Chương 93: 1.92 True role of Ning~

Looking at the scriptures shown in the water-mirror, He Shou nodded slowly.

"I understand it now." Lou Ren opened one eye.

"Do I even want to ask?"

"I understand that this stage makes absolutely no goddamn sense." He Shou leaned back with a scowl.

"The scripture comprehension section is just as ridiculous now as it was in our time. Why are scriptures even written this way?"

"Hmph. I suppose it is not without reason that you always practiced only simple techniques." Lou Ren laughed at He Shou, showing no restraint that he usually had. Hong Zeiling spoke calmly, "Ancient scriptures are written this way for a reason. A technique manual tells you how to move qi, the pathway, the flow, everything necessary to perform the technique successfully. A scripture is different." The hall quieted slightly.

In the water-mirror, the disciples were already reacting to their tablets in diverse ways, though most had a dull look in their eyes, as if wondering why they were even there - just to suffer? Hong Zeiling continued, "When ancient cultivators touched the higher laws of heaven and earth, what they perceived could no longer be described plainly. How does one write the stillness before motion? How does one describe a sound heard by the spirit but not by the ear?

How does one explain a foundation that exists in the heart rather than beneath the feet?" He gestured toward the scripture reflected in the mirror.

"So they used images. Bells, mountains, rivers, moons, bowls, thunder. These things are not the Dao itself. They are fingers pointing toward it." Lou Ren nodded.

"A manual teaches the hand how to work. A scripture teaches the mind how to see. They may be related, but they are not the same thing."

"If you put it that way, it does make sense." He Shou rubbed his chin.

"Even if it still sounds a little like bullshit to me."

"Compared to mortals, we cultivators are the very definition of bullshit," Lou Ren replied.

"So this should not trouble you."

"Huh?" Lou Ren continued, "Think about it. I was a mortal once. And in the eyes of any mortal, a cultivator who sweeps their hand and brings rain from a clear sky, or gestures once and raises a forest from bare earth, is nothing short of absurd. We exceeded the boundaries of what should be possible long before; prose like this is nothing to be shocked about." He Shou stared at Lou Ren blankly, as this guy pretended he actually understood this stuff.

They were both forgers for the reason, even though Lou Ren tried to act as a literary cultivator as much as he wanted. Then he looked back at the water-mirror without comment. Hong Zeiling spoke again.

"There is also the matter of depth. If a scripture is too plain, it becomes useful only once. A Qi Condensation disciple reads it, understands a single movement, and then outgrows it. But if the scripture carries layered intent, the same line may guide him at Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and even Nascent Soul." The young elder frowned.

"The same sentence guides all those stages?"

"The same sentence," Hong Zeiling said.

"At Qi Condensation, 'rootless mountain' may point toward stabilizing qi without relying on external force. At Foundation Establishment, it may point toward building a Dao foundation independent of borrowed strength. At Golden Core, it may point toward condensing an inner world that does not rely on the outer world's shape." He Shou nodded and then looked back at the water-mirror.

"So the meaning of a sentence changes as the reader matures and forms their worldview."

"Precisely." Hong Zeiling continued, "There is also the matter of protection."

"Is there... even more depth to this?" the young elder asked blankly, staring at the projection with widened eyes. The more he listened, the more unfathomable the founder seemed. To devise a technique was already difficult enough, yet to weave so many profound principles into something as simple as a trial... For a fleeting moment, he genuinely wondered whether the Founding Ancestor's mind had been crafted differently from ordinary people. After all, every scripture within the sect had originated from that one man.

"The higher laws of heaven and earth are not harmless," Hong Zeiling said, his gaze remaining on the mirror.

"To ordinary mortals, words are merely words. But to cultivators, true scripture can carry intent. A line written by a great cultivator may contain pressure, will, and traces of the law he perceived. If the true meaning were written directly, weaker disciples might not comprehend it. They might be injured by it." Lou Ren nodded.

"It is just like the various calligraphy scrolls and paintings hung around our sect. To a mortal, the sheer spiritual pressure bleeding from those strokes would cause nothing but trouble."

"Yeah, about that," He Shou muttered, leaning back.

"Isn't that a massive pain for the newly initiated disciples?"

"Hah! Consider it a rite of passage," Lou Ren laughed.

"They need to learn the dangers of this world early on."

"You truly have a rotten personality beneath that elegant persona, don't you?" In the water-mirror, one disciple looked down at the jade tablet in his hand. [When the cold flame blooms within dead ash, the spring wind shall pass through the sealed gate. Those who seek heat in fire shall miss the warmth hidden beneath snow.]"I don't know what the fuss is about. Just fight fire with fire." The disciple quickly started to answer without much thought.

"The cold flame is the hidden spark of life preserved within extinction. The dead ash is the body after all worldly attachments have been burned away. The spring wind is the returning breath of heaven and earth, opening the sealed gate of renewal. Therefore, this scripture teaches that only by abandoning the visible fire and seeking the silent warmth beneath death can one comprehend the principle of rebirth after destruction." The jade tablet remained silent for half a breath. Then it flashed red. [INCORRECT.] Then suddenly, above every jade tablet, new lines appeared simultaneously. [EACH DISCIPLE HAS TWO CHANCES TO ANSWER.] [AFTER TWO FAILURES, THE DISCIPLE WOULD BE ELIMINATED.] [TIME REMAINING: THREE INCENSE STICKS.] The atmosphere in the scripture hall changed at once. Disciples who had been preparing to guess immediately froze. He Shou leaned back and snorted.

"Too impatient." Lou Ren nodded.

"The tower does not punish ignorance, because that is the common state for us all, but it punishes those who think they are too clever. That disciple saw flowery words and answered with other flowery words, haphazardly, without any deeper comprehension." The green-robed elder smiled faintly.

"This stage exposes false comprehension very quickly. Many disciples believe that if their answer sounds profound, it must be correct. How could the answer be brute-forced like that?" The mirror briefly showed several disciples answering correctly. Lei Dong wrote with a composed, practiced ease that suggested familiarity.

"Those from cultivation clans have an advantage here," Lou Ren observed.

"They were taught from a young age how to approach this type of scripture. That kind of foundational training is not easily replicated." The mirror then shifted to Xiao Fan. Xiao Fan stood before his jade tablet with a frown.

"He seems to be struggling considerably," He Shou said.

"He should just trust his gut answer." Hong Zeiling watched Xiao Fan for a moment.

"Xiao Fan is also a member of the Xiao Clan, but from what I have read about him in the reports, he doesn't seem to have benefited much from his upbringing." Case in point, Xiao Fan quickly stopped trying to brute-force the comprehension after getting the first try wrong.

"Tsk. I will try another way. What's the worst that could happen?" Xiao Fan made a decision. He turned and walked directly toward Ning. The elders blinked. For a fleeting moment, the world seemed to pause as the examinee simply tried to cheat so blatantly. But Xiao Fan's gamble paid off, as he did not face any repercussions for his action. Ning was still staring at his jade tablet when Xiao Fan arrived beside him.

"You probably have some idea about this, don't you?" Xiao Fan said.

"So spill." Several disciples nearby turned their heads. The directness of the approach had apparently not gone unnoticed. Ning looked at him.

"You certainly have a gentle way of asking someone for help."

"You gonna help me or not?" Xiao Fan just grumbled.

"How audacious of him! I like it." He Shou leaned forward in the observation hall and laughed.

"Is that allowed?" The young elder asked in surprise. Lou Ren looked toward Hong Zeiling as well. Hong Zeiling was quiet for a moment.

"The tower did not forbid discussion. Most disciples simply assumed it was." He Shou's grin widened.

"Ha." Lou Ren sighed.

"You enjoy this far too much."

"Of course I do. Every disciple in that hall has been suffering alone because they assumed that was the correct way to suffer. Then Xiao Fan simply walked over and asked someone for help." He Shou shook his head with something that was almost admiration.

"Straightforward to the point of being profound." Lou Ren glanced at him.

"You only say that because it sounds easy."

"That is true. But we all have our domains where we are good at, so there is no shame in asking those who are good at it for help." For once, Lou Ren had no reply. Despite being a brute, He Shou was not an idiot. He understood where his strength lay, and how to maximize it and cover his weakness. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Ling Xin's gaze shifted back to Ning, who did not look particularly surprised by Xiao Fan's approach.

Her disciple had an extremely effective poker face when he chose to use it. Hong Zeiling nodded.

"It is also part of the test." The elders turned toward him. From what they had seen so far, being the head of the disciplinary committee had granted this elder an abundance of information about the state of affairs of the sect.

"Comprehension is not always a solitary act," Hong Zeiling said.

"The Dao may be perceived alone, but it may also be sparked through debate, comparison, and the questions of others. A disciple who cannot admit confusion cannot seek understanding. A disciple who refuses to ask wastes whatever wisdom might have been shared freely." In the mirror, Ning looked at Xiao Fan, then at the disciples gathering nearby. Zhang Feng had already wandered over. Wei Zhusang joined a moment later, still turning his own half-formed thoughts over quietly. A few other disciples edged closer as well.

"Well, I may have to disappoint you this time. This is a classic nothing burger." Ning spoke.

"Nothing burger?" Zhang Feng blinked.

"What does that mean?"

"It means this thing could mean everything and nothing simultaneously." Ning looked back at his tablet.

"Take the first line. When the soundless bell rings beneath the rootless mountain, the moon drinks the shadow of the river that has never flowed." He gestured at it with mild exasperation.

"It could be about time. Bells mark the passage of time; a soundless one marks a moment so still that time itself has stopped. The river that never flowed is a path never taken, and the moon drinking its shadow is consuming all the potential of those paths that will never exist." He paused.

"Or it could mean the complete opposite. The soundless bell still rings. The rootless mountain still stands. The river that never flowed still casts a shadow. Maybe the entire point is that things continue to function even after you strip away the trait that supposedly defines them. A bell without sound is still a bell because it still resonates. A mountain without roots is still a mountain because it still stands." Zhang Feng stared at him.

"Those are completely different meanings."

"Yes. That's my dilemma." Ning sighed. Outside, watching the grand water-mirror from the elevated viewing pavilion, Ling Xin let out a sigh.

"Aw shucks! He has run straight into his worst nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Lang Feilang asked, stepping up beside her, her gaze fixed on the projection.

"He has already deciphered two separate, profound meanings from a text the others can barely read. How is that a crisis?"

"It's rather simple, my dear Feilang; my disciple does not want profound meanings at all," Ling Xin explained. She had watched his progress closely. She had seen it when Ning encountered a high-grade alchemy recipe that vaguely told the creator to 'use a suitable amount of Moonlight Essence Dew' without ever defining what a 'suitable amount' actually weighed.

She had seen it when he read a pill-refinement note that described temperature control as 'striking the perfect balance between the anger of summer and the regret of autumn.' She had even seen him nearly tear a scroll apart when an old manual claimed the correct timing for adding a spirit herb was 'when the cauldron's breath resembles a sleeping dragon.' Ning hated that kind of writing. He wanted words to do their job, which was to convey exact things in exact terms.

"He is not bad at it per se, but he gets rather cranky about it." Ling Xin spoke. Lang Feilang watched the mirror, where Ning was now aggressively looking through different scriptures.

"Will his frustration break his focus? After all, a calm mind is necessary for this."

"Nah, he would win." Ling Xin answered....

"So, is there nothing we can do?" Xiao Fan finally spoke.

"Well, not really. All of our scriptures are different, but there must be a common rule regarding them, something that would help us find the solution. So I cannot give you a direct answer." He looked around at the gathered faces, then at their respective scriptures.

"But here is what I have noticed." He raised one finger.

"First, all of our scriptures have contradictions. A lot of these lines describe impossible things. Lamps without flame. Fists that do not strike. Seeds hearing rain before clouds arrive. Boats crossing rivers without water. That may not be an accident. So, now we know the scripture is forcing you to stop reading literally." Wei Zhusang nodded; that's what he thought as well. Ning raised a second finger.

"Second, action survives even when the object loses its defining trait. A lamp without flame still illuminates. A fist that does not strike still breaks armor. A seed beneath stone still grows. A boat without oars still crosses. So perhaps the object is not the key. The function is." The gathered disciples became quieter. Ning raised a third finger.

"Third, short answers seem to fare better than long ones. It may be because people who genuinely understand something can usually point to it clearly." A disciple nearby quietly erased half of what he had been building toward. Ning raised a fourth finger.

"Fourth, and this one I think is the most likely. The scripture matches the person. A sword disciple can find sword intent. A body cultivator can find force. An alchemist can find transformation. A formation disciple can find structure. The answer only needs to be true to your own path." Wei Zhusang nodded slowly.

"That would explain why every fragment is different. That makes a lot of sense."

"Exactly," Ning said.

"Which means copying someone else's answer is useless. But hearing how they think may still help you find your own angle."

"Damn, when did you notice these things?" Zhang Feng was dumbfounded. When the hell did Ning find time to summarize such things? Of course, Zhang Feng was none the wiser that, after seeing the scripture for the first second, Ning had known he was cooked if he tried to just stumble on the correct answer, so he had tried to find the general rules instead. Ning paused, then raised a fifth finger.

"One more. This may not only be about the final answer. We each have two attempts. If the tower only wanted perfect first answers, it would give one attempt. Two attempts means it expects people to be wrong initially. The important thing is whether the second answer improves." For a moment, there was silence, taking in Ning's conjectures.

"Argh! It's getting too complicated." Zhang Feng brushed his head in irritation.

"Welcome to my suffering," Ning smiled. Inside the observation hall, the elders had gone quiet. Lou Ren's expression held clear approval.

"Not bad. He is comprehending the rules to pass rather than going at it headfirst." He Shou also nodded, "I guess Xiao Fan made the right choice. From the earlier round, it could be seen that Ning is a type who doesn't mind helping others, or even forming groups, so he wouldn't refuse the answer." Hong Zeiling shook his head.

"In his records, there was mention of him being a genius, so it's not strange." Ling Xin's lips curved faintly.

"He still has no idea which pattern is actually correct, though." Hong Zeiling said, "Perhaps that is precisely why it is more impressive." In the trial, Ning then said, "Alone I might have to leave it to luck, but since we can talk and discuss, we can just go by the trial-and-error method. We can use our first chance to verify the correct way to pass the trial..." Ning had just spoken when he heard the words.

"I see. I understand it now." For some reason, Ning shivered hearing the protagonist say that. Xiao Fan turned back to his jade tablet without further explanation. The words still waited for him: [The fist that does not strike breaks the armor before impact. The warrior who advances without stepping arrives before the battle begins.] He stared at them for a long moment. He had failed his first answer because he had read it the way he fought, straight ahead, looking for the power in it.

A stronger punch and even faster advancement. He had read about breaking armors and immediately looked for the force that would do the breaking. But that was not what the scripture was describing. A fist that did not strike. He thought about every fight he had ever been in where the gap between him and his opponent had been obvious from the start. Where people had looked at his spiritual root and already decided how the match would end before either of them had moved. He had always fought anyway.

Not because he had calculated that he could win. Not because he had found some technique that would bridge the gap. He had fought because retreating felt worse than losing, and because somewhere in the moment before the first move, before any contact had been made, something in him had already refused to accept their version of how this ended. He had thought that was just stubbornness. Looking at the scripture now, he was not sure it was only that.

The warrior who advances without stepping arrives before the battle begins. Qiu Han had said it to him once that Xiao Fan won because his convictions were tougher than his own. That had not been strength. That had been something that existed before strength. Something that moved before the body did. Xiao Fan lifted his hand to answer.

"The fist that does not strike is not a stronger punch. It is what exists in the moment before the punch, the will that has already decided the outcome, the pressure of someone who has not yet conceded, the advance of a heart that refused to retreat before the body even moved. I have fought people who were stronger than me more times than I can count. I have lost many of those fights. But I have noticed something.

There are moments before a fight begins where the other person looks at you and already sees the ending. And if you let them be right, if your heart agrees with what they see, then the fight is already over before the first move. The fist that does not strike breaks armor because will travels faster than the body. If I advance first in here", he touched his chest, "then my fist follows naturally. And if I retreat first in here, then I have already lost, regardless of what my body does afterward."

He lowered his hand. The tablet was still. He waited. Then golden light spread slowly across its surface as the words changed. [PASSED.] He had not passed because he had found the clever answer. He had passed because the scripture had described something he already knew from the inside, had known since the first time he had stood across from someone who expected him to lose and felt that refusal harden in his chest like a second spine. He had just not known it had a name before. Xiao Fan exhaled.

Then, everyone went wild.

"Xiao Fan passed!" With that, the answer was clear. Around them, the other disciples had begun talking.

"What does yours say?"

"Mine mentions a seed beneath stone that hears the rain before clouds gather."

"Hidden growth, maybe? Something that moves before it is visible?"

"Mine speaks of a sword without an edge."

"Intent over form?"

"Mine says an empty bowl remembers the sound of thunder."

"Whatever you do, do not write anything about lightning. Someone already got struck for that." The scripture hall had changed. It was no longer a hall of isolated disciples. It had become more of a room of discussion and advancement. Some failed their first attempt. Some forced grand language and paid for it. But more disciples began to pass. By speaking from their own path, in their own terms, about the principle their particular fragment was pointing toward.

In the observation hall, Hong Zeiling watched with a faint smile.

"That," he said, "is the true purpose of this stage. To teach them that comprehension cannot be borrowed," Hong Zeiling said.

"A borrowed answer has no root. Flowery language without personal understanding collapses the moment it is examined. But when disciples speak from their own path, when a sword cultivator answers with intent, a body cultivator with force, an alchemist with transformation, different gates may all open into the same hall." Lou Ren nodded.

"The Dao is vast. False answers fail not because they are short or long or even more prose-like or not, but because they are hollow." Ning blinked his eyes, watching Xiao Fan attain a look of enlightenment and pass the test in one go. Did I just get used as a plot device? Ning blinked his eyes. It was a common enough trope. The protagonist has a knowledge-related problem, and somehow there is someone who has just the right knowledge to help him. Heck! That was how all exposition scenes began.

Ning just sighed and accepted his role. Though he had to praise Xiao Fan's guts, the guy hadn't even hesitated before trying to contact others, not wondering if it was grounds for elimination. Well, at least he knew how to answer. Ning stared at the tablet. He had spent too long staring at the scripture itself. That was the first mistake. He looked up at the tower's opening announcement instead. [ALL LAWS HAVE TRACES.] [ALL DHARMA HAS ROOTS.] [ALL TECHNIQUES ARE BORN FROM UNDERSTANDING.] [TO SEE ONLY FORM IS TO REMAIN OUTSIDE THE GATE.] [TO UNDERSTAND ESSENCE IS TO STEP UPON THE PATH.] He read the first line again. All laws have traces. Then back at his scripture. When the soundless bell rings beneath the rootless mountain, the moon drinks the shadow of the river that has never flowed. A soundless bell. A rootless mountain. A river that has never flowed. Three things that should not exist. Three things whose defining form was absent or impossible. And yet, the bell still rings.

The mountain still stands. The river still casts a shadow. Ning went still. The shadow. The river that had never flowed, that had never taken form at all, still left a shadow. A trace. Something that registered in the world despite the river itself never having existed as water moving through a channel. All laws have traces. That was not just a metaphor. A law, a principle, a dharma, left traces in the world whether or not it had ever manifested into visible form. You did not need the river to find the river's law.

The shadow was enough to tell you the river's nature if you knew how to read it. The soundless bell rang because its law, resonance, the transmission of vibration, existed independently of whether sound had been produced. The rootless mountain stood because its law, stability, the quality of remaining, existed independently of whether it had physical roots. The river cast a shadow because its law, potential, the capacity to flow and carry, existed independently of whether water had ever moved through it.

It was a description of perceiving law through trace rather than form.

"The bell has no sound. The mountain has no roots. The river has never flowed. Yet the bell rings, the mountain stands, the river casts a shadow. These are not descriptions of impossible things. They are descriptions of law without form, principle that exists and leaves traces in the world even when its visible expression has never appeared. The moon drinks the shadow of the river that never flowed because trace is sufficient to find the law. You do not need the form. All laws have traces.

That is the path into the gate." The jade tablet was silent for one breath.

"A bell is not important because it is shaped like a bell, but because it resonates. A mountain is not important because it has roots, but because it is stable. A river is not important because water moves, but because it carries flow. The scripture is saying that form is only the outer shell. The true Dharma is the principle that remains when form is removed." Then the jade tablet glowed a soft golden light. [Passed]"So, the trick was paraphrasing it in your own words all along." Ning just sighed at that.

At least, he knew how to go about it if he ever faced something like this again. Then he watched others also complete this trial quickly. Also, was it just him, or had the number of people around him increased quite a lot? Especially those he had teamed up with in the previous round were more proactive. Soon, the time allocated was over, and the tower's voice rang out. [THE FIRST PART IS CONCLUDED.] [THE NEXT TRIAL SHALL REVEAL YOUR ACCUMULATION.] [DISPLAY THE UTMOST OF THE TECHNIQUES YOU HAVE MASTERED. ONLY THE TOP TEN WOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO TO THE THIRD PART OF THE TRIAL.] Ning looked at his panel, then at the announcement.

"Let's just hope it's as simple as it appears."... Thanks for reading~ A/N: I had to cheat somewhat from you guys. You guys answers were better than mine, like by a mile or so.