As General Li was talking, two soldiers swiftly brought a gigantic jade rock in front of him.
Everyone looked on silently. Not one person dared to make a noise.
The Dao of All Creation.
It was exhilarating just to think about it. That was a power that only possessed by great people. Everyone who controlled the Dao of All Creation was immortalised in the record books by the dynasty. They became man among men, enjoying great rewards from the dynasty.
Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze was locked onto General Li. He also would like to know what was this Dao of All Creation about.
"Release!"
With a light exhale, General Li got into action. His eyes lit up, right foot stepped forward forcefully, and directly struck the jade rock with his open palm.
"Boom!"
With a loud blast, the whole rock erupted into countless small debris.
All the villagers was all stunned by this scene. In their hearts, a person who could lift hundreds of kilogram of the black cauldron was already extremely impressive. To break apart a giant rock with bare hand was something that they dare not think about.
Yet, Fang Zhengzhi was slightly disappointed.
"This is the Dao of All Creation? Shouldn’t this be just called...Cleaving Huashan[1] Redux- Bare Palm Smashes Large Rock?" Fang Zhengzhi saw the broken pieces of the jade rock feeling a bit cheated.
He still remembered the runaway Lolita at the village entrance was also using the same move.
What general of the Divine Constabulary had such standards? Thumbs down!
As Fang Zhengzhi was deep in thought with a pout, those jade rock gravel split further and further into even smaller pieces.
This time shock shone through his eyes.
It was still moving? Could it be that the power of that palm strike was still propagating? Fang Zhengzhi was baffled. According to reality, shouldn’t it be over when the strike landed?
However…
"Eh?! This...Does it have to be this exaggerated?"
Fang Zhengzhi did not even have time to figure out the cause behind this when those gravel undergoing the continuous breakdown was turned into a pile of dust!
If it was just one palm breaking apart a jade rock, Fang Zhengzhi would not have been this dumbfounded. He would have just thought that this world’s martial arts power was slightly higher. After all, his previous life’s hero novels commonly featured such feats.
What about a palm strike that turned rock into dust? Wasn’t this a bit too fantastical?
No matter how the power was exerted, it should not be possible to reduce the rock to such an extent. What was left on the stage was pure rock dust without a single gravel in sight. How did he controlled it to such an extent?
Could this be the legendary Bone Crunching Soft Palm? But this only crunched bones.
"Assemble!"
Just when Fang Zhengzhi was muddled with questions, General Li aggressively shifted his leg back and lightly huffed at the jade rock dust. At the same time, he swiftly took back his outstretched palm.
Fang Zhengzhi was puzzled. The boulder was struck into dust, yet what was this General Li trying to do?
Assemble?
What did that meant?
The confusion was fleeting. Soon, Fang Zhengzhi’s jaws dropped. It was big enough to fit his small fist inside it. There’s was no way he was wrapping his head around this inexplicable scene.
Because…
The gravel that was once broken down into dust seemed like it was given life. It was steadily fusing together. Those rock dust was actually moving by themselves like a magic show. From dust to gravel, and from gravel to palm-sized pebbles.
Finally…
"Clack!" With this light click, it was reformed into the gigantic jade rock!
"Fuck...What the hell is this?!"
Fang Zhengzhi was panicked for a moment. A palm strike to the rock split it into dust just gave his small heart a little jump. It was at most a confirmation that this world’s martial arts power was higher than he expected.
It might be because of some kind of peerless martial arts style or a secret art that was passed down through generations.
But a rock that broke into dust was reassembled back? This was totally going against the any form of common sense!
Even if he was sent back to his previous life, with even the most advanced technology, he would have no way of sticking back all the dust to form a rock. Furthermore, it was exactly the same rock from before!
Fang Zhengzhi felt that his view of the world was just tipped on its side. This world was unexplainable. In this world, how was it possible to reverse the splitting of a rock?
The Dao of All Creation?
Fang Zhengzhi had never been so disturbed by a single event.
He once again rubbed his eyes hard. The gigantic jade rock was still sitting right on top of the stage, shimmering lightly under the sun…
"This is the Dao of All Creation!"
The General Li on the stage exhaled lightly, pointing at the jade rock with a serene expression and announced loudly to the speechless crowd.
The whole square was incredibly silent, not one person was talking, The light breeze flowed pass, bringing a wave of fine sand that went into some villagers’ eyes. Yet, their eyes were still opened wide like bells－unflinching.
This was the calm before the storm. After the calm, came a flash flood of epic proportions.
As if a blazing pile of firewood, the whole square was completely aflamed with discussion. Everyone was bursting with barely restrained excitement.
"Dao of All Creation!"
"That’s so powerful. I also want to control the Dao of All Creation!"
"Mummy, I will work hard. Once I can control the Dao of All Creation, I too will become a man among men!"
The villagers were getting roused, especially Li Zhuangshi and the others who had passed the round. Their face was flushed red from the thrill. Seeing General Li on stage, they could almost picture themselves in the same spot.
Similarly, Fang Zhengzhi also had a strong desire.
Dao of All Creation?! How does one even control the Dao of All Creation? If the source of it was the "Law of Dao", he already studied and understood a portion of its contents.
Why was it not working? What was the problem?
"Now everyone , you have just witnessed the power of the Dao of All Creation. I believe that everyone hoped that one day you could obtain such power. However, there is one thing I must tell you. To control the Dao of All Creation is hard, incredulously hard! It can be said that there isn’t even a ten thousand to one chance. To control the Dao of All Creation, other than having a good foundation, there must be fate!"
After reaching this point, General Li paused. He swept across the exceedingly enthusiastic villagers with eagle eyes.
"To obtain it, you need effort. To control it, you need understanding! Understand the source of all creation. Understand the nature of all creation. Understand the different existence in the world, like: mountains, water, rock, flowers, grass, trees, wood, sun, moon, stars… Everything about everything. They are all creations. Some alive, others are not. Their lives, age, sickness, deaths. How are they formed? How will they be destroyed?"
"All of this comes from the "Law of Dao". One book of "Law of Dao" covers all creation under the heavens! To control the Dao of All Creation, other than a strong mind and body, it more importantly requires a determination to accumulate, to study the "Law of Dao, to understand all creations!"
"After all that I said, did all of you understand?" At the end of his speech, his body instinctively emitted an invisible but incredible pressure.
"Understand!" All the villagers under this pressure unconsciously shout their reply in unity similar to General Li’s subordinates.
Fang Zhengzhi did not yell as he was currently lowering his head thinking about General Li’s words.
To control, there must be understanding. The source of the Dao of All Creation is the "Law of Dao". A single book of the "Law of Dao" explains all creations under the heavens!
Understanding, understanding…
Understood!
Finally, he understood. The "Law of Dao" was only the foundation for the Dao of All Creation, similar to the roots of a tree. If you planted the tree on a rock, it would probably die. If the tree was to live and bear fruits, then other than planting it in soil, there had to be enough nutrients, a suitable climate and meticulous care. When all criteria are met, the tree would flower and bear fruits.
The "Law of Dao" is the roots, the source and it is essential! There Dao of All Creation would be the fruits!
His current situation was like owning a nice plot of land. It was equivalent to a stable foundation. In a sense, he was already ahead of most people.
Of course, he still could not be compared to the runaway Lolita. If his guess was right, that runway Lolita had already accessed Dao.
Accessing Dao at the age of five? Who exactly was that girl?
Then…
What he needed to do next was simple. Other than developing his plot of land, he had to wait for fate, then the fruits would bear?
The question was, did he have the fate?
"Very good. The next round of the Divine Constabulary test will begin now. The name of this round is ‘Fate’!" General Li gave a satisfying nod as he faced the villagers.
[1]- 力劈华山: a move in a China made game called "梦幻西游"