While exchanging those few words with Zhao Gongming, Li Changshou had already sorted out his subsequent course of action.
The way of adapting to change could never focus only on the immediate effects;
Even if time was pressing, he had to think through every possible path events might take afterward, then choose the one that would harm him least.
Beyond that, several principles were of paramount importance—
He had to uphold his identity as a Daoist disciple, standing unwaveringly with the Dao Ancestor and the Three Pure Saints;
He had to uphold the principle that Daoist disciples were one family, that the three Teachings shared the same origin;
He had to uphold the interests of the Human Teaching, preserve the dignity of every Saint Lord and first-rate expert, and avoid setting himself on fire;
Beyond these three things that had to be upheld, there were five necessary preparations and nine major guidelines for action.
Finally, and most importantly...
He could not show off.
The words "show off" were a great taboo on the path of stability.
From his previous life, the historical anecdote Li Changshou remembered most deeply was "Yang Xiu being executed."
That was taking the initiative to show off—courting death through recklessness.
After coming to the Primordial Wilderness, the little parable that had affected him most was "Xuan Turtle being slain."
The turtle had committed no crime; its body was simply too large, so its legs were cut off to hold up the heavens.
That was the finest illustration of passive "showing off"!
If Xuan Turtle had hidden away in ordinary times, or slipped off early to the Chaos Sea and curled up in the void, the Saint Lords would most likely have refined some other great mountains into heavenly pillars. They would not have conveniently slaughtered the