The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

Having said that.

Zhao Qing's gaze had already penetrated the surface, seeing through Tuoba Wuchou's true thoughts at this moment—it was not a simple rigid mindset, nor an arrogant insistence on one's own opinions, but rather a near-failure-oriented cognitive edge.

He had thought that this thunderous strike across thousands of miles would show the dawn of a new path, but instead he only saw deeper limitations and felt more disappointed with the technological path.

Hope ignites, only to be extinguished by the cold water of reason, leaving behind ashes that are far colder than when it was never lit.

In Tuoba Wuchou's eyes, this "Sky Kite" system, just like the bloodline sublimation faction struggle in Tianliang in the past, is nothing more than another form of "wrong path" that is destined to require huge investment but yield little result.

This leads him to instinctively examine the situation within the most pessimistic and demanding framework, and to presuppose its bleak future.

Zhao Qing just smiled and continued to state her true intention: "I showed you this battle not so that you would be amazed by the destructive power of the Sky Kites, marvel at the precision of the talisman array, or... think that you can build up enough power to challenge a true strongman by relying on these external objects."

"It's not about asking you to judge the 'significance' of this battle, calculate how many rune crystals and resources it consumed, how many rabble it killed, or whether it was 'worth it' overall."

"These are all just appearances!"

She paused slightly, then flicked her finger, and the image on the screen froze and faded instantly, leaving only the purest structural lines—the streamlined outline of the Sky Kite, the true qi compression heat engine inside the engine, the divine sense focusing and wave probing of the biplane, the magnetic excitation layer and vortex control of the sword qi barrier-breaking system…

“Look,” Zhao Qing’s voice carried a guiding tone, making everyone’s hearts leap, “strip away the ‘outer appearance’ of explosions, fires, screams and destruction, what’s left?”

"It is the 'art of capturing light and shadow' that penetrates thick fog and smoke to clearly capture and transmit scenes from thousands of miles away."

She then brought up the complex patterns representing the magneto-optical capture array, with hundreds of sieve-processed crystal tubes: "It does not rely on the naked eye or divine sense scanning, but rather utilizes the 'true magnetic oscillation' that is omnipresent in the world to sense the disturbance of light and shadow at a specific frequency, and then analyze and reconstruct it."

“It’s how ‘true magnetic oscillation communication’ can transmit commands accurately and seamlessly between dozens of fighter jets across hundreds of miles in an instant, achieving perfect coordination.” She pointed to a newly popped-up wave model. “It eliminates the distance limitations and potential interference of telepathic communication, building a completely new information bridge…”

"I played these videos to guide you to think about how to combine and evolve the accumulations you've made on your own cultivation path—your insights into the laws of primordial energy, your analysis of techniques, your refinement of divine will, and your understanding of talisman arrays—in order to reproduce the various abilities possessed by these celestial kites?"

"It's not about copying its form or imitating its tools," Zhao Qing said, his tone slightly serious. "It's about simplifying its principles, refining its core, and integrating its operational wonders into one's own path, making it a part of one's own being!"

"As the ancient saying goes, our path of cultivation should be to seek the laws of heaven and earth, emulate the way of nature, and comprehend the most subtle and profound essentials!"

"How vast is the universe? The sun, moon, and stars are the universe; mountains and rivers are the universe; birds and beasts are the universe..."

"Then, isn't this 'Sky Kite,' created by the wisdom of the human heart and forged from runes and primordial energy, also part of the vast laws governing the universe, with its exquisite use of primordial energy, light and shadow, magnetic waves, and energy forms? Isn't it also a manifestation of the 'Dao' in the human world? An interpretation of the form of a 'vessel' under specific conditions?"

"Their design concepts and operating principles are also fragments of the 'Tao,' 'stones from other mountains' that are worth observing, analyzing, and absorbing for practitioners! Extract the shining points from them!"

“Man-made things are but a corner of the myriad phenomena of the universe. If we examine them closely and observe them in detail, we can understand and glimpse the many ‘subsystems’ that make up them…”

"Does creation distinguish between Heaven and man? It is through the skillful use of the mind and the axe that the true way is achieved."

“From the smallest things come the vast, from the smallest drops come the rivers and seas… This applies to everything from the inscription of a single talisman to the ‘Sky Kite’ fighter jet, and even the operation of a nation or dynasty.”

"Countless subsystems are nested, interlocked, progressive, and precisely coordinated, ultimately converging into a massive 'overall system' that exerts a power far exceeding the simple sum of individual subsystems!"

"Practitioners comprehend the Great Dao by traversing the world with their minds, seeing the profound in the smallest details of every blade of grass, every grain of sand, and every stone—this is 'returning to the origin'; they also need to grasp the overall picture, observing the magnificent grandeur of mountains, rivers, and the movement of stars—this is 'the whole.' The two are not separate but complementary, like the rotation of Yin and Yang, neither of which can be lacking."

"Only through mutual integration can we grasp the essentials amidst the myriad complexities and govern everything with a single principle! Only by balancing the two can we attain the true essence! This is the theory of 'systems engineering'! It is also the method of 'comprehensive integration'!"

"What I will teach you today is this way of thinking—not bound by things, not confined by forms, but observing things through the lens of the Tao, where all things are teachers! Then, refine your true spirit and return from complexity to simplicity!"

“This is easy to understand.” After finding the right direction, Tuoba Wuchou immediately understood Zhao Qing’s explanation, realized his previous narrow-mindedness, and then added: “The masterpieces left by truly powerful cultivators to demonstrate their realm and understanding of primordial energy are often no less than the mysteries of nature, and can be called miracles.”

"Over the past thousands of years, the world of cultivators has progressed from the initial simple breathing and inhalation of spiritual energy to the condensation of true essence and the refinement of divine thoughts. They have gradually defeated the ferocious beasts that humans could not fight against before, and even felt that there were no other living beings in the world who could rival them. Thus, they began to pursue breakthroughs that defy the heavens."

"Turning the impossible into the possible, creating one's own rules on a man-made object, pouring in a lot of effort, and letting future generations with the right fate obtain it, observe it and understand the Tao, is also a common thing."

"There was once an ancient legend that a newly risen peerless powerhouse wanted to challenge the older generation of supreme beings. He first used courtesy and then used force, and then held a debate on the Dao. The former shattered a mountain with a single finger, blasting a peak into the outer void, where it became a meteor that circled the heavens and the earth. Its divine flames burned for several days and nights without ceasing, demonstrating its supreme divine power."
But the latter simply rose calmly, revealing the blue stone where he had been sitting, and drifted away, leaving everyone puzzled.

"So the former won without a fight and scared away the latter?" Zhan Mohe pressed on at the opportune moment, "Or is there something unusual about that blue stone?"

Tuoba Wuchou nodded: "That piece of bluestone was originally an ordinary object, just a piece of common conglomerate. But in the few days that the meteor flew by, it quietly transformed into an indestructible immortal crystal, containing divine patterns that are impervious to any elemental energy. The challenger pondered it for a long time and finally admitted his inferiority, and took the initiative to publicize his defeat."

"Many years later, this stone changed hands several times and was acquired by a young man with exceptional talent. He earned the title of one of the Eight Divine Generals of the You Dynasty, and the power of the ancient magic was restored."

"As for the treasure 'Two-Life Flower' that Tianliang once obtained, it should also be a strange object created by a great power in ancient times, or it may be the work of the Northern King, or it may be the work of Emperor You, or it may have come from an even more ancient relic that has been erased by history."

"However, since 'Sky Kite' is a newly developed technique, it is completely different from the situation where the creators of those techniques have long since passed away."

He abruptly changed the subject, his eyes filled with a hint of confusion and inquiry, "Why must we seek enlightenment through 'tools' and 'objects'? Why must we analyze their complex operating principles to indirectly fathom and deduce the 'Tao' they contain? Why not just ask...the people who created them themselves?!"

"Ask the designers, talisman masters, and weapon refiners, ask them how they conceived, understood, and incorporated their own knowledge of the laws of primordial energy and their understanding of the 'Dao' into their creations, transforming them into the 'weapons' they hold in their hands?"

"Isn't this... going the long way around instead of the close thing? Taking a huge detour?"

"Even if its creation was not the work of one person, but the result of the collective wisdom of many, wouldn't it be more insightful and reveal its essence to those core creators than to simply study the lifeless object itself?" "Wrong!"

Zhao Qing spoke calmly, yet his words were like a sharp sword cutting through a tangled mess, instantly shattering Tuoba Wuchou's doubts: "You have confused the fundamental difference between 'individual intelligence' and 'systemic emergence'!"

"From small to large, from simple to complex, systems... especially complex high-level systems, the laws they exhibit and the 'Tao' they contain are not simply the sum of individual wisdom or a linear extension! Rather, they are often... a completely new existence that transcends the sum of individual cognition! A sublimation!"

"This is 'emergence'!"

"Just like... billions of ants, following extremely simple rules—sensing pheromones, carrying food, and avoiding obstacles—the intelligence of a single ant is negligible, and its behavior patterns are obvious, yet they can work together to build a huge anthill with a complex structure and complete functions."

Does the 'wisdom' and 'design' of this anthill reside in the mind of any single ant? Can all the ants combined clearly explain it to others?

"No! It 'emerges' from the interaction of the ant colony as a whole system! It is the macroscopic order that naturally emerges after countless simple individual behaviors interact and iterate under specific rules! Its mystery does not follow the principle of 'tracing back to the origin' that you think you are talking about!"

“To give another example,” Zhao Qing continued, speaking earnestly, “do you think that by visiting a few capable officials who are well-versed in governance and law, and listening to them talk about how to collect taxes, adjudicate cases, and organize the military, you can understand the ‘path to the fate’ of a vast dynasty’s rise and fall, its order and chaos?”

"Similarly! Building a 'Sky Kite' involves countless steps, from the initial exploration, mining, smelting, and purification of mineral veins, to rune design, material processing, precision machining, component assembly, array debugging, and collaborative training."

"The number of artisans, talisman masters, weapon refiners, and even logistics support and resource allocation involved indirectly is no less than a million!"

“Every individual and every typical group contributes their wisdom, sweat, and even a tiny, imperceptible ‘randomness’ to this vast system!”

"How do you 'interrogate' these millions of people? How do you piece together from the mouths of each of them the complete 'Way' of the 'Sky Kite' system, which soars through the heavens and conquers amidst blood and fire? How do you grasp the 'system soul' that emerges from the intertwining of countless variables, exceeding the design expectations?"

"That...is almost impossible!"

She stated unequivocally: "All you can get are countless fragmented, partial, and even potentially contradictory 'individual perceptions.' They are like scattered pearls; although each one is dazzling, they cannot string together to form a complete necklace."

“A tool is not necessarily an inanimate object! It can also be a ‘living’ system! Exhaustively studying its individual thought process is by no means the right path to enlightenment!”

"Yes!"

Tuoba Wuchou looked up at the sky and felt that every star that adorned the night had gained a layer of profound meaning, as if it had broken free from the desolate silence and transformed into a tangible and audible object.

It's as if it suddenly transforms from the desolate, cracked folds of the desert into clear raindrops, sweet and refreshing rain, falling in a flurry and pattering down—falling into the eyes like shimmering silver, touching the brow like the cool touch of a newly thawed spring stream.

After many years, the look in his eyes as he gazed at the distant starry sky finally regained its former brilliance, returning to a relaxed and natural state.

After regaining his senses, Tuoba Wuchou exclaimed from the bottom of his heart: "The potential and wisdom that 'human beings' possess lies in these 'variables' and 'emergence'!"

“It’s not just artifacts like the ‘Sky Kite,’ but also the scrolls of cultivation techniques passed down through generations and repeatedly repaired and improved, and the star charts that become more and more complete with observations. Aren’t they all the same?”

"In the process of their gradual formation, even ordinary people with no cultivation or even illiteracy can make significant contributions as long as there are enough of them. They are an indispensable part of the entire system and together they build a magnificent miracle that transcends the individual."

"This kind of 'miracle' achieved through the collective will of the people does not necessarily require a powerful combat force or a special design that threatens the eighth realm level. It is simply a few flowers of inspiration that bloomed at just the right time when we pioneers were examining our cultivation! Illuminating the valley of thought!"

"Take all things as your teachers, and even more so, take all people as your teachers!"

"Only by being unconventional can one glimpse the true nature of the Great Dao!"

Before he finished speaking, he made another move towards the mountain wall beside him, and immediately used his sword energy to cut off a six- or seven-zhang-long spindle-shaped stone piece. With a slight tremor, the surface cracked and scattered like dust, and suddenly weathered away, turning into a pure stone model of the "Sky Kite" with an identical shape.

Clearly, they were about to immediately try to integrate the methods of "weaponry" and add hundreds of sword marks and runes to it, refining the "fake" into the "real"!
“That’s right.” Zhao Qing replied calmly, “It wasn’t in vain that I went to all this trouble to correct your outdated views. But the true meaning of this still needs to be sought within oneself, and one should reflect upon it more deeply.”

As for the design of the entire "Sky Kite" series of fighter jets and their auxiliary magical artifacts, as well as the production chain at each stage, she completed, deployed, finalized, and implemented almost all of them by herself. She also finalized and promoted tens of thousands of new technologies and processes. There was no "emergence" of collective wisdom, which is something that cannot be explained to outsiders.

After all, it's just used as an example for teaching purposes.

Moreover, if she hadn't spent a lot of time studying all the royal records of talisman craftsmanship in the Great Chu Dynasty, she wouldn't have been able to do this out of thin air. The contributions of the masses are still undeniable; she was standing on the shoulders of giants.

The "false" propaganda surrounding Tianyuan might have allowed Tuoba Wuchou, Tang Xin, and others to try and comprehend several wind and thunder techniques, as well as the secrets of radio wave transmission, decoding, and compilation, but it certainly didn't inspire any new ideas in Zhao Qing himself, nor did it nourish his own path.

However, the words of Zhuangzi that she had casually quoted earlier had indeed given her great inspiration, clearly pointing out the foundation of the inexhaustible mind and summarizing the path of cultivation for a long time to come.

Furthermore, to put it into practice, we cannot do without the mathematical framework of Hilbert space, which uses infinite-dimensional geometry, its completeness and inner product to encompass the vast universe!
The point, line, plane - intention, potential, and domain theory explained to Tang Xin is only the foundation and the most basic application tool in the entire system.

"How about this," Zhao Qing thought to himself, and the scene on the screen rippled like water, instantly switching to a completely different scene of tranquility and vitality: "How about we look at a new scene? Planting spirit rice."

"Spirit Rice?"

"Rice from the Spirit Stone".

...(End of chapter)