Observation

On the plaza of Tiger Slaying Gate, Li Qi said with a smile, "You seem to have made some progress."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I think I understand what you mean now."

Li Qi nodded slightly. "You should have a purpose in doing things. Cultivation is just a means. In order to achieve this purpose, you should have your own set of standards for judging the world. Only then will you know what is good and what is bad."

"I will think about it." Ju Ye bowed, expressing her gratitude.

He understood what Li Qi meant.

To judge good from bad, the first thing we need is a standard. Without a standard, everything would be the same, and there would be no distinction between good and bad.

This standard is the standard by which people view the world; it is the manifestation of the Tao in people.

This standard may not necessarily fit the external objective world, so it needs to be refined. Either you smooth out the external world and change the whole world, or the external world smooths out you and changes your standard.

But no matter what, the first thing you need to do is establish your own standards. Once you have standards, you have the right to examine the world.

Yes, people without standards are not qualified to examine the world, because in your eyes, the world is all the same, and good and evil, strength and weakness are all naturally existing. In the end, you can only be influenced by the world and let the world become your only standard, going with the flow.

However, establishing your own set of standards requires a great deal of practical experience, reflection, and observation.

Ju Ye is too young and has too little experience. It is difficult for him to establish his own standards, that is, he does not have his own 'way'. His standards are all instilled by the outside world, and he does not even understand where these standards come from.

To give a very simple example—

The outside world tells you that money is important.

Everyone tells you that money is important, and your own experience proves that money is important. The ideas instilled by others, as well as specific events in the external society, all demonstrate that money is important.

In other words, you also think money is very important.

So, why do you think money is important?

Some might say that money can buy social resources, food, housing, and even the loyalty of others, thus giving rise to the idea that 'money is omnipotent'.

So, is money really everything?

Don't think this is a simple question, because in the primitive world, or when disaster strikes, and social rules collapse, is money still useful?

This is not to deny the role of money, but rather to suggest that people should consider where the 'usefulness' of money comes from, why money is useful, and why a piece of paper can serve so many purposes.

Ultimately, through discussion, study, and comparison of historical and modern systems, we can arrive at a conclusion.

In other words, money is a kind of power to allocate social resources under the current social system. Under the current social system, holding money means holding the power to allocate social resources. This power can be used to exchange for goods, means of production, and labor. The source of this power is the 'consensus of the whole society'. It is the collective power of all people in the society that gives money this exchange ability.

Therefore, money is useful only under the current social rules. If the social rules are changed, it may not be useful.

So, your understanding of the true nature of 'money' may not be accurate, but it is at least a conclusion.

Therefore, only by understanding the essence of money can you better utilize it, or even subvert it.

Instead of holding the empty and superficial view that 'money can buy things, so money is useful'.

It's like you only know how to use magic, but don't know how to use magic to approach the 'Tao'.

Yes, under this logic, 'money' is the method, and the operating logic of the entire society is the 'way' of society, and also the way of civilization.

It is the 'Tao' that has developed into techniques; if you master the Tao, you can better control money.

From this perspective, you don't know how money works. Others use their own methods to cover your money, so your money becomes useless. No matter how much money you accumulate, it's pointless. It's like Human Path can change the timing of the seasons, causing countless civilizations to collapse their lifelong cultivation techniques.

Those who merely believe in phenomena, take techniques as truth, and regard the 'Tao' as something ethereal and illusory lack cognitive ability because they perceive the world solely through experience and instinct, rashly trusting life experiences and relying on common sense from daily life, lacking comprehensive learning and rigorous deduction.

If the world is a game, then the ignorant study how to play the game, the optimal solution for a certain strategy, and how to improve the stats, but the Dao Pursuer study the game's code or even the underlying language.

Explore the 'Tao' (the Way), and don't spend too much energy on the 'techniques' (methods).

Once you have a certain understanding of the 'Tao' (the Way), you will naturally become proficient in the 'Shu' (techniques), even more so than those who have studied techniques their whole lives.

This is what Li Qi wanted to tell Ju Ye.

This is what Tianxia wants to tell all civilizations in the universe.

The Dao that Li Qi wanted to transmit in the Immortal Heaven was this 'Dao'. It wasn't a specific idea, but a whole set of cognition and methods of thinking.

The conclusions drawn through this method may be completely opposite, but this does not prevent this set of cognitive thinking methods from continuing to be effective.

Li Qi's conclusion through this method is that the world exists objectively, just as money exists objectively, but the world I see and the world you see may have some differences in their manifestations.

This is Li Qi's opinion, but he may not be right.

For the spiritual path, they believe that the world is the world, and human definitions do not change the world itself. What they want to find is the 'essence of the world,' the foundation of everything, and then use this foundation to interpret all the possibilities of the entire world.

For the demonic path, their perception is the true world; the world itself is shaped by their subjective will. When their eyes are open, the flowers bloom brightly; when their eyes are closed, the flowers wither.

According to the Reason Way, the foundation of the world is untraceable. The limited phenomenal world is merely interpreted subjectively, while the true essence is unknowable to us and cannot be described by logic. Therefore, we only need to focus on phenomena, summarize phenomena, and from these phenomena, like blind men touching an elephant, we can grope out a tiny bit of the 'Way'.

For the Daoist school, they acknowledge the ultimate existence of the Tao and believe that the ultimate Tao universally exists in all things. Matter itself carries the Tao, and the Tao is the manifestation of the laws of matter. As long as one is paired with 'virtue', one can enter and exit the Tao and attain true freedom.

This is what is meant by 'That which operates in all things is the Way; that which connects with Heaven and Earth and Earth is Virtue.'

These are answers they arrived at through thought and practice. So, when you explore why the world exists, when you want to understand the essence of the world, when you want to understand what 'Tao' is, you must first understand that, for the external world, human practice is the essence.

Therefore, there is the saying "the Dao is within," and through "the Dao is within," we arrive at the conclusion that "the Way is outside."

Although the various Dao Lineage contradict each other, they provide people with directions and pathways for thinking, which is fundamentally different from blindly guessing without any regard for anything, or simply following the crowd.

The views and conclusions of various Dao Lineage may be wrong, but thinking itself is never wrong.

Seeing Ju Ye fall into deep thought again, Li Qi felt he had said enough.

So he waved his hand, leaving behind a wisp of Literary Qi. It was an introductory cultivation method for Daoism, which systematically explained how to condense the inner elixir, how to recognize the existence of the 'Tao', and so on.

In this way, Ju Ye will have something to rely on after those powers are exhausted.

As for these so-called 'bad guys' in front of us...

"Let Ju Ye handle it herself," Li Qi thought. He was curious how Ju Ye would deal with so many beings after she exhausted her external cultivation.

Perhaps the only option left is to practice the Daoist Cultivation Method he left behind?

This is the difference between knowledge and practice.

Of course, it doesn't matter if the other party doesn't cultivate; Li Qi was just doing it casually.

After doing all this, Li Qi left the place, and conveniently dispelled the formation.

The mountain god outside lowered his head as soon as he saw Li Qi emerge.

Li Qi returned the greeting and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Mountain God. Now that the matter is settled, please return."

After speaking, Li Qi disappeared.

After that, Li Qi began to walk among mortals.

This departure lasted for more than five hundred years.

He encountered many cities similar to Bailu City, which seemed to be a kind of model. Later, he confronted one of the city lords and discovered that the other party had mastered a cultivation method similar to Human Path Evil Method, which was to gather the power of the masses for his own use.

However, this is only similar and not Human Path method. There is a very clear development path of immortal Cultivation Method, so it is obvious that it was developed by the immortals themselves.

It's quite advanced. The immortals actually mastered this method on their own. Although it's crude, it's normal for things in the mortal realm to be crude. The difference should be significant after ascension.

Wherever he goes, he looks for someone like Ju Ye: intelligent, kind-hearted, thoughtful, and in a bad situation, with enough pressure and motivation to do things.

Find such a person, then guide them, preach to them, answer their questions, and then leave.

And so it goes.

Occasionally, Li Qi would stop to experience the local customs and culture of the Immortal Realm, just like an immortal experiencing life in the mortal world, tasting local food and seeing local scenery.

But he never takes action, and when conflicts arise, he simply disappears, like a ghost wandering the mortal world.

Five hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye; everything happened so quickly.

Human life is like that of a mayfly, born in the morning and dying at dusk. Ordinary people, who drift with the tide, live a whole life, but in reality, they only live for three days.

Youth, adulthood, old age.

These three days repeated endlessly, filling their pale and empty lives.

Just like the mortal realm of the celestial beings.

In the mortal realm of the celestial realm, there is endless strife, and everyone is striving only to ascend to immortality. How similar is this situation to that of ordinary people?

According to Li Qi's estimation, the mortal realm of the celestial realm probably has a history of no less than tens of billions of years.

As First Rank World, a history spanning hundreds of billions of years is not unusual.

However, for hundreds of billions of years, the celestial realm and the mortal realm have been lingering in this Savage Wilderness era, and anyone who makes a breakthrough will be immediately sent to the True World...

This situation is exactly the same as that of ordinary people.

This is not a history spanning billions of years; it is the same day, the same event, repeated for billions of years.

A history that stagnates will also lead to a civilization that stagnates.

Is this situation something the high-ranking beings in the celestial realms deliberately created?

Li Qi didn't know, but he felt that with his current strength, he might be able to stir up some waves in this stagnant pool.

Of course, Li Qi didn't intend to do anything too big, as that would only bring trouble upon himself.

If one's virtue is meager but one holds a high position, one's knowledge is shallow but one's ambitions are grand, one's strength is small but one's responsibilities are heavy, then it is like a tripod with a broken leg, or a public cauldron overturned; once the situation is dire, disaster will surely follow.

Those who lack virtue yet hold high positions, those with shallow wisdom yet aspire to great things, and those with little strength yet shoulder heavy responsibilities will only invite disaster and ultimately harm themselves and others.

Do what you are capable of, and don't push yourself too hard.

The mortal realm of the Immortal Heaven is vast. Li Qi has only traveled within a radius of several hundred billion miles so far. He wonders if this is even one trillionth of the mortal realm of the Immortal Heaven, since the area here is measured in light-years.

However, due to Li Qi's actions, in this area between the celestial and mortal realms... a sect called the "True Dao Sect" rose to prominence in just a few hundred years.

After some investigation, Li Qi discovered that this was a newly established sect by the group of people he had sent out to spread his teachings.

The True Dao Sect possesses extraordinary unity, and despite immense external pressure, they continue to develop rapidly.

There's nothing else to it but the unity that comes from the unique characteristics of each path.

In both the celestial and mortal realms, the side that resents the development of the True Dao Sect outnumbers the True Dao Sect. However, the disciples of the True Dao Sect can awaken each other and coordinate tactical and strategic actions. On the other hand, although the opposing side has a large number of people, they are not united and therefore cannot stop the True Dao Sect at all.

However, in Li Qi's view, there is also internal strife within the True Dao Sect. After all, different thoughts will naturally lead to different Dao Path, and strife will naturally arise. But the external pressure is too strong, and there are too many things for a sect to fight against, so they drag each other down secretly and dare not do it too obviously.

However, everything depends on comparison. On the side of the Immortal Heaven, it's not just a matter of dragging them down, it's a matter of cutting off their legs. Whoever is responsible for fighting against the True Dao Sect is essentially being attacked from both sides, being besieged by their own allies and the True Dao Sect at the same time. Naturally, they cannot fight back and can only retreat step by step.

As the True Dao Sect's power grew, over the past five hundred years, they have finally become a super power in the area, their prestige surpassing that of cities like Bailu City, and they show signs of annexing more than a dozen such large cities.

This momentum greatly interested Li Qi, who lived more than 500 years later.

He wanted to see how the seeds he had sown had grown.

After traveling for several days, Li Qi arrived at the True Dao Sect's mountain gate.

The True Dao Sect's mountain gate is also one of the most prosperous areas in the surrounding area, mainly at the foot of the mountain, where a large city has been formed due to the gathering of admirers.

However, Li Qi discovered that there were a surprisingly large number of people who came.

This wasn't normal, so he scanned his superficial thinking and discovered something.

The founder of the True Dao Sect is about to ascend to immortality.