The Way That Can Be Spoken Is Not the Constant Way

Gaoxin lifted two hundred kilograms, even though he weighed only seventy.

In other words, his strength was at least 2.9 times his body weight, and possibly even three times—reaching the human limit.

Luo Yan felt a little dizzy. He leaned against something and sat down, taking a moment to recover.

Adrenaline couldn't possibly let him maintain such great strength for the rest of the day.

After a long while, Luo Yan finally said, "Have you really become a Superior Glass Person? Have you truly unlocked all of an ordinary person's potential?"

"You really weren't enhanced?"

Gaoxin grinned. "No. It's all because of your blood."

"Yesterday, in that state, I trusted you completely. I really thought I'd taken medicine that unlocked my potential."

"Then, at the final moment, I gained the strength of a Superior Glass Person. I deliberately waited for Daishan Beida to approach, then used the last hand I could move to kill him!"

Luo Yan slapped his own face. "I made that up! Is the placebo effect really that powerful?"

Gaoxin grabbed his arm. "That's exactly how powerful it is!"

"But it isn't any placebo effect. Stop thinking about such useless principles. You have to discard that illusion and see through to the essence of the phenomenon!"

Luo Yan finally asked curiously, "Then... then tell me. What are the answers to the three ultimate questions?"

Gaoxin immediately gestured. "How should I put it... The universe is conscious, and the consciousness of every one of us is a part of it."

"Think of it as an incomparably vast Great Holy Spirit. We all come from it, live in the material world through our bodies, and return to it after death."

"..." Luo Yan was rendered speechless.

Gaoxin said excitedly, "Every one of us is that Holy Spirit, and all of us are equally perfect in spirit."

"What creates our differences is the material world. But it doesn't matter. As long as the mind is strong enough, you can control your own body."

Luo Yan waved his hand. "No... this... isn't this metaphysics? That's absurd!"

"What mind? What consciousness? Can you actually distort reality?"

Gaoxin answered seriously, "Distort reality? I've tried. The Physical Laws are simply too powerful."

"Perhaps the Great Holy Spirit can distort the material world, but we aren't strong enough. We're merely one of its countless branches, trapped inside material bodies and only able to influence these bodies."

Luo Yan frowned. "What does all this metaphysical nonsense have to do with your extraordinary placebo effect?"

"Why do you think the fact that you unlocked your potential with my blood proves the existence of your so-called Holy Spirit?"

"Souls and all that are even more absurd."

Gaoxin said seriously, "I only used the word 'soul' to make it easier for you to understand. In truth, when I was little, I didn't know how else to describe it."

Luo Yan pursed his lips. "Fine. I won't argue over terminology, but I still can't understand the connection between the two. Maybe your brain was enhanced, making you especially suited to the placebo effect?"

Gaoxin laughed helplessly and waved his hands repeatedly. "Your logic is wrong."

"The Great Holy Spirit of the universe came first, and we're all parts of it. That's why I could use your blood to unlock your potential."

Luo Yan was bewildered. He scratched his head. "No... huh? What?"

"You say my logic is wrong? Haven't you got it backward? I admit that you unlocked your potential, but why do you assume it's because the Great Holy Spirit exists? Couldn't there be some other reason?"

Gaoxin declared firmly, "No! That's the reason! Otherwise, I couldn't have succeeded. Why do you insist on refusing to believe it?"

Every feature on Luo Yan's face twisted. "I want to believe you, but these things aren't connected at all. Nothing you're saying makes any logical sense."

Gaoxin grew frantic and stomped his foot. "It does make sense!"

"It's right there in plain sight!"

Luo Yan asked, puzzled, "Then explain it. Tell me."

Gaoxin looked solemn and launched into a torrent of speech, accompanying it with gestures.

At times his voice was high and booming; at others, it sank into a vague murmur.

Sometimes he pointed at the air, and sometimes he picked up things nearby to illustrate his points. The whole performance made him look like a madman.

And yet, he didn't seem to be talking nonsense. His words gave off an unfathomable air, as though he were truly explaining the Great Way.

"No... I understand every sentence you say, but once they're put together, I can't understand any of it. It feels like there's no logic at all!" Luo Yan tugged at his hair.

Although he didn't understand, it still felt profound, as if some great truth were truly hidden within it. The sensation was driving him mad.

Gaoxin was frantic too. "How can you not understand? This logic really exists. It connects with countless phenomena, so it isn't 'illogical.'"

"It's also completely correct, so it isn't 'anti-logic' either."

"This is positive logic. You simply haven't understood it, while I have! That's why I call it Dark Logic!"

"As long as you think of that Dark Logic and combine these phenomena, it's simple!"

His solemn, earnest manner nearly drove Luo Yan insane. "Why are you so certain? I can't understand you!"

Gaoxin gave a cry and said, "Of course I'm certain! If you understood that logic, you'd understand too! You'd be certain too!"

"The truth that everyone comes from the Great Holy Spirit has to come first. Only then could I trigger that method and produce this result."

"Didn't you say it yourself before? All people are equal. Since you understand that principle, why don't you believe it now?"

"And that placebo effect you mentioned—why don't you combine that phenomenon with the others? Everything in the world should operate according to a single truth!"

"If that truth were wrong, how could I piece together a technique—and realize it using only my own consciousness?"

"Yes! A technique. I use the word 'technique.' Do you understand?"

Luo Yan took a deep breath. "All right, all right, let's both calm down..."

"A technique, right? Since it's a technique—a form of knowledge—then it can't be something only you can do. I should be able to do it too, right?"

Gaoxin nodded desperately. "I've been saying all along that everyone can do it! Everyone is divine. It has to be this way, otherwise this result wouldn't have occurred... Not a single link in my logic can be missing! Each link locks into the next! It's extremely rigorous!"

"All right, all right..." Luo Yan interrupted him. "I don't care about your principles anymore, okay?"

"It's like AI technology. I only need to know how to use it. Didn't you say there was a method? Teach me."

Gaoxin pondered for a moment, then began another mysterious explanation.

This time Luo Yan was even more confused, because Gaoxin quoted a great many terms from Daoist scriptures.

Each one sounded profound when taken alone, and together they became indescribable.

"What are 'Abandon Sagacity and Discard Wisdom' and 'Abandon Cleverness and Discard Profit'? What are Heart Manifestation and Heart Fasting? What are Heavenly Heart to the Right and Mechanical Heart to the Left?"

"Didn't you say you never studied? Where did you learn these terms?"

Gaoxin froze. "Those are all things Aunt Yao said. She tells fortunes for people. Some of the terms felt very apt, so I borrowed them. So you understand what I'm describing, right?"

Luo Yan frowned. " 'Abandon Sagacity and Discard Wisdom' and 'Abandon Cleverness and Discard Profit' come from the Tao Te Ching. They mean abandoning cleverness and intelligence and returning to natural simplicity..."

"As for Heart Manifestation, it comes from Zhuangzi - The Equality of Things: 'The heart is not wood or stone; moved, it responds. It manifests with emotion and responds to changing circumstances.'"

"It means that after the heart senses an emotion or thought, the body naturally produces a corresponding action or expression."

As he said this, he himself suddenly froze.

Gaoxin said excitedly, "Yes, yes, that's exactly what it means! You understand now, right?"

Luo Yan frowned in bewilderment. "No, what do I understand? That's what it means, but it's not what you meant by it."

Gaoxin stomped his foot. "Who cares what the author meant? I haven't read the book, but that's the only way I can describe it to you."

"Just try it! It's very simple!"

Luo Yan stared blankly. "Try what? You haven't told me the method."

"Use your heart! You only need to believe." Gaoxin answered seriously.

Luo Yan gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll try!"

He immediately found a cup and prepared to cut his finger and drink the blood.

Gaoxin stopped him. "Your blood is already inside your body. What good would drinking it do?"

"Drink this instead!"

He went straight to the warehouse and brought out a bottle of liquid. No one knew what it was.

"What is this..." Luo Yan asked.

Gaoxin said, "This is the medicine that unlocks potential. Just drink it."

Luo Yan didn't ask anything else and downed it in one gulp.

He waited for a long time and even tried lifting heavy objects, but nothing happened.

"No, I really believed!" Luo Yan shouted.

Gaoxin gritted his teeth. "You believed my ass! You drank it without feeling the slightest bit of joy."

"..." The corner of Luo Yan's mouth twitched. "Because it tastes awful! What even is this?"

Gaoxin pointed at him. "See? Your instinct is already questioning it and wondering what this liquid from the Meat Warehouse could be..."

"If you truly believed, you'd be delighted and moved. Your first reaction would probably be to thank me for giving you this bottle of medicine."

Luo Yan had already begun frantically repeating to himself that he believed, but after hearing this and thinking back, he realized that he probably hadn't believed it just now.

Luo Yan went mad with frustration. "No, this is way too metaphysical."

Gaoxin said, "It isn't metaphysical. You have to control your instincts."

Luo Yan scratched his head. "Control my instincts? How?"

Gaoxin tapped his heart. "There are techniques! Can't you put some heart into it?"

"This technique doesn't require external instruments or equipment. You can operate it directly through the human mind and body, like suddenly realizing how to swim while drowning. The threshold is already low enough!"

Luo Yan didn't understand. "You haven't explained the technique! What exactly is it?"

"Didn't I just say?"

"Did you?"

"Didn't I?"

"Did you really?"

"Ah, it's just... like this... it's..." Gaoxin waved his arms and babbled incoherently.

As he spoke a series of seemingly illogical words, he ran to stand in front of Luo Yan and gestured frantically, then ran behind him and raised the frozen rat.

He even waved his arms and muttered to himself. In short, he never stopped explaining something, and he was utterly serious.

He was genuinely trying to teach Luo Yan some method and help him understand a certain technique.

But the more Luo Yan listened, the more confused he became, as though he were being struck by a gigantic mystery.

"What are you talking about?"

"I understand every word you say, but I don't understand them when they're put together!"

"I can't understand it, but it still sounds incredibly impressive!"

Gaoxin grabbed Luo Yan and shook him violently. "It's so simple! Really, it's so simple!"

"How can you not understand? How?"

Luo Yan was nearly driven mad. "I really don't understand! What are you talking about? It feels like you're just making things up!"

"I really fucking feel like you're bullshitting!"

"I really fucking feel like you're fucking making this shit up!"

Gaoxin glared furiously at him. Suddenly, he extended his arm and rolled up his sleeve, motioning for Luo Yan to look. "Look! Look! This oven is getting hotter and hotter! Don't you feel the heat?"

Luo Yan thought he was talking about another hallucination, but when he looked over, he froze on the spot!

Gaoxin's outstretched arm looked as if it had been roasted. His skin reddened, quickly blistered, and soon displayed large patches of burns and scalds.

"Holy shit!" Luo Yan was stunned.

They were in a cold storage room, yet Gaoxin had somehow made himself suffer burns as if he were being roasted!

"How simple is that, brother!" Gaoxin was demonstrating a wondrous bodily skill, yet his tone was as blunt as if he were demonstrating free fall.

"As long as you feel that you're being burned, your brain can make your body display the state of truly having been burned. I call this technique Imagination Embodiment."

Luo Yan's eyes widened. "Imagination Embodiment?"

He remembered another experiment. A condemned prisoner was blindfolded, and the back of a knife was drawn across his wrist without actually cutting it. Warm water was then allowed to flow over his skin, making him believe that he was bleeding. After some time, the prisoner died without suffering any actual injury.

Although it differed from Gaoxin's current situation, the brain's ability to influence the body was indeed extremely powerful.

He could sense that everything Gaoxin was demonstrating had a basis. It wasn't something humanity had never discovered; even its superficial manifestations had long been observed. It was simply that humans had never been able to apply or develop the related effects to Gaoxin's level. Their power was astonishing in him.

It was as if Gaoxin had already grasped the true relationship between mind and body and seized some kind of essence or mystery. Yet he couldn't pass on that mystery, and Luo Yan found it difficult to understand.

Luo Yan stood dazed for a moment before suddenly coming to his senses. "Stop! Brother, stop!"

Gaoxin stopped. The wounds no longer worsened, and he gestured for Luo Yan to try as well.

But Luo Yan only stared at his own arm with a mournful expression.

After a long while, he said dejectedly, "No... I can't do it!"

"Tsk..." Gaoxin felt terrible as he looked at the bizarre, fantastical images of logic he had hallucinated.

"How am I supposed to explain this to you... How am I supposed to explain it..."

He threw his head back and sighed.

Once his consciousness had completely shifted into Emotional Mode, the logical processing stage used to identify external information seemed to have been skipped.

External information struck him directly in the form of extremely simple data. He could only process it through feeling, imagination, and emotion.

It was difficult for him to describe this sensation using human logic. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

It was stifling and oppressive, as if ants were crawling all over his body! It was also as if something had wrapped itself around the area beneath his skin, yet he couldn't break free or scratch it.

Luo Yan watched Gaoxin claw at himself in frustration, occasionally jerking twice. His hands and neck twisted, and his expression looked constipated.

"How can you not understand..."

"You have a mouth and can speak, but you still can't learn to sing? It's really so simple!" Gaoxin almost groaned.

That was quite a vicious jab, and it left Luo Yan depressed, as though he were an idiot.

Seeing how distressed he was, Luo Yan hurriedly said, "Forget it, forget it, forget it. I'm not learning anymore. You don't have to teach me. Let's just treat it as your superpower, okay?"

Gaoxin was helpless. "It really isn't a superpower. If you tried, you could do it too!"

Luo Yan gave up and waved his hand. "Enough. I truly can't understand this Dark Logic, but I believe you, okay? I'll show it the respect it deserves!"

"Let's both calm down first."

Gaoxin nodded and shifted his consciousness back to his left brain.

His rational thinking returned. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and sighed. "As expected of Dark Logic. It really can't be taught."

"Brother, enlightenment is enlightenment. If you can't attain it, there's nothing I can do."

"The Way that can be spoken is not the constant Way; the name that can be named is not the constant Name."

P.S. Sorry.