Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

However, Li Xiu will not change much now. Who knows if Hongjun Daoist wants him to enter Zixiao Palace in order to take back the Hongmeng Sword?

Although the possibility is very low, we can't blame Li Xiu for being petty and trying to mislead others. After all, he has experienced many similar cases of murder, embezzlement, and deception in other worlds, and even experts have done it quite often.

If even Hongjun Daoist doesn't have truly top-tier cultivation techniques, then this world is the perfect place for Li Xiu to practice.

Tempted by the promise of this final piece of the puzzle, Li Xiu decided that no matter what, he had to enter the Purple Cloud Palace to find out what was going on.

While Li Xiu was having a mental battle with the heavens, Hongjun Daoren's lecture had already begun. Apart from the seemingly profound empty talk at the beginning, the entire lecture was actually quite deep.

Having traversed so many worlds, Li Xiu still found the lecture quite insightful, and many previously unresolved questions were confirmed during this presentation.

However, Li Xiu was no longer the underling he was when he first arrived in this world. Now, he had made tremendous progress and development in all aspects, so these problems had long been solved.

However, he did gain a lot of inspiration from this lecture. Of course, the first half was only half of the lecture, and the truly important and wonderful part of the lecture by Hongjun Daoren was the second half.

The first half of the story had already caused a huge commotion outside Zixiao Palace. Clearly, after hearing Hongjun Daoren's guidance, these people had gained new understanding and questions about their cultivation path.

It seems the trip was worthwhile; the progress is very obvious.

Hongjun Daoist seemed to have anticipated the reactions that would occur during his lecture, so he didn't rush to the second half. Instead, he stopped and addressed the people outside, saying, "If you have any questions, please feel free to raise them now so we can address them promptly, lest those questions deepen in the following sections."

Upon hearing what Hongjun Daoist said, the people outside Zixiao Palace all showed expressions of gratitude. They hadn't expected Hongjun Daoist to be so understanding and patient in solving all problems, without any fear. It was as if teaching a disciple could lead to the master starving.

It's also possible that Hongjun Daoist was extremely confident in his own strength. In any case, for the human race, having such an excellent leader who loves to impart knowledge and teach is certainly a very fortunate thing.

Hongjun Daoist explained these questions very patiently and thoroughly, but Li Xiu still made no progress.

Having finally endured this tedious part, he was about to get to the real highlight of the lecture, which was about how to cultivate to a higher level, as discussed by Master Hongjun.

This is also a bottleneck or difficulty that Li Xiu is currently facing. Because he is now facing a truly unique period of transformation, and if he succeeds in this transformation, he will surely rise to great heights in the future.

If you fail, there's no way to start over.

This time, Li Xiu listened very attentively, carefully reading every word spoken by Hongjun Daoren, trying to discern the true meaning and connotation that Hongjun Daoren wanted to express.

Chapter 1416 was inspired

Although Li Xiu was inspired by this, such profound things were probably like a fantasy to ordinary people. Apart from Li Xiu and a few others, most people found it extremely difficult to understand what Hongjun Daoren was talking about, such as removing the complexity of moves and returning to simplicity, or other more profound things. That was all.

However, Li Xiu still strongly agreed with these ideas because he had personally experienced that when the form of power is changed, the power does not just increase exponentially, but undergoes a complete transformation. Naturally, he would not be the one to stand out.

Although he had already made up his mind, he knew that if he insisted on stepping forward and showing off when everyone around him was completely confused, he would undoubtedly become the target of everyone's criticism, which would be very detrimental to his next move.

When the people below heard Hongjun Daoist talk about these things, they themselves were very skeptical about this path, after all, it completely overturned everything they had cultivated before.

It's possible that less than one in ten thousand will remain, but not doing so won't lead to regression, while doing so doesn't guarantee the changes you expect.

It is very possible that this bold attempt will cause them to fall to the bottom and never be able to climb out again, with no chance of recovery.

At that time, Master Hongjun made a great determination to take the step of seeking change, but fortunately he succeeded, which is why he is now the first person to recognize this.

Having experienced it firsthand, Hongjun Daoist also offered words of comfort to the crowd below, saying, "Friends, you don't need to take what I said too seriously. I was merely pointing out a possibility and confirming that it is indeed feasible."

"However, for those who are not very persistent, I do not recommend that they try to change their career path easily. The risk of doing so is too great. If they lack both willpower and opportunity, they will definitely fail."

"Following the established steps will not lead to much progress, but as your abilities accumulate, you will always make further progress on the original basis. What I am talking about today will inevitably be what you will have to go through in the future. What I am talking about today is just to give you a heads-up."

Hongjun Daoist had already explained things comprehensively enough, but there are always those who love to show off. It's unclear how much they actually understood what Hongjun Daoist said, but when it comes to showing off, they are all naturally very eager to do so.

Unlike Li Xiu, they weren't filled with worries. After all, the people who could come here were all relatively influential figures. If they could show off in front of these people, it would be a very enjoyable experience for them.

Among them was Li Xiu, someone he knew very well. Chu Mi, who had once hated him to the bone outside the cave on Buzhou Mountain, was now completely different. Standing in the crowd, Chu Mi seemed to be pointing out the flaws in the world, and said to Hongjun Daoist in Zixiao Palace, "I have a question I would like to ask Hongjun Daoist."

Chapter 1417 The Struggle Between Schools of Thought

Master Hongjun replied kindly, “Friend, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will explain in great detail what I can to help you with.”

Chu Mi nodded, adopting an air of superiority, and said, "I wonder why Daoist Hongjun brought up these things from the second half of today's lecture?"

"Our human race has always chosen to advance steadily. To suddenly ask us to abandon everything we've done before, as if rebuilding from scratch, is a risk that I think no one could withstand."

"Who exactly is the example that Daoist Hongjun mentioned?"

"So why bring up this example today?"

"This undoubtedly casts a shadow over the future cultivation of our human race."

"Instead of honestly and methodically cultivating, it's better to take a gamble there. If this gambler's mentality becomes the norm, it will be very bad for the future development of our human race."

Li Xiu, who was in the crowd, spat out a mouthful of phlegm when he heard Chu Mi say that, and then rubbed it on the ground a few times. This Chu Mi really doesn't know how to pretend.

In this kind of situation, if you want to stand out, it's best to come up with a statement that contradicts the views expressed by Hongjun Daoren, rather than directly attacking Hongjun Daoren from a moral high ground, saying how bad he is, as if you were a saint.

As expected, after Chu Mi finished speaking, it caused quite a stir among the crowd outside Zixiao Palace. Although Hongjun Daoist, as the leader of the human race, was unable to see the situation clearly, after Chu Mi's instigation, people felt that Hongjun Daoist was actually somewhat unworthy of his title.

The reason he said that today was to suppress these guys who were cultivating step by step, so that one of them would accidentally fall into the abyss, thus consolidating Hongjun Daoren's position as the leader of the human race.

If Li Xiu knew what they were thinking, he would definitely crack open their heads to see what could possibly be inside to produce such foolish thoughts.

Of course, Li Xiu's strength was too weak to reveal this, so he could only silently watch the various people outside Zixiao Palace. Now, Li Xiu had also discovered that Chu Mi seemed to have quite a few supporters among the people.

As soon as he finished speaking, quite a few people there echoed his words as if they were accomplices, each one speaking with righteous indignation. "Yes, although Hongjun Daoist knows that you, as the leader of the human race, are thinking of everyone, you should also consider everyone's actual situation."

"Moreover, although you have put what you said today into practice, could it just be a coincidence? As a leader, I hope you will consider things from everyone's perspective."

Hongjun Daoist outside Zixiao Palace did not answer immediately, because he knew that the turmoil would definitely escalate. He only needed to wait for the momentum of all parties to reach its peak before resolving all the problems in one fell swoop. Otherwise, he would only make things worse.

Li Xiu also wanted to enter the Zixiao Palace to see how Hongjun Daoist would react, because he himself had experienced such painful torment and knew that such things were indeed possible.

Chapter 1418 Know Yourself and Your Enemy, and You Will Never Be Defeated

However, this painful process is something that most people cannot accept.

Li Xiu also made a note of those who were filled with righteous indignation and resisted. He had already excluded these short-sighted individuals from his future adversaries.

He now has even higher expectations for Hongjun Daoren. Li Xiu really didn't expect that Hongjun Daoren would actually reach this point.

What intrigues Li Xiu even more now is how far this matter will develop, and how Hongjun Daoist will resolve it.

At this moment, Li Xiu was also secretly communicating with Li Duotian telepathically, saying, "Carefully observe the reactions of all of them, and remember these reactions. This will be of great help in judging their strength in the future."

Li Duotian nodded, clearly understanding that Li Xiu was not only training his strength but also his ability to read people and judge opponents. This was a necessary step for Li Duotian to become a master.

Only by having a comprehensive understanding of oneself and one's opponent can one gain a true advantage in future battles. This is the essence of "know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

During the fermentation of this fishing boat, Li Xiu also noticed that Aman was not very agreeable. On the contrary, Chu Mi's view was that he somewhat agreed with Hongjun Daoren's idea of ​​breaking down the old and establishing the new. He wondered if this sect leader had experienced something.

Aman was the first to raise a viewpoint opposite to Chu Mi's, saying, "What Hongjun Daoist said about breaking down and establishing something new makes a lot of sense to me. After all, we have been cultivating for so long, and we should know that although we are making progress according to our current cultivation method, each step forward is extremely slow. We cannot assume that it is the right path just because it has some minor positive results."

"Perhaps our progress is so slow precisely because we've taken the wrong path, isn't that right?"

"Being more acceptable to people is also a good result."

However, Chu Mi was also a little smug at this moment. Feeling that so many people were supporting him in front of Hongjun Daoist, he would not allow anyone to lose face for him in this situation.

He didn't mince words when his old rival, Aman, raised his objections, saying, "If we don't use achieving results, especially good results, as the standard of correctness, what's the point of cultivation?"

"Why not just choose those methods that cause more harm to yourself the more you try to fix them?"

Now, Li Xiu could clearly sense that Chu Mi had inexplicably become arrogant, which was hard for Li Xiu to accept. Although he had once been the number one in the world, that sense of loneliness and solitude would never have made him arrogant.

When can one become extremely arrogant? It's when one's strength is very weak, but still has some, and suddenly receives support from many unrelated people. This is often the most dangerous time.

Li Xiu, of course, never experienced such moments of arrogance. He always focused on training, which is why he has achieved his success today.

Li Xiu was now observing the situation with a spectator's mentality, watching how things unfolded, but clearly no one here intended for him to keep watching.

Chapter 1419 Escalating Further

Just as Li Xiu was engrossed in watching, he suddenly heard Hongjun Daoist's voice again. Hongjun Daoist actually took the initiative to bring up the topic, saying, "I wonder how you, young friend, would like me to handle this matter?"

If I were to explain it in detail, there will definitely be many people walking in the same direction as you on this path, and the competition will be fierce, so your future cultivation will not be too boring.

But if I don't explain this matter clearly and let the rumors escalate, I estimate that your future cultivation path will be filled with many opponents and won't be too boring. Which one do you prefer?

Li Xiu carefully considered what Hongjun Daoist had said and found that he had no reason to refute it.

Because if more people choose to follow the same path as him, then he will face the need for increased resources. After all, when something new appears, something that aligns with that new thing is obviously the goal that everyone is pursuing.

As the number one or number two person in this world, Li Xiu could have monopolized these resources. However, if there are too many competitors, he would face extremely fierce competition.

The second method, however, will also face very strong competition, but that will be a siege by hostile forces against these outcasts.

Because time will prove that if the right method is chosen, progress will be very rapid, and those die-hards will naturally not witness the occurrence of these outliers, and will do their best to strangle them in the bud.

Li Xiu was caught off guard by Hongjun Daoist's sudden question and didn't know how to answer. To be honest, he didn't have much attachment to this world.

After all, this is a primordial world, the beginning of all worlds. If too many changes occur in this world, he doesn't know how the world will develop afterward, or whether it will alter the future timeline.

His most important purpose in coming into this world was to seek authenticity, find the true origin, return to his original nature, and achieve a true awakening, thereby breaking his own peace and becoming the one who breaks through his own limits.

Now that he was truly faced with a choice, he hesitated. After all, this matter was of great importance, and he didn't know what to do. So he replied, "Master Hongjun, your question is too sudden."

"To be honest, I haven't thought it through yet, so it's entirely up to you how to handle this."

Hongjun Daoist nodded, not surprised by Li Xiu's answer. After all, he hadn't figured out how to handle this matter either. He could only let the world develop as it was meant to. If he forcibly changed it and made the world develop according to his own will, he might not be able to bear the consequences.

Therefore, Hongjun Daoist continued to choose to observe the situation quietly, allowing the quarrels outside Zixiao Palace to intensify.

Now it's not just a dispute between Chu Mi and A Man anymore; they even have their own teams now, and the trend of this struggle is becoming more and more obvious.

The stubborn and conservative old-fashioned faction and the change-seeking mentality now see each other as mortal enemies. Generally speaking, it's not just a matter of face for the two factions, but they also know that this concerns how to choose the direction of development in the future.

Chapter 1420 Waiting for an Opportunity

If one can become the first in this matter, it will be a powerful propaganda boost for the future development of one's own faction. However, if one falls behind in this struggle, the foundation of the sect that one has worked so hard to build over the years may be implicated.

Such a huge stakes have made everyone involved somewhat blinded by greed; no one can afford to lose. As the world's development intensifies, Hongjun Daoren decides to temporarily control this uncontrollable trend.