Three into One

What was Li Qi thinking?

Of course, the solution is to address the current collapse of one's physical abilities.

He did have some ideas, but... he didn't know if it was a short-sighted solution or something else entirely.

The only path he was most familiar with, yet which he hadn't adopted, was the one from the Hidden World Faction.

Li Qi was very familiar with many things about the Hidden World Faction, all of which he had learned from Shen Shuibi. Even his Technique Method contained many traces of the Hidden World Faction.

For example, the Five Sacrifices Spirit Qi. Li Qi used this move to deal with many evil spirits and demons. However, the orthodox Five Sacrifices Spirit Qi Divine Qi does not have the concept of the Five Elements. The Five Gods Responding to the Five Elements method was added by Li Qi after observing Shen Shuibi's Five Elements Technique.

Li Qi began to apply it tentatively.

The Time Reversal Talisman bought him at least fifteen minutes, which, while not enough, was sufficient for him to take the risk.

How does the Daoist Way unite humanity and shamanism?

The Hidden World Faction proposed. "That which pervades all things is the Way; that which connects with Heaven and Earth is Virtue."

When the two are combined, they constitute 'morality'. This does not refer to moral cultivation, but rather to the power that pervades all things, the power that makes all things yield to it.

This is also the title of the Hidden World Faction; his title is 'Dao De' (morality).

In his words, "Without desire, the world is content; without action, all things transform; with profound stillness, all beings are at peace; without intention, even ghosts and gods submit."

There's nothing special about making the world a better place; all we need to do is reach a state of 'desirelessness and non-action.' Once everyone's spiritual state reaches this level, the world will naturally become a better place.

There's no need to ponder any systems, laws, or rituals like in Human Path, nor is there a need to plan any 'positions' for heaven and earth like in Shaman Path, and then spend effort maintaining these things.

Doing so only plunged the world into chaos, with conflicts arising everywhere.

If all beings focus on improving their self-cultivation and abilities, then everyone can live the life they want. Even if there are disputes, they will only be disputes between individuals and will not cause a great upheaval that sweeps across the heavens.

Just like Shen Shuibi, she is a typical Hidden World Faction cultivator.

Since birth, I've stayed at home, living a life of quiet contemplation, my mind solely focused on researching things according to my own preferences, and even the process of improving myself is about satisfying those preferences.

If there were no external interference, she would likely continue to immerse herself in improving her academic level and moral character, without any conflicts with the outside world, and would be able to attain inner peace and joy, without any worries or sorrows.

If everything in the world were to follow the same path as Shen Shuibi, a reclusive Hidden World Faction, then the world could achieve "great order," which could be described as "achieving oneness and accomplishing all things."

Once you do this one thing, everything will be done.

This is the guiding ideology of the Hidden World Faction in its general direction.

This Heavenly Venerable of Morality believed that there was no specific Heavenly Dao or Great Way to speak of, and that there was no ultimate law governing everything, so discussing this was meaningless.

This refers to the famous saying: 'The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name.'

If the Dao can be specifically described and planned, then it is not the constant Dao and cannot govern everything. If it can be described as governing everything, then it has already proven that it is not the so-called ultimate law.

The true path is inconceivable, beyond logic; to think about it is wrong, to speak of it is even more wrong.

Therefore, there is no need to explore such illusory things, nor is it necessary to interpret them; that is meaningless and futile.

We only need to focus on the things that actually exist in the world, because these things are necessarily a side manifestation of the Ultimate Great Dao.

"Tao," or "Principle," "truth," or anything else—these are merely names that ordinary people arbitrarily give to that thing. It cannot be described; all descriptions of it are wrong.

It can unify all levels, the micro and the macro, the world and beyond, time and space, reality and illusion.

Everything revolves around "it" with utmost respect, all things are built around "it", the whole world exists because of it, there is no theoretical conflict, "it" is the cornerstone of all rationality.

All natural phenomena are manifestations of themselves in different fields.

All the principles and formulas are just fragmentary descriptions of "it".

All Dao Path and Technique Method are merely different facets of this "reality".

The world is presented from different perspectives.

It's like an irregular geometric shape that looks different from different angles, but in reality, it hasn't changed at all.

It's not that the shapes are actually different, but rather that all of these shapes exist simultaneously within it.

But this thing doesn't actually exist, because it's impossible for it to exist; it's just a fictitious representation.

Because all things in the world are governed by this very law.

The universe is not built upon ultimate laws, but rather, the universe itself is the ultimate law.

"Nameless, the beginning of all things, nothingness enters into the void." Li Qi murmured the words from the Daoist classics.

"There is something that has formed before heaven and earth. It is beautiful and unique, standing alone and unyielding, and can be regarded as the mother of heaven and earth."

He understood.

He not only understood it, but he also planned to do it.

How can we use Daoist thought to unify Human Path and Shaman Path?

It's very simple: the thought of non-action, combined with the guiding principle of the nameless mother of all things, is used to guide the Qi within the body.

If Human Path is about 'regulating' the Qi within the body, Shaman Path is about 'arranging' the Qi within the body, then Daoism can only be called 'guiding'.

The key to the conflict between Li Qi and the sorcerer lies in their differing interpretations of the Way of Heavenly Dao, which directly led to the emergence of a rift.

However, in the Daoist interpretation, there is no need to focus on what the Tao is; one only needs to focus on all things in the world.

"Things that have form and things that have no form or shape, yet all exist, are ultimately gone. Their movement is stillness; their death is life; their decay is rise. But this is not their true nature. Movement and stillness, death and life, rise and fall, are not where the Dao resides."

"The Way has no name; its influence is merely manifested in human perception."

Li Qi muttered to himself about his understanding of it.

The meaning is very simple:

What is the ultimate Dao? No one can say for sure, but none of the things we know are it.

It's better to set it aside and focus on summarizing the myriad things in the world.

Li Qi incorporated Daoist ideas into his own doctrine, thereby setting aside the conflict between humans and shamans.

He divided the qi in his body into three categories.

The upper qi is called shaman, the middle qi is called the Dao, and the lower qi is called human.

The upper qi is the weather, and the shaman communicates with heaven and earth. The center of heaven remains unchanged, which is the so-called "position".

Humility is the essence of human nature. Humans rule over all living beings. We must rectify our hearts, eliminate selfishness, and establish clear rules, using rewards and punishments as the two handles of the system, with rules running through everything.

The central energy is nameless, leaving disputes unresolved in the middle. Although humans and shamans each have their own forms, they are in opposition to each other. Just like a pair of opponents who are opposites in terms of strength and gentleness, cold and warmth, life and death, they will inevitably become enemies.

But in the end, they complement each other and there is no reason for them to be mutually exclusive.

Heavenly Principle and human desires are not contradictory.

The Heavenly Principle and human desires are "the same in essence but different in function" and "different in nature but different in sentiment." The Dao cannot exist independently of things, nor can things exist independently of the Dao.

The existence of things in the Tao is like the movement of the wind and the flow of water; they are interdependent.

Seeking the Way apart from things is like seeking the movement of wind when there is no wind, or the flow of water when there is no water—it is absurd and nonsensical.

To seek things apart from the Dao is utter nonsense. Things are the concrete manifestation of the Dao; how can they be separated?

Thus, Tai Zhen is divided, becoming one from two, and two from two, each with its own essence, which is called Yin and Yang. The central Qi resides in the middle of Yin and Yang and harmonizes them, thus forming the Taiji posture.

Countless calculations, an unbelievable amount of data, and hundreds of millions of strands of energy began to arrange themselves according to different Dao principles within Li Qi's body, following different Dao principles to accomplish different tasks.

Deducing, calculating, and putting it into practice—what kind of energy should be used for what purpose, and why it should be used for what purpose—everything needs to be carefully considered.

Fortunately, Li Qi often accumulated knowledge and was used to processing the large amount of information brought by True Knowledge Dao Charm. He managed to finish this unimaginable workload in just ten minutes!

Thus, the broken microcosm within Li Qi's body began to gradually mend itself. The conflict between humans and witches did not cease, but rather the conflict was neutralized by the Daoist principles in between.

He risked introducing Daoist ideas, and surprisingly succeeded.

However, Li Qi himself couldn't tell whether this was like drinking poison to quench thirst or something else entirely.

Now, he has three different Dao Path within his body.

The conflict between humans and witches, stirred up by the Heavenly Demon, had nearly cost him his life.

The Hidden World Faction of Daoism are free from contention and desire, so they can act as mediators. But who knows what might happen in the future?

However, it can be said that it saved his life, and at the same time, it allowed Li Qi to improve the theoretical foundation he had laid in the Sacred Flame Realm, and provided guidance for his subsequent actions.

However, the Hidden World Faction also has a saying, "The Way should not be mixed. Mixing leads to excess, excess leads to disturbance, disturbance leads to worry, and worry is beyond remedy."

The path of righteousness should not be mixed with other things. Once it becomes complicated, it will cause a lot of trouble. Too much trouble will lead to worries, and too many worries will be difficult to cure.

Li Qi is already too complicated, but he has no way to stop being complicated. I wonder what his future path will be like.

But no matter what happens in the future, the Heavenly Demon's third move has already failed.

The Imperial Academy Chancellor's face turned completely gloomy.

He was even somewhat terrified.

This young master from Wushen Mountain actually won three moves against a sixth-rank cultivator.

Even if part of the reason was that he couldn't use his full strength and could only rely on the demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon, how could he still lose when there was such a huge gap between the sixth and eighth ranks?

"You can't beat someone of the mere eighth rank..." the Imperial Academy Chancellor said in a gloomy voice.

No matter what, you're still an eighth-rank official.

Since the Heavenly Demon could not break through your Dao heart, and even the Human-Shaman Dao Contention was resolved, this is still the demonic energy of a sixth-grade Heavenly Demon, whose methods are far more than these.

The demonic energy was brewing, seemingly forming Technique Method, but Li Qi couldn't understand it at all and couldn't interfere with it.

That layer of chaotic cosmic light, like an eggshell, depleted nine-tenths of the Imperial Academy Chancellor's strength and rendered Li Qi completely unable to interfere with the outside world.

But Li Qi did not reply. He knew his chances of winning were slim, but no matter how slim they were, he had to seize that glimmer of hope.

The Time Reversal Talisman has already been used; if he dies again, he will be truly dead.

What should we do now?

He had used up almost all his wisdom and energy when he was trying to resolve the internal conflict, and now he was experiencing throbbing headaches, exhaustion of energy, and a drowsy state.

But he forced himself to stay alert and continued to respond.

However, at this moment, the Three Lives Ancient Mirror trembled and half of its surface shattered.

The Three Lives Ancient Mirror has exhausted all its power, and Li Qi is finally about to reach the location of the second True Knowledge Dao Charm.

Li Qi knew that if he continued to fight the Imperial Academy Chancellor as before, he would undoubtedly lose. His opponent was a sixth-rank official, and even if he could only exert half of his strength, he had no chance of winning. He might be able to win two or three moves by luck or quick thinking, but he couldn't keep winning.

He needs to find variables, because only with variables can there be hope.

The only variable here can only come from the Three Lives Ancient Mirror, because there are no other variables to be found.

Of all the variables that the Three Lives Ancient Mirror can bring, the greatest is undoubtedly the second wisp of true knowledge.

That's why Li Qi didn't hesitate to throw the last wisp of Great Shaman Divine Energy into it to accelerate the process – it was all for this variable.

While the Imperial Academy Chancellor outside was preparing his Technique Method, Li Qi quickly took out his other savings to contribute to the Three Lives Ancient Mirror, turning "almost there" into "already there".

After this whole ordeal, he brought out his most valuable possessions.

The heads of two former third-rank officials.

Although it is said to be a third-rank official, it is actually just a third-rank official position. Its cultivation level is fifth-rank, but it has also been tainted with some third-rank aura, which should also serve as fuel to accelerate the process.

Just as Li Qi took out the item and was about to throw it in, he saw the Imperial Academy Chancellor outside stumble, and part of the Technique Method structure in his hand collapsed.

Clearly, he was extremely shocked, to the point that he was unable to calmly construct Technique Method to deliver a fatal blow to Li Qi.

The Imperial Academy Chancellor roared in fury, "You traitor! How dare you!"

What Li Qi held in his hand was the head of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, a high-ranking official who had been of great kindness to their faction. This assassination was planned to avenge him.

And now, Li Qi is holding his head, preparing to throw it into the Three Lives Ancient Mirror to burn it!

You bastard!

Li Qi rolled his eyes and ignored him.

How dare you, you thief?

Do you think I dare?

Without hesitation, he threw the two heads in as well. The Three Lives Ancient Mirror erupted once more, cracking its surface and suddenly increasing its rewind speed.

At the same time, Li Qi finally drove the Three Lives Ancient Mirror to the location of the second strand of True Knowledge Dao Charm.

Although it is unknown how long it will be from Earth, the second True Knowledge Dao Charm has already arrived.

Li Qi only sensed that he had been transported to that place, but his body did not go there. However, this did not prevent the two Daoist principles from merging.

Almost simultaneously, the Heavenly Demon's attack arrived.

An overwhelming malice swept over him! A thick Black Mist enveloped Li Qi!

All afflictions, calamities, and defilements descend, bloodshed breaks through, and demonic energy suppresses the earth.

A multitude of decadent sounds, including sheng, xiao, zheng, di, qin, se, pipa, yunluo, and sanguo, rang in Li Qi's ears, as if an endless demonic dance was taking place, with its clashing demonic sounds disturbing his Human Path heart!

However, the hundred-zhang Buddhist kingdom suddenly expanded around Li Qi once again!

With the support of the Cosmic Space Dao Charm, Li Qi's Buddhist Demon Subduing Incantation was once again formed.

This thing was easily crushed by demonic energy before.

But at this moment, it actually blocked the arrival of the Heavenly Demon!