Cultivating Oneself Beyond the Path of Cultivation

"Can't the pursuit of Literary Dao be pure and single-minded?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan's heart stirred, and a long-standing question resurfaced in his mind.

In fact, he had long noticed that Grand Confucian like Ma Yang could mobilize the surrounding Order when reading and writing, and even simple words could resonate with Spiritual Qi and repel evil spirits. However, they themselves did not practice Divine Ability methods. In fact, many Grand Confucian devoted themselves to learning and could not spare the energy to practice martial arts, so their physical bodies were weak and they would be threatened as soon as a martial artist got close.

However, those Grand Confucian who achieved something, although they did not follow the path of cultivation, had all comprehended the Literary Heart, that is, they skipped the First Realm and Second Realms of cultivation and directly possessed the Daoheart Fist Intent.

Moreover, Qiu Yan himself has now condensed the Daoheart Fist Intent, so he has realized that as long as Grand Confucian are willing, they can make their souls Spirit Projection anytime and anywhere, and even bypass all kinds of cumbersome procedures to directly achieve Divine Soul, or even go to a higher level, break through bottlenecks, and reach a higher realm.

This is no joke; their accumulated knowledge is so vast that it fills their minds with Classics, Histories, Masters, and Anthologies, enabling them to undergo transformation at any moment.

However, neither Ma Yang, nor Zhao Bingcheng, nor Han Yi, who was standing in front of Qiu Yan at this moment, did this. They still let their souls disperse in their flesh and blood, and were still mortal. Most of the time, they only showed the level of ordinary old people.

When Qiu Yan First Meeting Ma Yang, he wasn't surprised. When he met Zhao Bingcheng, the latter didn't show much power either, as if he were just an ordinary old scholar. But now, when he met Han Yi, who was of equal status to the previous two, although the other party had a great aura and even his Literary Thoughts were overflowing, filling the entire study and even Qiu Yan's Divine Soul could be faintly suppressed by him, he was still just a mortal.

This Han Yi might not be a Confucianism Grandmaster, but rather a Legalist School!

But in a sense, he was the same as Ma Yang and Zhao Bingcheng, so Qiu Yan's long-held suspicions resurfaced.

"Could it be that the pursuit of Literary Dao pursuits conflicts with the cultivation of Nature Cultivation?"

Only now, upon hearing Han Yi's words, could Qiu Yan's conjecture possibly be put to rest.

Upon hearing Qiu Yan's question, Han Yi shook his head and pointed to a chair nearby, saying, "Sit!"

"This student thanks the old prime minister." Qiu Yan didn't press further and walked over, while Han Yi turned around and returned to his seat.

After Han Yi sat down, Qiu Yan took his seat.

"Your name is Qiu Yan? I haven't heard of this name before. I only found out about you after you released your stolen Literary Thought a few days ago."

Han Yi smiled slightly, and the tense atmosphere in the room instantly dissipated. "The top scholar of Jiannan Circuit, your calligraphy possesses a divine charm. To be able to write with such charm indicates that you have something on your mind. And now that you have condensed your Literary Heart, it means that you have the Dao within you, that you have both thought and the Dao. Not bad. Not bad, no wonder you can remain unmoved and release your thoughts even when faced with Literary Thought."

"So that's why you invited me here."

Qiu Yan felt somewhat relieved. When he learned that Han Yi had invited him to meet, he had been speculating about the reasons. He listed several possibilities, and releasing Literary Thought was one of them.

After thinking for a moment, Qiu Yan finally shook his head and said, "Returning Literary Thought to their rightful owner is not something to be praised. Anyone else, as long as they have also studied hard and have a conscience, could make the right choice if they put themselves in the shoes of the person who lost their Literary Thought."

"It's rare to find someone with such insight. However, many people only lament their own fate. They don't truly understand the pain until it happens to them, so they are often blinded by what's in front of them, seeking only the immediate and losing everything in the long run. That's why the court needs to establish laws to restrain others and make up for the lack of Human Path."

Han Yi shook his head, said something, and then suddenly brought up another matter. "I heard that you are very familiar with the laws of my Great Rui, and that you used them to reprimand the personal guards of Prince Yan in Xuankou Town?"

Qiu Yan replied, "I wouldn't say I know it by heart, but when I was young, my family was poor and there were few books. My father happened to be working as a clerk in the County Government Office, so he had access to the laws and Penal Code. I read them and gradually became familiar with them."

This passage is true, but Qiu Yan, who studied the laws and Penal Code, was not the same person as before. It can only be considered a different kind of legacy that Qiu Yan inherited.

Qiu Yan's father, Qiu Zonglin, worked as a clerk in the Yamen back then. He was just an assistant, not a real scribe, because according to the Great Rui Code, clerks and their sons could not participate in the Imperial Examinations. Qiu Zonglin would not ruin his own future, nor would he implicate his son. However, he did have a degree, so he built up some connections in the Yamen and was able to access the legal code Penal Code.

The Woodblock Printing of the Great Rui was quite expensive, and ordinary people could not afford it. However, the government was an exception. It had organized large-scale printing, and the Code of Laws and Penal Codes was one of them. Each Yamen had one or two sets of the code, several thick volumes, lined up in a row for officials to refer to.

Besides the strategists who helped Emperor Taizu pacify the country, the compilers of this set of laws and Penal Codes also included famous scholars who exhibited their works after the country was settled. Therefore, this set of books Yu Yong and could not be considered elegant and refined, but it still had considerable value. The writing was fluent and the words were carefully chosen, which is why Qiu Zonglin had his son read and memorize it.

"So that's how it is," Han Yi's smile widened after hearing Qiu Yan's explanation. "This also shows your affinity with the law..."

Afterwards, Han Yi seemed to be in high spirits and even proposed several laws for Qiu Yan to answer, or gave a law and asked Qiu Yan to complete the sentence, as if he were testing Qiu Yan's knowledge, making Qiu Yan feel like he was in an examination room.

At first, it was just simple content, but later, Han Yi would even come up with several case handling plans and ask Qiu Yan to judge whether they were reasonable.

Such a matter is a difficult problem for someone who has never presided over a court hearing, and Qiu Yan is no exception. Fortunately, he has the Incense Faith and can analyze the situation in an instant, and he also has memories from his past life to refer to, so he responded to each one.

Qiu Yan's answers sometimes made Han Yi nod repeatedly, sometimes made him fall into deep thought, and sometimes made the old prime minister shake his head and frown.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Qiu Yan felt his mind become much clearer. His hidden Divine Soul gradually made a connection with the surrounding Literary Thoughts, and his Daoheart Fist Intent were somewhat replenished, leading to immediate enlightenment.

"Yes, my Daoheart Fist Intent are based on Knowledge and Action. This 'knowledge' is seeking knowledge, cognition, and attainment of knowledge, while action is not simply about my own execution and implementation. It also means that all people in the world should follow it, and isn't the law precisely the tool to achieve this?"

Just as Qiu Yan was changing his mind, Han Yi suddenly stopped speaking. He looked at Qiu Yan, nodded, and smiled as he uttered a sentence: "Exerting yourself fully in accordance with the law and preparing thoroughly for the test, although you are not from Legalist School background, you possess the spirit of Legalist School within your Literary Heart. Practicing this art will surely lead to some success."

Exert the law to the fullest extent, and ensure thorough preparation.

The phrase originates from a work by the Legalist Sage, and its meaning is "to regulate everything about others with laws and to prepare various measures to supervise and hold them accountable," which is a clear manifestation of Legalist School thought.

"This old prime minister is giving me a wake-up call."

Having understood this, Qiu Yan rose from his seat, bowed to Han Yi, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Prime Minister."

Han Yi smiled and waved his hand, "No need to thank me. I'm doing this for the sake of my school's inheritance. Although you studied Confucianism and also followed the path of cultivation, you have talent and learning. In the future, when you enter the court, you will surely be able to hold power. Moreover, from our conversation, I can tell that you are very learned, eloquent, and thoughtful. You are a promising scholar. You should study law to benefit the world. I am old. There is not much I can do for Great Rui anymore."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan felt admiration and seized the opportunity to ask, "Is there a conflict between the path of cultivation and the fortuitous opportunity of Literary Dao? I have obtained some inheritance by chance, but I do not fully understand its mysteries. I hope that the old prime minister can give me some guidance."

"Actually, you've already sensed it. As your Literary Thought grows, you'll discover the reason. But since you've asked, I'll tell you."

Han Yi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "The path of cultivation, whether it's Life Cultivation or Nature Cultivation, involves gathering external things to satisfy oneself. Life Cultivation is more direct, requiring rare and heavenly materials and earthly treasures and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. While cultivating one's Nature Cultivation is more hidden, it still requires constantly collecting various doctrines and methods to awaken oneself and accumulate one 'State of Mind. In the end, this path can only lead to the success of one person, at most allowing their entire family to ascend to heaven."

At this point, Han Yi suddenly fell silent, but his words were like a bolt of lightning, dispelling the fog in Qiu Yan's mind and clearing his thoughts.

Actually, the principle behind this isn't profound; it's just a matter of understanding a thin veil, which happens to be a blind spot in our thinking.

At the same time, there was a knock on the door, and the old servant's voice came in.

"Sir, you should rest now."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan focused her gaze on Han Yi and saw the weariness in his eyes, which made her understand.

"Although Prime Minister Han is a man of profound learning, he is, after all, only a mortal. He may appear robust and vigorous, but as he gets older, his energy naturally declines. Speaking for such a long time, and being quite enthusiastic throughout, must have taken a toll on his mental energy."

With this thought in mind, he took the opportunity to say goodbye.

Han Yi didn't try to stop him, but said, "You can come visit me sometime. My second son is currently hosting a banquet for young people, and there are some outstanding individuals among them. You might as well go and take a look; you might find something of interest."

"I will obey," Qiu Yan said, and then withdrew. The old servant then entered.

"Brother Qiu, how was it? Did you get anything from meeting my grandfather?" Han Wei'er was still waiting outside the door, asking as soon as she saw him.

"I benefited greatly," Qiu Yan nodded.

"Of course," Han Wei'er smiled. "My grandfather's knowledge is unmatched by ordinary people. By the way, my second uncle just sent someone over to ask if you would like to go over. He wants to introduce you to some people."

"Since Lord Han has invited us, how can we refuse?" Qiu Yan said, and left with Han Wei'er.

In the study, a slightly weary Han Yi took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and then said to the old servant, "Wu Ying, take out the third box from the second shelf and give it to Qiu Yan later so he can study it for a few days."

"Huh? What!" Wu Ying looked surprised upon hearing this, but quickly composed herself and bowed her head in response.

ps: Thanks to "Heal My Dead Man", "Daoist by the River", "camillus", "rbky", "The Idle Man", "Little White Bear", and "Sulfide Heart" for your monthly votes!

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This is the first update of the day. Happy New Year to everyone! I wish all my readers a happy and prosperous New Year filled with joy, good health, and happiness!