Chapter 199: Evil thoughts

Wang Baiyan’s face alternated between red and pale, his heart filled with an incomparable struggle, constantly weighing gains and losses.

Li Qi, seeing his appearance, straightened his face and said, “Brother Wang, let me give you a piece of advice.”

Li Qi also stood up from the stool, raising his arm and exclaiming, “Listening is the harbinger of affairs, planning is the opportunity for affairs. How can there be one who plans but misses the opportunity and can long remain safe in this world?”

Then, he lowered his hand, slapped the table, and scolded, “Time! Time! There’s no time for planning! Win the grain and leap on the horse, fearing to be late! Brother Wang, you calculate and calculate, did you only calculate out a petty calculation?!”

“If you lose this time, will you die? Do you not have any means of self-preservation?”

“When your Family hears about you challenging a seventh-ranker with the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain, will they blame you for your recklessness or praise your bravery? If you lose this decision, and your reputation spreads, will it damage your reputation? Or will it make you famous throughout the world?”

“What’s more, if you succeed, then what?”

“Can’t you understand these things? No, I think you see them very clearly.”

“Is there such a principle as knowing but not doing? One who knows but dares not act is the bane of all affairs!”

“Therefore, the knowing one’s decision is decisive, while hesitation is the harm of affairs. To scrutinize the small details and neglect the great matters of life!”

“The hesitation of a fierce tiger is not as good as the sting of a wasp; the faltering of a swift steed is not as good as the steady pace of a slow horse. Brother Wang, compared to ordinary people, is like a fierce tiger compared to a wasp, a swift steed compared to a slow horse. Do you not even have these decisions?”

“Do you still not understand? The moment you extended a hand to help the new Ma Wang, you were already tied to me!”

“Do you think Great Master Chan Zhi won’t figure it out later? Will the Wang Family not know when they investigate afterwards?”

“Hesitating and watching for success or failure, how can one avoid disaster when the time comes? What will be Brother Wang’s fate then?”

Wang Baiyan was startled by Li Qi’s reprimand, instinctively taking a step back, his expression somewhat annoyed.

However, before he could continue to be annoyed, he heard Li Qi’s next words.

Then, Wang Baiyan suddenly realized that he had overlooked a point.

Yes.

From the moment he applied for resources from his Family to help that new Ma Wang, he had already, in effect, stood on Li Qi’s side.

When doing things, the most taboo is to be indecisive.

Especially when neither side is easy to offend.

Then, he immediately thought further.

If he helps Li Qi, then, from the Family’s perspective, this means getting involved with Shaman Dao forces, which is not a good thing.

This was also an important reason why he was initially unwilling to help.

He had come to Baiyue as a nail of the Human Path forces.

Just like the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest.

That Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest was the nail that those great demons hammered into Baiyue.

It’s just that the Demon Dao acts crudely, not understanding the principle of subtle influence, directly smashing in a top-tier fifth-ranker. Although they gained a foothold by brute force, they were also firmly locked in place by Orthodox Sword Palace in conjunction with four nations, unable to spread out.

Wait… Li Qi was hinting at him!

Wang Baiyan realized this point as he thought about it!

The phrase ‘challenging a seventh-ranker with the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain’ itself represented an attitude; it meant he had connected with the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain!

This was the true subtle influence. Being able to work with a Young Master of Shaman God Mountain itself represented many things. The Family… no, even the main branch, would only think that this point was definitely more important than a mere Guangyang.

Li Qi seemed to be persuading him, but this was a transaction, and also a threat!

He had no other choice.

Miscalculation!

Wait, that woman, the one who became Ma Wang, said that Li Qi had sent her!

Damn it! Li Qi had already planned to drag him into this back then!

He had reacted a step too late, still thinking it was just a transaction. But once this transaction was completed, the Human Path forces in Guangyang City were tied to Li Qi, unless Wang Baiyan was removed and replaced with another leader.

But it had already reached this point, could he be removed?

Having extended his hand that one time, Wang Baiyan was left with only one path: to assist Li Qi with all his might, even if it meant potentially sacrificing all the assets he had accumulated in Baiyue over the years.

If his assets were gone, he could still give an explanation to the main branch. With the main branch’s support, a comeback would only be a matter of time.

What’s more, there was actually a tiny chance—

What if, perhaps just what if.

This Young Master, he…

Won?

If he won, this time, he might not just be the administrator of a single province.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but in reality, it was only a fleeting moment.

Wang Baiyan was not an indecisive person. From his initial scheming against Li Qi and attempts to meddle in various affairs, one could fully discern his character.

Just now, he was merely frightened by the seventh-ranker.

Nothing else, Li Qi’s words, in his opinion, were completely suicidal.

A ninth-ranker challenging a seventh-ranker—such a thing had never happened in the world.

But upon closer thought, was it really a ninth-ranker challenging a seventh-ranker?

They possessed quite a few eighth-rank combat powers and many resources.

Essentially, this was an ambush of a seventh-ranker by the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain, utilizing the resources at his disposal.

It was still shocking, but far more understandable than a one-on-one fight.

If this matter succeeded, it would still be enough to be recorded in history, even written into the Record of Sages and Valiants.

Since that’s the case…

Wang Baiyan gritted his teeth, steadied himself again, and said, “All matters in the mundane world, if one cares for the small and forgets the great, there will surely be harm later. If one is doubtful and hesitant, there will surely be regret later. If one is decisive and dares to act, ghosts and gods will avoid them, and success will follow!”

“The Young Master’s prestige is well-known and admired by all. Now the demon monk is tyrannical, Guangyang is in turmoil, and people are filled with fear. Many are now contemplating and striving. I, Baiyan, am already very fortunate to be favored, hence I dare to speak my mind. I am willing to meticulously consider the plan for the Young Master and offer my strength! Where the Young Master commands, how dare I not respond?”

He immediately spoke with conviction, declaring his decision.

Li Qi laughed loudly, saying no more, embracing the rabbit in his arms, and leaving joyfully.

He once again boarded the sedan chair, gongs ringing and drums beating, departing gracefully.

Now that Wang Baiyan was settled, the next one to find was Orthodox Sword Palace.

Fortunately, Orthodox Sword Palace would certainly not be difficult to find, after all, he had left a letter for Zhang Lan on the old horse.

Li Qi always had his own calculations in mind.

It’s just that he often appeared indecisive and hesitant because he thought too much.

A few days ago, when he was strolling in Guangyang City, ascending the Five-Tiered Pagoda, going to the miniature heaven and earth with Wang Baiyan, and exploring the mountain forest with Li Zhufang, he had already been contemplating various possibilities.

Now, it was time to implement them.

— — — — — — — — — —

Time passed quickly; a full seven days had gone by.

During these seven days, Li Qi had been arranging the specific details of how things should progress.

For example, how Wang Baiyan’s resources should be implemented, and what the people of Xi Jiu Men should do.

The plan had largely been determined. To complete a plan, it needed to be divided into a decision-making layer and an execution layer.

Since the decisions were made, the next step was execution. Unfortunately, Li Qi did not have trustworthy executors under him, so he had to do everything himself.

Seven days later, the Dao Resonance arrangements were finally completed.

During these seven days, Li Qi had been multitasking.

On one hand, his main body was constantly working for Chan Zhi, analyzing the characteristics of different Demonic Overlords, and then using Shaman Dao methods to create corresponding counter-methods.

This was very difficult, extremely difficult.

Normally, most ninth-rankers merely kept learning others’ methods, rarely even contemplating the essence of spells, and not seeking a deep understanding of the methods.

For them, knowing how to use it was enough.

Delving into the principles behind the spells was meaningless.

A mature spell was like a manufactured rifle.

Give it to an ordinary person, and even if he doesn’t understand the principle, as long as he pulls the trigger, the power will naturally be unleashed in his hands.

For these spells, by following the steps to collect the required Qi and then processing it according to different methods, one could naturally use different spells.

Even if he disassembled the rifle and understood all its principles and working processes, which is to understand the ‘Dao’ contained within the ‘art,’ it would still be meaningless.

This would not make the spell stronger, nor would it make you more combat-effective.

A marksman doesn’t need to understand the gun’s principles; he can still hit the target every time, as long as he knows how to use it.

So, for ninth-rankers with limited Lifespan, this was a completely unnecessary investment. It was better to quickly improve their cultivation and slowly delve into it once they could live longer.

However, in reality, once one became accustomed to not seeking deep understanding, most people would lose the motivation to continue pursuing it.

Li Qi had always understood this principle, and he had not fallen into that trap. Instead, he had been diligently studying and improving his knowledge and Comprehension Ability.

But, he had never pushed himself this hard before.

Under external pressure, Li Qi was forced to begin his investigative process, and in this process, he continuously familiarized himself with True Knowledge Dao Resonance and honed his research and development capabilities.

He had only been taken by Chan Zhi for ten days, yet he felt that his many confusions regarding Buddhism, demonic thoughts, and his own Shaman Dao had suddenly cleared up, and he had accumulated a lot of experience.

Originally, he had planned to study slowly, leaving aside anything he truly didn’t understand to delve into later.

But people, it seems, are just like that—they need a bit of pressure for their minds to start working.

In these ten days under Great Master Chan Zhi’s pressure, Li Qi’s progress was incredibly fast.

First, the True Knowledge Dao Resonance.

Now that he truly mastered this Dao Resonance, Li Qi could confidently say that as long as the opponent was below the eighth rank, no spell could conceal its underlying principles from him.

If the progress bar could interrupt the opponent’s actions,

then the True Knowledge Dao Resonance could directly interrupt the spell itself.

He could achieve something similar to Shen Shuibi, where with a flick of a finger, the opponent’s spell would immediately become self-disordered.

He had grown accustomed to analyzing spells. These Devil Heads’ demonic thoughtss were composed of spells, constantly changing every second. Li Qi had to follow these changes, perceiving the opponent’s transformations at all times, then finding commonalities to determine what ‘trend’ the opponent belonged to, and then finding a way to suppress this trend.

This was like a random algorithm; these demonic thoughtss, under the blessing of an algorithm, constantly calculated random numbers. It was useless just to remember these random numbers.

One needed to break through the essence, find the patterns between the random numbers, then deduce their fundamental algorithm, and then crack that algorithm.

Li Qi was doing this every day now.

True Knowledge Dao Resonance was his means of observation: observe, then think, finally draw conclusions, and then verify his conclusions. If wrong, he would reflect until it was finally correct, and then obtain the result.

When such things were repeated many times, one would find oneself becoming increasingly intelligent.

Moreover, the knowledge one mastered also grew more and more.

More and more of what he had read in books transformed into skills he had mastered.

In just ten days, Li Qi felt that his understanding of spells had improved by a whole level. The True Knowledge Dao Resonance helped him store countless memories, which he could access at any time.

All these experiences became his own.

Li Qi felt that these Demonic Overlords could no longer stump him at all.

The remaining Demonic Overlords had become mechanical labor; if he continued working, there would be no more gains.

Just as Li Qi continued his work, a chill suddenly ran down his spine.

He immediately put down his work and turned to look behind him.

Great Master Chan Zhi was at the stairs, looking at Li Qi with kindly eyes.

Li Qi felt a shiver and quickly stood up: “Great Master, how may I help you?”

“Nothing, merely marveling at your progress, my young friend. You have already reached the realm of the Buddha Mother,” Great Master Chan Zhi said, his hands clasped together, his face gentle, as he walked up to Li Qi.

Li Qi’s heart stirred, and he asked, “May I ask what the Great Master means by this?”

“The Dao of techniques has boundless meaning horizontally and vertically, and its quantity is like dust and sand, like the sands of the Ganges, immeasurable. Therefore, focusing solely on techniques is fruitless; one must focus on the essence. This is ‘Buddha-Dharma.’ ”

“The Buddha takes the Dao as his teacher, and the Dao is the mother of the Buddha. ‘Buddha’ broadly refers to all Buddhas, and the character ‘mother’ carries the meaning of giving birth. Therefore, Buddha-Dharma gives birth to all techniques. To be able to perceive the root of all techniques is to have entered the realm of the Buddha Mother. It has only been ten days, and such Comprehension Ability… truly makes this poor monk feel ashamed,” Great Master Chan Zhi sighed.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi also showed a look of great joy, happily saying, “So the Great Master came for this reason. Then, thanks to the Great Master’s praise, I will be able to resolve the Great Master’s predicament sooner, to everyone’s great delight, truly to everyone’s great delight.”

But Chan Zhi was not very happy; instead, he shook his head: “While this is a good thing, something not so good has happened to my young friend, which is why this poor monk has come to find you.”

“Ah? May I ask, Great Master, what is it?” Li Qi asked, puzzled.

Chan Zhi unclasped his hands, walked up to Li Qi, and said, “It’s like this: perhaps my young friend has been too tired recently. Today, out of curiosity, I observed your condition and found that your spirit is not very good.”

Great Master Chan Zhi stared intently into Li Qi’s eyes and said gently, “Your Spirit Soul, my young friend, is somewhat damaged, isn’t it? Is it due to exhaustion? Or due to demonic thoughts erosion?”

When this question was posed,

Li Qi’s heart skipped a beat.

His Divided Soul, was it discovered?