Yefutidaolu

Chapter 265 Sudden Enlightenment, Unappreciative of Favor

As the saying goes, "If there is flavor, bring it out; if there is no flavor, let it enter." In other words, when cooking, by controlling the changes in heat and the increase or decrease in the density of the surrounding ingredients, you can control the entry and exit of hundreds of flavors, allowing these flavors to intertwine and transform simple "ingredients" into a combined "dish," thus "weaving" the final result.

Similarly, the same principle applies to alchemy and weapon crafting.

Extract the necessary elements from the original medicinal materials or refining materials, and then use various methods, such as refining techniques and alchemy, as well as the weaving of one's own divine will, to ultimately transform the materials into the treasures one desires.

Cooks, alchemists, and pill refiners all seem to operate on the same principle.

However, while the principles are the same, there are many differences in actual operation, which has led to the differences between various schools of thought and thus different kinds of 'brands'.

But fundamentally, that's just how it is.

The Xuanhua Tongmen Dadao Ge (Song of the Great Way of Profound Transformation) emphasizes this 'fundamental principle'.

Originally, Gao Jian only wanted to show off his cooking skills, but after being educated by Dan Sha, he suddenly realized that the Divine Dynasty was actually advanced enough, and Gao Jian didn't actually have anything 'he could teach this world'.

Trying to teach the Divine Dynasty how to do things based on past experience is impossible. What level was the original world at? Could it have built a megacity like Yangjing, the capital of the Divine Dynasty?
If that's not possible, it naturally means the divine dynasty is stronger and more developed, including in cooking; ordinary dishes are simply not presentable here.

but……

If we get to the bottom of it, could we also compile this kind of thing into a coherent form?
Is this kind of 'weaving' approach used to control one's spiritual practice?

Gao Jian had already read many cultivation methods and gained a lot from the Imperial Academy's library. Now, this little bit made him realize that these little tricks seemed to have the same effect.

These tricks can weave these threads into an unexpected pattern in a very surprising way, making it difficult for people to notice them before.

The principle remains the same, but the way it is implemented is ingenious and amazing.

With so many ingenious structures, how could one possibly learn them all?

Obviously, it's impossible to learn everything. Take knife skills as an example: there are countless knife skills in the world, and you can never learn them all by yourself, no matter how many tricks or ingenious methods you try to learn.

But... Takami recently learned a sword technique called 'One Yuan'.

The idea behind this sword technique is that since you can never exhaust all the variations, you might as well directly master the 'one element'.

"One" is the origin from which all things begin, and "origin" is what is meant by "great." To call "one" "origin" is to regard the great beginning and desire to rectify the root.

The saying "Great indeed is the Qian Yuan, from which all things originate" refers to this.

So, if we use this approach to revise our own techniques, instead of blindly adding so many little tricks, we leave room for flexibility so that the techniques can 'adapt to changing times', wouldn't that be acceptable?

Upon thinking of this, Gao Jian suddenly lost his appetite. He immediately looked at Dan Sha and said, "Dan Sha, eat later. Now, transform into a dragon!"

"Huh? Now transforming into a dragon?" Dan Sha was still eating when he was suddenly confused. But when he saw the divine light flashing in his eyes, he had no choice but to put down his chopsticks and transform into a dragon body more than a meter long.

The size of a dragon can change freely, and cinnabar can change like that from a young age.

Gao Jian immediately became excited; yes, this was exactly what he wanted to see!

Capable of growing large or small, rising or hiding, the dragon perfectly embodies the concept of "changing with the times"! (See Chapter 220)

"Smaller, smaller!" Gao Jian immediately exclaimed again!

Dan Sha was puzzled, but his voice trailed off as he spoke.

Gao Jian had already turned on the rusty knife and was carefully observing the changes in the cinnabar.

"Please make it bigger again," Gao Jian commanded.

Dansha, looking puzzled, continued to grow larger.

Getting bigger or smaller is not as simple as you might imagine.

Simply getting bigger will cause problems.

Those bones and muscles that were originally small must be adjusted after they grow larger, otherwise they will not be able to maintain the specific functions of the body.

Simply scaling up proportionally doesn't allow for such a smooth transition between large and small sizes.

Amidst this change, Gao Jian sensed... a kind of 'divine charm' rooted in the bloodline of the true dragon.

Dansha herself may not have realized it, or it may have been just instinct for her, but for Gao Jian, it was like a thunderbolt, and he gained a sense of the 'mystery' of change from it!
The dragon, by its very nature, is a creature of vigilance and the master of change. It is the unhindered master of nature, a natural spiritual being that constantly operates according to the workings of heaven.

Is this the dragon's characteristic of being the "most intelligent of all creatures"?

This is the wonder of the dragon's transformation. Its transformations are unpredictable, and thus it is easy to adapt to things. Originally there was nothing, yet it can respond to the changes of all things. Therefore, it is called "Yi" (易, meaning change).

Your insight is profound, having read the 'I Ching'.

In the Book of Changes, there are six types of dragons: Hidden Dragon, Appearing Dragon, Vigilant Dragon, Leaping Dragon, Flying Dragon, and Overbearing Dragon. These represent six positions, six stages, and six states. These six dragons are what is referred to in the Book of Changes: "Riding the six dragons to govern the heavens. The way of Qian (Heaven) changes, each thing is in its proper place, and the six lines are developed to express the feelings. At this time, one rides the six dragons to govern the heavens."

All of this is based on the four words "adapting to change," and the true dragon seems to be born with this ability to change! Gao Jian had not noticed this before, but now that he has noticed this, he uses the rusty knife to clear his mind, and with the many things he learned in the Imperial Academy's Scripture Pavilion a few days ago, as well as the One Yuan Knife Technique from before, all of these things are combined, just like countless threads 'woven' together, forming a brand new picture in front of Gao Jian.

In that instant, he felt a surge of emotion and immediately found a stool to sit down.

There's no need to sit cross-legged. If there's a stool, of course you should sit on it. People who sit cross-legged for no reason are those whose knees don't hurt. Anyway, it's all the same whether you're sitting or not.

After sitting down, he stared intently at the cinnabar, sensing its changes.

The cinnabar plant continued to grow, soon becoming too large to fit inside the room.

The dragon girl spun around and flew out of the house into the courtyard. Her body gradually swelled, and Gao Jian also went outside, intently watching this change.

But in that instant, as he activated the rust-clear state of his blade, he saw something else.

As he gazed at the cinnabar, he also looked at the power emanating from the 'New Year's Eve' grand ceremony in the sky above.

No! That's not right. It's not just the power of the New Year's Eve Grand Ceremony; it's also the power of heaven and earth themselves!
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve!
Lunar New Year's Eve marks the end of the cycle of the four seasons! It is a time of beginnings and endings, a time when the world itself is in flux!

Starting tonight, the 'year' will come to an end, and the cycle of the four seasons will change to a new stage. The days and months have passed, and the new year has begun, marking the start of a new era.

As winter draws to a close and the new spring approaches, the four seasons revolve endlessly. Winds rise and clouds gather, responding to all things. Thunder roars and rain falls, responding to all things without end. Ghosts appear and lightning flashes, dragons rise and phoenixes gather. The wheel of destiny turns and cycles endlessly, like flowing water, beginning and ending with all things.

The changes in the cinnabar, the changes in Gao Jian's own understanding, and... at this moment, the changes in heaven and earth.

Everything exploded in Gao Jian's mind, stirring up a tangled mess within his consciousness! Under normal circumstances, he would have fainted immediately.

But now he was in a state of clarity, and everything was exploding in his mind!

All things are ultimately one; to know the one is to know all things; to not know the one is to know none things. From heaven and earth, all things endlessly revolve, each arising from the one, giving rise to countless categories. Though differing, they share the same root. Therefore, knowing that all things are one means understanding all principles. Not knowing that all things are one means losing sight of everything. I, in this world, am also one thing, and things are also things. How can things be distinguished from each other? This clarifies the profound unity of self and things, where likes and dislikes have no fixed master. Therefore, it is said that I, in this world, am also one thing in this world!
Before heaven and earth took shape, there was a vast and mysterious void, a unified whole. While their origins were one, their inherent qualities differed. Qi (vital energy) had both purity and turbidity, and matter had both refinement and coarseness. From the interplay of strength and gentleness, all things came into being. From this, countless transformations occurred, reaching an infinite realm.

In that instant, all the knowledge that Gao Jian possessed seemed to be 'condensed' under the same principle.

I understand a lot of the previous insights, but these things are all separate, like individual lines.

In that instant, he saw... a way to weave cloth.

All the threads seem to have a chance to be woven together, all it takes is... a little trick.

Luck?
Whatever it is, he needs to go to the Scripture Pavilion now!
Gao Jian suddenly woke up, only to find that the rusty knife was still nine inches long.

The rust knife can't help him with what comes next. It has already helped him get through the first wave, but how to weave the cloth, how to use the threads, and how to find more rust knives are all up to Gao Jian himself!

He immediately said to Dansha, "Hold your food for now, come quickly! Take me to the Sutra Repository!"

"What... happened to you?" Dansha asked, puzzled. She didn't know what had happened to Gao Jian or why his expression had changed so quickly.

Shu Jian, who was standing to the side, seemed to realize something and urged, "Don't ask, I'll explain later! Hurry up, speeding is fine, let's get to the Imperial Academy!"

Even Shu Jian said so, so Dan Sha immediately grabbed Gao Jian and sped off towards the Imperial Academy.

Gao Jian then sat on her head, closed his eyes, and began to 'weave' in his mind.

In the weaving process, there is no way to rely on any external force; one can only rely on oneself.

Gao Jian knows too much. He can clearly understand the original author's meaning of all kinds of charm. He has learned many profound techniques in the Imperial Academy, as well as the Xuanhua Tongmen Dadao Song itself, and the charm from the Desire Realm. No matter how you look at it, Gao Jian belongs to the kind of person who is particularly learned.

But despite his extensive knowledge, there were many things he couldn't integrate into his own cultivation system; after all, the differences were too great.

Now, the glimmer of inspiration he has grasped comes from the changes in heaven and earth on New Year's Eve, from the changes in the true dragon, and from the changes in the One Yuan Sword Technique, all of which have given Gao Jian the opportunity to 'weave cloth'.

All the erudition of the past, all the countless raw materials, are combined by this one inspiration at this moment, giving rise to a brand new structure that far surpasses the original power.

but……

Almost.

Not even close.

Or to put it another way, genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration, but that one percent of inspiration is far more important than the perspiration.

Gao Jian has already obtained the most important one percent of inspiration. For the remaining part, he still needs to immerse himself in research and go to the Imperial Academy's library to carefully study the countless materials there!

Soon, Gao Jian was delivered by Dan Sha.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside and, amidst the astonished gazes of the book demons, began to turn the pages.

First, prioritize books on essential knowledge, whether they cover principles, insights, or actual practice methods. If you can understand them, rely on your own understanding; if you can't understand them, then just start practicing.

The rusty knife was nine inches sharp; it was time to put it to use.

A rusty knife cannot help Gao Jian truly weave a finished product, but it can help him quickly accumulate experience and knowledge. The rusty knife can quickly fill in the gaps left by hard work and sweat!
that's enough.

The expert is already eager to share his insights.

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Dansha looked at Gao Jian with a worried expression.

After Gao Jian landed, he quickly ran into the library and began to look through the books.

He flipped through the book extremely quickly; it would never be possible to read it at such a speed if he were studying it seriously. But judging from his expression, he wasn't just flipping through it; he was reading it carefully.

To watch at such a high speed with such focus is not impossible, but it would certainly require an immense expenditure of one's spirit and mental energy.

Why are you in such a hurry? Take your time and watch it; there shouldn't be any problems, right?

But Dansha also knew that even if she didn't understand why Gao Jian was in such a hurry, he must have something important to do, maybe it was related to his cultivation, and he might have discovered some mystery.

This is an opportunity that many people may not have even after a lifetime of cultivation, and Dan Sha certainly wouldn't disturb your insightful opinion at this crucial juncture.

Similarly, Shu Jian wouldn't either.

So the two of them just exchanged a glance and then tactfully left the library.

After leaving, Dansha asked first, "Did he... have an epiphany?"

"Maybe, who can say for sure about geniuses?" Mouse shrugged.

It is common knowledge that Gao Jian is a genius.

Dansha nodded in agreement.

Normally, she should have ended the conversation at this point, because the Dragon Girl's topics usually veered off-topic.

But then she changed the subject and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, Mouse, why did you go to buy those things today?"

The mouse, like an old man, carried its two little paws on its back: "Why? After all, it's the New Year, and we have a new house. What's so strange about giving us some gifts? Gao Jian and I are sworn brothers, so it's not a problem to call each other brothers."

Then he continued, "As for you, it's one thing to give him furniture, but you even gave him the house. You still act like that, always obeying him. He's practically riding on your head, and he hasn't even said anything in return. This isn't good. Aren't you going to urge him on? If this continues, he'll start to take you for granted."

Upon hearing this, Dansha lowered his head, remained silent, and simply looked back.

Is that what I really think?

I'm not quite sure about cinnabar.

(Double monthly votes! Please vote!)

(End of this chapter)