Chapter 300: Qualities of the immortal

Li Qi had no choice; he hadn't expected the Great Shamanes' attitudes to change so suddenly after he reached the Seventh Rank.

It was as if those below Eighth Rank were children, and at Seventh Rank, they suddenly grew up.

Yet, there was clearly no change at all…

For a Sovereign, a few hundred years of Lifespan at Eighth Rank, while not a mere flick of a finger, was akin to living from dawn till dusk. Therefore, only upon reaching Seventh Rank were they considered adults, gaining the perspective of a Sovereign and thus being able to communicate on equal footing.

But the problem was… this perspective was formed gradually as Lifespan slowly extended.

Li Qi's mindset was essentially no different from an Eighth Rank Cultivator's, yet he had to shoulder this troublesome responsibility due to his promotion…

Just as Li Qi was thinking this, the Great Shaman suddenly sat down cross-legged in front of him and said, "Don't be discouraged. To do something, it's always best to start now."

"To cultivate the qualities a Sovereign should possess, you must also start now. You might feel this is asking the impossible, an unachievable task, but you must know that so-called impossible, massive tasks are merely collections of many small, achievable tasks."

"You must learn to find answers within your long life, to break down impossible grand goals into achievable smaller parts, and then complete them little by little."

"All great achievements are initially built brick by brick. The method to destroy a world group is to destroy it world by world. The method to cross Boundless Outer Domain is to advance step by step. No matter how grand a thing is, it must ultimately be composed of smaller parts."

"There's no need to worry about wasting time. Time, from now on, is meaningless to you. For you, investigating an assassination with a Demonic background seems almost impossible now, but if you break it down and do it piece by piece, perhaps in just a few hundred years, you'll find the answer."

"Learn patience, learn longevity. Pursuing brief and quick results is only something a child would think."

Great Shaman Mi Xin perhaps felt this was very important, so he uncharacteristically spoke at length to instruct Li Qi.

Li Qi was awestruck and listened carefully to his advice.

In the Great Shaman's view, this was likely the most important matter, far more important than any assassination.

"Learn to break it down…" Li Qi murmured.

Indeed, investigating this conspiracy was an extremely arduous task, an impossible one for an Eighth Rank Li Qi.

But if he broke it down little by little, dissecting this conspiracy into dozens of different cold cases, and then spent a few hundred years investigating, wouldn't everything seem less difficult?

Because for them, there was no such thing as a time limit. Those who wanted to destroy evidence would have already done so, and any evidence that hadn't been destroyed would largely persist. Even if it didn't, they could trace it through Karma.

"Thank you for your guidance, Great Shaman." Li Qi suddenly understood, then bowed his head in gratitude.

Indeed, what he said made a lot of sense.

Then, the Great Shaman continued, "Keep this matter in your heart. If you truly expect to find any clues or culprits, it's probably unrealistic. It will most likely fizzle out. Both sides will treat it as an accident. Even if Dali Temple intervenes, the investigation will be conducted in secret, not openly."

Li Qi nodded. He naturally knew this.

Such matters couldn't be brought out into the open, but… both sides would definitely investigate privately.

With Li Qi's assassination, there would naturally be people in Tang Nation who were furious.

The anger likely stemmed from two points.

First, Li Qi was actually assassinated.

Second, Li Qi actually didn't die.

The fact that he didn't die was especially crucial.

Assassination was one thing, but if it was done cleanly, with no witnesses, it would have been a cause for celebration.

Great Shaman Mi Xin continued, "However, Tang Nation will likely not acknowledge this time, and may even help conceal it. As for punishment, that will be a private matter, not public."

"Tang Nation will punish privately?" Li Qi was somewhat surprised; he had thought it would just be left unresolved.

"That is natural. Although they are indeed hypocritical, the rules of the human Dao are extremely strict, and rewards and punishments are very clear. Regardless of the reason, if something is done, there will always be a punishment." Mixin nodded, answering Li Qi's question.

Li Qi was surprised by this: "Then, Great Shaman… do you know who did it?"

How did these people know everything? What was he even supposed to investigate then?

Mixin then said, "Of course I know who did it on the surface. It's nothing more than that faction from Nanshan Academy. But they are only the surface. The people of Nanshan Academy are not fools; even if they wanted to kill you, they wouldn't do it like this. They wouldn't even let people make a move; they would let you die inexplicably."

"Making it like this is not good for either the human or Shaman Dao paths. So, Nanshan Academy is likely just a glove, not to be taken as the true culprit. You might even have to work with them later to find the real person."

Li Qi scratched his head after hearing this: "Then could it be a Demonic Cultivator?"

"I don't know." Mixin said very frankly, "I don't know the whole story. You can investigate it yourself, but don't neglect your proper duties. Although you are already Seventh Rank, there is still much worth learning at Imperial Academy. Don't rush, take your time. We have plenty of time."

Sovereigns, what they lacked least was time.

Li Qi could spend several hundred years investigating this matter, and during that time, he would still have ample time to complete his studies and even concern himself with matters occurring in Boundless Outer Domain.

Mixin continued, "If you encounter something you can't solve, come find me. I will be in Chang'an for a while. After you arrive in Chang'an, just find a place and call my name."

"This junior will remember." Li Qi listened, then stood up and bowed deeply in thanks.

Then he swallowed the words he was about to say.

He had originally wanted to tell Great Shaman Mi Xin why the three lives ancient mirror had gone berserk.

Because the item mechanically wanted to take him back to Earth.

However, Li Qi felt that Earth was too far away, so far that it was beyond the Universe, which directly caused the three lives ancient mirror to explode.

It was better not to mention such a thing now. He would investigate it first and then inform others later.

After Li Qi completed his bow and sat down, Mixin reached out again: "Now, I will teach you how to control the Human Body Minor Universe, so that your longevity is no longer so fragile. Sit down and feel the essence of perfect harmony."

Li Qi sat down cross-legged again, closed his eyes, and allowed the other party to place a hand on his head.

Then, abruptly, a vision transmitted into his mind.

The mind and body inherently possess everything, perfectly harmonious and self-sufficient, without danger or urgency.

Heaven and earth each have movement and stillness, seen in their four virtues: the still body, yet moving application; distinct in stillness, yet interactive in movement.

Boundless in its subtlety, from beginning to end, life and death, thus cycles; essence, Qi, ghosts, and spirits, thus gather and scatter.

It was as if movement became stillness, stillness became movement, movement and stillness generated each other, cycling endlessly, existence and non-existence, life and death, all united as one.

All wear and tear and consumption were due to a lack of perfect harmony. As long as the internal circulation of the Human Body Minor Universe reached a state of no internal friction or wear, then Lifespan would be endless.

The ultimate pursuit of Shaman Dao was a flawless internal circulation, a perfect world that lasted forever.

Li Qi had just gained some insight and was about to delve deeper, but before he could, this sense of perfect harmony suddenly vanished.

He opened his eyes and found that the Great Shaman was gone, and his own body was slowly disappearing from his Human Body Minor Universe.

The guidance was over, which meant he was being told to leave quickly…

Li Qi felt helpless.

The other party had only pointed out a way to make limited longevity less limited. How to progress, how to research, was entirely up to him; there was no answer to copy.

Presumably, he wasn't allowed to copy it either.

This was probably an examination and test for a newly born Sovereign.

Li Qi had to prove himself worthy of the power of 'immortality'.

Endless time was a gift, but also a torment.

One must learn to bear this torment to be worthy of such a gift.

Li Qi suddenly realized that every task he would undertake from now on would likely be measured in centuries. He needed to break down massive tasks into smaller pieces, set their order, from easy to difficult, from simple to profound, and then gradually complete a grand plan.

Sovereigns were not in a hurry.

For example, if a Sovereign intended to build a mansion, he would learn about architectural design, carpentry skills, and how the surrounding trees and land would affect every aspect of his plan.

He would ensure that all contingencies during the mansion's construction were within the plan, and all the features he desired were reflected in his design.

No matter how long it would take.

Mortals would focus on the construction period; a year to build versus ten years made a huge difference. But Sovereigns didn't care if the project lasted five months or fifty years, or even a hundred years.

Their only goal was to build a mansion that perfectly matched their own desires.

To complete a task over a long period without feeling anxious was a quality every Sovereign should possess.

Li Qi noticed this, and then he reconsidered Shen Shuibi's daily life.

In the previous year, she was almost constantly focused on her own affairs, not caring about a day or two, extremely patient, taciturn, fully concentrated, and unyielding.

Later, due to the damage to her Immaculate Body, the changes in her body reflected in her mind. She then began to become easily irritable, like a Mortal, unable to accept brief changes, and was even taken advantage of by Li Qi because of it.

Ahem, let's not dwell on that matter.

After Li Qi comprehended the qualities a Sovereign should possess, he was expelled from Great Shaman Mi Xin's Human Body Minor Universe and returned to Chang'an.

Comprehending was one thing; practicing was another. He still had to take it slow.

However, he had to start cultivating it now.

Li Qi pondered in his mind how to proceed, concerning his studies at Imperial Academy, the investigation of the assassination, and the arrangements for Holy Flame World affairs.

Hmm… since he was already Seventh Rank, Imperial Academy's priority should be last. He would just quietly wait for classes to start and then clock in for his studies. First, he'd check the quality of the Imperial Academy classes.

If there was anything worthwhile, he would study for a while, learn something real, and then leave.

If not, or if it wasn't suitable for him, he would just leave directly.

The investigation of the assassination should just be a test. As Great Shaman Mi Xin said, there would be more than one or two people investigating this matter. Although he was the person involved, if he wanted to join the investigation, he would only be an insignificant minor character. So, he should just do his own thing and could start by looking at others' investigation results, such as those from Dali Temple.

Therefore, the assassination investigation could also be temporarily put aside. He would wait until Dali Temple and Shaman God Mountain had some leads, then directly use their existing findings, combine them with his own actual experience, and then deduce the matter, to avoid getting too deeply involved and pulling himself in again.

This matter involved too much, so he shouldn't delve too deeply. Thus, it could also be handled later.

So, then, there were only two urgent matters left.

First, a long-term task, which was to stabilize his cultivation and learn some spells appropriate for Seventh Rank, to transform himself from a newly entered Seventh Rank Cultivator into a solid Seventh Rank Cultivator. This task could be combined with his Imperial Academy studies.

Second, the affairs of Holy Flame World. He needed to go back and ask about them. He might even need to take a trip there.

So, having arranged his current tasks, Li Qi no longer hesitated and immediately prepared to rush home. As for the assassination, it was temporarily put aside; someone would ask him about it anyway, and he would deal with it then.

But just as he emerged from his thoughts, he looked up and saw the once bustling Chang'an transformed into a disaster zone.

The previous chaos had not yet dissipated. Although most of the injured had been transported away, a large amount of debris still lay in the streets.

This matter was destined to be headline news.

His life was probably not going to be peaceful from now on.

— — — — — — — — — —

Thinking these thoughts, Li Qi quickly rushed back to his courtyard in Chang'an.

There were only a few days left until classes started, so he still needed to make use of the time.

First, as the Great Shaman had advised, he would break down the affairs of Holy Flame World, look at the order, what to do first, what to do next, completing it piece by piece, spending a few decades to retain the resources of this Sixth Rank world.

Li Qi felt that the matters of Holy Flame World could mainly be divided into two parts.

One was the matter of changing the Dao of Holy Flame World. This was the foundation. To collect the special resources of Holy Flame World, it had to be vibrant and energetic. A Holy Flame World turned into a wasteland would be useless.

For this, it was necessary to abolish the divine Dao that originally corroded the Sacred Flame, allowing Holy Flame World's original traditions to dominate the world, and then add some reforms set by Li Qi himself.

Shen Shuibi was responsible for this part; Li Qi would just observe when the time came.

The second was to convert the collected Sacred Flame into universally accepted currency.

It certainly couldn't be silver; it should be exchanged for worlds or treasures, which would be more suitable. And the act of trading would generate 'profit,' which was an important way to increase wealth.

Sacred Flame was a special product of the world, and it also had a good effect on the divine Dao. He also had the Grand Invoker token and the backing of Shaman God Mountain. This business was feasible, and he definitely had to do it.

To pay off his debts, he had to set a small goal first!

But that required prior contact with divine Dao Cultivators, or people qualified to contact the divine Dao.

This could perhaps be done through connections at Imperial Academy. Imperial Academy had many international students, most of whom had high status.

Hmm, indeed feasible.

So next, he would first call Shen Shuibi to ask about the situation in Holy Flame World.