He changed Tiwat

With multiple cracks appearing, including a large crack more than two meters long, isn't the No. 8 dike going to collapse?

If it were yesterday, Han Fulai would have rushed over immediately and used his Salt God power to seal the crack, but this time he remained motionless.

"The unit is wrong. You should have reported a breach in the dike if there was a ten-foot gap. Send someone to investigate," Han Fulai said calmly.

Soldiers immediately obeyed and left.

The Thousand Rock Army soldier who came to deliver the message stood there, somewhat at a loss.

Han Fu glanced at the soldier, noticing his pale face, and shook his head slightly. "You were the soldier who worked the night shift building the dike last night, weren't you?"

The soldier nodded blankly.

"Go and rest," Han Fulai said.

"I...I can still..." The soldier tried to persist, but Han Fulai waved his hand to interrupt him.

"This is an order."

"...Yes." The soldier left with a sense of guilt.

Soon a messenger reported that the crack in the No. 8 dike was "ten fingers wide" instead of "ten feet wide," clearly indicating that the messenger had misheard due to dizziness after staying up all night.

A finger is a commonly used unit of measurement in Liyue, about 1.5 centimeters wide. Ten fingers are less than a foot wide.

It's actually quite normal for the newly raised rammed earth layer on the dam crest to have strength issues these past two days. Cracks of this magnitude are only shallow cracks, and the problem isn't serious; the soldiers stationed on the dam can easily handle it themselves.

"Everyone stay alert and don't let me receive any more false information. Issue a general order to all dikes: any cracks less than two feet in size do not need to be reported; reinforce them on the spot."

"Yes, sir!" The messengers obeyed and left.

The third hour has passed.

The water level reached 17.19 meters.

The outermost breakwater in the northwest has partially collapsed, but fortunately the main body of the dam remains intact.

Cracks of more than two feet appeared simultaneously on both the No. 5 dike to the north and the No. 6 dike to the east.

The crack in the No. 6 dike was smaller and was handed over to Qian Yanjun and the workers for emergency repairs. Han Fulai had just gone to urgently deal with the crack in the No. 5 dike, and the seepage has now stopped.

He returned to Shen He's side and saw that a thin layer of frost had formed on the embankment beside Shen He.

This indicates that Shen He has completed half of his "power accumulation".

The fourth hour has passed.

At noon, the river water surpassed the top of the measuring scale, reaching the highest water level predicted by Garcia.

"17.22 meters! The water level has reached 17.22 meters!" The soldier in charge of water level observation reported the latest water level to Han Fulai.

There was only a foot's width between the river and the top of the embankment. When a wave came, the water overflowed the top of the embankment.

The floodwaters appear poised to breach the dikes at any moment.

The area between Guili Plain and Bishui River is now only protected by a temporary dike that is more than two meters high. The safety of everyone's life depends almost entirely on the thin rammed earth and the sacks filled with soil.

The temporary embankment is of questionable strength, and the cracks that appeared earlier are even more worrying. The embankment is actually in grave danger.

Will the water level continue to rise?

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

"17.22 meters."

Five minutes later, the observer gave another report.

"17.22 meters."

Half an hour later, the observer gave another report.

"Still 17.22 meters!" An hour later, the observer's report remained unchanged.

Garcia's calculations were perfectly accurate to the actual water level!

As this brilliant mathematician said, mathematics does not lie.

The flood's onslaught had reached its limit; no further reinforcements were forthcoming.

It's as if the attacking side has committed its entire army.

Although the defenders were in dire straits, they still stood firm.

However, they still had to stay on guard for fifteen hours.

"Ah He, what level have you reached in 'Frosty Sky Technique'?"

Han Fulai stood a few steps away from Shen He and asked in a low voice.

“We have reached the ‘Hidden Void’ stage… ‘Insightful Observation’ will take more time.” Shen He still kept his eyes closed.

As her lips opened and closed, a wisp of white breath escaped from her mouth, and the chill around her was almost tangible, as if it could freeze into ice and snow at any moment.

Even Han Fulai couldn't sit next to her now—he'd freeze.

"How much longer?" Han Fulai asked.

“It will take at least another hour,” Shen He replied.

Shen He's cultivation of immortality is based on the "Great Cave Miro Venerable Method," which is divided into two parts: inner and outer.

The inner chapters explain the methods of alchemy, including ingesting talismans and practicing meditation; the outer chapters, on the other hand, teach how to elevate heaven and earth, grasp yin and yang, overcome calamities, and exorcise demons and slay evil spirits.

Her "Summoning the Spirits and Commanding Generals Incantation" and "Goddess's Spirit-Sending True Technique" are exorcism and commanding methods from the outer chapter, while the technique she is currently practicing is called "Frosty Sky Technique".

The mental cultivation method of "Great Cave Miro Venerable Method" is divided into six levels, and the "Frosty Sky Technique" she uses also increases in power as the mental cultivation method level increases.

The first level is called "Xin Zhai" (心斋).

The Heart Sutra states: "Only the Way gathers in emptiness. Emptiness is the fasting of the mind."

"Zhai" means fasting and purification, which means that practitioners should eliminate distracting thoughts and make their minds empty, quiet, pure, and clear about the Great Dao.

The meaning is roughly similar to "cleaning up the clutter in the house so that more things can be put in." Taoist practitioners let go of external things in order to get closer to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Shen Heping is usually unconcerned with worldly matters, thus maintaining a state of "fasting of the mind" at all times.

The second level is called "Standardizing Ignorance".

This is the true meaning of "entering samadhi," which means that the practitioner is in a state where no thoughts even arise in their mind.

Meditation is also called "seclusion". Those who sit in meditation do not manifest their body or mind in the three realms; this is called sitting in meditation.

When ordinary people try to meditate like immortals, they simply sit cross-legged with their eyes closed. They either feel their legs go numb, or they feel dizzy and lightheaded, or their minds are filled with all sorts of random thoughts. This is not considered true meditation.

When the Liyue Celestials enter the "Stillness" state, they can remain silent and still for three to five years, their spirit roaming beyond the physical world, surviving solely by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

This is what the immortals call "not relying on the mind, not relying on the body, not relying on anything and nothing."

When Shenhe enters the state of "stillness and ignorance", he abandons all physical perception of external things, as if he has disappeared from this world.

Before Han Fulai saw frost around Shen He, she was in the "Stabilizing Illusion" state, and the icy power of the "Frost Cloud Technique" spontaneously emanated. At that time, Han Fulai told everyone to stay away from Shen He, otherwise they might accidentally hurt her.

Shen He's current mental cultivation level is "Hidden Emptiness".

This is the third level of mental cultivation.

The so-called "emptiness" refers to the origin of all things. The mental cultivation method states that "all things originate from emptiness, are born from qi, qi forms the body, the body receives nature, nature distinguishes names, names establish actions, and actions await destiny."

Reaching this level means returning to simplicity and touching the source of power, which is "human power".

The immortal power possessed by the Liyue immortals begins to develop after reaching the "Hidden Void" realm. Immortals like Gan Yu and Yan Fei, with their immortal beast bloodlines, are born with this level of power.

Shen He's current task is to advance his cultivation technique to the fourth level, "Insightful Observation".

The “cave” refers to the “Great Cave” in the “Great Cave Miro Venerable Dharma”, which specifically refers to the “harmony of Yin and Yang”, which is what people often call “Tai Chi”.

"Insight" refers to the cognitive practice of Taoist practitioners based on ritualistic cultivation of Yin and Yang, which enables them to recognize and perceive the Tao.

To reach this level, even the most talented person would need more than sixty years of arduous training. At Shen He's age, he is still far from reaching this level.

—But she had already practiced dual cultivation.

Through the exchange of vital energies and the harmony of yin and yang, one unconsciously enters the realm of "insightful perception".

This is also the highest level that Shen He has been able to elevate the "Great Cave Miluo Venerable Dharma" to.

The fifth level above, "Transformation into Spirit," is the realm of "Refining Qi into Spirit." Upon reaching the Transformation into Spirit stage, one can separate their soul from their body and possess various supernatural abilities—for example, the "Dream Travel Through Realms" technique is a supernatural ability that can only be used at the Transformation into Spirit stage. Xiao himself can cultivate at the Transformation into Spirit stage without needing to rely on the troublesome rituals that Han Fulai used before.

For example, the Bronze Sparrow Yaksha, who sacrificed himself in the Demon God War, was at roughly the same level of strength. Even in death, he could manifest as a deity before Wang Ping'an.

The sixth level, "Forget the Profound," leads directly to the Golden Core Path.

The Ancestor of All Immortals, the Rock King Emperor, once said: "Only by being free from desires can one attain the Six Paths; by forgetting worldly concerns, one can attain the Three Mysteries."

Reaching the "Forget the Mysterious" realm means becoming a true immortal, capable of being a human immortal and living for thousands of years.

When Shen He pushes the "Frosty Sky Technique" to the "Insightful Observation" realm, she will be able to integrate the power of the demonic remnants, immortal power, and elemental power within her body, unleashing their greatest power—she will be able to reproduce the power of the frozen tsunami from back then.

The question is whether the Guiliyuan levee can withstand the pressure of the flood peak for another hour.

Chapter 388 The Sky Longs for Rain

At one o'clock in the afternoon, a soldier rushed up to Han Fulai.

"Reporting to Commander Han, two 'bubbling springs' have appeared in the camp, each two meters in diameter. Captain Jing Cheng is leading men to repair the surrounding wells!"

Han Fulai frowned upon hearing the news.

Another piping failure has occurred, and this time it happened right in their camp.

The Guiliyuan camp is about 400 to 500 meters away from the dike in a straight line, which is not far and support can arrive quickly. However, the piping that occurs at this time and in this place is a very dangerous sign.

This is a pretty bad situation.

Fortunately, he had indeed considered similar situations beforehand, so he didn't need to think of a solution.

"Send two, no, four reserve worker teams to provide assistance, at all costs to block the flow."

"Yes!" The soldier accepted the order and left.

"Half of the reserve workers should be deployed to patrol the area behind the Guiliyuan dike. Once a 'bubbling spring' is discovered, it should be filled in layers on the spot. The bottom layer should be made of coarse sand, stone chips, reed stalks and other fine materials, and the top layer should be weighed down with sandbags. Remember to 'fine at the bottom and coarse at the top'!"

"Order!"

Immediately, a messenger took the order and left with Han Fulai.

The method he described is called a "water-filtering pressure immersion platform," which is used to deal with large-scale piping. The principle is simply "water flows, but soil doesn't." The water that seeps out during piping is just water, but the key is that it hollows out the soil under the foundation. The bottom of the water-filtering platform is made of fine materials such as reeds and fine sand to form a filter screen, which can retain the soil brought out by the piping.

This is a case of "focusing on the big picture and letting go of the small details," which is a temporary solution but not a fundamental one, but it's the only option for now.

The reason he ordered the workers below the dike to patrol was because the appearance of piping in the camp indicated that this time it would be "multiple outbreaks".

Like the piping he dealt with a few days ago, the piping outlets are usually not far from the back of the dike, with a very clear direction, making it easy to determine which section of the dike has a leak.

This time, the piping point appeared in a camp far from the dike, without any specific location, making it difficult to determine where the problem lies. In the worst case, the foundation of all sections of the dike may have experienced piping to varying degrees.

The Guiliyuan dike has already withstood three flood peaks, and it's normal for it to show signs of damage after being submerged for so many days. In game terms, the dike's "durability" is almost at zero.

The best approach would, of course, be to go into the water to investigate and plug the leaks from the outside, as before. However, this is the peak of the flood, with high water and rapid waves, making it too dangerous for the soldiers to go into the water. Moreover, Han Fulai needs to be in command and cannot do everything himself. Without him as a "searchlight" to go into the water, and without his "salt god power" as an "external aid" to plug the piping in time, the soldiers risking their lives to enter the water may very well be in vain.

Therefore, he had no choice but to settle for second best and defend the ground with all his might.

Not long after the messenger left, another soldier came to report: "Report, there is seepage on the inner slope of the No. 5 dike!"

No sooner had the soldier finished speaking than someone ran over, and a new report rang out: "Report, water has appeared at the lower part of the third dike!"

"Order the defending soldiers to immediately construct the 'filtration trench' and ensure it is completed within half an hour!"

"Yes, sir!" The two soldiers acknowledged the order and left.

Han Fulai immediately summoned a messenger: "Go and inform the workers' reserve team that the rest of the team should be mobilized to build 'filter ditches' for all the dikes in advance."

Upon receiving the order, the messenger immediately ran down the embankment at full speed.

The phenomenon the soldiers just reported is what's known as "seepage." During the flood season when water levels are high, river water seeps out through the gaps in the soil of the levee, from the lower part of the inner slope or near the toe of the inner slope, much like sweat on a person.

Such seepage can cause the embankment slope to become damp and soft, and may even lead to leaks and small water flows. Such a dangerous situation must be addressed promptly; if left unchecked, it could result in larger hazards such as internal slope collapse or breaches.

The "drainage ditch" ordered by Han Fulai was an open ditch dug on the inner slope of the dike, allowing seepage water to concentrate and flow away, restoring the soil on the inner slope to dry and firm, thus stabilizing the situation. Specifically, it involved digging a series of continuous V-shaped drainage ditches from slightly above the seepage point on the inner slope to the toe of the dike, working upwards. The inside of the ditch was also filled with filter materials such as straw and gravel to retain soil particles carried away by the seepage water.

The simultaneous occurrence of seepage at several dikes indicates that the dikes have been submerged in floodwaters for too long, and their durability has indeed failed. Not only dikes No. 3 and No. 5, where the problem was discovered, should also have the same problem, just to varying degrees and not yet apparent.

He ordered the workers to collectively construct "filtration ditches" in order to prepare in advance and prevent problems before they occur.

After a series of countermeasures were taken, the onlookers felt that he was "dealing with whatever comes his way." Many soldiers admired Commander Han's calm and collected attitude and his precise, machine-like ability to make quick judgments. They looked at him with a hint of admiration—Commander Han really knows everything, and he always has a solution!

Only he himself knew that doing all this was actually very difficult.