Chapter 354: First time listening to a lecture

Inside Zhu Fengdan's grotto-heaven, Li Qi was having a long-overdue chat with Teacher Zhu.

After Zhu Fengdan posed his question, Li Qi immediately replied, "I've encountered some problems and would like to ask Teacher Zhu for guidance."

It was only natural for a student to seek guidance from his teacher.

"Oh? You're so clever, I thought you wouldn't encounter any problems at the Seventh Rank. Tell me, what is it?" Zhu Fengdan asked.

"I, why am I me?" Li Qi asked.

This was the question that most puzzled Li Qi.

My being me.

This was simply impossible to explain clearly.

"This question... Hmm, let me think about how to put it. It's a bit early to discuss this with you now. Even if I told you, you'd find it very difficult to understand, and it might even mislead you, causing other problems for you later on." Zhu Fengdan's head seemed troubled.

Moreover, his hand was still scratching something ten meters away. Judging by the action, he seemed to want to scratch his head.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do it now.

However, Li Qi could tell that his distress was real; Teacher Zhu genuinely wanted to scratch his head.

Because such things were truly difficult to explain, and if he told Li Qi directly, the problems might be even greater.

If Li Qi misunderstood, or learned something prematurely, leading to premature development, and thus affecting his future Dao Orthodoxy, it could easily become a dead end.

When it came to Dao Orthodoxy, one wrong step led to a series of wrong steps.

The cost of correcting a mistake after going astray was too great, otherwise, why would so many Great Powers choose Reincarnation and re-cultivation?

It was truly too deeply entrenched to turn back, so they simply ended themselves and started anew.

Zhu Fengdan was troubled for a while, then his head floated up and shook. "However, you are also a person with a sense of proportion. Since you're asking me this now, you must have some idea, right? You went to see the Shaman God, and he must have given you advice on this matter."

"Teacher Zhu's divine foresight is truly remarkable," Li Qi said, cupping his hands.

"Since that's the case, I won't give you a definitive answer. Let me offer a few conjectures. Remember, these are all conjectures; none of them can be fully trusted. They contradict and conflict with each other, serving only to inspire you."

Hearing Zhu Fengdan's words, Li Qi sat down cross-legged, then took out paper and pen, listening attentively and preparing to take notes.

Li Qi naturally understood.

In the process of comprehending the Dao, such things naturally occurred. He would find that his views on the same matter would completely shift at different times.

Moreover, both viewpoints seemed plausible, and if applied in cultivation, they could yield different effects.

That was why the Dao Orthodoxy was said to be perilous.

At the Ninth Rank, a useful idea would be adopted, but at the Eighth Rank, that same idea might become part of a hindrance, and he wouldn't even know it, only finding his cultivation stagnating without being able to pinpoint the reason.

At such times, a good teacher's guidance was worth ten years of self-effort.

Zhu Fengdan then began to act as a teacher for the first time, explaining things to Li Qi.

He didn't use the Dao sound used for lecturing on the Dao; that Divine Ability was for explaining extremely complex and systematic knowledge, capable of condensing a large amount of information into a single syllable.

What he was teaching Li Qi today was not those things.

What he was going to say today were merely 'conjectures,' something akin to casual conversation.

It was only meant to inspire, never to provide any substantive teaching.

Because with this kind of thing, Zhu Fengdan's ideas might be correct for himself, but if he told them to Li Qi and Li Qi used them, it might well ruin his life.

Zhu Fengdan pondered for a moment: "Let's assume, and I mean assume, that a Great Power used his Divine Ability to create an exact replica of you. Is that person you?"

"No," Li Qi immediately said.

Whether from intuition or thought, although the two people were identical, they were clearly not the same person.

"Exactly, of course it couldn't be you, because no matter how similar, these are two independent physical entities. Killing one would not affect the other, and your thoughts are not interconnected. Therefore, we can draw a conclusion: an identical Physical Body is not a necessary condition for me to be me," Zhu Fengdan spoke eloquently.

Li Qi busily wrote notes below.

Zhu Fengdan continued, "Although these two Physical Bodies are the same, you are independent and self-existent entities; there is something fundamental about you, and your mutual independent existence does not rely on other things."

"So, let's take this assumption a step further to the extreme: after creating an exact replica of you, where every aspect of you, including your thoughts, memories, and feelings, is identical to the original, and then the original you is completely destroyed, is this new you still you?"

Facing this question, Li Qi pondered for a moment, then replied, "To others, he is me, but to 'me,' he certainly is not."

Zhu Fengdan's head nodded: "Indeed, now two more questions arise."

"The first question is, the 'you' in the eyes of others in this world may not be the true you, and the true you may not necessarily be recognizable to others."

"So...?" Li Qi was a little confused.

Zhu Fengdan emphasized again: "Don't ask 'so,' 'so' is something you derive yourself. I only speak of the doubts extended from these things; think about the rest yourself."

Then, he continued, "Now for the second question: since complete physical identity, due to being two different entities, does not possess continuity in time and Karma, we can conclude that two completely identical people are in fact not the same. Thus, we arrive at the counter-proof that he is not you."

"Now, if we go even more extreme, let's abandon the Physical Body as an entity. Now, in your mind, another personality appears. This personality, as previously mentioned, possesses all your thoughts, all your memories, and is indistinguishable from you. It loves what you love, hates what you hate, and understands what you understand."

"So, this second personality, which has no Physical Body, is merely another consciousness that suddenly appeared. Now, this personality kills your original personality, silently and painlessly, and takes control of your Physical Body. Is he still you?"

This question was slightly more tricky, and Li Qi once again fell into deep thought.

If the Physical Body could be clearly distinguished as two entities because of its physical existence, and because the two lacked continuity in time and Karma, existing independently and autonomously...

Then what about the spirit?

If the spirit also underwent such a change, would that indicate the existence of a spiritual entity, similar to the physical entity of the Physical Body? Thus, there would be 'two' spirits.

With the existence of this spiritual entity, could the spirit and will then be judged? Because the spiritual entity and the Physical Body entity possess the same properties, both capable of being unified by the continuity of time and Karma?

This spiritual entity could not be the Spirit Soul, because the Spirit Soul was a truly existing substance, not a vague consciousness. The Spirit Soul bore a part of the responsibility for thought and was part of the Physical Body in this world.

Because it wasn't the Spirit Soul, the spirit was even more mysterious, yet still a discernible entity?

While Li Qi was thinking, Zhu Fengdan did not stop.

He continued, "If you understand the above two steps, then this time we go a step further. Now you have amnesia, having lost all your memories. Then, a personality identical to you before your amnesia appears. Is he you? And are you still you?"

Li Qi's thoughts were interrupted; his mind was in disarray.

If the spirit possessed an entity, then in what form did this entity exist?

The answer was obvious: thoughts, memories, feelings, preferences—these were the characteristics of spiritual existence, because apart from these, one could not prove the existence of the spirit at all.

Only thoughts, memories, feelings, and preferences could prove the existence of a spiritual entity.

So, if a person suddenly suffered permanent amnesia, completely forgetting his past experiences, then everyone knew it would be very difficult to say that this person was still the original person.

A person with amnesia was no longer the person he once was. Although he possessed continuity in time and Karma, it was difficult for anyone to acknowledge him as the original person.

Because from the perspective of thoughts, memories, feelings, and preferences, he had become another person; he was another spiritual entity, because the manifestations of his spiritual entity had completely disappeared, turning him into another person.

At this point, if another spiritual entity with the former characteristics suddenly appeared, then who was who?

According to thoughts, memories, and such, then this second will that emerged was the real one, and the permanently amnesiac one was fake.

Li Qi fell into doubt.

But Zhu Fengdan seemed endless, continuing to ask without pause: "Then, if neither the spiritual entity nor the Physical Body entity is sufficient to prove one's self, what then does one rely on to prove oneself?"

Li Qi frowned. He suddenly looked up and said, "According to this, Teacher Zhu, does self-identity become quite prominent in this question?"

Matter is an independent and self-existent entity.

Spirit is also an independent and self-existent entity, separate from matter.

Because of the existence of these two entities, and because entities possess continuity in Karma and time, can they then be judged as 'me'?

So, 'I' am an entity with continuity in time and Karma?

Thus, the answer is derived: what is important is identity.

Is this the answer?

Li Qi didn't know.

"Don't ask me. Today I am only responsible for stating conjectures and posing questions, not for answering them." Zhu Fengdan rolled his eyes. "This is the third time I've said this today. Next time, I'll take action."

Li Qi obediently shut his mouth and listened quietly.

After that, Zhu Fengdan continued to propose various conjectures.

For instance, does the spirit truly possess an entity? Are the choices you make out of free will, or are they due to various external factors that have already been determined, such as the state of your brain nerves or the state of your Spirit Soul?

If a Puppet of the Dao of Reason is precise enough, it can be almost identical to an Daoist Master.

Then how can one determine that another person is not a Puppet, and truly possesses this thing called a spiritual entity?

Human thoughts might merely be various substances, influenced by physical Laws, forming specific neural networks, and producing a single wave.

Or, for instance, is the spiritual attribute independent of the material attribute? Is the mind simply the spiritual attribute of a material entity?

Zhu Fengdan lectured for an entire day, not on anything practical, but only on these questions that had no answers. The directions these questions led to were contradictory, yet each seemed plausible.

For a whole day, he bombarded Li Qi with these endless questions.

So many conjectures, so many 'possibilities.'

Li Qi felt his head was about to explode.

Every question Zhu Fengdan posed gave him a new choice.

Now he had hundreds of choices before him, and each seemed correct, usable, and capable of guiding his Dao Orthodoxy. Some could even be developed further, using them to create new spells and Divine Abilities, dramatically increasing his combat power or raising his cultivation by a notch.

But the more choices there were, the more confused and afraid Li Qi became.

Having too much was actually a form of Heart Demon.

Heart Demons gradually arose, and demonic thoughtss of fear and doubt began to sprout in Li Qi's heart.

Zhu Fengdan glanced at Li Qi at that moment.

Sweating profusely, hands and feet trembling, the paper and pen he used for recording lay on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, countless thoughts churning in his mind, the answer to each question seemingly concerning his entire future.

Alas.

Long before this lecture, Zhu Fengdan had already said that forced growth was not good, and telling Li Qi certain things would only add to his burden and make his future Dao Orthodoxy more difficult.

See, it's happening now.

However, he still believed in Li Qi.

It was difficult, yes, but always going smoothly was actually very dangerous, as it would greatly reduce his ability to cope with risks.

Alas, Dao Orthodoxy was such a tricky thing.

A smooth journey was, in fact, also dangerous.

Then, was it right to deliberately abandon stability and seek danger, hoping to turn danger into opportunity?

That was utter nonsense. Danger was danger; if you couldn't survive it, you died. Pursuing that stuff meant you were purely insane.

Those who deliberately sought danger usually died very early; only a few lucky ones were filtered out.

No matter how much of a Genius you were, at such times, you could only rely on luck.

But what the great Dao Orthodoxy wanted were not those who were lucky; what good was luck?

But there was no other way; a Genius who could grow up must have multiple reasons.

After a day—

Zhu Fengdan's head floated in the air and said, "One last question: when a Great Power undergoes Reincarnation, how can he be sure it's still himself? After committing suicide and reincarnating, why don't they worry about becoming someone else?"

Li Qi was stunned.

Oh, right.

If it was Reincarnation, then the continuity of the Physical Body was broken.

Which meant... a spiritual entity truly existed?

Reincarnation was abandoning the Physical Body entity, choosing the spiritual entity, and then obtaining a second Physical Body entity?

But... Reincarnation also involved the 'fog of the womb,' leading to loss of memory...

Li Qi fell into deep thought again.

Zhu Fengdan looked at Li Qi, whose eyes were bloodshot and whose entire being exuded discouragement, and loudly reprimanded, "Alright, stop looking like that. If you die here, I won't be responsible! What's the point of thinking so much? If you get your own answer in one day, I'll give you my head to kick around like a ball! Now get out, go back and think slowly!"

Startled by Zhu Fengdan's loud shout, Li Qi looked up, his mind clearing a little.

He struggled to get up, bowed, and said, "Thank... thank you, Teacher Zhu. I'll go back and think about it..."

Zhu Fengdan's head circled Li Qi irritably: "Think about what? What's the point of thinking so much? These are just introductions, introductions, understand? You're only in your thirties; do you really expect to reach the heavens in one step? If you ignore these things, they're just a bunch of nonsense. But if you think carefully, these things will be your death warrant."

"Clear your head, go eat a meal, change your clothes, and then, get out!"