He changed Tiwat

Han Fulai had only six points left in his mind.

He was certainly familiar with the stories of "investigating things to acquire knowledge" and "enlightenment at Longchang," and there were also related verses in the "Ancient Poems and Lyrics" left by Gu Hua. It was not surprising at all that there would be related places in the Gu Hua School.

Anyway, it was definitely all done by "Shanghai Boss" to show off...

In retrospect, he himself relied on the principles of "outward Confucianism and inward Legalism, inward sagehood and outward kingship" to conform to the "Liyue Principles" of the Geo Archon, which enabled him to resonate with the ley lines of Liyue, defeat the sea god, and rescue Shenhe.

But for him, these "philosophies" were merely methods of applying "the power of words," which he consistently regarded as "magic" rather than "martial arts." He truly didn't know how to create a spear technique based on "investigating things."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean by 'investigating things to acquire knowledge'?"

Xingqiu didn't speak this time, but instead took out another book from the storage space of the Eye of God—well, apart from two weapons and personal clothes, the rest of her storage space was full of books.

Han Fulai took the book and examined it. He saw that the cover of the book was titled "Qingzhai Guanglu: Annotated Edition by Three Masters".

Xingqiu said, "This is the most detailed ancient book in Liyue Harbor that records the deeds of immortals. There are several passages in it that record the story of the True Lord Liuyun and the mortals discussing 'investigating things to approach the Dao'. I have benefited a lot from it. Brother Han, you should read it. It might be helpful."

Han Fulai followed the instructions and opened the book "Qingzhai Guanglu: Annotated Edition by Three Schools," and sure enough, it began with a story about immortals:

The peaks of Jueyun rise steeply, standing hundreds of feet tall, vying for height... Each mountain has its owner, and a wise person does not climb mountains with owners, nor take stones with owners.

Immortals have long lifespans; what mortals experience for a thousand years is equivalent to a short rest in their immortal abode in the eyes of immortals. This is why people say, "Langfeng has no day or night."

I once traveled to the Three Mountains, seeking instruction from the Immortal Lord with my self-made "Jade Bottle Floating Water Clock." The Immortal Lord Liuyun succinctly pointed out the flaws of the "floating water clock" in timekeeping and meticulously explained its mechanisms. Meeting the Immortal Lord, I realized the truth: "Free and unrestrained, possessing nothing; encountering an immortal, one understands the insignificance of all living beings."

What follows is a string of effusive praise for Liu Yun, roughly saying that the immortal lord has infinite magical powers and can transform in countless ways. When he transforms into human form, he is "handsome and beautiful, wearing crimson robes and floral makeup," and when he transforms into crane form, he "soars freely, piercing through the clouds and whistling at the moon." He is also described as "accompanied by the aura of the eight majestic clouds" and "flying and dancing in the light like lightning." In short, Liu Yun would probably be very happy to see this.

Then there is a poem in parallel prose praising the achievements of Liuyun Zhenjun in eliminating the drought demon, bringing rain and relieving the suffering of all living beings.

Han Fulai quickly flipped through those parts and got to the important section.

The Qingzhai Guanglu Annotated Edition states: "The Way of Heaven is mysterious and difficult to grasp. The immortals each have their own methods of cultivation, which are different from one another."

“Liuyun Immortal Lord used ‘investigating things’ as a means to seek the Dao externally and verify it internally, so that the external influences me and my mind and the external principles become one.”

"His 'investigation of things' is to explore the principles of all things. All things, whether they have consciousness or not, contain the heart of the universe. 'Investigation of things to attain knowledge' means to know the way of all things and follow the principles of all things, which is the true way of cultivation."

"Immortal Lord Liuyun has been meditating on the Great Dao for a thousand years and has gained much. However, mortal beings are dull and foolish, and he cannot fully impart the true and pure principles to them. Therefore, the Immortal Lord broke down the ultimate principles of the Heavenly Dao into minute details and combined them with the art of mechanisms to spread them to the world."

The immortal lord said: "If you use a mechanism to wash clothes, why lie awake at night listening to the sound of clothes being pounded? If you use a mechanism to carry people, why travel thousands of miles with a bamboo staff and straw sandals? Even without immortals controlling clouds and rain, people can still use mechanisms to regulate water and save fields. By thoroughly investigating the principles of things, one can understand the laws of nature."

"Human life is finite, but knowledge is infinite."

"How difficult it is to seek boundless truths with a finite body!"

"I have compiled the principles of the Immortal Lord's 'investigation of things' here, hoping that future generations will exhaust the principles of heaven and earth and create meritorious deeds that benefit the world."

After reading the account in the book, Han Fulai sighed silently. Although "that woman" no longer roamed the martial world, her legend was truly everywhere... Hmm, when I get back, I'll treat True Lord Liuyun to some delicious food as a token of my gratitude.

He immediately summoned the Salt Sorrow Spear, first diligently practicing a set of basic spear thrusts, and then going through all the moves in the Xingqiu Spear Manual from beginning to end.

Xingqiu's "Thrusting the Bright Method" involves spear techniques that can be linked together. Practicing a complete set is essentially like reciting a short poem, "A Spray of Plum Blossoms."

"Rain beats against the pear blossoms, the door is tightly shut; youth is wasted, youth is squandered. With whom can I share delightful pleasures? Enchanted beneath the flowers, enchanted beneath the moon."

Sorrow gathers on her brows, a constant frown, a thousand tear stains, ten thousand tear stains. At dawn she gazes at the sky, at dusk she watches the clouds; whether walking or sitting, she thinks of you.

His spear technique improved this time compared to when he sparred with Xingqiu. He practiced the entire set of spear techniques almost without any hesitation, and all the spear techniques flowed together seamlessly, filling the bamboo forest with the sound of wind and rain.

After watching him finish demonstrating his spear technique, Xingqiu asked, "Brother Han, have you gained any insights?"

Han Fulai nodded, then shook his head.

She nodded because the records in the book were indeed helpful—Liu Yun's method of "investigating things to acquire knowledge" can be simply explained as breaking down the rules governing the operation of all things into specific theories. She was also obsessed with mechanical arts because they could directly reflect the "principles of heaven and earth": if the theory is correct, the mechanism will work; if the theory is wrong, the mechanism will not work.

Xingqiu showed him the book, meaning that "the way of mechanisms can lead to knowledge through investigation, and the same is true for martial arts," because if one method is understood, all methods are understood.

He was only able to successfully practice Xingqiu's spear technique completely thanks to what True Lord Liuyun had said about "disassembling".

He broke down each move into its most basic elements, memorizing them in the order of "first point, then thrust, followed by upward flick, then block the spear," and then combined them together. It was like factoring a polynomial before solving a problem, which made it much clearer.

By "dissecting" in this way, he successfully transformed "gun skills" into a "problem"—a problem, of course, that Han Fulai, as a problem solver, could solve.

But in the end, he shook his head.

Admittedly, doing these exercises can greatly improve his spear skills. With more practice and familiarity with these spear theories, it's not impossible for him to "create his own exercises" or even "create his own martial arts."

Shen He had already taught him the basics of spear techniques, which were nothing more than the eight-character mantra of "point, thrust, parry, dodge, win, lift, and flip." In addition, with the "Six Harmonies" application method that Xing Qiu had taught him before, he now understood to some extent what a spear technique should have, and could be considered to have gone from "outsider" to "entered the door."

Xingqiu wanted him to "enlighten himself in Longchang," which probably meant that he should try various ways of using a gun, such as chopping bamboo, making wooden dummy sticks, jumping on plum blossom stakes, recording his physical sensations, and finding the most "natural" and "comfortable" way of using a gun, turning it into his own gun technique.

Even if he could figure out the most "natural" and "easy" way to shoot, and replicate Xingqiu's experience of expounding the ancient Hua School's unique skills, he still wouldn't be able to defeat Lei Movie.

Moreover, Xingqiu should be very clear about this.

Han Fulai looked at Xingqiu with a questioning gaze once again.

Xingqiu met his gaze, first puzzled, then bursting into laughter.

Han Fulai saw a very familiar smile on Xingqiu's face, a smile that usually appeared on his own face—the smile that said, "Now I am stronger."

Xingqiu laughed and bluntly retorted, "Oh dear, it seems that I have a higher aptitude for martial arts."

Han Fulai twitched the corner of his mouth and helplessly cupped his hands: "I am dull-witted, please give me some guidance, Master Qiu."

Xingqiu laughed even more happily. She held a book in one hand and put the other behind her back, pacing back and forth, truly putting on the airs of a master.

"Little Han, let me test you. Do you know who created the first sword in the world?"

Still calling him "Little Han"!

Alas, this is what they mean by "when you're under someone's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head."

Han Fulai replied, swallowing his anger, "If it's Liyue, it should be the Emperor; if it's Inazuma, it's the Thunder General."

The forging families in Liyue were originally taught forging techniques by the Geo Archon. In fact, the Geo Archon himself was the most skilled weapon craftsman in Liyue, having forged a large number of divine weapons, and the "weapons that protect the country" still exist today.

The sword-making techniques of Inazuma were passed down to the Inazuma craftsmen after the Raiden sisters arrived. To this day, Inazuma still has the "Raiden Five Transmissions" lineage, and every few years they compete in a skill contest using the "Godsword" to prove that they have not disgraced the legacy of the Raiden.

Xingqiu smiled and asked another question: "Which one, the Emperor or General Leidian, forged the sword first?"

“This…” Han Fulai hesitated for a moment before answering, “I don’t know.”

Who would bother comparing things like this? What difference does it make whether it's built first or later? Maybe it's all technology passed down from Sky Island?

"That's right, you don't know." Xingqiu laughed even harder. "I don't know either."

"..."

Han Fulai noticed that Xingqiu had become increasingly adept at teasing him lately. Who taught him this...?

Xingqiu then changed the subject: "But no matter which of these two gods created the sword first, it cannot be said that they 'created' the sword—because the sword already exists in this world."

Suddenly, she stretched out her right hand from behind her back, drew the sacrificial sword, and casually cut the thin bamboo beside her.

She cut the bamboo in half, repeatedly whittled and polished it, and soon it was shaped into a sword.

Xingqiu pointed to the bamboo sword and said, "Look, a sword is hidden in bamboo and wood. Similarly, a sword is hidden in white iron."

"A piece of white iron is made into a sword blank. After repeated forging, quenching and polishing, it becomes a sword. People say that 'a fine sword is forged through polishing.' But what people don't know is that the reason why a sword is a sword is because there was already a sword in the world, and there was a 'principle' about the sword."

"Like the mechanism of the True Lord Liuyun, the sword can be disassembled and reassembled into parts such as the blade, guard, and hilt. When we meet all the conditions for forming a sword, the sword is born."

"The 'principles' of the sword are invisible... and people are not born knowing these 'principles'."

She gently brandished the thin ceremonial sword in her hand: "But my father once told me: 'Our eyes see the sword, our fingers touch the sword, we practice swordsmanship every day, we spend our days with the sword, observing its nature, exploring its physics, and one day we will be able to forge a sword. This is because we understand the 'principles of the sword.'"

This is the forging secret of the Liyue Yun Clan, which has been passed down for over three thousand years. Han Fulai listened intently, feeling that there was profound philosophy hidden in these simple words, and his expression became even more solemn.

Xingqiu raised his sword to the sky, his tone becoming solemn: "'Principle' governs all things in this world, including our martial arts, which are all subject to this 'Principle'."

"Brother Han, you already grasped the principles of 'disassembly' and 'aggregation' when you were demonstrating martial arts just now. Why not think a step further and consider the principle of 'creation'?"

Chapter 365 A Scholar Should Be Viewed with New Eyes After Three Days' Separation [4k]

Shadows do not need to eat or drink.

The bodies of demon gods do not need to absorb energy from the mortal world. For demon gods, food is merely a "hobby"—the Geo god enjoys tasting the traditional delicacies of Liyue, savoring the memories of the past, and enjoying the lively atmosphere of Liyue Harbor; the Anemo god enjoys drinking the fine wines of Mondstadt, drinking the memories of the past, and deeply loving the free spirit of Mondstadt.

The same applies to Inazuma's diet.

She is not only a demon god, but also a demon god who has abandoned her demon god body.

The puppet general doesn't need to eat, and neither does she.

But a cup of cherry blossom wine and a string of tricolor dumplings always remind her of the days when she gathered with her relatives and friends under the cherry blossom tree.

So she drank the goddess's cherry blossom wine and ate her three-colored dumplings—the dumplings were very sweet, and Kage ate three skewers.

The goddess simply drank with the shadow and watched the flowers bloom alongside her—her share of dumplings was taken away and eaten by the shadow as if it were perfectly natural.

After finishing the dumpling, Ying finally spoke: "What do you want to tell me?"

The divine child smiled gently: "Tell me about the agreement you made with him."

She didn't say "his" name, nor was there any need to say "his" name, after all, the only man in the world who had a pact with Ying was Han Fulai.

Ying put down his wine glass, paused for a moment, and then said, "He has 'ascended to godhood'."

"Yes." The divine child nodded.

Ying raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then why didn't he come to keep his promise?"

The shrine maiden still wore a faint smile, glancing at the divine cherry tree behind her: "He knows you will make a request, asking him to duel with you to decide the ownership of the 'familiar.' So he is training to defeat you... Once he has completed his training, he will come out to find you."

Looking at the goddess's smile, Ying felt inexplicably angry.

Even though the goddess's dumpling was stolen by her, she always felt that the goddess had taken her dumpling...

"I will not show him any mercy."

The divine child still smiled: "I know."

Seeing the goddess's composed expression, Ying couldn't help but feel a little strange: "...I thought you wanted to ask me for something..."

"Please go easy on me?" The divine child tilted his head. "Is it necessary? You lost last time."

"I won't lose this time." Shadow stared at the Divine Child, finding the guy's smile increasingly despicable.

If you had just begged me properly, I might have considered letting you off the hook... but why does this guy seem to be stirring up trouble, even deliberately adding fuel to the fire?

Why does she have so much faith in him?

Ying also glanced back at the Divine Cherry Tree and asked, "How long does he plan to stay inside? If he's planning to cultivate for a hundred or a thousand years, I won't wait for him."

"Three days." The divine child's eyes curved into two crescent moons. "Wait three more days, and you'll be able to experience defeat for the second time. Oh dear, I can't wait to see you sobbing."

Ying silently reached her hand towards her chest.

The divine child quickly pressed down on the shadow's hand.

Although she could indeed dodge Shadow's blade, Shadow would always shave off a few tail hairs... How ugly would a bald tail look?

Ying glared at her and asked irritably, "Are you sure you only want three days?"

The Divine Child smiled and replied to Ying with a single sentence: "There is a proverb in Liyue: 'A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation.'"

"The 'principle' of creation..."

Han Fulai's heart skipped a beat.

The saying goes, "The stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade," and Xingqiu, this "stone from other mountains," has indeed given him endless inspiration.

"Disassembly" and "aggregation" are ways to explore the true nature of things, which is called "thoroughly investigating the principles of things to understand the principles of heaven."

For example, gun techniques are composed of a series of basic movements. By breaking them down, you can restore the original form of the techniques and understand their essence. Then, by piecing them back together, you can use them with unparalleled ease.

This is similar to mechanical engineering departments, which always require students to draw part diagrams, disassemble and reassemble machines, and use this knowledge to familiarize themselves with the function and properties of each mechanical component. In extreme cases, even if a world war breaks out that turns human civilization into scorched earth, students who have mastered these technologies can rebuild human civilization on the scorched earth.

The academician he remembered asking his students to calculate rocket flight trajectories was also to ensure that the students truly grasped the essence of aerospace and could independently complete aerospace design without relying on the technical support of those advanced countries.

Extending this principle further, it can also be applied to martial arts duels—he now understands the basic principles of Xingqiu's spear technique and can break it down into simpler, more fundamental movements. If the two were to spar again, he could use this understanding to spot weaknesses in Xingqiu's movements, or interrupt her transitions before she could, thus dismantling her offensive.

The same principle applies to how True Lord Liuyun used mechanical arts to impart the "Dao" to mortals.

Because "principle" is invisible and intangible, it can be perceived through "objects" that carry "principle" and infinitely approached that "Tao".

This is called "investigating things to acquire knowledge," and "investigating things is close to the Dao."

So, what is the "principle" of creation?

Does it mean creating something from nothing? Like how he used the power of the salt god to create things?

However, the power of the Salt God did not create things out of thin air, but rather combined existing elements containing "salt" together. It's just that his definition of "salt" includes "chemical salt," which is broader than simple "table salt."

Does his power count as "creation"?

“Simply disassembling and reassembling does not constitute ‘creation’.”