Impressions Beneath the Brush, Order Prototype

The Military Pavilion of the Hanlin Academy was an integral part of the Book Repository.

The Hanlin Library boasts a long history and houses numerous classic texts, including Sage Manuscript. In ancient times, it was a sacred place for scholars, and even today, it remains a destination for many candidates and scholars, though the purpose has changed—

As most of the prime ministers throughout history had served in the Hanlin Academy, the political significance of the Hanlin Academy continued to expand, overshadowing its brilliance in scholarship and academics.

Even so, the profound heritage of the Hanlin Academy cannot be denied. Its vast collection of books is unmatched even by many academies with long histories and long traditions.

Of course, with such a large collection of books, a lot of manpower must be invested in its collection and management to prevent chaos, loss, and decay, and to make it easy to access. Therefore, the Book Repository is divided into several areas according to the books' ownership and content.

Among them, the Military Pavilion is where Military Canon and battle records from past dynasties are stored, and it is also the place that Qiu Yan currently manages and oversees.

Since receiving the order six months ago, he has come here every day and stayed for the whole day. Even after his uncle, aunt and other relatives came to the capital and the whole family gathered, he did not stop coming here.

Every day at the crack of dawn, Qiu Yan would enter the building, and today was no exception. As he picked up his pen to write, the servants and runners outside began to whisper among themselves.

"Old Li, are you still going to gamble today?"

"Bet! Of course we'll gamble! I lost three coins to you the other day, I have to win it all back, with interest!"

"Ha! I'm afraid you won't be able to win it back, and you'll have to spend even more money on drinks for me, Old Zhang!"

The two constables shouted at each other, and the others got excited and gathered around to cheer. It was still early and the weather was cool. Apart from the officials on duty, most of the officials in the Hanlin Academy had not yet arrived, making it the most leisurely time of the day.

"Alright! I'll be your witness. Old Zhang, tell me, what are you going to bet on today?"

"Let's bet on whether that top scholar will cause any more trouble today!"

"Alright! I told you he wouldn't change his mind today."

In the somewhat cluttered environment, a young man of a young age hurried over.

This man was none other than Meng Sanyi, who had guided Qiu Yan back then. He had been exceptionally diligent lately. He had finished most of his work early in the morning, returned to the courtyard, and smiled slightly at the noisy conversation. But without stopping, he hurriedly ran over, grabbed a bowl of tea, entered the Library Pavilion, and headed straight for the Military Pavilion.

The Book Repository was managed by Yang She, Academician Lecturer-in-Attendance. Servants and laborers were not allowed to enter when they had nothing to do, and any slight disobedience would result in immediate punishment.

However, with the emperor's approval to entrust the management of the Military Pavilion to Qiu Yan, it was tantamount to transferring some power from Yang She. Qiu Yan also gained the right to make suggestions regarding the Library Pavilion. This led to various incidents, which need not be detailed, but were nothing more than clashes between the old and the new. Qiu Yan responded to all the suppression and reprimands, and in the process, he created many remarkable achievements, including a set of management methods for organizing and classifying the library. These methods have already spread throughout the Imperial City and have been acquired by many Aristocratic Clan and academies, who have all been greatly astonished.

Meng Sanyi was also implicated in a matter and found himself in trouble. It was only with Qiu Yan's help that he was able to escape danger and gain Qiu Yan's trust, which allowed him to enter the room every day to serve tea and water.

Upon entering the Military Pavilion, an unusual atmosphere immediately enveloped them.

Because of the books in the Book Repository, the Hanlin Academy could purify Human Thoughts, and even the filth of Official Qi was purified to a certain extent. Even servants who were not well-read felt relaxed and refreshed when they were there, and the feeling was even more obvious after entering the Book Repository.

However, the moment he stepped into the Military Pavilion, the situation changed dramatically. The comfortable feeling and the flow of his thoughts were gone. In their place was a heavy, contradictory, and Chaos Intent, as if he were a person who could not find his goal and was thinking about the future. This made Meng Sanyi feel a thousand thoughts and a sense of depression.

However, although this feeling was unpleasant, it was also a rare experience. Meng Sanyi initially found it difficult to adapt, but soon, with his talent, he saw its significance.

The feeling of clear thinking is like listening to Grand Confucian or Grandmaster explain the classics, which can enlighten one and resolve all kinds of troubles. But in the end, it is about following in the footsteps of others and accepting their ideas.

The chaos and contradictions within the Military Pavilion are like a lone journey on the path of seeking knowledge, a journey of contemplation and exploration, helpless yet resolute, where thoughts spark their own unique brilliance amidst the confusion.

There must always be someone who takes the first step on the road ahead, and no one can guide that person.

Filled with reverence and anticipation, Meng Sanyi approached Qiu Yan, gently placed his teacup on the table, and without uttering a word, took two steps back, silently gazing at the words Qiu Yan had written.

Qiu Yan's calligraphy has changed somewhat in the past six months. It is now more disciplined and full of vitality, with a touch of unrestrained freedom amidst its sharp and forceful strokes. Each character on the paper gives people an elusive feeling.

In fact, Qiu Yan is imprinting his inner insights onto paper through his pen.

These insights did not come from personal experience, but rather from observing the human order around them through the body of a deity, and summarizing the principles of humanity. They also included some changes in Daoist techniques, as well as the divine trajectories of the Star Lord with Eyes and the sealed deities!

His insights were complex and ever-changing, which he transformed into words, writing them down stroke by stroke. Each stroke contained Qiu Yan's understanding of humanity in Zhourao. Although humanity in Fangbuzhou was distorted, it was not without merit. Since it existed, there must have been a process of development behind it, and the changes within it were the focus of the exploration of humanity.

However, the meaning conveyed by the words together was obscure and unclear. No matter how hard Meng Sanyi racked his brains, he still could not understand it. He only knew that it was an article describing a scene.

For the past six months, Qiu Yan had been writing this every day. At first, Meng Sanyi didn't think much of it, but after reading it for a while, he gradually gained some insights and felt that it was very profound. A few days ago, whenever Qiu Yan finished writing and got up, there would be a strange phenomenon. The area affected was not large, and it could only be seen from outside the pavilion through the window. However, it amazed several constables and servants, which led to the bet.

Snap!

With a soft click, Qiu Yan put down his pen, turned to look at Meng Sanyi, and nodded.

Meng Sanyi quickly returned the greeting, his attitude respectful and his expression of admiration genuine. This was not without reason; it was not only because Qiu Yan had saved him, but also because he was grateful that Qiu Yan had allowed him to observe and learn something from him.

At first, Meng Sanyi came in to serve tea and observe the scene. He was still on tenterhooks and dared not linger. Later, Qiu Yan actually asked him to stay and observe, and even gave him pointers from time to time. He was not arrogant at all, which made Meng Sanyi admire and respect him more and more.

He stepped forward and glanced at the words on the paper. After a moment of focused reading, Meng Sanyi felt dizzy and disoriented as his thoughts began to collide, as if two completely different systems were clashing in his mind.

He frantically tried to memorize the text, then looked away, not daring to linger. He was already experienced with this, so he didn't dwell on it. He then asked the questions that had arisen while reading the book yesterday, seeking answers.

This was a common practice. It started when Meng Sanyi was studying at home and couldn't figure out some difficult problems no matter how hard he thought about them. So, he decided to try asking Qiu Yan for help. Qiu Yan was very generous in giving him advice and even told him that he could ask Qiu Yan if he had any more problems in the future. Later, he did just that.

After resolving his doubts, Meng Sanyi took his leave. As he walked out of the Book Repository, the servants and laborers who had been waiting outside immediately started to jeer and surrounded Old Zhang and Old Li, who had just made the bet.

"Xiao Meng has come out, which means the top scholar has finished writing. There's been no further news today, so Old Zhang lost. Old Li, you've made your money back."

"Just lucky, just lucky." Old Li, who had been complaining about losing money, was all smiles, while Old Zhang, who had been so smug, was now dejected.

"Alas, the top scholar has disappointed me this time..."

Seeing this, Meng Sanyi shook his head slightly. The small-scale anomaly when Qiu Yan finished writing attracted the attention of these people. After inquiring, they learned that Qiu Yan was practicing calligraphy. They also discovered that whenever Meng Sanyi walked out of the study, it meant that Qiu Yan had finished writing. If no anomaly appeared at this time, it meant that there would be no anomaly that day. They used this to gamble.

Although Hanlin Literary Thought could purify his mind, he could not sever his desires, and his gambling habit was difficult to eradicate.

"Within the Hanlin Academy, one accumulates many Literary Thought. Any unusual phenomena indicate that the writing is in line with the meaning and can be passed down through generations. These past few days, Mr. Qiu's writing has been quite remarkable. If this could continue every day, it would be a wonderful story. But today, it is not so, which is truly a pity..."

As he thought about it, he felt a deep sense of regret.

Inside the building, Military Pavilion.

After Meng Sanyi, Qiu Yan returned to the table. The many changes in his eyes gradually subsided. This was also a characteristic of the Fleshly Body. Although the Divine Soul was powerful, it was still not comparable to the gods and had its limits. The time spent concentrating all his mind on deducing the Human Path each day could not be too long.

Qiu Yan's Three Bodies are synchronized, but each body has a different function. It's like cooking: one person can use pots, pans, and utensils at the same time, and although they can all be controlled, their functions and the things they hold are different.

The Divine Spirit Body can analyze many things through Incense Faith, but the Divine Path is different from the Human Path. The Divine Spirit Body is not like the Fleshly Body, which is involved in Karma Fortune. Many mysteries of the Human Path cannot be truly understood without theoretical knowledge. It is like looking at flowers through a fog, which is always a layer away. Therefore, it must be passed on to the Fleshly Body so that people can personally deduce them.

More than half a year is enough time for Qiu Yan to get a glimpse of the root cause.

"If we could grasp and utilize the changes in humanity in Zhourao, it would not only benefit the humanistic and divine paths but also alleviate the worries of the divine body. However, I am not a native of Zhourao and have few karmic ties. To understand and utilize this, an important step is needed: to summarize a set of concepts from the humanistic and divine paths of Zhourao that can be integrated into them. Then, we can use this knowledge to our advantage, deceive the heavens, and manipulate certain aspects of Zhourao's order. But to achieve this, a completely new..."

"The Order Prototype!" (To be continued...)

ps: Thanks to "Eight-Winged Extreme Angel", "nba3379", "Yidi", and "The Dead Man" for their monthly votes!

Thanks to "xunqianmo" for urging me to update!