Dao Contention Within the Body

The battle of wits with the Imperial Academy Chancellor was far more difficult than Li Qi had imagined.

He knew Li Qi very well, much better than Li Qi thought he did.

If the opponent were to exert all their strength, Li Qi probably wouldn't last even a second.

Li Qi was able to achieve his current results because the opponent was unable to exert any additional influence through the chaotic cosmic light.

This Imperial Academy Chancellor did not even attempt to use other means.

With the opponent restrained, such a confrontation is not a fair fight at all.

As the initiator of this battle, the Imperial Academy Chancellor not only suffered a severe backlash from the chaotic cosmic light before he even made a move, but also lost half of his cultivation level.

Moreover, by actively manipulating the Heavenly Demon Qi, he had to overcome the influence of the chaotic cosmic light and suppress the backlash from the eggshell surrounding Li Qi. This was a case of diminishing returns; of all his strength, only five-tenths would actually be effective, with the rest wasted on the journey and resisting the backlash.

Li Qi felt that his opponent must have other tricks up his sleeve, but he didn't know why he insisted on using the Heavenly Demon Qi to fight.

It's like two armies fighting. One side needs to travel over mountains and rivers, and cross oceans. They send out a hundred men, but ninety-five of them will die on the way. They also send out a hundred catties of grain, but ninety-five catties will be eaten up on the way.

However, on the other side, he was at ease, able to exert his full strength perfectly, and had an overwhelming advantage.

Normally, no one would choose such a rude and confrontational approach; even if they did, they would only be asking for trouble.

But the Imperial Academy Chancellor Vice Minister did just that, because he was strong enough that even with only half of his strength, he could crush Li Qi.

Even if a sixth-rank demon is restrained and only uses half of their power to manipulate the demonic energy to fight against him, they are not so easy to deal with.

For example, right now.

From the perspective of Shaman Path, their actions in the Sacred Flame Realm violated some of the principles of Shaman Path.

Therefore, the other party used demonic energy to conjure up Li Qi in Human Path and questioned Li Qi whether he agreed with Human Path.

It's not important to say 'yes' or 'no' verbally.

You can fool others, but you can't fool yourself.

If Li Qi's Dao heart is shaken by this question, then the 'Dao' he uses to restrain the countless strands of Qi within his body will fall into conflict.

His personal world will be embroiled in a conflict between humans and sorcerers.

The Imperial Academy Chancellor knew Li Qi's Dao Path too well; he saw Li Qi's origins clearly. So he went straight to the root of the problem, trying to entangle Li Qi in a Daoist struggle through a question uttered by the Heavenly Demon Qi.

Human, or shaman?

Or... there is an even simpler way.

He fell into demonic ways.

Once he enters the demonic path, these disputes will no longer have any effect on him.

The demonic path is unrestrained and doesn't need to care about these rules at all.

This is also the most common reason for falling into the demonic path: getting caught in a conflict between the principles of Tao and ultimately giving up and choosing the demonic path, which can resolve all disputes.

This is also the purpose of the Imperial Academy Chancellor!

After Li Qi fell into the demonic path, it was only natural for him to take action.

Dangerous!

This is the passive state that comes from having your background exposed!

Li Qi fell into deep thought once again after being questioned.

His current Dao Path is mainly based on Shaman Path, combined with some Human Path methods, to refine Guangyang, which has become the foundation of his cultivation.

Cultivation is the Qi accumulated within the microcosm of the human body, while the Dao is the ultimate rule that supports the operation of this Qi.

If the Dao is disordered, the Qi will also be disordered, and cultivation will spontaneously conflict, with unimaginable consequences.

If no solution can be found, the most straightforward approach is to fall into demonic ways and use them to control these energies.

However, using the Demonic Path is not as simple as it sounds. It means that you have accepted the values of the Demonic Path, because values themselves are also a manifestation of the Dao. If you do not accept the Demonic Path, then you cannot use it even if you want to.

The Tao is not a method.

Techniques are methods, while principles are the rules you recognize and practice from the inside out; they are not things that can be changed at will.

That's why it's troublesome.

After being questioned, Li Qi fell silent.

Human? Witch?

From Human Path perspective, plundering these extraterrestrial worlds is simply a matter of course. People need wood to cook and burn, so why would they need to ask questions when they go out to chop firewood? No one would think it's wrong.

If resources are depleted, then take them. Mineral veins are born underground and are meant to be used. Forests that grow out should either be cut down for firewood or left to protect against wind and sand. Rivers must be used to build water conservancy projects. Of course, useful plants and animals should be raised, useless ones should be left alone, and harmful ones should be eradicated.

Everything prioritizes 'human beings' above all else. If we talk about protection, it's because protection is more beneficial to humans. In essence, it's about protecting human interests, and this applies even to nature.

It's perfectly fine for a river to flow naturally, but if we build water conservancy projects on it, what's the problem? You say that's unnatural? Nature has to be changed for people!

From the perspective of a shaman, one should only take what is needed; humans, and all other things, are part of nature.

As mentioned before, this "nature" is not something like flowers, grass, or trees, but rather the location of all things in the world, the place where everything in this universe should be.

It is essential to maintain the stability of the overall environment. Everything in the world has its own place. You can change your own place, but you cannot destroy a place, because that would cause the already stable world to change again.

The world was originally a mess, but the 'Tao' was unchanging. After so much time, all things in the world have been perfectly integrated under the guidance of the 'Tao,' just like a set of building blocks.

You can replace parts, but there's no need to overturn the whole block, as that will only cause chaos to return.

The shamans maintain the stability of the entire world; what they pursue is perfect eternity.

Heaven, Earth, Man, Gods, and Ghosts each perform their duties and occupy their positions. The Way governs all things, and all things naturally return to their proper order.

A person or any other life form can change its own state and elevate itself to another position, but the position itself cannot be changed. The building blocks themselves are perfect, and any modification to them is destructive.

This represents two completely different values, and Li Qi's actions in the Sacred Flame Realm are a matter of jumping between them.

Just like his current Dao Path.

How to achieve compatibility?

Li Qi fell into deep thought and then revealed the answer he had come up with when he refined Guangyang:

"The way of Heaven is to give birth to all things. Spring and summer bring growth, while autumn and winter bring decline. When people are young, they are strong, and when they are old, they are weak. They compete in strength and vie for dominance. They have different energies but the same function. This is how Heaven completes the year."

"The way of man is to govern all things: spring plowing, summer weeding, autumn harvesting, winter storage; cutting down trees and clearing mountains; smelting metals; establishing rites and laws; distinguishing between the old and the young; different tasks but the same results—all these are how man is formed."

"What Heaven can do, man cannot do; what man can do, Heaven also cannot do."

Li Qi said this.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Academy Chancellor outside changed his expression.

Li Qi is trying to explain the Way of Heaven and the Way of Man, and then trying to find his own place in it!

He's only an eighth-rank official! How dare he?

If this is done wrong, one's cultivation will immediately collapse, and the struggle for Dao will directly enter an irreversible state!

However, although it was unexpected, the Imperial Academy Chancellor quickly calmed down.

This actually aligns perfectly with the Imperial Academy Chancellor's plan. If Li Qi's actions fail, then the demonic path will be practically his only way out.

He understood what Li Qi was saying.

Li Qi's meaning is very simple.

The Way of Heaven, or the laws of nature, lies in selection. It is achieved through the transformation of strength and weakness or the competition of the strong preying on the weak. Through natural selection, everything will naturally tend towards perfection.

Trees can become extinct, but even without trees, there will certainly be other producers. What matters is the underlying principle, not the trees themselves; those are merely appearances.

The Heavenly Dao has already arranged perfect positions through the laws of nature. All the positions have been laid out; it's just a matter of who can sit in their rightful place.

As for who gets to sit, that's naturally decided through a competition of the strong preying on the weak.

The way of humanity lies in the rule of law. The principles are defined by etiquette and law. Etiquette is the upper limit of morality, and law is the lower limit of morality. It is not through natural selection, but through human selection. The desired perfection is achieved through human arrangement.

The arrangement of Heaven is its perfection, and it is fair to all things in the world.

Human arrangement is human perfection; humans do not desire fairness with other things.

This is what Li Qi just meant.

If the Imperial Academy Chancellor were to comment, he would say that Li Qi was talking complete nonsense and that what he said was utterly treasonous!

However, this is not for him to judge.

Li Qi said this to the Heavenly Demon.

Essentially, it was Li Qi who had to overcome his own doubts.

Li Qi needs to prove himself right. He must convince himself, otherwise he will be devoured by the Heavenly Demon, his Dao heart will collapse, and his human body and his microcosm will fall into Dao conflict.

Therefore, after being shocked, the Imperial Academy Chancellor immediately calmed down.

Now that Li Qi has begun trying to break through the Heavenly Demon Qi, he cannot stop.

Then, he controlled the demonic energy and used the next method on Li Qi.

Li Qi was soaked in sweat, but he was completely unaware of it.

My brain was racing, constantly thinking about my own 'Tao'—the 'Tao' that is not corrupted by demonic thoughts.

However, before he could find an answer, he saw the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon swirling again amidst the chaotic light of the universe, transforming into a second Li Qi.

This demon Li Qi began preaching and asking questions again:

"If the legal system is perfect, right is right and wrong is wrong, those who follow the right path will be rewarded and those who violate it will be punished. With clear rewards and punishments, people will know the reasons for fortune and misfortune, and they will neither thank Heaven nor resent Heaven. Heavenly Dao will be a passerby, and only the laws of nature will play a role."

"When the rule of law is partially undermined, and good deeds are not fully rewarded while evil deeds are not fully punished, people are more likely to doubt the relationship between the Heavenly Dao and the Human Path."

"When the rule of law is completely destroyed, right and wrong are reversed, the wicked are rewarded and the honest are punished, righteousness cannot restrain their tyranny, and punishment cannot punish evil. People lose their self-confidence and can only entrust their fate to fate."

"Whether?"

This question left Li Qi speechless, completely shattering his previous attempts to sort out his thoughts.

This is not a question about Li Qi, but simply a question.

Now that Li Qi has brought up the positions of humanity and heaven, the inner demon asks: Is this the correct position of humanity and heaven? Is this the position of humanity and heaven that you believe in?

The inner demon seemed to know about Li Qi's path and directly offered its own perspective.

In fact, that's exactly what Li Qi was thinking.

He held this viewpoint when distinguishing the positions of humans and heaven, and used this understanding to balance the differences between humans and shamans.

The shaman believed himself to be the balancer between Heaven, Earth, Humanity, Spirits, Ghosts, but people scoffed at this view.

However, before Li Qi could continue to think, the Heavenly Demon began to preach eloquently!

"To be believed without words is the way of Heaven. Shang Witch Xian and Zhou Shiyi, all those who gave them knowledge were their fathers, and those who received it were their sons. They always used their fathers to influence their sons. This is human nature; human nature is power. We establish the way of Heaven to govern humankind."

"The principles and forces of Heaven are all used by people; therefore, sincerity is the way of Heaven; and striving for sincerity is the way of man!"

"The inherent principles of Heavenly Principle, the natural course of human affairs, are perfectly Heavenly Principle, true and without falsehood. They arise naturally and effortlessly from the middle way, and this too is the Way of Heaven—"

Li Qi, who was the incarnation of the demon, spoke eloquently, one sentence after another, but he mainly elaborated on two points.

He is supplementing the previous content on the relationship between heaven and man, and doing so in great detail.

Although he was called a celestial demon, he was actually the Imperial Academy Chancellor giving a sermon.

He categorized the relationship between humanity and nature into 'principle' and 'potential'.

"Principle" refers to the laws governing the development of things, while "trend" refers to the objective direction of the development of things.

Both are inherent properties of objective things. Things "must have a number in them," and "principle" exists and "potential" arises.

All things and all changes are inseparable from "principle" and "momentum".

The rotational cycle of the heavens and the stars can be measured, and the length of day and night can be determined, all because of the existence of "reason".

The sky is high yet does not collapse, and it moves without ceasing; this is because it has its own trend, which is the "momentum of the operation of the Heavenly Principle".

Then, he further divided the understanding of things into "understanding the principles" and "not understanding the principles."

"Liming" means that when people understand and master objective laws, they can conquer nature instead of attributing everything to the Heavenly Dao.

"Li Mei" refers to people's failure to recognize objective laws, their lack of self-confidence, and their attribution of everything to the control of "Heaven," believing in destiny.

The Shaman Path is the ignorance of reason.

Human Path is the way of reason.

In practice, this manifests as Human Path laws and etiquette, which are the convergence and embodiment of Human Path. Laws can restrain people's arrogance, and etiquette can resist people's cowardice.

Laws can make the violent become disciplined, and etiquette can make the cowardly brave. Not everyone can understand the true meaning of the 'Tao', so these two things are used to regulate everyone, and thus Human Path can prevail throughout the world.

Therefore, Reason Way is willing to follow Human Path, because Human Path can help Reason Way find the way of Heavenly Dao, rather than simply making Reason Way submit to the Heavenly Dao.

Under the influence of Shaman Path, Reason Way can only become followers of the Way of Heavenly Dao, not seekers.

The ancient human race split into the shamanistic path and the humanistic path for this reason.

The more Li Qi listened to the Heavenly Demon preach, the more cold sweat poured down his back.

Because he couldn't refute these words; these theories were ones he endorsed, and he couldn't go against his own Dao heart to say they were wrong.

Even more so! He has already put these principles he approves of into practice in the Sacred Flame Realm.

However, these things contradict his fundamental principles!

His foundation was the Shaman Path he had been studying, but he could not refute the Human Path methods that had been incorporated into it.

Li Qi's personal microcosm began to fall into chaos!