The Spirit of the Legalist School

Amidst a rapidly changing interplay of light and shadow, Qiu Yan's consciousness gradually immersed itself in that world.

This is not a real world; it is merely a pieced-together fragment of memory, cobbled together from the spirit and insights of Sage.

However, the scenes presented in his memory were so real that Qiu Yan felt as if he had traveled back in the Historical River to that era of "temporary punishments without pre-established laws."

A hundred nations vied for supremacy, Hundred Schools.

His consciousness was intertwined with a world of illusory memories, like a small boat in a storm, moving with the wind, experiencing all sorts of things, and receiving a large amount of information.

This is an era of division, but also an era that shines with dazzling brilliance.

Today, people can only understand that era through the records of their predecessors, which is far less straightforward and clear than Qiu Yan's current journey through this world of memory.

Here, he witnessed a scene not mentioned in history books.

Use etiquette, not law!

Each nation, bound by blood ties, formed a ruling class. Rulers, royalty, nobles, and aristocratic families held and monopolized power. While they coordinated relationships with each other and handled subordinates and state affairs, there were instances of "killing" and "punishing," as well as "praise" and "reward," but the criteria were based on their personal knowledge and experience.

Temporary punishments are imposed without pre-established laws.

Criminal laws were only formulated temporarily when a problem arose, without any pre-established guidelines. Moreover, after implementation, they served only as experience for reference and were not considered fixed rules.

The practice of basing decisions on personal will makes the ruler's authority unfathomable and punishments unknowable, thus making his power immeasurable. This is because he can arbitrarily judge others based on his own will. Such power inspires awe, but it is also prone to getting out of control.

Relying on this authority, the nobles could do whatever they wanted. They could turn the guilty into innocent and the innocent into guilty, and even matters involving human life often depended on the whims of the rulers.

A single thought can bring life or death; sunshine and rain are determined by the heart.

This unfathomable power shrouded that era like a shadow, omnipresent.

But one day, a bolt of lightning pierced through the shadows and mist.

The people of Zheng cast the Penal Cauldron. They cast the laws of the state onto the cauldron, making them public so that everyone could know them.

This move established a standard for criminal law, making it known to everyone. It meant that not only ordinary people had to abide by it, but even nobles with blood ties were subject to its constraints!

The moment this cauldron was erected, a bolt from the blue struck!

This quickly caused turmoil Divine Land, creating countless waves. After all, it shook the authority of the nobility, and both the rulers and several schools of thought reacted, including those that later became prominent.

Confucianism.

Even Supreme Sage revered teacher, condemned this action, believing it violated ancient customs and undermined the principles of "rites."

At that time, Confucianism had not undergone more than a thousand years of refinement, and its content was relatively simple. It advocated using ancient rites, righteousness, virtue, and trustworthiness as models to guide the people. If the people abided by these, society would not be in chaos, and the world could be governed.

Some Sage of the time, when discussing the Penal Cauldron, said, "The distinction between the noble and the lowly should not be transgressed; this is what is meant by moderation." Many scholars believe that if the law is made public so that everyone can see it, and the people know the legal provisions, they will have no scruples about officials in high positions and will dare to argue with them based on the law. In this way, it will be impossible to govern the country well.

"Without order among the noble and the lowly, how can a nation function?"

Upon seeing this comment, Qiu Yan chuckled, guessing Han Yi's little scheme.

Even Sage, whose doctrines are revered by later generations and have enlightened countless people; whose thoughts have shone through the ages and illuminated the path for those who come after; whose propositions fill the heavens and earth and embody the aspirations of all people, were still limited by the times they lived in.

In his previous life, Qiu Yan often encountered people who vehemently criticized the ancients for their "blind loyalty" and "conservatism," but they never considered what they themselves could have done if they were placed in that era.

A person skilled in information technology can wield immense influence online, but if placed decades ago, before the internet even existed and the concept of the internet was even nascent, how much of an impact would their knowledge, perspective, and understanding have?

Humans are ultimately limited by their times. It is unfair and inaccurate to use today's standards to ridicule and evaluate the ancients.

In the era of Sage, not to mention the Imperial Examinations, even the understanding of legal provisions had not been established. What existed were rulers, nobles, and gentry from various countries of high and low status, whose bloodlines could be traced back to the High Antiquity wars between kings. In the eyes of others, their high position naturally gave them legal authority.

At that time, people did not have the concept of "Imperial Examinations become an official." For them, the distinction between the noble and the lowly was a matter of course, and only by having the noble rule over the lowly could there be lasting peace and stability.

Faced with such a universally accepted understanding, what can one person, even if they are a learned Celestial Person with profound knowledge of astronomy and geography, possibly do?

However, the Penal Cauldron broke with convention.

Its emergence disrupted the Order of that era, necessitating a new system of Order to contain this chaos. This led to a flourishing of diverse schools of thought, each displaying its Hundred Schools Divine Ability, with doctrines evolving with the times. This prompted scholars of the time to continuously refine and experiment, ultimately creating an era of Sage.

Of course, the Penal Cauldron was only one of the reasons that led to the era of great strife; there were many other factors as well.

Looking at that turbulent era, Qiu Yan, as an observer, also felt a surge of emotion, and insights welled up within him.

"Destruction precedes construction; the history of Human Path progresses continuously in this cycle..."

As he comprehended these teachings, he gained a deeper understanding of the Sage's doctrines and began to examine them from a perspective beyond Confucianism, gradually changing his Dao Heart.

Thus, Qiu Yan immersed himself in the memories of the world of memories, comprehending the profound meaning of this Legalist School saying, and feeling the advocacy of the Legalist Sage who wrote these words. Soon, he gained an even deeper understanding.

"I see. There's another layer to the meaning of making this law public: it's to prevent people from unintentionally committing mistakes. If they were pardoned, it would damage the law's authority; if it were strictly enforced, it would mean wrongful execution. That's why it should be made public, and the language should be as simple as possible, without piling up flowery words, so that people can understand its meaning at a glance."

As I looked and thought, the meaning of these words became completely clear.

"The law is not meant to disrupt Order, nor to punish or oppress others. On the contrary, when it is made public, it instills fear in people and prevents them from breaking the law!"

As soon as this thought arose, the entire world of memories trembled, and those images dissipated, turning into seal characters that danced and swirled, converging around Qiu Yan's Divine Soul. However, the spirit within them became increasingly similar to his soul, eventually merging into it.

Immediately afterwards, Qiu Yan's Divine Soul surged, transforming into the form of a bookshelf. He condensed this Legalist Spirit into a bamboo scroll, absorbing it into his divine soul. Once his Divine Soul was formed, all the functions of his Earthly Soul were integrated into it, becoming the foundation of his Divine Ability.

Subsequently, his Divine Soul swelled noticeably, and his Heart Fire intensified.

"Now that I have just condensed my Divine Soul, the next step is to strengthen Divine Soul and try to connect it with my flesh and blood. Once my Divine Soul can withstand the flow of Qi and Blood, and connect with my Heart Fire, I can advance to the second stage of the Unity Realm Soul-Nourishing by the Corporeal Soul."

As he pondered, his Divine Soul returned to his body, and Qiu Yan trembled. He opened his eyes and looked down at the bamboo slips on the table.

"Compared to the previous two times, this time collecting the Sage Manuscript did not take much effort or involve many troubles. It was a natural process of integrating them into my spirit and viewing my memories. This is because I have accumulated enough knowledge, condensed my Divine Soul, and gained experience in controlling my Heart Demon Clone. This has allowed me to have a more refined control over my understanding, which enabled me to succeed in one fell swoop."

As Qiu Yan pondered, he scanned the text on the bamboo slips, trying to grasp its essence. When he came across the section on "Mind Arts," a thought struck him.

"In this manuscript, the content concerning Manifest Law aligns with the Heavenly Order, but the parts related to the Mind Arts are merely insights. It is evident that although Legalist School distinguishes between 'Law, Technique, and Power, and power,' only the 'law' part conforms to Human Path development and can unite the People's Wishes. This point requires further in-depth research in the future."

With this thought in mind, Qiu Yan set a general direction for his academic research, then rolled up the bamboo slips, put them back in the box, and closed it again.

It was already late when he Divine Soul the text and began to comprehend the world of memories, which took quite some time. Fortunately, Hu Qi and Dai Guo knew what was important and did not come to disturb him, even though it was past mealtime.

"I benefited greatly from his guidance in the study of the late Prime Minister Han. Now, having obtained a volume on the Sage Spirit, I have not only improved my cultivation but also gained a new understanding of Human Path. This is quite a favor, and I will repay the Han Family's kindness if I have the opportunity in the future."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan wandered around the room seemingly casually, slowly approaching the window.

Sudden!

Snap!

With a swift movement of his foot, his entire foot expanded and contracted, unleashing astonishing power. He vanished from his spot, reappearing by the window, where he raised his hand and pushed!

Call!

He pushed the window open, and a soft sound came from outside!

Then I saw a sparrow, no bigger than the palm of my hand, flapping its wings, as if about to take flight.

"In the dead of winter, a sparrow is perched outside the window. Do you really think I can't figure out why?" As he spoke, Qiu Yan's hand, which was pushing open the window, reached forward and grabbed, unleashing a suction force from his palm. The flying sparrow immediately lost its height and spun as it fell into Qiu Yan's palm!

However, just as the sparrow was about to land in my hand, it suddenly broke apart with a "snap," disintegrating into several pieces. Then, each piece vibrated and shattered into powder, ready to be scattered by the wind!

A wisp of divine power emanated from the powder.

"Hmm? Impressive technique!" Qiu Yan sneered, his hand remaining still as he gathered his inner strength and True Qi into his palm, causing the suction power to surge dramatically!

Call!

The scattered powder instantly reversed direction and was drawn together to gather in the palm of the hand!

ps: Thanks to "Twenty Month", "I am a poor man", "し☆veヤ", "orisun", and "~.loneyu" for their monthly votes!

We apologize for any omissions in the list.