vitality and the Cycle of Wither and Flourish." His Literary Qi's ability to nourish the life force of plants greatly increased.
He could even accelerate the renewal of plant life eroded by Annihilation.
The light of Yun Xi's Guardian gained the realm of the Interdependence of Void and Reality. Her barrier became tougher, and its resistance to the Aura of Annihilation increased dramatically.
Jin Li's fierceness gained an added measure of "resilience and transformation," while Mingxin's Light of Wisdom became better able to illuminate "opportunities within change"...
Each Core Disciple gained his or her own insight. Though they could not initially "stabilize Annihilation" as Xuanjizi could, their new understanding enabled them to better protect themselves and slow the erosion of the Aura of Annihilation.
Xuanjizi led the Core Disciples to key locations throughout the Academy—the Scripture Repository, the Hall of Preaching, the Spirit Vein Hub, and others.
They took turns using Yi Li Ding Ji or guarding those locations through its underlying realm, like driving solid piles into a filthy torrent and initially stabilizing the Academy's position.
The dim Literary Radiance shrouding the Academy began to brighten little by little around these "piles"!
Though it was far from returning to its peak, the despairing trend of continuous decline had been successfully halted!
Fear in the Dragon Palace, a Clever Scheme Backfires
Deep within the Dragon Palace, the Turtle Prime Minister, who had been vaguely tracking the movements of the Aura of Annihilation through a secret technique, was the first to notice the anomaly.
"Something is wrong... The Aura of Annihilation's erosion within Myriad Dao Academy... has slowed?
It has even... been repelled at certain points?" The Turtle Prime Minister's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How is that possible?
That is power originating from the Sea of Annihilation! Even the Ancestral Dragon feared it! How... how could they possibly withstand it?!"
He reported this shocking discovery to Ao Guang. Upon hearing the news, the Dragon King's draconic body, already badly weakened from drawing forth the Aura of Annihilation, trembled violently once more.
For the first time, his dragon eyes revealed fear deeper than what he had felt before Sage Wanhua—a fear of the unknown, of something beyond the boundaries of his understanding!
"They... they did not merely stop it... They are adapting to it? They may even be... using it?"
Ao Guang's voice trembled. "What... what kind of monster have we unleashed? And what kind of opponent... have we provoked?!"
He had thought the Aura of Annihilation was their final trump card, one that would take both sides down together. Yet he had never imagined that
their opponents would not collapse in despair, but would instead treat this ultimate power as a Whetstone, tempering themselves into something even more terrifying!
Immense regret and panic at having made a clever scheme backfire, only to make wedding clothes for another, bit into every Dragon Clan Core member involved like venomous snakes.
They realized that they might not be destroying their enemy, but helping that enemy complete a terrifying transformation!
A New Beginning, Undercurrents Unabated
Within Myriad Dao Academy, the crisis had not been completely resolved.
Xuanjizi's Yi Li Ding Ji could only temporarily stabilize the situation and create Safe Points. It could not eradicate the pervasive Aura of Annihilation.
Moreover, this method consumed enormous amounts of the user's mind and Literary Qi, making it impossible to sustain for long.
But it was undoubtedly the first glimmer of dawn in the darkness, a great breakthrough in a desperate situation. It proved that the Confucian Dao possessed the potential and Resilience to confront the unknown and ultimate threats.
After this battle, Xuanjizi's prestige within the Academy reached unprecedented heights. He was not merely the First Disciple, but a pioneer who had guided them through danger and opened a new path.
All the disciples realized that the breadth and profundity of the Confucian Dao extended far beyond what they had currently learned, with endless mysteries still awaiting exploration.
Within Chaos Space, Wanhua sensed his disciple's growth and the Academy's initial stabilization, then nodded slightly.
The purpose of this trial had been partially achieved. Yet he also knew that the source of the Aura of Annihilation brought by the Dragon Palace remained, and the hidden danger had not been eliminated.
The Principles of Change newly comprehended by the disciples were also only a beginning. How to deepen and systematize them, and ultimately resolve the source of the Aura of Annihilation, would be the true challenge ahead.
The undercurrents of the Primordial Era had not calmed because the Academy had initially stabilized. Instead, because of the Dragon Palace's terror and the astonishing potential displayed by the Academy, they became even more turbulent and unfathomable.
The true storm, perhaps, had only just begun to gather strength.
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