205: Chapter 205 Humanitarian Demonstration

The light of the Earthly Dao shone behind him, heavy as the earth itself. Lu Mingyuan carried that weight as he walked toward the third light.

It was fiery red, as red as blood and as hot as fire. The light was not blinding, but it was scorching. It did not burn the skin, but the heart. His heartbeat quickened the moment he saw it, thumping like a war drum. It was not fear, but resonance. For the Human Dao is the Dao of the human heart, and the human heart is the heart of the Human Dao.

Lu Mingyuan stood before the fiery red light, not in a hurry to look. He first touched his chest, feeling his own heartbeat. Thump, thump, thump. It was steady, like a pendulum. The pendulum swung stroke by stroke, never ceasing. From birth to death, it kept beating. Beating and beating, one grows up. Beating and beating, one grows old. Beating and beating, one passes away.

But heartbeats are not in vain. Every beat is writing the character for 'human'. The character is simple, just a left stroke and a right stroke. But within these two strokes lie Self-improvement, Protection, and Legacy. Those are the three pillars of the Human Dao, supporting the crown of all creation.

Within the light, the scenes began.

There was no heaven, no earth, only humans. Humans stood in the Chaos—not standing, but crawling. On all fours, like beasts. But their eyes were different; while a beast's eyes held only survival, human eyes held something else. That something else was called Hope.

Hope allowed them to stand up. It did not happen all at once, but slowly. Generation after generation, year after year. Their spines gradually straightened, and their leg bones grew longer. Finally, one day, a man stood tall upon the earth, looking up at the sky. There was no fear in his eyes, only curiosity. Curiosity about what was above the heavens, what was beneath the earth, and what he himself was.

That was the beginning of humanity.

Lu Mingyuan watched the man who stood up, his eyes growing warm. He remembered when he first achieved Drawing Qi into the Body; it was just like this. He had stood up—not his body, but his heart. Once the heart stands up, it no longer crawls. When one no longer crawls, one can walk. When one can walk, one can go wherever they desire.

The scenes in the light continued to evolve. Humans learned to use fire—not fire from a lightning strike, but fire they produced themselves. Drilling wood to make fire, stroke after stroke, blisters formed on their hands, the blisters burst, and blood flowed. But they did not stop, because they knew that with fire, they could keep warm, drive away beasts, and eat cooked food. Eating cooked food allowed their brains to develop. With developed brains, they could think of more things.

That is Self-improvement.

Self-improvement is not about the absence of pain, but about not stopping despite the pain. It is not about the absence of fear, but about not retreating despite the fear. It is not about the absence of exhaustion, but about not falling despite the exhaustion. This is how humanity has come this far, leaving a bloody footprint, a sweaty footprint, and a tearful footprint with every step.

Lu Mingyuan thought of his own path of cultivation. When Drawing Qi into the Body, his Meridians felt as if they were being sliced by knives. But he endured, because enduring meant entering a new world. During Foundation Establishment, his Dantian felt as if it were being burned by fire. But he endured, because enduring meant gaining a firm footing. During the Golden Core stage, his mind felt as if it were being struck by lightning. But he endured, because enduring meant seeing even more distant scenery.

The Human Dao is the Endurance Dao. Endurance is not admitting defeat; it is persistence. Persisting until dawn, persisting until the flowers bloom, persisting until the clouds part to reveal the bright moon.

The scene in the light changed. It was no longer one person, but many. Tribes, villages, cities. When people gathered, society was formed. In society, some were strong and some were weak. The strong bullied the weak, and the weak could only endure. But one day, a strong man stood up—not to bully the even weaker, but to protect them. He shielded the weak behind him and said to the strong, "You are not allowed to bully them."

That is Protection.

Protection is not innate; it is a choice. Choosing to protect those weaker than oneself, choosing to shield others from the wind and rain, choosing to keep the danger for oneself. That choice is called the radiance of humanity.

Lu Mingyuan thought of what he had done in the Northwest. Evacuating the commoners, setting up barriers, and delivering the Demon Generals. That was not for himself, but for others. For those strangers, for those brothers guarding the posts, for those waiting for him to return.

Protection is exhausting, but it is worth it. Because those who are protected will remember you, remember your kindness, and remember your light. As the light is passed down, it becomes a new Protection. Generation after generation, it continues endlessly.

The scene in the light changed again. An old man called a child to his side and taught him his skills. Hunting skills, farming skills, healing skills, and fighting skills. The child learned, grew up, and taught his own children in turn.

That is Legacy.

Legacy is not about handing over things; it is about handing over the heart. Heart connected to heart, generation after generation. When connected, human civilization continues. If broken, everything must start from the beginning.

Lu Mingyuan thought of Xuanweizi. The old man who taught him the Classic of Purity and Tranquility in the ancient temple of Heyin City, the mentor who accompanied him through countless days and nights on Zhongnan Mountain. He passed the Dao to Lu Mingyuan, and Lu Mingyuan would pass it to his own Disciples. Generation after generation, the Dao will never perish.

Bai Ze had said, "You treat them as humans." That was because Xuanweizi also treated Lu Mingyuan as a human. One who has never been treated as a human will not treat others as such. Only those who have been loved will love others. Only those who have been protected will protect others. Only those who have received a Legacy will pass it on to others.

The essence of the Human Dao is transmission. Passing down the good, passing down the light, and passing down Hope.

The scenes in the light continued to evolve. Humans developed writing, history, and civilization. Writing recorded the deeds of the ancestors, history told descendants where they came from, and civilization ensured that no one was ever alone again. Because they knew they were not the first to stand up, nor would they be the last.

Watching those scenes, Lu Mingyuan thought of Daoist Songyun. The Senior who left behind the words "The Heart is the Pivot" in the East Sea Ruins, the seeker of the Dao who carved his last words on the walls of Zixiao Palace. He had never met Songyun, but Songyun's Dao had reached him. He had caught it, and once caught, it could not be lost. If lost, Songyun would have died in vain. If Songyun did not die in vain, then Lu Mingyuan could not live in vain.

He bowed deeply toward the fiery red light. It was not a bow to a god, but to humanity. A bow to those who stood up, to those who protected, and to those who passed on the Legacy. Without them, there would be no Lu Mingyuan today. Without them, he might still be copying books in Heyin City, never knowing in his life what the Dao was, what cultivation was, or what Mending the Heavens was.

The scenes in the light stopped. The Human Dao had demonstrated everything it needed to; the rest was for him to realize on his own.

Lu Mingyuan closed his eyes, savoring everything he had just seen. Self-improvement, Protection, and Legacy. Three keywords interwoven within human sentiment. Self-improvement is not about fighting alone, but about having the ability to protect. Protection is not about playing the hero, but about ensuring the Legacy continues. Legacy is not about replicating the past, but about making the future better.

Within his Dantian, that tree finally grew to ten zhang tall.

Ten zhang was neither tall nor short, but it was enough. Enough did not mean it had reached the end, but that it had reached a node. At this node, the patterns on the tree trunk became denser. They were fiery red, like blood flowing through veins. Blood is hot, as hot as fire. The fire burned, and as it burned, it scorched holes through the darkness.

Bai Ze watched the tree, tears in its eyes. It was not human, but it understood the Human Dao. Because it had followed Lu Mingyuan for so long, it had seen how he improved himself, how he protected, and how he passed on the Legacy. He did not learn it within the light; he learned it on the road. The light merely validated his path, telling him: You have walked correctly.

Lu Mingyuan opened his eyes and looked at the light of the Human Dao. The light was still there, unextinguished. It would shine forever until humanity perished. But humanity would not perish, because the Human Dao is eternal. As long as humans live, the Dao will not perish.

He reached out his hand, wanting to touch that light. Halfway there, he stopped. Not out of fear, but because he was not in a hurry. He wanted to see the other four lights first, then integrate them all together.

But he did not pull back his hand. He simply held it out before the fiery red light. The light toasted his hand, warm like a hearth fire in winter. Sitting by the hearth were generations of ancestors, his parents (though he had never met them), Xuanweizi, Daoist Songyun, the guards at the posts, Zhao Sanniang, and Gousheng.

They all looked at him, their eyes held no urging, only encouragement. That gaze was saying: No rush, take your time. We will wait for you. We can wait as long as it takes.

Lu Mingyuan's eyes reddened. It was not sadness, but being filled with love. There was too much love to contain, so it overflowed from his eyes. Tears fell, dripping into the Chaos, dripping onto the Human Dao. The Dao absorbed the tears and became even redder. Red as blood, red as the heart.

He took a deep breath and withdrew his hand. Then he sat down, crossing his legs before the fiery red light. He closed his eyes and replayed the Human Dao he had just seen in his mind. Self-improvement, Protection, and Legacy. Every word turned into a picture, and every picture turned into a person. Among those people were himself, his Master, his Disciples, his brothers, and his commoners.

He was not alone. He never had been. Those walking before him, those walking behind him, and those walking beside him were all people. People connected to people, forming a river. The river flows, from ancient times to the present, and from the present to the future. The river will not run dry, because the human heart does not run dry.

Lu Mingyuan suddenly smiled. He realized another side of the Human Dao: Love. Self-improvement is for the love of oneself, Protection is for the love of others, and Legacy is for the love of the future. Love is the starting point and the end point. Because of love, there is Self-improvement. Because of love, there is Protection. Because of love, there is Legacy. One without love is not human. Only one with love is truly human.

He stood up and bowed deeply to the light of the Human Dao. He was grateful to those who let him become a human, grateful to those who taught him to love, and grateful to those who made him willing to keep walking.

The seven lights were still shining, with the light of the Human Dao being the most intense. But the other lights were not weak either; they waited for Lu Mingyuan to see, to realize, and to integrate.

Lu Mingyuan was in no hurry to see the fourth light. He sat down and continued to digest. The Human Dao was too deep, so deep that he needed a long time to fully absorb it. But there was no time in the Chaos; he had all the time in the world. No rush, no impatience, no attachment. Realizing slowly, realizing steadily, realizing gently.

The oil lamp shone before him, its wick flickering. The green lotus fragment and the axe blade fragment lay beside the oil lamp, one green and one gold. The three lights and the light of the Human Dao converged, illuminating his face. There were tear stains on his face, but his eyes were smiling. The smile was light, faint, and warm. It was a smile of mortal life, a smile of the marketplace, a smile of the joy of being alive.

Bai Ze watched his smile, feeling an indescribable emotion in its heart. It had followed him for so long but had rarely seen him smile. He was always frowning, gritting his teeth, his face tense. But at this moment, he smiled. He smiled like an ordinary person, like a scholar strolling by a river, like a child reading under a lamp.

The kitten woke up, looked up at him, and meowed.

Lu Mingyuan reached out and stroked its head. "It's okay, go back to sleep."

The kitten closed its eyes again. It did not understand the Human Dao, but it understood warmth. Warmth is having someone by your side, someone stroking your head. That was enough. The highest Realm of the Human Dao might just be making a kitten feel warm.

Watching this scene, Bai Ze suddenly understood what was meant by "The Dao is in the excrement." The Dao is not in high places, but in low places. Not in the distance, but nearby. Not with others, but in one's own heart. When the heart is warm, the Dao is warm. When the Dao is warm, all things are warm.

"Have you finished watching the Human Dao?" Bai Ze asked.

"I have."

"Do you understand it?"

"I understand a part of it. The rest, I will understand slowly in the future."

"That is enough. The Dao cannot be understood all at once; if you understand it, you can walk. As you walk, you will understand more."

Lu Mingyuan nodded. He stood up, preparing to see the fourth light. This time, he walked very lightly, for his heart was filled with love. Love is light, as light as a feather. But a feather can support Mount Tai, for no matter how heavy Mount Tai is, it is not heavier than the human heart.