The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 180 - 159, Heaven’s way is constant and vigorous, and the gentleman seeks to strengthen himself unceasingly.

"Things that are formless are called the ’Tao’; things that have form are called ’vessels’..."

When Zhao Douan recited this sentence, the old Heavenly Master’s narrow eyes slowly narrowed, carefully savoring the meaning behind the words.

So-called "formlessness," Zhao Douan had not understood for a considerable time during his previous life studies.

It sounded obscure, and it was only after starting to work that he gradually understood: it simply referred to

the contrast between formless things and tangible things.

The most commonly mentioned "formless," referring to the objective laws of things, such as the rise and fall of dynasties, exist objectively yet cannot be touched or seen.

Distinct from tangible and utilitarian objects.

Zhao Douan cited "The Book of Changes" to equate cultivation with pursuing the "elusive formlessness."

Cultivation involved practicing Magic, mastering extraordinary powers, which was akin to pursuing the tangible "vessel."

It was an exceptionally clear and straightforward explanation.

The old Heavenly Master pondered for a moment and then understood the brilliance of these words.

That single sentence indeed surpassed the lengthy discourses given to disciples at the Heavenly Master Mansion.

He could not help but smile and said,

"What a fine distinction between formlessness and form, this argument surprisingly resembles that of Confucianism."

In this world, Confucianism existed, although there were no figures like Confucius or Mencius, similar doctrines still influenced scholars to this day.

Zhao Douan nodded and replied,

"Pretty much, in my view, Confucianism and Taoism essentially stem from the same source. And what today’s cultivators pursue, such as Magic, Martial Skills, and so forth, differs little from the moral codes conveyed by mortals’ mouths."

"Oh?" Zhang Yan Yi, upon hearing this, showed a curious expression, something he had not thought of:

"How so?"

Zhao Douan did not immediately answer.

In fact, since the last time he noticed that the randomly copied sentences from the Tao Te Ching were highly regarded by the current official,

Zhao Douan had begun to ponder what exactly cultivation was in this world?

If it were merely a method to obtain supernatural powers, the conversations between Wang and himself clearly mirrored the thoughts similar to those of the sages in his own world.

Almost closer to a kind of... philosophical speculation!

Yes, philosophical speculation!

In his previous life, as a member of the secretarial pathway, Zhao Douan inevitably had to cram philosophy... Of course, his knowledge was not deep, only scratching the surface, but it also gave him some understanding.

Once in the Great Yu Dynasty, seeing cultivators whose every gesture could alter the world, he naturally became curious and made some conjectures.

Now, facing "Wang," it was the first time he found a suitable counterpart for discussion and confession.

He pondered for a moment and said,

"Firstly, I believe that this world inherently possesses its own Tao, which is... the law of nature?

For instance, human thoughts can condense into deities, and the power of deities resembles a force gathered from the collective telekinesis of beings, strong enough collective delusion can affect the mortal realm.

And like the Martial Artists’ use of ’Qi’ in their breath control... these are unique to this world and originally unknown to mortals."

"Later, in the distant past, a few people who freed themselves from the troubles of survival began to ponder some issues and engage in speculation because, in ignorance, fear gave rise to the imagination and reverence for various deities.

Some began to ponder the secrets of these ’deities,’ and as their exploration deepened, their ’understanding’ of deities exceeded that of ordinary people, allowing them to gradually gain the ability to harness and command deities, obtaining powers akin to those of the deities themselves.

These people were the initial ’cultivators.’"

Zhang Yan Yi’s expression changed subtly upon hearing this.

He carefully scrutinized the young man in front of him and asked,

"Understanding deities grants power?"

Zhao Douan nodded, confidently saying,

"Definitely. Just as mortals observing the flow of water grasp the laws of its movement, they naturally utilize these laws.

Thus, they develop water management techniques, and by leveraging intelligence and situational advantage, they can guide and harness the immense force of the great rivers.

Since understanding material objects grants superhuman powers, then using the same method to understand deities and obtain Magic, what’s so strange about that?"

Zhang Yan Yi’s eyes brightened a bit, "Continue."

Zhao Douan said,

"Martial Artists are the same; ancient people’s reflections on breathing and the interplay between Qi and the physical body gave rise to this path of cultivation.

And there was a group of people, let’s call them ’wise men,’ who contemplated human nature; perhaps they realized that all beings produce many confusions.

For instance, why to live, why not to die, why be driven by others, and how to resolve the many dilemmas of life... and so on.

In ancient times, once people were satiated, they would fall into such perplexities. Only a tiny fraction of beings, such as ’cultivators’ and ’Martial Cultivators,’ consciously sought and explored.

Because cultivators have a purpose in their pursuits, they know why they live; the saying ’In the morning hear the Tao, in the evening die content’ means that cultivators live to seek the Tao, so they don’t suffer confusion."

Most of the myriad beings, being unconscious, thus do not know why they live and therefore suffer.

Then, the ’wise men’ created a complete set of ’purposes’ encompassing a person’s life, created ’meaning,’ and through teaching, conveyed these things to all beings."

So, beings knew that as a child they needed to show filial piety, as a parent they needed to provide for their children, as a subject, they needed to share their sovereign’s concerns, as a sovereign they needed to seek welfare for the populace..."

Pausing for a moment, Zhao Douan continued,

"So, from the moment a mortal understands these things, from birth to death, they are guided by the ’purposes’ defined by the ’wise men.’

Their lives are no longer filled with confusion.

And the cultivators of today, initially only set out to gain power through cultivation, following in an orderly fashion, ascending through realms established by past cultivators, mastering Magic or Martial Skills.

That is, they merely see themselves as ’vessels containing power.’

But such cultivation ultimately achieves only skills, not the ’seeking of the Tao.’ True seeking of the Tao involves breaking free from the purposes imparted by others’ teachings, awakening oneself, and actively seeking the truth of the universe.

Only thus can it be called ’cultivation,’ not mere ’practice,’ and only then does it closely align with the ancient ancestors’ initial path to obtaining powers."

After a lengthy discussion, Zhao Douan could not help but mock himself:

"Of course, I, who am but a mortal, absurdly talk about Cultivation..."

"No!"

Under the tea stall, Zhang Yan Y stared at him, his eyes filled with an unprecedented appreciation:

"It’s not absurd. Your thoughts on the Tao are very... interesting."

He weighed his words carefully and finally chose to emphasize:

It was hard to describe Zhang Yan Y’s feelings at that moment.

If during the previous two conversations with Zhao Douan, the sentences acquired from him left the Old Heavenly Master surprised and puzzled,

then today’s conversation had completely changed Zhang Yan Y’s perspective.

From the Old Heavenly Master’s viewpoint, it always seemed that the "sentences" previously spoken by Zhao Douan were more like something the lad had read somewhere.

But the contemplation just now was indeed the young man’s own genuine insight.

Despite his mere mortal status and being a Martial Artist who read little, he not only expounded on "Cultivation" and "Cultivation Practice" with exceptional clarity,

but his views on how Confucianism created purpose for all beings dazzled Zhang Yan Y.

It was an angle the Old Heavenly Master had never considered before.

If previously he had paid attention to Zhao Douan because of those sentences,

from today onward, what genuinely interested him was Zhao Douan, the young man himself.

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Previously, when he spoke of "discussing the Tao" with Zhao Douan, it was merely casual speech, not meant seriously.

He had just wanted to extract a few more unique and insightful sentences from the young man.

But now, this "discussion of Tao" unexpectedly turned real.

Did he, indeed, engage in a serious discussion with a young man of high mortal caliber?

Zhang Yan Y was suddenly in a daze, feeling somewhat surreal.

"The views of a junior are trivial, not worth mentioning," smiled Zhao Douan.

Zhang Yan Y looked at him with an appreciative gaze and slowly nodded, saying,

"Your insights today far exceed those of many contemporary Cultivators."

Zhao Douan responded without words:

"Old Wang, how many Cultivators have you seen to praise me like this? Such grand claims would be more fitting if they came from your Old Heavenly Master."

Zhang Yan Y grinned, smiling nonchalantly, saying,

"Blame me for the grandiloquence, right, I almost forgot the real topic."

"The real topic?" Zhao Douan was speechless:

"So you’ve been chatting idly with me all along?"

Zhang Yan Y smiled and explained:

"An elder entrusted me with a task to ponder over a phrase to encourage learning for the disciples of the Heavenly Master Mansion, but I was at a loss, so I came looking for you."

So that’s it… Zhao Douan rubbed his hands, his face reflecting difficulty:

"This matter, easy to say it’s easy, difficult to say it’s..."

Zhang Yan Y spoke softly:

"Speak your mind and we can negotiate the terms."

Alright, after all, he is a regular... Zhao Douan laughed:

"Since today we’ve discussed how Confucianism and the Tao originate from the same source, then I’ll offer you a phrase."

As he spoke, he dipped his finger in tea water and wrote two lines of text on the table:

"How’s this?"

The Old Heavenly Master fixed his gaze:

"Heaven’s motion is vigorous; the gentleman should ceaselessly strengthen himself."

"Earth’s motion is yielding; the gentleman should carry things with great virtue."

Huff huff… In the midsummer dog days, suddenly a breeze arose, rippling the city’s river surface.

Heaven and earth’s winds and clouds converged, causing the tea stall owner to hastily stabilize the canopy.

Zhang Yan Y gently stroked his beard, his narrow eyes shining with a pure light, he softly recited the lines twice and showed a smile:

"Most splendid!"

At the end of the "Heavenly Book," the phrase to encourage learning was found!

"Hey, don’t run off!"

Zhao Douan suddenly noticed Old Wang’s figure gradually fading, and the text on the table dried up with the wind.

He stomped and cursed: "Are you trying to dodge the bill? You haven’t paid the consulting fee yet!"

In the wind, Zhang Yan Y’s laughter could be heard:

"When the elder returns to report to the Heavenly Master and obtains approval, I will settle the account with you."

"...Damn it."

Zhao Douan was fuming, thinking how could you make such promises without being able to decide.

"Immortal… Immortal Master!"

Beside them, the tea stall owner was shocked, knelt, and called him an Immortal Master, and the other commoners were also greatly astonished, bowing one after another.

Though the Capital had many Cultivators, commoners rarely had the chance to witness a priest reveal his divinity.

Zhao Douan tossed down a string of Copper Coins, gripped the hilt of his sword and left, sneering:

Immortal Master? Bah, just a freeloader and a dishonest one at that, Old Wang really lacks principles.