Hou fell asleep after drawing the cognition laws into his body. Throughout the night, as he slept, the laws diffused and activated.
The next day, Hou woke up refreshed and his thinking even clearer than usual. He stretched in bed before sitting up and activating his disguise ring again.
Mo Huai did not need to sleep, and instead chose to meditate while looking after Hou. He watched in case the attack by Cang Ying had a delayed effect, the Celestial Law Amplifying Physique's neutralising effect was unconfirmed to what extent still.
Hou woke up just before sunrise and looked outside at the very last minutes of night time. Along with the Star Imitation Beetles, there were small birds starting to wake.
Small white birds which flew through the air at speeds unbefitting of the flapping wings. They flapped their wings rarely, each time gaining a big burst of flight.
'Are they using flight laws themselves to make it so they don't need flap their wings as much?' Hou saw the beauty of nature and knew that it could be used himself.
Like imitating dragons, he could look at nature for inspiration for himself. What Hou did not know if how these birds, common white burst doves, achieved this. Without spirit stones how did creatures in the world use laws themselves?
Hou turned and asked Mo Huai, they had a while before the day really started,
"I've wondered this before but...how do animals work? Why do they not need a Spirit Stone Soul?"
Mo Huai opened his eyes and uncrossed his legs, walking over to the window Hou was looking out,
"That is a good question, you might say that they shouldn't be able to do all this without a spirit stone but think about it. Why can't we do it?"
"Because laws will be activated easily and cause damage?"
"Exactly, but animals are different to humans, they have adapted to use their specific laws. Take a look at these burst doves,"
Mo Huai gestured to the outside, where the white birds were starting to wake up in numbers, flying through the sky. He opened the window and stuck out his hand.
A dove instantly charged over and gently landed itself on Mo Huai's arm,
"This is a burst dove, it uses flight laws and burst laws, force laws all these different laws to create what they do. But inside their mind, they aren't performing a conscious technique. Inside their mind, they are simply living."
"..living..."
"Yes, why does the dove fly like it does? It does it to escape predator and catch prey. But inside i's mind, it is not like a human, it does not use the laws like we do. What the dove thinks is that it flies, like we walk, it flies. When we walk, what are we doing?"
"We're moving?"
"Exactly, there's already one law right there. The law of movement. Every action in the world is caused by and causes laws. You take a step and you've used and created thousands of laws. Do not think they are doing a technique, they are just living their lives,"
Mo Huai gently moved the bird out the window again and shook his hand, letting it fly away. It started falling but then with a burst of energy, shot up.
"But how can they do all this? I move my foot and it creates these laws but that doesn't mean I can kick through stone?"
"You're still thinking simply, it moves its wings and these laws are created. But laws might be withheld, that is the way of the world. They could store up laws for use later, or redirect them."
"But how do they do that, do birds have a consciousness and mental energy?"
He tapped Hou's forehead,
"This is your own mind, a kingdom of your own rules. A bird's mind belongs to the world relying on universal consciousness. The word itself is alive, and qi its mental energy that allows animals to function as they do. But that is why animals will never surpass humanity, we have dominion over the world, qi is a tool that can be fought over."
"So everything in the world, except humans, are bound and rely on the world itself to function..."
Hou looked outside again, even more burst doves waking up as the sun started to rise. A golden horizon, the sunlight reflected off the feathers, and with each burst, Hou saw something new.
The effects of the cognition laws, it allowed Hou to utilise his body to higher extents, noticing small details. Every flap of its wings they shimmered, not from a conscious technique, but from natural law accumulation.
"Exactly, this is all possible due to Yao Tian. He had changed the world, letting these fantastical animals to function. That's enough for now though, let's go and find Xiao Ye. She said she'd wait for us in the dining hall in the early morning."
"Okay, let's go then."
Hou closed the window in the room and reiterated to himself his goals of today,
'Now I just need to hope that Cang Ying notices me and acts'
Mo Huai put on his hair crown and activated it, transforming from the stern but living Elder to the Arrogant young master. He smiled and shoved Hou in front,
"I'll let you walk with the lady" He said with a huge smirk in his face, he was again teasing Hou for his cluelessness in matters of women.
Hou shook his head but walked forward, opening the door and walking to the main dining hall. The inn was separated into separate areas, the first being the small reception room, which leads into the large first floor dining half with large tables. Then upstairs were all the rooms and a smaller balcony dining area for a higher price.
Hou walked into the dining hall and looked at it for the first time. Every time he had passed before he was going straight to his room with Mo Huai. He had not had a proper meal in a long time, he had been sufficing on food pills.
While food pills gave all the nutrients needed, they did not have a flavour or texture that anyone liked. However, Hou had been focusing on his growth and did not have time for food.
He looked into the large room, at the expanse of nearly empty tables. Normally the dining room would be full and packed, but this early in the morning most people were asleep. Only a few had already started their breakfast.
As he scanned the room he saw Xiao Ye, sitting in one corner while waving to Hou and Mo Huai. Xiao Ye stood out, her crimson hair cascaded down, a stark contrast to the sterile uniform she'd worn before. Hou's throat went dry as his heart rushed.
Hou had not noticed her beautiful hair before since she had been wearing her uniform which had a hat, but now he saw her full unadulterated beauty, he burst into a blush once again.
'I can't get distracted, I need to focus on Cang Ying. And since I'm walking with her, I should protect her from him and not make it seem like anything... but she's very pretty, I can't get distracted!'