With a Turn of the Hand, Spear Against Shield

The flow of water carries a sense of history, washing over the body, seeping into Literary Thought, and penetrating the heart, gradually immersing those in the hall. Though there is a feeling of suffocation, one can observe the long river's momentum and feel a sense of watching the world unfold.

"Oh? To infuse one's own Historians' School reflections into a cup of water, where the vapor and Literary Thought are released—what a pity..."

With eyes closed, one can perceive the profound mysteries. The Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio simply opened his senses, and instantly his Literary Heart became clear, understanding the principles of water flow.

"In the end, it's just a trivial skill. Although it can combine one's Literary Thought with Order, distort light and shadow, conjure illusions, and thus affect the senses of others, it's merely an illusion and cannot shake my heart! How can it be considered a discussion of the Dao?"

"What he ultimately grasped was not the Confucian Way Order, but the Military School Order focused on killing and warfare. This limited his thinking and methods, so no matter how he changed, he could never truly reveal the brilliance of Human Path."

"When Grand Confucian scholars discuss the Dao, even if they talk about the three realms of Heaven, Cosmic Primordial Wilds, and Man, and the vastness of the universe, in the final Sand Battlefield, they must still connect with humanity and apply the principles to Human Path. Otherwise, it is just empty talk, like a tree without roots or water without a source. While warfare is indeed a part of Human Path, the Military School has Innate Realm limitations. Although I cannot fully predict all the methods Qiu Yan might use, I have a general idea of the scope!"

The water gushed out of the cup, seemingly a Divine Ability phenomenon, but in reality, it was Qiu Yan using his own thoughts and a combination of various factors to create an illusion in the senses of others.

In short, it deceives the senses, creating a fake that is indistinguishable from the real thing without any actual object.

The Grand Confucian could see through the truth at a glance, but none of them interfered. The invitation to Qiu Yan was at the suggestion of the Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio, so they naturally wouldn't object.

As Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio pondered this, he sat cross-legged motionless, his Literary Thought flowing freely. He uttered a passage from a classical text, revealing a sense of etherealness and Transcendence.

Instantly, the surrounding water flowed away. He was like a Sea-Calming Needle, able to evade the water currents.

Other Grand Confucian also calmed their minds with their Literary Thought, remaining steadfast despite the turbulent currents.

The two invited Grand Confucian even engaged in conversation.

"Qiu Yan is still young. This kind of method of interfering with other people's senses might have a good effect on those who have not yet formed Literary Heart or have just formed Literary Heart, and can make them addicted to it. But it has little effect on those of us who are in Thought-Convergent Order."

"Indeed, Order is the foundation of the world and the source of change. All changes are rooted in the same principle; as long as one grasps one Order, no change can truly confuse the mind."

For the Grand Confucian, this change might not have much impact. But for Confucian scholars like Zhen Zhizuo and An Jin, and for the six monks including the young novice Hui Wo, the impact was truly significant. Immersed in the scene on the river, experiencing the instantaneous changes, they were like passersby witnessing the changes in Human Path history, and their hearts were stirred!

Shaking his head, Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio raised his sleeve and gently fanned himself. "Qiu Sheng, if this is all you've got, it's rather disappointing. Let me break it."

Order surged forth from the sleeve, like a sharp sword cutting through the water, determined to sweep it away!

For Grand Confucian scholar, the vibrations of the Force of Order can shatter this Thought Illusion Realm at any time, restoring everything to normal.

However, after this Ethereal Order appeared, Qiu Yan smiled and transmitted his thoughts. The historical scene in the water suddenly changed, transforming into figures, with a faint distinction between scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

Then, their figures spread out, covering all parts of the watercourse. The watercourse swirled and lingered at its edge, forming a ring, encircling the area like a city. Only then did the Military School Order emerge, but only on the outer perimeter.

The moment the Military School Order was revealed, Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio realized his earlier oversight.

"Qiu Yan didn't directly use the Force of Order just now. That's right, if he had, this Thought Illusion Realm wouldn't have been so easily seen through and broken. But it's a bit late to use it now!"

As soon as the thought arose, ripples spread across his body, emanating a surging wave of Order. This wave no longer originated from the heavens and earth, but rather from him, and spread rapidly.

The surrounding water suddenly thinned and was about to dissipate, and those who were drowning in it were awakened as if from a dream, their expressions varying.

At this moment, the Military School Defense Order gathered together, becoming increasingly solid, but it did not penetrate into the water. Instead, it surrounded the edge like a dome, exuding an aura of guarding the border and protecting the country and its people!

At the same time, Qiu Yan, who was in the middle of the flowing water, uttered a sentence: "To deal with chaos with order, and to deal with turmoil with stillness, this is the way to govern the mind!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the word "heart" emerged from his thoughts and merged into the thin stream of water. The figures of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants in the water finally became clear, representing all people scattered everywhere, performing their daily lives of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. It was like a miniature country, presented before everyone's eyes, eliciting a gasp of surprise.

What's even more astonishing is that these people, who are clearly just imagined and fictional beings, are so lifelike and vivid, that it's as if they truly have their own hearts within them!

"Using thought to form mind?" Upon seeing this, Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio couldn't help but twitch his eyelids. "Qiu Yan's aptitude is truly astonishingly high! Is he simultaneously simulating the behavior of millions of people? Isn't he afraid of becoming too distracted, disturbing his own mind, and going insane?"

The other Grand Confucian were equally surprised, and even the three Buddhist Sect monks were visibly shaken.

It is important to understand that the core of this Thought Illusion Realm is Qiu Yan's thoughts. All the changes within it are things that Qiu Yan came up with on the spot. Every blade of grass, every tree, every person, and every scene must first take shape in Qiu Yan's mind before they can be projected onto the outside world and thus affect the senses of others!

The more complex the visualization, the more thoughts it consumes, and the more real the projection becomes, making it easier to become addicted to it.

Simultaneously simulating the movements of millions of people without exhibiting stiffness or rigidity, with each character seemingly possessing a mind of their own—what an immense capacity for thought and mental effort that must require! It's beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.

This is no longer within the realm of ordinary knowledge or learning, but rather depends entirely on one's own heart. That is why Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio said that Qiu Yan's aptitude was astonishing and that it moved many Grand Confucian.

In contrast, Zhen Zhizuo and the others, due to their insufficient cultivation level, had not yet touched upon this realm. They could only marvel at its exquisite beauty but failed to perceive its terrifying nature.

"This person's actions were too unexpected; there's no guarantee he won't have a backup plan. We must strike hard and break his momentum!" After the initial surprise, a sense of threat crept in. Just as Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio was about to change his mind, the scene in the water changed again—

At the edge of the flowing water, the City Will emerged. Following Qiu Yan's visualization, it transformed into city walls.

"The City Will? But what's the use of doing this?" Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio, and in doing so, he merged with the Prosperity Capital Will, about to dismantle the city walls!

But the moment this thought arose in his mind, it manifested itself, turning into dark clouds that obscured the city walls.

Dark clouds loom over the city, threatening its destruction!

Suddenly, the Military School will that had been looming over the city walls transformed into the soldiers themselves, who stood guard against the invading hostility and remained unshaken!

"Hmm?" Upon seeing this, Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio's heart stirred. A Spiritual Light crossed his mind, but before he could fully clear his thoughts, the many figures in the water changed again, this time directly affecting him.

It was a single thought originating from Qiu Yan that guided the Force of Order emanating from Nine Rhymes forward. That Order, like a passing gust of wind, caused the bodies of the people of the Wei Kingdom to sway like wild grass. Soon, their behavior gradually became more regulated. Their natural instincts emerged, and they became increasingly composed.

"This is..." Observing the manifestation of the masses, Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio knew in his heart that something was wrong and vaguely understood Qiu Yan's plan!

"Could it be that he anticipated my response?" As her thoughts raced, a Karmic Thread appeared above Nine Rhymes's head, faintly connecting her to Qiu Yan.

As Qiu Yan was being pulled along, she seemed to sense something and turned to look at the other person.

"The soldiers and generals must be well-prepared and their troops must be ready. They must also assess the situation and anticipate the consequences. You think you have a clever plan, but you are actually just playing with my hands." After saying this, Qiu Yan suddenly changed the subject, "The Great Sage's rule over the world is to shake the hearts of the people and make them follow the established teachings and change their customs."

Upon hearing this, the Force of Order originating from the Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio, which was destroying the Water Flow Illusion, suddenly trembled. It actually changed according to Qiu Yan's words, merging into the illusion and endowing the figures of the myriad people with a certain power, so that they would change their customs, change their bad habits, extinguish their cruel thoughts, and release their good nature!

When the three Grand Confucian, including Senior Chen, saw this, they knew exactly what Qiu Yan was planning and couldn't help but praise him.

"This sentence, from 'Master Xiaoyao,' expresses the recognition of the people and their hearts, which is the governing philosophy! So that's it! Qiu Sheng spent so much time and effort, evolving the Historical River, building cities, and contemplating the people, all to create a virtual miniature country with historical depth invisibly!"

"Simply put, it's merely a display of Human Path, but the Force of Order Nine Rhymes' order has infused it with vitality, driving the illusion forward. It seems Qiu Yan foresaw all of this. If that's the case, then regardless of who wins or loses this match, Qiu Yan has undoubtedly outmaneuvered the other!"

Listening to the two old men's discussion, Senior Chen slowly nodded and gave Qiu Yan a deep look.

Upon hearing Qiu Yan's words, Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio's face was already ashen. Seeing that the Order he controlled had been exploited, his heart skipped a beat!

"We need to regroup and first integrate the Ethereal Order, so that it can no longer be exploited by Qiu Yan."

He was in the thick of it all and had a thorough understanding of the situation. He was ready to disperse the Force of Order at any moment, but unexpectedly, the Military School Order surrounding the city walls trapped the Ethereal Order as if guarding against an enemy, making it difficult for it to retreat!

Moreover, the movement of the Ethereal Order attracted the hearts and minds of the people, all converging to create an impact. This was originally Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio opportunity to break through the obstacles, but Qiu Yan's eyes changed, and a thought suddenly arose. He used the Encircle the City, Leave a Gap to open a gap in the Military School Order's encirclement, letting in the black cloud formed by Nine Rhymes's hostility, which collided with the Order and the people's hearts controlled by Nine Rhymes!

Order, after all, originates from Human Path, not from the summaries of Grand Confucian themselves. When it is put into practice, there will always be delays, and Qiu Yan seized that slight opportunity!

"He's trying to use my own weapon against me!"

Bang!

Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio sprang up from his cushion, his face as pale as paper, with a faint trace of Karma above his head!

At the same time, deep within the main hall, the golden statue of Buddha suddenly trembled, emitting a great light that pressed down directly upon them!

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