yournovel Chapter 558, Selflessness
Chapter 558, Selflessness
As Hua Changxi gradually adapted to not having to control the situation, the teamwork of the ten-person formation went even more smoothly than she had expected.
In just a few days, the spiritual energy of the ten people flowed as smoothly as if they were using their own arms.
Only then did Duan Jishan begin to arrange for them to train in a hundred-man formation.
The difference between a hundred-man formation and a ten-man formation may seem like just an increase in numbers, but it represents a qualitative leap.
Among ten people, spiritual power can be perceived intuitively and connected tacitly; but among a hundred people, each person's spiritual power is just a weak stream, which, after flowing into the great formation, becomes a drop of water in a vast torrent.
Hua Changxi deliberately suppressed her inner desire for control, forcing herself to sense the flow of energy among the other 999 people. She tried her best to keep up with the rhythm, and her spiritual power also worked hard to flow into the formation.
Then--
She found herself 'disappeared'.
It's not a physical disappearance, but rather a dilution of one's sense of existence.
In a ten-person formation, even without control, she remains a distinct individual, an indispensable part of the formation; but in a hundred-person formation, her spiritual power is like a drop of ink falling into the ocean, not even causing a ripple.
She couldn't find herself.
More accurately, she didn't know how to anchor herself in this vast ocean of spiritual energy.
Panic is gripping us again!
"Bang~"
The muffled thud of clashing spiritual energies rang out again.
Hua Changxi was thrown out by the inertia of the formation, staggering back a few steps before regaining her balance.
She did not immediately return to her original position, but stood there, gazing at the crimson army formation, her thoughts heavy.
In the ten-person formation, she learned to let go of control and let spiritual energy flow naturally; but in the hundred-person formation, after letting go, she didn't know where to place herself.
Duan Jishan walked over and looked at her calmly: "What's the problem this time?"
Hua Changxi was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I feel like... I can't find myself anymore."
The unfamiliar feeling that lingered in her mind when she practiced the hundred-man army formation in the Flaming Mountains was this.
There's a sense of panic about not being able to find oneself, but also a sense of peace like water returning to the sea.
It's contradictory, it feels so unfamiliar.
Duan Jishan thought for a moment and said, "You have always existed. There is no need to look for you. You have become one with others. Others are you, and you are others."
Hua Changxi nodded, turned around and walked back into the formation.
This time, she didn't try to control, guide, or deliberately search for herself.
But the result was the same—she was thrown out.
The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time...
The spiritual energy surged and flowed within the great formation, and she was like a fallen leaf, swept up, swirling and tumbling, yet unable to merge into that torrent.
Ye Liyue, Yan Guichen, and the other centurions and commanders stood in the center of the formation, watching Hua Changxi being thrown out time and time again, only to silently walk back each time, and waited in silence.
They knew that this was not a matter of ability, nor was it a matter of attitude.
This is another kind of dilemma.
They had all experienced this predicament before.
In a group of ten, one needs to learn to let go; in a group of one hundred, on the basis of letting go, one must achieve a balance of 'neither losing oneself nor refusing to be part of the whole'.
This requires constant practice.
Hua Changxi stood outside the formation, gazing at the crimson expanse, and suddenly realized something—
All her previous training was focused on 'how she can be herself'; but the military formation training is focused on 'how to be yourself in a group of people'.
The gap between these two is like an insurmountable chasm.
"Okay, that's all for today."
"From now on, all military drills for your group will be scheduled for the evening."
The ninety-nine people, including Ye Liyue, whom Duan Jishan arranged to train with Hua Changxi, were mostly captains and centurions. They all had their own teams to train and couldn't always train with Hua Changxi.
Hua Changxi watched Ye Liyue and the others leave, grimacing and limping, supporting each other. He felt a little guilty thinking about how they had been thrown out of the army formation in various ways during this time, so he immediately took out a batch of Soul Power Fruits.
Each fruit was round and plump, its skin shimmering with a lustrous sheen. A rich aura of soul power emanated from the gaps in the skin, condensing into a thin mist in the air.
The ninety-nine sparring partners each took one pill; each pill increased their soul power by one million.
"Thank you all for your hard work these past few days!"
Everyone was taken aback at first.
Immediately afterwards, the person who was grimacing just moments before no longer had back pain; the person who was rubbing their legs just moments before no longer limped; and the person who was clutching their chest just moments before was breathing smoothly again.
Their eyes lit up as they stared intently at the fruit in their hands.
Yan Guichen said righteously, "Xiao Hua, you're too kind. The Vermilion Bird Army is a unified whole. Your business is our business. There's no such thing as hardship or not. We'll continue training tomorrow." The others echoed, "That's right, that's right."
After Yan Guichen and the others left, Hua Changxi looked at Duan Jishan and gave him an even larger Soul Power Fruit, which could increase one's Soul Power by tens of millions.
"Please give instructions regarding the affairs of the Martial Arts Hall. The Hall Master will have some tasks to assign in a while."
After saying that, Hua Changxi turned and left without paying any attention to Duan Jishan, who seemed to want to say something but couldn't.
For the next month, Hua Changxi spent her days refining pills in the main hall and handling matters reported by various departments and Nanxiang County. In the evenings, she practiced the hundred-person military formation with Ye Liyue and others.
The more she practiced, the more she realized that she simply couldn't overcome her mental barriers and fully integrate with the others in the army in a short period of time.
If a hundred-man army formation is this difficult, imagine how difficult it is to form a thousand-man or ten-thousand-man army formation later on.
It's hard to say how long it will take for her to overcome her psychological barriers.
Therefore, she decided to take Duan Jishan into the Flaming Mountain to test him and win the Flaming Mountain's token.
Thanks to the almost brutal training experience at Flaming Mountain, and after a whole month of daily trials and tribulations, Hua Changxi finally found a way to integrate and truly formed a hundred-man army formation with the other ninety-nine people.
With the ten-person formation put down and the hundred-person formation merged, she thought entering the thousand-person formation would be easier than in Flaming Mountain. However, after being thrown out of the formation more than ten times, she found that her position was still firmly stuck.
This time, Hua Changxi did not force the issue to continue.
Duan Jishan walked to her side, his gaze fixed on the center of the training ground, and said in a deep voice, "Don't rush into the formation."
"You just stand aside and watch how others practice."
"To form a thousand-person formation, one must not only memorize the formation perfectly, but also open one's mind and body to feel how the aura and spiritual power of a thousand Vermilion Bird soldiers intertwine, flow, and ultimately merge into one."
He paused, his tone serious.
"With enough training, even if a hundred-man formation can't be fully integrated, the small number of men and high tolerance for error can still allow the formation to take shape."
"But in a thousand-man formation, even the slightest, almost imperceptible mistake by just one person can trigger a chain reaction, causing the entire formation to collapse instantly."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the drums began to beat in the training ground.
"Boom~"
Accompanied by the deep, resonant sound of war drums, a thousand Vermilion Bird soldiers moved simultaneously.
They advanced and retreated with perfect timing, their offense and defense were synchronized, their steps were precise, and their formation was seamless.
The battle formation unfolded like a unified crimson torrent, with the killing intent crisscrossing and interacting between offense and defense.
No one advanced or retreated without authorization, and no one disrupted the formation. It was as if these were not a thousand independent individuals, but a single behemoth with hundreds of arms.
When the drumbeats stopped abruptly, the thousand people instantly ceased their movements.
Tens of thousands of soldiers stood still, their breathing becoming unified, their breath completely contained.
This is the ultimate discipline, and also absolute unity.
Hua Changxi watched all of this, his heart trembling.
At this moment, in her eyes, it was no longer a group of Vermilion Bird soldiers, but a combat machine so precise it was breathtaking.
Each soldier was like the most tightly meshed gear, their movements perfectly synchronized, without the slightest unnecessary wobbling.
They clearly understand their position and responsibilities; they don't need to think or hesitate, they just need to execute.
Absolute obedience and absolute selflessness!
Before this, she hadn't paid much attention to the Vermilion Bird Army's training. But now, after personally participating in the training, she realized just how arduous the Vermilion Bird Army's rigorous training was, day after day, year after year.
Hua Changxi withdrew her gaze from the training ground and turned to look at Duan Jishan, who was watching the military formation with a satisfied expression.
She paused for a moment, then asked, "Are there any tricks to practicing a thousand-man formation?"
Upon hearing this, Duan Jishan withdrew his gaze from the arena and pondered for a moment before speaking: "A thousand-man army must undergo a fundamental transformation, both physically and mentally—from the 'small self' to the 'greater self'."
He paused, his tone becoming more serious.
"The most crucial step in the transformation from the 'small self' to the 'greater self' is 'selflessness'."
"The stronger and more distinctive a person's personality is, the more difficult it is for them to break through this barrier."
Duan Jishan glanced at her: "The strong are used to being in control, used to perceiving, judging, and making decisions with themselves at the center."
"But in the army, these are all obstacles. What it wants is not how strong you are, but whether you can completely surrender yourself."
"Only when one achieves 'selflessness' can there be a fusion of thousands of people."
Hua Changxi's eyes flickered: "Selflessness." She couldn't do it!
After a moment of silence, Hua Changxi looked at Duan Jishan: "Have you handed over the tasks you have on hand?"
Duan Jishan looked at her and then hummed in agreement.
Hua Changxi said, "Go wait at the mountain gate. The Palace Master will come to find you later." With that, he turned and left the martial arts training ground.
Duan Jishan watched her retreating figure, his lips twitching slightly. He took out his teleportation device, sent a few messages, and then went to wait at the mountain gate. (End of Chapter)