Seeing Only the Leaf, Blinded to the Forest

[March 28th

Guimao Year, Dingsi Month, Yihai Day. Yellow Path Auspicious Day. Day governed by Receiving Death, unsuitable for major undertakings.]

Time moved to the next day. Jiang Li, having woken up early, glanced at the calendar recorded in the Causality Collection. He thought about it; what he planned to do today probably didn't count as a major undertaking, so his luck shouldn't be too bad.

He put on the cyan robe lined inside with talismans, took his long sword, and went out, heading straight for the Dao Arts Pavilion.

Elder Wan was guarding the front of the Dao Arts Pavilion as usual. However, Elder Yun was absent today, making the old man seem somewhat lonely.

Look, he had even started playing Go against himself.

"Playing Go, Elder?"

Jiang Li sat down opposite Elder Wan with a smile and suggested, "How about this disciple plays a game with you, Elder?"

Elder Wan lifted his eyelids, glanced at Jiang Li, and directly pushed the container of white Go stones across the board. "Don't bother talking unless you can beat me."

This kid, hadn't seen him for a month, suddenly shows up today looking all attentive—he definitely wants something.

Calling him 'Elder Wan' so politely when he needs something, but nowhere to be found otherwise.

Elder Wan decided he needed to teach this young man what respecting elders meant, to let him know not to treat elders like mere tools. He would use the exquisite Go skills honed over many years of play.

And then...

Two quarter-hours passed.

Jiang Li placed the final stone, revealing a reserved smile. "Elder, you let me win."

This game couldn't be called one-sided, but the difference in skill was vast.

What is the correct way to utilize the solidification of cause and effect?

Is it just training techniques relentlessly?

While training techniques isn't wrong, focusing solely on it undoubtedly wastes some of this ability's potential.

Effort yielding guaranteed results means possibility becomes certainty. Theoretically, anything a person can achieve can be accomplished through effort. Given enough time, one could even become omnipotent in a practical sense.

Like playing Go.

Jiang Li had dabbled in the four arts—zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting—but due to time constraints, he could only focus on certain areas. There was no helping it; after subtracting the time spent on cultivation, Jiang Li didn't have much time left within the span of two and a half years.

Even if his time management skills, enhanced through solidified causality, had reached the level of Master Luo [likely referencing Show Lo's infamous scandal], he couldn't squeeze out any more time.

And Go, which emphasizes calculation, happened to be Jiang Li's focus.

Incidentally, Jiang Li had learned his Go skills from Elder Wan. He established his initial relationship with Elder Wan by learning Go, gradually becoming familiar.

Therefore, after his crushing defeat, Elder Wan found it particularly hard to accept.

"Did someone else teach you Go?" Elder Wan's gaze was like looking at a traitor who had betrayed the sect.

"No, no," Jiang Li quickly denied. "I just had some minor insights recently, made a little progress."

Really, just a little bit.

Jiang Li even deliberately made a small gap between his thumb and forefinger.

"Again," Elder Wan said deeply.

He straightened his back, his expression solemn, preparing to unleash his lifetime's worth of Go skill.

"About that matter..."

"Beat me, and anything is possible."

Then, another two quarter-hours passed.

"Again!"

Just hearing those two words revealed the outcome.

After another two quarter-hours—

"Again!"

After another two quarter-hours—

"Again!"

...

This continued until noon, when Elder Wan finally accepted reality.

He sighed, appearing ten years older. "I finally understand. You brat, you've been letting me win all along, just humoring me."

Previously, Jiang Li had also played Go with Elder Wan, but each time, he would put up a good fight before eventually losing, giving the impression that while he wasn't bad, he was always just slightly below Elder Wan's level, making the old man very happy.

Today, however, to make Elder Wan stop giving him the cold shoulder, Jiang Li decided to use strong medicine—fighting fire with fire.

It was just a bit too strong; Elder Wan's Dao heart nearly collapsed.

"How could it be humoring? This disciple is showing filial piety! Weren't you afraid Elder would be unhappy if you lost?" Jiang Li maintained a smiling face while clearing the Go board.

"Hmph! Am I the type who can't afford to lose?"

Elder Wan snorted coldly, barely suppressing the urge to demand "one more game."

"Speak. I also want to know what matter has made you so anxious today, kid?"

Yes, anxious.

Normally, Jiang Li wouldn't mind losing dozens of games to make Elder Wan happy before making his request. In that case, even without winning against Elder Wan, the elder wouldn't actually ignore Jiang Li.

Resorting to such strong medicine could only mean the matter was extremely urgent, so urgent that even this usually calm junior couldn't contain himself.

However, despite being so anxious, Jiang Li still played with him until noon. This couldn't help but warm Elder Wan's heart.

He's a good kid.

'Plan succeeded.' Jiang Li, who had also put considerable effort into his acting skills, revealed a completely insincere smile inwardly upon seeing this.

"Sigh—"

Jiang Li displayed superb acting skills, painting a pie chart of emotions on his face: three parts melancholy, three parts anger, three parts forbearance, and one part sorrow. "Someone wants to kill me."

"A kinsman, someone from the same root as me, wants to kill me."

The fact that Jiang Zhuyun's side didn't know what techniques Jiang Li had exchanged for proved Elder Wan's trustworthiness. Jiang Li's past interactions with Elder Wan also made him believe this elder wouldn't harm him.

Therefore, he recounted the matter of someone wanting to harm him, slightly edited—omitting the rather cruel details like the waterboarding.

Then, Jiang Li stood up and bowed deeply to Elder Wan. "Please, Elder, save me."

"Jiang family members hiding their identities, you don't know who they are now, and they harbor killing intent towards you. Most importantly, you know they want to harm you, but you can't fight back. Even if you expose this matter, you can't truly threaten Jiang Zhuyun because he is the Third Young Master of the Jiang family, while you are just an unknown outer disciple."

After listening, Elder Wan summarized the situation. "This is indeed a difficult matter. However, ensuring your safety is quite simple."

He looked at Jiang Li and chuckled. "Little Jiang, you are too low-key, and too cautious. You need to understand, whether it's you or anyone else, once you enter the Dinghu Sect, you are first and foremost a disciple of the Dinghu Sect. Only secondarily do you hold any other identity. Actually, I've heard things about the Jiang family disciples. They typically still place their family first, viewing their sect disciple identity as secondary. The Inner Sect Elders are quite displeased about this."

"But you are different. Your current hostile relationship with Jiang Zhuyun actually proves your stance. As long as you can demonstrate sufficient value, you don't need to do anything; the sect itself will ensure your safety. Jiang Zhuyun might dare to target an unknown outer disciple, but would he dare to try and kill an outstanding talent valued by the sect?"

"If you gain the sect's favor, never mind having a bit of evidence—even without evidence, if you report to the higher-ups that someone intends to harm you, the sect won't treat it lightly."

"I don't know why you are so low-key, but I just want to tell you: being low-key and cautious isn't bad, but excessive low-keyness and caution becomes conservatism."

Elder Wan was aware of some of Jiang Li's abilities, which was precisely why he wanted to take this opportunity to impart some life experience.

"Putting other things aside, just consider this Dao Fruit. If you don't achieve something noteworthy soon, do you think the sect will just hand over a Rank 8 Dao Fruit to you for no reason?"

Of course not.

The Rank 9 Dao Fruit is the entry threshold to the Dao; it's granted once the conditions are met. But subsequent Dao Fruits require the sect's favor, require one to demonstrate sufficient potential.

Even if Jiang Li could overcome this current hurdle, once he fully integrated the Rank 9 Dao Fruit, he would still need to distinguish himself. Otherwise, even if you fully integrate the Dao Fruit, must the sect necessarily give you the Rank 8 one?

In the current era of cultivation, progressing further without Dao Fruits is exceedingly difficult.

Thinking this, Jiang Li also felt he had been somewhat blinded by focusing too narrowly.

He was still young, after all. Despite having lived two lives, his psychological age was barely thirty. Although he wasn't shallow in thought or scheming, he ultimately lacked the seasoned experience that comes with age.

Prudence isn't bad, but it shouldn't lead to timidity.

Although Elder Wan had been thoroughly bested by Jiang Li, his words at this moment undoubtedly taught Jiang Li a very important lesson.

'So this is why an elder is needed to resolve difficulties,' Jiang Li thought with some self-deprecation. 'I am still too young.'

Thinking this, he bowed to Elder Wan again. "Disciple understands."

"It's good that you understand," Elder Wan stroked his long beard, deeply gratified. "Don't bury yourself like this in the future. I will help you too. For example, if you challenge ten Rank 9 disciples today, tomorrow I'll dare to report directly to the Sect Master that a hidden dragon has emerged in the outer sect. Wait, where are you going?"

"To fight ten of them."