[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl":3,"chapter-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-547":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Great Jin's Most Iron Rice Bowl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1897321,2531,"Chapter 547: Non-Vessel","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-547",547,"\u003Cp>\"Lord Buqi?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the solemn figure seated cross-legged in the center of the Merit Golden Lotus, shrouded in hazy divine radiance, Hua Changxi's eyes flickered incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was actually a deity!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she had previously seen the characters 'Buqi' on the well wall, she had assumed it was merely the name of the Soul Well; never in her wildest dreams did she expect it to be the honorific title of a Divine Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So this is a god?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gods consume incense fire; incense fire and vow power are a form of merit, which is why they must pay merit as offerings to listen to the Dao?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Hua Changxi's thoughts were in turmoil, a voice slowly echoed from the void—aged, plain, and devoid of emotional waves; it did not shake the eardrums but resonated directly within the depths of the soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Buqi had begun preaching the Dao...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is a vessel?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A vessel is utility. All living beings possess utility; all living beings can become vessels.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sentient beings seek learning, cultivate abilities, and refine skills, all to become vessels. Those who become vessels are useful, needed, and attain glory and high status.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be of use to others, one must first reveal one's own utility.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But if one acts this way and becomes a vessel, will everything truly be fine, free from trouble?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The initial stage of becoming a vessel is indeed cause for celebration. However, over time, a problem arises: both others and yourself will, imperceptibly, begin to treat you as a 'useful' object.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is an object?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the eyes of others, what they see is not a complete life, but your utility.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who you are does not matter, because what I need is your utility, not you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As time passes, a living being becomes an object.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Once one becomes an object, when sentient beings look upon you, they see neither your original heart, nor your virtue, nor your affection and righteousness; they see only your utility.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If profit can be gained, they draw close; if there is no benefit, they drift apart. If you are useful, they show respect; if useless, they cast you aside. Utilitarianism reigns supreme, while affection and righteousness vanish.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The world believes that those who become vessels are sages, and those who are useful are revered. Little do they know that those who become vessels ultimately become tools—used by all beings, driven by profit, and bound by power.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A vessel values utility, not the living being itself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The divine voice lingered, each word landing upon the soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi had originally adopted the mindset of a bystander, hoping to stumble upon an opportunity and listen casually; unexpectedly, as the sound fell, her heart trembled and her soul swayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to her understanding, wasn't the 'one who becomes a vessel' spoken of by Lord Buqi exactly what is known as a 'tool person'?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, to a certain extent, she too was pursuing 'becoming a vessel'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For her, only by becoming a vessel could she survive in this world, remain unconstrained by others, and possess the right to choose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as her relentless cultivation was nothing more than self-preservation, becoming stronger, establishing a foothold in these chaotic times, and then being able to freely choose the life she wished to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the eyes of many, was she not already a person of great vessel?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was like this, and so were all others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed that everything done in a lifetime was for the sake of becoming a vessel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Hua Changxi want to become a vessel?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But did she want to become a pure object or a tool person?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, while she raced against time to cultivate, she simultaneously instinctively resisted becoming a 'tool'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, she had distanced herself from the Hua family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outsiders viewed this as her being solitary and indifferent to kin, but in reality? Perhaps it was her subconscious mounting an instinctive resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resisting the Hua family, who could only see her 'utility', she instinctively rejected becoming a 'tool' for revitalizing the clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, she had refused to step forward and carry the banner of the Pill Saint Hall, and had long delayed revealing her identity as the Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, it was because she was unwilling to be placed upon a high altar and turned into a so-called 'person of great vessel'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this, perhaps she had never deeply introspected to realize what exactly was driving her to make such behavioral choices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, having heard Lord Buqi's preaching, she became clear: she made these choices because she did not wish to be objectified, eventually becoming a mere tool and pawn in power struggles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how high her cultivation or how strong her power, what the world would always see was her utility, her value, and her ability; they would never truly see Hua Changxi the person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason she always felt something stood between her and the Hua family was precisely this—the Hua family only 'used' her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whoosh~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Buqi gently raised a hand; a ball of light flew out, and in an instant, a massive screen of light condensed in the high sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suppressing the troubled thoughts in her heart, Hua Changxi raised her eyes to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the screen stabilized, countless vivid scenes flashed rapidly, reflecting the myriad states of the world across race after race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some knelt and kowtowed, some offered their family wealth, some flattered and fawned, humbly currying favor, all merely to seek an opportunity to become a vessel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All living beings strove to display their utility to others, and then used 'useful' or 'useless' as the standard to choose whether to draw close to or drift away from others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since all living beings weighed things based on 'useful' or 'useless', therefore...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those with extraordinary talent rose to high positions because they could be heavily relied upon, only to be cast aside like worn-out shoes the moment they became useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those possessing unique skills were chased and adored by the masses when there was profit to be made, yet ignored completely once that profit vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old, the weak, the incapable, and the disabled with little utility were shunned and neglected by the crowd, regarded as burdens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over time, this formed the cruel chaos of 'becoming a vessel brings nobility, failing to become a vessel brings baseness'—seeing only function, not the original heart; seeking only profit, devoid of affection and righteousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at the screen of light, Hua Changxi's brows knitted tightly together involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She instinctively resisted becoming an object or tool, yet, upon examining her own heart, she realized that the principle she subconsciously followed in conducting affairs and employing people had never strayed from judging others solely by their usefulness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi felt somewhat confused again; could it be that pursuing becoming a vessel and achieving talent was actually wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be that Lord Buqi's Dao was encouraging all beings to become useless individuals?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is 'not a vessel'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be 'not a vessel' is neither to abandon utility nor to lack ability.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One possesses hundred skills yet is not trapped by them; one holds great utility yet is not enslaved by profit. First establish the person, then establish affairs; first preserve the original heart, then discuss function.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"'Not a vessel' means letting living beings perceive the virtue of all creatures, not merely their utility. All creatures are real living beings, not merely objects to be exploited.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"'Not a vessel' does not mean making you useless; it means not limiting yourselves within the framework of 'usefulness'.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi listened and suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had wondered: how could a deity encourage all creatures to become useless?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her view, 'not a vessel' meant that your value lay not in what you could do for others, but in what kind of person you were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You may be useful; you may become a vessel; but your essence should not be merely that of a vessel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You should be a real, complete person, flesh and blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, so-called 'not a vessel' means neither treating yourself as a tool nor treating others as tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deity of 'Not a Vessel' continued speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In matters where profit can be gained, act with all your heart, yet do not be driven by profit; in matters where no profit can be made, if your original heart and righteousness remain, hold fast without slackening.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do not act because of rewards, punishments, benefits, or harms; hold fast only because of the right path in your heart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The world chases vessels: chasing efficiency, chasing function, chasing gain and loss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those who become vessels gain utility for a time; those who are not vessels guard their original heart for a lifetime and achieve their true self for a lifetime.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi exhaled gently; she realized that the Dao of the deity of 'Not a Vessel', in its final resting place, still required self-discipline in cultivating the body and refining the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>",1504,"2026-06-12T02:51:24.126Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","718250f887acba9904631cd6764ab2c20bf8272ba516a211f868585f3b08b2da","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-548","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-546",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]